Regional News of Thursday, 2 June 2022
Source: K Peprah
2022-06-02Nationwide SIM card registration exercise would not be extended – Minister
Communication and Digitalization Minister, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful
Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the Minister of Communication (MoCD) and Digitalization says the ministry would not extend the set deadline for the nationwide SIM card registration exercise.
Consequently, the sector Minister said all unregistered SIM cards would be deactivated by the end of July this year, and asked mobile phone subscribers, yet to register their SIM cards, to do
Read full articleso to meet the deadline.
Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful gave the advice when speaking at a colourful ceremony to climax the Ahafo Regional Celebration of the Girls-in-ICT Initiative held at Acherensua in the Asutifi South District on the theme "Access and safety".
The Girls-in-ICT initiative is one of the flagship programmes of the Ministry of Communication and Digitalisation (MoCD) and is in line with the International Girls-in-ICT Day, an initiative introduced in 2012 and backed by all International Communications Unions (ITU) Member States.
It aims at encouraging and empowering girls and young women to consider studies and careers in ICT in the growing fields of ICTs, enabling both girls and technology companies to reap the benefits of greater female participation in the ICT sector.
Under the initiative, 1,000 girls from selected basic schools in the Region had the opportunity to undergo a one-week intensive training in ICT in basic computing including programming, coding, gaming, scratch typing and a mentorship programme.
Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful said mobile phone subscribers and users in the country had been provided enough time and opportunity to register their SIM cards saying “there is no way we are going to extend the deadline again”.
She explained that the SIM card registration was essential because the exercise would greatly help the country in efforts to fight online and cybercrimes which had become more sophisticated.
Touching on the Girls-in-ICT initiative, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said the ministry was determined to sustain the initiative to create opportunities for more girls to benefit from ICT education.
She emphasised that ICT education was not a reserve for only boys and men, but girls and women as well, saying girls also needed ICT skills to provide them with the needed exposure in the digital space.
The Sector Minister commended MTN Ghana and other sponsors for supporting the initiative and expressed the hope that the initiative would receive more support from corporate bodies and institutions.
Mr. George Yaw Boakye, the Ahafo Regional Minister lauded the initiative and expressed the optimism that it would be sustained to benefit more girls too.
Nana Kofi Asare, the Acting Chief Corporate Officer, MTN Ghana gave the assurance that the telecommunication company would continue to support and invest so that the initiative would yield desirable outcomes.
He reiterated the company’s commitment to help drive the nation’s digitalisation drive by providing quality networks and reliable internet connectivity in the country.
Nana Asare explained the company had invested GHC10 million into the programme for the period of three years to well position the MoCD to pursue the nation’s digitalisation agenda.
“In April 2022, the ITU reported that over 600,000 girls and young women have
taken part in more than 12,000 celebrations of Girls in ICT Day in 195 countries worldwide. By this count, almost one per cent of girls benefitting from Girls-in-ICT initiatives across the entire world are in Ghana.
“This is an incredible achievement for a relatively small country like Ghana and it shows, where we want to be on the global stage in the ongoing digital revolution”, Nana Asare stated and reiterated MTN’s commitment to collaborate with stakeholders to support and sustain the initiative.
Miss Juliet Delila, 12 years and a form-one student of the Sankore District Assembly 'A' Junior High School in Asunafo South District has been crowned as the ultimate winner of the Girls in ICT initiative in the Ahafo Region.
She received GHC 3,000, a laptop computer and a plaque while Margaret Anane, a class six pupil of the Hwidiem Roman Catholic Primary School in Asutifi South District placed second position and took away a laptop computer, GHC2,500 and a plaque.
The third position went to Nancy Ezel Owusuuaa, 14 years, and a form-one student of the Duayaw-Nkwanta Presbyterian 'B' JHS in Tano North Municipality.
She also took home a laptop computer, GHC2,000 and a plaque, while the MoCD presented a laptop computer and a certificate to each of the first 100 girls who excel in the ICT training programme.
