Mahama reiterates govt commitment to ICT development

GOVERNMENT

By Nana Appiah Acquaye, Accra, Ghana

The Vice President of Ghana, H.E John Dramani Mahama, has reiterated the Government of Ghana’s commitment to developing and improving Ghana’s ICT sector.

According to him the government of Ghana is particularly impressed with the outcome of ICT usage in the country.

“The performance of Government businesses has benefitted tremendously from the use of Information Technology in the running of government business on a daily basis. The Ministry of Finance is one of such Government institution that has benefit greatly from the use of ICT tool. Now a cheque issued by any government institution, let’s say from the northern part of Ghana, can be verified and cleared here in Accra due to the successful implementation of Ghana Interbank Payment Settlement System (GHiPSS) which has role out the E-switch ATM cards and the Automated Clearing House by the Bank of Ghana,” he said.

The Vice President was speaking at the 3^rd Graphic Business Forum held in Accra under the theme: Leveraging ICT and Oil &Gas Resource to Accelerate Ghana’s Economic Development. The event, which brought together policy makers, chief executives officers from corporate Ghana, academia and Civil society, brainstormed on key issues that are relevant to the development of the country.

Mahama said Government would continue to create an enabling environment that would ride on the back of ICT, especially at a time that the country has discovered gas and oil in commercial quantities offshore.

He noted that the introduction of offshore broadband networks with fibre optic installations by the country’s telecommunication sector would go a long way to assist in the transfer of data from the oil and gas rigs, as well as promote accountability and transparency within the energy sector. He cited the Ministry of Energy’s move  to provide up to date information on the activities of all the oil companies in the enclave, with stats on the amount of oil drilled and exported on its official website.