MTN CEO (right), Ursula Owusu-Ekuful (middle) at the virtual sod-cutting ceremony of the Ghana ICT Hub project in Accra
MTN Ghana has announced that it has invested $25 million to support the construction of the ICT Hub project aimed at developing an ICT ecosystem.
The ICT project will help in the areas of health, agriculture, and education through on-site and remote access delivery to facilitate skills development and job creation for the youth in Ghana.
The ICT Hub is a physical infrastructure designed to provide 4,000 square meters of space with ancillary facilities and unique features. Upon completion, the hub is expected to train over 200,000 youth with ICT and digital skills. It is also expected to generate more than 100,000 jobs within the first three years.
It also features an ultra-modern office facility, providing office spaces and meeting venues for more than 100 tech companies that will incubate cutting-edge ideas and innovations, driving start-up buzz in the hub after completion.
Speaking at the virtual sod-cutting ceremony in Accra, the CEO OF MTN Ghana, Selorm Adadevoh, affirmed MTN’s commitment to supporting the government’s digitisation drive through the construction of an ICT robotic laboratory across the country.
This is purposely to equip the teeming youth with hands-on skills in robotics, innovation, and artificial intelligence.
Mr. Adadevoh revealed that the Ghana ICT Hub project is part of a broader project called the “Ghana Innovation Hub” project.
“Our dream to transform Ghana through ICT enablement has no boundaries. The whole project is scheduled to be completed in approximately 18 months,” he added.
In his concluding remarks, Mr. Adadevoh indicated that it is imperative for Ghana’s youth to be equipped with ICT and digital skills to stay relevant and competitive. This is especially true in the region when thinking of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“Beyond that, ICT is being used globally to solve the many problems our society is bedeviled with. As an organisation that leads digital solutions for Africa’s progress, we know that re-skilling and up-skilling Africa’s youth is critical if Africa has a chance to stamp its mark on the global battleground.
“This is exactly what our ambition 2025 strategy aims to achieve by driving us to lead digital solutions for Africa’s progress. Our aim is to accelerate growth by building the largest and most valuable digital platform businesses fueled by youth,” he noted.
Board Chair, MTN Ghana, Ishmael Yamson also noted that the Digital ICT Hub provides a platform for technology solutions development by SMEs and other entrepreneurs. This is a means to incubate transformative products aimed at solving local problems.
“The Digital ICT hub will be provisioned to develop ICT skills for the youth all over Ghana and this should result in ICT skills enhancement and capacity building; it will also help develop an ICT ecosystem through remote access delivery to facilitate job creation for national development,” he stated.
Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, welcomed MTN Group’s decision to build an ICT hub in Ghana as part of its 25th anniversary.
“I wish to express the Government’s gratitude to the MTN Group and MTN Ghana leadership for this kind gesture. I must say that your continuous commitment, partnerships, and efforts to be at the forefront of championing digital innovations in Ghana are extremely commendable. This ICT hub will facilitate the paradigm shift needed to accelerate Ghana’s progress towards the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals,” she pointed out.
Ms. Owusu-Ekuful, who doubles as MP for Ablekuma South, said Technology and Innovation have become an intrinsic part of the digital future, as the government is focused on ensuring that the youth will not be ill-equipped to participate in the digital economy (valued at $20 trillion by 2025) and also to systematically create opportunities for homegrown start-ups in the space, to create value and wealth for our people.
“As a way of addressing the gaps, the Ghana Digital Centers Limited (GDCL), a state-of-the-art mini-tech hub, was established to harness Ghana’s digital potential by driving digital innovation and entrepreneurship to create digitised and ancillary jobs for the youth through the hosting of Tech firms and Digital startups,” she disclosed.
Ms. Owusu-Ekuful further indicated that the Centre has attracted a mix of technology ventures of various sizes and stages. These ventures include Start-Ups, SMEs, and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Companies. It has also built the capacity of over 5,000 Ghanaian youth through different digital training programmes in digital marketing, call centre skills, basic IT, Microsoft Office Suite, and BPO skills among others.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke