Communication Minister Receives Gambia Counterparts On a 5-Day ICT Study Tour In Ghana

The Minister of Communication, Ursula Owusu Ekuful, has received a seven-member delegation from the Gambia on a 5-day ICT study tour in Ghana.
 
The delegation, led by the Gambian Minister of Information and Communication Infrastructure, Mr. Ebrima Sillah included the Director-General of the Gambian Public Utility and Regulatory Authority (PURA), Mr. Yusupha Jobe, and the Deputy Managing Director for Gambia Telecom (GAMTEL), Mr. Lamin A. Tunkara.
 
They will be studying Ghana’s various ICT and Digital initiatives, projects, programs, and policies with a view to adapting some for their own purposes.
 
The team identified cybersecurity, ICT policy and legal framework, digital economy and identity, expert negotiations, infrastructure sharing, and utilization of local content as some of the areas they would like to learn more about Ghana’s experiences.
 
Ursula Owusu Ekuful urged the team to utilise the World Bank’s support to develop and implement the basic fundamental policies to support their ICT drive.
 
She also emphasised that without political will, their efforts will be thwarted.
 
“I encourage you to adopt the interoperable systems which are scalable and would enable the Gambian government to minimise duplication, waste, and dissipation of resources. It is also critical that every ICT procurement should be done with the input of experts to ensure value for money,” she noted.
 
“Ghana has a common platform for regulatory, fiscal, and financial oversight of the telecom industry. The infrastructure is owned by the government and the country can decide to layer on additional components. The Gambia could emulate this.”
 
Ursula Owusu Ekuful, however, hammered on Ghana’s Rural Telephony Project, providing connectivity to rural communities, cybersecurity, and data protection in the country.
 
“Whilst digitising the various sectors, individual liberties must be respected,” she said.
 
The team will visit the various agencies under the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation to obtain first-hand information about their work. 
 
The sector minister also assured Ghana’s readiness to support Gambia in realising its ICT and Digitalisation objectives.