{
  "id": 16796438,
  "title": "How Hubtel is rethinking AI in Ghana: Own your data, rent the intelligence",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/how-hubtel-is-rethinking-ai-in-ghana-own-your-data-rent-the-16796438",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-27T20:47:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/how-hubtel-is-rethinking-ai-in-ghana-own-your-data-rent-the-intelligence-2/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "From the bustling streets of Makola to the job-seeking graduates in Kumasi, a question is echoing across Ghana: Will artificial intelligence improve life, or will it render what people already have obsolete? The country has taken a bold step forward, launching a decade-long national AI strategy in 2025 and committing $270 million to prepare the nation for this technological revolution. However, the key to unlocking AI's potential for ordinary Ghanaians may lie with a local company that has already navigated the challenges of AI adoption: Hubtel.\n\nDuring the premiere of the AI & Ghana documentary on Joy News, Hubtel's Head of Engineering, Augustine Adjei, shared the inside story of Ghana's AI journey and why the country doesn't need to embark on a large-scale AI project to succeed. The Digital Economy Forum, a national thought-leadership platform conceived by Hubtel, brings together government, regulators, businesses, academics, and everyday Ghanaians to discuss the technologies, policies, and ideas shaping Ghana's economic future.\n\nFor Hubtel, which helps Ghanaians with bill payments, money transfers, and goods ordering, the stakes are personal. A digital economy can only flourish when people trust, understand, and benefit from it. In this context, AI is both an opportunity and a disruption, a painful journey that launches growth exponentially once mastered.\n\nHubtel's experience offers valuable lessons for Ghana's AI adoption. After opening an AI lab in 2023, Hubtel recognized that building its own AI capabilities from scratch was not feasible. By 2025, global AI providers were offering powerful tools at significantly lower costs, around $20-$25 a month. Hubtel adapted by shifting from building AI in-house to renting the intelligence from leading global AI companies.\n\nHubtel negotiated directly with these global firms, surprising them with the willingness of a Ghanaian company to pay for their services. The deal allowed Hubtel to run AI within its own systems, maintain full ownership of its data, and prevent the providers from using Hubtel's information to train their models. This approach ensures that Hubtel remains in control of its data and can leverage AI's benefits while avoiding the pitfalls of dependency on external AI providers.\n\nA key aspect of Hubtel's strategy is recognizing that talent is not the limiting factor in Ghana's AI adoption. While Ghana has a pool of talented engineers, the cost of training these individuals to master complex AI systems is prohibitive. Instead, Hubtel opted to partner with global AI companies, allowing them to benefit from the latest technology without the need for extensive local training.\n\nHubtel's success story demonstrates the importance of owning data before scaling AI adoption. By leveraging its own data, Hubtel built a virtual call center powered by AI. This AI agent can check customer order statuses in real-time, utilizing information that already belongs to Hubtel. The system is built locally, trained on Ghanaian data, and communicates with customers in a Ghanaian accent, ensuring a seamless and culturally relevant experience.\n\nCommunications Minister of Ghana, Honorable Sam George, endorsed Hubtel's approach, emphasizing the importance of fixing Ghana's data infrastructure before fully embracing AI. He highlighted that AI models are only as good as their data sets and announced plans to build a national data exchange hub to connect various public registries, enabling developers to access data more efficiently.\n\nFor those concerned about job displacement, Honorable George echoed Hubtel's message that adaptability is crucial. Those who evolve and adapt to the changing technological landscape will thrive, while those who resist change will fall behind. Bright Simmons of Imani Africa provided a cautionary note, emphasizing that AI is not a standalone solution but a tool created and shaped by humans. He warned against superficial approaches to AI adoption and stressed the need for well-defined problems and culturally relevant solutions.\n\nIn summary, Hubtel's journey showcases a pragmatic approach to AI adoption in Ghana. By renting the intelligence, owning what they can, and prioritizing data ownership, Hubtel has positioned itself to leverage AI's benefits while mitigating risks. The success of Hubtel's model offers valuable lessons for other companies and policymakers seeking to harness AI's potential for the betterment of Ghana's economy and society.",
  "summary": "From the trader at Makola checking prices on her phone to the graduate in Kumasi searching for work, one question is getting louder across Ghana. Will artificial intelligence make life better, or will it take away what people already have? Ghana has placed its bet. In 2025 it launched a ten-year national AI strategy, and […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}