Accra (Greater Accra), 30th June 99 -

Commander Pius Griffiths (rtd), Deputy Minister of Communications, on Monday called on service providers to open up to new technologies that are "breaking up distances and putting the world at our doorsteps".

Commander Griffiths, who was speaking at the launch of the fourth information technology fair (INFOTECH), said the computer industry has evolved rapidly with technological convergence between the computer and telecommunications.

The fair, which is scheduled to take place in November, is under the theme: "Information and Communication Technology, Prospects in the Next Millennium".

Commander Griffiths said information technology is helping to generate a huge store of knowledge, which cuts across all subjects, cultures and international boundaries.

He noted that electronic commerce is currently taking over the traditional ways of doing business.

The Internet is helping in speeding up the country's developmental efforts through techniques like telemedicine, distance education and teleconferencing.

The Deputy Minister said technology has posed as a mother of all challenges to both users and service providers and called on all to put these challenges to good use adding that there will be a massive improvement in the provision of telephone lines by March 2000.

He said a national Y2K Web site, with a tracking system for the status of Y2K conversion for ministries, departments and agencies of government and other critical sectors of the economy, have been completed and would be published by the middle of July.

The strategy and document on guidelines for national contingency planning and training would start by next month and completed by the end of October.

Mr Lionel Arthur Ankrah, President of the Computer Association, who chaired the function, called on exhibitors to take control of the challenges that would enable the public access information.

GRi?/