The National ICT4AD Consultative Pocess

The National ICT Policy And Plan Development Committee had a Public Forum with the Staff and Students of the Kwame Nkrumanh University of Science and Technology on the 16th December 2002 as part of the National Consultative exercise aimed at developing an ICT-driven socio-economic development policy and plan.

A presentation was made by Professor Clement Dzidonu Chairman of the National ICT Policy and Plan Development Committee on the topic: ‘The Ghana ICT for Accelerated Development Process: The Challenge of Our Time’. A supporting presentation was also made by Dr. Nii Narku Quaynor, a member of the UN ICT Task Force.

List of Participants

• There is the need for Ghana to consider the assembling of its own computers by the universities to reduce the cost of importing computers into the country and develop local expertise

• It is important for the Policy to come out with a more effective, efficient and economically cheaper means of accessing telephones and the computers to make ICT accessible to all.

• There is the need to ensure that the service providers like Ghana Telecom, Scancom, Millicom and the various Internet Service Providers (ISPs) etc deliver on their words.

• The policy must make provision for improving the lower-level use of the computer from the basic school level. It is important for ICT to be linked to all sectors of Ghanaian economy and society.

• There is the need for the Committee to address the issue of work ethics among the people of this country. The Committee must also meet with the Trade Unions Congress (TUC) and sensitise them on how good job attitudes can be instilled in Ghanaians since the ICT industries will require hard working and dedicated workers.
• The deployment of ICT in Ghana should be started from the Basic Level to the Tertiary Level.

• There is the need for the curriculum of the Universities and learning institutes to be upgraded to reflect the demands of the times.

• Telecommunication should be expanded to reach the mass of the people. The private sector should be encouraged to develop some of the infrastructure facilities.

• There is the need for the Government to provide the necessary logistics to train the computer scientist for the country.

• To reduce the high level of brain drain in the country the necessary support should be given to computer scientist and other graduates to enable them get practical experience within the country.

• Employment opportunities for the Computer Scientist must be readily available to entice more Students to take up the challenge and offer more programmes in Information Technology.

• There is the need for the Computer Science Department in the Universities to be restructured to reflect the demands of the day, the necessary resources should be provided for the training of students.

• Students need to be involved in IT research activities and their final thesis well coordinated towards national development.

• There is the need to look at how Public and Private libraries would be equipped with Internet facilities. It is also necessary to include a policy on how universities could collaborate with industries (local and foreign) to encourage technology transfer.

• It is important for more emphasis to be placed on Research & Development (R&D); the expertise of graduates could be tapped for this purpose.

• There is the need to source for finance from all sectors to make ICT available at all levels.

Next - Meeting with Banking and Financial Institutions