It has been revealed that the Akufo-Addo Bawumia administration paid Busy Internet GHS56 million for internet that did not exist in multiple Free SHS.
Parliamentary records show that Busy Internet, an internet service provider supporting the NPP's Free Wi-Fi policy, received GHS56 million. Recall that the NPP pledged in its 2016 manifesto to provide free Wi-Fi for senior secondary and tertiary educational institutions across the country, with an emphasis on education, administration, and expanding research capabilities. This initiative was known as Free Wi-Fi for Schools.
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia started the project in February 2020 with the goal of closing the nation's technological divide and enhancing education via internet use. At a town hall gathering in Kumasi in 2020, Dr. Bawumia said, "We have to allow senior high schools to access the vast amount of knowledge that is available on the internet. Free Wi-Fi is something we promised and would provide. According to data obtained from the project contractor, as of February 2024, the Free Wi-Fi policy linked more than 1000 organizations. The program's grandiose promises have not yet been met four years after it began, and many Ghanaian schools lack internet access.
Within a year, the internet service at Accra Academy, one of the schools the project connected to, stopped functioning."The internet stopped working when we were in Form 2, and we no longer use it at the ICT lab," said a final-year student.They claim that the IT infrastructure put in place by the Akufo-Addo administration at the Labone SHS in Accra never functioned, and that after a year, internet access at the Bolgatanga SHS stopped functioning. The coordinators in the Bono and Ahafo regions have stated that there is no free Wi-Fi anyplace and that it is a waste of money. Senior high schools including Bawku, Adugyama, Teshie Presbyterian, Nungua, Presby, Kpedze, Toase, Fafraha Community Day, Ada Technical, Korle Gonno, and St. Mary's SHS
In the meantime, Lifted Logistics, a business that only obtained a conditional internet service provider (ISP) license in February 2024, has taken over the contract from the service provider that the Akufo-Addo Bawumia administration paid GHS56 million to. Given that the majority of schools in the nation lack internet access, one might question what significant contributions Busy Internet made to earn a staggering GHC56 million from the Akufo-Addo administration.


Source: YawaNews