Communication and Digitilisation (MoCD), Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, at the weekend inaugurated the Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Project.
The project meant for four farming communities in the West Gonja District of the Savannah Region, are Murugu, Mognori, Langantere and Sumpiini.
Inaugurating one of the cell sites here at Sumpiini, Mrs Owusu -Ekuful said a total of 2,016 cell sites were being built across the country.
She said, so far about 1,010 had being built and 500 out of that had been connected and the remaining 500 would be connected by the end of August this year.
The Minister explained that the project was being implemented by the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) under the auspices of the Ministry of Communication and Digitilisation (MoCD).
Mrs Ekuful said the objective of the project was to promote digital inclusion across the country.
She said the project was also meant to help bridge the digital divide, most especially in under-served communities in the rural areas
The Minister said the government was committed to expanding rural telephony network.
She said network accessibility was a basic necessity to promote communication among the citizens.
“We are building a digital Ghana, we want every part of this country to experience the benefit of digital technology in the country. Children need to be given digital technology skills to expand their knowledge likewise the chiefs and the farmers to boast their businesses,” she stated.
She said the project would give hope to the people residing in beneficiary communities for them to adopt and adapt to the use of ICT in their daily activities.
Mrs Owusu-Ekuful would provide equal opportunity for the citizens to access innovations being introduced by the government as part of the country’s digital transformation agenda.
“The project is part of the government intervention to digitalise every part of this country,” she stated.
The Minister entreated the chiefs of the beneficiary communities of the project to protect the cell sites to protect the telecommunication equipment installed there.
The chief of Sumpiini, Sumpiini Wura Haruna Jaboni, thanked the Minister and GIFEC for bringing the project to the four communities to enable them enjoy telecommunication services.
“We are grateful and our children can now equip themselves with the modern technology gadgets,” he said.
Mr Jaboni entreated GIFEC to send technicians regularly to service the machines at the cell sites.
FROM YAHAYA NUHU NADAA, DAMONGO
