[ad_1]
President Akufo-Addo has launched the Ghana Rural Telephone and Digital Inclusion Project aimed at providing data connectivity to underserved areas of the country.
The project, which is being carried out by the Ministry of Communications and the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GHIFEC) in partnership with MTN, Vodafone and Huawei, would help provide data and voice connectivity to 2,016 phone sites. rural, strategically located in served and unserved communities across the country.
These sites would provide network coverage to more than 300,000 communities and provide an opportunity for more than 3,000,000 people to connect with their family and friends, making these communities accessible for social, economic, health and educational engagements not only in other parts of the country, but also to the rest of the world.
The aim is to help promote digital inclusion and thereby narrow the gap in the digital divide.
Nana Akufo-Addo, who launched the project in Atwereboana, a farming community in the Adansi South district of Ashanti, said that the government had already secured a € 155 million credit line from Exim Bank of China to finance this extension project. telephony.
He said that modern communication had become vital to the growth of most economies and that access to information was empowering people to escape poverty, while laying good foundations for sustainable development.
However, around 30 percent of Ghanaians live in rural areas with little or no access to information and communication technology, which is widening the digital divide.
Nana Akufo-Addo said the project was an affirmation of the government’s commitment to improving the livelihoods of all citizens, bringing governance closer to the people, and closing the digital divide between urban and rural communities.
He said that network connectivity in the 21st century had become a basic necessity of life just like water or electricity, adding that all Ghanaians should not be left out in the pursuit of digitization and expansion of the nation.
President Akufo-Addo mentioned that Huawei’s rural equity technology being used for the project saved 50 percent of the cost of traditional cell sites, making the project both economically and financially viable and, therefore, it will generate good returns on investments.
To further the benefits of the project, the president said that it would also provide new areas for ICT growth in Ghana while substantially increasing the level of ICT literacy, especially in this COVID-19 era where the need and demand for skills in ICT had increased. exponentially.
Again, it would ensure rural communities’ access to e-government services, making it possible for residents of the most remote and disadvantaged areas of Ghana to apply for and receive services such as mobile money, online jobs, loan applications, virtual learning and online education. opportunities
President Akufo-Addo noted that beneficiary rural communities would enjoy 3G coverage and this would improve the user experience for all consumers.
Ms Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Minister of Communication, said that since 2017, the Ministry had built more than 500 phone sites, adding that the project was going to extend connectivity to all parts of the country in the next 18 months.
He promised the determination of the Ministry to provide the necessary regulatory support and promote initiatives and projects in line with its mandates to facilitate the development of a reliable and cost-effective world-class communications infrastructure and services for all.
—GNA
