27,000 'Mahama computers' missing – Ursula Owusu

Minister of Communication, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has revealed that over 27,000 computers documented to have been distributed to the various ICT centres across the country by the erstwhile Mahama administration, cannot be found.

She said documents available at the office of the Ghana Investment for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), show that the computers were distributed within the eight years of NDC administration.

Irrespective of the distribution of the computers, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful, who is on a three-day tour in the Ashanti Region to inspect communication and ICT infrastructure in that part of the country, was greeted by computer-less ICT centres on Tuesday, 28 August.

The minister could not, however, explain whether the computers were not delivered to the centres or were stolen from the facilities after distribution.

For this reason, she said the Akufo-Addo government has changed how the computers are being distributed to schools and ICT centres.

According to her, government will no longer give the computers to MMDCEs or MPs for onward distribution to the schools and ICT centres.

The Ablekuma West MP said the computers will be delivered to the centres by officials of her ministry, so as to ensure that they are successfully delivered channeled to where they are meant to be taken, for installation.

The minister made the revelation when she inspected the Kwamang Community Information Centre in the Sekyere Central District of the Ashanti Region on Day 2 of her three-day tour.

About 20 computers distributed to the Community Information Centre about three years ago, were stolen, according to authorities at the district.

The centre has also been abandoned and currently in a deplorable state.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful blamed the Mahama administration for the current deplorable state of the ICT centres, saying the previous government left the facilities to rot.

She assured Ghanaians that all the dilapidated ICT centres across the country will be renovated by the Akufo-Addo government and re-equipped to improve teaching and learning.