Republic of Ghana



National ICT Policy and Plan Development Committee



The National ICT4AD Consultative Pocess

Dialogue with a section of the ICT Community

The National ICT Policy and Plan Development Committee met with a section of the ICT Community on Wednesday, the 11th of December 2002 as part of the national consultative process. During the dialogue a Presentation was made detailing the poor state of the Ghanaian economy and making the case for the use of ICT for Development Process.

The meeting was attended by ICT Users, Computer Associations, IT Institutions, Internet Society, Professional Bodies and the general public.

List of Participants

• The study of ICT should begin from the basic level to the tertiary level. There is the need to address the issue of deployment of ICTs within the broad educational system vis-à-vis structures that will make ICTs easily accessible.

• There is the need for the Government to have a clear vision and focus for ICT as an enabler for socio-economic development.

• To enhance the country’s development the educational system must be improved; high literacy rate is a necessary tool for development.

• It is important for employers to re-train their employees in the use of ICTs to be able to harness the full potential of ICTs for the development of their organizations and the nation as a whole.

• The cost and duties paid on computers must be reduced to be able to make it affordable to the mass of people to enhance the use of the ICTs for development.

• It is important for the mind-set of people to be changed to reflect this new era of technological advancement. Attitudinal changes must be addressed as a matter of priority.

• The Legal and Regulatory framework must be properly addressed by the Government. There should be in place some control mechanisms to govern the public sector for a well-coordinated approach to ICT.

• It is vital for the curriculum of most Institutions to be amended to reflect the needs of the times and it would be expedient for the Government to declare a state of emergency on ICT and champion the cause of ICT.

• There is the need for the Government to improve the facilities of the rural areas to enable them get on board on the ICT train. It is important to equip them with electricity, telecommunication infrastructure etc in order to deploy ICT in these areas.