The Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) has embarked on a drive to renovate and equip all its Community Information Centres (CICs) across the country.

The move is to support the one million coders’ initiative, particularly in rural communities.

The GIFEC Administrator, Dr Sofo Tanko Rashid Computer, who disclosed this in an interview with the Daily Graphic, said the agency which is under the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation would use its CICs to deliver ICT training to rural areas to support the initiative.

Tour

To operationalise the CICs, Dr Computer said he recently embarked on a tour of eight regions to assess the state of the centres.

The regions he visited are Volta, Oti, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Savannah, Bono East, and Bono.

“We found that most of the CICs have been ran down, taken over by other agencies, or locked down since 2017,” he said.

"It was an eyesore what I saw," he said, adding “some have been used by agencies like the military as a post for their men. Others have been taken over by other agencies.”

In regions such as Volta, Oti, Upper East, Upper West, Savannah, Bono East, and Bono, Dr Computer said he witnessed firsthand the neglect and disrepair of these centres.

“Some of these centres lacked electricity, while others had essential equipment stolen or packed away unused,” he said.

Assurance

In spite of these challenges, Dr Computer said the GIFEC was committed to renovating and equipping those centres to facilitate effective ICT training.

"Without the CICs, this issue of digitalisation will be something in the mouth and the head," Dr Computer stated.

"We need to bring digitalisation to the doorstep of ordinary persons, especially rural folks," he said.

“GIFEC plans to quickly renovate these centres and bring them back to life, supporting the government's initiative to train one million coders and promoting digital inclusion across the country. With over 200 CICs across the country, GIFEC's efforts will play a crucial role in bridging the rural-urban digital gap,” he said.

Background

President John Dramani Mahama last month launched the One Million Coders Programme, a national digital skills initiative aimed at training one million Ghanaians over the next four years in coding, cybersecurity, data analytics, and related fields.

Speaking at the launch of the initiative last Wednesday, Mr Mahama described the initiative as a core part of his government’s Reset Ghana agenda, intended to prepare the country for a more competitive role in the global digital economy. “This is not just a fulfilled campaign promise, it is a deliberate move towards building a knowledge-based economy where our people are able to create solutions, find jobs and compete globally.”

He said the programme would help address unemployment and open up opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship.

The programme’s modular training approach will be rolled out across Accra, Kumasi, Sunyani and Bolgatanga, with plans to activate community information centres nationwide to ensure rural inclusion.  

The programme emerged as a key manifesto promise of the National Democratic Congress during the 2024 election campaigns, and has been adopted as a flagship initiative by the administration of President Mahama.