Vice president Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has visited a number of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) firms in Accra to familiarise himself with their operations and ascertain their challenges for the necessary action.
He visited DreamOval, a software development company; Hubtel Ltd, a messaging solutions business; the SOFT Tribe Limited, a software developer with vast experience in the design and implementation of computerized business application systems; and Farmerline Ghana Limited, an IT firm focused on agri-business. Dr. Bawumia interacted with the staff and management of these companies on their various ongoing projects.
Showcasing various solutions they had provided to both governments and the private sector such as banks, the security agencies, utility service providers and farmers across the African continent, the companies took turns to proffer solutions to the challenges facing society, and urged government to take steps to create the enabling environment to enable them thrive.
The vice president said a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities in the ICT sector, especially in the ever-evolving global world, would better inform policy formulation to achieve President Akufo-Addo’s vision of a Ghana Beyond Aid, and provide tailored solutions for industry, especially for start-ups. He commended the ICT companies for providing employment for the many ICT graduates, and pledged Government’s commitment to ensuring the establishment and growth of more start-ups.
“We believe that the future of Ghana is a future that has to be anchored by ICT. We believe that if we are going to make progress – and go beyond aid – we have to be very efficient in what we do. And to be very efficient, you have to anchor it on ICT.
“We are very, very happy that there is so much talent in Ghana. The indigenous ICT firms are as good as any you can find anywhere in the world. Government is convinced about that and we want to encourage our local ICT firms as much as possible to be very competitive,” he added.
Dr. Bawumia said government wants to set the framework, the environment and move out of the way so that ICT companies can do what they do best.
“Whether it is in health, education, police or military, agriculture, revenue collection or wherever, you can help us with the sort of innovations that you can come up with,” he observed.
He encouraged the ICT firms to engage Government for a discussion of their challenges, adding,
“We are going to be very supportive. We want to encourage you and to let you know that we are here to support you, we believe you’re as good as anyone anywhere else in the world.
“We want you to let us know how we can best help indigenous ICT firms. You’ve got to let us know how to create the space for you then we will move to do exactly that, so that we can move this economy to where the President wants us to move it,” he added.
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