GHANA’S COMMUNITY INFORMATION CENTRES PROJECT ON COURSE

By Mawutodzi K. Abissath

Daily Graphic Thursday, May 29, 2008

SHALL we refresh our memory with this simple, but tricky African proverb which says: "If your hair is dirty and you do not submit your head to a barber, nobody will cut the hair for you?" To wit: "No initiative, no end result."

 Information and Communication technology (ICT) has not only succeeded in transforming the world into a miniature community, but has also made it possible for mankind to be developing another dwelling place beyond the moon, besides the planet Earth. However,  it seems to this author that the rate at which other continents are scrambling for space in the space, and the pace at which Africa is crawling scientifically and technologically, it may take another two centuries, that is, perhaps in the 23^rd  century before Africa can book a place in the space.

Fortunately for Africa, however, even though the continent itself seems to be hopeless technologically, there are abundant individual African citizens dotted in all corners of the globe who are contributing technologically to the advancement of mankind into the space. This author can cite at least one citizen of Africa - a Ghanaian to be precise, by the name Dr Ashitey Trebi-Ollenu, who is a Member of the NASA Mars Rover Mission in America. So, therefore, there is hope for Africa scientifically and technologically.

In 2003, the Government of Ghana completed the formulation of a comprehensive lCT Policy for the nation. It is known as Ghana Information and Communication Technology for Accelerated Development (lCT4AD). It was spearheaded by the Ministry of Communications. It may, however, be of historical interest to state in passing that the work on the ICT Policy for Ghana actually started in October 1998 by the then NDC1 government.

A National Communications Policy Conference dubbed, COMPOL '98, involving all stakeholders in the ICT sector was held at the Accra International Conference Centre in Accra. The policy document was finalised in October 2000 at Akosombo for the approval of Cabinet. However, due to bureaucracy, the then Cabinet could not pass the Communications Bill before elections 2000.

Then in September 2001, the NPP government also organised another National Communications Policy Conference, held at GIMPA, to review and update the Communications Policy Document formulated by the previous government. The result is what is today referred to as Ghana lCT Policy for Accelerated Development.

 It is commendable to observe that when one government initiates a project or programme, which is in the national interest, another government will take it up, review it, update and improve upon it, instead of throwing it out altogether. (And it is recalled that it was on that fateful Tuesday of September 11, 2001, when the communication conference was opened at GIMPA that the tragic news of terrorist bombing of the World Trade Centre flashed across the globe).

Within the framework of lCT4AD, the Government of Ghana has embarked upon several projects, including the E-Ghana Project to transform Ghana into an information enabled society for knowledge-based economic development. But the focus of this piece is on the Community Information Centres (CICs) project, which is not only human-centered, but under privileged rural dweller-centered as well.

As a matter of fact, the CICs project also falls within the frame work of World Summit on Information Society (WSIS), where all nations are enjoined to attain certain targets, including the provision of ICT access and skills to the underprivileged and rural dwellers globally. And one concrete strategy the Government of Ghana adopted to attain this target was to establish community information centres in all the 230 constituencies throughout the country.

Beyond WSIS's broad objective for all nations, the Government of Ghana set its own clear-cut and specific objectives to use the CICs project to bridge the digital divide between urban and rural dwellers in the country.

The government aims at demystifying that xenophobic aura surrounding computers by taking ICT to the doorstep of the deprived and neglected brothers and sisters in remote rural areas through the community information centres in about 170 districts in Ghana.

The CICs are to serve as training centres where acquisition of ICT skills and knowledge is provided for the underprivileged. The CICs are to bring government services online, closer to the people at the grass roots. Rural school pupils and students can access online library facilities from top educational institutions in any part of world.

In fact, the CICs are to serve as a hub in the provision of Wide Area Network for various district offices of the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies as well as private business entities, NGOs, community-based organisations and women groups operating in rural zones of the country. The government is financing the CICs project through HIPC funds, with support of the country office of the UNDP in Accra.

The Ghana Investment Fund for Telecommunications (GIFTEL), under the supervision of the Ministry of Communications, is facilitating the provision of connectivity and infrastructure to the CICs that have been constructed at underserved/un-served and remote areas.

The project is being implemented jointly with the Ministry of Information and National Orientation (MINO), in terms of content development of the CICs nationwide with technical and administrative support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with particular reference to ICT capacity building for information officers throughout the country.

For instance, between May 2007 and April 2008, MINO was able to provide basic ICT capacity building to over 100 of its district information officers, public relations officers and journalists. Some of the areas covered through workshops and seminars include computer literacy, online journalism, content development and information technology management, thanks to the UNDP.

As of December 2007, GIFTEL was also able to provide training for over 300 persons from decentralized organisations in 22 beneficiary districts in the country. These are people trained specifically to manage the CICs. Records also show that Wide Area Network had been completed to extend Internet connectivity to 26 CICs.

Further, 37 CICs are currently said to be operational with the full complement of computers; Local Area Network and Wide Area Network. According to Mr Samuel Mensah, Director of Administration at GIFTEL, a total of 110 computers had been deployed at 22 new CICs in some selected districts in the country.

It is important to clarify the point that more CICs are reported to be at various stages of development, which an ICT technical person will be in a better position to explain or comment on. But it is gratifying to note that slowly, but steadily, Ghana's community information centres project is on course. And all things being equal, as this author was assured, HE President J.A. Kufuor will officially inaugurate some selected CICs nationwide before the end 2008.

The author works with Information Services Department (ISD) abissath@gmail.om

NB: This article was first published by the Daily Graphic Thursday, May 29, 2008