Ghana and Zambia have agreed to strengthen cooperation in fintech and cybersecurity as both countries explore ways to use technology to drive economic growth while responding to rising digital threats.
The agreement was announced by President John Dramani Mahama during the Zambia–Business Dialogue in Lusaka as part of his three-day state visit.
Mahama said Ghana has made significant progress in the fintech space and has developed growing capabilities in cybersecurity, which he described as critical as digital platforms expand across Africa.
“But at the same time it has its downsides. And that’s where fintech and cyber security and all that comes in. And Ghana has quite an advantage there,” he said.
According to the President, both countries have agreed to collaborate in those areas to address threats such as misinformation, fake news and the misuse of artificial intelligence.
“There is misinformation, there’s fake news, and especially now with AI and all that, people are able to generate all kinds of fake, you know, images,” he said.
Mahama cited examples of AI-generated content involving him, including videos showing him dancing and other fabricated scenes.
“And I’ve been, AI has been used to show me dancing, you know, and all that in Ghana. You know, it showed me and the former president exchanging blows in a boxing ring and all that,” he said.
While describing some of the content as humorous, he warned that other forms of misinformation can be dangerous, particularly those that incite division and violence.
“So those are fun, but there’s a more vicious side. And there’s a type that promotes ethnic hatred and hostility,” he noted.
Mahama said Ghana has taken steps to address such threats, including deploying cyber tools to identify individuals behind harmful fake news and passing laws to deal with them.
He added that these experiences and systems could be shared with Zambia as part of the new partnership.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
