Introduction
The AU Digital Transformation Strategy aims to create an integrated and inclusive digital society that supports improved quality of life, economic development, and Africa’s ownership of digital technologies. Within this framework, digital education is a critical sector for achieving the Strategy’s wider objectives.152 This vision aligns with the broader goals of the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 16–25), which emphasises reorienting education systems toward necessary competencies, skills, innovation, and creativity.153 This paper applies “digital-by-default” principles to develop policy recommendations for Ghana’s approach to digital education.
The Digital-by-Default Approach
Digitisation converts analogue processes into digital formats, while digitalisation is a way of life in which technology shapes how everyday systems operate. Digital by default goes further by making digital access the main and most convenient way for people to engage with a service. It is guided by principles such as multi-channel delivery, ensuring that alternative or assisted routes remain available, strong data protection and security to maintain trust, and a commitment to “no one left behind,” meaning that digital adoption should not disadvantage marginalised groups.
Ghana’s Digital Education Landscape
Ghana has made steady progress in integrating digital tools into its education system. The ICT4AD Policy and the ICT in Education Policy (2015) set the foundation for using technology to support teaching, learning, and administration.154 These commitments have informed initiatives such as classroom computerisation, the rollout of teacher laptops, and the introduction of learning management systems.155 However, readiness gaps remain substantial. According to national statistics, 2.6 million school-aged children do not use any ICT device, and 41.5% lack internet access. Only 8.4% of primary schools have internet for teaching, and many lack stable electricity.156 The ICT in Education Policy also notes uneven ICT deployment and limited teacher digital competence, which restricts the effective use of available tools.157
Policy Recommendations
Ghana’s current reliance on ad hoc project implementation, compounded by insufficient ICT resources and poor policy continuity, necessitates decisive “digital-by-default” policies to mandate structural efficiency.158 To ensure system-wide capacity, Higher Education Institutions must elevate the acquisition and better use of modern ICT to a priority, establishing a formal digital framework that creates a secure and adaptable digital environment. Simultaneously, policy must compel resource mobilisation to aggressively close infrastructural gaps by mandating a sufficient supply of human resources, computers, internet connectivity, and electricity at all educational levels.159 To achieve full system integration, ICT training must be incorporated for all pre-service and in-service teachers to enhance their competence and utilise available tools.160 Finally, policy must reform outdated regulations, such as revising the existing prohibition of mobile phones in schools, thereby allowing students to acquire critical digital life skills essential for the 21st-century job market.161
Conclusion
The potential for digital learning in Ghana is clear, but the shift to digital-by-default must be grounded in what schools and learners can realistically use. Strengthening the basics, access, systems and skills creates the space for digital education to grow sustainably.