The Round 8 of the Afrobarometer Round survey in Ghana suggest that many students, especially in rural or poor households, find it difficult or impossible to participate in these e-learning initiatives because they do not have access to the necessary devices, internet connectivity or a reliable electricity.

However, these findings from the Afrobarometer data released by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), point to a need to prioritize radio and television programs in the short run and invest in expanded access to online resources for the longer haul.

Afrobarometer is a pan-African, nonpartisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life key findings were that a large majorities of Ghanaian households have radios (83%) and televisions (76%).

Despite large rural disadvantages, radios and TVs are common even in rural households at percentages of 76% and 62%, respectively.

Interestingly, most Ghanaians (93%) either own or live in a household where someone else owns a mobile phone but only 45% of these phones have access to the internet, and thus to online learning programs. In rural areas, fewer than one-third (31%) of mobile phones have access to the Interne

Fewer than three in 10 Ghanaian households (28%) have a computer meanwhile in rural and poor households, only about one in seven (14%) have a computer.

Although the world is advancing on communication technology, six out of 10 Ghanaians (61%) never or rarely (“less than once a month”) use the Internet. As a result, among rural and poor respondents, fewer than one in four go online at least “a few times a month.”

Seven in 10 Ghanaian households (71%) enjoy reliable electricity from the national grid, though this proportion is smaller among rural (59%) and poor (55%) households. An additional 5% of all households use other sources of electricity, such as solar panels, batteries, or generators.

But the lack of access to devices, the Internet, and reliable electricity, especially in rural and poor households, points to difficulties that many students would have in participating in (Ministry of Education/Ghana Education Service) MoE/GES e-learning programmes.

Access to communications devices Afrobarometer asked survey respondents whether they personally own or, if not, whether someone else in their household owns certain communications devices that would be needed to access e-learning programs.

While the survey interviews only adults (aged 18 or older), findings provide an overview of the resources to which school-age children might have access at the household level.

Most Ghanaian adults either own a mobile phone (87%) or live in households where someone else owns a mobile phone (6%). Large majorities also say they or someone else in their household owns a radio (83%) and a television (76%). In contrast, fewer than three in 10 28%)

By Akutu Dede Adimer