Former Vice President of Ghana, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has championed smart formalisation as a digital strategy to modernize governance and economic systems.
Speaking at the Cambridge Africa Business Conference, he outlined Africa’s structural challenges, including financial exclusion, weak tax compliance, and inefficient service delivery, emphasizing that technology-driven integration can accelerate development.
Dr. Bawumia urged African leaders to leverage blockchain, AI, and mobile computing to build connected, data-driven economies, enabling governments to serve citizens efficiently and drive inclusive growth.
He stressed that digital transformation is not merely modernization—it is a necessity for resilience.
“The solution will have to be one that accelerates Africa’s development. In short, it is what I term smart formalization. In this regard, digital transformation is not just a policy aspiration, it’s a necessity for resilience”.
His message was clear, Africa must digitize or risk being left behind.