Ghana and Egypt to collaborate in ICT development

Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Communications, on Monday said the government was considering establishing an Information Communication Technology (ICT) Park in Cape Coast and a National Data Centre in the northern part of the country.

“We have put in all the enabling legislations to ensure that the projects are well established to serve the Information Communication and Technology (ICT) needs throughout the country,” he said.

Mr. Iddrisu was speaking in Addis Ababa after holding bilateral discussions with Tarek Kamel, the Egyptian Minister of Communications and Information Technology, on areas of cooperation and development.

He said although telephone penetration in Ghana had risen to about 67 per cent representing about 12 million Ghanaians, there was still the need to put in place adequate measures in the other sectors of communication and appealed to the Egyptian government for support in that respect.

The Communication Minister appealed to the Egyptian government to consider training more Ghanaians in their National ICT Institute which is recognised world-wide.

Mr. Kamel gave the assurance that Egypt would source funds for the establishment of the two projects in Ghana as soon as he returned to Egypt, but appealed to Mr. Iddrisu to feed him with a comprehensive plan of both projects.

He also promised to support Ghana in her fight against cyber crime (Sakawa) emphasising that modern communication was meant for socio-economic development and not for the satisfaction of the selfish.

The Egyptian Communications Minister said they would support Ghanaian public and private entrepreneurs to make the country the telecommunication hub of the West African sub-Region.

Mr. Iddrisu, who also held similar discussions with Ms. Chaloet Makoena of South Africa Telekom, said Ghana was ready to partner a country like South Africa to make Broadband accessible to all and sundry in the country.

Ms. Makoena said South Africa was ready to support Ghana to achieve her aim of becoming a communication giant in the West African sub-Region.

Source: GNA