Bank of Ghana (BoG) Governor Dr Johnson Asiama on Wednesday told policymakers and fintech leaders at the 2026 3i Africa Summit in Accra that Africa must move from expanding financial access to building systems that produce measurable economic results.
The three-day summit, running from May 6 to 8, brought together central bank governors, fintech leaders, and investors to explore how innovation, investment, and collaboration can drive Africa’s financial transformation.
Dr Asiama identified weak digital identity infrastructure as one of the most urgent risks facing the continent’s financial systems. Poor Know-Your-Customer (KYC) frameworks, he warned, expose consumers to fraud and erode trust in digital services, making robust identity systems a prerequisite for the next phase of growth.
The BoG is already advancing regulations for virtual assets, issuing guidelines for digital credit, progressing open banking frameworks, and supporting cross-border fintech activity as part of a broader coordinated effort to build a structured and predictable financial system.
The governor also made a direct case for protecting Africa’s own fintech firms. Indigenous companies with strong potential, he said, must secure access to capital, infrastructure, and global partnerships if they are to compete beyond domestic markets.
Asiama urged stakeholders to unlock the full potential of digital finance, stressing that Africa must move beyond participation toward shaping the future of global finance.
“The question before us is straightforward: will Africa simply adopt the next phase of finance, or will Africa help to shape it?” he asked.
The summit is organised by the Bank of Ghana and Development Bank Ghana (DBG) in partnership with Elevandi, a subsidiary of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and the Global Finance and Technology Network (GFTN).
