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Government
urged to encourage growth of mobile telephony
Accra, March 18, Ghanadot/GNA – Dr Nicholas Westcott, British
High Commissioner to Ghana on Thursday urged Ghana government to
encourage mobile phone companies to deliver additional value
added services.
He said the use of mobile phones for financial transactions and
the delivery of Internet-based information through 3G services
should be encouraged.
Dr Westcott, who was speaking at a Technology Transfer seminar
under the topic: “ICT Innovation - Government and Development”
said Ghana stood on the cusp of a technological transformation.
“Mobile Telephone Technology creates multiple opportunities for
people to market their own goods more effectively and to develop
services that help the whole economy to grow faster,” he said.
He added that the country could leapfrog in the mobile phone
technology because of the high level of its usage in Ghana.
“Research conducted by the government of Ghana highlights that
IT-enabled industries already employ directly some 2500 people
and that there is serious potential to create another 37,000
direct jobs,” he said.
Dr Westcott lauded Ghana’s IT capacity development and said
British companies setting up in the country were impressed about
that.
He explained that development partners together with the World
Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) were
working with government to promote the growth of the sector.
In addition, he said, the private sector must lead the growth
path in the sector so as to generate the fastest and maximum
benefits expected.
Dr Westcott said the sector is ripe for foreign investors who
could raise enough resources to support the industry even in the
wake of the global downturn.
GNA
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