The Accra Digital Centre, a Government of Ghana mini Technology Park, under the Ministry of Communications, set up to harness the digital potential of Ghana by promoting Digital entrepreneurship and innovation has been announced as the 2019 winners of the International Telecommunication Union – ITU’s Global Ecosystem Best Practice Award at the 2019 ITU Telecom World in Budapest, Hungary.
The award, given by the Telecommunication Development Bureau of the ITU, recognizes and gives awards to hosts of Technology Innovation with best practices that enables innovators to develop ICT- centric solutions that can be globally recognized and scaled.
The Accra Digital Centre’s transformation happened in the last two years when the Centre was operationalized by the current Government under the leadership of the Minister of Communications Hon. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful. From vacant structures without a single computer or desk in 2017, the ADC team, led by Managing Director Kofi Ofosu Nkansah undertook innovative practices to position the Tech Park as a Digital Hub of excellence in Africa in two years.
Some achievements of the Centre include creation of thousands of Digital and ancillary jobs for the youth, onboarding of 40 Technology firms and SMEs at the Centre, training of over 3,000 youth in various digital training programs hosted at the Centre, and incubation and support for 100s of Tech startups through Government’s Innovation Project at the Centre.
The Centre also organizes training programs in digital skills for disadvantaged youth, under its impact sourcing program. This programme has afforded vulnerable people with potential from low income communities some opportunity in the basic digital and ancillary jobs available at the Accra Digital Centre and the wider Ecosystem.
The award was received by the Managing Director of the Accra Digital Centre, Mr., Kofi Ofosu Nkansah and Head of Operations at ADC, Mr. David Antwi Ofori at the Telecom World in Budapest, Hungary.
The Centre intends to leverage this award to continue undertaking Ecosystem best practices to build the Innovation Capacity of the Country to be able to support more Technology startups and SMEs, to help position Ghana as the Innovation Hub of the sub region.