We suffered to build Accra Digital Centre, give credit to Mahama – Omane Boamah tells Akufo-Addo
Former Communications Minister, Dr Edward Omane Boamah has said it will not be out of place if the Nana Akufo-Addo-led government gives unadulterated credit to his predecessor, President John Dramani Mahama for the realization of the Accra Digital Centre.
“The least this government can do is to give unadulterated credit, as they add to the gains. We toiled including seeking a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to augment the project funds from both the World Bank and the President Mahama Government,” the former communications minister stated.
He recounted the struggles Mahama’s government went through to ensure Ghana makes use of its position on the globe as the country in the centre of the world. These struggles included a suit from a Gas Filling Station owner who was rejecting a relocation of his business.
The Accra Digital Centre was envisaged to employ over 10,000 Ghanaian youths.
The former minister praised his government for the massive infrastructure embarked on during their tenure of office, including the National Data Centre, the over 800 kilometres of fibre optic broadband, the government-owned 4G LTE internet sites, the NCA building, and the over 90 million dollars e-Transform project amongst others.
Read Omane’s full post below
“This is the Accra Digital Centre that President John Dramani Mahama inaugurated in November 2016, just one month to the elections in December 2016. It was envisaged to employ over 10,000 youth working 24/7 in an 8-hourly shift.
Business Process Outsourcing was to be one of its key job creation anchors considering that Ghana sits in the centre of the world eating lunch when Asia is going to bed and America is waking up.
The Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Dr Mahamudu Bawumia government has been lucky, too lucky, to have inherited such massive infrastructure including the National Data Centre, the over 800 kilometres of fibre optic broadband, the government-owned 4G LTE internet sites, the NCA building, the over 90 million dollars e-Transform project etc…
As a hands-on Minister for Communications, I can never forget how unsightly the original site looked like when I first stepped there for this transformation. It was a jungle PWD warehouse, a dusty den.
Neither can I forget the Gas Filling Station owner who took the project to court because I was determined to relocate their operations adjacent to the site in order to create a safe fire-free working environment at the Accra Digital Centre. I personally sat in court to monitor proceedings to see to the success of the Accra Digital Centre.
There are many obstacles our team faced in developing the Accra Digital Centre which our team can never forget!
The least this government can do is to give unadulterated credit, as they add to the gains.
We toiled including seeking a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to augment the project funds from both the World Bank and the President Mahama Government.
The Accra Digital Centre can and must work 24/7 as we envisaged (but for elections 2016) and must employ at least 10,000 youth who will work in 3 8-hour shifts in a day, as the vision was.”
By: Agaatorne Douglas Asaah | myactiveonline.com
