 Competitive telecommunications
The new minister of communications, E. Spio-Garbrah, former Ghana's ambassador in Washington, brought a fresh breath to its sector:
"I believe, what will decide whether investors will come to the country or not, is the telecommunication infrastructure". At the same time, he wants to spread all the new information technologies into Ghana's society.
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Only a few years ago, Ghana Telecom (GT) had a monopolistic stranglehold on the telecommunications business. All that changed when the government opened the sector to private capital participation. It wanted to ensure the provision of efficient, first rate services comparable to international standards. Among the first operators on the scene were Millicom (Ghana) Ltd., an American cell phone provider, and a Malaysian group, G-Com, which acquired a 30 % strategic share in GT. With an estimated population of 18 million, and a subscriber ratio of 0.4 %, Ghana possesses a tremendous growth potential in telecommunications.
A current objective, says GT Managing Director Adnan Rafiee, is to grow from the 77,000 subscribers today to 500,000 in the next five years, a huge leap in service and capacity. GT's plan includes the digitalization of Ghana Telecom's infrastructure, upgrading facilities, and providing new services similar to those available in developed countries.
The fact that new phone companies are entering the market is welcome news to Mr. Rofiee. "Competition is good for business and we have come into a situation where competitors surround us. This will make the company and its employees focus quickly on customer needs and service," he says.
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GHANA
