She said 476 of the Cell Sites had been connected and the beneficiary communities now had access to internet and commu­nication services, adding that the project would connect about 4 million people in the underserved communities with internet.

Mrs Ow­usu-Ekuful stated this at the 2023 Gha­na Internet Governance Forum on the theme; ‘Build­ing a Secure and Sustain­able Digital Future,’ the Cell Sites proj­ect started in November 2020, as part of efforts by her ministry to bridge the digi­tal divide and bring internet access to the doorstep of the citizens.

Organised by the Ghana Do­main Name Registry (GDNR) and the Ghana Internet Governance Internet Forum, it was attended by some Members of Parliament, representatives of government agencies, the private sector, stu­dents and the general public.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful explained that 1010 out of the 2016 cell sites had been completed, and the remaining was expected to be completed before the end of next year.

The Minister of Communica­tions and Digitalisation pledged the government’s commitment to initiating policies and projects to bridge the digital divide and promote digital inclusion.

“The implementation of our digital agenda required collabo­rated engagements with stake­holders including civil society organisations, businesses, internet service providers and the general public to provide a platform for guidance and ensuring systems were standardised in ensuring they withstand attacks,” she stated.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful commend­ed the organisers of the pro­gramme and expressed the hope that they would come out with suggestions to help deepen inter­net penetration in the country.

The Chairman of the Ghana Internet Governance Forum and Executive Director of the GDNR, Mr Nana Kofi Asafu-Aidoo, said the programme formed part of preparations towards the coun­try’s participation in the Global Internet Governance Forum to be held before the end of the year in Kyoto, Japan.

He said the Global Internet Governance Forum would create a platform where countries which have had their local and regional internet governance forum to meet and share ideas.

Mr Asafu-Aidoo said the pro­gramme began with the Youth Internet Governance on Thurs­day which was well attended by students across the region.

The Executive Director said this year’s programme would discuss topics such as: The future of Domain Name and E-com­merce in Ghana, Enhancing Roles in Bringing Better Broadband to Ghana, Leveraging AI and Ma­chine Learning in Higher Educa­tion, Opportunities and Challeng­es, and Inclusive Digital Literacy: Empowering Women and Girls with Disability.

The Board Chair of the GDNR, and Chairman of Tin-Ifa Group, Reverend Dr Nanayaa Owusu-Prempeh, in an interview called on the government to initiate policies to help reduce the cost of internet and also attract companies to underserved com­munities in the country.

She also called for the estab­lishment of a National Body to oversee internet usage to protect the interest of individual internet consumers.