The Deputy Director of the National Information Technology Agency (NITA), Kwaku Kyei Ofori, who is a tech entrepreneur with over 10 years of Technology Management experience is a firm believer that the country’s march towards attaining a 75 percent internet penetration rate or more in less than a decade is attainable.
Available statistics reveal that the internet penetration rate in Ghana presently stands at 50 percent as of 2021, however, the government is striving to achieve the desired rate of 75 percent or more.
Speaking at the 2nd edition of the virtual Mobile Technology for Development (MT4D) conference, he stated that “Looking at the population of 30 million-plus in Ghana, there are a lot of people who are just not connected to the internet or computer savvy – these people might not be able to get to use the internet for now but looking into the future by 2030 to 2035, the younger generation coming up in the age of technology will change the narrative. The younger generation known as Millennials or Generation Y are people born between the early 1980s and 1990s and this generation is heavily dependent on the internet for almost everything they do. We will see a rise in the internet penetration rate past the 75 percent”.
Mr. Kyei Ofori also indicated that the right use of the internet was very key to staying safe online which can be achieved through the proper education of internet users on cyber-ethics and the regulations guarding the cyber-space in Ghana.
He also indicated that the internet provides a larger market for businesses to reach potential customers and the right use of the internet could be used to put businesses online and grow them. It is a game-changer and we cannot afford to gloss over it.
“We cannot force our way to get 75 percent within the shortest possible time, the internet is still young worldwide, and we still growing it, putting the infrastructure together in the next 10 years I foresee younger people who are coming out of our universities are going to be using the internet for almost everything they do,” he stated.
“The post-pandemic world will also mean that more online universities will spring up where a lot more students can be admitted online than the traditional system of classroom schooling. Things will change and the internet will be at the center,” Mr Ofori added.
The government through the Communications Ministry and its agency National Information Technology Agency (NITA) is driving the agenda of the collective use of ICT in all sectors, which Mr. Ofori reckons can position Ghana to benefit from the 4th Industrial Revolution.
He stated that it is important that every Ghanaian, especially the unserved communities have access to meaningful connectivity that is affordable and constant. This he says will facilitate access to information and knowledge sharing, that will enable the average Ghanaian to improve and enhance their daily lives.
“When we hit the 75 percent, our data will be critical therefore our infrastructure and security will have to be beefed up. We have to pay attention to attaining the 75-internet penetration, it has to be achieved in a truly productive way so we do not miss out on the fourth industrial revolution” he added.
