World Bank Approves $200m To Improve Ghana's Digital Infrastructure

• Ghana's digital infrastructure is set to get a facelift as the World Bank approves a grant of $200 million for the sector
• The grant approved for the Ghana Digital Acceleration Project is expected to expand broadband access and enhance the efficiency and experience of digital public services
• The Digital Economy diagnostic conducted in 2020 has identified key bottlenecks in Ghana that need to be removed to improve the country's digital transformation

The World Bank has approved a grant of $200 million to improve critical digital infrastructure under the Ghana Digital Acceleration Project.

The project's objective is to expand broadband access, enhance the efficiency and experience of selected digital public services, and strengthen the digital innovation ecosystem.

According to a World Bank press statement, the project's success will create better jobs and economic opportunities.

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World Bank's Country Director for Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, Pierre Laporte, said expanding digital access and adoption, enhancing digital public service delivery and promoting digitally-enabled innovation are essential for Ghana's digital transformation and help drive a robust post-COVID-19 recovery.

"The Ghana Digital Acceleration Project covers all these elements and will help advance the whole-of-government digital transformation agenda to accelerate the adoption of digital technologies and innovation by key productive sectors, such as agriculture, to foster an economy-wide digital transformation," Mr Laporte is quoted in the World Bank release.

Available data shows that digital remains one of Ghana's best-performing sectors. It grew on average by 19% per year between 2014 and 2020.

Although Ghana is among the digital leaders in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Digital Economy diagnostic conducted in 2020 identified key bottlenecks that need to be removed to further accelerate Ghana's digital transformation.

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The Ghana Digital Acceleration Project is expected to increase access to mobile internet and broadband services for 6 million people by encouraging private sector investment in underserved rural areas.

Ghana's Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation is leading the implementation of the project. The grant was approved on April 28, 2022.

E-Levy: GRA Blames Technical Hitches For Wrongful Deductions From Mobile Money Wallets

In other news related to digital infrastructure, the nation’s foremost tax collector, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), has blamed reports of wrongful deductions during the first day of the E-Levy implementation on technical hitches.

GRA’s Project Management Unit Head, Isaac Kobina Amoako, has promised that the issue will be thoroughly investigated and the illegal deductions refunded.

“The first fold is that GH¢100 and below, whether on-net or off-net, does not attract E-Levy irrespective, but at the moment, it’s a technical hitch. So it will be ratified automatically once the transaction is detected,” he told Joy FM.

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GRA blames “technical hitches” for wrong deductions on E-Levy, promises to refund cash

Source: YEN.com.gh