Ghana to go the Moroccan way in telecommunications

Communications Minister and Technology, Felix Owusu-Agyapong, MP has said that Ghana was prepared to learn from other African countries that had made rapid success in their telecommunications industry. The Ministry is therefore collaborating with Morocco's Agence Nationale de Reglementation des Telecommunications, which has rapidly transformed that country's telecommunications industry in the last three years.

Mr. Owusu-Agyapong was speaking at a meeting with a two-man delegation from the Agence Nationale de Reglementation des Telecommunication. The delegation is on a two-day visit to the country to discuss and explore ways to establish co-operation between Ghana and Morocco in telecommunications.

Morocco has seen tremendous growth in telecommunications in the last three years, particularly in the mobile services, increasing the number of subscribers from 150,000 to more than four million. The telecommunications industry in Ghana had to undergo a rapid transformation to improve not only on the existing methods but also to enhance accessibility of communications services, especially Internet and broadband services.

This would also ensure a smooth takeoff of all secondary schools and training colleges offering information technology studies in line with the wish of President Kufuor "We are now trying to get the know-how from the Moroccans, and the best approach to follow is to rapidly transform our telecommunications industry and get value for our shares," theminister said.

The Ministry is learning from Morocco within the timeframe available, and by February 19 this year, when thecontract with the Malaysians is expected to be over, the government would decide what to do. He expressed dissatisfaction about the quality of service of the joint venture with the Malaysians, saying the agreed number of fixed lines had not been achieved, and the Malaysians had not paid any dividend to their shareholders since they began operations.

Mr. Owusu-Agyapong said the Ministry would work to achieve fairness to all partners in the industry. The leader of the Moroccan delegation, Mr. Omar Moudani, said the high level of success of Morocco's communications industry was achieved through a favourable legal and institutional environment.

Coupled with good competition, with the object of maximising service to the customer, "the rules of the gamewere clear and known to all the partners," Mr. Moudani said. According to him studies have shown that the success story of Morocco could be reproduced in Ghana with the type of environment she now operates in.