Decision On Telecom Contract Irrevocable - President

Government intends to carry through with its decision to abrogate the six-year-old agreement between the government of Ghana and Telecom Malaysia.

The contract, which ends March 2 this year, will not be extended, President John Agyekum Kufuor has affirmed.

Addressing a two-day residential conference for top government officials including ministers of State, yesterday, President Kufuor described the decision as irrevocable.

He dropped hints however to open the sector up for private participation along the lines of the Nigerian example.

According to the President, liberalizing the telecommunication sector fits into his government's vision, which is to capacity build and project the telecommunication sector to play its role in national development.

The former National Democratic Congress (NDC) government in 1996 divested Ghana Telecom. Under the contract, Telecom Malaysia was given the mandate to manage the company. Also in attendance was the Vice-President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama.

The seminar was held at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Green Hill. Government functionaries, including Finance Minister, Mr. Yaw Osafo Maafo, Trade Minister, Kofi Apraku, Defence Minister Kwame Addo Kufuor and several others, were given tutorials on the government's Poverty Reduction Strategy and the action plan to realize the objective of poverty alleviation and wealth creation.

The President used the seminar to outline his vision for the country for the next 10-20 years in respect of poverty alleviation, education, health and the private sector.

Other areas include the judiciary, law enforcement and the road sector.

The main goal of the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) is the creation of wealth by transforming the nature of the economy to achieve growth, accelerated poverty reduction and the protection of the vulnerable and excluded within a decentralized, democratic environment, a preamble to the document stated.

To achieve this government hopes to put in place a sound economic framework, place emphasis on human resource development, support the vulnerable in society and to capacity build the private sector to play its role as the engine of growth.