Use of ICT for Education, Research and Development in Ghana: Challenges, Opportunities and Potentials

2003 Round Table on Developing Countries Access to Scientific Knowledge, The Abdus Salam ICTP, Trieste, Italy

Use of ICT for Education, Research and Development in Ghana:
Challenges, Opportunities and Potentials

Joseph Intsiful
Dr. Philip Fosu Okyere
Dr. Shiloh Osae
Centre for Development Research
Siemens AG; Information and
Ghana Atomic Energy Commission
University of Bonn/
Communication Mobile
National Nuclear Research Institute
Bonn/Germany
Munich/Germany
Legon- Accra
and
and
Ghana
Institute of Mathematical Sciences
Institute of Mathematical Sciences
shilosae@hotmail.com
Ghana
Ghana
jintsiful@yahoo.com
pokyere@ieee.org
Abstract
This paper outlines the challenges, opportunities and the potentials in the use of Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) in Ghana for Education, Research and Development. It presents
several initiatives that have been made by the government of Ghana and other agencies to bridge
the digital divide between Ghana and the developed world, with more emphasis on an ongoing
Wide Area Network project called Research and Education Network (REN) aimed at networking all
educational and research institutions in Ghana. Problems facing the continuing development of ICT
in the country are identified and solution strategies to harness the full potential of ICT as an
indispensable tool for the socio-economic development in Ghana are also discussed.
Introduction
ICT infrastructural development in Ghana is progressing at a rate (0.4% from 1995 to 2.9%
in 2000) comparable to other low-income countries globally and above the 1.1% average
for Sub Saharan Africa [1]. Over the years, several initiatives have been made by the
government of Ghana and other agencies to develop the ICT-infrastructure so as to bridge
the digital divide between Ghana and the developed world. Prominent among these
initiatives is the development of a national fiber optic network (VOLTACOM) by the
nations electricity provider, the Volta River Authority (VRA). There has also been massive
investments in ICT infrastructure from existing Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and
Telecommunication companies, such as the Ghana Telecom, Spacefon and Mobitel, whose
activities cover the whole country. In addition, the government of Ghana and other
agencies, including the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP),
has trained over a thousand professionals in ICT and related areas to provide the necessary
knowledge and skills to support ICT activities in the country. Despite these massive
investments in ICT infrastructure and ICT-capacity building, Ghana is still to a large extent
digitally isolated from the Global Village because it lacks the critical drive and strategies to
harness the full potential of ICT for the socio-economic development of the country. A
motivational remark by one of the illustrious sons of Africa summarizes the need for ICT as
a facilitator for socio-economic development and to bridge the digital divide:
"We paid the price of not taking part in the Industrial Revolution of the late eighteenth
century because we did not have the opportunity to see what was taking place in Europe.
Now we see that information and communication technology has become an
indispensable tool. This time, we should not miss out on this technological revolution"
Professor F.K.A. Allotey, a distinguished Ghanaian scholar.


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2003 Round Table on Developing Countries Access to Scientific Knowledge, The Abdus Salam ICTP, Trieste, Italy

ICT Indicators in Ghana (1995-1998)
In 1995, Ghana became the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to have “full internet
connectivity [3], yet ICT development is still in its infancy in Ghana. Telephone links to
rural area are still very poor, despite recent advances in wireless telephony. As at 1998, the
number of Internet host sites was 241 with about 4500 User, whilst 2.38 users per 10,000
inhabitants could be registered as users of the Internet. One detrimental factor is the high
cost of Internet usage. The three main Internet Service Providers, AfricaOnline, Internet
Ghana and Network Computer Systems charge between US$35-US$50 a month for dial-up
services for an unlimited access. Corporate account for Internet access ranges from US$50
for limited Access to US$300 for unlimited access. Recently, there has been an increase in
Internet Cafe’s and Communication Centres all over the country with the attended increase
in the use of emails and related facilities. Table 1 summarizes the ICT indicators in Ghana
from 1995 –1998 [2]:
Table 1: ICT indicators in Ghana (1995-1998)
INFRASTRUCTURE
1995
1996
1997
1998
Telephone lines
63.067
77,886
105,000
133,000
Teledensity 0.36
0.44
0.70
0.71
Digital main lines (%)
89.53
90.86
95.47
97.50
Waiting list for main lines
28,349
28,987
19,567
15,567
Public telephones
30
453
483
1814
Public telephones per 1,000 inhab.
0.001
0.02
0.03
0.11
Mobile subscribers
6,200
12,766
28,228
42,343
Mobile subscribers per 100 inhab.
0.04
0.07
0.16
0.24
Telecentres
30
76 96 176
Facsimiles 3,780
4,950
5,600
8,000
Computer(s) per 100 inhab.
0.12
0.14
0.16
0.30
ICT Human Resources
3,000
4,601
4,834
5,250
Radios per 100 inhab.
23.1
23.8
68.10
68.2
TVs per 100 inhab.
4.04
4.49
29.70
35.2
Cable TV subscribers
0
0
400
1000
Satellite dish subscribers ?
?
?
15,000
Internet host sites
6
203
241
253
Internet service providers (ISPs)
1
3
3
3
Internet users
300
2,500
4,500
7,500
Internet users per 10,000 inhab.
0.18
1.56
2.38
4.17
Internet bandwidth (Kbps)
9.6
256
512
640

ICT-Infrastructure for Education, Research and Development
The high subscription and infrastructure costs coupled with the poor quality of service by
service providers as outlined in the previous section is a major hindrance to the use of ICT
in education, research and development [3].


