The Network of Communication Reporters, (NCR) has been formally inaugurated at an impressive ceremony held at the Kofi Annan ICT Centre of Excellence in Accra.
The NCR is a network of journalists who have specialized in writing on telecoms and ICT, with the ultimate aim of influencing industry policies, and keeping industry players on their toes on behalf of consumers. Two years ago a handful of reporters came together to promote journalism through ICT which will bring together communicators with interests in ICT reporting.
Their aim was to equip journalist with skills in ICT reporting, to educate and inform the general public on ICT issues, to advocate for ICT as a tool for development and access to international communities.
The programme saw the swearing into office of 12 professionally equipped executives of the Network which has within a relatively short time of existence earned a respectable name within the telecoms and ICT sector in the country.
The chairman for the occasion and director general for the Ghana-India Kofi Annan center of excellence in ICT Madam Dorothy Gordon called on journalists who write of ICT/Telecoms to gear their writing towards influencing ICT/Telecom policy for the betterment of the citizens.
She touched on some issues facing the ICT in Ghana which have not been given much attention. Madam Dorothy Gordon noted for instance that there were seven biometric systems in Ghana, and it was costing the country lots of money but a good journalistic analysis of the issue could lead to an effective integration that saves cost.
She expressed the hope that the NCR would provide the forum for the journalists to educate themselves on the core industry issues so that they could do more informed articles that have the potential to influence national policy and industry players towards a certain direction.
?There is no reason why Ghana should not be ahead of the rest of Africa in the development of the ICT and telecoms industry ? but a lot of that would depend on how effectively the media report on the industry,? she said.
She also urged the journalists not to only write about ICT/telecoms but also make extensive use of industry innovations to reach a wider audience on all platforms ? mobile, print, electronic, and the internet.
The Director-General of National Information Technology Agency (NITA), who inaugurated the NCR also noted that telecoms/ICT reporting was still fallow but he hopes NCR would champion a consistent coverage and in-depth analysis of industry issues.
?We at the ministry have always hoped that media houses would dedicate special pages and airtime slots to ICT/telecom issues. It our hope that the NCR will champion that course and ensure that the industry gets the coverage it deserves,? he said.
Chief Executive Officer of the Telecoms Chamber, Mr. Kwaku Addo Sakyi-Addo thinks in seeking the interest of consumers, journalists should also throw the spotlight on challenges facing the telecom operators because ?the interest of consumers are operators are not in competition.?
He explained that telecom operators invested over five billion dollars in Ghana to give Ghanaian great communication experience but fibre cuts and other operational, regulatory and legal challenges, through no fault of the telcos, affect quality of service, so it is important to point those out in the media as well.
?This year alone the telcos have suffered 879 fibre cuts, and one particular telco has suffered over 320 fibre cuts as at September this year,? he said. ?These are not problems facing particular telcos but all industry players and we need to find better ways of dealing with them.?
The Dean of NCR, Charles Benoni Okine stated that NCR was not established to kowtow to the whims and caprices of industry players but rather to keep players on their toes on behalf of consumers.
He urged government to deal with quality of service issues in ways that would ensure that the punitive measures for breaches would directly benefit consumers rather than the regulator taking fines and putting them in their coffers.
Estelle Akofio Sowah on behalf of the patrons of the NCR pledged their support in helping the NCR achieve its role and enhance their potential. She also charged them to focus more on technology.
The inauguration was sponsored by Vodafone, MTN, Tigo, Airtel, Nokia and Alltel
