Republic of Ghana


National ICT Policy and Plan Development Committee



The National ICT4AD Consultative Pocess

Dialogue with the Value Added Service Providers

The National ICT Policy and Plan Development Committee met with the Value Added Service Providers on the 16th October 2002 as part of the National Consultative exercise aimed at developing an ICT-driven socio-economic development policy and plan.

List of Participants

• There is the need for the policy process to address issues related to the ‘Quality of Service’ (QoS).

• A good Infrastructure should be put in place with more focus being placed on the Regulator as the Enabler to ensure commitments to the Quality of Service and Standards.

• It is important to furnish the educational sector with the necessary facilities to enable them have access to the Internet to make ICTs more useful.

• The Intranet system linking schools must be encouraged to foster the sharing of ideas and promote learning in the educational sector.

• Internet Service Providers must be allowed to use any of the innovative infrastructures available on the market to deliver services without any limitations.

• ·It would be important for the Government to set-aside some funds for the development of Internet in Ghana
  for improving universal access.

• In order to reduce the cost of Computers and its accessories to make them affordable to all, the Policy must address issues relating to the taxes and levies paid on these items.
  
  It is important for the policy to address issues relating to the challenges faced by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in rolling out their services to other regions of the country outside the Capital.

• The problems facing the Telecommunications sector must be addressed since Internet Services are value added services and dependent on the telecommunications infrastructure.

• There is the need for ISPs to migrate to digital services to enhance and improve their quality of service. Issues related to interconnectivity of services must also be addressed as a matter of priority.

Next - meeting with Private Enterprise Foundation