Source: The Chronicle

This revelation was made by Madam Eva Andoh-Poku, the Acting Administrator of GIFEC, during her address at the launch and dissemination of the report on the Assessment of Internet Universally Indicators (IUI) in Ghana.

Madam Eva Andoh-Poku highlighted the IUI was introduced in Ghana in July 2020, marked by the inaugural meeting of the national Multistakeholder Advisory Board (MAB). 

This meeting, she maintained brought together 40 leading experts and stakeholders from diverse sectors, including government, regulatory bodies, academia, private sector, media organisations, and civil society groups.

The IUI, as defined by UNESCO, aims to foster a comprehensive understanding of the national internet landscape and policies contributing to sustainable development. 

It evaluates these policies against UNESCO’s R.O.A.M principles and formulates policy recommendations to enhance internet development within the country.

Madam Eva Andoh-Poku expressed satisfaction that the objectives of the IUI have been successfully achieved, crediting the consultants for their diligent work, particularly Development House. 

She underscored that Ghana’s completion of the assessment places it among the few countries that have taken the lead in this regard, with 34 other nations making steady progress towards completion.

Notably, she highlighted that Ghana, alongside Benin and Kenya, stands out as one of the African countries that have successfully completed these assessments. 

This accomplishment signifies a significant step towards enhancing internet development and policy formulation on the continent, she concluded.

Credit: ClassFMOnline

The Field Trip forms part of efforts to maintain effective oversight over and enhance the sustainability of GIFEC projects. It also helps the Administrator to identify opportunities, challenges and gaps, to help continuously improve Operations.

Specifically,  Mr. Sefah passed through Kyebi and paid an unscheduled visit to the J. B. Danquah Memorial Library and ICT Centre, which doubles as GIFEC’s Eastern Regional Office, where training for 20 Visually-impaired citizens was taking place, as part of the Introduction to Computer Basics for Visually Impaired (ICBVI).

He interacted with trainees and encouraged them to maximize the value of the training, to enhance their lives. The discussion also touched on ways to improve and effectively expand the training for the benefit of more visually-impaired citizens.

He commended the Regional Manager for great maintenance culture established at the facility, and had fruitful discussions with him on ways to improve GIFEC Regional Operations, in general.

Accompanied by Kwahu South MCE – Hon. Emmanuel Atta-Ofori Sr., the Administrator also conducted an inspection of the GIFEC Cyberlab at Obo Presbyterian Primary and Junior High School in the Kwahu, where he engaged the Headmaster and ICT teacher. 

He shared ideas with them on ways to better care for the computer workstations and accessories provided, in order to ensure a healthy maintenance culture, for the longevity of the equipment provided, for the benefit of the community.

Next, he visited the Obomeng Community ICT Centre (CIC), where a planned renovation (11 such being undertaken across the country) will be done by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), as part of the ongoing Digital Transformation Centres (DTC) Initiative.

He entreated the Centre Manager and other Officers to keep up with the good work to ensure the ICT lab is well-maintained. 

Mr. Sefah also paid a courtesy call on the Queen Mother of Obomeng, as tradition demands, to listen to the perspective and wisdom of Nananom.

He reiterated that GIFEC is working with its technical partners on behalf of the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation to conclude the Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Project (GRT&DIP) this year, with the establishment of 1,006 more Sites, to bring the total output under the Nana Akufo-Addo government to an unprecedented 2,600 Sites.

The Obomeng Hemaa, on behalf of Obomeng Hene, who away but was represented by the Obomeng Krontihene, thanked and blessed the delegation,  and the Government, for the great digitalisation efforts being undertaken.

Mr. Sefah wrapped up his field trip with visits to GIFEC CyberLabs in Kwahu Asakraka and Bepong, where the iconic Dr. J.B. Danquah was born.

