The Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr Johnson Asiama, has called on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to strengthen its support for Africa’s digital transformation, warning that gaps in cybersecurity, infrastructure, regulation and financing could widen the continent’s digital divide.
He said urgent and coordinated action was needed to ensure African countries could harness artificial intelligence (AI) to drive productivity, economic resilience and inclusive growth.
Dr Asiama made the call during the second round of Governors’ interventions at the 2026 African Caucus Meeting with the IMF Managing Director in Bangkok, Thailand, on Wednesday, October 14.
Speaking under the theme “Africa’s Digital Sovereignty and AI for Structural Transformation: Advancing Capabilities and Deepening the Fund’s Support”, he highlighted the growing influence of AI on productivity, competitiveness, governance and financial services.
He noted that Africa had made significant progress in digital payments, digital identification systems, AI-enabled financial services and financial technology.
However, he cautioned that persistent weaknesses in regulatory capacity, cybersecurity, digital infrastructure and financing continued to constrain the safe and inclusive adoption of emerging technologies.
“Without urgent and coordinated action, the continent risks falling even further behind,” he warned, stressing the need for stronger partnerships between African countries and the IMF.
IMF urged to strengthen technical support
Dr Asiama called on the Fund to scale up tailored capacity development support to help African countries improve 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, arguing that the continent must be equipped not only to adopt AI but also to adapt, govern and innovate with the technology in line with its development priorities.
According to him, such support would be essential to strengthening economic resilience, improving productivity and promoting inclusive growth across Africa.
The BoG Governor further called for the IMF to expand its analytical work on the relationship between 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 said deeper analysis was needed to understand AI’s implications for productivity, employment, financial resilience and inclusive growth.
Dr Asiama also highlighted the importance of policy coherence in data governance, digital trade and cross-border AI regulation, noting that coordinated approaches would be necessary to manage the opportunities and risks associated with the technology.
Call for affordable digital infrastructure financing
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 said sustained investment in digital infrastructure would be critical to enabling African countries to participate meaningfully in the global digital economy and harness AI for sustainable development.
His intervention underscored the importance of international cooperation, effective regulation and sustainable investment in ensuring that technological advances translate into broad-based economic benefits for the continent.
Dr Asiama’s call comes as African countries seek to strengthen their digital capabilities and position themselves to benefit from the economic opportunities presented by AI, while addressing the regulatory, financial and technological challenges that could hinder progress.
