General News of Wednesday, 8 June 2016
Source: thefinderonline.com
President Mahama at the Africa Mobile and ICT Expo (MOBEX)
President John Dramani Mahama has urged the youth to take advantage of the fast-growing digital economy to unleash their potential.
He said with the world growing at a very fast pace, the youth of Ghana must take advantage of the opportunities that exist within the digital ecosystem and create and adapt to the digital changing world.
President Mahama said this while opening the second edition of Africa Mobile and ICT Expo (MOBEX) 2016 at the Accra International Conference Centre yesterday.
He said the government was putting in place the right and adequate infrastructure to help the youth unearth their hidden potentials for the growth and development of the ICT sector in the country, adding that technology was important for the development of a country.
He expressed satisfaction with what he calls a massive growth in the telecommunication industry in the country, citing previous situations where Ghanaians used to queue to make a phone call.
“Today, Ghana stands tall as one of the progressive ICT and telecom markets with six mobile operators and over 33 million subscriptions. It means that if we were supposed to share the subscriptions, we are supposed to be about 27 million people, then it means every newborn baby has a mobile phone, but I know that some people have five, others have four, others have two, at least I have three.”
President Mahama used the occasion to tell Ghana’s struggle in the ICT and telecom sector, which he said have seen a massive transformation in the last two decades.
He said technology remains one of the main pillars of Ghana’s transformation agenda.
He commended the organisers of the expo, Coasters Company Limited, and their partners for organising the biggest event in the ICT industry.
“I wish to commend the organisers for creating this platform to facilitate interaction and sharing of ideas and experiences, and I’m hoping that the next big idea will be borne out of this interaction and debate that you are having here in the ICT sphere.
“MOBEX is becoming the leading ICT conference seminar in the country at the moment. I believe it has come to stay, and with my very strong belief in the capacity and dynamism of Ghanaians, I know it will continue to grow from strength to strength,” the President said.
The three-day event, which is on the theme ‘Digital economy – untapped resource for accelerated economic growth’, is to take stock of the new trends in the IT sector, as well as bring stakeholders together to have critical discussions on the future. The event will also see over 100 technology brands display their products.
For his part, Mr George Spencer Quaye, Chief Entrepreneur at Coasters Company Limited, said the event seeks to empower the youth by helping them identify employment opportunities and job creation opportunities in the technology sector.
The expo, he said, is expected to bring together investors and enthusiasts of the ICT industry, as well as mobile technology lovers, device manufacturers, students, telecommunication operators, among others
He explained that the event would be segmented into thought-leadership conference, ICT job fair, App World, conferences and seminars, exhibition pavilion and an African innovations arena where technological innovation that have been done using raw materials from Ghana and Africa will be displayed.
He thanked all their partners and sponsors for their support .