ICT AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT IN GHANA

The prevailing revolution in Information and Communication Technology (I.C.T) presents us with a unique opportunity to harness its diverse innovations 

in developing the capacity of the nation’s human resource to enable them effectively lead and influence Ghana’s accelerated development.

Undoubtedly, the youth have become trailblazers in the Information and Communication Technology sector owing to their ability to swiftly adapt to current and emerging information and communication innovations. Their ingenuity and dexterity in ICT presents Ghana with bright prospects in becoming a pacesetter in the utilization of Information and Communication Technology for development (ICT4D).

Following the significant role that Information and Communication Technology (I.C.T) play in youth development, the youth manifesto of Ghana has proposed series of results oriented actions relevant in promoting youth and I.C.T development in Ghana. These actions include:

Utilizing I.C.T to enhance education and youth employment: in the view of the youth manifesto of Ghana, a careful review of the current integration approach of I.C.T in to the nation’s educational curricula will ensure that Information and Communication Technology (I.C.T) is not only presented to students as a new subject, but also a platform to harness and develop the ingenuity and dexterity of the youth in creating and utilizing I.C.T applications to address societal challenges.

Furthermore, the youth manifesto of Ghana recommends that all educational institutions in Ghana should be  equipped with well resourced Information and Communication Technology (I.C.T) facilities that provides every student with hands on practical training under the instruction of well experienced instructors in order to enable them acquire the best of skills training in I.C.T.

The youth manifesto of Ghana also points out to the need to institute the requisite mechanisms that ensure improved and widespread access to Information and Communication Technology in rural communities of Ghana.

In its view, improving access to I.C.T’s in rural areas will provide the rural youth the opportunity to receive distance education via various e-learning platforms in order to develop their capacities with quality education that is comparable to the standards at the disposal of the urban youth.

This will also contribute significantly in making education widely accessible as well as reduce the huge infrastructure demands in our educational institutions for the provision of quality education.

Instituting the needed mechanisms to improve the access and use of I.C.T in rural areas will also equip rural schools with wide range of educational books via e-libraries to facilitate the provision of quality education; that is able to better position the rural youth in leading and influencing national development.

These interventions will to a large extend reduce the rate of rural-urban migration which is mostly influenced by the disparities in resource allocation between rural and urban sectors of the country.

In its quest to present innovative and  alternative actions to improve upon youth employment in Ghana, the youth manifesto of Ghana further recommends for the development of the country’s e-commence sector in order to enable it harness the diverse I.C.T innovations to enhance youth employment.

A developed e-commence sector will provide young entrepreneurs with enormous opportunities in building up viable enterprises that are able to compete favorably at  national, regional and  international levels and thus provide the much needed jobs and job opportunities to curtail the surging youth unemployment in Ghana.

In the same vein, developing Ghana’s e-commence sector will greatly open up commence across the country to promote the growth of the private sector with many more youth business enterprises; thereby  widening up the tax net for increased national revenue to propel the nations growth and development.

Facilitating the use of I.C.T to promote youth participation in national development; Information and Communication Technology (I.C.T) continues to drive a paradigm shift in the way the citizenry are mainstreamed in to national development. It is therefore in this regard that the youth manifesto of Ghana champions the innovative use of I.C.T’s in promoting the active participation of the youth in national development.

The youth manifesto of Ghana therefore recommends for the institution of e-governance systems that provides the youth the opportunity to make inputs in to local and national governance processes. This will ensure that national development policies and programs are formulated to better address the challenges militating against youth development and the development of the nation at large.

Also, the institution of e-governance systems will provide young entrepreneurs the opportunity to establish the needed private-public partnerships to develop their enterprises for the creation of jobs and job opportunities to augment efforts by the public sector in curtailing the rising levels of youth unemployment in the country.

Furthermore, the institution of well structured e-governance systems will serve as a capacity development platform for the youth to learn about the nation’s governance systems in order to acquire the requisite skills and knowledge in governance to enable them provide efficient leadership for accelerated national development.

The operation of efficient e-governance systems will provide up to date online information on government resources to better inform and engage the youth in national development; as it will enable youth and youth development organizations come up with innovative development programs that propels the nation’s growth and development.

Undoubtedly, strengthening e-governance systems in the country will enhance the nation’s strives at fighting bribery and corruption; as the youth will play watch dog roles in ensuring that Ghana’s rich resources are well managed to promote the country’s  development.

