VEEP calls on CTO to boost Ghana's ICT drive

Accra, Sept.14, GNA- Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama on Wednesday called on the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) to help Ghana to nurture the capacity to make Information, Communication Technology (ICT), the nerve centre of development.

He expressed dissatisfaction that basic telecommunication facilities like telephones were not available in some rural communities in Ghana, citing a health centre in the Upper East Region, which had no communication equipment to facilitate the management of emergencies as an example.

Alhaji Mahama made the call during a meeting with Mr Anthony De Bono, Chairman of the CTO and Mr Ekwow Spio- Garbrah, Chief Executive Officer of the British-based Organisation at the Castle, Osu. He said ICT was ruling the world, hence the need to extend such facilities to the rural areas.

The Vice President commended the CTO for involving non- Commonwealth member countries to help to bridge the digital divide, adding: " The world is getting narrower and narrower". Mr Bono praised Ghana for the giant steps it had taken to boost knowledge and expertise in ICT since it was the leeway for economic development.

He said Ghana's drive to promote ICT would be facilitated if national efforts were made to provide the needed infrastructure to boost the growth of the sector.

Mr Bono said CTO had initiated a working group in Cameroon to tackle the provision of communication facilities in rural areas. He said CTO had also amended its constitution to embrace non-commonwealth countries.