The rebranded Digital Innovation Awards (DIA), formerly the Ghana Information Technology & Telecom Awards (GITTA) — long hailed as the “Oscars” of Ghana’s ICT sector — has successfully held its 14th edition in Accra, cementing its evolution into a pan-African platform celebrating excellence in digital transformation.
This year’s event, held at the Labadi Beach Hotel, themed “Celebrating Digital Excellence Across Borders,” unveiled new award categories to recognize leaders and innovators shaping Africa’s digital future in government, telecommunications, fintech, banking, health, agriculture, and education.
Mr. Akin Naphtal, CEO of InstinctWave, described the event as a testament to Africa’s rising leadership in the global digital economy. “Africa is not just catching up—we are rising, reshaping, and leading,” he declared, highlighting that over the past 14 years, the awards have recognized more than 500 trailblazers whose innovations have transformed lives across the continent.
Reflecting on the journey since the awards’ inception in 2010, Naphtal noted that many past awardees have scaled their innovations, attracted global investments, and forged partnerships impacting millions.
He underscored Africa’s increasing adoption of artificial intelligence, blockchain, IoT, and big data as signals of the continent’s growing prominence in the digital landscape. Naphtal pledged InstinctWave’s continued commitment to supporting Africa’s digital growth through awards, exhibitions, publications, and advocacy.
Israel’s Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Roey Gilad, praised the enduring Ghana-Israel partnership, which dates back to 1956, calling it a model for African cooperation. He highlighted Israel’s rise from an agricultural economy to a global tech leader, citing landmark deals like Wiz’s $32 billion acquisition by Google and Mobileye’s $15.3 billion sale to Intel.
Ambassador Gilad emphasized that Ghana could chart a similar path through focused investment in digital skills, lauding initiatives like the “One Million Coders” program and the 24-hour economy policy as strong foundations for attracting Israeli technology investment.
At this year’s ceremony, Hon Sam Nartey George, Minister for Communications, Digital Technology & Innovations, was honoured with the Digital Leader of the Year award for his visionary leadership in advancing Ghana’s digital agenda.
Milestones under his tenure include launching the One Million Coders Programme to equip young Ghanaians with digital skills and negotiating affordable data bundles with telecom operators, easing data access for millions. “Ghana is rapidly positioning itself as a digital powerhouse on the continent,” Sam George remarked, commending the organisers of the Digital Innovation Awards.
Archie Hesse, the recently retired CEO of Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS), was honoured as the Digital Payment Trailblazer of the Year for his pivotal role in modernizing Ghana’s payment systems.
Accepting the award, Hesse expressed heartfelt appreciation to the organizers, colleagues, and industry partners who supported his vision, and emphasized the importance of continuous innovation to drive financial inclusion and keep Ghana at the forefront of digital payments in Africa.
Since joining GhIPSS in 2007, Hesse led the implementation of key systems modernizing Ghana’s payment infrastructure, including the National Biometric Smart Card System (e-zwich), Cheque Codeline Clearing (CCC), Ghana Automated Clearing House (GACH), and the national switch, gh-link.
In 2015, he spearheaded the launch of GhIPSS Instant Pay (GIP), a platform that revolutionized interbank payments and laid the foundation for mobile money interoperability, which today enables seamless transfers across bank accounts, mobile wallets, and financial institutions.
About Digital Innovation Awards
The Digital Innovation Awards, formerly known as the Ghana Information Technology & Telecom Awards (GITTA) established in 2010, was created to honour outstanding achievements in digital innovation and to showcase Ghana’s remarkable progress in digital transformation. Over the past 14 years, it has become the leading platform recognizing trailblazing innovations, cutting-edge technologies, and the visionary individuals and organizations shaping Ghana’s ICT ecosystem.
From its inception, the awards have consistently attracted the crème de la crème of Ghana’s ICT industry. Notable alumni include MTN Ghana, ATC Ghana, Techno, Samsung, Huawei, C-Squared, Cellulant, Telecel, Comsys, DVLA, NCA, GIFEC, and banking institutions like Zenith Bank and Standard Chartered Bank, Ecobank, GCB Bank among others.
