Barclays Donates to Mobile Telecentre

Barclays Bank of Ghana last Friday donated a cheque for USD$5,000 towards a UNDP Mobile - Telecentre project at project at a ceremony in Accra.

Mr. Kobina Quansah, Managing Director of the Bank presented the cheque with a pledge of continued support for such worthy causes in Ghana and Africa.

The Mobile Telecentre-To-Go project is a UNDP Internet initiative for Africa designed to expand the IT customer and market base and integrate IT into schools curricula and business.

It was launched in February 2001.

The Centre currently serves 24 under-privileged schools in Accra comprising 796 students and now works with about 80 trainees a day.

The Mobile Telecentre-To-Go is expected to benefit 75 schools, 5 SMEs, 5 farms and 5 clinics in a year and would needs additional logistics to continue its work, expand, sustain and replicate in 10 other African countries.

Mr. Quansah recalled that the Bank's relationship with UNDP, the coordinator of all UN activities in Ghana dates back to 1993 when it first won their business, saying the relationship has remained very cordial.

Ms. Eva Lokko, the Regional Programme Coordinator noted with appreciation that the MTTG partnership has proved to be strong, reliable and sustainable.

She said it is a joy to see confidence and the smiles on the faces of the children during their activities in the MTTG, with some who have not seen a desktop or laptop before able to write short essays with a word processing programme within an hour.

The Programme Coordinator said all the three nursing institutions in Ghana are reaping the benefits of the MTTG with well-tailored training to support their profession.

"With the increase in demand well beyond our projections, we will welcome with great appreciation and thanks, the second by Barclays to support the replication of the project in the other African countries."

This, she added, will go a long way to increase the ICT awareness, expand the ICT customer and market base and contribute directly to bridging the digital divide in Africa.

On the Barclays Managing Director's team at the ceremony were Messrs. Paul Nice, Head Retail Performance (South); mark Horwood, Head Risk Management; Geoff Millard, Head Assurance; Kojo Ohene-Kyei, Head Banking Business; Stephen Opon, Senior Marketing Manager and Mrs. Betty Zormelo, Head Human Resource.