Ghana Centralises Technical Review Of Public-Sector AI Purchases

Ghana is introducing a central technical review process for artificial intelligence systems acquired by public institutions, placing interoperability, security and local capability at the centre of government procurement.

The Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations will coordinate technical requirements, while the National Information Technology Agency will lead technical scoping. Government agencies will be expected to assess proposed AI systems before they are acquired or deployed.

The review will examine whether systems can work with existing public infrastructure, how they handle personal and sensitive data, what cybersecurity protections are in place, and whether the technology can be maintained over time. It will also require attention to local skills transfer, intended to prevent institutions from becoming permanently dependent on an external vendor.

That point is significant. Public-sector AI procurement can create long-term dependencies through proprietary platforms, closed data arrangements and specialist systems that only the original supplier knows how to operate. A technical review gives government a chance to test those risks before a contract becomes an infrastructure commitment.

Ghana is presenting the process as part of its eight-pillar National AI Strategy. The policy sits alongside planned upgrades to the national AI Compute Centre and National Data Centre, as well as the One Million Coders programme, which the government says has recorded more than 141,950 registrations.

The practical test will be whether the review is applied consistently across ministries and whether its requirements are strong enough to change purchasing decisions rather than simply add another approval step. Procurement may be less visible than a new model, but it is where many of the country's long-term AI choices will be made.

Source: Official source.