The Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFFEC) has begun the extension of mobile telephony services to over 50 under-served communities in the Assin South District of the Central Region.

The ultimate objective of the extension is to achieve 100% mobile telephone coverage throughout the entire Assin South District to boost businesses and to improve the lives of the residents.

Residents in these communities have to walk several kilometers before making mobile phone calls.

Sometimes residents have to climb trees to receive signals to make phone calls.

Based on a request made by the MP for Assin South, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, about the predicament of the communities in his District, GIFFEC responded and a sod-cutting ceremony to kick-start the construction of facilities to give the area telephone coverage has been done.

According to the Assin South MP, the first phase of the project will see eight communities in the District connected.

A second phase will see over 15 communities having access to voice and data services to improve the socio-economic activities in the area.

“During the campaign, I promised to help connect the communities in my District to get access to the internet. By the kind courtesy GIFFEC, our dream is coming to fruition. We will connect all the communities that need voice and data services,' he said.

According to the MP, the chiefs have provided the need lands for the project and have promised their support to ensure the completion of the project.

The Chief Executive Officer of GIFFEC, Kofi Asante, says not only will the communities be given mobile telephony coverage but his outfit will also assist educational institutions in the district with laptops and computers to aid teaching and learning.

“You remember recently what we did at Assin Asamankese when we heard that the school lacked computers and that a teacher was using a stone to teach the pupils instead of a computer mouse? You remember, we helped set up a computer laboratory for them,” he said.

According to him, the NPP government will aggressively pursue the issue of mobile telephony connectivity in the under-served communities across the country to ensure that 100% mobile telephone service coverage is achieved throughout the country.

The move, he said, will also increase telephone subscription by as many citizens as possible.