Accra (Greater Accra) 18 March '99

Government's official website on the Internet to provide essential and up-to-date information for local and foreign consumption will come into operation this year.

In addition, the Ministry of Communications will facilitate the creation of the Internet Fund and the formation of a National Computer Foundation to advise government on the use of computer application in the country.

Mr John Mahama, sector Minister said these while moving a motion for the approval of 22.655 billion cedis for the running of the ministry and the seven subvented organisations under it for the year.

Last year the ministry was allocated 24.4 billion cedis.

He said already the ministry has set up a Y2K secretariat, which has completed taking inventory and carried out assessment of the millennium bug problem and will soon come out with solutions to them.

This secretariat will be changed into an Information Technology Department within the ministry as soon as the Y2K problem has been dealt with.

The Ministry of Communications has supervisory responsibility for the operation of 13 institutions, seven of which are subvented.

These include the Ghana News Agency, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Information Services Department, Ghana Institute of Journalism and the National Film and Television Institute.

Mr Mahama said, despite the considerable growth, in telecommunications and the information sectors, Internet usage and E- Mail services, are still not available in most government institutions.

"If steps are not taken, the public sector will be left behind in the new information age," he added.

The Ministry's vision, therefore, in the medium-term, is that every hospital school and local government office is to be connected to the national telecommunication network and subsequently to the Internet.

"A local area network and possibly, a wider area network, will be established for the ministry as a pilot project to be extended to the other government ministries in the coming years," he said.

Within the next three years, the Ministry hopes to expand the telecommunications sector with its current 150,000 subscriber lines to increase to about 650,000 and the 40,000 mobile phones to about 300,000, in addition to the provision of more pay phones.

Mr Mahama said the ministry and its agencies would strive to develop and implement policies that will promote ready access to news and information on major government policies and activities.

To this end, the "Post Cabinet briefings" and the "Meet the press" series will continue to be a regular source of information on government.

He said the ministry would continue to encourage public officials to be forthcoming with information until appropriate legislation is put in place.

The Minister said efforts are also under way to make the Ghana Institute of Journalism and the National Film and Television Institute degree awarding institutions in collaboration with the universities while efforts are made to continue the programme to establish permanent campuses for them.

At the end of the debate the house approved the amount.