Kufuor inaugurate broadband project

Accra, Aug. 13, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Monday performed the ceremony to mark the formal commencement of work on the 70-million-dollar landmark National Communications Backbone Transmission Project to provide broadband for countrywide deployment of ICT.

The project, involves the laying of optic fibre across a distance of 1,900 kilometres to link all the 10 regional capitals and some 36 towns with the capacity to be extended to neighbouring Burkina Faso.


It is being implemented in two phases. Phase one is scheduled for completion by January 2008, and entails the upgrading and expansion of existing optical fibre network in the Southern loop and the installation of 23 transmission terminal equipment. This would extend to Tamale.


Expansion of the network to other parts of the Northern Region and the development of 10 new sites, interconnection of the northern loop with the south sites and connecting a site at Navrongo to Burkina Faso would constitute the final phase.


President Kufuor said the project should not only help to reduce the cost of service but also enhance the quality of service in the country's communications industry, which at the moment left much to be desired.


"Ultimately, it should position Ghana as the preferred destination for ICT businesses in the ECOWAS sub-region and on the continent as a whole."


President Kufuor said ICT was now an indispensable tool for enhancing innovation, competitiveness, modernization, and for accessing many opportunities that would facilitate the achievement of the country's development objectives, in particular the Millennium Development Goals.

While, calling for co-operation of all stakeholders with the contractors by way of the grant of rights-of-way and site acquisition, he warned cable thieves to stay off the fibre optic cable being laid, so as not to disrupt service delivery.


"I am calling on the whole society to remain vigilant in protecting the cables and to co-operate with the police and other law enforcement agencies in apprehending the few bad nuts in our midst." President Kufuor asked the courts to impose stiffer punishment on offenders.


The warning came as a result of reports that some miscreants are tampering with the cables although the fibre optic project does not contain copper and therefore has little value to the cable thieves. He also challenged the Chinese Contractors, Huawei Technologies to be mindful of the high expectations of the people and redouble their efforts to complete the project on schedule.


Dr Benjamin Aggrey Ntim, Minister of Communications, said upon completion, it would among other things increase access of ICT services in rural areas, support the development of ICT businesses, facilitate the implementation of E-Government Programme and provide support to other critical sectors of the economy like health, education and agriculture to grow and create wealth.


Chinese Ambassador Yu Wenzhe, said its completion would add a new page to the Ghana-China friendship.