Thu, 11 Dec 2003 14:49:11 GMT

Ghana – an African ICT Showcase.

There is no doubt that African nations are not being left out of WSIS. One of the countries that is making its voice heard at the Summit is Ghana. Ghana, a peaceful and stable country in West Africa is gearing itself up towards becoming the 'Silicon Valley' of the region. At a WSIS press conference today, the Minister of Communications of Ghana, Mr Kan Dapaah, spoke about how the country is poised for rapid expansion in the ICT sector, and called on investors to take advantage of the favourable climate in his country.

The Government is building an ultra modern, fully equipped technology park, it was reported, which it believes will catapult Ghana's ICT sector into the twenty-first century.

In a significant initiative last week, the Governments of India and Ghana inaugurated the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence for Communications and Information Technology in the capital Accra. This constitutes a perfect example of how developing countries are helping each other bridge the digital divide, and, in the words of the UN Secretary-General, is a “tangible contribution to the United Nationsâ global mission of peace and our efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals”.

Ghana is also home to the largest cybercafé in Africa to date, BusyInternet, with 100 PCs available for public use.

[ITU Strategy and Policy Unit Newslog]