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2003 Round Table on Developing Countries Access to Scientific Knowledge, The Abdus Salam ICTP, Trieste, Italy

To create an enabling environment for the use of ICT, foster information exchange among
local scientists, and to facilitate the interactions and collaboration between researchers in
institutions and the world, a Wide Area Network called the Research and Educational
Network (REN) was established in 2000 with the help of the World Bank INFODEV
project. REN uses fibre optic as the main backbone (inter-city links) and radio network
from a fibre optic access point in each city to the end-user. Presently, the basic
infrastructure is functioning satisfactorily with the University of Ghana, Legon-Accra,
hosting the main server and a VSAT link to the Internet. Additionally, the following
institutions have been linked to serve as nodes for the broad network:

University of Cape Coast (Central Region)

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Ashanti Region)

University College of Education, Winneba (Central Region)

Center for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Accra.

Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), Accra

University of Development Studies, Tamale (Northern Region)
These nodes are serving as service providers to the Senior Secondary Schools who use dial-
up access to reach the nodes. Some schools are installing radio links to enhance their
connectivity to the nodes. All the nodes have been equipped with a Remote Access Service
(RAS) to enable access by other users. Additionally, all the nodes have been provided with
the Pentium III server (256 MB RAM, 10 GB HDD and 17” Colour Monitor), a Dial-up
modem and 24-port hub. A star topology has been developed with the University of Ghana
at the center and the rest linked as follows:
The Ghana Atomic Energy Commission is linked by a 11Mbit radio modem
University of Cape Coast:- Fiber optic cable to Cape Coast town and then by a 11
Mbit radio to the UCC campus
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology:- Fiber optic cable to
Kumasi town and then by a 11 Mbit radio to the KNUST campus
University College of Education, Winneba:- Dial-up connection
Center for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR): 11 Mbit Radio Modem
University of Ghana Medical School, Korle Bu:- 11 Mbit Radio Modem
University of Development Studies (UDS), Tamale linked by a separate VSAT (128
kb/s Downloading, 64kb/s uploading.
The links to the nodes are functioning and Campus Area Networks (CAN) are presently
being undertaken at all the nodes to expand the service to all areas on the campuses. The
most popular media for the backbone of the CAN is fibber optic cables with CAT 5 UTP
cables being used for the intra building networking. The CAN projects are proceeding at a
very slow pace on most campuses due to the lack of funds and the absence of trained
personnel to undertake the project professionally. As a result only a few points in the whole
network are actively functioning and network traffic management is sub-optimal.
The link to the node at the University college of Education (Winneba) is dial-up access due
to the fact that its location is not on the national fiber optic backbone and the use of radio
would be very expensive. The dial-up connection presently being used is very expensive
since access is possible only via a trunk call to the Accra.


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2003 Round Table on Developing Countries Access to Scientific Knowledge, The Abdus Salam ICTP, Trieste, Italy

Challenges, Opportunities and Potentials
The major challenge facing the development of the full potential of ICT for education,
research and development in the county is brain drain which has resulted in the lack of the
critical mass of ICT-engineers and scientists relevant for undertaking ICT-related project
professionally. Another major obstacle is the lack of an enabling environment and a sound
ICT-roadmap and strategies by policy makers resulting in uncoordinated and unsustainable
ICT-development activities. Other problems include:
High running and subscription costs
Lack of good publicity and incentives to attract potential users
Identification of information sources that meet the needs of users
Poor Quality of Service of the internet and telecommunication services
Regulatory issues (exclusivity policies and ban on use of VOIP)
Effective management of network traffic and infrastructure
The solution strategy towards bridging the digital divide demands an aggressive human
capacity building in ICT through training workshops, seminars and courses in collaboration
with local and international institutions [4]. Specific institutions in Ghana responsible for
the development of scientific and technological capabilities, research and development, and
the provision of essential services are the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and
Technology (KNUST), Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the Ghana
Atomic Energy Commission, the Universities of Ghana, the Kofi Annan Centre for
Information and Communication Technology. The capacities of these institutions must be
strengthened and research and development must be demand-driven focusing on the
provision of products to meet local needs. To develop the full potential of ICT in Ghana
there is the need for an ICT Taskforce with representatives from all stakeholders:
To assist policy makers in the formulation of sustainable ICT programs- roadmap
To manage and co-ordinate activities of the research and educational network
To develop innovative ideas for the efficient utilization of the ICT infrastructure
(e.g. distance education and virtual laboratories for teaching and research)
To provide training in the use of new ICT tools and
To promote the use of cost-effective ICT-Technologies such as Open-Source (e.g.,
www4mail and eJDS) and Wireless Technologies
The benefits of implementing these strategies in an optimal mix can be substantial in
helping Ghana realize the required impact of ICT in its socio-economic development.
References
[1] ICT at a glance, Ghana, 2001, Development Data Group, World Bank.
[2] ITU (International Telecommunication Union), NW (Network Wizards) Internet Host
Surveys and UNDP human development report.
[3] Sulberger, “Internet Service Providers and Communications Solutions in Ghana”, April
2001, presented to International Finance Corp. World Bank.
[4] Okyere, P.F.; Intsiful J.D.K.; Osae, S.; Allotey, F.A.; Andam, K.: “Project Proposal:
Establishment of an African Institute of Science and Technology in Ghana”. Presented to
ICTP, 2003.

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