3bn ICT investment to empower youth -Bunkpurugu MP

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Bunkpuru­gu in the North East Region, Dr Abed Lamangin Bandim, has noted that the $3 billion investment in the Informa­tion Communication Technology (ICT) sector outlined in the 2025 budget, will empower Ghanaian youth and drive economic growth.

He said that training one million coders would create sustainable jobs and position Ghana as a lead­er in the digital economy.

Dr Bandim, speaking on the floor of Parliament on Thursday during a debate on the budget, said “Mr Speaker, we are not just preaching digitalisation; we are en­suring that every Ghanaian youth is actively involved in the process. This investment will train young people in ICT from every con­stituency, making them valuable assets to our economy”.

He also said the $50 million allocation for FINTECH develop­ment would support indigenous Ghanaian businesses and SMEs in leveraging technology to grow.

According to Dr Bandim, the funding would enable local enter­prises to partner with the telecom industry to foster innovation and create jobs.

The MP, who is the chairman for the parliamentary select committee on information and communications, said the govern­ment was committed to complet­ing a state-of-the-art ICT facility at the University of Ghana that will serve as a training centre for coders and programmers.

He expressed optimism that these initiatives, when fully im­plemented, would ensure Ghana’s youth have access to employment opportunities in the digital space.

Dr Bandim, however, criticised the stalled implementation of key digital projects, including the transition from analog to digital terrestrial television (DTT), which he said had remained uncomplet­ed for eight years.

“Mr Speaker, Ghana was among the first countries to sign onto the digital migration plan in 2016, yet we are one of the few yet to implement it. This delay is holding back our media industry and limiting opportunities for digital broadcasting,” he noted.

The MP also raised concerns about the government’s handling of SIM card re-registration, arguing that the exercise had been ineffective and might require an­other round of registration.

Dr Bandim said the previous administration had successfully executed a similar initiative in 2011 without major issues, but the recent re-registration process had yielded little results.

On internet connectivity, he pointed out that Ghana was lag­ging in the rollout of 5G technol­ogy, while neighbouring countries had advanced.

Dr Bandim urged the govern­ment to prioritise the develop­ment of a framework to support emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), empha­sising the need for clear policies and legal structures to guide the industry.

“AI is transforming economies worldwide, but Ghana lacks the necessary laws and policies to harness its potential.

“It is time we took deliberate steps to position our country for this technological revolution,” he added.

Dr Bandim called for increased funding in future budgets to further strengthen the ICT sector, improve cyber security, and ensure the full implementation of digital policies that would drive national development.

BY RAISSA SAMBOU

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