As Ghana and West Africa speed digital transformation, Hon. Samuel Nartey George (MP), Minister for Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovations, has emphasised the necessity of a robust, inclusive, and trust-based financial system.
On Wednesday, February 25, 2026, the Minister gave the keynote address at the 25th Silver Jubilee Edition of the Connected Banking Summit and Innovation and Excellence Awards in Accra. He emphasised that next-generation banking needs to be based on strong governance, customer trust, and inclusion rather than just cosmetic digital upgrades.
He pointed out that Ghana is working toward a new development agenda under John Dramani Mahama’s direction, one that purposefully aligns digitalisation with social inclusion, economic sovereignty, and national resilience.
He believes that because finance promotes stability, growth, and opportunity, the financial sector is still essential to this objective.
As the cornerstone for long-term private sector innovation, Hon. George emphasised the significance of robust public digital infrastructure, including safe digital identity systems, compatible payment systems, and reliable data governance frameworks.
In order to boost trust and accountability throughout the financial sector, he reiterated the government’s commitment to programs like the Data Exchange Hub and the upcoming Data Harmonisation Bill.
In order to defend financial systems, the Minister also issued a warning that cybersecurity and data protection have turned into issues of economic security and called for greater regional collaboration, more robust local capability, and more transparent cross-border data regulations.
Noting that technology by itself does not assure inclusion, he urged industry participants to make sure that innovation offers genuine benefits to small enterprises, women, youth, farmers, and the unorganised sector.
Ghana’s willingness to work with regional and international partners to create a safe, inclusive, and future-ready financial ecosystem for West Africa was reiterated by Hon. George, who also praised the International Centre for Strategic Alliances for maintaining the Connected Banking Summit over the previous 25 years.
Source: newsthemegh.com