Accra, Oct 28, GNA- Cabinet has given approval to the Ministry of Communications to seek private sector participation in Volta Communication, a fibre optic backbone belonging to the Volta River Authority.

He said this would provide the necessary funding and operational expertise to expand the network to serve as a high-speed backbone upon which the country can build services.

Mr Albert Kan Dapaah, Minister of Communications announced this on Tuesday when he addressed Journalists in Accra as part of the government's meet the press series.

The Minister noted that a national fibre optic network would accelerate ICT and communications growth and stimulate IT investments. "Once this network is linked with SAT 3 and the submarine optical fibre cable linking West and Central Africa and Europe to USA and Asia, Ghana will be able to provide quality phone and high speed internet services to neighbouring countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali and Togo." He said the Ministry's focus in the next couple of years would be to operate in the scope of making ICT work for Ghana under the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD).

"It is possible and important to use ICT to reduce poverty, bring about rapid socio-economic development, create wealth, and ensure effective and efficient governmental administration and service." Mr Dapaah said as part of government's commitment to massive ICT deployment to cover all sectors of the economy, an ICT Policy and Plan Development Committee was launched in August last year to facilitate development of a national ICT-led socio-economic policy plan through extensive consultations.

He said that so far the committee has completed a framework document, completed socio-economic ICT Policy document for accelerated growth.

The document, he noted, has identified 14 priority areas with 10 key drivers of policy.

"The comprehensive nature of the document embodies aspirations in existing national policy documents like the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy," he said.

Mr Kan Dapaah said his ministry is working with the Ministry of Education on ICT Education Capacity Building.

He mentioned the strategic initiatives as the development of curriculum for accelerated training of teachers in ICT and related skills for the roll out of ICT in second cycle institutions.

"Another joint initiative is the provision of logistics and facilities for ICT training in selected post secondary teacher training colleges", he added.

Mr Kan Dapaah said the two ministries were also collaborating with the United Nations in capacity development in ICT related areas for tertiary institutions.

"Furthermore, we are working to develop standards and accreditation of private computer training programmes and apprenticeship", he said.

On the development of infrastructure for the IT industry, Mr Kan Dapaah said the Ghana House and a portion in the Free Zone enclave in Tema, are being developed into a multi tower housing ICT related companies with facilities for business incubators and technology parks respectively.

"With the infrastructure in place and the requisite human resources well developed, Ghana will be in a very strong competitive and strategic position to capture a significant Build Process Outsourcing market share."

Mr Kan Dapaah said the 12 billion cedis ICT Centre of Excellence in Accra has been completed and installation of equipment is ongoing to facilitate the running of a number of courses.

"The objective is to provide the much needed skilled ICT human resources for the ICT industry and also to develop innovativeness," Mr Kan Dapaah said adding that 12 Ghanaians ICT graduates have completed trainer of trainers programme in India as core staff for the ICT Centre."