CSOs canvass priority to access, internet penetration

Anthony Nwakaegho/DigitalSENSE Business News

Some 30 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) based in Ghana, have called on the Ghanaian government to prioritise and increase investment for improving internet penetration and access in the country.

These CSOs made their position available to DigitalSENSE Business News after the workshop on internet freedom in Ghana, organised by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), with support from the UK-based Global Partners and Associates (GPA) as a platform for increasing CSO-government engagement on internet policy issues and advocacy for enhancing internet freedom in Ghana.

The Deputy Executive Director of the MFWA, Sulemana Braimah, said at the opening of the workshop that increasing internet penetration and creating conditions that would help make the internet open and accessible, and deserves to be a priority to the government.

"The internet has become the most influential driver of global development. It has become the most powerful tool that facilitates dialogue and engagement among citizens, and helps engender citizens' participation in governance discourses in a way that nurtures a culture of social accountability. Access to the internet by a large section of the Ghanaian population should thus be seen as a prerequisite for Ghana's development," Braimah said.

DigitalSENSE Business News found from the highlights of a mapping study conducted as part of the MFWA's internet freedom project which indicates that internet penetration in Ghana was still below 20 per cent which means that over 80 per cent of Ghanaians are yet to have access to the internet.

The mapping report also highlighted the need for a much stronger civil society involvement in internet policy discussions and debates in the Ghana and further called for increased public education on internet policy and governance issues so as to harness public support for an improved internet environment in Ghana.

As part of the workshop, a Civil Society Coalition on Internet Freedom, with 22 CSOs as initial members, was formed.

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