The Vice President of Ghana Dr Mahamadu Bawumia has called on African leaders to take advantage of the growing trends in technology to better the lives of their citizens.
Dr Bawumia was speaking at the 5th World Government Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
He was speaking on the topic “Leapfrogging Development: The African Story.”
READ ALSO: Kumasi City Mall to open in May 2017
Dr Bawumia argued that if African leaders took advantage of technology in a positive sense it would speed up the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which he said is so crucial to Africa’s development.
“The SDGs, these are targets that we all subscribe to (ending hunger and poverty, improving education and health, etc) and we have to try to achieve all of these by 2030, within the UN framework. It is something that you see countries working towards. For many countries, going towards the attainment of these targets is an area where you could leverage technology to leapfrog.”
“In Agriculture, education and health, we can leverage technology, so I see this decade for Africa as one where we’re going to move towards the attainment of these Sustainable Development Goals. There is so much technology available, even via the mobile phone.”
READ ALSO: Production of gold to increase in 2017
He stressed that the decision to seize the many opportunities offered by technology to develop the continent would have to be made by Africans.Leverage technology to improve lives, Bawumia urges African leaders.
“Africa is a huge continent with huge resources. What we have not done over the years is to leverage all these resources to develop the continent. But increasingly you’re seeing some transformation taking place in many countries.”
“What we’re realizing, and what many countries are understanding, is that if you’re going to leapfrog you really have to lead that charge yourself. Nobody else is going to come and say ‘hey, you have to leapfrog’ because you’re competing with everybody else. You’re in a globally competitive environment. You have to do it yourself.”
READ ALSO: Ghana needs trade not aid – Bawumia tells world leaders
The fifth annual World Government Summit currently underway in Dubai, under the theme “Shaping Future Governments”, is exploring the future of government in the coming decades.
The World Government Summit is a global platform dedicated to the enhancement of government around the world. This year, it will bring together over 3,000 government leaders and policy makers, private sector executives and renowned experts from worldwide.
The summit ends on February 14, 2017.