The Deputy Director and Policy Lead for the Alliance for Affordable Internet, Eleanor Sarpong says the Government of Ghana needs to do a lot more to ensure equal access to digital resources.
Speaking during the Edtech Monday segment on the Citi Breakfast Show on the topic, “access to digital resources,” Eleanor Sarpong stressed how critical governments’ role is in bridging the digital divide between students in urban and rural communities.
“We cannot discount the role of government in all this. I know that the government of Ghana through the GIFEC is doing some work in this space in terms of providing connectivity in partnership with some private sector players. But then there needs to be a very coherent approach towards this, and there is a lot more that can be done. In Africa, for instance, we need about $9 billion in terms of infrastructure investments in order to ensure that at least individuals above 10 years have access to high-speed internet.”
“The role of government is very critical. We need the government not just to provide incentives, but also to ensure that we are providing the right regulatory framework to provide the kind of certainty that investors need. By 2025, 60% of all Ghanaians should have some form of digital literacy.”
EdTech Monday is an initiative of the Mastercard Foundation Regional Centre for Teaching and Learning in ICT.
About the Mastercard Foundation
The Mastercard Foundation works with visionary organisations to enable young people in Africa and in Indigenous communities in Canada to access dignified and fulfilling work. It is one of the largest private foundations in the world with a mission to advance learning and promote financial inclusion to create an inclusive and equitable world. The Foundation was created by Mastercard in 2006 as an independent organisation with its own Board of Directors and management.
In Ghana, after more than a decade working with the private sector and government to promote financial inclusion and education through its Scholars Program, the Mastercard Foundation launched Young Africa Works, a 10-year strategy to enable 3 million young Ghanaians, particularly young women, to access dignified and fulfilling work by 2030.
Young Africa Works in Ghana aims to:
- Enable the growth of women-owned enterprises through business development services, access to finance, and access to markets.
- Enable young people to acquire skills that are needed by businesses in growing sectors of the economy, and strengthen the quality of education to prepare students for the world of work.
- Scale digital training and strengthen technology-focused employment opportunities.
EdTech Monday is one of the initiatives of the Foundation’s Regional Centre for Teaching and Learning in ICT, aimed at leveraging technology to advance teaching and learning.
