The Minister of Com­munication and Digi­talisation, Mrs Ursula Owusu Akuful, has inaugurated three rural telephony sites under the government’s Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Projects for three communities in the Sekyere East District of Ashanti Region.

The beneficiary communities are Efiduse Anunso, Anaham and Bourya in the district without telecommunication Networks connectivity.

The development marked a significant milestone in the effort government is making to expand access to broadband, voice and data connectivity in the country.

Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Projects aimed at constructing 2,016 cell sites half of which are solar powered in unserved and underserved rural communities across the country.

The sites would provide voice and data services to thousands of people in the Ashanti Region to bridge the digital divide and foster economic growth.

At the event, the Communi­cations Minister explained that water and electricity utilities were not the only connectivity but telecommunication connec­tivity was also a utility.

She noted the whole world was going digital and with­out connectivity of internet network services, one could not engage with digital transforma­tion that was taking place across the country.

She disclosed that there was so much the Ministry was doing online on their devices and “if we cannot extend connectivity to all unconnected areas, then we, as the Ministry, are doing a great disservice.”

The government, she noted, had taken a loan facility of £1.15m to extend connectiv­ity as the Ministry had built the infrastructure and all the network operators were utilising to deliver their services to their subscribers as a shared network.

Furthermore, she indicated that the project would open up the entire communities “because e-commerce can take place, e-health, e-education, while one can also top up elec­tricity credit, register or renew NHIS Cards on one’s device and can also apply for jobs if doing it online and learn online, access government services through the online platform.”