News
‘Bridge ICT gap between urban, rural youth’
Even though Ghana has advanced in terms of Information Communication Technology (ICT), there still exist a gap between rural and urban folks when it comes to access to and usage of ICT facilities and the internet, Ms Mercy Dakogri, a Girl-Child Coordinator with the Community Development Alliance, has said.
She made this observation in an interview with The Spectator recently.
According to Ms Dakogri, in the Upper West Region, issues such as poor mobile network connectivity, unavailability of mobile network, inability to afford smart phones and other gadgets that enable internet connectivity, among others have contributed to widening the gap between the rural and the urban folks.
She said the inequalities are believed to worsen when girls are involved because many of the rural girls are unable to access and use the internet in rural areas as most of them do not own smart phones and other internet gadgets.
Ms Dakogri, has therefore called on government and stakeholders to bridge the digital gap between the rural and urban folks in this regard.
She said particular effort should be made to bridge the gap between the two areas to ensure that internet and ICT facilities were made available to indigenes, particularly girls.
According to her, most of the rural communities did not have network connectivity and said those that did, were still faced with network challenges and poor internet connectivity.
She explained that aside the network connectivity, access to basic computers even at the school level in most rural communities in the region was a challenge and prevented children from having access to ICT facilities early enough.
“In this day and era, many schools in rural communities do not have computers or ICT labs so pupils go through the entire basic education and have no idea how a computer even looks like and these are people who are going to compete on the job market with others from bigger towns and cities”, she lamented.
She expressed the belief that deliberate effort to make ICT facilities available at least will be a starting point for bridging the gap as it will ensure that rural folks have access to ICT equipment.
This according to her will help the country meet the goal 10 of the sustainable development goals which focused on reducing inequalities in all spheres of life and called for efforts to bridge the wide ICT gaps between the country’s rural and urban folks.
She was of the opinion that if government and other development agents invested in ICT and internet in rural areas, it would lead to innovative ways of thinking and doing things so that people did not depend on government for employment.
From Lydia Darlington
Fordjour, Wa
The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, has accepted an apology from the Minority leader in Parliament following allegations of corruption in the recruitment process of the security services.
Speaking in Parliament yesterday, he indicated that the accusations were painful because they portrayed his actions in a way that suggested criminal wrongdoing.
“It is painful to be wrongly accused or for your actions to be misconstrued and labelled differently from your intention, especially when it is linked with criminality and serious wrongdoing,” he stated.
Mr Mubarak noted that although he was deeply hurt and worried by the allegations, he had decided to accept the apology wholeheartedly.
According to him, the issue should guide members of the House and public officials to focus on ensuring that the right things are done without attempting to destroy one another.
He assured the Minority that the Interior Ministry and the various security service commanders remain committed to transparency and accountability in their work.
The Minister added that the ministry would be ready to address any concerns raised by the Minority or other members of Parliament regarding recruitment into the security services.
He further appealed to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to consider expunging from the parliamentary records the false comments.
Mr Mubarak expressed appreciation to the Speaker for handling the matter and emphasised the need for cooperation among members of Parliament to ensure fairness and proper oversight.
By: Jacob Aggrey
THE Gospel Advocates (TGA), a non-denominational evangelistic Christian organisation last Saturday donated a number of educational logistics to the Dodi Asantekrom Basic School in the Eastern region of Ghana.
The gesture was to mark the seventh anniversary of the organisation made up of professionals committed to preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to students in senior high schools, particularly in rural communities.
TGA also seeks to inspire students towards attaining academic excellence and guiding them towards optimising the various learning opportunities and academic programmes available at the tertiary level.
Among the items donated were 100 desks, 10 cupboards, 10 desktop computers, two laptops, 10 teachers’ tables and chairs and others.
The group also held its annual outreach programme that had a significant impact in the community through initiatives such as feeding 500 children with hot meals and assorted drinks, providing free medical screening and drugs for 500 adults and youth and conducting health education and sensitisation for both children and adults.
TGA also took upon itself to restock the community clinic with essential medicines and distributed food items, plastic bowls, cups and clothing to members of the community.
The initiative, according to officials of the group, was supported by ORSAM Limited, Doctors Save Lives Foundation, Johnson Tord Foundation, El-Shaddai Mothercare, Exceed Alliance Limited, GB Foods Ghana Limited, Qualiplast Limited, Phyto-Riker (Gihoc) Pharmaceuticals Limited, Cosa Bright Ghana, Kabs Pharmacy, Tobinco Pharmaceuticals, Pill Bay Pharmacy and Bamah 3.7.7.
“We are deeply grateful for their immense support and partnership in bringing hope, relief, and practical assistance to the people of Dodi Asantekrom,” the officials said.
In a statement, the President and Chairman of The Gospel Advocates, Mr. Selom Kpikpitse, said the donation to Dodi Asantekrom forms part of TGA’s broader mission to propagate the gospel of Jesus Christ among students and youth in rural communities through teachings, music and arts.
He explained that the meals provided to over 500 pupils were in line with the organization’s annual “Feed the Kidz Project,” which demonstrates Christ’s love.
Receiving the items on behalf of the school, the Headmaster, Mr. Otumfour Newton, expressed gratitude to TGA and its sponsors, saying that “the items would significantly enhance teaching and learning while improving the overall welfare and development of the pupils.”
Mr. Newton also commended the team for the free medical screenings for adults and youth in the community, and other community engagements.
Medical supplies were also donated to the Dodi Asantekrom CHPS compound and received on behalf of the facility by Mr. Amefu, a Physician Assistant.
By Spectator Reporter
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