The Ministry of Finance and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are set to host an Artificial Intelligence (AI) summit in Accra on Monday, March 18, 2024.
The summit aims to explore the challenges and opportunities that AI presents for developing countries like Ghana.
Financial and information technology experts believe that AI has the potential to transform economies in Africa, including Ghana. However, they also acknowledge that AI could pose challenges for economic growth and development in countries south of the Sahara, given the continent’s unique characteristics, including its young population.
While the risk of immediate AI-related disruptions may be lower in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs) than in advanced economies, where up to 60% of jobs could be affected, EMDEs are also less equipped to harness the benefits of AI effectively.
The AI summit, themed “AI as a Catalyst to Transform Economies in Sub-Saharan Africa,” will take place at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra. Participants will include Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, Minister for Finance, and Madam Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the IMF.
The summit will feature a panel discussion on the challenges and opportunities of AI for emerging economies, with a focus on Ghana’s digitalization and AI readiness. The discussion will also explore strategies for harnessing AI for positive outcomes and its role in the 4th industrial revolution alongside technologies like cloud computing and the internet.
The panel will include Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Minister for Communications & Digitalisation; Madam Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the IMF; Dr. Patrick Awuah, President of Ashesi University; and Dr. Jason Hickey, Head of Google’s AI Research Centre.