How do gendered social and economic contexts shape the experiences of digital access and use in Africa?
In Ghana, an After Access study on Gender and digital technologies found that although women had access to digital devices, and routinely demonstrated clear capabilities to use them purposefully and productively for professional development, business communication, health information and family connection, their participation remained constrained by numerous factors. These factors included poor network infrastructure, even in urban centres, the perceived and real cost of data, reliance on male relatives for technical access and guidance, and parental restrictions that privileged boys’ digital access over girls’.
Another shortcoming constraining Ghanaian women’s meaningful connection and digital adoption was the policies in place to support them. The study revealed that digital policy and the regulatory landscape failed to address women and girls’ main barriers and intersecting gender inequalities, with only one of the 18 priority areas in Ghana’s National ICT for Accelerated Development (ICT4AD) Policy directly addressing gender equity.
This indicates something clear: that, as with many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, gender disparities and inequalities in Ghana are structurally entrenched, socially produced and politically reproduced through gendered norms, economic exclusion, poor regulation and geographic disadvantage.
Drawing from these 2022 findings, which included 162 in-depth interviews and three focus group discussions from across four regions of Ghana – including Accra, Kumasi, Mepe (Volta Region), and Bolgatanga (Upper East Region) – this policy brief illustrates the empirical realities behind aggregated statistics that seem to indicate progress, and uses these to identify actionable policy levers to close Ghana’s digital gender divide. The result is a set of seven targeted recommendations for government, telecommunications companies, professional associations, and fintech businesses to ensure that Ghana’s digital ambitions deliver equitable outcomes for all its citizens, not just a few.
