The increase in Internet penetration has set the country on an ideal platform to drive commerce and industry to aid growth of the country’s economy, Mr. Nils Hammar, Chief Executive Officer of Tonaton.com has said.
“The Ghanaian market is developing at a phenomenal rate. This coupled with the increase in Internet penetration and usage indicates that we have plenty of opportunity in this country,†he said.
He was speaking to the B&FT in an interview at the official launch of Tonaton.com, a free, classified website in Accra.
The country with a population of 24.6 million inhabitants, currently sits on top of Africa’s broadband league with an Internet population of 3.5 million as at the end of last year.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has also ranked Ghana as the country with the highest mobile-broadband penetration in Africa, where Internet access and use is available to a lot of people.
Tonaton.com is a subsidiary of Swedish investment company Kinnevik AB, owners of Tigo and Accra-based television station Viasat 1.
Touching on the cost of Internet use in the country, Mr. Hammar said: “The cost of Internet usage in the country is one of the lowest in the world,†and this can spur growth of the economy. “With just GH¢1 you can use the Internet for a whole day. That is very good for business,†he added.
According to the ITU, mobile broadband penetration has been driven by the aggressive roll-out of technology infrastructure by network operators and the drop in broadband prices, spurred by competition in the mobile market and the provision of 3G services.
“As Internet usage increases in schools, homes and among mobile phone users, we at Tonoton.com see an opportunity to introduce something different, interesting and beyond traditional classified advertising to Ghanaians,†he said.
The website, which is very easy to navigate, serves as a platform for its local users only, to post free classified ads on any item they wish to sell. It allows sellers to upload ads onto the site and have them displayed after 30 minutes - -due to the screening process in place to ensure that only legitimate ads from Ghana are posted.
“This is a product for everyone, it’s not for just one group but is a product that anyone can use easily,†Mr. Hammar said.
Users of the website are simply required to submit a valid email address, and in three easy steps the ad can be uploaded onto the site. The company has also launched a mobile-friendly version of the website. Ads posted onto the website are valid for a period of 90 days.
“We want to keep the site as fresh as possible. Buyers can easily find what they are looking for by specifically selecting the category, region and area they require. I hope the website will serve as a useful tool to make both buyer and seller happy,†he said.
By Dominick Andoh
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