The engagement of the youth in fighting bribery and corruption through various e-governance systems will also contribute greatly in developing young leaders of high integrity to promote good governance for national growth and development.

The youth manifesto of Ghana therefore calls for the support and commitment of government and its development partner’s as well as the private sector and all unsandry to champion Ghana’s youth and I.C.T development agenda in order to harness the ingenuity and dexterity of the Ghanaian youth in I.C.T for national growth and development.

ICT and bridging the digital divide between the urban and rural youth

There is no doubt that young people are innovators when it comes to Information and Communication Technology (I.C.T). ‘’With us at the forefront of as users and providers, we have the ability to use traditional and new media to transform people and communities’’.

As computers and internet penetration is increasing at the household level, public access facilities such as internet cafes, community information centers and businesses still remained inadequate and a growing challenge in most rural areas in Ghana. Use of

Investing in I.C.Ts is a costly decision for any country, whether developed or developing. Like Ghana, a developing country. Investing in I.C.Ts presents the dilemma of spending scarce/valuable resources on it or consequently suffering from widening technological gap. However, I.C.Ts are powerful and essential tools for learning: understanding, interpreting and communicating about the real world OR they can be black holes into which we pour our money, intelligence and time, getting very little in return.

The World Summit on the Information Society (W.S.I.S) to which Ghana subscribes also calls for building an inclusive information society, including the promotion of I.C.Ts towards the achievement of internationally agreed development goals contained in the Millennium Declaration. The specific targets for the W.S.I.S Plan of Action to be achieved by 2015 include connecting a number of access points with I.C.Ts including villages, community access points, all levels of education, public libraries, health centres, hospitals as well as all local and central government departments. Additionally, the need to adapt the school curricula to meet the challenges of the Information Society has also been called for.

Over the past years, initiatives to introduce I.C.Ts into the Ghanaian education sector have spanned pre-tertiary (both public and private schools) and tertiary levels especially in urban areas. Efforts have largely been geared towards the deployment of I.C.Ts to these facilities via the provision of computers and the establishment of I.C.T laboratories. Access however is still below the standards. Comparatively, the concerns remain for tertiary level institutions.  Additionally, there have been several private sector initiatives to set up Community based I.C.T centers. These however have been largely confined to urban areas. Increasing access to I.C.T services in the country requires the provision of facilities especially for the un-served and deprived Ghanaian population.

In 2003, government developed the I.C.T for Accelerated Development (ICT4AD) Policy. This national policy outlines the plans and strategies for the development of Ghana’s information society and seeks to provide a framework and plan as to how I.C.Ts can be used to facilitate amongst other objectives the national goal of “transforming Ghana into an information and knowledge-driven I.C.T literate nation”.

Among the key strategies in achieving this objective is to modernize Ghana’s educational system using I.C.Ts to improve and expand access to education, training and research resources and facilities, as well as to improve the quality of education and training and make the educational system responsive to the needs and requirements of today’s economy. As a way of operationalizing the policy, government created the Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) in January 2004, to facilitate the provision of I.C.T, Internet connectivity and infrastructure to underserved and un-served areas of the country.

Despite these efforts by governments in facilitating the process of integrating I.C.T in the educational system of the country, problems still exist most especially in the rural areas. There are inadequate trained personnel to handle the facilitation of the I.C.T subject, inadequate supply of I.C.T teaching and learning materials and lack of necessary Infrastructure. Other challenges include lack of power supply in the rural areas, internet connectivity in most schools to broaden access to information lack of administrative support, high cost of I.C.T services and the brain drain syndrome in the area of I.C.T professionals.

Few months ago, Solomon Joojo Cobinnah of Multi TV made a report of a teacher of a school in Nnagmaya Damankung, a village near Gushiegu in the Northern Region who is teaching pupils without himself knowing what I.C.T means. Also, the pupils themselves have never seen a computer before. This became national news and reported on most national televisions and radios especially when the teacher said the meaning of ICT is ‘Information Computer Technology’. The question still remains ‘what lessons have we learnt from this’?

The Ministry of Education should improve and enforce the integration of I.C.T into curriculum development teacher training, and for vocational and technical training. ICT should not simply be presented as a new subject but should be taught in a cross-curricular way and should be part of all curriculum subjects in all levels of the educational system across all rural and urban spheres of the economy.

