Ghana's ICT sector grew 20.5% annually from 2014 to 2022, but its contribution to GDP growth remained below 1.2 percentage points. The sector's growth had a correlation of just 0.03 with overall gross domestic product growth.
The Ghana Digital Economy Outlook 2026 report found that digital adoption remained concentrated in payments and services.
The report identified limited integration between digital services and traditional industries, alongside possible regulatory fragmentation, as a major challenge. Mobile money transaction volumes increased from GHS 1.1 trillion in 2022 to GHS 1.9 trillion in 2023. However, 82.9% of respondents reported experiencing fraud, while only 7.3% felt very secure conducting transactions online.
Ghana's digital finance market illustrates both the progress and weaknesses of the transformation. The report suggests that cybersecurity weaknesses and inadequate consumer protection are potential constraints on the expansion of digital financial services.
Connectivity costs are another obstacle, with 68.6% of respondents identifying data affordability and poor connectivity as major barriers to participation in the digital economy.
The disparities are more pronounced in northern Ghana, where internet penetration in the Upper West and Upper East regions remains below 20%. The report recommends a formal fibre-sharing policy, stronger cybersecurity enforcement, and improved consumer redress mechanisms to address the challenges. Ghana trails some African peers in digital competitiveness, with a Digital Economy Composite Index score of 0.263.
The report identifies opportunities in digital payments, financial technology, agricultural technology, healthcare platforms, and business process outsourcing. It also recommends developing locally relevant artificial intelligence datasets and digital tools that reflect Ghanaian languages and economic conditions.
The study concludes that Ghana's next phase of digital transformation will depend on integrating technology into the productive activities of businesses and public institutions.