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The 4th Industrial Revolution is making waves in Africa. Amid the common sentiment that Africa may have missed out on the previous industrial revolutions, this time around, the stakes are quite high. But all things considered, the odds, today, seem to be in the continent’s favour. Meanwhile, Ghana has entered a remarkable phase of transformation, growth and change. Technology has been one of the biggest allies of the country, steering prosperity and progress along its route. As Ghana’s success story continues, Ascend Digital Solutions partners with the Government of Ghana, the country’s private institutions and its people to open a new chapter in this revolutionary journey. 

The world’s adoption of Industry 4.0 is defined by a range of technologies – from 3D printing to Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Analytics and the most iconic of these, the Internet of Things. Industry 4.0 represents the coming together of the digital, organic, and physical realms, enabled and accelerated by these new, emerging and advanced technologies.

The 4th Industrial Revolution is set to transform Africa. Major technological advancements are driving Africa’s adoption of  Industry 4.0. For example, research reveals that advances in mobile money and related digital services are spurring growth in Africa’s ICT sector, and this trend is expected to continue through 2025.¹ And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, when it comes to pan-continent digital transformation.

Among the African nations headlining the Industry 4.0 movement is Ghana. Key to this development is the fact that the Government of Ghana acknowledges that the adoption of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is mandatory for sustainable economic growth. But, to transform Ghana into a high-income economy that is rich in information, knowledge and skilled manpower, it needs to make strong strides, steered by ground-breaking technological investments.

The 4th Industrial Revolution is expected to touch upon the following cornerstones of the African economy, leapfrogging their development.

• Holistic socioeconomic growth

Industry 4.0 is expected to directly impact the socioeconomic and cultural development of Ghana. The 4th industrial revolution will enable Ghana to steer all-round economic growth and progress. It will empower the government in its fight against poverty, by fuelling financial inclusion, and enable it to bridge the significantly large digital divide. For this to happen, Ghanaians will fundamentally need access to consistent power and  broadband internet connectivity, which in turn will open up access to better healthcare and improved quality of life.

Industry 4.0 will also impact how the Government of Ghana dispenses its civic commitments. E-government programs, for example, will see greater growth fuelled by these rapid ICT developments.

• Employing youth

Africa has a massive workforce with the vast majority of the population (57%) under 25. These are youth who stand to benefit immensely from the industrial revolution.

Creating employment for its expanding youth population is also one of Ghana’s priorities – as it is with most other African countries. The government is keenly encouraging developments in this area. Industry 4.0 brings along previously unseen opportunities for Ghana’s employable population. With the rise of industries, the demand for skilled and specialised labour is expected to see a rapid increase, and this trend is may continue through the next decade. 

• Attracting foreign and local investments

Ghana is one of the most stable countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, and is a highly favourable investment destination. A growing labour force and a conducive business ecosystem are attractive to investors who look at Ghana as the next big business destination.

Ghana is no stranger to pioneering innovations and adopting them into successful business models. Back in 1992, Ghana was among the first of the African nations to launch a mobile cellular network. Today digitalisation is enabling the industrial and corporate sectors to devise business models that are more profitable in the short term, while remaining socially sustainable in the long run. An environment that promotes growth, and an ecosystem that supports innovation, will together enable more Foreign Direct Investments in Ghana in 2021.

Ascend Digital Solutions: Africa’s partners in success

Ascend Digital Solutions has been embarking on strategic partnerships to prepare Ghana for Industry 4.0. We are a trusted partner to public institutions across Africa in enabling the real potential of the 4th Industrial Revolution. We are building technology and services-driven platforms that leverage Africa’s diverse and abundant human resources and collaborating with local governments to prepare them for digital transformation.

One of our core missions is to upskill and prime local talent to serve the critical requirements of Africa’s burgeoning knowledge and information economy.

Our commitment is to become a preferred networks and IT services provider to public institutions across Africa, communication service providers/mobile network operators, and commercial enterprises. We believe that such collaboration holds the key to enabling the Government of Ghana and its diverse workforce for the  digital revolution that will catapult Ghana to Industry 4.0. ·

Ascend Digital Solutions is partnering with the Government of Ghana to deliver on their ambition of “Digital for all”. We allow private and public players to tap into Africa’s rich digital infrastructure – fibre backbone, metro network, data centres and towers – to build innovative and value-adding service offerings. Digital solutions are a core part of these offerings, covering e-health, e-learning and cybersecurity.

We have embarked on several key projects, most of these are dedicated to building innovative solutions that will:

• Help bridge Ghana’s widening digital divide
• Support socio-economic development, and,
• Enable e-government programs to uplift the economy

In our journey since inception, we have already had some milestone achievements, including the GH COVID-19 Tracker and the Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion project.

• Keeping COVID-19 at bay through the GH COVID-19 Tracker

In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Ascend Digital Solutions, in partnership with the Government of Ghana, launched a COVID-19 mobile application tracker for Ghana. The app aims to help Ghanaians and foreigners living in the country to stay informed and safe by drawing on advanced capabilities, like geofencing. Following an extensive campaign branded “You Matter”, the app gained significant traction among mobile users, sensitising them on its benefits in protecting their social circles and personal well-being.

The app comes with extensive capabilities, allowing users to completely control their movement and exposure levels to COVID-19. Extensive reporting capabilities show authorities the number of users actively utilising the platform as well as the status of self-quarantined users, along with detailed breakdowns by region, gender, mobility, level of risk and more.

The GH COVID-19 Tracker is available for iOS and Android users for downloading onto smartphones. A version of the app is also available for feature phone users, who can dial *769# to access the USSD menu.

