Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has commissioned three (3) Rural Telephony sites at Tibungu, Jagriguyili, and Nagbligu in the Kumbungu and Tolon Districts – all located in the Northern Region of Ghana.
In order to provide basic telephone voice and data connectivity to underserved and unserved communities, the government has started construction of 3,000 cell sites under the GIFEC Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Project.
This is in line with the government’s digitalization agenda, which aims to create a strong digital economy and sustainable development throughout the country.
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Speaking at the event, Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful said, extending connectivity to every part of the country is capital-intensive and expensive, but if not done the remote villages would have been blocked off and unable to take part in the digital revolution that is progressively taking place in the country if not for government’s intervention.
She stated that Phase 2’s rollout of the project is still proceeding and that all 3,000 sites should be operational and commissioned by 2024.
“To work, live, and learn like their peers wherever in Ghana or the rest of the world as the world changes, our people must be able to access this digital infrastructure. We’ll keep bringing development to every region of Ghana” she said.
ICT Centre at Tolon
The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Ablekuma West constituency as part of her work duty in the Northern Region also commissioned a community Information Communication Technology (ICT) Centre at Tolon.
The ICT Lab forms part of projects under the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications, (GIFEC), which helps to provide opportunities and facilities to bridge the digital gap in the country.
Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful commissioning the Centre said that, capacity building was the most important component of digitization and there is the need to equip institutions with the requisite tools to train people to gain the required knowledge relevant to technology in the society.
She called on the citizens in the area to make the use of technology a necessity and utilize the skills impacted unto them.
She reiterated the government’s commitment to making ICT easily accessible to all communities in the country.
The CIC is equipped with:
▪︎15 computers
▪︎15 UPS
▪︎15 computer
▪︎Furniture
▪︎One Executive Office Furniture
▪︎A Projector
▪︎ One Television
▪︎Scanner
▪︎Photocopy Machine
▪︎ Printer
▪︎ Internet
RANGE OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED BY THE CIC
- Free access to ICT facilities by school children
- ICT Training Services
- Entrepreneurial Training Programs solely for artisans, entrepreneurs, unemployed youth, or anyone interested in learning digitalisation in business.
- Secretarial Services
- Internet Services
- Conference/Training Room Rental Services
- E-Government Services
- Parcel Delivery, Pick-up, and E-Commerce Support Service
- E-Financial Services
- Photo studio services
- Hardware Repairs & Software Installation
Mentorship Session
Mentorship Session for the 1,000 girls trained in the Region happened at the auditorium of the University of Development Studies (UDS) in Tamale.
The girls were taught grooming, etiquette and menstrual hygiene.
Mentors for the session also engaged the girls on how to honour and respect their bodies, by keeping themselves neat and smart.
Other topics included Emotional Intelligence, Public Speaking, Time Management and Reproductive Health.
Climax Session
All 1,000 girls trained received certificates for participating in the training whilst the best 100 girls receive laptops for their outstanding performance.
In addition, the top three girls received special plaques and cash prices, as part of their awards.
All 1,000 girls participated in the mentorship session and benefited from series of lessons.
Bridging Ghana’s Internet Usage Gap
The Minister in a meeting with authorities from the University of Development Studies emphasized the country’s efforts to bridge the Internet usage gap, stating the internet infrastructure initiatives implemented by her ministry.
She stressed the importance of addressing the significant internet usage gap and expressed her ministry’s commitment to empowering the youth with the necessary tools and skills.
“Internet usage gap remains significant and demands urgent attention from all stakeholders. My ministry seeks to build the capacity of our youths and provide the necessary tools to utilise same” Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful said.
In response, Prof. Seidu Al-Hassan, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Development Studies, praised the government’s digital Ghana agenda.
