Anthony Ampong, Chief Director at the Ministry of Information and National Orientation has reiterated government's commitment to ensuring that all Ghanaians acquired knowledge in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) since information had become a "vital commodity" for development. He said that would assist the citizenry to access vital information to enable them make informed decisions so that they could take their destiny into their own hands. Mr. Ampong said these at the opening of a five-day workshop on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for development, under the theme "application of ICT in community development," at Saltpond in the Central Region. The workshop was aimed among others at sensitising assembly members, school authorities and members of the communities in the area, on role of ICT in development. The event coincided with the inauguration of the Mfantsiman District Community Information Centre (CIC), at Saltpond, under the joint sponsorship of MINO, the Ministry of Communications, UNDP and the district assembly. Mr. Ampong said the facility would assist the people, especially, students to acquire training in computer and also enable them to undertake online studies in mathematics, physics, chemistry and other subjects that did not have teachers. He said the Centre would also assist the people access information about government policies and projects and facts about national life. Mr. Ampong advised the District Assembly, providers of the CIC to use the facility to provide information on investment opportunities in the area to the local and international investors and to link prospective customers or clients to businesses to eliminate middlemen from the system. Mr. Kofi Asante, Administrator of the Ghana Investment Fund for Telecommunications (GIFTEL), at the Ministry of Communications, said the Government launched the Ghana ICT for accelerated development. He said the policy's overall objective was to engineer an ICT led socio-economic development process that could transform Ghana into a middle income country. Mr. Fredrick Ampiah, an official of the UNDP in Ghana, noted that ICT that had transformed education, business, governance, and communication among others through out the world had become the backbone of development. He said the UNDP looked forward to working with its partners to strengthen government's capability to advance human development towards economic growth. Mr. Robert Quainoo-Arthur, the District Chief Executive, urged the people to make maximum use of the ICT facility to enable them get information about the district, the country and the world to enable them contribute to decision making. Source: GNA