The Ministry of Communication has held a press briefing in advance of the opening of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Regional Development Forum to be held in Ghana. It will take place at the Accra International Conference Center from the 18th to 20th of July 2018.
Speaking about the event, the Deputy Minister of Communication, Mr George Andah said "we all know the importance ICT plays in our developmental agenda." He said “it is a great oppourtunity Ghana has to host this unique event."
He said the ministry has been focusing on the digital agenda since it took over from the previous government such as the implementation of the Ghana Card, Mobile Money Interoperability, Digital Addressing System which will aid the digital economy take off smoothly. He also noted, for the first time in Ghana, the establishment of the National Cyber Security Secretariat and the prosecution of cyber crimes as well as training programs for prosecutors, police CIDs and judges in 2017. "As we speak Ghana has become the hub for West Africa for the prosecution of cyber crimes and creation of the policy document addressing children online and the content they are exposed to."
Mr Andrew Rugege, the Regional Director for ITU thanked the Ministry and the people of Ghana for agreeing to host the event. He stated that the Regional Development Forum provides members and non-members the oppourtunity for high level dialogue between Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) and decision makers of ITU Member states and sector members.
The main focus of this forum,, he pointed out, is on five initiatives;
- The first is to ensure building digital economies and fostering innovation in Africa.
- The second is the promotion of emerging broadband technologies by members. It is important that such technology is available in Africa.
- The third is building trust and security in the use of telecommunications/information and communication technology. It is very important for Africa to build trust in using fiber, he pointed out and also for Africa to strengthen cyber security.
- The fourth, he said, is strengthening human and institutional capacity and building and finally, the management and monitoring of radio frequency spectrum and transition to digital broadcasting. He said that the benefits of transitioning to digital from analogue are enormous. "Transitioning will let us save a certain amount of spectrum".
Mr Rugege said it is our collective responsibility to provide the platform for everyone to put their heads together to implement regional initiatives that look at the impact of ICT on people's lives.
He also mentioned a few initiatives such as the "African Girls Coding for Change" to commence in August which will develop coding culture among children of school -going age through continental coding boot camps.
Honourable Odotei also made known some of government's initiatives in ICT such as Girls in ICT based on coding for girls in Ghana as well as the creation of ECIC (Enhanced Community Information Centers).
Out of the original 216 districts about 194 are part of this program where the objective is to increase digital literacy and also make accessible electronic gadgets at the community level so that the illiteracy level will drop. He also pointed out the presence of the Accra Digital Center to cater for southern Ghana in collaboration with the World Bank which will have an Innovation Hub (iHub) and and an Mlab in September. "The ihub will bring young people with ideas together and get them to produce applications and then have these applications tested in the Mlabs. Another has been established in KNUST to tackle those in the northern part of Ghana" he stated.
The ITU is a global union that assists member states, academia, industry, governments to take advantage to develop ICT according to Mr Andrew Rugege. It has affirmed its reputation worldwide as one of the most resilient and relevant organisations and it continues it's work as the specialized agency of the United Nations for telecommunications and information and communication technologies.
The press briefing was attended by Mr Andrew Rugege; ITU Regional Director for Africa, and Deputy Ministers of Communication, George Andah and Vincent S. Odotei , Sandra Frimpong; a Communications Specialist from the Ministry, representatives from the National Communication Authority as well as other stakeholders and media.
The ITU Regional Development Forum focuses on "ICT 4 SDGs : Towards the implementation of WTDC17 outcomes".