Google Expands Digital Skills And AI Initiatives In Ghana

Google has reinforced its commitment to Ghana’s digital transformation agenda, highlighting investments in digital skills development, local-language artificial intelligence, and mapping technologies during a public policy forum with the Government of Ghana.

The engagement brought together Samuel Nartey George, Ghana’s Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, alongside Google’s Africa government affairs leadership, representatives from the American Chamber of Commerce in Ghana, and the United States Mission in Ghana.

At the forum, Google outlined three key initiatives supporting Ghana’s digital ambitions. These include 100,000 Google Career Certificate scholarships under the government’s One Million Coders Programme, the expansion of local-language AI through the WAXAL open-source dataset, and the return of Google Street View to Ghana after nearly a decade.

The scholarships will provide training in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data analytics, UX design, and project management, helping equip young Ghanaians with digital skills for the future workforce.

Google also highlighted efforts to improve AI inclusion through the WAXAL dataset, which incorporates Ghanaian languages including Akan, Ewe, Fante, Dagaare, and Dagbani. The initiative aims to improve how AI systems understand and serve local-language speakers.

In addition, the company confirmed the return of Google Street View and broader investments in mapping infrastructure to support navigation, business visibility, and digital services.

The discussions come as Ghana advances implementation of its National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2025-2035, launched in April 2026 to position the country as a leading AI hub in West Africa.

According to Google, the strategy recognizes the company’s AI research and innovation activities in Ghana, including its AI Centre in Accra and collaborations with the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

The strategy outlines an ambitious roadmap built around AI education, digital infrastructure, innovation, governance, research, and public-sector adoption. It includes government commitments of approximately $270 million, comprising $250 million for a national AI computing centre and $20 million for implementation initiatives.

The plan also proposes establishing a Responsible AI Authority to oversee implementation and governance, to achieve significant economic impact from AI adoption by 2035.

However, the strategy was developed through a broad coalition that includes the Government of Ghana, KNUST’s Responsible AI Lab, UNESCO, UNDP, Germany’s GIZ FAIR Forward programme, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and private-sector partners such as Google.

The forum highlighted the growing role of public-private partnerships in advancing Ghana’s digital economy ambitions, with both government and industry emphasising the importance of translating investments in skills, infrastructure, and innovation into measurable outcomes for citizens and businesses.

For Ghana, the success of these initiatives will ultimately depend on execution, including the delivery of scholarships, expansion of local-language AI capabilities, and broader access to digital tools and opportunities across the country.