The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has urged the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) to lead efforts to transform Ghana’s public service through digital innovation, ethical leadership and institutional reforms.
He said technological advancement alone could not guarantee national development without accountability, effective leadership and efficient public institutions.
The Otumfuo made the call at GIMPA’s 65th anniversary celebration in Accra yesterday, an event held on: “A Legacy of Excellence, A Future in Digital Transformation”.
“Technology without values is efficiency without purpose,” the Asantehene said, stressing that digital transformation must improve public service delivery and make institutions more responsive to citizens’ needs.
He observed that despite Ghana’s pool of educated professionals, the country continued to face challenges with policy implementation, institutional coordination and inefficient administrative procedures.
Digital transformation
The Asantehene said technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), automation and data analytics offered opportunities to improve governance, education, health care and business.
He, however, cautioned that acquiring computers and converting paper documents into electronic files would not automatically make institutions efficient.
He said technology must be accompanied by institutional reforms, competent leadership and a willingness to abandon outdated practices.
The Otumfuo urged GIMPA to make the responsible use of AI central to its teaching and research, noting that emerging technologies raised concerns about privacy, fairness and accountability.
“Technology may help us determine what is possible. Human wisdom must determine what is right,” he said.
He also called for measures to bridge the digital divide and ensure that rural communities, older people and persons with disabilities benefited from technological progress.
Otumfuo congratulated the institute on attaining 65 years, and urged its leadership, staff and stakeholders to approach the years ahead with confidence, discipline, integrity and a sustained commitment to excellence.
In attendance were public officials, traditional leaders, industry players, past rectors, students and other stakeholders.
They included the Chairman of the University Governing Council, Professor Yaw Agyeman Badu, and a former Rector of GIMPA, Professor Stephen Adei.
The institute’s leadership presented the Asantehene with a giant portrait of himself, drawing admiration from the gathering.
Financial sustainability
The Rector of GIMPA, Professor Samuel Kwaku Bonsu, defended the institute’s expansion beyond public administration, saying it was necessary to ensure financial sustainability and continued relevance.
He announced plans to establish a digital governance and public-sector innovation hub in partnership with a Chinese university.
Prof. Bonsu said GIMPA and the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China had agreed to create a GIMPA-based Ghana-China Centre for West African Studies.
He said a core part of the centre would be a digital governance and public sector innovation hub, which would research e-government (government services delivered online), artificial intelligence and data systems, and train public officials through exchange programmes.
Prof. Bonsu also proposed an Otumfuo Centre for Governance and Leadership to promote research into indigenous governance systems.
He urged stakeholders to protect GIMPA’s independence and guard against political interference, stressing that the institute existed to serve Ghana, not any political party.
