The National Information Technology Agency (NITA), in collaboration with
the Institute of IT Professionals Ghana (IIPGH), will be holding a stakeholder forum
to engage and educate ICT industry players on NITA’s regulatory activities and
solicit feedback to fine-tune its implementation strategy.
The event which will take place on Monday 19th December 2022 at Kofi
Annan Centre for Excellence (KACE) is held on the theme “Regulating ICT
Businesses and Practitioners in Ghana: Opportunities and Challenges.”
According to a statement issued and signed by the Head of Corporate
Affairs at NITA, Emmanuel Fiagbenu, discussions at the forum are expected to
focus on details of NITA’s regulatory functions, the opportunities the
regulatory mandate will create, and the possible challenges that might be
encountered and other related matters.
Outlining the sequence of activities during the stakeholders' meeting,
the statement noted that the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation
(MOCD), Ursula Owusu Ekuful, will deliver the keynote address.
“A panel discussion will feature notable ICT stakeholders such as Hon.
Sam George, Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram and a member of the
Communications Committee, Dr. Felicia Engmann – Senior lecturer, GIMPA School
of Technology and Dr. Collins Yeboah-Afari, Director General, Kofi Annan Centre
of Excellence. Other speakers include Mr. Carl Sackey, CEO, CS Consulting and
Services Ltd, Mr. Ebo Richardson, Chief Projects Officer, Equity Group, and Mr.
David Gowu – Executive Director, Institute of IT Professionals Ghana,” the
statement said.
Speaking ahead of the planned engagement, the Director General of NITA,
Richard Okyere-Fosu who is upbeat about the forum's success, called on
invited industry players to participate in the forum physically or remotely
through the channels provided by NITA.
Mr. Okyere-Fosu further stated, “NITA has been playing along the
peripheral of ICT regulations for a long time. It is time we take off fully
with our regulatory mandate. A regulator’s work is not done in isolation, it is
done best if stakeholders appreciate and understand the route of the
destination and the possible obstacles we might encounter and plan together to
deal with them.”
He then explained that “Regulating ICT properly will offer us a lot of
opportunities. This meeting is meant to take stakeholders along to know the
journey ahead of us – it will be a win-win engagement.”
The event will also be broadcasted live on Microsoft Teams and at
nitaGhana on Facebook, YouTube, and via Zoom.
By: Kanto Okanta