There should be adequate trained personnel to handle the facilitation of the I.C.T courses, adequate and timely supply of I.C.T teaching and learning materials, conscious budgeting and provision of necessary Infrastructure. Government should also intensify the national electrification exercise to rural areas so that there can be reliable power supply for internet connectivity.

I.C.T should be seen as an enabler, as a tool to benefit the whole of society and not only the elite and the urban areas. Less privileged should be encouraged to use I.C.T tools to trade and to create wealth for the country, others must be proactively helped to use and benefit from I.C.T. Improving the quality of education is aided by intensive and extensive use of I.C.T.

Effectively used I.C.Ts promotes multiple avenues for professional development of both pre-service and in-service teachers, especially through distance education. It also facilitates improved teaching and learning processes, promote inclusive education by addressing inequalities in gender, language and disability.

INTEGRATING THE YOUTH WITH DISABILITY IN THE GHANAIAN SOCIETYAND THE WAY FORWARD

In most societies in Africa, persons with disabilities are seen as hopeless and people who are not fit to be part of the larger society. The African culture and beliefs have worsened the situation of people living with disability. According to a study conducted by Abosi and Ozoji in 1985 in Nigeria, Africans in general, attribute causes of disabilities to witchcraft, juju, sex-linked factors, and God /supernatural forces.

In actual fact there are some societies which see people with disability as albatross on their neck and sometimes try to get rid of them. Studies show that ignorance, neglect, superstition and fear are social factors that have contributed to the isolation of persons with disabilities.

The desire to avoid whatever is associated with evil has affected people’s attitudes towards people with disabilities simply because disability is associated with evil. Most of these negative attitudes are mere misconceptions that stem from lack of proper understanding of disabilities and how they affect functioning. “These misconceptions stem directly from the traditional systems of thought, which reflect magical-religious philosophies that can be safely called superstition” (Abosi, 2002).

Recently in Ghana the Paramount Chief of the Seikwa Traditional Area, Nana Kwaku Dwomoh Ankoan shocked the entire nation when he made what can best be described as a highly disappointing statement against the nomination of Dr. Henry Seidu Daannaa as the Minister designate for Chieftaincy and Culture by President John Dramani Mahama. In condemning the nomination of Dr. Daannaa, Nana Ankoan did not mince words when he stated that the nominee’s disability did not make him a good candidate for the Chieftaincy and Culture Ministry. He went further to threaten that if Parliament goes ahead to approve Dr. Daannaa’s appointment, no chief will be prepared to accept him to their palace because custom does not permit persons with disability to enter chief’s palaces.

Whilst several civil society organisations unreservedly condemn the comments by Nana Kwaku Dwomo Ankoan, I believe it is a reflection of the way the Ghanaian culture over the years has treated people with disability. This is because the Chief of Seikwa based his argument on custom and traditions which prevents such people from accessing some traditional facilities.

 Our customs and traditions, instead of being used to advance the common good of our societies, have rather become tools for denigrating hard working members of the society merely on the basis of their disability. There is little doubt that the time for change has come!

One major constrain of people with disability is their inability to be recognised and participate in the governance process at all levels because they are marginalise and discriminated. The bastardisation of Dr. Daanna is a manifestation of the realities on the grounds on how people with disability are treated. For the purpose of this article, I would love to dwell on how the youth who are disabled should be managed so that they can attain their utmost potential in life despite the marginalisation and discrimination hurdle they have to deal with.

“Young people with disability constitute a significant proportion of the youth population in Ghana. They are faced with numerous challenges including stigmatisation and discrimination, deprivation of fundamental human rights to basic amenities and services, exclusion from decision- making processes which altogether impede their ability to contribute to and benefit from the socio-economic development of our country. Yet when empowered the disabled can become key actors in the fight against poverty and drivers of social change” (Youth Manifesto, 2012, Page16).

I am excited that Dr. Daannaa, rather than beg for alms by the road side, has risen to such great heights. He has defied societal expectations and broken through the cultural and social barriers to receive education to the highest level, attending no mean an institution than the revered Harvard University in the United States. He must serve as a role model for the youth especially those in similar situation rather than mock him and use obviously outmoded customs to push him out of public office. The least we can do as Ghanaians is to encourage him and hold him up as a role model for other persons with disability, especially the youth who find themselves on the streets of the cities as beggars. Dr. Daannaa is a role model worthy of emulation by all Ghanaians.

