Abenaso (E/R), Aug. 4, GNA – Government is committed to ensuring that telecommunication and Information Communication Technology (ICT) facilities are spread to all parts of the country, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said.
He said the situation where basic telephony infrastructure was largely concentrated in major economic centres, despite the significant deployment of telecommunications services across Ghana, was unacceptable.
Thus, government, he said, was creating an enabling environment, through the policies implemented over the last 19 months, to encourage private sector investment in the communications sector.
President Akufo-Addo gave the assurance when he inaugurated the rural telephony project, in Abenaso, in the Eastern Region on Friday.
The project would connect the Abenaso township and its surrounding communities with ICT facilities and telecommunication services.
The President disclosed that the government, through the National Communications Authority, Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), in partnership with MTN (Gh) Ltd. and Huawei Technologies Ltd, has begun rolling out the rural telephony project, which would provide data and voice connectivity to 1,020, hitherto, unserved communities across the country.
« Indeed, the Abenaso rural telephony site, which I am inaugurating today, is part of 161 rural telephony sites and 85 repeater sites, which have been completed within 18 months of my government, and which will be providing voice and data connectivity to approximately 500 communities across the country, » he said.
The President further revealed that by the end of 2018, a total of 200 telephony sites, serving some 1,000 communities would have been completed.
« This is to be compared to only 78 such telephony sites during the entire eight years of the Mills/Mahama era.
« Such is the commitment of Government to ensuring the realisation of today’s ceremony that taxes, such as VAT, customs duties and other import levies, were waived for the equipment brought into the country for the project, » he said.
Expressing appreciation to traditional authorities, across the country, for generously donating parcels of land for the project to take off, President Akufo-Addo said the inauguration of the Abenaso Project, meant the town and 499 other rural communities across the country would enjoy 3G coverage.
He noted that expanding telephony connectivity services to rural communities in the country « will help open up Abenaso and other rural communities to opportunities for the development of skills and knowledge, as well the growth of businesses and the local economy ».
The President called on the Abenaso traditional authorities and other beneficiary communities to « utilize fully the opportunities that this project will bring to them. »
« We would want to see this project bring about a positive impact on the lives of residents of this community and other beneficiary communities. »
To the youth of Abenaso, the President advised that they took advantage of the opportunities that would be afforded by the facility.
« You are living in perhaps the most exciting time in our history, so please make the best of it. Some say this is our time. I say this is your time, and tomorrow will be the time of your children, » he urged.
