Sunyani (B/A), Aug. 17, GNA - Nana Kwadwo Kwakye, Deputy Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, on Thursday appealed to the media to help propagate the current achievements of Ghana in terms of Information Communication Technology and sell the country as a safe haven to attract investors.

"Ghanaians and foreigners who are contributing to ICT development in diverse ways need to be commended and their experiences shared with the young through these media," he said.

Nana Kwakye made the appeal at the regional launch of Ghana Telecom's product, "Broadband4U" in Sunyani.

The Broadband4U is an internet service that allows easy and faster retrieval of information.

Nana Kwakye explained that Ghana Telecom as the leading provider of fixed network service was a major contributor to the development of the country's ICT and had helped in the implementation of the government's dream of moving the country forward in this information age.

The Deputy Regional Minister said in this regard the government had initiated the process of developing an ICT policy and plan that took account of the socio-economic development aspirations of the nation. "Despite these massive investments in ICT infrastructure and ICT capacity building, Ghana still to a large extent is digitally isolated from the global village, because it lacks critical drive and strategies to harness the full potential for the socio-economic development of the country," Nana Kwakye added.

He noted with concern that the role of opinion leaders in capacity building and societal application of ICT was crucial and could not be overemphasized since ICT had been a key source of employment in the country.

The Deputy Regional Minister said direct and indirect employment by telecommunications companies continued to increase and that the country's young IT-enabled services industry was already providing direct employment for more that 2,500 people.

Mr Agyekum Agyemang-Prempeh, Regional Engineer, explained that Ghana Telecom was conscious of what its numerous stakeholders expected and the Broadband4U was one of such expectations.

He said currently the broadband services were available in Sunyani and would soon move to other districts in the region and advised those who had not subscribed to the service to do so to get themselves abreast with modern market trends and general information.

Mr Agyemang-Prempeh said the Broadband4U utilized the copper cable network and appealed to the general public to be vigilant as to help GT to apprehend those who have been stealing its cables thereby affecting the quality of service of the company.