We’re committed to ICT infrastructure – Ursula Owusu

Minister for Communication, Mrs. Ursula Owusu Ekuful, has stressed the Ministry and government’s commitment to providing ICT infrastructural development through a robust digital agenda in collaboration with the private sector.

Government, through the ministry is implementing a number of ICT and technological projects such as the National Digital Terrestrial Television Project, Establishment of Public Key Infrastructure, National Government Cloud Infrastructure, Emergency Upgrade of E-Government Infrastructure and Development of Regulations for NITA.

Addressing the Press about the Ministry and its agencies utilizing ICT and telecom to improve the efficiency service delivery with particular attention to rural and underserved communities, digital and financial inclusion, she noted that DTT platform has two cinema complexes with full capacity of 40 standard channels.

According to her 285 satellites televisions out of the 300 have been distributed to communities in the country. The project provides each village with two sets of solar powered projector TV systems in two public viewing stations.

These 900 public viewing stations will enjoy free digital TV broadcast. Additionally, 20 households will be supplied with Set-Top Boxes (STBs) each as part of government universal access policy with 6,000 homes having six months free viewing.

She, however, denied reports that government has given out tax exemption to Start Times who are managing the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT).

 But she added that the contract cost US $3 million and Ghana government decided to cushion it by paying for the cost of tax on gargets imported at the cost of GHC 3 million.              

Also, speaking on universal access initiatives, she mentioned that through the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication (GIFEC), Rural Telephony projects have been extended to areas of the country where access is not adequately available.

And that over 400 rural telephony sites have been constructed to provide voice and data connectivity. This has provided coverage for 2,000 communities with a population of 900,000.

Similarly, over 476 youth have been trained in digital marketing at the Accra Digital Center and 1000 digital and ancillary jobs have been created.

Six hundred girls from some selected public basic schools in six districts within the Ashanti Region were given capacity building for fourteen days in coding and programming as well as ICT mentorship programme.

Ghana |Atinkaonline.com| Patrick Ofoe Nudzi

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