E-Levy abolition, Tech neutrality policy gives Ghana high score in GSMA Digital Africa Index 2025 Report

 

Ghana has recorded one of the most significant improvements in Africa in the 2025 editions of the Digital Nations and Society Index (DNSI) and the Digital Policy and Regulatory Index (DPRI), according to findings presented at the GSMA Ministerial Programme at the ongoing Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

This achievement is specifically because Ghana abolished the “obnoxious” E-Levy and also recently granted technology neutrality to all telecom operators in the country.

The Digital Africa Index report was formally presented on March 2, 2026 by the Senior Director of Economics at GSMA Intelligence, Kalvin Bahia, who highlighted Ghana as the highest-improving country in Africa in 2025 across the composite index framework.

Ghana Among Africa’s Top Digital Performers

In his presentation, Bahia underscored that Ghana recorded the strongest year-on-year improvement among African countries assessed in 2025, saying that Ghana is one of only five African countries to achieve a composite score above 50%, a threshold associated with more advanced and enabling digital ecosystems.

He noted that the country’s gains were driven by measurable improvements in both digital adoption (DNSI) and policy and regulatory effectiveness (DPRI).

The DNSI measures the real-world integration of digital technologies by consumers, businesses and governments, while the DPRI evaluates the quality, implementation and effectiveness of digital policy and regulatory frameworks.

Crossing the 50% composite mark places Ghana in a select group of African economies demonstrating relatively mature digital ecosystems and sustained reform momentum.

Policy Drivers Behind Ghana’s 2025 Improvement

The GSMA analysis highlighted two major reforms as central to Ghana’s accelerated progress – Technology Neutrality in Spectrum Licensing and the Repeal of Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy).

Technology Neutrality

Ghana’s recent transition to a technology-neutral licensing framework significantly improved regulatory flexibility and spectrum efficiency.

By allowing operators to refarm existing spectrum bands (900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz) for advanced mobile broadband services, and extending neutrality to all operators in 2025, Ghana improved network quality and 4G expansion, reduced regulatory distortions, enhanced competitive parity and strengthened investor confidence.

This reform directly improved Ghana’s DPRI score, particularly in regulatory design and market competitiveness metrics.

Repeal of the Electronic Transfer Levy

The abolition of the E-Levy in 2025 removed a cost barrier to digital financial transactions.

GSMA’s findings linked the repeal to increased mobile money usage, higher digital transaction volumes, reduced reliance on cash and improved consumer trust in digital payments.

The removal of the levy strengthened Ghana’s DNSI performance, particularly in digital financial inclusion and consumer adoption indicators.

A Data-Driven Digital Transformation Agenda

Speaking at the Ministerial Programme in Barcelona, Mr. Bahia emphasized that Africa’s digital development depends not only on infrastructure rollout but also on enabling policy frameworks that unlock adoption and innovation.

A statement from the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation said Ghana’s 2025 performance demonstrates the measurable impact of regulatory reform, importance of affordability in driving adoption, value of evidence-based policymaking and effectiveness of aligning spectrum policy with market realities.

Positioning Ghana as a Regional Digital Leader

By achieving the highest improvement on the continent and joining the group of African countries scoring above 50% on the composite index, Ghana has reinforced its standing as one of West Africa’s leading digital reformers, the statement said.

The Government’s continued focus on regulatory modernization, infrastructure flexibility, and inclusive digital finance is expected to further consolidate gains in future editions of the GSMA indices, it added.