Ghana has recorded one of the most significant improvements in Africa in the 2025 editions of the Digital Nations and Society Index (DNSI) and the Digital Policy and Regulatory Index (DPRI), according to findings presented at the GSMA Ministerial Programme at the ongoing Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
This achievement is attributed to Ghana’s decision to abolish the “obnoxious” Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) and its recent move to grant technology neutrality to all telecom operators in the country.
The Digital Africa Index report was formally presented on March 2, 2026, by the Senior Director of Economics at GSMA Intelligence, Kalvin Bahia, who highlighted Ghana as the highest-improving country in Africa in 2025 under the composite index framework.
Ghana Among Africa’s Top Digital Performers
In his presentation, Mr. Bahia underscored that Ghana recorded the strongest year-on-year improvement among African countries assessed in 2025. He noted that Ghana is one of only five countries on the continent to achieve a composite score above 50 percent — a threshold associated with more advanced and enabling digital ecosystems.
He explained that the country’s gains were driven by measurable improvements in both digital adoption (DNSI) and policy and regulatory effectiveness (DPRI).
The DNSI measures the real-world integration of digital technologies by consumers, businesses, and governments, while the DPRI evaluates the quality, implementation, and effectiveness of digital policy and regulatory frameworks.
Crossing the 50 percent composite mark places Ghana in a select group of African economies demonstrating relatively mature digital ecosystems and sustained reform momentum.
Policy Drivers Behind Ghana’s 2025 Improvement
The GSMA analysis highlighted two major reforms as central to Ghana’s accelerated progress: technology neutrality in spectrum licensing and the repeal of the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy).
Technology Neutrality
Ghana’s transition to a technology-neutral licensing framework significantly improved regulatory flexibility and spectrum efficiency.
By allowing operators to refarm existing spectrum bands (900 MHz, 1800 MHz, and 2100 MHz) for advanced mobile broadband services, and by extending neutrality to all operators in 2025, Ghana enhanced network quality and 4G expansion, reduced regulatory distortions, improved competitive parity, and strengthened investor confidence.
This reform directly boosted Ghana’s DPRI score, particularly in regulatory design and market competitiveness metrics.
Repeal of the Electronic Transfer Levy
The abolition of the E-Levy in 2025 removed a cost barrier to digital financial transactions.
GSMA’s findings linked the repeal to increased mobile money usage, higher digital transaction volumes, reduced reliance on cash, and improved consumer trust in digital payments.
The removal of the levy strengthened Ghana’s DNSI performance, especially in digital financial inclusion and consumer adoption indicators.
A Data-Driven Digital Transformation Agenda
Speaking at the Ministerial Programme in Barcelona, Mr. Bahia emphasized that Africa’s digital development depends not only on infrastructure rollout but also on enabling policy frameworks that unlock adoption and innovation.
A statement from the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation indicated that Ghana’s 2025 performance demonstrates the measurable impact of regulatory reform, the importance of affordability in driving adoption, the value of evidence-based policymaking, and the effectiveness of aligning spectrum policy with market realities.
Positioning Ghana as a Regional Digital Leader
By achieving the highest improvement on the continent and joining the group of African countries scoring above 50 percent on the composite index, Ghana has reinforced its standing as one of West Africa’s leading digital reformers, the statement said.
The government’s continued focus on regulatory modernization, infrastructure flexibility, and inclusive digital finance is expected to further consolidate these gains in future editions of the GSMA indices, it added.