In Bepong, he interacted with participants and School Officials regarding recent GIFEC training in Kids’ Coding and Basic Computing for Artisans  He told the audience that the mind is one’s greatest asset. He got much helpful feedback and promised the delivery of more training in the communities to benefit citizens this year.

Overall, Mr. Sefah captured much information to take back from the Field Tour, to help improve GIFEC Operations for the benefit of citizens and stakeholders.

They are two solar-powered masts, (one in each community) whose network spread to a 20-kilometre radius in each of the two communities, to ensure that the adjoining communities would also benefit from them.

Speaking during the inauguration of the facilities in the two communities in the Savannah Region, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful, said the Network was to ensure that un-served and underserved communities were part of the country’s digital revolution.

She said the Government was working to ensure that every part of the country was connected to telephony network since it was a tool to facilitate the development of the country.

She explained that “As part of government’s commitment to connecting the entire country, then it had the vision to ensure that all un-served and underserved communities are connected and has taken a loan facility to put in the infrastructure.”

She said “They are small, scattered communities. So, the network operators think it is too expensive to put in the cell sites and the network to connect them. So, they will not do it, but Government has decided to partner them to build the infrastructure so that they can use it to deliver their services to the people in the small towns and villages and remote communities around the country.”

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said the government was determined to leave no one behind, and that robust connectivity was at the heart of the digital initiatives that it was trying to roll out.

“Without connectivity, you cannot do anything at all. So, we are determined to build a robust rural network.” She said a total of 2,016 cell sites were being built and by the end of the year, they would be up and running.

So far, about half have been built; 1,010 have been built and about half of those have been connected. So, we are working on the challenges, and we are sure that by the end of this year, all the 2,016 are built and connected for up to five million citizens, who do not have access to the internet, to also utilise data and high-speed voice services for all their online interactions to be part of the digital revolution that is unfolding, she said.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said connecting the un-served and underserved communities would help children from those communities to put into practice their ICT skills while other residents would use it to improve their business operations, and access other useful services.

Mr Musah Karim Kusubari, West Gonja Municipal Chief Executive, assured community members that government would continue to work to address their pressing needs.

Sumpiniwura Seidu Asuma, Chief of Sumpini, expressed gratitude to the government for extending the facility to the area and connecting the community to the national grid.

Assan Sakara, Chief of Mognori, said the facility would improve the living conditions of the people in the community.

Meanwhile, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful also visited Murugu and Langantere communities in the Municipality where the Rural Telephony Networks were built but to be operationalised, to inspect them and assured residents that the challenges would soon be fixed to connect them as well.

Source: GNA

She indicated further that the project is under the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) and is an initiative to connect the town and surrounding communities to telecommunication services which will save the government up to 60 per cent of the cost of traditional cell sites to provide voice and data services for over four million people in underserved and unserved communities.

This according to her will extend the national mobile communication coverage from 83 per cent to 95 per cent to greatly accelerate local economic development whiles improving people’s livelihoods.

The minister further indicated that the president is determined to establish basic Information Technology Infrastructure such as the telephony service in the rural areas in the country.

She said, “The President continues to attach great importance to ensure that Telecommunication and Information Communication Technology (ICT) facilities which can now be described as basic necessities of life are available in all parts of the country.”

As part of her five-day working visit to the region, she also visited some of the yet to be commissioned sites that still have challenges to explain to the people in those communities that in the next 2-3 months, she will personally be back again to commission them since her outfit is committed to ensuring development is brought to the doorsteps of the people.

Mrs Owusu Ekufful indicated that, a total of 2,016 cell sites are being built across Ghana with about half of the total number now in full operation.

Source: Abdul-Rauf, classfmonline.com

The meeting, held at the Headquarters of Vodafone Ghana, aimed to explore ways to enhance collaboration between the two organisations towards bridging the digital divide.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Sefah acknowledged Vodafone’s role as a key stakeholder to GIFEC’s operations, and the need to enhance the relationship between the two organisations, especially in relation to providing meaningful connectivity to Underserved and Unserved communities in Ghana. He expressed the need to find innovative solutions to resolve issues related to GIFEC’s Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Project (GRT&DIP) which aims at connecting 2,016 Unserved and Underserved communities across the country.

