Sam George, Archie Hesse, and Others Honoured at Digital Innovation Awards

The rebranded Digital Innovation Awards (DIA), formerly the Ghana Information Technology & Telecom Awards (GITTA) — long hailed as the “Oscars” of Ghana’s ICT sector — has successfully held its 14th edition in Accra, cementing its evolution into a pan-African platform celebrating excellence in digital transformation.

This year’s event, held at the Labadi Beach Hotel, themed “Celebrating Digital Excellence Across Borders,” unveiled new award categories to recognize leaders and innovators shaping Africa’s digital future in government, telecommunications, fintech, banking, health, agriculture, and education.

Mr. Akin Naphtal, CEO of InstinctWave, described the event as a testament to Africa’s rising leadership in the global digital economy. “Africa is not just catching up—we are rising, reshaping, and leading,” he declared, highlighting that over the past 14 years, the awards have recognized more than 500 trailblazers whose innovations have transformed lives across the continent.

Reflecting on the journey since the awards’ inception in 2010, Naphtal noted that many past awardees have scaled their innovations, attracted global investments, and forged partnerships impacting millions.

He underscored Africa’s increasing adoption of artificial intelligence, blockchain, IoT, and big data as signals of the continent’s growing prominence in the digital landscape. Naphtal pledged InstinctWave’s continued commitment to supporting Africa’s digital growth through awards, exhibitions, publications, and advocacy.

Israel’s Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Roey Gilad, praised the enduring Ghana-Israel partnership, which dates back to 1956, calling it a model for African cooperation. He highlighted Israel’s rise from an agricultural economy to a global tech leader, citing landmark deals like Wiz’s $32 billion acquisition by Google and Mobileye’s $15.3 billion sale to Intel.

Ambassador Gilad emphasized that Ghana could chart a similar path through focused investment in digital skills, lauding initiatives like the “One Million Coders” program and the 24-hour economy policy as strong foundations for attracting Israeli technology investment.

At this year’s ceremony, Hon Sam Nartey George, Minister for Communications, Digital Technology & Innovations, was honoured with the Digital Leader of the Year award for his visionary leadership in advancing Ghana’s digital agenda.

Milestones under his tenure include launching the One Million Coders Programme to equip young Ghanaians with digital skills and negotiating affordable data bundles with telecom operators, easing data access for millions. “Ghana is rapidly positioning itself as a digital powerhouse on the continent,” Sam George remarked, commending the organisers of the Digital Innovation Awards.

Archie Hesse, the recently retired CEO of Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS), was honoured as the Digital Payment Trailblazer of the Year for his pivotal role in modernizing Ghana’s payment systems.

Accepting the award, Hesse expressed heartfelt appreciation to the organizers, colleagues, and industry partners who supported his vision, and emphasized the importance of continuous innovation to drive financial inclusion and keep Ghana at the forefront of digital payments in Africa.

Since joining GhIPSS in 2007, Hesse led the implementation of key systems modernizing Ghana’s payment infrastructure, including the National Biometric Smart Card System (e-zwich), Cheque Codeline Clearing (CCC), Ghana Automated Clearing House (GACH), and the national switch, gh-link.

In 2015, he spearheaded the launch of GhIPSS Instant Pay (GIP), a platform that revolutionized interbank payments and laid the foundation for mobile money interoperability, which today enables seamless transfers across bank accounts, mobile wallets, and financial institutions.