Ghana to Become Digital Economy

A National Information Technology Policy will be formulated to outline the various objectives and strategies to be implemented to make Ghana emerge as a digital economy in the near future.

To this end the Ministry of Transport and Communications in collaboration with the Office of the President will organise a two-day National Roundtable Discussion on the country's National IT policy, scheduled to take place in Accra in two weeks time.

The Minister of Transport and Communications, Mr. F.K. Owusu-Adjapong, disclosed this at the weekend during the commissioning of the Simply IT Company, an ultra modern Information Technology (IT) training centre in Accra.

In a speech read for him, Mr. Owusu-Adjapong said companies who have invested a lot of resources in IT have become the most effective players in the global environment and that was the reason why the government was determined to create the enabling environment to speed up the development and application of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the country.

The Simply IT Company has an Internet research laboratory, media laboratory, computer training laboratory, reference library and an executive computer training facility as well as network and PC laboratory.

It offers training across the board and uses a hand-on approach of training for clients to facilitate effective learning of how to use PCs.

The Minister said the government was determined to lay a solid foundation for accelerated development of the IT industry in the country.

Mr. Owusu-Adjapong said many companies and business establishments who adopted IT in their operations gained competitive advantage over their rivals and sustained a large proportion of their market and the trend had forced other companies to re-develop their strategies and incorporate IT policies in their operations for them to be able to compete effectively and to satisfy their customers.

He emphasised on the need to develop human resource, which is one of the most important catalysts required to lay a solid foundation for building a vibrant ICT industry.

Ghana is one of the countries in Sub-Sahara where there is a strong demand for information and communication tools for business, he said, adding that the aim of Simply IT to contribute to the human capacity development in the IT industry is therefore in the right direction.According to the Minister, there is a high demand for human resource for the provision of Internet services and other allied services with opportunities for a wider global environment for businesses.

He noted that countries like Singapore, India, Malaysia and China made great strides in economic growth and industrial advancement through effective investment in IT and hence Ghana would follow their footsteps.

The Chief Executive Officer of Simply IT, Mr. Mitaire Uyovbukerbi, said the company had a goal to demystify Information Technology by introducing its facilities as "the gyme for the mind."

He said the company's facilities were unique and would offer people an affordable training scheme to enter the PC world.

Mr. Uyovbukerbi said the company would focus on the development of human resource in IT to suit businesses.