Ursula Owusu-Ekuful
MINISTER FOR Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has reiterated the government’s commitment to building strong partnerships and formulating policies for digital technologies that would drive the socio-economic development of the country.
She said Ghana considers the collaborative platforms initiated by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the various Regional and Global partnerships essential to the growth of not only the Africa region but all member states for a collective benefit.
According to her, “Ghana will continue to serve the ITU community, and as we seek reelection to the council, we are counting on your vote and support to retain Ghana as a council member to continue serving you diligently.”
She was speaking at the 2022 International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-2022) in Bucharest, Romania.
She expressed the opinion that the global COVID-19 crisis can be transformed into an opportunity through digital technology.
According to Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful, the government has also introduced initiatives that are aimed at narrowing the digital divide and empowering citizens to embrace the use of ICT.
She revealed that the implementation of the Rural Telephony Project had already connected over 3 million people, noting that, the previously unconnected people now had equal access to the innovations which were introduced by the Government in Ghana’s digital transformation journey under the leadership of President Akufo-Addo.
She said that the government was also taking all the prerequisite steps to ensure secure and resilient cyberspace for sustained digital transformation while taking into consideration the utilisation of ITU guidelines.
“Ghana is actively promoting cybersecurity not only for our benefit but for the sub-region as a whole. Ghana’s ranking on the 2021 ITU Global Cybersecurity Index improved to 86.69%, up from 32.6% in 2017. We seek partnerships and international cooperation to do even better for our entire sub-region,” she explained.
She said “The Government of Ghana is determined to provide the necessary digital infrastructure, a conducive legal and regulatory environment, build digital capabilities to enhance the adoption and use of ICT and digital innovation, and close all digital gaps to propel our digital transformation. In pursuit of this, Ghana reiterates its commitment to working with the ITU to achieve its strategic objectives for the benefit of all ITU member states.”
BY Jamila Akweley Okertchiri