Ghana has exceeded the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of mobile phone penetration level, five years ahead of the 2015 deadline set by the United Nations.
So far, 15,318,225 cellular phone subscribers have been registered in the country, making it one of the highest growing communication sectors in Africa.
The penetration level accomplished this year is nearly 67 per cent and represents a further improvement on 2008 statistics which recorded a mobile phone penetration level of 11,570,430 subscribers
Taking his turn at the meet-the-press series in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Communications, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, said in respect of the MDG which established a minimum penetration level of 25 per cent by 2015, the country had over-achieved its target.
He said the resolve of the government, however, was to strive to secure the availability of telecommunication services that would enable rural areas to actively participate in the digital economy.
On Internet connectivity, the minister said by the end of 2008 the uptake of broadband in Ghana stood at one per cent, which he described as extremely low and inadequate.
He said to improve the ICT outlook required concerted efforts at promoting competitive broadband development and increase bandwidth for accessing ICT and skills acquisition.
He said the National Communications Authority (NCA) had granted licences to land submarine cables to supply additional bandwidth in competition with the existing SAT-3 cable owned by Vodafone.
Mr Iddrisu said the ministry had commenced the implementation of the e-government infrastructure project that would provide a national network for connectivity among ministries, departments, metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies.
He said the ministry was also working with the Ministry of Education to implement the e-education project to make laptops available to schoolchildren at the lower levels of education.
The minister said given the recent spate of fire outbreaks and loss of vital information, the Ministry of Communications had proceeded with the construction of primary and secondary national data centres to store national information in case of fire outbreaks.
He said the ministry was aggressively proceeding with the development of technology parks in the country, in conjunction with the private sector, to support ICT research and development, as well as stimulate the production of ICT products and generate employment
Mr Iddrisu said the ministries of Communications and Trade and Industries were collaborating to develop a technology park in Tema, under the medium, small and micro enterprises project.
On guidelines for the deployment of masts, he said the NCA had finalised the guidelines for commissioning cell sites, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.
The Minister of Information, Mr John Akologo Tia, who chaired the event, said he was particularly happy and pleased with the work of the Ministry of Communications, since it could impact directly on the dissemination of information by his ministry to the general public, especially to those in rural areas of the country.
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