Ghana plans to link 48 government data registries through a national data exchange hub powered by artificial intelligence. The initiative aims to shift national planning away from political promises towards evidence-based development.
Sam George, Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, said the hub will allow government institutions to share and analyse information across sectors. This approach is designed to help policymakers identify communities’ actual needs and allocate resources more effectively.
“The finance minister should be able to write a budget that is not driven by sentiments and political rhetoric, but that’s driven by hardcore data at the click of a button,” George said in an interview ahead of the second Digital Economy Forum.
He criticised decisions influenced by political campaigns, where promises such as roads or infrastructure are made without data confirming their urgency. “If you took the data sets from different registries, for example, the health sector, you’d realise that maternal mortality in that community was 12% higher than the national average,” he explained. “It meant that the real need, even though they may want a road, was a maternity ward or hospital.”
George, who represents Ningo-Prampram, said integrated data access would enable objective assessment of development priorities. He questioned why investment decisions should be shaped by political visibility or influential individuals rather than facts.
“What’s reporting in the hospital? What’s happening to the pass rate in that community?” he asked. “Do we need to invest not because a chief or opinion leader thinks it’s a fanciful project, or because a politician thinks it’s visible enough for votes, but because it makes lives better?”
The data exchange hub is intended to address the fragmentation of government information held in separate systems. George said public institutions generate substantial data, but it remains isolated, hindering comprehensive analysis of development needs.
“To crunch those numbers, the various data sets, you need a data exchange hub we’re working on to have our 48 registries seamlessly interconnect,” he said.
This project will operate alongside Ghana’s planned national AI compute centre, which will provide the computing power needed to process large volumes of data. The government has committed US$250 million to the first phase of the AI compute centre, which is intended to serve Ghana and other African countries.
George believes that combining the data hub with AI infrastructure will improve the government’s ability to identify patterns, assess needs, and support policy decisions.
Agriculture is another sector where AI and data could improve government interventions. The minister cited satellite imagery and weather data as tools to support agricultural extension services and improve weather predictions, helping farmers make informed decisions.
Beyond planning, George said wider AI adoption and integrated digital systems could simplify citizen access to government services. He mentioned efforts to standardise government forms and improve electronic service delivery as part of his ministry’s digital transformation agenda.
The minister did not specify when the data exchange hub will be fully operational or provide a separate cost estimate for the project.
George described his vision of Ghana’s future public administration as “a harmonised system that works for the benefit of the Ghanaian people.” He said his goal is to leave a digital, data-driven legacy that improves transparency, efficiency, and responsiveness in public service delivery.
According to Joy Online.
