Ahenkanfmonline.com Ahenkan 93,3 FM
The Presidential candidate and Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has promised to make cell phones more accessible to Ghanaians if elected president.
Dr. Bawumia presented an idea during a campaign event to work with phone makers to offer smartphones on credit, allowing people to pay as little as one or two cedis a month.
“We will make mobile phones accessible, my government will partner with phone manufacturers so that Ghanaians can afford them on credit and pay 1 or 2 cedis every month,”
He emphasized that more Ghanaians would be able to engage in the digital economy and that this program would greatly improve access to information and communication technologies, thereby closing the digital gap. The program is a component of a larger plan to advance technology and promote economic expansion.
“Access to smartphones is no longer a luxury but a necessity. It opens up opportunities for education, business, and staying connected with loved ones. By making smartphones affordable, we are not only enhancing connectivity but also fostering an environment where every Ghanaian can thrive in the digital age,” Dr Bawumia added.
He went on to say that in order to guarantee that the phones are offered at competitive prices and with favorable conditions for payment, the strategy will entail forming alliances with significant phone makers. Measures to instruct users on how to use smartphones for both professional and personal development would also be included in the effort.
However, the promise has garnered a lot of backlash on social media with people questioning its feasibility.
Speaking to Tonto, he said Bawumia never promised that Ghanaians would buy smartphones for GHC1 and GHC2.
“As it stands, about 18 million of the Ghanaian adult population have a Ghana Card, so you can now roll out a national credit scoring system. So, Dr Bawumia was marrying the two that if you are going to improve the digital divide and then ensure that almost every Ghanaian have access to a smartphone and ensure we have 100% internet penetration, then what will serve as a conduit to achieve that is the credit system,” he said.
“Then he cited an example of a conversation with the telcos where phones can be purchased on credit and be paid every month. He cited GHC 1 or GHC 2 as an example and even added that you could pay in instalments.”
“So that is the crust of everything that he was saying, but as usual our opponents are always looking for information to latch on to denigrate and malign everything meaningful. So, what they have latched on is that Dr Bawumai said he was going to give Ghanaians a phone for GHC 1 or GHC2, they lost the meaning of what he was saying.” Tonto said.
Source: Ahenkanfmonline.net / 93.3 FM / Ahenkan Newspaper
