Use Ghanaian developed Open Source Software - ISOC

Mr Marcus Adomey, the President, Internet Society (ISOC) Ghana Chapter, has advocated the use of Ghanaian developed Open Source Software (OSS) to help build better internet programmes.

OSS is a type of computer software where source code is released under a license in which the copyright holder grants users the rights to study, change, and distribute the software to anyone and for any purpose.

He said there was the need to develop an innovative software that focused on addressing issues in specific areas in the Ghanaian economies.

Mr Adomey said this during the opening of the 2019 Software Freedom Day (SFD) in Accra aimed at increasing awareness of Free Software and its virtues, and encouraging its use.

The event, on the theme: “Innovation, Artificial Intelligence and Open Source Technology,” was organized by Linux User Group Ghana, in collaboration with ISOC Ghana and Ghana-India Kofi Annan ICT Centre of Excellence (AITI-KACE).

It took place concurrently at the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Advanced Information Technology Institute in Accra, Bolatanga and Sunyani.

Mr Adomey said ISOC Ghana had started the Management Information Systems for Basic Schools in Ghana, a software, which helped to keep track of the child’s record from his or her entry at kindergarten to exit at junior high school.

He said it would also enable parents to monitor their children’s performance in school via web or mobile apps, as well as enable the Ghana Education Services and the Government to have intelligence for planning and decision making.

Mr Adomey said the internet society believed that everyone who used internet must be part of the decision making process for its governance.

He said in 2011, the Internet Society Ghana Chapter took the initiative, with support from the Free Software and Open Source Software Foundation for Africa, to organise the first multi-stakeholder Internationally Generated Fund in Ghana under the auspices of the Ministry of Communications.

Mr Adomey noted that spurred on by its mission; “To promote the open development, evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit of all people throughout the world,” the Internet Society works with countries and community partners to support network development.

He said inspired by the vision of the Internet Society, the Ghana Chapter had been instrumental in developing capacity of technical community through its Ghana Network Operators’ Group project, which had trained more than 200 young people in engineering scalable management of Internet infrastructure in Ghana.

Mr Kwasi Adu-Gyan, the Director-General of AITI-KACE, said the use of the OSS was growing at an exponential rate, especially by governments and companies who were keen to reduce cost.

He said the Nyansapo Operating System, Ghana’s indigenous solution, would save government an estimated $20 million annually.

“These are substantial savings that was certain to drive Ghana’s development beyond aid and inject pace on our journey towards digital transformation.”

Mr Adu-Gyan said as a Centre it would continue to provide innovative and cost-effective business and e-governance solutions using open source technologies adding that its doors were opened to any organisation intending to work with it.