In line with GIFTEL’s mandate to make operational Community Information Centres (CIC) across the country, a CIC at Apam in the Gomoa West District was completed and commissioned by the Minister of Communications on the 25th of September 2008.
With support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), GIFTEL equipped the Apam CIC with 15 computers, a local area network (LAN), a fax machine, a flatbed scanner, a printers, a server and other accessories at a total cost of GH¢51,500.00.

The Minister for Communications, Dr Benjamin Aggrey Ntim, spoke in depth about the Government of Ghana’s (GoG) plan to make Ghana a part of the new economic revolution which has been spurred by advances in economic productivity through the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). GIFTEL, which is at the helm of the CIC initiative, plans to connect the entire country to the Internet through the judicious use of the HIPC funds and the financial and technical assistance of UNDP.
The Minister also made it clear that the CIC initiative is just part of a master plan to incorporate other ICT innovations in order to link all parts of the country to the rest of the world. Such innovations include the Presidential Special Initiative (PSI) for distant learning, for Junior High School pupils in the District. Minister went on to invite all school authorities to ensure that their pupils make good use of the facility, since it is the cherished wish of Government that the era of poor examinations results for rural schools become history.

“Ghana’s ICT for Accelerated Development Policy, supported by UNDP and other development Partners, is entirely for the deployment and spread of ICTs in the Community as a way to improve the economic base and further accelerate growth and development towards transforming Ghana into a knowledge based and information society.”
Dr Aggrey Ntim noted that within the broad framework of the Millennium Development Goals, ICT is being deployed as a tool for poverty reduction and as a tool to improve access to and quality of education in the rural areas, to contribute to women’s empowerment through training and provision of small-scale business information; to provide communication to rural areas and to improve governance and inclusiveness at the local level.

The District Chief Executive (DCE), for Gomoa West, Hon Joyce Aidoo added to The Ministers statement by emphasizing the important of Ghana becoming a part of the global ICT village.
Most importantly, Hon Joyce Aidoo promised to ensure that a percentage of the common fund would be used to ensure the day to day running and ensure the maintenance of the facility.

The Member of Parliament for Gomoa West, Hon Joe Hackman, said the establishment of the CIC would promote effective education, and called on students to spend at least, two hours per week at the center, to add to their general knowledge.

An eleven (11) member Steering Committee was sworn in by the Hon Minister, who admonished them to ensure that the facility is taken good care of, so that its benefits can be extended to future generations.
The CIC has a four member management team, namely, Mr Eric Akobeng, District Budget Officer, Ms Comfort Morgan, District Information Officer, Mr Ishmael Owusu, District Finance Officer and Mr Alfred Amoah, Centre Manager.

The occasion was a realization of the provision of Universal Access to benefit the people of Fetentaa and its environs.

Below are excerpts of his speech:

“Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Government set up the Ghana Investment Fund for Telecommunications (GIFTEL) to mobilize funds for the provision of Universal Access to Telecommunications to underserved/unserved and remote communities.

The Fund hopes to achieve Universal Access to Telecommunications throughout all regions and communities in Ghana, by the year 2010. Another objective of the Fund is to facilitate the expansion of Telephone service penetration to at least 25% of our population by the year 2010.

It is a fact that, over 70% of our country’s population lives in the rural areas. As a Government we owe it as a duty to reach out to them with facilities that will enable them have access to the benefits of Telecommunications to impact positively on their lives

The realization of this commitment explains why the Government, through the Ministry of Communications and the Ghana Investment Fund for Telecommunications (GIFTEL) is funding the roll out of more than eighty (80) Common Telecommunications Facility Sites, throughout the country. These centres are meant to provide co-location access to telecom operators willing to operate in the beneficiary communities, provide telecommunications access and connectivity to the communities.

Thirty-nine (39) of these sites have been completed across the country. Funds for these sites I must emphasize have been from the Ghana Investment Fund for Telecommunications. (GIFTEL) at a cost of $125,000.00, this fund is part of proceeds from Telecom service providers which is ploughed back to expand services to the benefit of all Ghanaians particularly in the rural areas.

Mr. Chairman let me however use this opportunity to call on the Telecom and other Service Providers to take advantage to co-locate on these facilities to benefit from the economy of scale so communications penetration to rural areas will move faster and at affordable rate.

My commendations once again go to the Chiefs and People of Fetentaa for their goodwill and providing land for this project. I wish to take this opportunity to appeal to other traditional areas to make land available for projects of this nature. This is the only way they can make meaningful contributions to national development and for the development of their respective traditional areas.

