IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

There has been a lot of discussion lately about the Millennium Development Goals and, of course, how we need to push harder to reach them. Technology is an area that is cause-agnostic--from health to education to human rights, technology can be an end in itself, but more often it's a tool to reach a desired end. In that vein, Novartis' Foundation for Sustainable Development has announced that it is partnering with Columbia University's Earth Institute to boost telemedicine in the rural village of Bonsaaso, Ghana, as part of the Ghana Telemedicine Project.

He said the current situation where the ccTLD was being managed by a private company was not good enough to ensure efficiency in domain name registration in the country.

Mr Akumiah told the Ghana News Agency in an interview after presenting a paper at a forum organised by the Ghana chapter of Internet Society (ISOC) in Accra that ccTLD was very sensitive and represented a national resource, which must be protected.

This, they advocate against the backdrop of last Thursday January 21st nationwide internet blackout which they say could have been largely better managed if the requisite infrastructural needs were in place.

The scheme of service is to attract IT professionals into the civil and public services and also devise means to keep such professionals within the mainstream of government's development agenda.

The Public Sector Reforms Minister, Mr Samuel Owusu-Agyei, , under whose ministry the e-governance is being spearheaded, has observed that, a proposal to set up a bilateral working group to work on the blue print for the pilot phase had been agreed upon by both countries.

Dr Somuah however insists government is advancing measures to ensure a full takeoff of a strong IT backbone for institutions of state to ensure a smooth flow of information in the country.

Infrastructure development growth rate has been phenomenal over the years and this can be attributed to the country's good governance and the enabling policies as well as legislature introduced over the years.

The Minister for Communications, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, stated this when he took his turn at the meet-the-press series to interact with the media and the general public on the progress of the Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Accra yesterday.

Finishing touches, as regards petty flouting regulations on the drafted document have been completed by the Attorney General's Department and select committee's of Cabinet and the document is ready for Cabinet’s assessment and approval, according to the Outgoing Minister of Communications, Mike Oquaye, in an interview with The Statesman.

The 'Open Source' software, which is non-proprietary, has a source code that is transparent, and allows rights to users, which would otherwise be prohibited by copyright. Because of its transparency, bugs or security flaws could be quickly discovered, and patched.

Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Communications who announced this when touring e-government project sites in Accra on Friday, said both parties had almost reached the conclusion stage of the negotiations.

Mr Iddrisu, accompanied by his Deputy, Mr Gideon Quarcoo, toured sites including Burma Camp and Police Headquarters where telecommunication masts were being constructed to enhance communication among the country's security agencies.

Presenting the State of the Nation Address, President John Agyekum Kufuor said the ICT revolution was fundamentally changing the way the world worked and decreasing the marginal cost of production and raising productivity across industries.

Speaking at an E-Governance Conference in Accra last Tuesday on the theme "Utilising ICT for more efficient, effective and inclusive governance," Dr. Spio-Garbrah said "If governments' reports regularly on the state of projects and other expenditures on their websites, citizens will be able to know and monitor what is going on.

The project covers the deployment of a nation-wide dedicated telecommunications network to all districts and connection of public institutions, ministries, departments and agencies, as well as metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to a single shared communications and computing infrastructure.

Mr Haruna Iddrissu, Minister of Communications, announced these in an address read on his behalf at the opening of a two-day Commonwealth African Rural Connectivity Initiative In-Country workshop, in Sunyani on Tuesday.

The electronic platform seeks to provide standards to guide the deployment of networks among Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for easy information sharing and exchange within the public service.

Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Communications who announced this when touring e-government project sites in Accra on Friday, said both parties had almost reached the conclusion stage of the negotiations.

Mr Iddrisu, accompanied by his Deputy, Mr Gideon Quarcoo, toured sites including Burma Camp and Police Headquarters where telecommunication masts were being constructed to enhance communication among the country's security agencies.

This is part of the government's efforts to ensure affordable access to high-speed broadband throughout the country. He said the first phase, which involved the upgrading of existing fibre optic within the southern triangle and extension of same to reach the middle part of the country, was underway and the second phase would extend the facility to the northern sector.