Ghana and the United Arab Emirates have signed a 1bn strategic investment agreement to develop what is being positioned as Africa's largest integrated innovation and artificial intelligence hub. The project is expected to significantly expand Ghana's digital and technological capacity while serving regional and global markets.
The agreement forms part of a broader bilateral partnership between the two countries and aims to strengthen artificial intelligence development, digital infrastructure and startup growth in Ghana. The hub will be developed in Ningo-Prampram in the Greater Accra Region, with construction scheduled to begin in 2026. Under the arrangement, Ghana will provide the land and policy framework, while the UAE, through the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation PCFC, will finance and oversee the development.
A substantial share of the 1bn investment will be directed towards artificial intelligence and advanced computing. Around 400m has been allocated to high-performance AI infrastructure, including 180m for an AI Compute Hub to be developed by UAE-based technology group G42. The facility will use renewable energy and liquid-cooling systems. A further 100m will fund a national AI-powered digital identity system built on Falcon large language models via AI71, while the remaining 120m will support the creation of a Ghana AI Startup Studio in partnership with Hub71, with the ambition of attracting and scaling up to 100 AI startups by 2030.
