Gov't to institute computer training for literate chiefs

Asamankese (E/R), May 19, GNA - The government had drawn up a programme to start training literate chiefs in the use of the computer to enable many of them to have e-mail addresses and also know how to access the internet.

This was announced by the Minister of Communications and Technology, Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, at the inauguration of the 300,000-US Dollar Ghana Telecom Telephone Exchange at Asamankese on Wednesday. The facility is to provide initial 240 telephone lines to the West Akim District with the possibility of further expansion including paid and cellular phone system in the district.

The Minister explained that the intention of government in targeting traditional authorities was the believe that if they know how to access the internet and appreciate its importance, they would encourage and support the programme to extend information technology to the districts and rural communities.

Mr Kan-Dapaah further stated that the policy to extend telephone facilities to the rural areas was to enable the country to join the information technology revolution which, he said, depended on the existence of telephone facilities.

He said the world had gone through industrial, economic and technological revolutions but in all those revolutions, Africa and Ghana missed out for which government was determined that the current information technological revolution would not by-pass the country. Mr Kan-Dapaah advised students in the rural communities to take advantage of the situation when computer training is instituted in their schools to enhance their future employment prospects.

He advised the staff of the Ghana Telecom to respect their clients and be faithful to them to order to maintain them so that they would not loose them to their competitors.

Earlier in a welcoming address, the Eastern Regional Minister, Dr Francis Osafo-Mensah, called on the people of Asamankese and its environs to take good care of the increased number of payphones that had been installed.

Asamankesehene Osabarima Kwaku Amoah 111, who chaired the function, on behalf of his people, thanked the government for the various projects, which had been completed in his traditional area.