Sam George pledges stronger cellular network for VR

The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has given an assurance that the appropriate steps are underway to build stronger cellular network signals in the Volta Region and prevent frequent penetrations of other networks in neighbouring Togo.

Pursuant to that, he said, new rural telephony sites would be built, while existing ones would be upgraded to ensure quality connectivity, either by the end of this year or the beginning of next year.

Mr George said this when he paid a courtesy call on the Volta Regional Minister, James Gunu, at his office in Ho last Thursday, before his two-day inspection tour of various Rural Telephony Project (RTP) sites and One Million Coding Programme (OMCP)centres in the Ho Municipality, Agotime Ziope and the Adaklu districts.

The tour took him to the rural telephony sites at Akoefe-Gadza, the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) at Sokode in the Ho Municipality and the Agotime Ziope District, where Mr George inspected the Silverstone Youth ICT Laboratory and the One Million Coding Programme Centre.

In the Adaklu District, he inspected similar facilities at Blidokpe, Waya, Dawanu and Kpetsu, before meeting with Adaklu chiefs at Abuadi.

Mr George said that, by its strategic location, the Volta Region was high on the ministry’s agenda for smooth and effective cellular communication.

Meanwhile, he said, the ministry was also committing great zeal and resources towards cyber security, data protection and fighting mobile money fraud.Responding, Mr Gunu said the Volta Region was now the most important investment destination in the country.

He said the success of investments in the areas of tourism, agriculture, transport and logistics would largely depend on a reliable communications network.

He expressed gratitude to the Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations for his focus on the region, which he said signified good development tidings for the area in the near future.

At Akoefe-Gadza, the visiting minister entreated traditional leaders and parents to encourage the youth to enrol in the OMCP to enable them to broaden their scope.

The Dufia of Akoefe-Gadza, Togbe Dikro IV appealed to Mr George to help to provide the community with ICT hardware, a computer laboratory and workstations in the schools to enhance the successes of the OMCP.

At UHAS, Mr George presented 200 laptops and other accessories to the university.

He said UHAS was a critical institution for technology-driven healthcare delivery.

The Vice Chancellor, Professor Lydia Aziato, thanked Mr George for the gesture and appealed for more computers to serve the 11,000-student population and an optimum cellular network on the campus.

“We are positioning UHAS as a hub of AI health delivery,” she added.

Professor Aziato said UHAS also needed a central computer laboratory and E-Library, not only at the main campus at Sokode, but also at the Hohoe campus.