By Nana Appiah Acquaye, Accra, Ghana
Ghana Communications Minister Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has reiterated her government’s commitment in the fight against fibre cuts in the country. According to her, the Ministry of Communication, in collaboration with the country’s law enforcement agencies and the judiciary, will be stepping up punitive sanction against individuals and institutions found culpable interrupting reliable internet connectivity through fibre cuts. She assured of the speedy prosecution of culprits in court as one of the measures her ministry will be pursuing to serve as deterrent to the general public.
Speaking to Biztechafrica after a brief visit to the offices of Vodafone Ghana’s headquarter at the Airport City enclave in Accra as part of the ministers industry tour, Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful expressed her disgust at the spate of fibre cuts in the country and the negative impact it has on the country’s telecoms industry. She called for closer collaboration between all stakeholders to ensure success in the fight against fibre cuts.
“If anti-social elements go around cutting the fibre, of course it’s going to impact on the users experience and it’s not just only Vodafone, all other players in the industry experiencing that, including our own NITA providing internet service to all government institutions. We need to increase advocacy around it, encouraging people to stop because it has not just caused inconvenience but it’s affecting the way we live and work,” she said.
Talking about her impression after a tour around the various departments at Vodafone Ghana, the Minister congratulated Vodafone and expressed her satisfaction with the achievements of Vodafone’s operations in the country. She promised of doing all she could to assist Ghana’s second largest network to improve their profitability and grow their business in order for them to impact positively on their numerous customers.
Ms Yolanda Cuba stressed Vodafone’s resolve to be leader in spearheading the digital revolution of the country and stated that her outfit will never rest until Ghana’s digital revolution is achieved.
“We will continue to invest into technology, invest more in terms of the people and the ecosystems and the platforms we need to create. We want of give proof points to you and the government of Ghana around your vision of actually making sure that you are mobilizing for Ghana’s future. We are the proof points; we want to make sure we are the beneath your wings as government and actually helping ourselves and helping yourself to achieve digital inclusion,” she said.
