Eric Appiah warns that Ghana’s AI future depends on addressing ethical concerns, including data privacy and misinformation, while promoting sustainability through renewable energy. The upcoming AI Summit aims to shape Ghana’s AI landscape

 March 22, 2025

Ghana is on the cusp of a major transformation as artificial intelligence (AI) steadily makes its way into businesses and public life. However, according to IT and sustainability expert Eric Appiah, the country’s AI future is at risk unless key ethical and environmental concerns are addressed. In an exclusive interview with The High Street Journal, Appiah shared his insights on the potential for AI in Ghana, the challenges it faces, and the necessary steps to ensure a responsible, sustainable approach to its growth.

AI has already begun to reshape industries globally, and Ghana is no exception. But with this transformation comes significant ethical challenges, particularly in data privacy and misinformation. Appiah highlighted that many organizations are integrating AI without fully considering the risks associated with the use of personal and confidential data. 

“When organizations share personal data, like in an Excel sheet for AI-assisted analysis, that data can be inadvertently exposed to AI companies,” he noted. This not only threatens the privacy of individuals but also opens the door for misuse of sensitive information. To combat this, Appiah advocates for stronger data privacy laws and greater awareness around data protection, emphasizing that companies need to take data security more seriously.

Another major concern is the rise of misinformation and deepfakes, which AI tools can easily create and spread. “News organizations and social media platforms are in a rush to share content, but they often don’t verify it properly before distribution,” Appiah pointed out. With AI making it easier to generate convincing yet false content, the spread of fake news becomes a growing concern. He called for the establishment of more stringent fact-checking mechanisms to ensure that AI-generated content does not mislead the public.

Despite these challenges, Appiah remains optimistic about Ghana’s AI potential. With the government showing interest and investing in AI development, he believes the AI market in Ghana is set to grow significantly. “The government’s focus on AI signals a massive opportunity for growth. The market size is projected to be very large,” he said. Appiah identified several AI trends that are already emerging in Ghana, such as AI-driven fraud detection in finance, mobile banking advancements, and AI tools aimed at boosting productivity in business and data analysis. Agriculture is another key area where AI can make an impact, AI is already being used to detect pests and predict crop yields, offering Ghanaian farmers the opportunity to improve food security and productivity.

Appiah believes that the upcoming AI Summit and Awards, set for March 27, 2025, in Accra, will be crucial in shaping Ghana’s AI future. “The summit will provide a platform to discuss policy development, train businesses and policymakers, and connect local AI startups with international firms,” he explained. The event will also serve as an opportunity to educate the public about ethical AI use and its associated risks, a topic that Appiah feels is crucial to the country’s future success.

Government and private sector collaboration will play a key role in Ghana’s AI trajectory. Appiah stressed that the government must create a clear ethical framework for AI and invest in the necessary infrastructure, particularly in agriculture. He also called for the development of local AI solutions that can help retain data within the country, ensuring that Ghana doesn’t rely too heavily on foreign AI technologies.

Another critical issue that Appiah raised was the environmental cost of AI. Training large AI models requires immense computational power, which consumes a lot of energy and can have significant environmental consequences. “The environmental cost of training these models is not negligible. However, Ghana has an opportunity to mitigate this impact by adopting renewable energy sources like solar power,” he said. Solar energy could provide a clean, sustainable solution to power the country’s growing AI operations without further harming the environment.

Eric Appiah, with his deep expertise in AI, sustainability, and cybersecurity, has been at the forefront of AI adoption in Ghana. He has worked with notable organizations like Mobile Web Ghana and the US Embassy, providing training on AI-powered productivity tools, cybersecurity, and digital transformation. In addition, Appiah has spoken at numerous international conferences, including the Africa Digital Skills Conferences and the Senior IT Leaders Combating Climate Change Conference in the UK.

As Ghana continues to explore AI’s potential, experts like Appiah believe that balancing innovation, ethical governance, and sustainability will be key to unlocking the sector’s full potential.