GHANA’S UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND

Overview of USF (GIFEC) in Ghana GIFEC Projects GIFEC achievements Challenges of Ownership and Sustainability Way Forward

OVERVIEW OF GIFEC

The Fund was launched in November, 2004. However, operations of the Fund started in January 2006.

The Electronic Communications Act, 2008, Act 775 provides the legal framework (mandate) for the activities of the Fund.

VISION, MISSION AND VALUES

VISION

To bridge the digital divide between the served and the unserved/underserved communities in Ghana

MISSION

We exist to provide financial resources for the establishment of universal service and access for all communities, and facilitate the provision of basic telephony, internet service, multimedia service, broadband and broadcasting services to these communities.

VALUES

We act with integrity, trust, honesty and transparency

MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND

The Fund is managed by a Board of Trustees under the chairmanship of the Hon Minister of Communications.

The other reps are as follows:

National Communications Authority Ministry of Communications. Five reps from the Industry Forum The Administrator of the Fund Parliamentary Select Committee on Communications

THE UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAMME

No Programme Constituents Projects 

1.

 

Cyber laboratory

School Connectivity Community Information Centre (CIC) Library Connectivity Post Office Connectivity, Community Initiated Projects, etc

 

2.

 

Basic Telephony and Access

CTF (Common Telecom Facility) Rural Telephony Rural Payphone, etc.

 

3.

 

ICT for Livelihood

E-fishing (ICT for sustainable Fishing) 112 Emergency System Disability Employment,

:

THE UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAMME

No.

Programme Constituents Projects

 

4.

 

ICT Support to Institutions

Security Agencies Ghana News Agency Meteorological Authority NADMO, etc. MUSIGA

NCCE,

National House of Chiefs

Nursing & Midwifery Council

 

5.

 

Broadcasting

Radio TV, etc.

:

 

Education, Awareness and Local Content

Public Education of ICT & related issues, etc.

Training for CIC Managers, etc. Criminal Information Sys.(Police),

School management System (Colleges of Education, Nursing , NVTI)

Desktop TV, SHS Exams Review Software

(YANOA). E-Learning Platform Portals for Schools

 

CYBER LAB PROGRAMS

SCHOOL CONNECTIVITY

COMMUNITY INFORMATION CENTERS

SECURITY CONNECTIVITY

LIBRARY CONNECTIVITY PROJECT

INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT(MMDA)

SCPThe following institutions have each been provided with a fully furnished and equipped ICT laboratory with accessories, and Internet access:

38 Colleges of Education 37 NVTI 26 Technical Institutes 10 Youth Leadership Training Centres 344 Senior Secondary Schools 25 Basic Schools 24 Community Dev’t Institutes 3 OIC 82 Nursing Training Schools 9 Farm Institutes 30 ICCES 11 School for the deaf 2000 Basic Schools

Total: 639 27500 laptops have been provided to Basic Schools which do not have the

infrastructure for ICT laboratories. This is to support government policy of compulsory ICT education at the basic level. About 2000 JHS have benefited from this initiative

Asuboi JHS Daboase CIC

Community Information Centers

Currently 173 out of 110 CICs are fully furnished and equipped to provide community internet access, low cost ICT training and also to serve as community-based information resource centres.

• Basic school children receive free ICT training at the centres.

CIC

31 Military units including all the training schools 34 Police units including all the training schools 100 Offices of the Bureau of National Investigations 34 Prisons centres including all the training schools 190 National Disaster Management Organisation centres 6 Immigration units including all the training schools 13 Fire service units including all the training schools

SECURITY CONNECTIVITY

ICT – INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT(MMDA) MUSIGA, NCCE, MMDA, Actors Guild, National House of Chiefs, Passport Office, etc

LIBRARY CONNECTIVITY PROJECT 10 Regional Libraries 30 District Libraries 10 Mobile Van

CIP- Community Initiated Project—27

Universal Access To Basic Telephony

Rural Telephony Project= 51 Sites

Common Telecom Facility 38 Sites

Rural Community Payphone= 2700 phones in 458 SHS

Handsets for rural communities= 7000 handsets

ICT for LivelihoodE-Fishing Project:18 Landing sites supported with 400 Fish Finders

ICTs for Persons with Disabilities• 3 school for the blind, • blind units in 8 SHS,• 10 Disability empowerment

Emergency Call Centre 112

ICT Applications and Content

School Management System – implemented for NVTI, Colleges of Education

Mobile phone programming application – 10 sch. trained

YANOA (Exams Revision)- 100 schools and 25 CIC’s Electronic Information Management System- 35

CIC’s CIS- Criminal Information System- Ghana police

ICT Education and Awareness MMDA training – 2050 trained EMF Workshops

Ongoing Projects

Satellite Hub 80 new RTPs School for Deaf and ICCES Support to Blind Union Support to Death and Birth Registry Continue with Cyber Lab programs Community Centralized Broadcasting System 112 Emergency Call Centre (Ho, Tamale and

Takoradi) Support the digital immigration with setup boxes ICT Support for E-Fishing Continuation of all the above listed projects

CHALLENGES

High Internet Bandwidth Cost

High turnover trained CIC managers

Ownership

THE WAY FORWARD

Tax waiver for provision of internet services for rural area

Strategic partnership with the network operators for subzidised bandwith for GIFEC projects

A lot more of public private partnerships for the implementation of GIFEC projects.

Thank You

OUTSTANDING UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND-2013

Best Universal Access in Infrastructure-2014