Now what is the way forward for young people who are disabled?

The House of Chiefs should move a step further to sensitise its members on modern concepts of democratic governance, including social inclusion. All customs and traditions which are in conflict with these governance principles must be modified or discarded altogether. We want to see our palaces embracing all manner of people, particularly socially disadvantaged groups like persons with disability.

In addition, the Youth manifesto has outlined some actions that must be taken to promote the full participation of young people with disability in the development process of the Ghanaian society. Here are some actions the manifesto calls for on page 16.

1.  Ensuring that young people with disability have equal and effective access to education, training, health care services, employment, sports, physical education, cultural and recreational activities. All stakeholders must work towards eliminating any obstacle that may have negative implications for the full integration of mentally and physically challenged youth into society.

2.  Including young people with disability in all decision-making processes at all levels and removing all forms of social exclusions. Mentally and physically challenged youth should be well represented in all sectors and levels of the Ghanaian economy so as to advance the interest of challenged youth.

3.  Expanding scholarship schemes for the disabled and brilliant youth to access education and skills development.

4.  Ensuring that young people with disability have access to all forms of employment opportunities without any differential treatment. The job market in Ghana should be redesigned to absorb disabled persons and to encourage and motivate them to progress as far as possible in their careers.

5.  Building special schools and training facilities for the disabled across the country with special Information and Communication Technology facilities to enhance their learning and capacity building process. This should fit into a broader national effort to provide a wide variety of training and skills development opportunities with adequate learning and teaching materials for physically and mentally challenged youth. Financially resourcing these special educational facilities is key.

Dr. Daanna has proven to the entire world that disability is indeed not inability and he must be used to change the perception a lot of people have about people with disability.

How can Technology Transform Education in Ghana?

The Ghanaian education system today is in a bad state with massive failures in primary education, the length of secondary school cycles in constant flux, and the major universities altering admissions procedures and course materials.

However, the overlying conclusion that can be drawn from all this is that the Ghanaian Education system today is woefully inadequate and in need of immediate reform. Technology, on the other hand, is rapidly gaining acceptance in the country and is proving its benefits to players in the public and private sector. Here we examine three ways technology can transform education in Ghana.

Teaching Methods.Over the world, the rise of the Internet and the dawn of the technological age has led to advances and radical changes in the way things are done. Education has not been left out here. Technology has transformed teaching methods to make it much easier for students to grasp concepts quickly. This is especially true in science education where videos can be used to help students visualize forces in physics, organic structures in biology and molecular structures in Chemistry. Universities in this country can make use of these technologies to improve science education. Cost may not even be much of a factor, as there are several free resources available. As Mashable reports: ‘The Concord Consortium, a non-profit organization that develops technologies for math, science and engineering education, has been a leader in developing free, open source software that teachers can use to model concepts.’

Globalisation is an oft-talked about concept that encompasses the coming together of the various peoples of the world through technologies such as the internet and advances in aviation and collaboration. In Ghana, the effects of globalization are very much in evidence, with many foreign nationals living and working here. Ghanaians today do not find it strange to encounter or work in foreign-owned businesses or to hear of project collaboration between the Ghanaian and a foreign government. It is thus necessary for the understanding and appreciation of foreign cultures to be a part of our educational system. Many schools around the country now attach the term ‘International’ to their names, yet few of these can be said to be truly international in respect to having a diverse foreign student population. The technology of today such as video-conferencing facilities and social media can allow students in classrooms in Ghana to interact with other students from around the world and understand their culture. Today, free Internet technologies can provide the benefits of student exchanges without the cost of actual travel.

Real Work Conditions. One of the laments of tertiary education students and businesses around Ghana today is that the courses taught them do not adequately prepare them for working life. In the area of technology use this is especially true. Many students first take basic computing courses when they arrive in University and current systems are structured that students barely need to spend much time in front of a computer to graduate well. Accounting students around the country are often able to graduate from accounting courses without gaining proficiency in any accounting software. Technology should be integrated in our teaching systems, allowing our students to familiarize themselves with  the fast paced and highly demanding tech world at an early age and for a long period before entering the job market. These measures would help our youth to be better prepared to enter workplaces where e-mails are the main means of communication, videoconferences are frequently held, documents are kept ‘in the cloud’ and the computer use is constant.

