The Minister and Communication and Digitalization Mrs. Ursula Owusu- Ekuful has stated that the rural telephony project which forms part of the commitment in leveraging the telecom space have constructed 2,016 new cell sites across the country.
She said government in addition will build 1,006 cell sites by September this year as against the 1,010 of which over 50% is completed, adding that 20% of the population that have not yet connected to the mainstream network will have the opportunity to access.
Mrs. Ursula Owusu- Ekuful made this known at the World Telecommunications and Information Society Day (WTISD) organized by the National Communication Authority in Accra under the theme, “Digital Information for Sustainable Development”
The Minister however urged players in the telecom sector to work effectively and efficiently and network among each other saying such partnership will help build innovations and address emerging challenges in the telecom sector.
Throwing more light on government quest in implementing the national roaming policy, she said the move will enable telecom networks to engage each other network in the area of infrastructure.
The policy she said, forms part of Ghana Digital Agenda geared towards enhancing digitalization across all sectors of the economy through innovation, skills development and will bridge the connectivity gaps in remote areas.
According to her, the roaming policy will scale up mobile connectivity and forms part of the effort for mobile operators to roam on each others network for customer satisfaction.
The Director General of NCA, Mr. Joe Anokye urged mobile network operators to develop conditions that will help digital innovation for entrepreneurs and share insights on emerging digital technologies.
He however called on operators to roll out programs to create for the youth and also form partnership at the local, regional and global levels for sustainable digital development.
“Innovation technology can help tackle the world’s most pressing challenges in the telecom sector” he said, adding that digital technologies can achieve 70% of target under the UN Sustainable Development goal by 2030.
Report by Ben LARYEA
