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Ambassador Commends Ghana’s Tech Delegation in South Korea
Ghana’s newly appointed Ambassador to Korea, Her Excellency Dufie Agyarko Kusi has praised Ghana’s participation in ITU Telecom World this year.
On behalf of Ghana’s Ministry of Communications (MoC), AB2020 spent months coordinating the country’s participation in the four-day event held in Busan, South Korea on 25th-28th September.
Led by Ghana’s Deputy Minister for Communications Honourable George Nenyi Andah, Ghana’s delegation included three MoC agencies, and a selection of Ghana’s leading tech companies (full delegation list below), who each featured in Ghana’s National Pavilion exhibition, and took part in a ‘Ghana Day’ showcase to present their innovations and services to ITU’s global community.
‘Ghana’s presentations were fantastic, the delegation came really well prepared,’ Her Excellency says. ‘I met one Nigerian who said: “[Nigeria] is big as a country in ICT and telecommunications, but I think Ghana is getting bigger than we are’’. I thought, ‘wow’. We really are going somewhere, and I thank you all for the good work that you’ve done.’
ITU Telecom is part of the the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), an agency of the United Nations. ITU Telecom World was launched in 1971 as a global platform for governments, corporates and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to accelerate ICT innovation for economic growth and social good.
Her Excellency says she recalls a time when the platform was hardly known: ‘I moved for a long time in international circles because my husband was working with UNESCO and I was working with the Ghana delegation to UNESCO,’ she explains. ‘I knew about ITU, but at that time back in the 80s and 90s ITU wasn’t such a big or important organisation; it was one of the small organisations operating from Geneva.
‘But now, with the way the world is going, I can say that ITU is probably going to be the most important of the UN organisations very soon.
‘The whole world is going digital, and telecommunications has become a big thing in the world today. With ITU being the umbrella organisation its role in the world is going to expand, and I don’t know when it’s going to stop.’
She adds: ‘It’s not going to be easy with the whole world fighting to obtain supremacy in this area. I hope they do become the biggest organisation in the whole of the UN system, and wish them all the best.’
Ghana Delegation: ITU Telecom World 2017
Ministry of Communications (MoC)
The MoC has the core responsibility of initiating and developing national policies aimed at achieving cost effective information and communications infrastructure and services.
The National Communication Authority (NCA)
The NCA regulates communications by wire, cable, radio, television, satellite and similar means of technology for the development and operation of efficient communications services in Ghana.
The National Information Technology Agency (NITA)
NITA is the agency responsible for implementing Ghana’s IT policies. Its mandate includes identifying, promoting and developing innovative technologies, standards, guidelines and practices among government agencies and local governments.
The Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC)
GIFEC is a Universal Service Fund (USF) under the Ministry of Communications charged with the provision of financial resources to bridge the digital divide between the served and unserved/underserved communities in Ghana.
Subah
Subah is a privately owned Ghanaian company headquartered in Accra, Ghana with operations currently in Ghana, Guinea, and Sierra Leone with a vision ‘to be Number one in ICT solution; and a mission ‘to provide customer-centric and innovative ICT solutions to all its clients’. Subah Telecom helps Governments, Regulators and Telecom Operators in Africa increase tax revenues and profits by reducing SIM Box Fraud and improving Revenue Assurance activities including accurate traffic monitoring.
The Wireless Application Service Providers’ Association of Ghana (WASPAG)
WASPAG is an independent, non-profit self-regulatory body organisation with a remit of representing and self-regulating mobile-based value added services providers, otherwise known as WASPs. WASPAG is recognised by The Telecom Chamber, all mobile network providers in Ghana, the National Communications Authority (NCA) and the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Communications.
Ghana Community Network Services Ltd (GCNet)
GC Net is a Public-Private Partnership that was incorporated in 2000. It has developed and deployed a system for processing trade transactions and Customs clearances, comprising a TradeNet and the Ghana Customs Management System. GCNet has also been recognised and received a number of awards, the latest of which is the Ghana Club 100 Award for the Best ICT Company in Ghana and the GITTA’s 2016 Public Sector e-Solutions and ICT Provider of the Year.
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