Government to establish telecommunications investment fund

Kumasi, Oct 11, GNA - The Ministry of Communications is expediting action on the setting up of the Ghana Investment Fund for Telecommunications (GIFTEL) to facilitate partial investment funding to companies and entrepreneurs towards the expansion of telecom facilities to the rural and under-served areas.

The fund will enable the government to complement the efforts of private sector concerns to rapidly extend services to the remote areas to promote efficient use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in multi-purpose community telecentres and media centres.

Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, Minister of Communications, announced this at the launch of the Kasapa mobile telephone service in Kumasi on Friday.

He said the government would do everything possible to facilitate the extension of telecom facilities to the rural and under-served areas. Mr Kan-Dapaah said the new national telecommunication policy was aimed at providing equitable access to telecom services to facilitate the development of the country.

He said the authorities were particularly committed to extending telephone facilities to schools, hospitals and communities and advised telephone service providers to respond to complaints and requests by customers.

Mr Sampson Kwaku Boafo, Ashanti Regional Minister, expressed the hope that Kasapa would work hard to extend their facilities to all parts of the region.

Mr Robert Palitz, Managing Director of the company, said high cost on imports, legal services and taxes made the operations in the industry very expensive and said the company would lower its prices wherever it found a way to lower cost.