Huawei commended for its role in rural mobile network connectivity in Ghana

Huawei, a global leader in the ICT sector, was recognized for playing a key role in expanding cellular network connectivity to some unserved and underserved rural communities in Ghana to drive digitization.

Huawei is the technical partner of the rural telephony project that aims to provide connectivity to more than four million Ghanaians in underserved and underserved communities in Ghana.

It does this by deploying the innovative RuralStar solution jointly developed by Huawei and the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) under the auspices of the Ministry of Communications and Digitization.

Three municipalities in the Ahafo region became the latest beneficiaries of the project when a team led by the Ministry of Communications commissioned the new RuralStar sites for the population of the region’s Apenamedi Dantano and Anwiem municipalities to give them access to mobile networks.

The Minister of Communications and Digitization, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, in her remarks to the leaders and residents of Dantano and Anwiem in the southern district of Asunafo, emphasized the advantages of network connectivity and thus the need to expand and improve the related infrastructure.

“The project is very important to our digital inclusion project and we look forward to telecom companies doing it ourselves as it may not go as quickly as we anticipated.”

She also urged communities to take full advantage of their new connectivity to transform their lives.

“The benefits of connectivity to your community go beyond students using it to expand their knowledge, leverage services like mobile money and e-commerce, and explore new business opportunities and enhance your existing businesses,” she added.

The minister also recognized Huawei’s role in co-developing the RuralStar solution, which will save up to 60% of the cost of traditional cellular sites, allowing the government, together with partners, to set up sites in more rural communities to bridge the connectivity gap.

The regional minister of Ahafo also urged the community to embrace digitization and take advantage of the availability of mobile connectivity to improve their livelihoods. She also commended Huawei and its partners for their contributions to the project.

As part of the Rural Site Commissioning Marathon in Ahafo Region, Deputy Minister of Communications and Digitization Ama Pomaa Boateng toured the site of the recently completed rural telephony project in Apenamedi in Asutifi Southern District Region.

During her visit, the deputy minister reiterated the government’s commitment to ensure connectivity reaches everyone to facilitate the government’s digital transformation process led by her ministry.

She also commended Huawei and the project partners for their excellent work and urged them to keep doing so to ensure the project goal is achieved.

Huawei Ghana Public Relations Manager David Appiah reiterated Huawei’s commitment to the development of ICT infrastructure in Ghana.

“As a company, Huawei is committed to ICT development in Ghana, we will continue to leverage our global experience to complement the country’s digitization efforts.

“As an organization, we have a vision to bring connectivity to every community and our contribution to the RuralStar solution for the rural telephony project is testament to that,” he added.

In Ghana, Huawei continues to integrate digitization processes with an ongoing focus on bridging the digital divide by connecting people and enabling access to information across economic, social and geographic borders to ensure more and more people enjoy the convenience of communication.

By: Sheila Satori Mensa