Minister of Communications Samuel Nartey George has announced plans to establish an inter-ministerial committee to examine and address the high cost of data in Ghana. Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, Sam George revealed that he had already given directives to the Communications Ministry’s management to begin the process, with the committee expected to be set up within the next 14 days.
“Yesterday, I met the director and management of the ministry, and I’ve given them the running order. Hopefully, within the next 14 days, we’ll be setting up an inter-ministerial committee to look at the cost of data,” he stated. The minister-designate reaffirmed his commitment to lowering data costs, expressing confidence that Ghanaians will begin to see changes before the end of the year.
The Act, passed by Parliament in July 2024, aims to merge the Ghana Highway Authority, the Department of Urban Roads, and the Department of Feeder Roads into a single entity to improve coordination. The government plans to reintroduce road and bridge tolls to generate funds for maintenance and infrastructure development. In a separate statement on Thursday, the Ministry announced that the new tolling system would use technology to enhance efficiency and transparency. Roads and Highways Minister Kwame Governs Agbodza confirmed during his vetting before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on January 20 that tolls would be reinstated but without physical toll booths.
He further described his leadership approach as a reset for Ghana’s digital economy, ensuring that decisions are made in collaboration with industry players. “I told them, it’s a new dawn. It’s a reset. And so I engaged personally, every single chief executive and the chamber as well to get their understanding of what I want to do and secure their buy-in before announcing it,” he added.
By: Kenneth Awotwe Darko
