Republic of Ghana


National ICT Policy and Plan Development Committee



The National ICT4AD Consultative Pocess

THE ICT FOR GOVERNMENT CONFERENCE

The National ICT Policy and Plan Development Committee participated at the ICT For Government Conference on the 23rd of January 2003 as part of the National Consultative exercise aimed at developing an ICT-driven socio-economic development policy and plan.

The Committee had the opportunity to interact with participants from the Public and Private sector.

A presentation was made by the Chairman of the National ICT Policy and Plan Development Committee, Professor Clement Dzidonu on the topic: ‘The Ghana ICT for Accelerated Development Process: Developing a Policy and a Plan’.

Some of the key Comments & Contributions

• There is the need for the Government to make business the hub of the Policy wheel, the Government must link the various sectors and absorb the cost at the initial stage of implementing the Policy.

• It is necessary for the Government to encourage locally assembled computers to enable more people to get access to the ICTs at a reasonable cost.

• It is important for the policy to take into account training of disadvantaged people to harness their potential for the National interest.

• The Infrastructure development of the country should be tackled seriously for decentralization of ICT to take place in all districts to facilitate socio-economic development of the country.

• There is the need for the Government to focus on the education from the Basic level to the Tertiary level. The curriculum of these institutions must also be revised to reflect the needs of the country.

• The necessary resources must be available in the educational institutions to facilitate the teaching and learning of ICTs in these institutions.

• The Government must address in the Policy issues relating to the duties and taxes paid on computers and accessories to make it affordable to most people to spread the literacy rate.

• There is the need for the Legal and Regulatory framework to ensure that the telecommunication operators follow required standards and provide quality service to customers.

• The general telecommunication facilities in the country must be improved and spread to all the districts, towns and villages in the country since the spread of ICT would rely heavily on this facility.

• The Committee was encouraged to develop specific policies on ICTs to promote tourism since the sector holds so much potential for poverty alleviation and socio-economic development.

• There is need to address policy issues relating to Human Resource Development. It is important for all employers to re-train their staff to make them ICT literate and a must for all new employees.

• The Government must encourage Women and the Youth both in and out of school to be part of the ICT process

Next - Dialogue with the Directors of the Research Institutes of the CSIR