Speaking at the Africa Education Trust Fund (AETF) AI Conference on the theme “AI for Africa: Unlocking Opportunities for Education, Innovation and Sustainable Development” at the Accra International Conference Centre on Wednesday, Mr Baiden stated that educating Africa’s youth with AI-relevant skills is the most important step the continent can take. 

“In all the revolutions that have come and gone, in which we’ve been slaves and carriers of water, we have not participated because we haven’t had the mindset, the resources, the strategy, and the tactics to go up in the value chain,” he said. With 70 per cent of Africa’s population under 30, the continent now has the opportunity to change its fortunes. 

However, Mr Baiden warned that this transformation will not come from conferences and policy documents alone, but from deliberate integration of AI into curricula, regulatory frameworks, and business operations. Despite continuous efforts to join the global technology conversation, a big gap remains between theory and practice, between policy and vision, and between commitment and funding in Africa’s current governance approach. 

Artificial Intelligence can process vast amounts of data rapidly, making accurate decisions with human help faster than a thousand professors in any subject matter expertise, in seconds. Machines, however, have critical limitations. 

“AI is only relevant when used in the hands of subject matter experts,” Mr Baiden said, stressing that the quality of data is critical. Without accurate, verified data, even the most sophisticated technology cannot deliver reliable results. This is why trust has become the most valuable asset in the digital era. Ghana has already established a secure and verifiable foundation through the National Identification database, which serves as a single, trusted source of truth across both the public and private sectors. 

Margins ID Group partnered with the National Identification Authority to conceptualise, design, build, finance, and operate the Ghana Card system, the country’s central source of verified identity. This infrastructure provides the data backbone required to power machine-driven decision-making across government and business. 

The system has already demonstrated its value in agriculture. Using the national database, the government recently distributed subsidies directly to verified farmers, eliminating impersonation and ensuring funds reached their intended recipients. By combining this farmer data with information on logistics, market access, and road infrastructure on one platform, AI can help Ghana achieve agricultural efficiency and reduce import dependency. However, human interference continues to undermine progress. 

Mr Baiden identified the real enemies to data-driven governance: saboteurs of economic systems, fraudsters, and those who profit from corruption and inefficiency. These actors resist transparency because data-driven systems expose their activities and eliminate opportunities for exploitation. “We’re not going anywhere if we do not, as a nation, as citizens, as policy makers, be honest with ourselves and desire a clean, virtual trust in society that removes the human element and makes decisions on data. AI has given us that ability. We need a rethink, we need a rebirth, we need a reorientation. We need a new commitment to advance the African agenda using data-driven decisions and education,” Mr Baiden said. 

Acting Chief of Marketing and Communications at Margins ID Group, Mina Ebela Hassan, highlighted the company’s role in bridging business and technology. “We have built infrastructure that traces every financial transaction, enabling businesses to track and prevent fraud whilst protecting their operations and services.” Other speakers at the conference, including Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, convener of the event; Hon. 

Sam George, Minister for Communications, Digitalisation and Innovation; and Nii Kodjo Ashifie Papanyira, representative of the Ga Mantse, called for collaboration amongst government, academia, civil society, and the private sector to create digital solutions that reflect Africa’s identity, priorities, and ambitions. 

With over three decades of expertise in digitisation, data warehousing, smart card technology, access control systems, and digital identity solutions, Margins ID Group and its subsidiaries remain committed to strengthening Ghana’s data ecosystem and partnering with institutions to achieve SDG 16.9 – Legal Identity for All.