How to successfully increase the usage and availability of ic ts localizing services and creating opportunities

1. How to Successfully increase the Usage and
availability of ICTs-Localizing Services and creating
Opportunities
Presented by:
Kofi Attor
Administrator/CEO
Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications
CTO Conference, Abuja Nigeria
7th October, 2013.

2. 
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GHANA AT GLANCE
INTERNET DEVELOPMENT IN GHANA
BRIEF OVERVIEW OF GIFEC
WSIS TARGETS
GIFEC PROGRAMMES AND PROJECTS IN RELATION TO
MEETING THE WSIS/ITU TARGETS
STRATEGIES
CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT/LOCAL
CONTENT/PARNERSHIPS
ACHIEVEMENTS
CHALLENGES
WAY FORWARD

3.  Has a population of 24 million
 The country spans an area of
238,500 km2 (92,085 sq. mi). Water
covers 3.5% of the area
 Population density of 99.9/km2
(258.8sq.mi)
 Capital and Largest City is Accra
 Home to the largest artificial lake in
the world-Lake Volta

4. Ghana at Glance
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First Sub Saharan African to gain independence in 1957
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English is the official language though there more than 46
local dialects
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Cocoa, timber, gold, diamond, bauxite and manganese are
major sources of foreign exchange
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Production of oil in commercial quantities took off in last
quarter of 2010
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Has a GDP per capita (PPP) of $1,500

5.  Internet
access commenced in Ghana in the early
nineties
 Generally, access to homes and individuals is very
limited. Most Ghanaians have access to the internet at
work or through public internet cafes.
 A Household Digital Divide Study conducted by
GIFEC this year indicated Household penetration is
14.2%
 Internet World Statistics ranks Ghana’s Internet
penetration 10th in Africa behind countries such as
Nigeria, Senegal, and Gambia in West Africa.

7. 
The Fund was launched in November, 2004.
However, operations of the fund started in January
2005.
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The Electronic Communications Act, 2008, Act 775
provides the legal framework (mandate) for the
activities of the Fund.
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The mission of the Fund is to provide financial
resources for the establishment of universal service
and access for all communities and; facilitate the
provision of access to basic telephony, internet
service, multimedia, broadband and broadcasting
services by these communities.

8. Contributions from operators and service providers
Monies provided by parliament
Monies that may accrue to the fund from investment
made by the trustees of the fund
Donations, grants and gifts, and any other monies that
may become lawfully payable to the fund

9.  The
fund is managed by a board of trustees which
provides the strategic direction and management of
the fund.
 There are two sub-committees of the Board, The
Technical and Finance /Administration tasked with
supervisory functions relating to Technical and
Finance and Administration respectively.
 The board by statute is chaired by the Minister of
Communications.

10.  Other
members of the Board include representatives
of the following:
1.National Communications Authority (NCA
2.Ministry of Communications.
3.One representative each from all licensed operators
4.Chairman, Parliamentary Select Committee on
Communications
5.The administrator of the fund who also is the Chief
Executive of the secretariat.

11. 1.
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To connect all villages with ICTs and establish
community access points
To connect universities, colleges, secondary schools
and primary schools with ICTs
To connect scientific and research centres with ICTs
To connect public libraries, cultural centres,
Museums, post offices and national archives with
ICTs
To connect health centres and hospitals with ICTs

12. 7.
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To connect all local and central government
departments and establish websites and email
addresses
To adapt all primary and secondary school
curricula to meet challenges of the information
society, taking into account national
circumstances
To ensure that all of the world’s population have
access to television and radio services
To encourage the development of content and
put in place technical conditions in order to
facilitate the presence and use of all world
languages on the internet

13. Programme
1.
Cyber laboratory
Constituents Projects
Community Information Centre (CIC)
Library Connectivity
Post Office Connectivity,
Community Initiated Projects, etc
School Connectivity(SCP)
2.
3.
Rural Telephony and
Internet Access
ICT for Livelihood
Common Telecom Facility(CTF)
Rural Telephony
Rural Payphone, etc.
E-fishing (ICT for sustainable Fishing)
Last Mile Initiative
Disability Employment,

14. Constituents Projects
ICT Support to
Programme
4. Government
Institutions
Ghana News Agency
Meteorological Authority
NADMO, etc.
Security Agencies (Prison,Police, Military,
NADMO etc)
5. Broadcasting
Radio
TV, etc.
6. Capacity
Building
Initiatives and
Public Education of ICT & related issues, etc.
Training for CIC Managers, etc.

