Vice President Dr Mahamadu Bawumia has launched a two-month Boot Camp to Onboard 170 National Service Personnel of the National Communication Authority (NCA) for the 2017/18 Service Period.

The two-month intensive tailored onboarding programme is designed to orient and develop the Service Personnel to sharpen their skills to support the regulatory work of the Authority during their Service period.

It further gives in-depth insight into various functions of the NCA as captured within the organisational structure with specifically designed training from various departmental organisations.

The training would also equip the personnel with employable skills.

Dr Bawuamia said government was focused on the digitisation of the economy, with hopes that the transformative impact would help Ghana move in a positive direction towards attaining competence in the economic environment.

He commended the NCA for its efforts in training the personnel towards growing a solid economy, adding that: ‘’Ghana is ultimately moving into an information technology world and so the whole idea of information technology is so critical for our development”.

Mr Joe Anokye, the Acting Director General of the NCA, said a total of 267 Service Personnel were initially posted to the NCA for the 2017/18 National Service period, however restraints in terms of office space, the NCA has stretched itself to accommodate 170 NSPs, representing almost 500 per cent increase in the intake of Service Personnel engaged in 2016 (31).

He said during the two-month period, the personnel would go through an intensive orientation including; legal framework for the establishment of the NCA, Spectrum, Telecom and Regulatory Essentials, Consumer Education and Sensitisation, IT Essentials, and Cybersecurity Sensitisation and Soft Skills training.

Others he said were: Entrepreneurial skills, Insights, and visits to Industry players (Mobile Network Operators, Satellite TV operators, Radio Stations, and Internet Service Operators.

He said 12 of the NSS personnel would be selected and trained intensively on cyber security to take up roles within the cyber security ecosystem in the country.

He said a survey commissioned by the NCA and executed by a Reputable Institute of Statistics, Social and Economic Research of the University of Ghana indicated that only 13.8 per cent of respondents from 5200 households and 14,795 Individuals were aware of the NCA, adding that "That is why we also want to use this on boarding and training programme to train them and use their services to enhance the consumer outreach programme of the Authority.

Madam Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the Minister for Communications called on the National Service Scheme (NSS) to consider waving fees paid by private institutions to enable them engage more NSS persons to create opportunities for the public and private sector to train fresh graduates to benefit the nation as well as reduce the level of frustration the service personnel face in securing a place for their service.

She urged the service personnel to take advantage of the training to enhance and develop their capabilities.

She therefore encouraged Corporate Organisations to emulate the NCA by initiating programmes to develop the youth to propel national development.