The Administrator of the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications, (GIFEC) has been appointed as the Board Chairman of the newly constituted nine (9) member Governing Board of the Ghana Digital Centres Limited (GDCL) in Accra, to enable it provide world-class infrastructure and the enabling environment to attract and retain ICT-enabled Business.

Swearing in the members of the Board at a short ceremony in Accra, the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful (MP), urged Board members to exhibit professionalism in the discharge of their duties.

She said the GDCL over the last five (5) years has performed creditably in offering training for the youth in various skills development. She said, “from its flagship office – the Accra Digital Centre, the company has helped train over fifteen thousand (15000) youth in various skills development courses, nurtured over two hundred (200) businesses and created over five thousand (5000) jobs”.

She added, the company has also achieved 100% occupancy in providing office spaces in its affordable real estate and can boast of brand associations with institutions like the World Vision International, VFS Premium Passport Application among others.

She tasked the Board to see to the operationalization of the Regional Innovation Centres across the country. “Chairman and Members of the Board, your immediate task, therefore, will be to oversee the successful operationalization of Regional Innovation Centres (RICs) across the country to promote digital innovation and give the GDCL a nationwide reach in the process”. Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful said.

The Minister assured the Board and Management of GDCL of the Ministry’s support in the discharge of their duties and responsibilities.

In his inaugural speech, the Chairperson of GDCL, Mr. Prince Ofosu Sefah thanked His Excellency the President, Nana Akuffo Addo for his appointment, and the Honourable Minister, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful for the trust she has consistently reposed in him.

Mr. Sefah said, “Over the past years, the Ghana Digital Centres Limited, together with its partners and the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation, has worked hard to create a conducive business environment to enable an Ecosystem for the development of Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Ghana”.

He assured the Minister for Communications and Digitalisation that “together with members of the Board and Management, we will continue to work to attract and retain ICT companies to promote Entrepreneurship and Digital Jobs creation, to accelerate Economic Growth”, this he added will help in achieving His Excellency the President’s Vision of a Ghana Beyond Aid, driven by a Digital Transformation Agenda.

 

Additionally, Mr. Prince Sefah indicated that together with Board members, they will continue to work hard in achieving the vision and objectives of the Centre, which is to help position Ghana as a Regional Digital Hub, and to enable the country leapfrog the 4^th Industrial Revolution.

Other members of the Board are Mr. Ernest Kumi, Mr. Kojo Amissah, Mr. Aloysius Adjetey and Ms. Sharon Dede Padi. The rest are Mr. Kusum Appiah, Mrs. Benedicta Fosu-Mensah, Mr. Kwadjo Baah-Agyeman and Dr. Francis Blay.

The Ghana Digital Centre Limited was established by the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation to position Ghana as a regional digital hub.

It is the Key Agency under the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation responsible for championing the development and management of Technology Parks and Digital Centres across Ghana to promote ICT-driven Economic growth.

The GDCL is also mandated to provide world-class infrastructure and the enabling environment to attract and retain ICT and IT-enabled Business Process Outsourcing companies to promote Entrepreneurship and Digital Job Creation for accelerated growth.

It is also tasked to foster Innovation and Entrepreneurship through the provision of platforms for business incubation, business acceleration as well as digital Research and Development programs.

The Centre is also mandated to provide Access to relevant ICT solutions for various sectors of the economy to cater for Ghana’s fast-changing ICT needs, through partnership with the private sector and providing practical digital skills training in partnership with both the public and private sector.