By Ashiadey Dotse
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication (GIFEC), Dr. Rashid Tanko Computer, has described the NPP government’s free Wi-Fi initiative for secondary schools as nothing more than a propaganda stunt.
Speaking on 3FM’s Sunrise Morning Show on Friday, May 2, 2025, Dr. Tanko questioned the existence of the programme, stating that many of the schools promised free internet have no such service today. “Just call any of these schools and ask if they have free Wi-Fi. None of them do,” he said.
Dr. Tanko recounted visiting several schools and facilities, including Kpandai Secondary School (KPANTEC), where equipment had been delivered for a supposed Wi-Fi launch. According to him, the setup never functioned properly, and within a week, everything had stopped working.
He criticised what he called the waste of public funds, pointing out that money was spent on items that were either never used or left to rot in warehouses.
“Some equipment was bought two years ago and is now unusable. Tablets and laptops were packed away instead of being distributed, and many of them are now outdated or damaged,” he revealed.
Dr. Tanko also highlighted abandoned Community Information Centres and Innovation Hubs built as far back as 2016. He said these state-of-the-art facilities across the country are now locked up, looted, or falling apart, having never been used as intended.
He expressed disappointment over the lack of accountability, saying that even when efforts are made to investigate such issues, they are often dismissed as political witch-hunts. “When people act in ways that harm the country, and you try to hold them responsible, they hide behind politics,” he lamented.
On rural telephony projects, Dr. Tanko claimed that only about half of the promised 2,016 sites have been completed. He also raised concerns about outdated technology being used, such as 2G, at a time when other countries are adopting 5G and even 6G networks.
Dr. Tanko concluded that Ghana’s digital development has suffered significantly due to mismanagement, waste, and poor planning under the NPP administration. “If digitisation were truly a priority, the tools would be in use—not rotting away in warehouses,” he said.
