Ghana, UAE sign $1bn deal to build AI and tech hub to Transform West Africa’s Digital Future

In a landmark move poised to reshape West Africa’s digital economy, Ghana and the United Arab Emirates have signed a $1 billion memorandum of understanding to develop a major innovation and technology hub. The “Ghana-UAE Innovations and Technology Hub” aims to position Ghana as a regional powerhouse in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, with the backing of some of the world’s most influential tech players.

Signed by Ghana’s Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, and Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman of the UAE’s Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC), the agreement represents a growing strategic alignment between African nations and Gulf investors seeking diversified partnerships in high-growth sectors.

The hub will be situated on a 25-square-kilometre site in Ningo-Prampram, with land provided by the Ghanaian government. PCFC is set to fully fund the first phase, working closely with leading AI firms already active in Dubai’s own digital transformation.

Once completed, the hub is expected to house more than 11,000 global technology companies. Major firms such as Microsoft, Meta, Oracle, IBM, and Alphabet are among those anticipated to establish a presence, tapping into the region’s growing digital economy and Ghana’s steadily improving tech infrastructure.

The project will serve multiple strategic functions: a base for AI engineering, a center for business and knowledge process outsourcing, and a key site for data generation and machine learning focused on African markets. It underscores the shared ambition between Ghana and the UAE to create future-ready economies built on innovation, not just resource extraction.

This development builds on Ghana’s rising profile as a digital leader in Africa. In 2019, Google opened the continent’s first AI research center in Accra, signaling growing confidence in the country’s tech ecosystem. Government policy has since focused on digital literacy, infrastructure expansion, and startup incubation, with Accra fast emerging as a preferred destination for global tech firms seeking African footholds.

For the UAE, the partnership reflects a broader strategy of deepening engagement with Africa across non-oil sectors, particularly in technology, logistics, and infrastructure. It also demonstrates confidence in Ghana’s political and economic stability as a base for long-term investment.

As the first phase gets underway, the success of the Ghana-UAE tech hub could signal a shift in how emerging economies shape their futures—by investing not only in physical infrastructure but in intellectual and technological capital. For Ghana, this could mark a pivotal step from being a promising digital player to becoming a continental innovation leader.