The Ministry of Communication and Digitalisation has commissioned a Community Information Centre (CIC) at Kokofu in the Ashanti Region to serve as an information hub for businesses, educational institutions and individuals within its catchment area.
This forms part of efforts by the government to leverage ICT to increase productivity; promote economic growth; reduce poverty and bridge the digital divide.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, the Deputy Minister for Communication and Digitalisation, Madam Ama Pomaa-Boateng, noted that the new CIC was an enforcement of the significance of the ICT Capacity Building and Skills Development Programme that has currently trained 3, 169 young people.
She added that it would complement the government’s resolve to maximize the use of technology and ICT services among citizens.
She stated that the current and 3rd cohort of the ICT capacity building programme had trained 3,169 in digital skills courses such as introduction to computer games and animation stories, using scratch, cybersecurity, cybersecurity essentials, introduction to IoT, Python, C++ and entrepreneurship.
The beneficiaries include women entrepreneurs, school dropouts, school leavers, head porters, teachers, students, the youth and persons with disability across all 16 regions of the country, she added.
Madam Pomaa-Boateng stated that the programme forms part of a broader goal of building an inclusive digital society where a lack of digital skills should not be a barrier to participation in the digital economy.
“Thirty new Community Information Centres (CICs) have been established across the country to increase access to ICT equipment and services to unserved and underserved communities,” she said.
On his part, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication (GIFEC), Mr Prince Sefah, mentioned that the Cyber labs programme was aimed at improving access to ICT by providing ICT equipment to schools, institutions and communities.
He stated that the programme had imparted ICT skills and knowledge to citizens, including students, artisans, women entrepreneurs, teachers, and CIC managers since its implementation.
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
