newspapers. "One doubts if any embassy official has
taken the time to study such reports and advise the
Government. Even if they did, one doubts if theGovernment understands the deleterious impact of
such reports".Danso then goes on at length about the inability of government ministers to solve acute problems, which he likens to:
the proverbial minister who described his need for a Mercedes Benz. He said that Ghana's mads were full of potholes, and thus he needed the proverbially good shock absorbers on the Mercedes to feel comfortable on Ghana's roads.
Such egotistical and selfish "big man" syndrome of a mind-set of empty-chested palm-wine-drinking African braggadocio of the old village champions seems to exist today among many in government top positions.
He continued that these days it did not take geniuses to establish communication infrastructure or to build roads.
That technology has been done and perfected - for over 100 years for phones and 1000 years for roads.
Its almost impossible to do any modern business where daytime calls cannot get through. Even on a Saturday I have tried 9 times and can't get through to anyone. Ghana still has not completed negotiations with the major global telecommunication carriers to open up more lines for our use.
Government ministers continued to hold meetings and conferences and write hundreds of pages of policy documents, but no decisions seem to be made, claimed Danso.
There is currently nu shortage of capacity on undersea
communication cable networks which haue been laid under the ocean close to Ghana by AT B T. or on the satellites deployed over the skies of all of us. Ghanaians overseas and at home are paying at least 30 to 50 per cent more by using phone cards to reach mostly cellular phones in Ghana, i.e. if one can get through at all.
This additional cost could have been avoided and put to better use if government had made wired communication lines available to all parts of Ghana, by merely improving on the plan the Colonial government and Nkrumah's own had in Ghana.
The lost opportunities created by poor communications create very costly developmental deficits. We are behind, and we are getting further behind!
In marketing terms, products or services purchased may lose their strategic cost competitive advantage, due to lack of options to communicate and search for alternative markets.
To exemplify the sad deterioration in leadership mindset in post-Nkrumah Ghana, let's examine Ghana. In 1952. there were phone tines to my hometown of Abetifi, as well as other small and large towns like Apemaase. Bodomase, Sunyani. Tamale. Winneba and Zualarigu. I am one person for modernization. I do not believe in the traditionalist theory espoused by a few of our colleagues Dn our Internet discussion forums, who believe our salvation lies in the cutlass and Chieftaincy.
Most of us in our generation know that we cannot feed our people on this cutlass mentality. However, as thieves stole the copper wires in the 1970s, all we had to do was improve on these concepts of communication lines with higher capacity and newer cables made of glass [called fiber optic cables] and newer switches! My own research has shown that S25,000 to $250,QOO will buy a new switch to serve a town or whole district, which can be paid for in a year by subscribers.
This is not beyond many of us if government will allow sincere private entrepreneurship in the telecommunication business without years of bribe-seeking negotiations.
To achieve progress in life one has to make strategic decisions.
Why is it that our Ministers cannot make such decisions? I advise against letting foreigners operate our local phone systems, but why not open the door and allow private Ghanaian businessmen to venture, to purchase and install such switches, and operate them in their local areas?
Today where are the remnants of our old systems? The copper wires are hanging on trees that are still durably standing along our roads. And all our so-called educated Ministers can do is call on foreigners to come and invest their money to build phone systems for us? When we are cheated in these transactions, we fail to understand that (hat is the nature of foreign multinational business, and investments - what they can get from us not what they can give!!
Simple ABC of business seems to elude our Ministers and leaders, who sit on decisions when they are not sure, while Ghana lags further and further behind in debts and lack of opportunities!"
Further on Danso continues:
IV Country fleports I Ghana V135
Business may he picking up after the end of Ghana's dictatorial era.
However, it takes the right leaders to make the right priorities for a nation, and to effect and implement necessary changes which are beyond individuals' private capabilities, e.g. power, and telecommunication infrastructure.
Let's examine this simple Logic:
1 To create jobs for our people, and to create revenue for government, you need businesses to flourish.
2 Almost all businesses rely on modern communications to be effective. Those who don't are left in the rural areas, and are a vanishing breed, as foreign cheaper goods are imported to replace them.
3 Communications is no more magic. It can be purchased and installed easily because the technology is available now. is cheap and well established. It can be purchased or even manufactured locally with license from the original manufacturers in the West [my preferred option].
*t Purchasing and installing communications systems is an INVESTMENT since it can pay for itself quickly.
It is hard to see why one has to elaborate on these. It took previous government such as that of PNDC [Provisional National Defence Council] several wasted years before they understood this simple logic and allowed privatization. A fax machine was considered a potential tool for a coup in the 1980s. What a waste! Eventually in the first era of the NDC, communication was understood.
In the rural areas and even in some areas of Accra, some are able to do without electricity. However, one cannot transact business without communication between seller and buyer, producers, manufacturers and distributors, retailers and distributors, customers and retailers, between citizens and legislators, government and the governed, students and their instructors, people and police/law enforcement. Since the 1950s, government offices still have only one or two phone lines, if any. for a whole Ministry, School, or even our Universities. It is thus impassible to get through but a few calls per day. Leaders do not seem to realize the importance of communications and how much time is saved if people don't have to take transportation to make mostly empty trips around the city or nation! TRAFFIC CONGESTION is another result of such lack of communication.
Telecommunication is one of the most profitable investments any nation can make. It promotes business, enhances the quality of life, saves lives through quicker reporting when there is emergency illness, armed robbery or security issues. It can pay for itself in a short time if managed. Ghana inherited a telecommunication infrastructure and network in 1957. The lines may be cut but the idea is not all lost. We must build oi the idea. In 2000. the VoLta River Authority, working with the taxpayer's money, created the Uolta Telecommunications Company Ltd. The 25 page presentation document, which I downloaded, dated March 21. 2DD0. was entitled: "Building a high Capacity Fiber Optic Broadband Network - the VoltaCom Experience", by Nimako Boateng and Nana Twum. We are in 2003, and the question may be asked: What
are we waiting for to launch and deploy our Local Area Networks [LAN]
and Wide Area Networks [WAN]? Can we do without communications?
Can we use the talking drums in 2003? Do we need foreigners also to come and launch this, and sell to Ghanaians?
My evaluation showed that this fiber optic network developed by Voltacom Ltd. around the electricity grid in Ghana is as good as that obtainable anywhere in the USA, where even ordinary phone lines are being superseded by regular TV cable and fiber optic lines for high speed Internet communication. This is a first class technology that we must congratulate the engineers and managers of VRA for pioneering. It should be exploited by government to set up a backbone communication network. It is ready for deployment throughout Ghana today, not tomorrow.
It appears all we need is the right leadership. Leadership is sorely needed. The challenge is on the educated Ministers and our President.
J.A. Kufuor. to seize the moment, show the leadership, and capitalize on the current assets and technologies. Our leadership should tap into Ghana's ready and willing human assets and competencies overseas and at home, to serve Diir people, our nation. This should not be too much to expect of a government that preaches a Golden Age of Business.ra
One can agree or disagree with Danso. The important point is, somebody is saying something beyond the standard bland, impersonal factual news reports which often do little to advance the knowledge of citizens, and certainly don't foster a sense of engagement with the issues. Unfortunately, it is only a drop in the ocean. In this case, one of only a handful among the almost 1,000 media reports encountered in this study.
-.".
70 Kwaku A. Danso, "Telecommunications - still a neglected misunderstood gateway to progress", Chronicle, 20 March 2003.
136/ African Media and ICT^tD: Oocumentaiy Evidence
MEDIA INTERVIEWS
Ghanaian editors interviewed considered IT issues to be important, but again said they did not have the in-house competence to report adequately on developments. Editor of the Daily Graphic, Yaw Boadu Ayeboafoh, said IT stories were printed with some regularity, but were seldom given any prominence.
"We do write our own stories rather than relying on agencies. Sometimes we go out to talk to IT people, and at other times people organize IT functions and they invite us. So we do carry IT
items, but they don't really make lead stories. Of course it is possible, maybe one day an IT story will make a prominent page lead, but ordinarily issues about IT are not the most prominent."
Ayeboafah commented that because Ghana was at an early stage of computerization there were many new users who needed help and guidance on elementary matters. He said the newspaper tried to assist in this regard.
"In terms of advancing knowledge, promoting debates and education I think at least that what we do is give coverage to activities in that area and expand the knowledge base of people because not many people understand the computer. You get the point, because, when a new product comes into the market or when new ideas come and we cover and publish them in our papers, then at least we are sending knowledge to people about
the existence of a facility of that nature. *"
The Chronicle is a newspaper that does not concentrate on providing news, but rather aims to be investigative in character. So here one does not find the usual ICT press releases from companies and the State.
ICT issues are relatively new, but of course they are an important aspect of what is happening globally. At the moment there is nobody at the Chronicle who writes explanatory type IT stones.
None of them can do that. We do take such news from the Ghana News Agency, and even from the BBC off the Internet. But I must emphasize, investigation of stones is our focus."
When an ICT issue was worth pursuing, A.C. Ohene said The Chronicle went the extra mile to give the story priority. In this way, he said, the newspaper contributed to the advancement of knowledge on information society matters.
The Chronicle is reasonably well equipped with computers.
"We have installed computers in almost every room and we save articles and other relevant materials in the PC. Information technology has greatly simplified our newsgathering,
dissemination and reception. As an example of how newsgathering has been enhanced, we can now access accurate news from around the world, just almost at a second. ICTs give us access to the world!
And our web site www.ghanianchronicle.com is widely patronized by our readers all over the world. That enhances our reach or accessibility to those who, for one reason or the other, can't get our hard copy."
Ohene commented that Ghana was involved in knowledge society initiatives, and that the Ghanaian information society was presently coordinating activities to come out with a common ICT policy for Ghana, which would be presented at the World Summit on Information Society in Geneva at the end of 2003.
Editor A.C.Ohene commented:
"Because the Chronicle as an investigative newspaper is not like any other in this country.
Straightforward ICT news does not make
headlines. IT stories are ordinary issues and it is hard for them to be prominent, unlike scandals, hot political news and such like."
71 Yaw Boadu Ayeboafoh, editor of Daily Graphic, interviewed for the present ICT4D study.
V Internet Media