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Impact of cellular phones on small
businesses yet to be studied - STEPRI
Accra, Nov. 29, Ghanadot/GNA – The impact of cellular phones
on productivity and competitiveness in micro and small
business has not been fully assessed in the country, a study
conducted by Scientific and Technological Policy Research
Institute (STEPRI) has showed.
According to the study there were emerging empirical
evidences about the innovative application of mobile phones
in the activities of small scale business in developing
countries.
“However, the impact of mobile phones on the micro and small
scale enterprises in Ghana has not been assessed.”
Dr. Godfred Frempong, Head, Industry and Service Division of
STEPRI, who presented a report on the survey in Accra on
Thursday, said the study was therefore to address the extent
of adoption of mobile phones, uses of mobile phones and
their contribution to facilitate micro and small businesses.
The study, which selected 100 micro and small businesses
from six locations in the southern, middle and northern
belts, indicated that with the exception of improvement in
banking transactions, other positive indicators were contact
with suppliers, customers, and potential clients, reduction
of transportation and contribution of profit margins.
Dr. Frempong said issues raised related to cost of using
phones and a general discontent over cost of subscription
and call charges, among others.
He said there was an overwhelming agreement among
respondents about the catalytic role it played in business
development and noted that it was imperative that innovative
services were developed to enhance activities of small
businesses in less urban and rural areas.
The results of the study, he said, showed that there were
fewer problems with mobile phones as an enabler of economic
activity.
However, quality of service was a big issue and called on
operators to establish feedback systems to enable them to
gather perspectives of the public on their services.
He charged the National Communication Authority to continue
to penalize operators whose services were below the required
standard saying “subscribers should be more proactive in
demanding better services from providers to ensure quality.
Deputy Minister of Communications, Mr Frederick Opare-Ansah,
said ICT was driving the global digital economy and called
on academia, researchers, industry and government to work
together and nurture policies and programmes that would
promote and maintain an increase in the spread of knowledge
at all levels.
He noted that in the Telecom Policy, the Ministry had
targeted to improve rural tele-density to, at least 10 per
cent by 2015 and 15 per cent national penetration by the
same time saying there had been a remarkable improvement in
telecommunication penetration.
This, he noted, should encourage communication service
providers to utilise the national backbone as a platform to
expand their services, improve quality and introduce more
innovative offers at competitive prices.
Director General of Council for Scientific and Industrial
Research (CSIR), Professor Emmanuel Owusu-Bennoah also noted
that mobile phones had become the dominant service which was
accessible to many people. He said the World Bank says 80
percent of the world’s population was within the coverage of
the mobile phones networks.
He noted that the study had shown an increase in adoption of
phone in enhancing businesses and it was important that
efforts must be made to foster a fuller exploitation of the
potential of mobile phones in economic activities.
He called for a strong partnership between STEPRI, which had
been in the business of ICT Policy studies since the 1990s,
the Ministry of Communications and other stakeholders to put
Ghana firmly on the ICT landscape of the world.
GNA
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