Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful says about 350 public sector agencies are currently using the Smart Workplace Platform.

The Smart Workplace is a virtual workplace platform which provides document management, correspondent management, email services, remote working capabilities is connected to themes.
” I do not know how the public services would have worked during the lockdown without the smart workplace. It is a very helpful tool that helped us during the pandemic”.
She was speaking at the meeting with the Gambian delegation on an ICT for development study tour today, Monday, 7th September 2021 at the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation.


Touching on the subject of international cooperation and collaboration, the Hon. Minister extolled the support of the Indian Government to the ICT Sector through the Ghana-Indian Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT and encouraged the delegation to have discussions with the Indian Government and other international bodies that have supported Ghana’s progress in this sector. She mentioned the Council of Europe as one of such organisations that has supported the development of our National Cyber Security Centre.
Mrs Owusu-Ekuful also indicated that the Norwegian government is working with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) on the Digital Transformation Centres Project and Ghana is one of the beneficiaries. “The project is training 14,000 people in the rural communities at the various Community ICT Centres. It is particularly for women who have had no ICT training at all. The training will focus on e-marketing, basic computer literacy skills and how to use internet for their petty trading, farming and other activities”.
The Minister invited the delegation to the up-coming Girls-in-ICT programme to be held in Sefwi Wiawso in the Western North Region. “Training has begun in Basic Computer Skills, Fundamentals of Programming, Scratch and HTML for 1000 girls in nine Districts in Western North and Prestea Huni Valley under the global theme “Connected Girls, Creating Brighter Futures”.
“Government has been implementing this project with the able support of GIFEC, NCA, KACE and the various Regional Coordinating Councils. MTN has also made a generous donation of GHc 10million to support this initiative for the next 3years. This is a major support from corporate Ghana” she noted.
Mrs Owusu-Ekuful was hopeful that the team will be fully equipped after the visit to the various agencies under the Ministry.

According to the Gambian Minister, "the decision to choose Ghana is motivated by the impressive track record of ICT program implementation you have attained over the years and the excellent bilateral ties we share".
At the end of their visit, the team hope to be empowered to strengthen the innovation ecosystem in the Gambia through the adoption and implementation of innovation friendly policies and strategies; promote and foster digital entrepreneurship in the Gambia through government led innovation ventures; to enhance the ICT policy and regulatory environment and to ensure increased utilization of ICT infrastructure and improved access to ICT services.

The visit which is in line with the realisation of the Gambia's ICT for Development Agenda is led by the Minister of Information and Communication Infrastructure, H.E. Ebrima Sillah.

The members of the team are Mr. Yusupha Jobe, Director General, Public Utilities Regulatory Authority; Mrs. Amie Njie, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, and ICT Infrastructure; Mr Assan LS. Jammeh, Senior Planner, Ministry of Information, and ICT Infrastructure.

The rest are Mr. Lamin Tunkara, Deputy Managing Director, the Gambia Telecommunications Company Limited; Mr Bakary Krubally, Director of Loans, Ministry of Finance; Mr. Malang A. Bass, DPS Technical, Ministry of Information and ICT Infrastructure; Mr. Amadou Nyang, Director ICT, Ministry of Information, and ICT Infrastructure.

The team, during their stay, will visit the Accra Digital Center (ADC), the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), Ghana Domain Name Registry (GDNR), Data Protection Commission (DPC), National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), National Information Technology Agency (NITA), National Communication Authority (NCA).

In attendance were the Deputy Minister, Mrs Ama Pomah Boateng; Chief Director of the Ministry, Mrs Magdalene Apenteng, Director, Policy, Planning Budget, Monitoring and Evaluation (PPBME), Mrs Veronica Sackey; Director Research, Statistics and Information Management, Mr. Alfred Nortey, Chief Accountant, Mr Maxwell Owusu-Brempong; All heads of agency under the Ministry; staff of MoCD.