Prof. Attafuah calls for strong public private partnership to accelerate country’s digital transformation

The Executive Secretary of the NIA, Prof Ken Agyemang Attafuah, has called for a strong public private partnership (PPP) to help identify key bottlenecks that needs to be removed to further accelerate the country’s digital transformation.

He noted the PPP could form the cornerstone of a successful move to digitisation and was an effective strategy for bringing together the resources and technical expertise needed to deliver on digital transformation goals.

“I am confident that PPPs can improve digitalisation of the economy through collaborations that combine innovative efforts from the private sector, forward- thinking policies from governments, support from academia and encouragement from civil society actors and organisations,” Prof Attafuah stated.

Made in Ghana Summit

He made this call at the second edition of the Made in Ghana summit which took place in Accra last Friday (December 8).

The event which was organised by Entrepreneur Foundation of Ghana (EFG) on the theme “The Role of Public-Private Partnerships in Sustainable Digital Transformation.”

It brought together influential public and private sector chief executives, captain of industries, policymakers and entrepreneurs as well as some members of the diplomatic corps.

Among issues discussed were the government's digitalisation, industrialisation and business development agenda. 

PPP

He said collaborative efforts between NIA and its technical partners, Identity Management Systems II Limited (IMS II),  best exemplified the centrality of the role of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in fostering digital transformation and taking societies beyond new frontiers of growth and development.

Prof Attafuah said one of the key advantages of the  partnership was the synergy of strengths.

“The NIA, as a governmental body, brings to the table the overarching vision of a unified and secure national identification system, an appropriate and effective legal and regulatory framework, public trust, public sector organisational competence and social mobilization and stakeholder engagement skills.

On the other hand, the private partner, Margins Group , contributes cutting-edge technologies, specialised knowledge, and the agility needed to implement solutions that meet the evolving needs of our dynamic society,” Prof Attafuah stated.

He said the Ghana Card, a product of such collaboration, stood as a symbol of efficiency, security, and inclusivity.

Through the strategic combination of public resources and private innovation, and the intelligent allocation of risks, he said both the NIA and the IMS II had been able to implement a robust and future-ready identity management system.

“This system, supported by a robust identification and verification platform, not only meets the highest international standards but also addresses the unique and evolving identification challenges and aspirations of the Ghanaian people,” he stated.

Access to affordable handsets

On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Dr Ken Ashigbey, said an area that should critically be looked at was how the public and the private sector could both work together to ensure the country achieved  the right taxation levels for the telecommunications and technology industry to ensure that more Ghanaians have access to affordable handsets to connect to the rest of the world.

Citing Rwanda as an example, he said through a partnership between the private and the public sector, the citizens were being given free smart phones.

Dr Ashigbey said Ghana had made very good progress in the digital transformation journey but more could be done on both the side of government as well as the part of industry and academia.

“Effective public-private partnerships offer opportunities we should not ignore on our journey to sustainable digital transformation as a country.

We can do it, we should do it. None of the parties should wait. Let use opportunities including this conference to build bridges for collaboration between government, the private sector, the third sector and academia,” the CEO stated.