Ghana Leads Africa in Digital Reforms, Records Top Improvement in 2025 GSMA Indexes

Ghana has emerged as one of Africa’s strongest digital reformers, achieving the continent’s highest improvement in the 2025 editions of the Digital Nations and Society Index (DNSI) and the Digital Policy and Regulatory Index (DPRI).

The findings were presented at the GSMA Ministerial Programme during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

Delivered on March 2, 2026, by Kalvin Bahia, the report highlighted Ghana as the most improved country in Africa across the composite digital index framework in 2025.

According to the analysis in the Digital Africa Index, Ghana recorded the strongest year-on-year progress among all African countries assessed last year and joined a select group of five African economies with a composite score above 50 percent, a benchmark associated with more advanced and enabling digital ecosystems.

The composite score reflects gains in both digital adoption and the quality of digital policy and regulation. The DNSI measures how consumers, businesses, and governments integrate digital technologies into daily life, while the DPRI evaluates the effectiveness of digital policy, regulatory frameworks, and market governance.

GSMA attributed Ghana’s improvement to two major reforms implemented in 2025:

1. Technology neutrality in spectrum licensing – This policy allowed mobile network operators to refarm existing spectrum bands, including 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, and 2100 MHz, to support advanced mobile broadband services. The reform improved regulatory flexibility, strengthened competition, accelerated 4G network expansion, and boosted investor confidence in the telecom sector.
2. Repeal of the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy) – Removing the tax on electronic transactions reduced the cost of digital financial services, encouraged mobile money adoption, increased digital transaction volumes, and strengthened consumer trust in digital payment systems. This reform directly improved Ghana’s DNSI score, particularly in indicators related to digital financial inclusion and consumer adoption.

Crossing the 50 percent threshold places Ghana among a small group of African countries with relatively mature digital ecosystems and sustained reform momentum, signaling the nation’s growing leadership in digital transformation on the continent.