Africa risks falling further behind without urgent action on AI and digital governance - Dr Johnson Asiama

The Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Johnson Asiama, has called for urgent and coordinated action to strengthen Africa’s digital capabilities, warning that gaps in regulatory capacity, cybersecurity, infrastructure and financing could leave the continent further behind in the global artificial intelligence (AI) revolution.

Speaking during the second round of Governors’ interventions at the 2026 African Caucus Meeting with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Bangkok, Thailand, on Wednesday, October 14, Dr Asiama stressed the strategic importance of Africa’s digital sovereignty and the responsible deployment of AI in driving structural transformation, economic resilience and long-term development.

“AI is already reshaping productivity, competitiveness, governance, and finance,” Dr Asiama said, noting that Africa had made significant strides in digital payments, digital identification systems, AI-enabled financial services and financial technology.

However, he cautioned that persistent gaps in regulatory capacity, cybersecurity, infrastructure and financing continued to constrain the safe and inclusive use of these technologies.

“Without urgent and coordinated action, the continent risks falling even further behind,” he warned, emphasising that a stronger partnership between African countries and the IMF was essential to enable the continent to benefit fully from emerging technologies.

Dr Asiama called on the Fund to scale up tailored capacity development support to help African countries strengthen AI governance, supervisory technology, cybersecurity and digital risk management systems.

He also urged the IMF to support a stronger African voice in shaping global digital norms and standards.

According to him, Africa must be equipped not only to adopt AI but also to adapt, govern and innovate with the technology to advance its development priorities.

He said such support would be critical to building economic resilience, improving productivity and promoting inclusive growth across the continent.

The Bank of Ghana Governor further called on the IMF to strengthen its analytical work on the intersection of AI, digital transformation and macro-financial stability.

He advocated for the integration of AI-related considerations, where relevant, into the Fund’s economic surveillance activities and Financial Sector Assessment Programs (FSAPs).

He also urged the Fund to deepen its analysis of AI’s implications for productivity, employment, financial resilience and inclusive growth, while promoting greater policy coherence in data governance, digital trade and cross-border AI regulation.

On financing, Dr Asiama stressed the need to mobilise affordable resources for secure digital public infrastructure and initiatives aimed at narrowing the digital divide.

He described such investments as critical to ensuring that African countries could participate meaningfully in the global digital economy and harness AI for sustainable development.

His intervention, delivered under the theme “Africa’s Digital Sovereignty and AI for Structural Transformation: Advancing Capabilities and Deepening the Fund’s Support”, underscored the need for stronger international cooperation, effective regulation and sustainable investment to ensure that AI and digital transformation deliver broad-based economic benefits for Africa.