The National Information Society Agency of Korea (NIA), in collaboration with the University of Ghana, Legon, has provided information access centers (IAC) to students and the general public. This is aimed at making accessible, IT education and free high speed internet access to the students.

Speaking at the ceremony held at the forecourt of the Balme Library at the University of Ghana, Legon, on Friday, H.E. Kyun Jaemin, Korean Ambassador to Ghana said the information access centre (IAC) was an initiative of the National Information Society Agency of Korea (NIA), which seeks to bridge the digital divide, so that all the people of the world would benefit from information and communication technology.

He said the University of Ghana shares in this initiative very well, because it fits in with the university’s broader vision of developing world-class human resources to meet the national development needs. Ernest Attuquaye Armah, Deputy Minister of Communications, emphasised that many developed countries had made ICT the bedrock of their development in service provision, skills acquisition and good governance.

He said he also believed that the deployment and exploitation of ICT to restructure economic practices, and access to information and technology was a realisation to achieving Ghana’s developmental goals. He pointed out that as a ministry in charge of ICT infrastructure in the country, they were very much aware of the potential of ICT in transforming the lives of the citizens of any country.

He noted that as active members of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), the Government of Ghana was challenged to facilitate the provision of ICT access centers to become centers of learning, and assist in bridging the digital divide between rural and urban communities.

“In this regard, the Ghana ICT for Accelerated Development policy identifies the deployment and spread of ICT in the community, as a way to improve the economic base and further accelerate growth and development towards transforming Ghana into an information society,” he noted

He said that the ministry was constructing community information centers in all the 230 constituencies, and 10 regional innovation centers to provide access to information, and also serve as learning centers for the citizenry. Mr. Emmanuel Owusu-Oware of the University of Ghana Computing Systems encouraged the students of the university to take advantage of the opportunity.

He further noted that the information access centre (IAC) was a multifunctional facility consisting of an internet lounge, a computer training lab, a seminar room with video conferencing equipment and an administrative office.