Accra, April 12, GNA - Mrs Oboshie Sai Cofie, Deputy Minister of Information and National Orientation, on Thursday said the government had formulated a comprehensive Information Communication Technology (ICT) policy to accelerate the country's development.

She said the new policy would ensure that Ghanaians in all parts of the country had equal access to ICT, especially the Internet. Mrs Cofie was speaking at the launch of an educational website for Readwide Limited, a Ghanaian Publishing and book distribution company in Accra.

She said the introduction of ICT had transformed the way people interacted with each other and the sharing of knowledge at the global level.

She cited the commissioning of a new ICT Centre at Dodowa in the Dangme West District of the Greater Accra Region as one of the nationwide initiatives to bridge the digital divide between urban and rural communities.

Mrs Cofie challenged the youth to take advantage of such educational websites to access knowledge and information that would be productive and fruitful to them and society. She expressed the hope that the website would be informative, educative, entertaining and ethical, and also inspire the youth to read widely on various topics.

Mr Bernard Joao da Rocha, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Readwide Limited, whose speech was read by Mr Kwaku Ansah Asare, a majority shareholder of the company, said the organization was committed to propagating the value of books as a source of knowledge and intellectual power.

He said one of the aims of the company was to develop reading habits in the youth through the formation and sustenance of book clubs in schools and colleges and the mounting of tents at book fairs, exhibitions and Parent-Teacher Association meetings.