Akufo-Addo commissions 3G voice and data site

Business News for Thursday, November 5, 2020

Source: presidency.gov.gh

2020-11-05

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has commissioned the first Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Project site, at Atwereboana in the southern Adansi district of the Ashanti region.

Upon commissioning the site on Wednesday, November 4, 2020, President Akufo-Addo explained that the purpose of the telephony site is to ensure the provision of basic voice and data connectivity to underserved areas of the country, to help promote inclusiveness. and bridging the gap in the digital divide.

According to the president, the government is committed to ensuring that all Ghanaians, regardless of tribe, religion, class, location or ability, have access to affordable and reliable voice and data connectivity.

“To this end, the Ministry of Communications and the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), in collaboration with mobile network operators and Huawei, are implementing a Rural Telephony Project to provide voice and data connectivity to two One thousand sixteen (2,016) rural phone sites strategically located in underserved and underserved communities across the country, ”he said.

The president continued: “These sites will provide network coverage to more than 300,000 communities and provide an opportunity for more than three million people to connect with their family and friends, which will allow these communities to be accessible for social, economic, of health and education not only with other parts of the country but also with the rest of the world ”.

The government, he said at the meeting, has secured a 155 million euro facility from China Exim Bank to finance this telephony extension project, adding that “the rural telephony project will also provide new areas for ICT growth in Ghana, while substantially increasing the level of ICT Literacy, especially during this COVID-19 era, where the need and demand for ICT skills has increased exponentially ”.

The provision of the rural telephony site will allow people from beneficiary rural communities to connect with family and friends outside of their localities and will also give them access to online information, educational tools, the ability to access mobile financial services and conduct business transactions. in all the country.

“Furthermore, I am pleased to announce that these rural areas will enjoy 3G coverage and this will enhance the user experience for all consumers. It means that people in and around Atwereboana can now enjoy data services like WhatsApp and Facebook, as well as being able to check their test results online on their mobile phones and benefit from a variety of other ICT-enabled services. ” assured.

The inauguration of the project, he emphasized, is 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 the served and the underserved, and between rural and urban communities. .

“We know that the launch of this project will lead to a qualitative change in the lives of residents in the beneficiary communities and beyond, through ICT, judging by the impact that connectivity has had on other similar communities with networks of voice and data, ”he added. .