Govt engages stakeholders on data cost
THE government has began talks with data and cloud investors to help reduce the cost of data and cloud services in the country.
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The move is to create an enabling environment for digital technology companies to thrive.
The Director of Technical Services of the National Information Technology Agency (NITA), Solomon Kofi Richardson, disclosed this at the maiden edition of MTN Business Chief Technology Innovation Officers (CTIO) Roundtable Africa in Accra.
It was on the theme: “Harnessing digital transformation and emerging technologies in the post-pandemic world”.
High data cost
The cost of data still remains high despite the country being ranked third on the list of countries with cheapest data in Africa.
The development is attributed to the continuous consumption and reliance on foreign content, especially those from the United Kingdom and United States and the lack of infrastructure are some of the factors fueling the high cost of data in Ghana.
It is estimated that about 90 per cent of downloaded content in Ghana originates from the UK, US, and other parts of the world at an exorbitant 320 gigabits per second.
Regulatory policy
Mr Richardson said the Digital Economy Policy (DEP) to regulate the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector has been completed and submitted to Cabinet for approval.
That, he said would replace the ICT for Accelerated Development Policy, because it has become necessary in view of the growing and constant change in digital technology.
Digitisation
The Acting Chief Enterprise Business Officer of MTN, Daniel Asare, said the world was evolving with digitisation at the forefront hence CTIO’s role has become critical.
CTIOs, he said are responsible for ensuring that the company’s technological infrastructure are able to deliver business objectives.
“In today’s digital world, the CTIOs’ role is to help organisations to keep up with the rapid pace of technology change and also identify new technologies that help the organisations to achieve a competitive advantage.
It requires a deep understanding of an organisation’s business model and its technological capabilities,” he said.
Financial inclusion
The Head of Products and Services at Mobile Money Limited, Sylvia Otuo- Acheampong, said mobile money has contributed significantly to Ghana’s financial inclusion.
She said mobile money was driving financial inclusion and currently about 30 million customers were accessing mobile money services.
“One of the ways mobile money is also dealing with security is to create an ecosystem where we do a thorough deep-diving in how to secure partners and customers so that even if one platform is affected, it would not affect others,” she said.
Event
The conference brought together leading CTIOs in all industries such as banking, technology, mining, insurance, agriculture, manufacturing, oil and gas and telecommunications to discuss challenges, share industry insights, and find new solutions to drive digital transformation in a globally connected world while supporting local innovation.