Ghana’s mobile phone use hits 16 million

16/11/2010

Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru
SIXTEEN Million people are now using mobile phones in Ghana, representing 74.6 per cent of the country’s population of 22 million.
The Internet connectivity has also increased from 500 to two million, following the introduction of the Internet broadband service.
The Minister of Communications, Mr Haruna Idrissu, gave out the statistics when he launched “expresso” mobile telecommunication service, formerly Kasapa, in Accra on Friday.
expresso has partnered rLG, a local company that assembles Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipment, to offer customers a wide variety of good quality mobile phones, fixed wireless phones, modems and computers.
Mr Idrissu said the rise in mobile communication subscription in the country indicated that many more people used the mobile phone to transact their businesses.
Mr Idrissu asked mobile telecommunication companies to go beyond voice and video and offer more data services.
He again challenged mobile telecommunication companies to offer more broadband services in the country, to allow more people to have access to the Internet service.
Mr Idrissu said the government would not relent in its monitoring of domestic and international communication traffic of telecommunication companies.
He indicated that the monitoring was not to invade the privacy of any person, but to know the revenue generated by the companies and to know the taxes to be placed on them.
He asked telecommunication companies introducing promotions during the Easter and Christmas festivities to comply with the Gaming Act, which requires of them to be fair to their customers.
Mr Idrissu said the government was introducing a “Young Entrepreneurship” award to honour innovative youth.
He said the award was to encourage the youth to be more innovative and contribute more effectively to the country’s socio-economic development.
The Chief Executive Officer of expresso, Mr Isham Ayub, said the company had expanded its network and now had a nation-wide coverage.
Besides, he said, expresso had improved its billing system, introduced a fast and reliable data service to offer easier access to its products.
Mr Ayub said utilising rLG’s 6,000 strong network, expresso would expand distribution, “so that our products will be within easy reach of our customers”.
“Our vision is to grow and help Ghana grow. We will do this through innovation and consistency,” he said.
The Chief Executive Officer of rLG, Mr Roland Agambire, said with the partnership, Ghanaians would enjoy improved innovative products.
He indicated that rLG intended to create 30,000 jobs for the youth by 2012.