The Import and Export Association of Ghana (IEAG) has called on the government to invest more in digital infrastructure, particularly the Ghana Revenue Authority’s (GRA) digital services and payment platforms, to ensure efficient, reliable and seamless service delivery.
The call was made during a press conference by the association on August 27. Addressing journalists, Samson Awingorbit, raised concerns about recurring disruptions to digital services and their impact on businesses and the general public.
According to the IEAG, Ghana has made significant progress in adopting digital tools and platforms, but the level of investment required to standardise and strengthen the country’s digital experience remains inadequate.
The association noted that a broader challenge across the region is the introduction of digital services without the necessary investment in infrastructure, maintenance and technical capacity to ensure their smooth and efficient operation.
It cited a recent systemic failure involving the Ghana.gov digital service and other payment platforms, which reportedly experienced intermittent disruptions for about a week. The outages, the association said, resulted in significant financial losses and wasted valuable time for users and businesses.
The IEAG argued that many of these disruptions could be prevented or minimised through adequate investment in resilient digital infrastructure and supporting systems.
It stressed that regular maintenance, reliable technical support and effective contingency arrangements were non-negotiable requirements for building smooth and resilient digital systems.
The association has therefore urged the government and relevant institutions to prioritise investment in digital infrastructure to improve the reliability of public services and payment platforms and ensure that Ghana’s growing digital ecosystem delivers the efficiency expected by users.
By Ishmael Oduro-Acheampong
