Ten communities benefit from telecom services

Story: Charles Benoni Okine, Botoku

THE Minister of Communications, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, has simultaneously inaugurated communication masts in 10 rural communities of the country to enable people living there have full access to telecommunications services.

The masts, which are powered by solar panels is to ensure constant power supply to the masts and to avoid interruptions in service.

The areas are Botoku in the Volta Region; Kutukrom, Sewam and Kordjor in the Western Region; Adiokor, Baano in the Brong Ahafo Region; Tugu in the Northern Region; Aboaboso in the Ashanti Region and Dwerebiase and Amankwakrom in the Eastern Region.

With this, more than 19,000 people who were hitherto, not connected to telecommunications services can no make and receive voice calls, send and receive data as well as use the internet effectively at high speeds.

The project was funded by Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) and constructed by KNET with support from tiGO, the third biggest telecommunications company in the country.

Mr Iddrisu said the intention of the government to provide the communities in the rural areas with such facilities was aimed at ensuring that “they also have access to telephone to make and receive calls just as those in the urban centres”.

He said the telecommunications companies in the country have always been reluctant to invest in areas such as Botoku because of the lack of a vibrant commercial activity and noted that “that is why we take some money from their profits to mount such facilities in areas they find unattractive”.

“With this we expect the communities to open up to the businesses activities and it is likely that some investors will also want to pitch camp here because they can have access to telecommunication facilities.

Mr Iddrisu said while the government strives to make such facilities available all over the country, the telecom companies also need to consider such areas to enable the people to benefit from their services.

He said the facility will also help enhance teaching and learning schools in the communities because the students can do research through the internet; medical services will improve because there be the possibility of telemedicine while in the area of agriculture, there can be extension services provided without any physical human presence.

Mr Iddrisu urged the people to make maximum use of the facility to help improve their lives while the area is also opened up for business.

Later in an interview with the media, the Chief Executive Officer of GIFEC, Mr Kofi Attoh, said the Fund has promoted ICT in the many other deprived communities in the country in the last three years.

He said GIFEC was also promoting ICT in all sectors of Ghana’s economy to enable the country to fully benefit from the contribution of ICT to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Some of the residents of the area the daily Graphic spoke with described the move as a positive one meant to enhance their standard of living.

They said they have always had to travel long distances to send messages but expressed the hope that with the facility, that challenge will be over.