Ghana in the Information and Knowledge-based Age
PART I
The emerging information and knowledge age and the new technological revolution are heralding a new economic and social order characterized by the development, and exploitation of ICTs within all spheres of human endeavor. This era is giving rise to the emergence of information and knowledge-based economies with traditional economic, industrial and commercial activities moving towards acknowledge driven processes with most of the advanced economies progressively being transformed into knowledge based
technology-driven services dominated economies.
These economies are increasingly laying emphasis on economic activities with intellectual content and knowledge. A number of countries are recognizing the need to rapidly develop their knowledge base through massive investments in human resource development laying emphasis on improving, and broadening universal access to higher and quality education and training avenues including on-the-job and in-service skill updates and life-long learning.
Also the need to massively invest in research and development (R&D) efforts to create new products, and services as a way of gaining competitive advantage in an increasingly competitive global economic environment has been given a priority by most nations as part of their effort to develop their information economy and society. The use of these emerging technologies to transform government machineries to facilitate efficiency in operations and service delivery has also been a priority area of Governments worldwide.
There is therefore no doubt that Governments world-wide have recognized the crucial role that ICTs can play in facilitating and accelerating socio-economic development. A number of countries in both the developed and developing world have in place relevant policies and strategic plans that will enable them
transform their economies into information and knowledge-based economies. Ghana like other developing countries is equally placed to take advantage of these technologies to facilitate her socioeconomic development to aid the process of transforming the nation’s economy and society into an information-rich and knowledge-based economy and society.
The emerging information and knowledge economy is no doubt generating opportunities across all sectors in both developed and developing countries.
--- It is a new source for the creation of quality jobs,
wealth generation and redistribution, rapid economic development and prosperity as well as a means for facilitating global competitiveness. With the emerging information age, ICTs are seen by a number of countries as a key factor for achieving progress in economic and social development. These technologies are offering developing countries like Ghana a window of opportunity to leap-frog the key stages of industrialization and transform their subsistence agriculture dominated economies into a service-sector
driven, high value-added information and knowledge economy that can successfully compete on the global market.
It is acknowledged that in the new information age, although the mere use of information, knowledge and technology can improve the socio-economic development fortunes of a given nation. Evidence shows that
those nations who in addition are involved in the development as well as the sale of information (and information products), knowledge (and knowledge products) and technology (and its products), are moving faster on the socio-economic development scale compared to others. There is no doubt that in
the new emerging economic order, the fundamental basis for wealth creation and national prosperity are information and knowledge and that Ghana cannot afford to be without either of these.
The Challenges, and the Opportunities
It is recognized that if Ghana is to move her industrially weak, subsistence agriculture-based economy towards an information and knowledge economy she will need to develop and implement comprehensive integrated ICT-led socio-economic development policies, strategies and plans set within the wider context of the socio-economic development objectives of the country. There is no doubt that for Ghana to compete and prosper in the new emerging global economy to be dominated by information and knowledge-based economies, she will need to embrace and harness ICTs to facilitate her development process.
Ghana’s success in the emerging knowledge revolution and technological age will depend on the extent to which it manages to address the resultant developmental challenges and take advantage of rapidly evolving technologies. It is acknowledged that, although these new technologies present considerable challenges to developing countries like Ghana, they also provide considerable opportunities for sustainable development and for improving competitiveness of key sectors of the economy like: agriculture, industry, and services.
This Policy Statement defines Ghana’s ICT-driven development agenda in the information age. The Statement sets out Ghana’s road map in terms of the vision, missions, strategies and policy priorities for developing Ghana’s information society and economy --- The ultimate objective is to: accelerate
Ghana’s socio-economic development process towards the realization of the vision to transform Ghana into a high income economy and society that is predominately information-rich and knowledge-based
within the next two to three decades or less.
