Ghana expects to complete the first phase of its planned national data centre within 24 months, Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation Minister Samuel Nartey George has announced.
The facility is expected to strengthen the country’s computing capacity and support the development of artificial intelligence (AI), providing local researchers, universities and businesses with access to infrastructure that many currently obtain from foreign providers.
Speaking at the JoyNews Digital Economy Forum on AI and the Ghanaian economy on Wednesday, October 21, Mr George said the government was undertaking procurement processes with the Public Procurement Authority to acquire the data centre infrastructure, computing equipment and other components required for the project.
“We are currently going through procurement with PPA on getting a data centre, the computer infrastructure and all the various parts of it put together,” he said.
“Twenty-four months from now, we should have phase one completed with serious computing infrastructure that we can then give to our researchers, our industry and our universities who are currently buying tokens outside the country and buying capacity outside the country.”
The proposed facility forms part of the government’s wider plans to expand Ghana’s digital infrastructure and build domestic capacity for AI development.
In September, Mr George disclosed that Cabinet had approved US$250 million for a National AI and Computing Centre intended to give researchers, start-ups and universities affordable access to high-performance computing resources.
The minister cautioned, however, that completing the initial phase would not resolve all of Ghana’s AI infrastructure needs. He described the development of a sustainable AI ecosystem as a long-term undertaking requiring continued investment and capacity-building.
The project is expected to reduce dependence on overseas computing services while creating opportunities for local institutions to develop and deploy AI applications.
