Minister lauds private telecom sector

Accra (Greater Accra) 18 May ?99

Mr John Mahama, Minister of Communications, on Monday praised private telecommunication companies in the country for their commitment to the government's policy for the sector.

Since government implemented its liberalisation policy in 1995, the contribution of the private sector to the telecommunication industry has created an environment which "will facilitate Ghana becoming part of the global network economy."

Mr Mahama was speaking at the flag hoisting ceremony to mark World Telecommunication Day, a day set aside by the Geneva-based International Telecommuniction Union (ITU), an inter-governmental organisation, to emphasise the importance of telecommunication in the totality of human life and development.

The day is also meant to bring governments, telecommunication service providers and consumers to appreciate the need for more resources to be committed to the development of infrastructure and service in pursuit of universal access to telecommunication facilities.

The global theme for the celebration this year is "Electronic Commerce".

Mr Mahama mentioned services and products provided by the private players in the Telecom sector over the period as fixed and mobile telephones, data and internet services, and public prepaid telephones among others.

"I am informed that Ghana Telecom alone, has increased the number of public pay-phones from 480 in 1995 to 2,500 in May 1999.

"It must also be emphasised that through the effort of internet service providers such as Network Computer Systems, Africa Online and Internet Ghana, the electronic commerce has already taken root in Ghana, benefiting a host of service providers and industries."

Mr Mahama said government is therefore committed to strategies and policies that will support a favourable environment for the private sector to establish a national information infrastructure to provide such other services as electronic commerce, tele-commuting, distant education, improved banking and tele-medicine among others.

He, however, noted that the challenge facing Ghana and most African countries is not only the establishment of physical infrastructure but also the need for adequate human capacity with expertise in information and communication technologies.

Mr Mahama said a sub-regional collaborative effort, meant to provide a bigger market, harmonise regulatory structures for potential investors as well as to share and pool resources for human capacity development for the sector is under way.

The initiative, dubbed African Connection, has also been adopted by the Pan-African Telecommunications Union (PATU), adding that a report on it is currently being finalised for presentation to OAU heads of state meeting this year.

In a message read on his behalf, Mr Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, called on developing countries to establish the necessary infrastructure to avoid being marginalised in the inevitable electronic market during the next millennium.

"Since electronic communication media will be the essential key for access to the world market in the 21st century, we must avoid the trap of electronic exclusion which could bar the way to development."

He urged government's corporate sectors, international bodies and NGOs to form an alliance to make the right to communication fundamental and to promote access to the means of communication as an essential engine of development and integration rather than a luxury.

Mr Gilbert Adanisa, Telecom Adviser to MOC, called on telecom service providers in the country to reduce the cost of their services and make telecommunication affordable and easily accessible to all and sundry.

Week-long activities marking the day include open days for various service providers.