Dr Omane Boamah, the Minister of Communications, has said government was committed to bridging the digital divide between the north and south, to help advance development in rural areas and improve job creation for the youth.
He said the deployment of ICT services to rural areas would not only improve internet services in communities, but would help students to register and access examination results.
Dr Boamah said this last Thursday at Tongo in the Talensi District when he handed over a Community Information Centre furnished with equipment such as switchback rack, router, server, computers, UPS, photocopier machine, printer and television set among others.
The Minister, who addressed the chiefs and people of Talensi at a mini durbar, indicated that the project was aimed at enhancing effective communication among municipal and district assemblies as well as improve operations of services to the general public.
He stated that farmers and traders also stood to benefit from such services to improve their businesses, and urged all to endeavour to acquire ICT skills for their advantage and advancement as internet connectivity was closer to them.
Dr Boamah, who earlier on handed over a similar project to the people of Pusiga in the Pusiga District, said a national data centre was also in the offing to provide a single shared computing and storage platform for all municipal and district assemblies in the Region.
He noted that a second phase of Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) adoption and adaptation programme that sought to diffuse IT enabled services to districts would reduce rural urban migration.
Dr Boamah warned that though ICT had an immense impact in transforming the economy, it could bring adverse effects on the communities when it is misused.
To this end, he indicated that a number of mechanisms such as Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), which responds promptly to suspected and reported cases of cyber-crimes were in place to address issues of cyber security and abuse of children online.
Mr Benson Baba Tongo, Member of Parliament for Talensi, reiterated government’s promise for a better Talensi and urged the people to take good care of the facility.
Mr Zuugah Tiigah, the Upper East Regional Minister, said the Region was dear to the heart of government hence interventions such as the ICT facility was to ensure improved communication in all communities.
