Accra, Jan. 3, GNA - The Ministry of Communications on Tuesday said it had begun releasing published Ministerial Policy Statements to help guide the implementation of a National Information Communication and Technology (ICT) policy.

The policy statements being released to the Office of the Head of Civil (OHCS) and Ministers provided details of the ICT policy statements of designated implementation agencies.

A statement issued by the Ministry in Accra said the publication and distribution of the policy statements formed part of the e-Government strategy to facilitate ownership of the National ICT Policy For Accelerated Development (ICT4AD) policy implementation process. The 71-page document containing the statements was distributed last week to the OHCS and all Ministers along with CD-ROMS to help guide the implementation of the national ICT policy.

The statement said the statements were expected to provide details of the ICT policy statement of the designated implementing agencies. The designated implementing agencies are the ministries, regional coordinating councils and public sector organisations in line with the provisions of the National ICT4AD.

The Ministerial Policy document contains the policy statement of each of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and incorporates their vision and mission statements and broad strategies to be pursued for the realisation of the targets.

According to the Ministry, the exercise to develop the ministerial ICT policy statements was in furtherance of the development of the ICT4AD, which sought to position ICT as the enabling tool for the country's socio-economic development for which 14 pillars of key policy priority areas had been identified.

"The implementation of the commitments made by the MDAs will be critical for the realisation of the aspiration to develop Ghana's Information Society and Economy."

The Ministry established the Ghana Information and Communications Technology Directorate (GICTeD) to bring focus on the cross-organisational implementation and coordination of ICT strategies. The GICTeD will therefore in consultation with the OHCS follow-up to facilitate the setting up of Information Technology Services Divisions (ITSDs) in the designated implementation agencies as provided for in the ICT Policy.

The setting up of the divisions also forms part of the Civil Service component of the Public Service Reforms in general to facilitate the deployment and exploitation of ICTs within the Civil and Public Services.

The GICTeD and the OHCS will facilitate the training of Chief Information Officers in the course of the year to be policy oriented to lead the divisions in the various MDAs.

"With the release of the Ministerial Policy Statements, it is the expectation that the MDAs would be more focused in the deployment and exploitation of ICT in their activities and devote resources for the implementation of ICT programmes in government institutions," the Ministry said.