The MTN ICT Centre at Techimantia
Ghana?s leading telecommunication company, MTN has constructed state-of-the-art Information Communications Technology (ICT) centre at Techimantia, near Bechem in the Tano South District of the Brong Ahafo region.
The centre, which is connected to the internet, is the third of 10 MTN and UNDP Centres of Learning to be commissioned across the country in less than 12 months.
At a colourful ceremony to commission the $100,000 project on Friday at Techimantia, the Corporate Services Executive of MTN, Cynthia Lumor, said MTN always sets the pace for others to follow and so after realizing the ICT deficit in the country, the company took up the challenge to complement government efforts in this area.
?We from MTN are extremely delighted today to see the completion of this ICT project. I am confident that it is going to have a meaningful impact on the lives of the people in the community,? she stated, adding ?The use of the internet and other technologies is very crucial to the development of the Ghanaian economy and MTN remains committed to ensuring that our communities are connected.?
According to her, the initiative was in support of efforts to bridge the digital divide between the served and underserved communities and also to support the implementation of the mandatory ICT component of the New Educational Reform, noting, ?Our objective is to deploy 10 project sites, with one in each of the beneficiary communities in all 10 regions of Ghana.?
She added: ?The use of ICT in Ghana today is slowly increasing to an appreciable level and it is shaping and contributing immensely to the development of the youth and the country as a whole.?
Statistics from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) indicates that about three billion people, constituting half of the world?s population reside in rural communities.
They are mainly poor, less educated, deprived and the least connected to ICTs.
Mrs. Lumor further explained that the ICT learning centres project was an intervention designed to address key issues of quality human capacity development, wealth creation through the promotion and development of entrepreneurship and empowerment of vulnerable groups through improved access to and usage of information.
The corporate services executive noted that MTN had identified the people of Brong Ahafo as key business partners as the company had planned a sustainable initiative aimed at supporting people in the region in the areas of health, education, entertainment, sports and entrepreneurial skills development in an attempt to show its appreciation to the people in the region for their contributions.
She said MTN would use the month of July to organize a series of events dubbed, ?Sun City Fest? to benefit not only their customers but people in the entire region.
Some of the activities lined up for the Sun City Fest include the commissioning of a 30-bed capacity ward at Sene Government Hospital at Kwame Danso, a community health walk and health screening, inter community data activations/mystery shoppers awards, free live concert with some renowned Ghanaian musicians and retailers forum to foster and build closer relationships with the company?s retailers while supporting their elevation from basic retailers to entrepreneurs.
Since its establishment in 2007, the MTN Ghana Foundation has invested about GH?7 million into health and education development projects across the country.
In the Brong Ahafo region, the Foundation committed a total of GH?694,350.80 to execute a number of educational, health and other social projects.
FROM Fred Tettey Alarti-Amoako, Techimantia