14TH DIGITAL INNOVATION AWARDS 2025
INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM
JUNE 27, 2025
| WINNER | ||
| 1 | Child Tech Advocate of the Year | Akua Essah, CEO, Child-In-Tech Ghana |
| 2 | Outstanding Woman in Tech | Yacoba Amuah Country Manager, INLAKS Ghana |
| 3 | Account Manager of the Year | Serwaa Addico, Account Manager, ATC Ghana |
| 4 | Regional CTO of the Year | Samuel Owusu Yeboah |
| 5 | Datacentre MD of the Year | Bright Asiamah Tawiah |
| 6 | Cybersecurity Personality of the Year | Philip Debrah Danquah, Principal Consultant, e-Crime Bureau |
| 7 | Tech Personality of the Year | Ernest Brown, CEO, TAG |
| 8 | Public Sector IT Personality of the Year | Leslie Addico Director, ICT Parliament of Ghana |
| 9 | Technology Innovator of the Year | Alex Bram, CEO/Founder, Hubtel |
| 10 | Technology Lifetime Achievement Award | Ayotunde Coker Chief Executive Officer Open Access Data Centres |
| 11 | MedTech CEO of the Year | Dr. Omar Jagne Africmed International Hospital Gambia |
| 12 | Media CEO of the Year | Victoria Ajayi Group Managing Director/CEO TVC Communications |
| 13 | Digital Economy ICON of the Year | Ikechukwu Nnamani, CEO Digital Realty Nigeria |
| 14 | Digital Economy Trailblazer of the Year | Dr Krishnan Ranganath West Africa & Morocco, Africa Data Centres |
| 15 | Tower CEO of the Year | Ashutosh Singh, CEO, ATC Ghana |
| 16 | Technology Hall of Fame | Mr Tunji Alabi Co-founder/Managing Director, Infratel Africa |
| 17 | Enterprise Leader of the Year | Jonathan Lamptey, CEO, Groupe Comsys |
| 18 | Public Sector Technology Leader of the Year | Wisdom Kwaku Deku Executive Secretary National Identification Authority (NIA) |
| 19 | Banking Innovation CEO of the Year | Henry C. Onwuzurigbo, CEO, Zenith Bank Ghana |
| 20 | Digital Payment Trailblazer of the Year | Archie Hesse, CEO, Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS) |
| 21 | Public Sector Digital Leader of the Year | Hon. Samuel Nartey George, MP Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation |
14TH DIGITAL INNOVATION AWARDS 2025
JUNE 27, 2025
| CATEGORY | WINNER | |
| 1 | Enterprise Connectivity Provider of the Year | Comsys |
| 2 | E-Commerce Platform of the Year | Hubtel |
| 3 | Most Impactful Digital Connectivity Initiative | Csquared |
| 4 | Excellence in Regulatory Innovation | National Communications Authority |
| 5 | DTH Leader of the Year | K-NET |
| 6 | Digital Economy Enabler Award | ATC Ghana |
| 8 | Mobile App of the Year | OmniBSIC Mobile App |
| 9 | Digital Infrastructure Provider of the Year | Csquared |
| 10 | Excellence in Cybersecurity Training & Capacity Building | e-Crime Bureau |
| 11 | Enterprise Solution Provider of The Year | Comsys |
| 12 | Digital Infrastructure Sales Team of the Year | Csquared |
| 13 | FTTH Provider of the Year | Telesol |
| 14 | Tech Consulting Company of the year | Technology Advantage Group |
| 15 | Excellence in Digital Connectivity Service Delivery | Csquared |
| 16 | Enterprise Team of the Year | Comsys |
| 17 | ICT Solutions Company of the year | Dynamic Data Solutions |
| 18 | Innovation in Connectivity Solutions | ATC Ghana |
| 19 | Cybersecurity Company of the Year | e-Crime Bureau |
| 20 | Rural Connectivity Provider of the Year | Infratel Africa |
| 21 | Network Infrastructure Provider of The Year | Comsys |
| 22 | Public Sector Digital Identity Provider of the Year | National Identification Authority |
| 23 | Innovative Digital Terrestrial Leader of the Year | K-NET |
| 24 | Promoting Sustainable Development in Telecom Sector | National Communications Authority |
| 25 | Best Use of Technology in Media | TVC Communications |
| 26 | ICT Team of the year | Dynamic Data Solutions |
| 27 | Datacentre Provider of the Year (Nigeria ) | Digital Realty Nigeria |
| 28 | Digital Bank of the Year | Zenith Bank |
| 29 | Fastest Growing Digital Bank of the year | OmniBSIC |
| 30 | Cybersecurity Solutions Provider of the Year | Cyberteq Falcon |
| 31 | Digital Broadcasting Innovation of the Year | MAX TV |
| 32 | Public Sector Digital Experience project of the Year | SSNIT Digital Bouquet |
| 33 | Digital Payment Interoperability Leader of the Year | GhiPPS |
| 34 | SME Digital Enabler of the Year | Hubtel |
| 35 | Banking Technology Solutions Provider of the Year | INLAKS |
| 36 | Innovation Team of the Year | Hubtel Team |
| 37 | Cyber Security team of the year | Cyberteq Falcon Team |
| 38 | Frontier AI Organization of the Year | Cloudware Africa |
| 39 | Digital Driven Research Provider of the Year | Pierrine |
| 40 | Excellence in Digital Skills Empowerment | Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) |
| 41 | Cloud Solutions Provide of the Year | Rancard |
Source: Isaac Kofi Dzokpo
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