Ghana and UAE sign MoU to build $1b innovation hub

Ghana has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Arab Emirates, led by the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC), to build a $1 billion innovation hub in Accra.

The investment will be fully funded by PCFC, while Ghana will provide the land to be located in Ningo Prampram in the Greater Accra region.

The 25-kilometre square facility is expected to begin in 2026 and be completed before the end of 2027.

Mr Sam George, the Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation Communications, signed on behalf of Ghana, while Mr Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman, PCFC, signed for the UAE.

Mr George said the partnership between Ghana, PCFC and the G42, leading AI firms in the world, would revolutionise technology in the country.

The partnership, he stated, was part of President Mahama’s vision of transforming Ghana into the next AI hub for Africa by launching the one million coders programme.

“As you train a million coders, you need to have jobs for these coders, and that is where PCFC comes in.

“Having the innovation hub built in Ghana PCFC will come along with the over 11,000 companies that are under their umbrella in the UAE to have a Ghanaian presence,” he said.

PCFC has led in the transformation of Dubai’s AI ecosystem and currently holds over 11 innovation hubs in Dubai and operates with all the big 10 top tech companies in the world, like Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, and others.

He said PCFC was part of the Dubai Ports that are logistics companies, serving over 11,000 clients, including Africa, but without a hub on the continent.

“Ghana, being the gateway to Africa, reached out to the company to establish the hub.

“The facility will attract all the big top tech companies in Ghana. So our Business Process Outsourcing, Knowledge Process Outsourcing, AI Engineering, and all the new emerging technology fields will be positioned here in Africa,” he said.

He said the company would not set up the hub in Ghana and bring in the human capital or human skill sets from outside of the country but would rather employ Ghanaians through the coders programme.

The Minister said the agreement was both bold in ambition and also grounded in mutual respect and built on a shared understanding that digital transformation was no longer optional but essential.

This initiative, he stressed, was designed to anchor Ghana’s place as a continental leader in digital transformation and technological advancement.

Mr Bin Sulayem underscored the importance of technology in empowering future development.

He said the wealth of a country relied on its new ideas or innovation to advance the needed growth for sustainable development.

He expressed the company’s resolve and commitment to partner with Ghana to enhance technology in the emerging economy and provide jobs for the citizens.

Source: GNA

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