GIFEC management touts four year achievements

Management of the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication (GIFEC), an agency under the ministry of communication, has been talking about their achievements for the past four (4) years they have been in the helm of affairs.

During the commissioning of one of the many Rural Telephony Projects (RTP) at Atwereboana, near New Edubiase in the Ashanti region on Wednesday, the administrator Mr Abraham Kofi Asante, took time to enumerate some of their laurels.

The commissioning was performed by President Akufo Addo, who is currently touring the Ashanti region to canvass for votes ahead of the December 7 elections.

Explaining the purpose of the project, the administrator said, it is aimed at ensuring universal access to electronic communication in unserved and underserved communities in the country.

Also, the aim is to facilitate the extension of coverage of mobile telephony services into areas where access to such services is not adequately available.

Moreso, the project seeks to better mobile voice service to communities with population of less than 1,500 and also enhance broadband service due to the evolution of technology.

Mr Asante disclosed that over the past four years, GIFEC in partnership with its key stakeholders have built 400 RTP sites across the country, serving about 1,200,00 million people in 2,000 communities.

He divulged that his outfit in 2017 developed an innovative solution to ensure the deployment of more RTP sites nationwide in a sustainable manner.

The administrator revealed that for the past four (4) years his outfit has trained 502, 600 people from both the formal and informal sector in various Information Technology and Communication (ICT) programmes.

The initiative which he noted is under GIFEC's ICT capacity building programme, has trained 182,000 children to provide solutions to social problems through the coding for kits project.

As part of efforts to bridge the gender digital divide hole in underserved communities, GIFEC in collaboration with UNESCO rolled up the ICT skills for Entrepreneurial and Women Empowerment project.

The initiative, Mr Asante, observed has so far trained 400 women in ICT programmes in four (4) communities namely, Goaso, Berekum and Asankragwaa and Asumura.

In addition, the administrator exposed that his outfit has trained 3,500 girls in coding and basic ICT programmes as part of the girls in ICT project.

Furthermore, 81,500 artisans according to Mr Asante have received ICT training across the country by GIFEC whereas, 837 basic and second cycle institutions have been equipped with computers and accessories.

Visually impaired students he stated have not been left out in the massive technological advancement drive, as 54 ICT laboratories fitted with Non-Visual Desktop Access (NVDA) computers have been provided.