18. 
Capacity Building
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Local Content Development
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Forging partnerships with local authorities, NGOs etc
to provide ICT services
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ICT Infrastructural Development

19. GIFEC notes that there is a direct relationship
between having ICT skills and usage. It is
therefore sponsoring the training of teachers,
local government workers, artisans etc to
acquire basic skills in ICT.
 Currently, there is an ongoing project that is
training about 5000 people in ICT literacy
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skills

20. ICT FOR EDUCATION
 GIFEC has supported a local developer to develop an
Examinations Review and Training software deployed on
computers supplied to Senior High Schools and Junior
High schools under its SCP.
 To improve science education particularly for girls,
GIFEC has developed an e-science software for use by
students
 Developed a School Management Software for Training
colleges, Vocational Institutes etc to facilitate eadministration of schools

21. SECURITY CONNECTIVITY
 Supported the development of a Criminal Information
System for the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana
Prisons service to improve security in the country
 GIFEC in partnership with a local software developer is
establishing a one point emergency access call centre to
facilitate easy access to the police, ambulance and other
emergency services.
 To enhance disaster management activities, GIFEC has
supported the National Disaster Management
Organisation with phones, computers and internet
connection at very remote communites

22. ICT FOR HEALTH
 To reduce maternal mortality among women,
GIFEC has supported the GRAMEEN FOUNDATION
and the Ghana Health Service with mobile phones
that have been distributed to pregnant women in
rural communities. Text messages designed in
the various local languages are sent to these
women to alert them to go for antenatal services
on schedule.
DIGITAL INCLUSION
 To provide access to ICTs to the blind, GIFEC has
provided specialised computers and softwares
with internet connectivity to enable them benefit
from ICT.

23. 
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GIFEC is creating opportunities for entrepreneurship
development in ICT. Specific projects include the
following:
Partnering the Disability Council to create livelihood
opportunities for the disabled through the provision
of kiosks stock with ICT products for sale to the
general public
Partnering a local NGO, KITE to support
entrepreneurs with mini ICT centres that offer full
range services to the public.

24. Security ICT Support Projects
MILITARY OFFICERS IN GIFEC
SPONSORED-ICT TRAINING
INMATES IN AN ICT CLASS IN A GHANAIAN PRISON

25. Fishermen using the Fish-Finder at Sea
GIFEC CTF at Welembelle

26. Students using the Rural Payphones

27.  The objective of the Rural Telephony Project is to
support telecommunication operators to extend their
services into locations of less commercial viability.
 30 Rural telephony have been constructed in
deprived communities without communication
facilities in the country.
 A total number of 90,000 people in the beneficiary
communities can now communicate and do business
with people in and around other communities.

28. 
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School Connectivity Project – 703 schools
Community Information Centers- 93 centers
Common telecommunication Facility/Rural
Telephony – 70 sites
ICT capacity building- 4000 personnel
trained
Rural Pay phone – 3000 installed
Easy Business- 20 centers
Library Connectivity Project – 40 libraries and
10 mobile libraries
Post office Connectivity project- 5 post
offices
All these sites are equipped with at least 15 computes, ups, printer, projector, scanner
and 2 air conditions

29.  Disability Project – 10 trading booths deployed, 2
school for the blind fully equiped and blind units in 7
SHS supported
 Security Connectivity Project – 16 prisons, 34 police
stations, 170 NADMO offices, 30 Military units and
schools, 8 Fire stations and 100 BNI offices
 E-learning Project – 3 research institutes and School
of surgery equipped.
 ICT for sustainable fishing – 18 landing sites
supported
 10000 Laptops distributed to Schools

31. 1.
High cost of internet bandwidth makes internet
access a luxury
2.
Poor Quality of Service(QoS) from mobile
operators
3.
Limited funding

32. 
Develop more interventions that will improve the
gender access to ICT ratio
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Encourage the international agencies and donors to
support GIFEC with funding to enable it undertake
more Universal Access programmes for the unserved
and underserved communities.