At the launch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Youth Manifesto on Monday, August 12, 2024, at the University of Professional Studies, Accra, Divine Edem Kwadzodeh, Communication Officer at the Global Student Forum passionately outlined a comprehensive digital economy agenda that promises to catapult Ghana into the forefront of technological innovation and job creation.

His remarks underscored the NDC’s commitment to building a digitally empowered economy, underpinned by practical, well-conceived policies designed to benefit the youth and foster nationwide development.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am going to share with you a few of the policies related to the digital economy that our incoming president will implement with a very able team of qualified men and women that the NDC has. Now these are not the scam policies of the NPP. These are very well-thought-through and implementable solutions to our challenges in Ghana”.
Divine Edem Kwadzodeh, Communication Officer at the Global Student Forum

Divine Edem Kwadzodeh began by highlighting the achievements of former President John Dramani Mahama, particularly the establishment of the Accra Digital Center during Mahama’s tenure.

“Now as many of you would recall, in 2016, former President Mahama started the Ghana Digital Center’s initiative. At this project, he established the Accra Digital Center. This was a world-class $8,300,000 facility, which was supposed to incubate startups and provide jobs. At the last count, the centre was supposed to provide over 10,000 jobs”.
Divine Edem Kwadzodeh, Communication Officer at the Global Student Forum

The former General Secretary of the National Union Ghanaian Students criticized the current administration for underutilizing this potential, lamenting that the center has been reduced to a hub for political patronage rather than a driver of digital innovation.

Looking forward, Kwadzodeh outlined a vision for revitalizing the Accra Digital Center and expanding its success across the country.

He indicated that former President John Dramani Mahama is going to establish more digital centres in regional capitals, emphasizing that these centres will not only provide digital skills training but will also serve as incubation hubs for startups, ensuring that the benefits of digitalization are felt nationwide.

$50 Million Fintech Growth Fund and the One Million Coders Program

Again, Divine Edem Kwadzodeh pointed out that the former President John Mahama’s next government will establish a $50 million Fintech Growth Fund, explaining that this fund will offer grants and soft loans to young Ghanaians with groundbreaking ideas, ensuring that promising innovative projects are not left to flounder due to financial constraints.

Kwadzodeh also highlighted a transformative initiative, the One Million Coders programme aimed at equipping Ghana’s youth with the skills needed to thrive in the global digital economy.

“The 1,000,000 Coders Program will train one million Ghanaian youth in digital skills such as coding, digital marketing, and software development,” he said.

He emphasized that the ambitious program will be supported by a network of new digital innovation hubs and partnerships with universities, ensuring that young Ghanaians are prepared for the demands of the modern workforce.

“Now beyond just helping you to deliver on that project, we do realize that if we are to solve the unemployment crisis we have in Ghana, then our young people must lead the charge on job creation.
“So we are not just going to help you develop an app or develop a system, and then we leave it there. No. We are going to give you the money. We are going to give you the resources so that you can hire a team. You can set up your operations, and you can market your innovation to the world. This is the promise of the next Mahama government”.
Divine Edem Kwadzodeh, Communication Officer at the Global Student Forum

The NDC’s digital economy agenda goes beyond training, Kwadzodeh detailed the Digital Jobs Initiative, which aims to position Ghana as a leader in business process outsourcing (BPO) and knowledge process outsourcing (KPO).

“John Mahama is going to partner with international firms to outsource some of their business processes to Ghana,” he stated, envisioning a future where Ghanaian youth are at the forefront of global industries, handling everything from customer service to high-level research and software development.

Critiquing the current administration’s digitalization efforts, Kwadzodeh dismissed them as superficial and ineffective.

“The so-called digitalization of this NPP government has been nothing but a charade and a scam,” he argued, contrasting it with the tangible digital infrastructure established during Mr Mahama’s previous term.

He cited the 900-kilometre fibre optic cable from Accra to Bawku, the National Data Center, and the E-Services government portal as evidence of former President John Dramani Mahama’s genuine commitment to building a robust digital economy.

Divine Edem Kwadzodeh concluded by asserting that the NDC’s approach to digitalization under former President John Dramani Mahama’s leadership will be free from the cronyism that he alleged has plagued the current administration’s efforts.

“John Dramani Mahama is not going to run that kind of digital economy,” he declared, adding that the Ghanaian youth led-companies will be at the forefront of the next NDC’s digital revolution.

The NDC’s Youth Manifesto, as articulated by Divine Edem Kwadzodeh, presents a bold and detailed roadmap for harnessing the power of digital technology to create jobs, drive innovation, and ensure that the benefits of the digital economy are shared by all Ghanaians.