The penetration of mobile money services remains significantly lower in rural communities compared to urban settlements in the country, a new survey conducted by the National Communications Authority NCA and the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has revealed.

The report titled: ‘Household Survey on Information Communications Technology (ICT) in Ghana’, indicates that out of 5,946 households surveyed at the national level, 40.8 per cent said that they had never used mobile money services with the majority of them being rural dwellers.

A release issued by the NCA explained that the survey is intended to provide a reliable database at the household level to meet the increasing demand for data on ICT indicators as well as contribute to policy and data-driven decision making to promote the development of the ICT industry in Ghana.

According to the survey, about 63.2 per cent of individuals aged 5 years and older in urban localities own a mobile phone whilst 44.8 per cent of those in rural localities own a mobile phone.

In terms of households in Ghana with access to internet service, only 16.8 per cent of the sample responded in the affirmative. Comparatively, access to the internet in urban areas was 20 per cent, higher than that of rural localities at 12.8 per cent.

The survey which was conducted in June 2019, measured Ghana’s ICT development based on ICT access, usage, skills and digital divide focusing on ICT indicators that are consistent with the standards used by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in computing the ICT Development Index (IDI).

The coverage of the survey focused on individual ownership and usage of mobile phones, SIM cards and computers, internet access and usage, mobile money, bundling, household ownership and usage of ICT products and services.

The authority said that the baseline study will afford government, regulators and other stakeholders an overview of current trends and potential changes to anticipate in the ICT space going forward.