Information reaching norvanreports indicate that the Government of Ghana (GoG) has been able to secure a loan facility of €155 million (Ghs 1,071,249,888) from the People’s Republic of China.
The loan facility is expected to be used for the implementation of the Rural Telephony Project by the Communications Ministry.
The Rural Telephony Project forms part of efforts by Government to promote digital inclusion and reduce the gap in the digital divide by providing basic voice and data connectivity to underserved areas across the country.
“Network connectivity in the 21st Century has become a basic necessity of life just like water or electricity. However, some 30 per cent of our country’s residents live in rural areas with little or no access to information and communications technology,” said President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the launch of a rural telephony project at New Edubiase in the Ashanti Region on Wednesday.
Disclosing the secured loan facility at the event, the president noted that the project will serve some 3 million Ghanaians.
“The project will provide network coverage to over 300,000 communities and provide an opportunity for over 3 million people to connect to their relatives and friends, enabling these communities to be accessible for social, economic, health and educational engagements, not only with other parts of the country but also with the rest of the world,” said the president.
“The rural telephony project will also provide new areas for ICT growth in Ghana while raising substantially the level of ICT literacy especially during this COVID-19 era where the need for and demand for ICT skills has increased exponentially,” added the president.
