Ghana’s maiden celebration of ICT week would kick off in Accra in May, organizers of the event, InstinctWave Limited, publishers of Africa’s only free premium ICT and telecoms magazine, MobileWorld, has announced.
The six days which would begin on May 16 to 21, 2016, is in collaboration with organizers of the Ghana Information Technology & Telecom Awards, Ghana Construction Awards and the Ghana CFO Awards.
The program, according to the event organizers, would focus on “Celebrating ICTs and its role in national development”.
Emphasis would be placed on the impact of ICTs/Internet has had on the lives of Ghanaians over the years.
The event would also touch on future prospects and way forward for the ICT industry in Ghana and beyond.
Group Publisher of MobileWorld, Akin Naphtal, at a news conference, Thursday, said the time was right for the ICT industry to be celebrated for its massive contributions to the West African nation.
According to him, Ghana is gradually becoming a wired and technologically developed country with organizations and government agencies adopting ICT based solutions.
“We are proud to host the Ghana ICT Week 2016, the week-long event will provide a sizzling meeting point for ICT professionals, stakeholders and the general public. The week will also be used to address the global nature of the technology sector and discuss the current and future affairs of ICT in the country,” he said.
He added, “It’s a dream come true for my team and I. We have spent days and months planning this all important week and we know at the end of it all, the event will achieve its goals.”
The event is expected to be a blend of dialogue, entertainment and networking as the major ICT players in the country compete to be the best in sports, social media and service delivery.
It is further expected to draw together all players of the ICT ecosystem; consumers, network operators, ISPs, the public and private sector and serve as an opportunity to reinforce relationships.
The annual event would also serve as a platform to engage all stakeholders to improve processes in the provision of better services to both citizens and businesses, as well as promote public participation.
“With Ghana’s internet penetration at 19.6%, the ICT Week Celebration will serve as an advocacy to push for a national ICT policy to encourage adoption in rural communities even in the most remote parts of the country”.