Ghana’s digital transformation agenda has, over the past decade, moved from ambition to measurable progress. Foundational systems—ranging from the Ghana Card and mobile money interoperability to digitised public services and online tax administration—have reshaped how citizens interact with the state.

Beyond improving administrative efficiency, these developments have established critical building blocks for broader financial inclusion, particularly among underserved segments of the economy. According to the World Bank’s Global Findex data, over 80% of adults in Ghana now have access to financial accounts and regularly use digital payment platforms, reflecting the scale of this transformation.

Yet a fundamental challenge remains—the persistent pension coverage gap within Ghana’s informal sector. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), approximately 78–80% of Ghana’s workforce is employed in the informal sector, while pension coverage within this segment remains low, estimated at just over 10% in recent years. A significant proportion of workers therefore continue to operate outside formal pension arrangements.

Participation is limited, contribution patterns are irregular, and engagement with structured financial systems is often minimal. While digital infrastructure has reduced barriers to access, the question of how to translate connectivity into sustained pension participation remains unresolved. The issue is no longer simply one of access; it is about designing systems that respond meaningfully to the economic realities of informal workers.

This challenge is increasingly shaping the next phase of pension system modernisation. Attention is shifting beyond digitisation toward how data, platforms, and institutional processes can be aligned to support inclusion at scale. The objective is not merely to create digital access points. It is to enable systems that are responsive, coordinated, and capable of supporting individuals whose income patterns fall outside traditional models.

Within this evolving landscape, artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a potentially transformative layer. If digitalisation enables access and interoperability supports coordination, AI introduces the capacity for systems to analyse, learn, and respond more adaptively.

Properly deployed, it can support personalised engagement, improve contribution consistency, strengthen oversight, and enhance system integrity. For example, AI-enabled systems can leverage mobile money and USSD-based platforms—already widely used across Ghana—to deliver timely prompts and contribution recommendations tailored to irregular income flows.

However, AI also raises important governance questions. Systems designed to optimise efficiency may, if not carefully structured, reinforce existing exclusions or introduce new forms of bias. Its deployment must therefore be situated within a broader institutional and policy framework that balances innovation with accountability, inclusion, and public trust.

This article examines how artificial intelligence can be applied within Ghana’s pension administration landscape to advance informal sector inclusion. It explores practical applications in improving enrolment, strengthening contribution patterns, and enhancing oversight, while also addressing the structural constraints related to data quality, system integration, and governance.

At its core, the discussion asks a more fundamental question: can AI help move pension systems from access to sustained participation? The argument advanced is that AI is not a solution in itself, but an instrument—whose effectiveness depends on how it is designed, governed, and integrated within the broader system

Defining the informal sector in the context of pension inclusion

For the purposes of pension policy in Ghana, the informal sector may be understood as comprising individuals and small-scale economic actors engaged in legitimate income-generating activities. These activities operate outside formal employment structures and are not integrated into standard payroll-based systems.

Read more @thebftonline