Leading global ICT company, Huawei has been acknowledged for playing a key role in expanding mobile network connectivity to some unserved and underserved rural communities in Ghana to drive digitalisation.

Huawei is the technical partner on the Rural Telephony Project which seeks to bring connectivity to over four million Ghanaians in underserved and unserved communities in Ghana.

This is through the use of 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 Digitalisation.

Three communities in the Ahafo Region became the recent beneficiaries of the project when a team led by the Communications Ministry commissioned the new RuralStar sites for the people of Apenamedi Dantano and Anwiem communities in the Region to give them access to the mobile networks.

In her remarks to the Chiefs and people of Dantano and Anwiem all in the Asunafo South District, the Communications and Digitalisation Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful highlighted the benefits of network connectivity, hence the need to increase and improve infrastructure in that regard.

“The project is very critical to our digital inclusion project and we cannot wait for the telecom companies to do it alone because it may not be fast as we expected.”

She also called on the communities to take full advantage of their newly found connectivity to change their lives.

“The benefits of connectivity to your community goes beyond students using it to advance their knowledge, take advantage of services like Mobile Money, eCommerce, and explore new business opportunities and boost your existing businesses,” she added.

The Minister also acknowledged Huawei for the company’s role in jointly developing the RuralStar Solution which saves up to 60% on the cost of traditional cell sites to enable the government together with partners deploy sites to more rural communities to bridge the connectivity gap.

The Ahafo Regional Minister also called on the community to embrace digitalisation and leverage the availability of mobile connectivity to improve their livelihoods.

He also commended Huawei and its partners for their contributions to the project. 

As part of the Rural Sites commissioning marathon in the Ahafo Region, the Deputy Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, Ama Pomaa Boateng, inspected the newly completed Rural Telephony project site at Apenamedi in the Asutifi South District Region.

During the visit, the Deputy Minister reiterated the Government’s commitment to ensuring connectivity reaches everyone to facilitate the digital transformation process of government which Her ministry is spearheading.

She also complimented Huawei and the partners of the project for the good job done and entreated them to keep it up to ensure the goal of the project is achieved.

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

“As a company, Huawei is committed to the development of ICT in Ghana, we shall continue to leverage our global expertise to complement the country’s digitalisation efforts.

"As an organisation, we have a vision of bringing connectivity to every community and our contributions to the RuralStar solution for the Rural Telephony Project is a testament to this,” he added

In Ghana, Huawei continues to complement digitalisation processes with a continuous focus on bridging the digital divide by connecting people and enabling information access across economic, social and geographic boundaries ensuring that more and more people enjoy conveniences brought by communications.