Vodafone set to roll-out 2,000 V-Booth for schools

Vodafone Ghana is to install 2,000 telephone-booth facilities by the end of the year, and by 2011 replicate the platform in all senior high schools in the country to help bridge the communication gap of students.

It has rolled-out 1,440 V- Booths in 391 senior high schools, six junior high and primary schools and 10 communities in all the ten regions of the country.

This innovative project by Vodafone, dubbed ‘V-Booths’ and which is the first in the country, is to ensure effective and appropriate use of the facility at the schools, Dr. Kobina Quansah, Board Chairman of the company, made these known in Accra at the first stakeholder forum.

He revealed that all the school authorities have been involved with all aspects of the project so that school regulations are not flouted.

“The V-Booth has become particularly important for students as an effective means for communication with their families and friends while in boarding schools as students in senior high school are not permitted to use mobile phones when at school.”

Dr. Quansah also indicated that the company has also donated a total of 163 computers to 19 schools and institutions across the country.

“ICT is no doubt the backbone of development in all areas of our lives, and therefore it makes sense having ICT infrastructure in our schools and giving training to students who in turn will use their knowledge in contributing to national development.

“We believe that as a responsible organisation we owe it as a duty to the people that we serve to see to it the environment we live in is well-protected and safe.”

Participants for the first Vodafone Stakeholders’ Forum were drawn from Non-Governmental Organisations, industry regulators, investors, academia, entrepreneurs, telecommunication industry regulators, and Environmental organisations.

The forum, among other objectives, was to facilitate discussions among stakeholders in the areas of compliance with supply engagement procedures, health & safety policies, and Vodaphone’s quest to be an employer of Choice.

Paul Ryan, Director External Affairs, speaking at the occasion, emphasised that the eengagement with stakeholders is an important part of developing its corporate responsibility plan.

“We believe that the involvement of a broad range of stakeholders ‘will help a great deal in achieving a better corporate responsibility plan that will be implementable and easily adaptable.

“We consider stakeholders as people who can affect our business or who are affected by it; and this group includes employees, suppliers, NGOs, government agencies, regulators and the Communities within which we operate,” Mr. Ryan stated.

He said engagement with individuals and organisations will represent the full diversity of those who will be affected by the activities.

“Our expectation at the end of the workshop is that we will have succeeded in ensuring that people’s understanding of the activities of Vodafone Ghana is greatly increased - and that we have created opportunities for people to provide relevant information in the focus areas of our discussion and to the development of telecommunication business in Ghana,” Mr. Ryan remarked.