Ghana’s national innovation system and the governance readiness gap for artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is expanding across Ghanaian finance, health, agriculture, public administration and digital services, while the institutions responsible for governing its risks are still developing the capacity, coordination and authority required for implementation. This study examines Ghana’s National Innovation System (NIS) as an institutional setting for AI governance. Using a qualitative, multi-technique design, we conducted 32 purposively sampled interviews across universities and research institutes, firms, government agencies, financial institutions, intermediaries and boundary-spanning actors. Vignette-based interviewing, triadic elicitation and the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) were analysed through reflexive thematic analysis and interpreted using Technological Innovation Systems (TIS) functions and UNESCO/African Union governance benchmarks. Four recurrent failure mechanisms were identified: capability, connectivity, legitimacy and resource failures. The evidence also revealed relative strengths, including a growing research base, emerging public-sector policy direction and boundary-spanning relationships that occasionally enabled knowledge transfer. We therefore characterise Ghana’s condition as a system-wide but uneven governance readiness gap rather than a total governance deficit. The paper develops the Governance Readiness Paradox: AI activity and policy ambition can expand faster than the institutional capacity to translate knowledge into enforceable, accountable and inclusive governance. The study presents a Ghana AI Governance Readiness Matrix and eight sequenced policy recommendations for strengthening research-to-policy translation and implementation capacity.