The Global Digital Inclusion Partnership (GDIP has announced
the appointment of three exceptional digital development leaders to its
esteemed board.
They are Ghana’s Minister for Communications and
Digitalisation Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Chief Digital Infrastructure, Skills
and Empowerment Officer at Smart Africa, Thelma Quaye and the Meta’s Vice
President of Public Policy for Africa, Middle East and Turkey, Kojo Boakye
These distinguished individuals who are all Ghanaians and are
known within the African digital space for their vast experience and diverse
skills will be joining the board of GDIP to help steer its toward greater
heights.
Expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “Today’s announcement is
another important step in strengthening our governance and deepening our
commitment to our mission. And we are honored to have the opportunity to work
more closely with Honorable Minister Ursula, Thelma, and Kojo in this new
capacity. We’re fortunate they have agreed to join us as colleagues on the
board.”
Ursula Owusu-Ekuful is the
Minister for Communications and Digitalisation for the Republic of Ghana and a
three-term Member of Parliament for the Ablekuma West constituency. As the
Minister of Communications, she has oversight of the government’s
infrastructure programme for the ICT Sector, the development of a robust
framework to support the digitalisation of the economy and the scaling up of
e-government services with national broadband and total connectivity for the
unserved and underserved at the heart of the agenda.
She is passionate about supporting
the local tech startup ecosystem, nurturing the development of indigenous
technology and encouraging women, children and persons with disabilities to
engage in ICT.
Thelma Quaye currently works as
Chief Digital Infrastructure, Skills and Empowerment Officer at Smart Africa,
an alliance of African countries, international organizations, and global
private sector players tasked with setting the continent’s digital agenda. In
her role, she supports African governments to transform their economies into
digital ones through the building blocks of digital infrastructure, capacity
building and inclusivity through the empowerment of women and girls into
ICT.
Before joining Smart Africa, she
worked at Airtel Ghana Limited as the Chief Technical Officer responsible for
running the Airtel network. She was the first female network director across
the Airtel Africa group. She has also worked with the ITU, UN Women, and
African Union as a lead trainer in coding and soft skills for girls across
Africa.
Kojo Boakye is Meta’s Vice President
of Public Policy for Africa, Middle East and Turkey. He’s an experienced ICT
for development practitioner with 19 years of experience working with
governments, fixed-line and mobile operators, development partners, online
service providers, content creators and civil society organizations. Before
joining Meta more than six years ago, he was the Deputy Director of the
Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) and the Head of Research and
Consultancy at the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) before
that.
In recent years, his work has focused
on broadband affordability; the use of mobile infrastructure and devices for
the delivery of social services; strategic planning for ICT regulators; tech
regulation of content, privacy and competition; and the evolution of the
Metaverse. Among other things, he sits on the board for Junior Achievement
Africa and Chairs its Digital Innovation Committee.
The GDIP board plays a critical role
in guiding our organization’s strategic direction and ensuring transparency and
accountability in all endeavors. With the induction of Minister Ursula
Owusu-Ekuful, Thelma Quaye, and Kojo Boakye, GDIP took the opportunity to recognize
outgoing board member Funke Opeke for her service and invaluable contribution.
“Her strong commitment, strategic
guidance, and generous support of our work have been nothing but inspiring.
Thank you, Funke,” it stated.
By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
