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I admire Bawumia for his technology drive-Selorm Branttie writes

If there is one Ghanaian leader I would admire right now it will be the Vice President, Alhaji Bawumia. He has on countless occasions staked his image on quite a few things related to technology aimed at changing the landscape of doing business.

He gets it. He sees the potential of how these things can change a nation. Like some, of all of us in the tech industry in Ghana however, we are all sailing through muddy waters. The difference between ideas and execution is a large gulf.

What saddens me most is that we have chosen to bastardize a lot of really wonderful technology strides and sacrificed them on the altar of vested interests, crony deals and downright shoddy execution even where all the ecosystemic odds are in our favor.

What doesn’t Ghana have? Per capita in West Africa, we probably have the highest number of technology companies and competent and talented innovators. From people who have the potential of creating covid-19 test kits, to those who can do automated solutions for contact tracing, electronic medical systems, payment systems, stock and inventory control, remote monitoring systems at border points…
We have it all.

Post covid-19, we have a very great chance of harnessing this talent together to make tech services an emergent Victor in alleviating poverty and providing an export alternative to our resource dependent country.

Lots of millions of dollars are poured into the resource sector along with lots of hope, but alas, look at the oil sector. This year its a complete gonner. For 60 years, gold and cocoa and some fruits have been the ones we depend on.

But the future is a knowledge based economy and expertise and deployments in this field is what will be the game changer. The government needn’t even invest huge amounts in the tech sector cos a vibrant and innovative tech sector determines the best investments by market knowledge and growth.

It is easy pickings. A tech hub and growth in revenue and economic opportunities is what we could use to make Ghana great and relevant post covid-19. It will be a great chance to reignite an economy that is uncertain of the next growth trajectories.

But Charle, when we continue to have the biggest spender in the economy doing things the old fsshimed way spiced with publicizing strange players while leaving the actual industry out, the wealth will not be generated. Growth will not be generated. It will only get into the hands of a limited few who still don’t get it. For them it’s just a procurement gig.

No country ever grew on those, only individuals do.

What do we want? We have an orphaned tech industry primed to take West Africa and by extension Africa by storm. But those supposed to create the headwinds to help are fanning themselves under the only shade in the desert and left the rest out there chasing mirages.

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