Communications Minister addresses ITU delegates on bridging digital divide

Communications Minister Ursula Owusu-Ekuful is enforcing her push for better technology and broadband development.

In Dubai Tuesday, at the Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Owusu-Ekuful stressed that the transformation of Ghana’s economy would come from efforts to ramp up technology capacity in the nation.

Technology utilisation throughout Ghana would help accomplish the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, an initiative in which President Akufo-Addo serves as Co-Chair, she said, adding that “Ghana was working actively towards improving the efficiency of service delivery with particular attention to rural and underserved communities, women and gender parity and opportunities for the youth,” a Communications Ministry statement reads.

The statement continued that “the Government was also committed to promoting safe Cyber hygiene practices with the establishment of a National Cyber Security Secretariat and an equally strong focus on Child Online Protection.”

Ghana serves as an active member of the ITU and Owusu-Ekuful reinforced the nation’s commitment to support the ITU and its plans to increase partnerships in order to “bridge the digital divide.”

The Plenipotentiary Conference is the highest decision-making body of ITU. Every four years, key delegates convene to discuss financial plans for international ICT issues.

Read the full statement below:

The Honourable Minister for Communications, Honourable Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has today delivered a high level statement on behalf of the Government of Ghana at the Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) being held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Giving her statement, Honourable Owusu-Ekuful said Ghana, under the leadership of the President, was pursuing the Digital Ghana Agenda for a massive transformation of country’s economy through technology and broadband development, stressing on the fact that the President, as the Co-Chair of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocacy Group was a form advocate for the utilisation of the technology for the realisation of all the SDGs.

The Minister further said that Ghana was working actively towards improving the efficiency of service delivery with particular attention to rural and underserved communities, women and gender parity and opportunities for the youth, and went on to list various ICT initiatives which the Government had implemented since 2017. She said, to encourage adoption of these ICT initiatives and to protect users, the Government was also committed to promoting safe Cyber hygiene practices with the establishment of a National Cyber Security Secretariat and an equally strong focus on Child Online Protection.

Honourable Owusu-Ekuful joined other Heads of Delegations who delivered High Level Statements expressing their country’s ICTs achievements and their previous and future contributions regarding the use of ICTs in advancing developments.

In soliciting support for Ghana’s re-election to the ITU Council, she went on further to inform delegates that Ghana was an active member of the ITU and the Council and was fully committed to the decisions of the 2018 Session of Council. Honourable Owusu-Ekuful reiterated Ghana’s commitment to supporting ITU’s strategic plan and was hopeful that increased partnerships and investment would help to bridge the digital divide.

Before ending her statement, Honourable Owusu-Ekuful, paid tribute to the Government and people of Indonesia for the unfortunate air disaster which claimed the lives of over 100 passengers.

The Plenipotentiary Conference is the highest decision-making body of ITU, the United Nations specialized agency for ICTs. Held every four years, the Conference is the key event at which ITU Member States build consensus on key international ICT issues, elect leaders for the Union's top posts, and decide on a roadmap for ITU's work over the next four-year period, including strategic and financial plans.

The Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, joined the ITU Secretary-General, Mr. Houlin Zhao in welcoming international delegates for three weeks of intensive decision-making on the future of global ICT. Read Full Story