Electrifying!: ECG SYSTEMS HACKED! Billions Of GHC Lost!
Ghana's digital ecosystem week in review: KIC calls for Applications for 2024 AgriTech Challenge, Ministry Of Coms set Deadline for E-commerce E-Cert Registration, GH Startup Ecosystem Primer & more.
Accra Digital Digest No. #101000
Date: November 6 - November 12, 2023
Dear Friends,
Always nice to meet you! Happy new week!🎉Here are the most important news, perspectives, analysis, and insights about the Ghanaian digital ecosystem from last week.
Digital governance
News updates
Stakeholders Make a Case For Policy Framework, Common Front for BPOs
Stakeholders in the Information Technology (IT) sector, both public and private, have urged the government to firm up its commitments to the country’s Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) industry while also highlighting the need for an association of BPO companies who would advocate for reforms and initiative that would help the government to create the enabling environment for the sector to thrive and attract the needed investment.
MoCD, MESTI, GIZ launch 2023 Ghana Digital Innovation Week
The Ministry of Communication And Digitalization(MoCD) in conjunction with the Ministry Of Environment Science Technology And Innovation (MESTI) and GIZ Ghana has inaugurated the 2023 Ghana digital innovation week themed Innovate, Collaborate, Elevate : Shaping S Future Of Endless Potential
The three day event was dedicated to consolidating essential policy instruments to address the prevailing market in touch with prevailing market challenges
Digital infrastructure and platforms
News updates
The Minister of Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has disclosed that the Electricity Company of Ghana’s systems were hacked. According to him, the situation led to the company recording a lot of losses. Although the minister failed to disclose the day the incident occurred, Mr. Prempeh indicated that the ECG recorded an increase in its losses in the first nine months of 2023.
Ministry Of Communication Sets December 19 Deadline for E-commerce E-Certificate Registration
Ghana’s Ministry of Communications and Digitalization has directed all e-commerce operators and their courier/drivers to register with the Postal and Courier Services Regulatory Commission (PCSRC) by December 19, 2023.
The Ministry stated that after the deadline, no new goods delivery and courier service provider can register with any digital platform or delivery service without a valid PSCRC e-certificate.
Vodafone Ghana Foundation crowned CSR Telecom of the Year at Ghana CSR Excellence Awards
The Vodafone Ghana Foundation has been recognized for its excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility when it clinched two significant awards at the10th Ghana CSR Excellence Awards held at the Marriott Hotel in Accra. The foundation won the CSR Award for Health for its Connected Health Initiatives, additionally, the company was crowned the CSR Telecom of the Year for its comprehensive CSR approach in health and education.
Seso Global launches Diaspora mortgage platform with Republic Bank
Seso Global, Africa’s leading digital property marketplace, has partnered with Republic Bank (Ghana) PLC, to launch a digital mortgage platform that simplifies the mortgage application process. The platform is expected to significantly enhance the process of investing in real estate in the country by allowing Ghanaians living abroad to search, submit and manage their mortgages digitally.
op-ed
Generative AI – Managing the Corporate User Risks
An insurance company in Kenya has deployed billboards in the city of Nairobi with the inscription “Someone tell ChatGPT that GA Insurance is the 3rd largest General Insurer in Kenya”. This could be seen as a marketing campaign seeking to take advantage of the craze and buzz of ‘ChatGPT’ – and everything may be right with-it context-wise.
However, this “call to action” demonstrates the biases AI can perpetuate because of the data it was trained on. This inherent characteristic of AI is explored in this op-ed, raising concerns about the potential risks associated with such interactions, particularly for corporate users.
Digital finance
News updates
Digital entrepreneurship
News updates
KIC Announces Call for Applications for 2024 AgriTech Challenge Pro Program
Kosmos Innovation Centre has announced a call for applications for the 2024 AgriTech Challenge Pro program, a five-month accelerator program aiming to support young entrepreneurs to launch and grow commercially viable, scalable solutions to key problems in the agricultural sector. Nominations are open till November 24th 2023
Ghana Startup Ecosystem Primer: An Overview of the State, Opportunities, and Challenges
The Accra Angels Network in collaboration with The Innovation Spark, Innohub, and Asime Ventures, the group has announced the release of the “Ghana Startup Ecosystem Primer.” The report offers a multifaceted view of the Ghanaian entrepreneurial ecosystem: the successes, the obstacles and stark realities faced by entrepreneurs, investors, and stakeholders.
op-ed
What we can learn from the burgeoning Turkish tech industry
Startups with technology-integrated business models are becoming more prevalent, setting higher standards, and achieving valuations that surpass US$1.7billion annually in the Turkish business community. Istanbul is now on pace with digital capitals such as London, Paris and Berlin, thanks to a wave of investment that exceed US$1.7billion. However, Turkiye’s recent tech success has been years in the making.
These op-ed reviews the key players and factors behind the Turkish tech boom and what lessons we, as a country, can draw from the Turkish experience.
Digital talents
News updates
KNUST Student Innovate Smart IoT-Based Energy Conservation Device called The “DUO”
Faisal Ihunnang Nurideen and Stephen Nimako Effah, 3rd-year Telecommunication Engineering and Automobile Engineering students at the KNUST College of Engineering, have innovated a smart IoT-based energy conservation device named the “DUO”. This device efficiently conserves energy by automatically powering off electrical gadgets like light bulbs, fans, air conditioners, and other electronics when no human presence is detected in a room for a specified duration.
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