Correspondence from Eastern Region

More than 30 communities in the upper zone of Yilo Krobo Municipality are lamenting over the lack of telecommunication reception in their areas which, they say, greatly affects their agribusinesses, access to healthcare and education.

The communities indicated that teachers are reluctant to stay in the communities with them because they cannot access the internet which is due to the unavailability of the telecom reception in those areas and therefore appealed that as a matter of urgency telecom masts be mounted nearby to extend reception to their homes and schools.

The 30 communities are Wurapong Okper, Wurapong Dornor, Wurapong Osu, Wurapong Hwese, Perpertifi, Opersika, Nsutapong Terpournya, Sutra, Aboa-Besease and Aboa-Lower.

Others are Aboa-Osuboninya, Suakrong, Samlesi-Amanga, Samlesi-Dornor, Samlesi-Aplersu, Tsakatsakami, Nsutapong-Klong, Nsutapong-Sokwenya, Koryire and Klo-Akwapem.

The rest include Obonkokor, Ahinkwa, Nyuabeng, Sutawa, Osoyaa, Tibourso, Omlase, Akpo, Akpamu and Akorwu-Bana.

According to some Community members who spoke to Ghanaweb, they cannot understand why in a 21st Century, communities should lack access to a smooth communication network that helps to make life comfortable in Ghana.

Headteacher of Akpamu Basic School, told Ghanaweb that teaching and learning are being affected by the inaccessibility of the internet since most of the teachers have chosen to live far away at Klo-Agogo and come to work late.

He appealed that authorities should help provide more computers to the school since his school with 258 pupils are using only seven computers.

A 55-year-old Ebenezer Tetteh, a resident of Wurapong Okper, decried that one has to spend not less than GH¢20.00 to travel over an hour from the communities to Klo-Agogo before they can access telecom reception or internet.

“None of the networks work over there. It is only MTN that can be spotted at some places. Sometimes you can get it in the community but at a particular spot. If you move from that spot you cannot get reception. At least 21 communities within the area are facing these challenges.

“Before you get internet accessibility, you need to travel to the nearest community which is Klo-Agogo, a marketing centre, before you can do internetwork. In, it will be about GH¢10, out will be GH¢10; in all you will spend GH¢20 to access the network and mobile internet. Then the risk of traveling on the poor roads is another thing,” he told GhanaWeb.

The communities are typically farming communities where farmers grow perishable crops such as tomatoes, onions, garden eggs and okra.

An Opinion Leader at Wurapong Dornor, who is a farmer, expressed that “Sometimes our customers come all the way from Accra, Tema, Ashaiman and other places to buy our produce. So, sometimes when the crops are ready and farmers want to inform customers that crops are ready, due to the network problem we are unable to do so and our crops end up perishing. This is not good for business at all.”

The Assemblyman for Wurapong Electoral Area, Francis Addey Amoah, averred that the lack of access to internet is making life boring for teachers living in the communities and that in trying to make life interesting for themselves, “some of them even try to go and stay at Agogo; by the time they get here for lessons, it would be 10am. This affects teaching and learning.”

“We have only one CHPS compound here. When there is an emergency and we need an ambulance, we cannot call due to the lack of telecom network. In an emergency, we use motorbike on this deplorable road on a long journey to Agogo. It is not easy. If even a snake bites someone here we have to transport the person on a motorbike to Agogo for treatment.

“Mobile money is now the order of the day to transact businesses but the lack of telecom reception is impeding on our transactions. We are appealing to the authority to come to our aid so that life will be comfortable for us,” The Assemblyman said.

When asked what steps he as an Assembly member had taken to find solutions, he said, “I have raised this at the Assembly but the MCE said they would make a move about it after the elections.”