The Parliament of Ghana last Wednesday ratified a framework agreement between the Government of Ghana and the Republic of Mauritius for the development of technology and business parks in the country. Earlier this year, Ghana held discussions with Mauritius about the building of tech parks.
Per the agreement, Mauritius has made a commitment of $75 million towards the development of the technology parks. One of the parks will be developed at Dawa in the Greater Accra Region, along the Tema-Aflao highway.
A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) will also be established to develop, implement and manage the technology and business parks. The SPV (known as the Ghana Smart City) shall be incorporated as a limited liability company under the Companies Act, 1963 (Act 179) of Ghana.
The SPV or Ghana Smart City would include a 3-star hotel, a cyber tower, an apartment block, a multi-purpose facility and a conference centre.
The Smart City project is being established as a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between the Republic of Ghana and the Republic of Mauritius.
Remnants Of The Other Smart City Project?
A few years ago, Ghana made the news when the former President Mahama unveiled a concept for a smart city in Ghana. Years later, not much has materialised and the project appears to have been abandoned.
With the deal with Mauritius, it would seem that this is a project which might see the light of day with the passing of this framework.
But only time will tell. Hopefully, Ghana finally gets its first “smart city”.
