Lack of telecom network affecting business at Wawaase

Residents of Wawaase and four other communities in the Hemang Lower Denkyira District of the Central Region have bemoaned the unavailability of telecommunications network coverage in the area.

This, they said, was seriously affecting business operations and creating inconveniences for them as they could neither receive nor make calls, unless they climbed trees or stood at vantage points.

The affected communities comprising Ampenkro, Jankabo, Ankaako and Yereyebi Ahwe, all located along the Cape Coast –Twifo Praso road, are also unable to communicate with friends and loved ones outside their communities.

Majority of the residents in these communities are mainly engaged in cocoa farming and palm oil business as well as other petty trading.

According to them, they are constantly losing clients as a result of the situation because they could not transact business effectively with clients or other business partners when such partners left for the cities, thereby losing touch with them.

Mr. Selorm Kofi Avorli, a Youth leader in the area expressed the frustrations in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of the 2015 Wawaase Community Festival (WASCOFEST) on Tuesday.

The annual festival which was initiated by the youth three years ago, offered the community an opportunity to marshal out yearly plans and formulate strategies to develop the area.

He acknowledged that effective communication was an important tool contributing to the success of a business in this era of technology; adding that the situation has compelled the leaders of the communities to petition the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area and had written series of letters to the Telecommunications networks for assistance but all to no avail.

“As a sign of seriousness, we have collectively decided to allocate a piece of land to any Telecommunications network operator who accepts our request to come and build a Telco mast for free and would not even take compensations, but they are still not heeding to our request,” he lamented.

Mr. Avorli has therefore made an appeal on behalf of the community to the Government to put more pressure on the Telco Companies to facilitate the process for them to have access to network coverage to enhance their businesses.

The MP for the area, Mr. Foster Joseph Andoh said the Ministry of Communication was aware of the situation and assured the residents that the problem would be solved in the shortest possible time.