Ursula Campaigns For Ghana’s Re-election To ITU Council

The Minister for Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, is lobbying delegates at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to re-elect Ghana to the union’s council at the on-going Plenipotentiary Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

In her statement, Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful said Ghana is pursuing the Digital Ghana Agenda for a massive transformation of the country's economy through technology and broadband development.

The Minister added that Ghana is working actively towards improving the efficiency of service delivery with particular attention to rural and underserved communities, women and opportunities for the youth.

She said, to encourage adoption of these ICT initiatives and to protect users, the Government is also promoting safe cyber hygiene practices with the establishment of a National Cyber Security Secretariat and an equally strong focus on Child Online Protection.

Ursula Owusu-Ekuful joined other Heads of Delegations who delivered high-level statements outlining their country's ICTs achievements and future contributions regarding the use of ICTs in advancing developments.

In soliciting support for Ghana's re-election to the ITU Council, she informed delegates that Ghana was an active member of the ITU and the Council and was fully committed to the decisions of the 2018 Session of Council.

Ursula Owusu-Ekuful reiterated Ghana's commitment to supporting ITU's strategic plan and was hopeful that increased partnerships and investment would help to bridge the digital divide.

The Plenipotentiary Conference is the highest decision-making body of ITU, the United Nations specialised agency for ICTs. Held every four years, the Conference is the key event at which ITU Member States build consensus on crucial international ICT issues, elect leaders for the Union’s top posts, and decide on a roadmap for ITU’s work over the next four-year period, including strategic and financial plans.

The Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, joined the ITU Secretary-General, Houlin Zhao in welcoming international delegates for three weeks of intensive decision-making on the future of global ICT.