Gov't constructs Estate infrastructure for business outsourcing

Government is constructing a Grade 'A' Real Estate infrastructure for a Business Process Outsourcing Centre with the state-of-the-art telecommunication access.

The project being championed by the Communications Ministry is expected to lease out spaces for Business Process Outsourcing, software development, IT training and services, and other Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES).

The project when completed will provide close to 10,000 direct and indirect jobs to the teeming youth in the country.

The same project is also being replicated at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ashanti Region.

This was revealed in a statement read on behalf of the Communications Minister Dr Edward Omane Boamah at a workshop organised by the Global Information and Technology Institute (GITS) in partnership with Cisco Systems in the USA.

The workshop, among other things is to train participants to use the power of technologies to increase their revenue, reduce their operational cost and improve relationship between companies and their customers for the provision of goods and services.

The theme for the workshop is: “Increase Revenue, Reduce Operational Cost And Improve Customer Experience By Deploying Video, Voice & Contact Center.”

"The theme is in line with the vision of the Ministry of Communications which is to manage the convergence of information and communications technologies to ensure the development of modern ICT infrastructure and services and also secure free flow of information and feedback for the promotion of a viable integrated national development process within a global setting," the minister said.

The Communications Minister also revealed that government has initiated the Ghana Open Data Initiative with a portal called the Ghana Open Data Portal (data.gov.gh) and a feedback mechanism to enable experts and citizens review and critic government policies and projects.

The rationale for open data initiative is to provide constructive feedback to government for improved accountability of government administrators.

Dr Omane Boamah said the country is intent on making software products one of the non-traditional exports.

"It is in this regard that Government has secured a 50 acre of land size located at the Ghana Free Zone Board (GFZB) enclave in Tema a suburb of Accra for an ICT Park," to carry through with this project.

The workshop was attended by personnel from the country's security services, civil service audit firms and other private organizations.