The Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, Samuel Nartey George, has called for digital policies that prioritise the needs of persons with disabilities, rural communities, and local language speakers, stating that inclusive innovation must be a national priority.Speaking at the grand finale of the 2025 Tɛkyerɛma Pa Hackathon in Accra, he said Ghana's digital transformation must be anchored in accessibility and equity, warning that technological progress without inclusion risks deepening inequalities.The hackathon, held under the theme "Speaking Innovation: Building a future where everyone is heard," is part of the Tɛkyerɛma Pa Project-a partnership between the University of Ghana and University College London under the Assistive Technology (AT) 2030 programme, funded by UKAid.The project focuses on developing accessible speech technologies, particularly in Akan, to empower individuals with speech impairments.The Minister praised participants for developing tools such as speech-to-text apps in local languages and AI-powered accessibility platforms, saying these innovations "return dignity and participation to those long excluded from the digital conversation."He highlighted government initiatives aimed at building an inclusive digital economy, including the One Million Coders Programme, which reserves 10 per cent of training slots for persons with disabilities.Other efforts include establishing regional digital centres, Zonal ICT Innovation Hubs, targeted fintech investments, and digital skills training for women and marginalised groups through GIFEC.To improve access, Mr George announced the creation of a multi-stakeholder data pricing committee to help lower data costs for underserved communities.He also warned that technologies like AI could either bridge or worsen existing gaps depending on their design and deployment.He assured that Ghana's upcoming AI Governance Framework would emphasise fairness, local language support, and inclusive design to avoid leaving any group behind.Prof.
Isaac Wiafe, the project's Principal Investigator, said over 50 hours of impaired speech data had been collected during the hackathon to support the development of accessible speech technologies for people with speech impairments across Ghana and beyond.He noted that this followed the G-Space Data Project, which had identified a lack of data from individuals with speech impairments.
This gap, he said, prompted the launch of the hackathon, supported by a seed grant from GoGo Network, technical input from CVMI, and contributions from early collaborators.The competition he said attracted 48 teams from 28 universities in Ghana and Kenya, each required to include at least one member with a speech impairment to ensure a human-centred approach.After a three-phase selection process-including an online boot camp, evaluations, and mentorship, he said the finalists presented solutions ranging from speech aids to intelligent transcription tools and custom ASR models.Prof.
Wiafe added that a memorandum of understanding was being finalised with the Centre for Digital Learning and Innovation (CDLI) to advance the adoption of inclusive AI in Ghana.
