Despite being a relatively new industry, the global market for digital infrastructure has grown quickly. In 2017, it was valued at $272 billion. The sector has continued to grow at a rapid pace in the past few years and is now worth over $1 trillion globally. That’s because there are many advantages of investing in digital infrastructure. It gives businesses a way to compete more effectively by providing them with more data, faster access to that data, and easier ways to share that data with other people and services. Digital infrastructure is especially important for smaller businesses, which often struggle with limited bandwidth or lack of remote access options. These challenges can prevent these companies from growing as fast as they would like or even prevent them from expanding their businesses at all. Fortunately, there are several benefits of investing in digital infrastructure for Ghana’s economy.
For the government, better access to data means better services for citizens. For example, traffic analytics could be used to see what roads are the busiest during which times of day and adjust traffic signal times accordingly. Similarly, public health officials could use data from various utilities (such as water, gas, and electricity) to see if a neighborhood has higher rates of lead poisoning or other health hazards. This data could be used to help families who have children with lead poisoning, provide data to health officials, and even inform public policy. In the private sector, organizations can use this data to improve their products and services. For instance, Google and Amazon use data to improve the functionality of their products, such as Google Maps.
Permanent fiber-optic infrastructure is designed to last decades, so it’s unlikely to go out of service anytime soon. This means businesses and customers can rely on consistent speeds that were not previously feasible with temporary solutions like satellite internet services. This improved speed is especially important for businesses that rely on remote workers. It could help more companies expand beyond their home country, as it becomes easier to access data and share it with customers and remote workers. Consumers can also benefit from better speeds. Faster speeds allow people to do everything from watching videos to downloading software more quickly. This could help people save time and could also help businesses save money on cloud computing services and software.
Permanent infrastructure is more reliable than temporary solutions like satellite internet. That’s because these services have to be built to last, since they’re unlikely to be replaced any time soon. This means companies can count on consistent performance from these services. Reliability is important for all businesses, but it’s particularly important for companies that rely on real-time communication systems, such as trading platforms or call centers. If a call center experiences frequent outages, it could lose customers, which could hurt the company’s long-term revenue.
Permanent infrastructure means businesses can take advantage of more security features, such as equipment that can be regularly updated. This could help to prevent security breaches and data leaks. It could also help companies comply with government data privacy regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). These regulations require companies to show they are protecting their customers’ data. GDPR is currently only applicable in a handful of countries, but it is likely to be adopted in other regions in the coming years.
An influx of capital could create employment opportunities in the construction sector. That’s because businesses that invest in digital infrastructure often need to build new fiber networks or make large-scale upgrades to existing fiber networks. This could create a need for more workers in the construction industry. It’s unclear how many jobs this would create, but it could help to reduce unemployment in the region. More jobs could also help to lift people out of poverty. People who find employment generally earn more money, making it easier to support themselves and their families.
Ghana is a relatively new market for digital infrastructure. This means the country could benefit from the same type of catch-up effect that helped other regions, such as Asia, grow so quickly. Countries that are the first to invest in digital infrastructure often see that investment pay off quickly. For instance, the United States benefited from being the first country to build out fiber networks. This allowed the United States to become a hub for telecommunications companies, leading to economic growth in the industry. Ghana’s relatively untapped market could provide the same benefits for the country.
The benefits of investing in digital infrastructure are undeniable. Digital infrastructure provides businesses with better access to data, faster speeds for consumers and businesses, and more reliable infrastructure. This improved infrastructure could help to reduce unemployment in the region, too. Digital infrastructure will help Ghana’s economy grow, which will mean more opportunity for people in the region.
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