The Accra Digital Centre: Ghana’s business, technology and innovation hub
The Accra Digital Centre (ADC) is a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) or Information Communication Technology (ICT) Centre established by the Government of Ghana under the administration of then President John Dramani Mahama in 2016. It was established with support from the World Bank and the Rockefeller Foundation, and operates under the Ministry of Communications.
The Centre has a core mandate to provide a conducive environment for digital innovators and entrepreneurs. For that reason, it supports various clusters of tech businesses which are the ITES/BPO cluster, SME (Small and Medium Scale Enterprise) cluster, and the Startup (Innovation) cluster.
Overview of the Accra Digital Centre
Inaugurated on November 2nd, 2016, the Centre is made up of twelve (12) unit blocks, each occupying a space of 750 sqm, totaling a workspace of 9,000 sqm. Also, there are 24 rooms from six one-storey office buildings; serving as common service areas.
Over all, The Accra Digital Centre, which is adjacent the State Housing Company, Ring Road West, near the Kwame Nkrumah interchange in Accra, is managed by the Ghana Digital Centres Limited — which is its parent company under the Communications Ministry.
The Ghana Oracle Digital Enterprise Program (GODEP) is a partnership with Oracle to help support 500 tech startups with the digital tools needed to build their platforms in app development, blockchain, e-health, fintech, and other emerging technologies.
Also, the Centre has a partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation which offers training support for people from disadvantaged backgrounds and communities.
Businesses and Organizations
The ADC houses a number of technology businesses, startups, and organizations. Some of these are profiled below.
Accra Premium Passport Application Centre
This is perhaps the most popular of the institutions housed at the Accra Digital Centre. The PAC, which a collaboration between Ghana’s government and international company, VFS Global, was set up to address the often cumbersome processes of passport applications in Ghana.
Passport applicants at this centre go through the application process within 30 minutes. This comes at an additional charge of GH₵50.
Akaditi
Akaditi Limited is based in Accra and London. Akaditi is of the conviction that in a software driven world, Agile can help accelerate the pace of innovation to enable companies provide their customers with products they love.
aYo Intermediaries Ghana
aYo is an insurance provider leveraging on technology in order to deliver is aim of providing accessible and relevant insurance for people who need it. Its ‘aYo Recharge with Care’ insurance policy enables MTN subscribers to buy a life and hospitalization insurance cover whenever they do airtime top-ups.
With ‘aYo Recharge with Care’, customers get to choose to enroll with a minimum of GH¢0.5 or a maximum of GH¢2.00 premium to automatically be deducted from their airtime. The premiums are flexible enough for the policyholders to change at anytime to suit their needs and circumstances. Each deduction covers a period of 30 days.
A continuous software retail company making use of Big Data to develop technology specifically designed and engineered for, and to work in an African context. BIG DATA company. They build and deploy products based on verifiable data.
For example, a product like ‘KudiGO Storefront’ enables informal businesses have verifiable customer and stock records, bookkeeping as well as any data necessary for the business to grow. On the other hand, large corporate organizations such as banks, etc., can leverage on ‘KudiGO Foresight’ and ‘KudiGO RapidGate’ to gain understanding of transactions — in the minutest detail — at the final point. The verifiable data can then be used in creating financial products, curb the penetration of counterfeit products, among others; from an informed position.
Ghana Innovation Hub
The Ghana Innovation Hub believes in the power of businesses as well as that of technology in improving business operations. For this reason, it presents itself as a one-stop shop for a range of services that would support entrepreneurs to successfully take their startups through the entrepreneurial process.
Providing investor matchmaking (access to funding), business development services, co-working space, and ecosystem support is how the Ghana Innovation Hub carries out its mandate.
Ghana Tech Lab
Ghana Tech Lab is aimed at facilitating the growth of new tech ventures — supporting them to launch into the market. Operating in three thematic areas, namely Competent Skills Building, Growing Grassroots Innovations, and Seed Funding or Prototyping their key annual mission is to incubate and support (via providing grants to) at least 30 new tech startup ventures in order to help facilitate their growth.
Persons of Interest
Kofi Ofosu Nkansah heads the Accra Digital Centre as its Managing Director, with David Antwi Ofori serving as the Head of Operations for the Centre.
Contact the Accra Digital Centre
The Centre is physically located adjacent the State Housing Company, Ring Road West, Accra. It has the digital address GA-174-3217. You can also call the Centre with the phone number +233 (0) 303 978 399, or reach them via email [email protected].