Ghana’s push for e-government in the country’s rural areas will receive a boost after Alcatel-Lucent and NITA, with the Ghana ministry of communications, agreed to expand links between government offices in the country.
The goal is to develop local IT services and boost transparency as well as efficiency of government operations outside the capital, Accra.
According to a press statement from Alcatel, the company is to develop and place a 600 kilometer fiber optic network to deliver high speed data connections between the central government and rural areas.
It is the first of its kind in Ghana and the government hopes it can increase speed and connectivity to the rural villages in the country to spur investment and infrastructure development.
Under the agreement with National Information Technology Agency (NITA), Alcatel-Lucent will also manage network operations of Ghana s entire e-government program for three years beginning in November.
Financing for the program is being assisted by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA).
“This advanced fiber-optic technology will enhance business efficiencies between central and regional government offices and maintain quality and reliability across a telephone service, email and other Internet-based e-services,” the statement continued.
Director General of NITA William Tevie said that “By delivering a new network and data center, Alcatel-Lucent will enable us to streamline government processes between central and rural divisions and provide a consistent external view. This is an important step toward realizing the vision of giving our people access to a range of critical services how and when they need them.”
David Eto
