Communications Minister commissions rural telephony sites in Northern Region
The Minister of Communications and Digitalisation (MoCD), Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has commissioned three Rural Telephony sites in the Kumbungu and Tolon districts in the Northern Region.
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The sites are located at Tibungu, Jagriguyili and Nagbligu.
The facilities formed part of the Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Project of the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), which seeks to connect deprived communities to telecommunication services.
In order to provide basic telephone voice and data connectivity to underserved and unserved communities, the government has started the construction of 2,016 cell sites under the Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Project.
This is in line with the government's digitalisation agenda to create a strong digital economy and sustainable development throughout the country.
One of the Rural Telephony sites
Until the commissioning of the sites, the beneficiary communities had no access to telecommunication network.
To access network, the residents had to trek several kilometres to nearby communities or climb higher mountains to make calls.
Commissioning
Commissioning the sites at separate occasions, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said extending the telecommunication networks to the communities would go a long way to open up the area.
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She indicated that a total of 2,016 cell sites were being built across Ghana with about half of the total number now in full operation and added that the second phase of the project would also be rolled out to reach more deprived communities.
"With all the digital infrastructure the government is putting up across the country, without access to telecommunication network, we can't access them.
To work, live, learn and connect with the rest of the world as the world changes, our people must be able to access these digital infrastructure," she said.
Regular maintenance
For his part, the Chief Executive Officer of GIFEC, Prince Ofosu Sefah, urged the community members to take good care of the facilities to enable them to serve the intended purposes.
The District Chief Executive for Kumbungu, Abdul-Salam Hamza Fataw, thanked the GIFEC for the gesture and pledged his outfit's commitment to take proper care of them.
Writer's email: mohammed.fugu@graphic.com.gh