The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has inspected rural telephony project sites and digital skills training centres in the Volta Region as part of a two-day tour to assess connectivity and the delivery of digital services.
The tour, which began on Thursday, October 15, is intended to assess the progress and operational condition of telecommunications infrastructure and facilities under the government’s One Million Coders Programme (OMCP), while identifying challenges affecting their effective use.
During the first day of the exercise, Mr George visited the Ho Community Information Centre, a new Rural Telephony Project site at Akoefe Gadza in Ho Central, the Silverstone Youth ICT Lab in Agortime Ziope and an existing rural telephony site at Akoefe. He also paid a courtesy call on the Volta Regional Minister, James Gunu.
The inspection forms part of a nationwide monitoring exercise following similar engagements in the Greater Accra, Eastern and Ashanti regions.
At the Silverstone Youth ICT Lab, Mr George intervened after discovering that the facility had not received its expected monthly data allocation, despite assurances that internet support had been distributed to centres in the region.
He examined the allocation records and found that the list displayed on the platform contained only three centres in the Volta Region, namely Anloga, Ketu South and Ho Central, although all 18 constituencies in the region have centres designated for the One Million Coders Programme.
An official subsequently indicated that data had been sent to about 16 centres that afternoon and suggested that the list displayed on the platform might have been truncated.
The Minister demanded clarification and requested the complete allocation records to establish whether the intended beneficiaries had received their internet support.
He also questioned the practice of sending airtime to the centres for managers to convert into data bundles, arguing that the process created unnecessary administrative difficulties.
Mr George directed his team to engage MTN to ensure that internet data was credited directly to the devices used by the centres ahead of the next monthly allocation in November.
The issue was addressed during his visit, with airtime received at the facility following his intervention.
Beyond the connectivity concerns, the Minister engaged learners at the centre and encouraged them to align the digital skills they were acquiring with their future career aspirations.
He urged them to consider entrepreneurship and the provision of digital services to businesses, rather than relying solely on formal employment after completing their training.
He also encouraged learners studying cybersecurity to progress beyond introductory training to intermediate and advanced levels to strengthen their expertise and career prospects.
Mr George said all 18 constituencies in the Volta Region had centres designated for the One Million Coders Programme, although the limited duration of the tour meant that only selected facilities could be inspected.
The programme is intended to equip participants with digital skills in areas including digital marketing, project management and cybersecurity.
The Rural Telephony Project, meanwhile, seeks to extend mobile network coverage to underserved and unserved communities, particularly in rural areas, to improve access to reliable communication services.
The second day of the tour, scheduled for Friday, October 16, includes visits to the Ho Regional Information Centre, the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ho, the existing rural telephony site at Adaklu-Blidokope, the One Million Coders centre at Adaklu-Waya and new rural telephony sites at Adaklu-Dawanu and Adaklu-Kpetsu.
The inspections are expected to provide the Ministry with firsthand information on project implementation, maintenance, network access and the operational challenges affecting the facilities.
The findings will inform further measures to improve rural connectivity, strengthen digital skills development and ensure that public investments in telecommunications and digital infrastructure deliver practical benefits to communities.
