Africa’s mobile subscribers to reach 300m

Africa’s mobile subscriber base is estimated to surpass 300 million by the end of the year.

The Minister for Communications, Dr. Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, who made this known at the 2013 Session of the Africa Regional Development Forum (RDF) in Accra, said over the past five years, Africa’s mobile market has been growing rapidly.

However, he said the same cannot be said about the fixed telephony sector.

Dr Omane Boamah said the growth in the Information Technology (IT) sector has been phenomenal, stating that “the agricultural revolution bypassed Africa, so did the industrial revolution. This must not be the story of the IT age! It is not too late.”

He said, “The potential for development in this age is heightened in us. Africa remains resilient, our spirit remains strong as we strive to develop despite the challenges we face as Africans within the context of our developmental handicaps and the demands of globalization.”

Africa is now respected as an equal player in global agenda-setting at least within the corridors of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Dr Omane Boamah said.

He said ICTs play a vital role in disaster prevention and management and spur development in all aspects of human endeavours.

“Indeed, Africa’s attainment of the Millennium Development Goals will be a mirage if we do not appropriately harness and utilize ICTs,” he said.

He said Ghana’s mobile subscription has outstripped the total population with over 11 million subscribers in 2008 hitting the 27, 529, 818th mark as at August 2013.

Dr Omane Boamah said, “We are working in connection with industry to improve on their services. We are not only constructing a 780km optic fiber to boost our broadband capacity but also deploying LTE technology.

“We are working towards deriving optimum benefits from value added services in the ICT sector. We are migrating from analogue Television Broadcasting to Digital Television Broadcasting.”

Dr. Omane Boamah said Ghana will soon migrate from assembling of laptops and mobile phones to the manufacture of cutting edge ICT gadgets, adding that Ghana was committed to the unity and development of Africa.

He reiterated the commitment of RDF to ICT for accelerated development.

“What we can do as stakeholders of the information society to improve the living conditions of our people, especially in Africa under the banner of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)?”

He said through the work of ITU, everyone’s fundamental right to communicate is being protected and supported.

“The dividends thereof serve as a catalyst for Africa’s attainment of the Millennium Development Goals,” he added.

Beyond the RDF, Africa will be hosting the next World Telecommunication Development Conference in 2014 (WTDC-14), Dr Omane Boamah said, explaining that “it is the agenda- setting meeting held every four years by Member states and Sector Member of the ITU.”