Government has been urged to include Information Communication Technology (ICT) in its broader strategic plans towards poverty reduction and not to only increase access to the use of the technology.
Mr Anthony Ekow Dadzie, General Secretary of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) of Ghana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), gave the advice at a two-day fourth quadrennial delegates' conference of the CWU, in Kumasi on Friday.
He said the starting point for any policy dialogue on the role of ICT for development must focus on how the technology could be used for poverty reduction.
Mr Dadzie said government's imposition of air talk tax was wearisome since it further impoverished the already poor in society despite its potential to raise the country's revenue base.
He said despite ICT's effectiveness to engender development, it was also deepening already existing inequalities in the world.
Mr Dadzie said unless governments in the developing world exploited opportunities to use ICT in a creative manner to bridge the ever widening gap of poverty, its full potential for development would be a mirage.
Mr Kofi Asamoah, Acting Secretary General of GTUC, said the growth and development of ICT globally had implications and challenges for trade unionism.
He said this explained the decline in trade union density in advanced countries, the workforce of which was becoming more sophisticated requiring highly skilled personnel who were within senior staff category.
Mr Asamoah urged the congress to map out strategies to address these possible challenges and threats of unionisms.
Dr Benjamin Aggrey Ntim, Minister of Communications, said government had provided fibre optic infrastructure for high-speed broadband connectivity to support the delivery of all communication services which had been extended to Tamale.
He charged all multimedia service providers to take advantage of the broadband to extend connectivity to customers in the education, health and public service sectors to enable them to improve their service.
Dr Ntim said government was on course to privatize Ghana Telecom, adding that, government was bent on ensuring that the best value would be obtained for the people of Ghana.
He charged the CWU to come out with policy inputs to help government to strategise to move Ghana ahead in the development of the information society.
The congress attended by over 200 delegates was being held under the theme: "the impact of ICT in Ghana's 50 years of development, the role of the union", and was aimed at taking stock of the past performances of the CWU and to deliberate on whether to renew the mandate of the existing executives of the Union.