FLUSH OUT CABLE THIEVES

AN efficient communication system serves as a catalyst for economic growth. That is why governments spend huge sums of money improving the communication infrastructure such as roads and the telecommunication backbone.
The introduction of cellular telephony has impacted more positively on this development process. The growth in the sector is phenomenal, particularly with the advent of cellular handsets and Internet facilities.
Today, cellular handsets can send and receive information of all kinds and also be used to receive television signals. Those who are digitally minded are accessing the full benefits of the information age to do business, promote education and disseminate information at cheaper cost. The world has truly become a global village where all kinds of information can be accessed on the world-wide web.
About a decade ago, it was a status symbol to carry mobile handsets and those who owned such sets — and they were in very big sizes — held them as badges of honour. Presently, all manner of people, from the very top to the lowly placed in society, have access to mobile telephony. Such a facility can be accessed in the remotest villages in the country where it is used for business transactions and for reaching out to relations and friends.
It is refreshing that Ghana has not been left out of efforts at bridging the digital divide. Although we have a long way to go, efforts being made at the governmental level to improve the system are yielding some positive results.
But certain unscrupulous persons are bent on derailing our bold efforts at catching up with the so-called First World and updating our telecommunication infrastructure.
Reports that the frequent stealing of cables belonging to the Ghana Telecommunications (GT) Company has severely disrupted the company’s expansion work in parts of the Eastern Region are a major setback.
It is an undeniable fact that majority of the people are moving from fixed lines to mobile telephony services. In spite of this, fixed line services will have their role to play for a very long time to come. Most Internet facilities can only be accessed with fixed lines, and given the growth in that sector, it is only prudent that we collectively protect the cables that provide these services.
The DAILY GRAPHIC, therefore, appeals to the security agencies to step up their efforts at dealing a decisive blow to these nation wreckers who have been causing this country a fortune through their nefarious activities.
Most regional capitals have witnessed tremendous development in recent times, in spite of the continuous migration of the youth to our cities, particularly Accra. Business is picking up in all the regional capitals because the cost of doing business is being reduced through the provision of facilities such as telephones and so nothing should be done to disrupt the planned development activity of the government, the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies, as well as business concerns.
We believe that the reward system put in place by GT and the ECG to break the back of these nation wreckers is quite attractive to motivate the public to volunteer information on cable thieves.
The DAILY GRAPHIC, therefore, urges collective action to stop those who are bent on disrupting our forward march towards improving living conditions in the country.