Minister for Communication and Digitisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has revealed that government has extended data and voice call connectivity to two communities namely, Mognori and Sumpini in the West Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region.

According to her, the inauguration of the two basic telephony facilities is to enhance communication and link these communities to the rest of the world.

The facilities (Telephony) which include, two solar-powered masts, one in each community, and spreads to a 20-km radius in each of them (communities), would enable other nearby communities to also benefit from their services.

Speaking during the commissioning of the facilities, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful stated that connecting unserved and under-served communities would not only help residents in their daily activities but also for school children to put into practice their Information Communication Technology (ICT) skills.

She noted that as part of the government’s plans to digitize the whole country, her ministry is very determined to set up a robust rural network that will stand the test of time.

“About half, 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 5 million citizens who do not have access to internet to also utilize data and high-speed voice services for all their online interactions to be part of the digital revolution that’s unfolding.”
Ursula Owusu-Ekuful

Following this, the communications minister assured those in standby communities whose projects are completed waiting to be commissioned, to be patient.

These two communities (Mognori and Sumpini) have over the years, been battling with poor quality voice and data service forcing residents to move to other locations including climbing trees to make calls.

On his part, the Chief of Mognori, Assan Sakara, commended the Ministry for the initiative. He noted that the presence of the facility would improve the living condition of his people and spread development.

Bridging digital gap in the country

Meanwhile, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful has indicated that there is an urgent need to bridge the gender digital gap in the country. She highlighted that this is the reason why government, through the Ministry of Communication, is implementing the “Girls-in-ICT” project.

Additionally, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful explained that the country is gradually shifting away from a manual regime to the digital space, hence the need to encourage more girls.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said this at the climax of a National ‘Girls-In-ICT’ training programme organised by GIFEC for about one thousand basic school girls and one hundred teachers drawn from districts across the regions.

According to the Minister, parents, chiefs, and opinion leaders have no choice but to support the Ministry by encouraging the girl child to develop an interest in ICT for their personal and career growth.

“We [government] are building a digital future and Ghana is gradually moving away from the manual to digital space. We need to demystify ICT for all and encourage girls to take interest in that field for the country to benefit fully from the digital transformation agenda and bridge the gender digital divide.”
Ursula Owusu-Ekuful

She further appealed to the Ghana Education Service among others, to put in place a system that will enhance girls’ skills in ICT.

On her part, the Deputy Minister for Education, Gifty Twum Ampofo, appealed to parents and families to create avenues at home to enable their children to have easy access to mobile phones to learn online. She noted that parents should include it in their responsibilities because their children cannot afford these devices but cautioned the girls not to abuse the opportunity when given mobile phones.