For more information, reach out to: email

• Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion project

The Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Project seeks to provide voice and data connectivity to the underserved areas of the nation, covering more than 3.4 million people. The €155-million project is being implemented by the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) that functions under Ghana’s Ministry of Communications. 

President Akufo-Addo officially launched the novel initiative at Atwereboana, New Edubiase in the Ashanti Region, in November. The project, which will be carried out in collaboration with MTN, Vodafone, Airtel Tigo, Huawei and the Export-Import Bank of China, aims to commission over 2,000 rural strategic sites. The project is part of the government’s initiatives to reduce the country’s digital divide and promote equal opportunities among its citizens. Once completed, it will connect an additional 3,000,000 people to the telecommunications network, bringing them better access to social, economic, health, and educational wellbeing.

To read more about how we’re changing the roadmap of Africa’s socio-economic journey, click here.

Smart cities are rapidly emerging as the world’s answer to the riddling challenges that come with urban development. Some of the smartest cities in the world, like London and Singapore, are demonstrating how intelligent and forward-looking technologies can steer positive lifestyle changes, while also delivering on the macroeconomic goals of financial inclusion and social advancement. Ascend Digital Solutions is revolutionary entry in this space, and a strategic partner to the governments of Africa. Ascend is working on digital transformation and connectivity, which will rapidly change the business landscape of Ghana. Leading the way is its Internet of Things (IoT) solution suite that lets you control anything in the physical world through sensor-enabled devices.

With nearly three million people around the world moving to cities every week, as per the UN-Habitat – 2009 report, smart cities are a viable long-term investment that ensure higher sustainability and better quality of life.

What are smart cities?

The phrase ‘smart cities’ has recently become synonymous with the Internet of Things (IoT). This assumption is true up to an extent, as smart cities rely heavily on IoT sensors to track their residents, assets and operations. These sensors gather and dispense valuable information to help the cities and their resources function efficiently.

Smart cities are connected and self-sufficient, up to a large extent. Central to success of the smart city is its ICT (information and communication technology) infrastructure, which is essentially a backbone spanning this large ecosystem and connecting its various moving parts. Some of the foundational elements of a smart city are data collection and democratisation, analysis and inference, collaboration and communication, and innovative solutioning.

High functionality is a definitive factor for smart cities, whether it involves energy consumption, public transport, the environment or the people. Government and private agencies work closely with each other to create smart systems and initiatives that improve functionality, self-sustenance and efficiency.

Ghana: A shining example of smart administration

As of 2018, Sub-Saharan Africa was the fastest urbanising region in the world¹. This is good news – one that could catalyse Africa’s evolution into a highly sought-after emerging market. However, the lions moving to the cities triggers its own share of problems. Smart cities propose a practical and fail-proof solution to these problems – brought on by Africa’s rapid pace of urbanisation, plagued by a host of infrastructural and economic roadblocks.

One of the pioneers of Industry 4.0 in Africa, Ghana joins the league of African nations embarking on highly anticipated smart city projects. The country has taken dramatic measures to improve the key parameters underpinning the success of its smart city ventures – significant investment in ICT, upskilling and training manpower, focus on education, social programs, and infrastructure development initiatives. An example of administrative excellence, Ghana’s Accra had previously² received the grant for the IBM Smarter Cities Challenge, a push in the right direction on the social and infrastructural development fronts. Ghana continues setting the trend even today, partnering with international companies, like Alibaba, Whale Cloud³ and RACP⁴, on numerous high-value smart city projects.

Ascend: Building smart cities that lead to a smart economy

As per Gartner’s 2019 analysis, smart city frameworks and IoT are the two top technologies set to transform business in Africa in the next decade.⁵ This extends to both Africa’s rural and urban landscapes.

Ultimately, the success of these smart cities depends on the availability of high-speed digital connectivity anytime, anywhere. But, across Africa, the majority of rural areas and a handful of urban pockets face alarming shortage of inexpensive and continuous internet access. This is primarily due to the substantial lack of ICT infrastructure. This subsequently leads to low data visibility for administrators, private players and citizens, and subsequent lapses and delays in decision-making.

Ascend Digital Solutions delivers on Ghana’s smart city and borderless connectivity goals. Our smart solutions include:

• Affordable, abundant and accessible high-speed broadband in rural areas, delivered via Wi-Fi and Free Space Optical Communications (FSOC) systems
• Innovative IoT and cost-effective digital infrastructure solutions that build smart governance, smart people and a smart economy

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Get to know us. Let’s start a discussion info@ascenddigitalsol.com

Ascend is enabling smart cities in Ghana using next-generation smart technologies and connected devices that are today dominating the urban landscape. The fourth Industrial Revolution is combining the power of data with the power of the people. Technologies to leverage these devices, such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), 5G, security, quantum computing and Blockchain, are unleashing numerous opportunities. But they are also posing new challenges, as citizens are increasingly concerned by privacy issues.

We’re developing smart city solutions in Ghana, transforming an obligatory service into a customer-focused and sustainable corporate entity. Through innovative and smart sewage network management (manhole monitoring), workforce tracking, water quality control, smart streetlights, water/gas AMR, surveillance/door sensors, and waste management solutions, we are revolutionising this space. This unlocks massive, previously unseen opportunities to expand revenue, optimise operations and enhance customer and end-user experience.

Ascend is building a digitally connected Ghana with IoT solutions that are powered by state-of-the-art devices, network, platform and applications, and a perfect fit for industrial, commercial and residential use cases.

To know more about Ascend and its solutions, write to info@ascenddigitalsol.com