New Learning Centre for the British Council opened

Accra, Oct. 21, GNA- President John Agyekum Kufuor on Tuesday said government was working towards the establishment of the Inter-connectivity broadband to enable Ghanaians, especially the business community and students to access and hook in with their business counterparts and major learning centres around the world. He said it would,in addition make more of the citizenry aware of the global village.

President Kufuor was speaking at the inauguration of a new Knowledge and Learning Centre for the British Council in Accra.

The Centre, the first to be inaugurated in Sub-Saharan Africa would offer increased access to more people both within and beyond the Council's office in Accra, particularly to resource in the UK, information and knowledge relevant to Ghana.

It would also offer a wider range of flexible learning opportunities for learners, making users aware of the enhanced quantity and quality of opportunities, range and relevance of UK education to the mutual benefit of Ghana and the UK.

President Kufuor said government appreciated the indispensability of mastering the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a vehicle for mastering the affairs of Ghana in the global context. He said the Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence for Training of Trainers in ICT being established with the assistance of the Indian government was expected to be inaugurated in December.

President Kufuor commended the Council for its continued effort to promote and strengthen the historical and cultural bonds between Ghana and Great Britain since its began operations in Ghana about 60 years ago.

"The services of the Council provided a vital but relaxed and informal backdrop to strengthen the formal diplomatic and bilateral relations between the two nations", he added.

President Kufuor said it was gratifying that with the inauguration of the Centre, the Council was contributing to empowering Ghanaians further to equip themselves with relevant information and knowledge to reduce the marginalisation that had tended to be the lot of developing countries.

"Government fervently hopes that these important assets would be fully exploited by the citizenry", he said.

Dr Rod Pullen, British High Commissioner in Ghana, said because of the close relationship between both countries over the years, Britain and Ghana shared many aspects of a common heritage.

He said an important part of that common heritage for the past 60 years had been the Council.

Dr Pullen said although both Britain and Ghana had been independent sovereign nations for almost 50 years, they had shared partnership as members of the Commonwealth.

"It is this modern relationship between us, which continues to develop, not only between the two countries but between the peoples in every walk of life", he said.