Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has been unanimously elected as the Chairman of the African Union’s Specialised Technical Committee on Communication and Information and Communications Technology (STC-CICT) for a two-year term beginning in October 2026.
The unanimous confirmation, secured at the 6th Ordinary Session of the committee in Libreville, Gabon, places Ghana at the forefront of continental efforts to advance digital transformation, strengthen cybersecurity cooperation and promote Africa’s interests in the rapidly evolving global digital economy.
Accepting the chairmanship, Sam George described the chairmanship as a responsibility to the entire African Union rather than a privilege for Ghana, pledging to build consensus among member states and accelerate the implementation of the continent’s digital transformation agenda.
He said Africa had developed several strategies to guide its digital development but had often struggled to implement them at the pace required to meet the needs of its people.
“Africa does not lack strategies. We have the digital transformation strategy for Africa. We have the continental artificial intelligence strategy framework. We have the Malabo Convention. What we have too often lacked is a collective will to implement them at the pace that our people demand,” he said.
Mr George identified connectivity, data governance, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence as key priorities requiring coordinated action by African countries.
He stressed the need to expand internet access across the continent, arguing that Africa could not fully participate in the global digital economy while hundreds of millions of its people remained offline.
On data governance, the minister called for policies that ensure Africa’s data benefits its people rather than being extracted, processed and sold back to the continent.
He also underscored the importance of cooperation among African countries to strengthen cybersecurity and protect their economies, institutions and citizens against digital threats.
On artificial intelligence, Mr George advocated the development of technologies that reflect Africa’s needs and priorities, insisting that the continent must play an active role in shaping global digital policies.
“Africa will not be merely a market for the technologies of others, nor a passive recipient of rules reaching elsewhere,” he said.
He added that African countries would have greater influence in global negotiations on artificial intelligence, data and digital trade if they acted collectively.
“When we negotiate alone, we are 55 separate markets. But when we negotiate together, we are a market of nearly one and a half billion people,” he said.
The minister also highlighted Ghana’s One Million Coders Programme as an example of efforts to equip young people with digital skills and create opportunities for innovation.
He said the continent’s young population required a digital environment capable of supporting their ambitions and enabling them to develop solutions to local challenges.
Mr George pledged that Ghana’s leadership of the committee would prioritise consultation, consensus-building and implementation over declarations without measurable results.
“Over the next two years, this committee must be measured not by the declarations that we adopt, but by the results that we deliver,” he said.
He called on member states to support the adoption of recommendations from the committee’s experts, stressing the need for bold decisions to advance Africa’s digital integration.
The session brought together ministers and delegates from AU member states to deliberate on policies and priorities relating to communication, information and communications technology across the continent.
Mr George succeeds the outgoing chairperson, Lesotho’s Minister for Information, Communications, Science, Technology and Innovation, Nkoale Morosi, and will lead the committee’s work for the next two years.
By: Ekow Annan/newsalertgh.com