Again, on the GRT&DIP, Mr. Sefah articulated his appreciation for Vodafone Ghana’s commitment to the project, adding that out of 1,008 Built Sites, 479 are activated and on Air, due to Vodafone’s willingness to avail Donor Sites for Network Integration. He called on Vodafone to continue to support the project, which is of great national importance, and is beneficial to the Telecom Sector.

Mrs. Obo-Nai, on behalf of Vodafone, welcomed the Administrator and Team, and expressed her appreciation for the visit, acknowledging the healthy relationship with GIFEC. She added that Vodafone welcomes opportunities to collaborate more with GIFEC in various areas, including infrastructure-sharing for network expansion, and initiatives aimed at empowering the digitally-excluded.

He said this, during his recent presentation to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Study Group 1 Meeting, on the topic “Meaningful Connectivity: Projects and Impact”, with the objective of looking into ITU-led projects geared towards achieving Meaningful Connectivity, with country-level impact.

His presentation, titled “Digital Transformation Centres for Digital Skills to attain Meaningful Connectivity”, focused on interventions by GIFEC to ensure Meaningful Connectivity in Ghana.

He said that for GIFEC, addressing Meaningful Connectivity has meant “ensuring that everyone, everywhere has access to affordable and reliable connectivity of sufficient quality, that enables them to fully participate in the digital economy and society.”

He threw light on GIFEC’s ICT Capacity Building Programme, which is designed to provide requisite digital skills to Ghanaians, especially those in marginalised communities, to maximise the use of ICT equipment and services, thereby ensuring inclusion for all persons.

Specifically, he delved into the impact and potential of the Digital Transformation Centers (DTC) Project, which GIFEC is implementing in partnership with the ITU and Cisco, with funding from the Norwegian Agency for Development Corporation (NORAD) and GIFEC itself, with the purpose of narrowing the Digital Skills Divide. The project, has since its inception in 2021, trained 14,500 citizens, about 70% of whom are female.

Mr. Sefah also touched on other programmes GIFEC is employing to achieve Meaningful Connectivity in Ghana, such as the Rural Connectivity Programme, which seeks to provide telephony network and internet connectivity to Underserved and Unserved communities. He added that GIFEC is leading the implementation of Government’s biggest investment in connectivity,

through the Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Project (GRT&DIP), which aims to connect 2,016 communities in about three (3) years.

GIFEC has also established 281 Community ICT Centres (CICs) across the country, to improve access to ICT equipment in Underserved and Unserved Communities.

Mr. Sefah finally called on Stakeholders in the ICT ecosystem to partner with GIFEC, to ensure that more communities in Ghana have access to Meaningful Connectivity.

Although there were presentations from two other countries on related subjects to the Study Group Meeting, it was interesting to note that majority of the questions and contributions from participants focused on GIFEC’s programmes.

The two-week training, which began on 11^th April and ends on 28^th April 2023, is being carried out in 155 GIFEC Community ICT Centres (CICs) across the country.

The training forms part of the DTC Programme, whose objective is to expand the digital capabilities and benefits of ICTs to the marginalised population, particularly in the unserved and underserved communities in Ghana.

Implemented in collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation and Cisco, the programme is in its final year of execution and is targeted at training 14,000 citizens, including Women Entrepreneurs, School Dropouts, School leavers, Head Porters, Teachers, Students, Youth and Persons with Disability in courses such as Get Connected, Entrepreneurship, Introduction to Cyber Security and Introduction to Internet of Things (IOT).

Since inception in 2020, about 10,000 citizens and 22 Master Trainers have been trained in Cisco-certified Basic and Intermediate ICT Courses. 586 students have also been trained in 23 Coding Clubs across the country, as part of the programme.