Mr. Chairman, let me remind all of you gathered here today that, this is a Government facility. it is a common facility open to use by all the Telecom operators in the country. And to the good people of Fetentaa, the Common Telecommunications Site is to facilitate the provision of telephone access to this town and its environs. I therefore entreat you to help protect the facility and see it as your own project and not as KASAPA/MTN/TIGO/GT or that of Government.

Ladies and Gentlemen, finally, I want to end by saying that the Government of Ghana recognizes Universal Access to Telecommunications as a fundamental right of every citizen of this country. In this regard Government would continue to implement programmes under the ICT4AD and the Telecom policies to ensure that universal access to all the citizenry is achieved by 2015.

I wish to thank you all, not forgetting the members of the GIFTEL board of Trustee who found time off their busy schedules to join us in this commissioning ceremony.

On this note, I formally declare this Community Telecommunications Facility duly commissioned.

Thank you.”

The President, His Excellency John Agyekum Kuffour on 9th September, 2008 commissioned the John Agyekum Kufuor - Catholioc Information Technology Institute at Nkwantakese.

The Institute will serve as a Centre of Excellence for training in ICT for the Northern Sector.

Also present at the launch were Dr. Benjamin Aggrey Ntim, the Minister of Communications, Hon. Kan Dapaah, MP for the area and His Excellency, the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana.

Below are excerpts of the speech by his excellency, President Kufuor:

“Government recognizes that much as ICTs can advance socio-economic development, the benefits of that development may not necessarily spread to all sections of the society. There is therefore a need for specific efforts to be made in terms of special initiatives aimed at ensuring and enhancing the possible distributive effects of the developmental impacts of the technologies to the community at large.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Nkwantakese CIC is one of 40 CICs that are presently fully operational. Indeed, 90 centres have been built so far while others are in various stages of construction.

Specifically, this centre has been designed to the level of an Institute to cater for the basic ICT training for Teachers and members of the Security Services especially those in the Ghana Police Service within the middle belt of the country.

It also provides opportunity for the District Assemblies in the area to upgrade ICT skills of Teachers under the new educational reform to support the pupils to acquire ICT skills right from the basic school level.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
This particular Centre is the biggest and largest in the country and with a capacity for hundred computers. Presently it is equipped with 50 computers. I must at this juncture, pause and give credit to the former Minister of Communications, Hon. Albert Kan-Dapaah, who appreciated the unique opportunity for this CIC at Nkwantakese.

His vision was to replicate the objectives of a Centre of Excellence similar to the Kofi-Annan ICT Centre in Accra so as to serve the local ICT training needs for the Middle Belt and the Northern Sector is on course and with the completion of this project, the Ministry will endeavour to develop a similar centre with the capacity to provide the Integrated ICT service next year.

In establishing this facility, the Ministry of Communications is entrusting responsibility for its management and supervision to a Committee of stakeholders in the District. It is a facility to be owned and used by the community. The Ministry will however continue to monitor the use of the facility to meet the objectives of Government and also provide technical backstopping that will be required from time to time. The District Assemblies are being urged to provide adequate support to the CICs, as the facilities complement the Ghana’s Local Government improvement policy.

In this regard, I am calling on the management team to be drawn from the CIC stakeholders, i.e. the District Assembly, the Catholic Diocese, the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Women and Children, Ministry of Information and National Orientation, NGOs and people of Nkwantakese to work harmoniously to ensure the effective use of this centre.

I want to end my speech my thanking all the stakeholders who as partners, have assisted the Ministry to promote the information society in Ghana. The goal to make Ghana a continental hub for ICT activities is very much on course and with the provision of broadband infrastructure nationwide, it will soon be possible to undertake Business Process Outsourcing activities in the communities. With the sitting capacity we have at the Nkwantakese CIC, the potential for wealth generation is enormous.

Thank You.”

Video: President’s Speech

Video: Minister of Communication’s Speech

Video: Hon. Kan Dapaah’s Speech

Video: His Excellency, the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana’s Speech

The statement read: “Pursuant to the National Communications Authority’s announcement on the issuance of a 6th mobile licence in Ghana dated 27th March, 2008 and its selection and award process, the Board of Directors on the advice of management has completed the process, which has culminated in the award of the licence to Glo Mobile (Gh) Limited for the consideration of USF 50.1 million. “As states in the selection and award process, the Authority’s primary emphasis has been, and shall always be the encouragement of market participants with significant technical, operational capabilities and experiences.” The statement said in the award process, the Authority reviewed 11 applicants. Glo would join Onetouch, Tigo, MTN, Westel and Kasapa.

Information on the website of the company, Globacom, says since it launched its services on August 29, 2003, Glo Mobile has been at the forefront of revolutionary changes in the GSM sector in Nigeria, offering both prepaid and contract packages along with a range of Value Added Services. Glo Mobile says in its first year of operation, it became the fastest growing GSM network in Africa, achieving a record one million subscribers and covering over 87 towns in just nine months.

