The Vice President of Ghana, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has commissioned a library and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) hub at Akim Oda in the Birim Central Municipality of the Eastern region.
The library was named after the mother of Mrs Ursula Owusu Ekufful, Minister of Communications and Digitalisation, and is called the “Christina Akua Brago Diawuo Library and Tech Hub.”
During the commissioning ceremony, which was held at St. Andrews Anglican School, Dr Bawumia commended the collaborative efforts of several organisations that made the project a success.
He emphasized the importance of education in societal development and advancement and mentioned that the government had invested significantly in Free Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) and Free Senior High School (Free SHS) to ensure the acquisition of true knowledge.
Dr Bawumia stated that the Free SHS policy had increased enrolment by 400,000 children who were previously unable to attend due to financial difficulties. He added that the policy had brought parity between boys and girls in senior high school.
The library and technology hub project received support from the Ghana Library Authority, MTN Ghana, Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications, and Huawei Ghana.
The facility is powered by artificial intelligence and offers a range of digital resources such as e-books and robotics for students to utilize.
Mrs Ursula Owusu Ekufful expressed her gratitude to all the stakeholders who made the project possible. She encouraged children to take advantage of the available digital resources to achieve their goals and objectives.
The Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Library Authority, Mr Hayford Siaw, stressed the significance of ICT applications in today’s world. He encouraged students to make effective use of the library as not everyone has a private study space at home.
Mr Siaw added that ICT had a positive impact on economic growth, productivity, and employment, and its implementation determined a country’s ability to develop and improve the lives of its citizens.
Nana Gyanfi II, Chief of ODA Nkwanta, who represented Nana Akua Asantewaa II, praised the Vice President for the project, stating that during his education, there were no computers, but now there was a library and a tech hub for the people of Oda/Kotoku and its environs.
The Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) was established in 2004 to bring electronic communications to underserved and unserved communities in Ghana. Since its inception, GIFEC has provided innovative solutions to ensure Universal Access and Digital Inclusion in the most remote parts of the country, as well as in all marginalized communities.
The commissioning of the Christina Akua Brago Diawuo Library and Tech Hub at Akim Oda is a laudable initiative by the government and its partners, and it is expected to positively impact education and technological development in the Birim Central Municipality of the Eastern region.
