Society needs public education to appreciate ICT

Accra, July 25, GNA - Professor Mike Oquaye, Minister of Communications, on Tuesday stressed the need to intensify public education and infrastructure development to enable society to appreciate what Information, Communication Technology (ICT) could offer it. He said the Internet still remained a mystery and a preoccupation of the elite.

Prof Oquaye made the call at a cocktail in Accra as part of activities marking the 10th anniversary celebration of InternetGhana. He observed that information technology revolution began long time ago in the developed economies, yet InternetGhana was established in the country in July 1996 and that was why Ghanaians had a more compelling reason to pat themselves for the company's foresight in the pioneering years.

The Minister commended the Company for the good faith it had maintained with the country and its continuing commitment towards the realization of government's avowed aim to transform Ghana into an information rich and knowledge-based society and economy. He lauded InternetGhana for its fortitude, forbearance and the enduring spirit that had guided it throughout its decade of existence, to ensure that the majority of the people were not left out in the emerging Information Age.

He said he was optimistic that given the right encouragement, the Government would not relent in its conviction to make the private sector to serve as the engine of growth.

Prof Oquaye announced that the ministry was pursuing a programme to build a nationwide broadband infrastructure to support communication service providers and spare them the high cost of building their own transmission infrastructure.

The Minister noted with satisfaction that through the orderly development of the Internet and other telecommunications infrastructure, Ghana would be able to respond to the targets set out in the World Summit on the Information Society, a global challenge to apply Information Society to help to meet the challenges of poverty, and contribute to the early realization of the Millennium Development Goals, by the year 2015.

He intimated that the Ministry would soon present to Parliaments, the final drafts of three new bills, namely, the Electronic Transactions, Telecommunications and the revised National Communications Bills, and charged Internet Service Providers to get acquainted with their provisions before they were promulgated.

Mr Leslie Tamakloe, Chief Executive Officer of InternetGhana, announced that by December 2006, the Company would deploy Data and Internet service based on Wimax technology in all regional capitals south of Sunyani, and a nationwide coverage in July 2007. Mr Tamakloe pledged the Company's commitment and dedication to serve its customers with even more efficient and cost-effective solutions in a timely manner.

Dr Emmanuel Abloh, Board Chairman of InternetGhana, urged the Company to let customer-satisfaction be its watchword, adding, "we should not disappoint our esteemed customers".