The ISPs, at the launching of a report on the state of the communication sector in Accra, said they have lost confidence in the national telecom regulator - to the extent that some of the members of the Ghana Internet Service Providers Association (GISPA) have now decided to resort to court actions to resolve disputes.

In the 56-page Communication Policy and Research report released by GISPA on the state of the communication sector in Ghana, the ISPs expressed worry about the lack of a transparent frequency spectrum management regime and an effective dispute resolution mechanism as some of the regulatory concerns of the providers that the Authority ought to address if sanity is to prevail in the industry.

The 29-member GISPA body said: “for instance, the ineffective dispute resolution mechanisms have compelled one ISP to resort to the more expensive option of going to court to settle a dispute arising from the failure of a telecom operator to honour a contractual obligation to the ISP.”

The report, which was financed by the USAID under its TIPCEE programme, also touched on the operation of the open-ended licencing regime for internet service and the failure of the Authority to exercise regulatory oversight on the performance of ISPs.

It said the provision of internet services have been liberalised so much that the NCA cannot limit the number of service providers and enforce compliance on key performance issues such as the requirement for ISPs to deploy service within 90 days of receiving authorisation and to demonstrate continued provision of service to the public.

The Business & Financial Times said it learnt that out of more than 114 ISPs that have been licensed by the NCA, only about 29 are currently in operation.

“The NCA needs to act on this policy requirement to restore its credibility,” it added.

Other regulatory challenges that GISPA say impeded their operations consist of perceived high taxes, including a 20 percent withholding tax in addition to 15 percent VAT on bandwidth purchased from foreign sources.

Others include lack of regulatory guidelines for and imposition of restrictions on the commercial deployment of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) by ISPs, lack of policy guidelines to promote the success and growth of the ICT industry, and improper pricing of access to bandwidth, fibre, submarine and other infrastructure.
Source: B&FT

The activity has been instituted by the MTN Group to encourage employees of MTN to be personally involved in community development projects.

On Wednesday June 3rd, staff of MTN Ghana started the event by undertaking a road safety education exercise in some principal streets of Accra whilst staff in Takoradi assisted the police to direct traffic. A section of the employees led by the Corporate Services Director Ms Mawuena Dumor visited the Akropong School of the blind to make a donation. Employees led by the Chief Executive Officer also painted sections of the Princess Marie Louise (Children’s Hospital) in Accra on Thursday June 5, 2008. In Kumasi, MTN Employees painted the Kwadaso SDA Primary school.

On Saturday June 7, clean up exercises took place simultaneously in Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi and Atimpoku. From the Kwame Nkrumah Circle overhead bridge in Accra gutters to the Obetsebi Lamptey roundabout Accra, MTN employees with the assistance of Zoomlion Ghana swept the streets and cleaned. Staff in Takoradi were joined by the Chief Financial Officer of MTN Ghana to clean the Takoradi Market circle whilst Kumasi staff cleaned the Bantama High Street.

Later on in the week MTN Directors interacted with students of the University of Ghana during a job fair. The Directors together with other employees shared their knowledge on interviewing skills and provided an orientation on career development with the students.

According to the Board Chairman of the MTN Ghana Foundation, Prof. Franklin Manu, “MTN will continue to express its commitment to partnering with key stakeholders to provide necessary support to help improve the quality of life of communities in Ghana.”

This year’s programme is expected to create greater impact on communities as a result of the increased number of projects being undertaken.

Some of the activities that are yet to be undertaken include grassing of football pitches, donations of books, toys and medical supplies to selected institutions and painting of Zebra crossings. Some MTN employees have also offered to spend time with mothers and babies at selected hospitals. There will be blood donation exercises, teaching sessions and motivational sessions with different groups.

Last year, the Employee Volunteer Association of MTN Ghana (EVA), in collaboration with the Ghana Health Services and the Ghana Education Service, undertook landscaping and painting activities at selected schools in Accra, Takoradi, and Kumasi, and also organized a health screening and health walk to educate the public on healthy lifestyles.

Source: MTNMTN Ghana Foundation has begun the 2008 edition of the 21 Days of Y’ello Care Programme. The programme, which was instituted last year by MTN Group’s CEO is carried out across all 21 operating units of MTN and focuses on community-development activities.

The activity has been instituted by the MTN Group to encourage employees of MTN to be personally involved in community development projects.

