MTN Ghana has partnered with the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication (GIFEC) to re-launch the Rural Telephony Project in Ghana.

In effect, President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, launched the project, in Abenaso, in the Eastern Region, meant to connect the town and surrounding communities with ICT facilities and telecommunication services.

The project, which is aimed at providing fast and reliable mobile telephony connectivity in rural parts of the country, is also to ensure that Ghanaians enjoy the full benefits of the internet and emergence of digital technology.

Developed in-house by engineers from MTN and Huawei using a re-farmed spectrum within the 900 MHz band approved by the National Communications Authority (NCA), the rural start solution was recently adjudged the Best Mobile Innovation for Emerging Markets Award by GSMA during the 2018 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

President Akufo-Addo also urged the youth gathered “to take advantage of the opportunities that will be afforded to you by this facility. You are living in perhaps the most exciting time in our history, so please make the best of it. Some say this is our time. I say this is your time, and tomorrow will be the time of your children.”

Speaking during the launch the Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, Selorm Adadevoh reiterated MTN’s commitment to lead the delivery of a bold digital world hence the urgent need to contribute its quota in bridging the digital divide in Ghana by providing coverage for unserved and underserved rural communities.

He expressed confidence in the positive impact the project will have on the rural community and on the economy as a whole.

“We believe this project will help reduce the increasing trend in rural urban migration. This is because our communities will have full access to the digital world which provides limitless opportunities for business growth, educational development, agricultural development, access to healthcare and the opportunity to trade in digital products and services. It will also attract tourists, knowing that they will not be entirely cut off from the rest of the world because of poor network services when they visit,” he said.

Through MTN and GIFEC partnership, the first phase of the rural telephony project has so far witnessed the activation of 98 out of 100 sites across nine regions in Ghana. The second phase according to the MTN CEO involving 200 sites are currently at various stages of completion and are scheduled to be fully operational before December, 2018.