Koforidua, May 9, GNA - Kasapa Telecom Limited has selected Koforidua for the first Kasapa-sponsored community airstrips in the country under its Affordable Aviation Initiative, the Managing Director of the company, Mr Robert Palitz has announced.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the company's Customer Service Shop at Koforidua on Tuesday, he said the project was to begin after details on the land, licensing and timing were completed.

According to Mr Palitz, the company was out to facilitate the growth of affordable aviation in Ghana using ultra-light aircraft for crop spraying and environmental monitoring, tourism, medical assistance and evacuation as well as training Ghanaian pilots, law enforcement, aerial photography and advertising at affordable costs.

He announced that with effect from Monday night, Kasapa had began to give all customers its Voice Message Service free of charge, adding that in a few days time the facility would be activated for everyone on the system without any activation or monthly charges.

He said Kasapa, which introduced its service in the Eastern Region last December, was now linked to 29 communities of the Region and commended the people and business houses for welcoming the system. The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Yaw Barimah, commended Kasapa for keeping faith with the people of the region by contributing its quota to the economic development of the region in the provision of efficient communication network under a local brand name and symbol. He said the operations of the company had come to open employment and economic opportunities to the people in the region and hoped both would take advantage of it to tap the socio-economic potentials in the region.

The Omanhene of the New Juaben Traditional Area, Daasabre Dr Oti Boateng, who launched the facility, noted that one of the major indices to the economic development of a nation was its level of efficient communication system.

He therefore, commended Kasapa for its notable role in the development of the communication industry through its "unique products" based on the adoption of the Ghanaian traditional communication system by using a local name and symbol.

Daasebre Oti Boateng who assured the company of the support of his traditional area, urged the company to continue to develop cheap and acceptable communication products to meet the pockets of the ordinary person. Daasebre Oti Boateng and Mr Barimah later cut the tape to launch the shop.