The Minister of Communication, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, on Monday presented 230 laptops valued at $350,000.00 to the 230 members of parliament (MP), committees of the House and some parliamentary staff. Mr. Iddrisu said the laptops are part of the Ministry's eGhana project and meant to facilitate the research activities of the MPs, improve the efficiency of the legislature and enrich their input in debate. He said the Ministry would also provide each member with a modem to look for a network service provider. He said the specifications of the laptops are up to date in terms of capacity and storage. Mr. Iddrisu said Cabinet had approved eight million- Euro meant for infrastructure development at the new Parliament House. Mr. Iddrisu said there is justification for Parliament to be well equipped with Information Communication Technology (ICT). Mrs Joyce Bamford Addo, the Speaker said in a speech read on her behalf that the project would facilitate the work of members and make them more functional and efficient in the performance of their duties. She said through advancement in ICT the world had become a global village and access to information processing, storage, retrieval and dissemination have become critical requirements in the development and advancement of all societies. The speaker said parliament is determined not to be left out in the forward march by adopting the e-parliament approach as part of the eGhana project. Mrs. Addo stressed that the Parliamentary Service Board is determined to make parliament an e-parliament not just in name but in real sense of the term , adding that it was against this background that parliament is collaborating with the Ministry of Communications under the eGhana project to ensure the achievement of the goal of using ICT to get closer to the electorate. She said steps are being taken to provide the appropriate functional training in ICT for members. Mr. Nelson Offei Osae, eGhana Project Co-ordinator, said the project was aimed at leveraging the use of ICT to generate growth, adding that in 2008 the project had developed four major e-legislations that included the Electronic Transaction Act, National Communication Act, National Information Technology Agency Act and Electronic Communication Act. He said the parliamentary processes would also be automated through the e-parliament system. Source: GNA