According to a report launched by the GSMA this week, titled 'Country overview: Ghana,' in the 25 years since the mobile industry was established in Ghana it has connected 67% of the population, which amounts to 19 million individuals, connecting nearly half the population to the internet through mobile phones.

The report was launched at a meeting in Ghana on Monday involving the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

In the report, the GSMA highlights the importance of the mobile industry and the Ghanaian government working together to support social and economic progress in the country.

"Ghana is already proactively supporting the SDGs and has incorporated them into the country's national development agenda with progress overseen by the President. Government commitment to the SDGs reflects the fact that, while Ghana is a fast-growing economy and has made progress on many fronts, development challenges and gaps in access to basic services persist," it notes.

In a statement issued by GSMA, Akinwale Goodluck, head of GSMA Sub-Saharan Africa said, "Mobile offers the most widespread and inclusive means of accessing the internet and digital technologies, which are vital to the Ghanaian economy and its growth in an increasingly connected world."

With the participation of the UNDP, Ghana hopes to maximise its opportunities for mobile to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a range of areas including agriculture, gender equality, financial service access, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Participants also signed a communiqué committing to the SDGs.

According to a 2017 country diagnostic report from the Better Than Cash Alliance, Ghana has taken important steps toward digitising its economy.

"Realising the potential gains offered by digitisation will help expand financial inclusion, boost government revenues, and drive new economic opportunities for Ghanaian individuals and businesses," notes the report

The report found that 37% of the value of all payments in Ghana is now made digitally. "The shift to digital payments is supported by good internet connectivity, levels of financial inclusion in Ghana above the regional average, expansive mobile money agent networks, solid payments infrastructure, and continuously improving regulation spearheaded by the Bank of Ghana.".

The government is also setting policy direction through ministerial statements and in digitising its own payments. 86% of the value of government payments is reported to now be digital.

Digitisation efforts are expected to create savings of over GHS 250 million (approximately US$58 million) in 2017 and improve transparency, according to the Better Than Cash Alliance.

Digital gender gap

According to the report, despite progress, significant challenges remain - many of which require collaboration between the public and private sectors.

The GSMA says there is a gender gap in Ghana of approximately 16% in mobile phone ownership and 17% in the use of mobile money services, with an even higher gap (56%) in use of the internet, with 2.5 million fewer women online than men.

"Mobile operators are working to tackle this through programmes, while governments can take steps to address this issue by integrating gender equality targets and key performance indicators into strategies, policies, plans and budgets, involving women and local communities," notes the company.