On Wednesday June 3rd, staff of MTN Ghana started the event by undertaking a road safety education exercise in some principal streets of Accra whilst staff in Takoradi assisted the police to direct traffic. A section of the employees led by the Corporate Services Director Ms Mawuena Dumor visited the Akropong School of the blind to make a donation. Employees led by the Chief Executive Officer also painted sections of the Princess Marie Louise (Children’s Hospital) in Accra on Thursday June 5, 2008. In Kumasi, MTN Employees painted the Kwadaso SDA Primary school.

On Saturday June 7, clean up exercises took place simultaneously in Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi and Atimpoku. From the Kwame Nkrumah Circle overhead bridge in Accra gutters to the Obetsebi Lamptey roundabout Accra, MTN employees with the assistance of Zoomlion Ghana swept the streets and cleaned. Staff in Takoradi were joined by the Chief Financial Officer of MTN Ghana to clean the Takoradi Market circle whilst Kumasi staff cleaned the Bantama High Street.

Later on in the week MTN Directors interacted with students of the University of Ghana during a job fair. The Directors together with other employees shared their knowledge on interviewing skills and provided an orientation on career development with the students.

According to the Board Chairman of the MTN Ghana Foundation, Prof. Franklin Manu, “MTN will continue to express its commitment to partnering with key stakeholders to provide necessary support to help improve the quality of life of communities in Ghana.”

This year’s programme is expected to create greater impact on communities as a result of the increased number of projects being undertaken.

Some of the activities that are yet to be undertaken include grassing of football pitches, donations of books, toys and medical supplies to selected institutions and painting of Zebra crossings. Some MTN employees have also offered to spend time with mothers and babies at selected hospitals. There will be blood donation exercises, teaching sessions and motivational sessions with different groups.

Last year, the Employee Volunteer Association of MTN Ghana (EVA), in collaboration with the Ghana Health Services and the Ghana Education Service, undertook landscaping and painting activities at selected schools in Accra, Takoradi, and Kumasi, and also organized a health screening and health walk to educate the public on healthy lifestyles.

Source: MTN

In his speech delivered during the ceremony at Bimbilla, the Minister stressed that if the large numbers of residents in the rural areas were left out of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) advances in the country, we would leave a large pool of potential wealth untapped. There was therefore a need for the people of Bimbilla to fully utilise the CIC in order help the region to catch up to the rest of the world in terms of knowledge and development through ICT.

At Yendi, the Honourable Minister inaugurated a Steering Committee for the CIC, responsible for general guidance and direction of the Centre and composed of representatives of the traditional rulers and MDAs in the Yendi district. He stressed that the management of the CICs should not turn them into “cyber-cafe or internet café type facility” but ought to remain focused on their core mission of providing access to ICTs, creating awareness for ITC and providing support for the local business community.

Dr. Aggrey Ntim followed up the commissioning ceremonies at Yendi and Bimbilla with a visit to Ghana Telecom’s Fibre Optic Termination Point in Tamale. After being shown round the facility, Minister expressed satisfaction with the progress of the Fibre Optic Project from a technical standpoint. However, he was dissatisfied with the amount of interest shown in the project by companies and organisations in both the private and public sector. One example he cited was that the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation could take advantage of the Fibre Optic network in order to improve its broadcasting services to the Northern sector. It was his hope that the Fibre Optic network would soon be taken advantage of in order to open up all regions of Ghana to rapid and affordable telecommunications access.

Speaking at the launch of the Mi range of phones in Accra yesterday, Mr. Adu-Gyan mentioned that the presence of Mi-phones will contribute to bridging the digital divide between the rural and urban areas, adding that the National Fibre Communications Backbone Infrastructure network will provide open access broadband connectivity nationwide. “When this resource is fully completed, it would have a greater impact on the telecommunication industry and also provide opportunities for creativity and innovation in providing quality and affordable services to the citizenry”.

The telecommunication industry has seen tremendous growth over the last few years, and the growth is so enormous that most of the intended targets of government have been over-achieved due to the enabling environment that has been put in place and the constant monitoring by the regulatory authority, Mr. Adu-Gyan added. He emphasized that government sees the private sector as a potential engine of growth and recognizes the strides that companies like Mi-Fone are making, targeting the middle-to-low income consumers in emerging markets and offering quality, durable and affordable mobile phones for the ordinary Ghanaian.

“I wish to emphasize that government is committed to providing the right enabling environment to allow the private sector to play its expected role in the country’s economic development”. The introduction of Mi-range of mobile phones has come about as a result of its combined 20 years of telecommunications experience in emerging markets in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The demands of emerging market consumers present fertile ground for the “Mi” range of products, which seamlessly combine affordability with best of breed technology among others, Alpesh Patel, Global Sales Director of “Mi” said. Melcom Limited, Ghana’s largest retail department store chain is the sole distributor of the Mi-phones.

Source: PFM