Most often Ghanaians share the view that technology is ‘expensive’. However, the few proposals discussed here are an example of some of the technology-driven improvements that can be made to our education system at little to no cost. Today, this nation takes a serious look at how we can transform our education systems to dispense with high rates of failure and inability of graduates to perform on the workplace. As shown here, technology can and should be a part of any such overhaul to ensure the youth of Ghana are given the best possible chance of success in a fast-changing world.

Using Social Media as a powerful advocacy tool in ghanaian society

Social media can be defined as an online network, self-publishing media that promotes interaction and sharing. And advocacy campaigners, irrespective of what they stand for, must increase its usage because they stand to gain a lot.

This media is more personal and democratic: anyone can publish a blog, a tweet or set up an online page. Social media platforms such as Twitter,Facebook, Google plus, and online petitions reach people where ever they are.

In spite of its numerous advantages, there is a lot of reluctance in some NGO circles (and policy makers) to use social media. They attribute it partly to a generational thing but the fact is – you have to engage if you want to build effective campaigns –and that, it is no longer ok to just be analogue! Social media platforms are not fundamentally different from previous analogue platforms. Telephone was weird to people when it was first invented but it is now accepted globally.

This is not to say that emails, letters and other ways of interacting are no longer important or impactful or should be shelved on the shelves of history, but there is huge potential for campaigners to be taken more seriously and gain more when they learn or are able to use social media better.

There are so many evidences to prove that using social media to engage or challenge journalists, policy-makers & companies works. For instance, Franklin Cudjoe of IMANI Ghana first announced his resignation from the Government’s Committee on the Sustainability of the Single Spine Pay Policy (SSPP) on social media before it was officially announced.

 Again, “the court of public opinion” on social media forced the government of Ghana to reverse a decision to rename the National Hockey Stadium after the late President John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills. The death of Ghana’s ace international Journalist Komla Dumor was first announced and confirmed on the social media before credible online news portals like BBC, citifmonlineand myjoyonline confirmed the story. Not forgetting a picture of President John Mahama posing in front of CNN on flicker which raised a whole lot of controversies in 2013.

Furthermore, Justine Sacco lost her job as the Communications Director of the New York-based internet empire InterActive Corp for having made a puerile tweet that linked Aids with race and also used the same medium to issue an apology to the “millions of people living with the virus”. Similarly, controversial singer, Madonna, is currently battling with a racist slur gaffe on Instagram.

It is now a common trend to see journalist write stories and make analysis from tweets and Facebook posting of public figures and policy makers. Even breaking news from some media houses are first communicated to their audiences through the social media. 

A powerful tool such as this obviously cannot be undermined in the field of advocacy.

Social media, however, will not always be appropriate. E-mails, press releases, letters, petitions, phone calls are all still valid. Your preference target group should however lead you to choose between the social media, analogue channels or combine the two. Thus, the use of social media should not be in a conclave but as part of a package of approaches/tactics, bearing in mind that you cannot be on all social media platforms but you can focus on popular ones like Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn.

Twitter has caught on most as a tool for advocacy. Twitter is where public discussions start today: news breaks on twitter and all the basic outlines of commentary on that news item are expressed before the story even hits the wires a few hours later, let alone the papers and broadcast a day or two later. A research on the demand for newspapers and toiletries in America has shown that the demand for toiletries is increasing while that of newspapers is reducing drastically.  Facebook and Twitter are now big in Africa and young people are using it for campaigning while LinkedIn is now very useful for business.

There are other new online organising sites such as Avaaz, and 38 Degrees that claim numerous campaign successes. Avaaz is a global web movement aimed at bringing people-powered politics to decision-making everywhere in the world. Social media is a key component of what they do. However, they do not work on their own. They adopt courses at key moments – driven by what their ‘members’ will get behind. They work with other NGOs and CSO’s (though they do not always credit them). CSO’s and NGO’s can learn from some of their tactics and replicate them in their work.

There are so many ways to engage or use social media. These include: Targeting decision makers directly e.g. through @President John Dramani Mahama, posting on their sites; Running ‘campaigns’ on social media using stunts, audio-visual, hashtags (get stuff trending), action days; Online petitions – run online – deliver in person; Support / amplify offline efforts; Interact with supporters / build a movement; Share successes and news; and for research.         

