The Ministry has therefore called on the general public to disregard the news item suggesting it is doing this.

[contextly_sidebar id=”FQjnPrxb2mu4lFnMlpa0hCQC88cU6yvX”]Rumours were rife on social media over the weekend that the Ministry has enforced a new Communications Regulation that entails surveillance of calls and social media interactions by Ghanaians secretly.

But according to the Ministry, there was no such regulation.

A statement from the Ministry signed by Mrs. Adelaide Anno-Kumi, the Chief Director, said it would not undertake any such endeavour that amounts to an invasion of the privacy of citizens.

“The Ministry of Interior’s attention has been drawn to a news item making rounds on social media which is alleging that, the Ministry will be enforcing a new Communications Regulation which will entail surveillance of calls and social media platforms by the Ministry of Interior.

“The Ministry wishes to emphatically state that there is no such new communication regulation and thus calls on the general public to disregard the news item. The Ministry wishes to assure the general public that, no one’s communication device, be it mobile hand device, Personal Computer etc. is connected to any system at the Ministry of the Interior,” the statement said.

It added that “in as much as the safety, peace and security of citizens is our primary concern, we will not do anything tantamount to the invasion of the privacy of citizenry and an affront on the respect of the fundamental human rights of the citizenry.”

It further called on the general public to disregard any information within the public domain that suggests that it is secretly monitoring the conversation of Ghanaians.

“The Ministry, therefore, wish to state emphatically and unambiguously that, the news item is false and should be disregarded by the general public. The Ministry takes this opportunity to wish the general public happy Easter celebrations.”

Some Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and lawyers, forced government to withdraw, review and resubmit a Bill before Parliament to enable a lawful interception of postal packets, and telecommunication messages for the purpose of fighting crime and suppressing organised crime.

The Bill, in its earlier state, was to empower the country’s security agencies to intercept messages linked to money laundering, terrorism, narcotic trafficking, identity theft and were generally for the protection of national security.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @jnyabor

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The Chamber organized an industry cocktail on Tuesday  (February 21^st 2017) to welcome the Communications Minister, Mrs Ursula Owusu Ekuful and the DG Mr. Joe Anokye.

The private cocktail was organized to provide a platform for industry stakeholders to network and build sustainable working relationships with the appointees to further enhance the development of the sector.

“This government is willing to work with the private sector. I have no doubts that Telecommunications is the biggest and best-performing industry in Ghana today,” said Mrs Ekuful. Hon. Ursula has served on the Parliamentary Select Committee on Communications in the lastParliament and held managerial roles with Westel Telecommunications and Zain Telecoms in 2009.

On his part, Mr. Anokye said “the Regulator will collaborate with service providers to enrich formulation and implementation of all sector policies to achieve a win-win outcome for government, players and consumers”. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Anokye was a Telecommunications service manager at NASA in the United States.

Mr. Kwaku Sakyi-Addo, CEO of The Chamber, said: “this new appointeesbring a wealth of corporate, legal, legislative, technical experience and insights to the Ministry and the NCA. We are confident that they’ll bring these to bear in this new industrial revolution which telecommunications is today.”

The Chairman of the Telecoms Chamber, Mrs Yolanda Cuba said in her remarks, “the industry players will work with government to ensure a thriving sector which empowers and impacts the lives of Ghanaians.

Key officials attended the private cocktail from the NCA, MoC, Telcos, Tower Companies, Parliament, Revenue Authority, Environment Protection Agency, Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications, Radiation Protection Institute (GAEC), Google Ghana, Media, other industry players and their representatives.

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Telecoms chamber welcomes industry appointees appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to her, the company has the potential to expand and play a vital role in improving modern communication in the country especially in rural areas.

[contextly_sidebar id=”lk9VhOnzhnImSOuMIF3mjzN347xpiPWY”]Speaking before the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Wednesday [February 1, 2017], the Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West said she had started conversations with management of Ghana Post on revamping its operations.

Ghana Post is a national communication and financial agency with nationwide coverage that has served its purpose for more than 5 decades.

In spite of its previous successes and dominance in the communication sector in the past, the company is currently struggling for relevance due to competition from private telecom companies, courier agencies and internet service providers.

But according to the minister-nominee, Ghana Post could still play a relevant role in Ghana’s communications sector given the right investments, tools and leadership, which she says her government is ready to provide.

“I’ve already started engaging with the management of Ghana Post. They have a lot of potential. It hasn’t been realized so far; but I think with the right leadership and investment in human and capital resources, it can be a very profitable company, and I am committed to helping them realize their full potential,” she said.

“If it works, it will benefit a whole lot more of our people who otherwise do not have access to postal services, telephony services or to the many other services such as e-commerce and courier services that they could be used to facilitate. They have the beginnings of something that can make them a profitable company, and I will do everything that is within my power to make them realize their potential.”

‘Internet service in Parliament’

Ghana’s parliament has in the last 5 months been without internet access, making the work of legislators difficult, but according to Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, she will work to restore internet connectivity to the house.

Reacting to a question posed by the Member of Parliament for Asawase constituency, Muntaka Mubarak on the situaiton, the minister-nominee said she was aware parliament had paid money to the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) to restore internet service to the chamber of the House and Job 600, but cannot explain why the House lacked the service.

He assured the Appointments Committee that she will consider it a matter of urgency to ensure Parliamentarians have access to internet service in the House, and also have modern communication gadgets installed in the chamber to function.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @jnyabor

The post I’ll make Ghana Post profitable – Ursula Owusu appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.