Dentsu Ghana Chief Executive Officer Andrew Ackah on Wednesday urged African businesses and telecommunications companies to reposition within the digital economy rather than resist the rise of global technology giants.
Speaking at the Digital Transformation Conference 2026 in Accra, Ackah said platforms such as Meta and Google continue to reshape advertising revenues, consumer attention, and the broader digital landscape in ways that make resistance both futile and counterproductive. He argued that the real strategic question for organisations is no longer whether to engage the digital world, but how to secure stronger positions within it.
Ackah called on telecommunications companies to move beyond simply providing internet access and evolve into trusted platforms that enable both consumers and businesses to participate meaningfully in the digital economy. He noted that global technology firms still depend heavily on telecoms infrastructure to connect with African consumers, presenting operators with a genuine opening to reframe the relationship from rivalry into strategic partnership.
He pointed to the millions of young Africans and entrepreneurs already using mobile technology to build businesses, communities, and livelihoods as evidence that the continent holds a real foundation for digital leadership. Ackah warned, however, that organisations cannot sustain relevance while running outdated systems as the rest of the world accelerates technologically.
He maintained that Africa holds a distinct opportunity to shape global digital transformation by developing resilient, technology-driven ecosystems tailored to the realities of African markets, rather than replicating foreign models built for different economic conditions. Innovation, he argued, would not emerge from protecting legacy systems or rigid old structures, but through openness, collaboration, and a genuine willingness to transform.
Ackah said the businesses most likely to succeed in the coming years would be those that move beyond simply participating in the digital economy to actively shaping it.
