Sam George confirmed as chair of AU communication and ICT committee

Ghana’s Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has been confirmed as Chair of the African Union Specialised Technical Committee on Communication and ICT (AU STC-ICT) for a two-year term. His confirmation took place at the committee’s 6th Ordinary Session in Libreville, Gabon, where he called on African countries to move beyond policy declarations and accelerate the implementation of digital transformation initiatives.

Mr George described the chairmanship as a responsibility to the entire African Union, stressing the need for stronger continental cooperation to advance Africa’s digital ambitions. “I accept such responsibility not as a privilege for one country, but as a duty to our entire union,” he said in his opening address to the ministerial session. Mr George said Africa had developed important policy frameworks covering digital transformation, artificial intelligence and data governance but had struggled to implement them at the pace required.

“What we have too often lacked is the collective will to implement them at the pace that our people demand,” he stated. He identified connectivity, data governance, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence as priority areas requiring coordinated action by member states. The minister also urged African countries to strengthen their collective bargaining power in the global digital economy, arguing that a unified approach would give the continent greater influence in negotiations on technology, data and digital trade.

“When we negotiate alone, we are 55 separate markets, but when we negotiate together, we are a market of nearly 1.5 billion people,” he said. He added that Africa must be “at the table, not on the menu” in global discussions on artificial intelligence, data and digital trade. Mr George also emphasised the need to equip Africa’s young population with the skills and opportunities to participate in the digital economy.

He cited Ghana’s One Million Coders Programme as an example of efforts to provide young people with the tools to innovate and contribute to technological development. He said Africa’s digital transformation would depend not only on policy frameworks and infrastructure but also on the ability of its people to develop solutions and create economic opportunities.

Setting out his priorities for the chairmanship, Mr George pledged to build consensus among member states, strengthen cooperation and promote the implementation of agreed digital initiatives. “Over the next two years, this committee must be measured not by the declarations that we adopt, but by the results that we deliver,” he said. He called on member states to take decisive action towards a shared digital future in which African countries could operate as one digital market and speak with a stronger collective voice.

Ghana’s chairmanship comes as countries across the continent seek to expand digital connectivity, strengthen cybersecurity, advance responsible artificial intelligence development and improve their participation in the global digital economy.