The Ghana Statistical Service launches statistics bank to support policy making.
Ghana's digital ecosystem week in review: DeepLearning indaba ongoing in Ghana, HapaSpace to host AfriConEU in Kumasi, Blu Pengium is fastest growing fintech in Ghana, MEST Pitch opened ...
Accra Digital Digest No. #011110
Date: August 28 - September 3, 2023
Dear friends,
Happy new month! Here are the most significant news, op-eds, in-depth analysis, and insights we curated to help you stay well-informed about Ghana's digital economy. Share with a friend who will find it useful. Thanks
Digital governance
News updates
GSS launches statistics bank to support policy making
The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has launched the country’s maiden integrated data repository, the Statistics Bank (StatsBank), to guide policy decisions for sustainable inclusive national development.
Employment Ministry, GSS to streamline labour statistics
The Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations (MELR) and the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), have signed a Memorandum of Understating (MoU), to collaborate in the generation and streamlining of data on labour to inform policy decisions.
Under the partnership, the Ministry’s Research Department would work closely with the GSS to generate labour statistics to inform coordinated response to challenges in the sector.
Digital infrastructure & platforms
News updates
Digital finance
News updates
Ecobank Fintech Challenge 2023 records 1,490 entries as eight reach final
Over 1,400 Fintech startups from 64 countries across Africa and beyond applied for this year’s Ecobank Fintech Challenge – with eight of them making the cut to the final where they will compete for the ultimate prize. This is the international competition’s sixth edition, with the highest number of applications on record.
Central Bank Digital Currency global adoption: Ghana, Eswatini stand out
One hundred and thirty (130) countries, including Ghana, are currently exploring the possibilities with CBDC adoption, which allows for digital money to be supported and used publicly alongside cash whilst supported by the nation’s central bank.
MTN MoMo holds stakeholder forum to address barriers to digital payments adoption
MobileMoney Limited (MTN MoMo), as part of activities to commemorate this year’s Mobile Money Month, has held a stakeholder forum in Accra on the theme “Addressing the Barriers to Digital Payment Adoption in Ghana”.
The International Center for Strategic Alliances (ICSA) is the Organisers of the Leading Banking Summit Connected Banking Summit 2023– (Formerly Africa’s Digital Banking Summit) and is all set to go live with the 9th Edition Connected Banking Summit West Africa which is themed as “Innovations Powering Digital Inclusion and Sustainable Transformation”.
Blu Pengiun crowned Fastest Growing Fintech in Ghana
Ghana’s leading in-store payments service provider, The Blu Penguin has been adjudged the Fastest Growing Fintech in the country at this year’s Ghana Business Standards Awards. Its award hinged largely on the performance of its flagship and game-changing in-store payments solution, BluPay, which is currently the most widely used and most recommended product by merchants and banks in the country.
Digital entrepreneurship
News updates
hapaSpace To Host AfriConEU Bootcamp In Kumasi From 19th to 21st September
The AfriConEU Bootcamp, an initiative under the EU Horizon 2020 project, is set to land from the 19th to the 21st of September in Kumasi at the hapaSpace premises. With the overarching theme: “Digital Horizons: Unleashing Africa’s Potential “, the AfriConEU Bootcamp seeks to create an environment where startups, innovators, and entrepreneurs can explore new horizons, connect with like-minded individuals, and learn from success stories that transcend borders.
MEST Africa Opens Application for Challenge Startup Pitch Competition
MEST Africa has opened applications for its 2023 Challenge Startup Pitch Competition for African startups. This year, the program is being run in partnership with Absa Bank and is targeting early-stage technology startups operational in Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Kenya, and South Africa.
Digital talents
News updates
Deep Learning Indaba is ongoing at the University of Ghana in Accra, Ghana from September 3rd to 9th, 2023. The theme of the event is Yɛbɛtumi, which means “we can” in the Akan (Twi) language. The event will feature keynote talks from thought leaders in the fields of ML/AI and Ethics, opportunities to learn skills in practical (programming) sessions, mentorship opportunities, a two-day African Research Symposium, deep dive workshops on topics including NLP, AI in Healthcare, Reinforcement Learning, Machine Learning at the Edge, and AI Governance and Policy, and much more!
Team Beta triumphs in 36hour hackathon by Ghana Statistical Service and Statistics Denmark
In a successful showcase of innovation and data utilization, Team Beta emerged as the victors of a 36-hour hackathon organized by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) in collaboration with Statistics Denmark.
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