Report activities of internet fraudsters (7/5/09)

THE Deputy Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Dr Omane Boamah, has urged the public to report all forms of sophisticated crime on the Internet otherwise known as “Sakawa” to the police.
That is to help the security agencies to deal effectively with such activities and complement government’s efforts in reducing the increasing rate of internet fraud in the country.
Launching the three-day Computer and Technology Fair by the Dot II Dot Company in Accra yesterday, the deputy minister said such activities were hindering the effectiveness and purpose of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the country.
The fair, which is scheduled to be held from May 14 to 16 at the National Theatre, is designed to give the business community hands-on experience with the latest technology.
On the theme “Innovative Technologies and Application Accelerated Development”, it is to introduce international computer, technology and electronic manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers and distributors to the market with the aim of making Ghana the hub of ICT by 2015.
Fifty technology vendors from all parts of the country are expected to display latest software, hardware and services from the best in the industry.
Products to be displayed include laptops, MP3 players, LCDs and plasma TVs and services ranging from online, banking and brokerage and basic storage solutions.
Dr Boamah said the high rate of poverty in the society was as a result of “information poverty”, adding that “the more people were informed about the changing nature of the society, the easier it would be to alleviate poverty in the country”.
He said his ministry would work in collaboration with the Ministry of Communications to help to make Ghana the ICT hub of Africa.
He noted that most tertiary institutions in the country were doing their best to foster ICT compliance, adding that the government was working hard towards ensuring that basic tenets of ICT were incorporated into junior high school curriculum.
The Communications Director of the Dot II Dot Company, Mrs Ewurama Greenslade, said the fair was to keep them up to date on the ever changing world of technology.
Mrs Greenslade said demonstrations would take place for business operators to gain an understanding of the new technologies that could assist in growing their profits.