GT trains more e-CARE entrepreneurs

The first batch of Ghana Telecom's e-Commerce and Renewable Energy (eCARE) Project Entrepreneurs for 2007 have been successfully trained at the GT University College in Accra with a call on the entrepreneurs to live up to expectation.

Addressing the participants, the Principal of GTUC Dr. Osei Darkwa noted that one problem facing Ghana in particular and Africa in general was the poor transmission of information to the people because they have not been part of the decision-making but had always been recipient of information flow from the top to the bottom.

According to him, the entrepreneurs have been offered the opportunity of their lives time to bring changes to their communities.

Dr. Dankwa said the essence of e-CARE project was to bring communication, information technology to the doorsteps of the community.

He mentioned that the university was ready to partner with e-CARE to develop better programmes to deal with the challenges facing the rural people.

Dr. Darkwa charged the entrepreneurs to “go to your respective communities, anybody who accepts the e-CARE project, baptise them with the computer, telephone and the internet.”

The Project Manager Joseph Abanyin stated that the project hoped to train about 100 entrepreneurs at the end of this year.

He state that the 24 trainees formed part of the over 100 trained so far and were taken through a 5-day training on Marketing, Book-keeping, Phone and Solar system to make them gain knowledge on how to run every day business of the eCARE Center, gain skills in accounting, marketing and customer care.

The other objectives of the training were gaining knowledge on how to expand their Information Communication Technology business, gain ability to use phone system to conduct business, gain basic training on photovoltaic (PV) fundamentals and maintenance of the PV system for optimum performance.

Mr. Banyin said some of the impact of the project included creation of information access and sharing infrastructure for under-served communities, affordable communication at the door-step of the under-served communities and improved livelihoods of entrepreneurs and family.

Other impact included employment creation for other people –poverty reduction and increased interest and awareness for RE products and services.

He disclosed that the e-CARE project would take a new look in proving and introducing innovations.

The Corporate Manager of Ghana Commercial Bank, the main financiers of the project Justice Gaveh, urged the participants not to abuse the opportunity offered them but prove to the world that they were capable of changing their situation and those of their communities.

He was not happy with the Ghanaian attitude towards contracting loans and the management of the loans.

Mr. Gave reminded them that whatever loan they take for a project was not free gift, but must work hard to repay such loan.

On behalf of his colleagues Mr. Benson Kwadwo Adusah thanked the management of GT and the e-CARE Project for the opportunity offered them.

The e-CARE Project provides suitable ICT infrastructure for information access in deprived communities using renewable energy, trains and provides financial support to entrepreneurs to deliver ICT products and clean energy services.

Currently fifty Two (52) centers in eight regions Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Volta, Western, Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Northern Regions.

It hopes to exceed 2006 target by 2 with an additional 17 centers to be established in April/May 2007.