Introduction
The Ministry of
Communications was created out of the former Ministry of Transport
& Communications in response to local and global developments in
Information Technology industry. The purpose is to enable government
develop policies that will help integrate information technologies into
the activities of the society and also harness the full potential for
effective development
Vision
The vision of the Ministry of
Communications is to manage the convergence of communications and
technologies to promote a viable integrated national development
process within a global setting.
Mission Statement
To facilitate the
development of a reliable and cost effective will class communications
infrastructure and services, driven by appropriate technological
innovations to enhance the promotion of economic competitiveness in
knowledge based environment.
The ICT Sector in Ghana
Information and Communication Technologies have
become increasingly an important part of today�s global economy. ICT
infrastructural development in Ghana is progressing comparably to other
low-income countries globally and above the 1.1% average for Sub-
Saharan Africa.
Over the years, several initiatives have been made
by the Government of Ghana and other agencies to develop the
ICT-infrastructure so as to bridge the digital divide between Ghana and
the developed world. Prominent among these initiatives is the
development of a national fiber optic network (VOLTACOM) by the
nation�s electricity provider, the Volta River Authority (VRA)
There have also been massive investments in ICT infrastructure from
existing Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Telecommunication
companies, such as the Ghana Telecom, Scancom, Millicom, Westel and
Kasapa Telecom Ltd whose activities cover the whole country. In
addition, the government of Ghana and other agencies, including the
Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), has
trained over a thousand professionals in ICT and related areas to
provide the necessary knowledge and skills to support ICT activities in
the country.
Ghana�s National ICT Development Policy (ICTAD), developed under the
able chairmanship of Prof. Clement Dzidonu has been passed by
Parliament to be implemented.
The Kofi Annan ICT Centre of Excellence which is a joint Ghana/India
project was commissioned with the responsibility to produce the human
capacity needed for the emerging ICT Industry in Ghana and the
Sub-region. The Multi-Media Centre is also to serve as an incubator
where new private companies in the industry can be nurtured and later
relocated to the Technology Parks business Centre which is to be set up
in the Free-zone area of Tema.
Currently in Ghana, ICT education in basic schools (starting from low primary to junior high school) is part of the curriculum.
Information Technology Enabled Services-Business Process Outsourcing
(ITES-BPO) has become a priority sector that is believed to help drive
the economic growth in Ghana. Telecommunication and information
technology companies have a heavy concentration in the capital city of
Accra. A few companies to name are ExZeed, Rising Data Solutions,
Affiliated Computer Systems, and Ghana Cyber Group. These companies not
only bring a once exclusive industry to the nation, but they bring safe
employment, exposure to the electronic world, and revenue to the
country.
