Francis Val-Neboh urges Ghana’s AI Summit to drive real action, fast-track AI regulations, invest in startups, and integrate AI into governance for national development

 March 26, 2025

As Ghana prepares to host its maiden AI Summit on March 27, 2025, key industry voices are calling for the event to move beyond discussions and translate into concrete actions. Francis Val-Neboh, CEO of Dobande Technologies and a leading advocate for AI-driven policy and research in Africa, is among those emphasizing the need for tangible impact and decisive governmental action.

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“I am looking forward to that more tangible impact, impacts that have more severe implications for the greater good,” Val-Neboh told The High Street Journal. 

While acknowledging that the AI Summit itself is a welcome development, he stressed that Ghana must ensure the event leads to real policy shifts and accelerated AI adoption, rather than becoming another conference with no follow-up action.

The AI Summit is expected to bring together academia, industry leaders, startups, government officials, and policymakers, making it a unique opportunity for cross-sector collaboration. Val-Neboh believes this multi-stakeholder participation is key to shaping Ghana’s AI future.

“The beauty of where we find ourselves is that we have three key stakeholder groups showing up, learning from each other and sharing insights. Academia will be there, industry players will be there, and I’m sure government representatives and agencies will also be there. But beyond the event itself, each of these groups must go back and take real action,” he stated.

He cautioned against allowing the summit to become just another high-profile event that gets forgotten once the headlines fade. “Stakeholders really have to make sure this doesn’t get swept under the rug. It shouldn’t just be to show that Ghana had an AI Summit. The question is, what next?” he stated.

One of Val-Neboh’s strongest calls to action is for Ghana to fast-track AI-specific regulations. He reiterated his earlier concerns about the lack of AI governance frameworks and the slow pace of regulatory implementation.

“We’re looking to enact AI-specific laws. I think I mentioned this earlier. We need legal and regulatory frameworks in place, and it shouldn’t take us forever. That’s the first step,” he stressed.

According to him, the world is not slowing down, and if Ghana continues at its current pace, it risks becoming a mere testing ground for AI innovations developed by more advanced economies.

“If we keep going at this pace, it’s going to get to the point where Ghana and other African countries will really become testing grounds for more advanced economies. We don’t want to get to that point. This conversation around AI sovereignty is not being talked about enough, but it will soon become clear that if we don’t move at a certain pace, we’ll be at the wrong end of the sovereignty conversation,” he warned.

Beyond regulations, Val-Neboh is also calling for greater government support for AI startups and local research initiatives. He emphasized that startups and industry-driven AI research are critical to Ghana’s AI future, yet they do not receive the level of investment and attention they deserve.

“Governments should do more to support some activities of industry players like startups. They should look at how to invest in local talent and research. AI research is not just about academic research labs. There is also applied research, social research—real-time sentiment analysis, for example, should be part of the computing systems that drive national decision-making,” he explained.

He believes that AI-driven real-time public sentiment analysis should be used to inform government policies and decisions, allowing for faster, data-driven governance.

One of Val-Neboh’s most striking recommendations is the need to drastically shorten the time it takes for AI-related policies to move from formulation to execution. He believes Ghana should aim for a shorter timeline from policy introduction to implementation and monitoring, instead of waiting years for progress.

While Val-Neboh supports the AI Summit and acknowledges its importance in shaping Ghana’s AI journey, he maintains that the real work begins after the event ends.

“At the end of the day, the discussions at the summit will only be as valuable as the actions that follow. The government, industry leaders, and research institutions must all go back and ensure AI is not just talked about but actively developed, implemented, and integrated into our governance systems,” he said.