It is not just broadcasting. It’s networking, sharing. You are part of a public conversation or engagement. Do your research, determine your target group and take your followers into consideration. Follow and engage with the right people while searching for what conversations are trending that you need to be part of. 

I must admit that it’s not easy. There are some rules of thumb and you have to practice.

It might be easy to send a tweet but you should know it is difficult to build a network: beware of anyone saying “we should do a social media campaign on X”. Advocacy on the social media needs focus and lots of planning. As with any public debate, if you don’t speak up, someone else will.

You could tweet or post links to your organisation’s materials online, links to articles mentioning your organisation or staff, links to articles in line with your organisation’s views mix with messages on other subjects you’re interested in. You can also retweet other peoples’ conversations or engage in conversation.

Don’t be a robot. Remember: it’s a message to your personal network. Don’t let it be just a broadcast blast channel or you turn people off.

CAVEAT: This is a PUBLIC medium. Understand defamation. Watch out for spam. Don’t tweet your specific location (unless at a conference). Don’t ‘diss’ the organisation or your colleagues or ever use defamatory words. Don’t comment on areas of policy that aren’t yours.

You should often make your tweets or posts personal. Something from a known contact or named person is more influential than from an organisation. It is only logical: which email are you more likely to open? One from a trusted contact or one from an organisation’s mass emailing?

DISABILITY IS NOT INABILITY

Every Citizen is entitled to equal rights, including young people with disability. Young people with disability constitute a significant proportion of the youth population in Ghana. But in their daily lives, they are faced with numerous challenges including stigmatization and discrimination, deprivation of fundamental human rights to basic amenities and services, and exclusion from decision-making processes which eventually hinder their ability to contribute to and benefit from the socio-economic development of our country.Yet, when empowered the disabled youth can become an asset for nations building and a key actor in the fight against poverty and a driver of social change. Disability may be as a result of an impairment that may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional and developmental or the combination of any of the above. It may be visible or hidden, temporary or permanent. The 1992 Constitution of Ghana creates legally binding fundamental human rights for all citizens of Ghana including young people with disability. It is therefore a legal requirement of society, especially government and development stakeholders to actively promote the full participation of young people with disability in the development of the Ghanaian society. However in November 2012, the Youth Empowerment Synergy adopted a Youth Manifesto under their Voices of Youth Project and deepens their commitment of working for increased attention and investment on critical issues affecting young people with disabilities in Ghana. The Manifesto established proposals for action to protect and promote the rights and dignity of people with disabilities. The Youth Manifesto is a youth-led response to the need for more concerted and coordinated efforts to addressing critical issues affecting us. It serves as a rallying point for us and our organization to work together with one voice to advocate for more attention to our issues at all levels. Equal Access to one’s fundamental human right and privileges is a major issue facing young people with disability, but the Youth Manifesto created more opportunities for participation in society. Among these opportunities are;

Ensuring that young people with disability have equal and effective access to education, training, health care services, employment, sports, physical education and cultural and recreational activities. Equalization of opportunities must be embraced to ensure the achievement of full participation of young persons with disabilities in all aspect of economic and social life. Government and all other relevant development stakeholders must work towards the   elimination of all actions and obstacles that hinders the full participation and integration of young people with disabilities, both mentally and physically challenged youth in all the above.

Empowering young people with disability to meet their basic needs. As first step, Government should increase to 5% the financial support of the District Assemblies Common Funds and ensure its prudent and timely disbursement. Improve young people with disability prospects by empowering them with financial and material support to help them succeed as entrepreneurs. At the same time, equipping them with life skills and technical knowhow while connecting them to jobs and internship or mentoring opportunities.

Including young people with disability in all decision-making processes at all levels and removing all forms of social exclusion. Social inclusion otherwise known as marginalization is a form of social relegation to the fringe of society. Mentally and physically challenged youth must be well represented at all levels of Ghanaian economy including civic engagement, democratic participation, and due processes.

Furthermore, building special schools and training facilities for the disabled across the country with special Information and Communication Technology facilities to enhance learning and capacity building process. This should fit within broader national efforts to provide a wide variety of training and skills development opportunities with adequate learning and teaching materials for physically and mentally challenged youth. The use of information and communication technology will go a long way to foster social and economic development of Ghana.