International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) launch in Accra

An international computing forum opened in Accra on Monday with a call on the public, especially students, to patronize a programme dubbed; "International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL)", which provides an equal platform and standard training for all people irrespective of their location.
The ICDL programme is internationally recognized as the global standard for end-users computer skills and has been widely adopted by governments and international organizations in Europe and Africa.
Mrs Jenny Van Neikerk, Chief Executive Officer for ICDL Africa, said the programme delivered quality certification to everyone who patronized it throughout the world.
She said the ICDL, which took students through programmes like Concepts of Information Technology, File Management, Word Processing, Spreadsheets, Databases, Presentations and Internet and Emails, was skills-based and not specific to an inventor like Microsoft.
Mrs. Niekerk said the programme also focused on developing infrastructure with a special attention to schools including polytechnics and universities.
Mr. Anthony Harper, Development Coordinator for ICDL, Africa, who stressed the quality of the programme, noted that they adopted the same standards in terms of testing process and testing environment, and it was accessible to everyone.
Ms. Dorothy Gordon, Director-General of the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, urged ICT professionals especially in Ghana to make use of free software available on the Internet.
Commenting on the ICDL programme in Ghana, she said the programme made people who patronized it to be competitive and called for collaboration in terms of knowledge sharing on ICT.
"The IDCL programme offers skills that can be transferred to any platform," she said, and noted that the programme could help government achieve her vision of transforming the Ghanaian economy into a knowledge-based one using ICT.
Participants from Kenya, Uganda, Sierra Leone and Rwanda shared their experiences in the use of the ICDL.
Mr Ibrahim Bah, coordinator for the programme in French-speaking countries, said the programme which offered a common ICT standard was gradually succeeding in the elimination of barriers between French and English speaking countries in Africa.
http://www.modernghana.com/news/167105/1/computing-forum-opens.html

Spio-Garbrah to deliver lecture

The Chief Executive Officer of the Commonwealth Telecom Organisation, Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah would deliver a public lecture at the British Council on Tuesday, according to a statement released in Accra on Friday. The topic of his lecture is; "The Future of Ghana's Development Process". The statement said the theme for the occasion was an e-Agenda for Human Resource Development with focus on education and health. It is being supported by the Ghana Renewal Institute, Centre for e-Governance and African Cancer Organisation.

Source: GNA

FON TV LAUNCHED IN GHANA

Emily Aggrey, IDG News Service




With a partnership between Black Star TV and South Korean company 2ii Tech, Ghana has become home to the first service in West Africa for mobile-phone-enabled TV content viewing. Employing Terrestrial Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (T-DMB) technology, the new service allows users to view movies, sports, music videos, 24-hour news and current affairs.


Accessories and the handset necessary for viewing, known as FonTV, cost GHC350 (US$345.66) and include free service for the first three months, after which time subscribers pay GHC4 per month. The battery lifespan of the phone is three hours of viewing time on a single charge.

Ghana Telecommunication Company (GT), operator of Onetouch mobile phone service, is currently the only mobile network to operate FonTV, but South Africa's MTN and DSTV have plans to launch another mobile TV with different technology. The launch of the service comes after three months of a successful pilot program.

Ibrahim Adjei, corporate affairs manager of Black Star TV, said in an interview that Ghana's main attraction for the service is its "strong, stable economy [and] the conducive political atmosphere, underscored by a strong market of mobile penetration with the current seven million subscribers."

"Ghana also has a well-developed and innovative media, which facilitates our operations. The country also boasts of a good human resource capacity, with high enrolment in institutions offering Information Technology and Information and Communication Technology courses. All the above factors are buttressed by the professionalism and capabilities of the Ghanaian business partners that form Black Star TV."

Although Ghana is the first to embrace the T-DMB technology, countries like Nigeria, Uganda and South Africa also have access to Mobile TV, but rely on analog technology.

The new service, which covers the Greater Accra Region, will be extended to the Ashanti Region in the next three weeks, followed by the Northern, Western and Central regions, in that order. Managers of the mobile TV hope to cover all of the 10 regions by early 2009. The two companies will ensure the service reaches parts of Ghana where there is no television signal, he said.

In the future, the partnership plans to introduce e-commerce services to allow consumers to use the digital mobile television platform to trade goods and services, as well as a traffic watch service, with a dedicated channel on which viewers can observe (via networks linked to CCTV cameras) road networks that are free from congestion.

Beyond the delivery of digital mobile television, 2ii Tech and Black Star TV hope to establish a manufacturing plant in Ghana.

Source: http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/146267/ghana_is_now_home_for_digital_mobile_tv.html