Association of telecom contractors inaugurated

Members of the Association of Ghana Telecom Contractors (GHATECO) on Thursday pledged to work to ensure that the government's aim of increasing telephony facilities in the country was achieved.

Mr Kofi Brew, an Executive Member of the Association, told the Ghana News Agency at its inauguration in Accra that now that the group had come together under one umbrella, they would be able to attract the necessary financial support to achieve this aim.

The Association with a seven-member executive is determined to attract direct contracts from Ghana Telecom under its new management,Telenor-Norway, in a bid to strengthen its financial base and implement projects to the satisfaction of the general public.

Mr Brew explained that members of the Association individually received sub-contracts from the three main foreign contractors that gave them a rate of 35 per cent of total cost of projects.

However, with the inception of GHATECO, they would bid for contracts as one body with the aim to implementing them for agreed percentage interest.

He said the Association expected to achieve this feat by training its members to acquire technical and managerial skills.

Members received their training from the Ghana Telecom Training School.

Specific works implemented by members are civil and cable works, which are known as the Outside Plant (OSP) work.

Mr Charles Welbeck, President of the Association, pledged its commitment to seeing the government's vision of improving Information and Communication Technology in the country becomes a reality.