Government hopes to record improved telecom service delivery once work on the last line to connect communities along the fibre optic highway is completed.
Minister for Communication, Mrs Ursula Owusu Ekuful, is hopeful the completion of the last bit of the Eastern Corridor Fibre Optic Extension project will provide the robust fibre network on which the digitization process of the country will ride.
“Hopefully by the end of the first term of this government, we will not only have a robust fibre network in place, but we would have done the last mile connectivity to ensure that every part of this country can enjoy decent voice and data connectivity.”
Mrs Ekuful disclosed this at the handover and acceptance ceremony of the Accra to Ho portion of the Eastern Corridor Fibre Optic project.
The €3.8 million project was funded by the Danish government and undertaken by Nokia with Kenpong Construction being the sub-contractor.
Nokia Denmark’s Export Director, Jan Plenge performed the official handing over to the Minster of Communication, with the President and CEO of Kenpong Construction, Mr Kennedy Agyepong in attendance.
The entire eastern corridor fibre project spanning Bawku through Ho to Accra funded with a mixed credit facility of over €42million from Denmark connects 120 communities along the route with major towns like Kpando, Jasikan, Nkwanta, Bimbilla, Yendi, Gushegu connected.
Acknowledging the incapacity of government to operate and maintain the infrastructure over the long term, the minister revealed that processes to commercialise such assets were almost complete to allow for the optimum benefit to be derived from them.
She stated that the project would promote the optimum use of technology across all sectors of the country including the various state institutions having access to the GIFMIS platform to process their financial transaction.
The minister emphasised government’s determination to make the rural farmer have access to the telecom services even on his farm to transact business to ensure the country creates a digital economy.
The Danish Ambassador to Ghana, Tove Degnbol, described the project as the “backbone of the digitization strategy of Ghana” which will create the condition for the roll out of the Ghana Card and the Ghana Post GPS.
She called for a viable financial solution involving the private sector to take on the operation of the infrastructure so government would have the space to focus on other areas.
The Eastern Corridor Fibre Optic cable links Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso and also with a connection to the undersea cable.
By Godfred Tawiah Gogo
