Ghana’s Communications Minister pressed companies and universities to turn AI  training into real  jobs, opening the two-day Africa AI Forum in Accra on Tuesday.

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The forum is the centrepiece of the five-day One Vecta Africa AI Week, organised by AlphaVecta Technologies Limited and endorsed by the Ministry of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations. It brings together policymakers, regulators, financial institutions, technology companies and diplomatic partners to focus on moving artificial intelligence from discussion to actual implementation in Ghana and across the continent.

Minister Samuel Nartey George told delegates that AI adoption must be built on trust, strong regulation, local capacity and systems that raise human productivity rather than replace workers. He said  government is already training public-sector directors in AI efficiency and will require clear standards across ministries, departments and agencies as AI use expands in public services. “AI is not meant to replace the human beings,” he said. “It’s meant to move us to a higher level of functionality and effectiveness.”

George also challenged companies, investors and educational institutions to convert AI training into paid work, urging firms to hire from the One Million Coders pipeline, partner with universities and technical and vocational institutions on industry needs, support women and people with disabilities, invest beyond Accra, and buy locally developed AI tools that meet required standards. “Training without opportunity is just a statistic,” he said.

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AlphaVecta Technologies founder and chief executive Carlos Amoako argued that businesses should not adopt AI simply because it is a global trend, but should target specific problems where it can deliver measurable productivity gains. He pointed to recruitment as an example, saying a company receiving thousands of applications a week could use AI to cut a screening process that takes weeks down to a few hours, rather than trying to apply the technology everywhere at once.

Presidential Advisor on the Economy Seth Terkper said the public sector needs to modernise its legacy digital systems if government is to benefit fully from AI, since AI systems are advancing faster than some of the platforms government relies on. He cited revenue administration and weather forecasting as areas where AI already generates useful information, but said such systems must be properly linked to ministries and local authorities so the data can actually support decisions. George added that government is developing standards to keep AI systems used in sensitive areas such as health, education, finance and public services reliable, secure and subject to human oversight.

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The forum continues Wednesday with the finale of the Execute Africa AI Challenge Hackathon, where finalist teams will pitch their AI solutions to a judging panel and delegates before a winner is announced on stage.