By James Amoh Junior, GNA
Accra, July 21, GNA– Russia has expressed readiness to partner Ghana in advancing her digital transformation agenda through cooperation in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital innovation, healthcare, scientific research and technology transfer.
Mr Andrei Ordash, Russian Ambassador to Ghana, said Russia possessed significant technological expertise and was prepared to offer Ghana a comprehensive partnership aimed at accelerating the country’s long-term socio-economic development.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra, the Ambassador said Russia viewed Ghana’s digital transformation drive as an opportunity to build mutually beneficial partnerships in emerging technologies.
“Ghana’s digital transformation opens up truly vast horizons for our cooperation, which will contribute to your country’s long-term and sustainable development,” he said.
The Ambassador said Russia had accumulated extensive experience in developing large-scale digital platforms that improve governance and public service delivery.
He cited Russia’s “Gosuslugi” (State Services) portal and Smart City technologies as examples of digital solutions that had enhanced interactions between government institutions and citizens while improving urban management and service delivery.
“We are ready to share this experience to help Ghana build a modern system of public administration capable of minimising bureaucratic red tape and increasing transparency,” he stated.
Ambassador Ordash noted that Ghana had emerged as one of Africa’s leading countries in financial technology and digital payments, creating opportunities for closer collaboration in developing secure and independent payment systems.
He said such cooperation would feature prominently during the forthcoming Third Russia-Africa Summit, where digitalisation and financial technology would be among the priority areas for discussion.
On cybersecurity, the Ambassador said Russia was willing to support Ghana in strengthening the protection of critical national infrastructure, government information systems and financial data against emerging cyber threats.
He said the proposed cooperation would include knowledge exchange on regulatory frameworks, capacity building for professionals and the deployment of advanced technological solutions.
“In the era of digital transformation, ensuring security is becoming critically important,” Ambassador Ordash said.
“We are ready to offer a partnership in creating reliable systems to protect state information resources, critical infrastructure and citizens’ financial data.”
The Ambassador also identified higher education, scientific research and human resource development as key pillars of future cooperation.
He said Russian universities were prepared to deepen partnerships with Ghanaian institutions, particularly in science, engineering, medicine and technology, while increasing opportunities for Ghanaian students to pursue technical and specialist programmes in Russia.
According to him, expanding professional training and academic exchanges would contribute significantly to Ghana’s efforts to build a highly skilled workforce capable of driving innovation and economic growth.
Ambassador Ordash further highlighted the potential for collaboration in digital healthcare, including telemedicine, electronic medical records and the application of artificial intelligence in disease diagnosis and medical data analysis.
He said such technologies had the potential to improve healthcare delivery, particularly in underserved communities, while strengthening Ghana’s health system.
The Ambassador expressed optimism that discussions at the Third Russia-Africa Summit, scheduled for October this year in Moscow, would provide fresh momentum for technology cooperation between Russia and African countries.
He said the summit would focus on artificial intelligence, digitalisation and independent payment systems, describing Ghana’s participation as important in shaping the strategic direction of future collaboration.
“The participation of the Ghanaian delegation will be a key event in defining the strategic direction of our technological partnership for years to come,” he said.
Ambassador Ordash reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to supporting Ghana’s development aspirations through technology, innovation and skills development, saying the partnership would be based on mutual respect and shared interests.
He said by combining Russia’s technological expertise with Ghana’s growing digital economy, both countries could create lasting partnerships that would promote innovation, improve public services and contribute to sustainable development.
GNA
Reporter: James Amoh Junior
Email: [email protected]
Edited by: Samuel Osei-Frempong