President of the Republic of Ghana, John Agyekum Kufuor has commissioned a GHc 500,000 Information and Communications Technology (ICT) centre at Nkwantakese in the Ashanti Region on Tuesday to promote ICT education in the Northern part of Ghana.

Christened John Agyekum Kufuor Catholic Information Technology Institute (JAK CITI), which is named after President Kufuor in recognition of his contribution to national development, is aimed at facilitating the extension of ICT services to underprivileged rural areas. The institute, was jointly financed by government of Ghana through the HIPC initiative with support from the the Nkwatakese community, the Catholic Church, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and ZTE Ghana Limited, a Chinese telecommunication company

JAK CITI, fixed with 50 computers donated by ZTE, is projected to provide training in basic ICT skills, provide business support for local business and also provide internet connectivity to the community.

President Kufuor, before cutting the tape to commission the institute, noted that government was committed to the deployment of ICT as an enabler of socio-economic transformation of the country. He also appealed the people of the area to effectively utilize the facility to the benefit of their communities.

On his part, the Chinese Ambassador, Yu Wenzhe, said the project was yet another demonstration of the growing cooperation between Ghana and China. Citing Bui Dam, Office block for the Mnistry of Defence and three rural school blocks as well as cultural and educational exchange programmes as examples, he commended the fruitful cooperation in various fields between the two countries since the Beijing Summit of Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2006.

Dr Aggrey Ntim, Minister for Communications and Mr. Albert Kan-Dapaah, Minister of Defence and MP for the area were also present at the commissioning ceremony.

Source: Daily Graphic & Daily Guide