About 3.5 million Ghanaians are without mobile connectivity - Report
Government building community ICT centres and cell sites across Ghana
Minister for Communications and Digitalization, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has said that some 3.5 million Ghanaians will by the end of 2023 be connected to the internet in a bid to improve mobile connectivity.
The quest, according to her will result in the development of community ICT centres and cell sites across the country.
Delivering an address to climax the National Girls in ICT programme, on the Techiman Campus of the Valley View University, the Minister said, “The quest of the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation to develop community ICT centres and cell sites across the country, will ensure that most Ghanaians will have access to mobile networks.”
“According to research, there are about 3.5 million Ghanaians without mobile connectivity. By the end of next year, this group of people will heave a sigh of relief,” Ursula Ekuful said.
She explained that, the establishment of more than 2,000 centres and sites is in progress and on track to make this a reality.
“We have made it our focus to construct ICT centres and rural telephony sites across the country to aid in the teaching and learning of ICT courses for our girls and the youth in general. This will provide an opportunity for girls and young women in the country to gain knowledge and exposure to technology.”
“As previously mentioned, the theme for this year is, ‘Access and Safety’. To address the access issue in Ghana, the Ministry through GIFEC, is implementing our Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Project, which forecasts the construction of more than two thousand sites for connectivity nationwide. Since 2020, over seven hundred sites have already been built and many communities have been connected. By the end of next year, all sites would have been completed,” the mininster explained.
Since the beginning of the girls in ICT programme in 2012, this is the first time that five regions are celebrating the programme separately within a year. A development the minister describes as exceptional.
100 girls from all the eleven districts in the Bono East Region, received laptop rewards while others received cash awards and some incentives for their schools including coding clubs, and fully furnished ICT laboratories among others.
She urged the Regional Coordinating Council to take ownership of the facilities and ensure their proper maintenance.
Meanwhile, some of the best performing teachers and regional officers received laptop rewards for their efforts.
Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports, Eric Mensah Bonsu re-emphasized the importance of technology in the economy and urged the beneficiaries to be empowered by their training.
Cyber expert, Afua Brown-Eyeson went through some sections of the Cyber security Act, Act 2020, with the children and entreated them to stay away from unfriendly people on the internet in order for them not to become victims of their demands.
Deputy Minister for Education in charge of TVET, Gifty Twum Ampofo, encouraged the participants to study hard and take advantage of some government initiatives like the Free Senior High School Initiative.
She also emphasized the need to study beyond the classroom to enrich their minds and develop a global perspective.
“The world is becoming a global village” she mentioned, “One needs to make use of technology to make progress,” Gifty Ampofo added.
She encouraged the girls to take research seriously, both in and out of school and admonished them to make the most of their training and the president’s Free Senior High School programme.
Communications and Digitalization Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful