MINISTRY EQUIPS INFORMATION CENTRE (PAGE 38)

THE Ministry of Information, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has presented a 29-inch colour television and a DVD player, estimated at GH¢650, to the Dompoase Community Information Centre (CIC) as their contribution to make information more accessible to rural communities.
The presentation, which was made by the Ashanti Regional Information Director, Mr Emanuel Opoku, on behalf of the Information Ministry and UNDP, also formed part of Ghana’s ICT policy for Accelerated Development (ICT4AD) to bring ICT closer to rural areas and deprived communities.
The project is expected to cover 170 district nation-wide.
In an address, Mr Opoku explained the functions of the Ministries of Information and Communication to the audience.
He pointed out that while the Ministry of Communication was directly responsible for the construction and provision of logistics in terms of personal computers and relevant equipment for the Community Information Centres, the Information Ministry was responsible for the content development and management of the CICs nation-wide.
He said since radio and television broadcasting was one of the prime responsibilities of the CICs, the donation would go a long way to facilitate their work, and gave the assurance that both the Ministry of Information and UNDP would continue to support them in diverse ways to enhance their operations and make them more efficient.
He mentioned Nkawie in the Atwima Nwabiagya District, Jamasi, Amoako and Boamang in the Sekyere South District and Dompoase in the Adansi North District as communities where the Ashanti Regional CICs had been established and therefore charged their various District Assemblies to support their operations to make them more relevant and effective to the people in their catchment areas.
The District Chief Executive for Adansi North, Alhaji Abudul Lateef Majdoub, who received the items on behalf of the Assembly, gave the assurance that the items would be used for their intended purpose as a way of promoting the development of the district.
He said it would also be used for educative programmes for the youth and therefore charged them to take advantage of the facilities to broaden their knowledge in ICT programmes.