50th eCARE CENTRE COMMISSIONED AT WONOO

The eCARE project last December commissioned the 50th centre at Sakora Wonoo, a small community in the Kwabre District of Ashanti region of Ghana. By this achievement, the people will benefit immensely from the centre's services especially the internet and will no longer travel long distances to Kumasi for these and other value added renewable energy services.

Crowd wainting their turn to enter the new eCARE Centre

Mr. Joseph Abanyin, eCARE Manager giving his address

In a speech read on his behalf by Mr. Osei Assibey, the Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr. Emmanuel Asamoah Owusu-Ansah, urged the people of Sakora Wonoo to make maximum use of the ICT facility to enhance their socio-economic well being. He said, the eCARE centres are providing rural inhabitants with jobs, thus complementing government’s efforts in raising the living standards of individuals in rural communities.

The Acting Chief Executive Officer of GT, Mr. Oduro Nyaning in a speech read for him by the Ghana Telecom Ashanti Regional Manager, Nana Boffour Awuah said, the eCARE project is Ghana Telecom and Partners’ (UNF, UNEP, GT, KITE and TMP) latest innovations meant to serve the telecommunication needs of rural communities nationwide. “As the global village undergoes development at a fast pace, we have identified how best we can provide under-privileged societies with telephones, internet and other value added telecommunication services which is no more a luxury but a vital link to the rest of the world,” he stressed.

Ghana Telecom Ashanti Regional Manager Nana Boffour Awuah

In a speech read for her by Mr Solomon Quansah, the Director of KITE, Harriette AMISSAH-ARTHUR (Mrs.) said, the eCARE project aims at poverty reduction in peri-urban and rural communities by confronting two key challenges: the “Digital Divide” and the “Energy Divide”. The Energy-Divide as it were has in many cases served to further deepen the Digital Divide .

Nana Bawuah Bonsafo addressing the gathering.

The chairman of the function, Nana Bawuah Bonsafo, the ‘Boafohene’ of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Ashanti Hene, emphasized the importance of the ICT to the socio-economic development of every society, and urged the people to take full advantage of the facility, to improve their standard of living.

The UNDP as part of their efforts to support the eCARE project is adopting the Wonoo and five other centres for sponsorship. The eCARE Manager, Mr. Joseph Abanyin said, 37 centres in eight regions of the country, namely Central, Eastern, Volta, Greater Accra, Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Northern and Western, are operational, disclosing that additional 15 centres would be established by close of 2006 to bring the total number of eCARE centres to 52.