“1,620 Rural Communities Benefit from the Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Project” – Hon. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful.
The Minister for Communications and Digitalisation has revealed that 1,620 rural communities have so far benefited from the Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Project (GRT&DIP), which is aimed at providing voice and data connectivity for citizens in Underserved and Unserved communities within the country.
The Minister said this during the Ministry’s Press Briefing at the Ministry of Information, adding that the Ministry, through the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) is driving the extension of mobile telephony services into all corners of the nation where access is either lacking or insufficient and where network operators are reluctant to expand their services because those areas are deemed not to be commercially viable, through the flagship Rural Telephony Project.
The GRT&DIP was initiated with the aim of decreasing the number of communities without telephony coverage. Accordingly, the project envisions establishing over 2,016 telephony sites to extend mobile network coverage to 4 million citizens in these underserved communities.
According to the Minister, 500 Sites had been built by December 2020, a month after the launch of the project on the 5th of November 2020.
“As of February 2024, 1,010 of the planned sites have successfully constructed, with 618 already operational offering essential voice and data services to citizens in rural communities who can now make call and use data services.” said the Minister.
The Minister added that the GRT&DIP Network also allows citizens to connect, regardless of who their Mobile Network Provider is, through the National Roaming Initiative.
According to the Minister, the project has improved basic education and healthcare delivery significantly, as more health workers and teachers are now willing to accept postings to these communities due to the availability of the network.
Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful reiterated that although the project was delayed by funding challenges, Ministry is determined to finish up the remaining sites, integrate and activate to ensure reliable, affordable and secure broadband to all 2,016 communities this year.
