Government reviewing telecommunication policy

Kumasi, May 17, GNA - The Ministry of Communications has commenced the process of reviewing policy implications and impacts of the liberalisation strategy and the marketing structure of the telecommunication industry to create an enabling and competitive terrain for the industry to thrive and expand.

The policy review would also ensure that clear regulatory framework was defined to guide the formation of regulatory guidelines by the National Communication Authority (NCA) to restore confidence in investment in the ICT sector in Ghana.

Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, Minister of Communications, announced this at a flag raising ceremony to mark this year's World Telecommunications Day in Kumasi on Monday.

He said the government appreciated the urgent need for rapid improvement in the nation's telecom infrastructure, adding that, Ghana's ability to tap the Internet's potential and join the information age depended much on the availability of adequate telecommunication infrastructure and services.

Mr Kan-Dapaah said the government had engaged itself in continued policy discussions with the NCA to create the harmonious environment to maximise the interest of all stakeholders in the communication industry. He said the overall objective of the government in the exercise was to foster a fair, just and equitable environment in the communication industry, stressing that the government would work closely with the NCA and all players in the industry to ensure fair and equitable operating environment.

Mr Kan-Dapaah said the theme for this year's celebrations "ICT Leading the Way for Sustainable Development", challenged the government to ensure that the right enabling policies, coupled with advanced and easily accessible technologies that would promote the application of new technologies to change how business, education and tourism were done in the country.

Mr Yoshio Utsumi, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in a message read for him, said access to information technology could boost the creation of small companies and groupings of artisans in the poorest and most isolated areas of the world and help them join the mainstream of national and even global market.

He said the ICT alone might not feed the hungry, eradicate poverty or reduce child mortality, but they were increasingly important catalysts that spurred economic growth and social equity.