CHAPTER ONE THE POLICY BACKGROUND STATEMENT Ghana in the Information and Knowledge-based Age The emerging information and knowledge age and the new technological revolution are heralding a new economic and social order characterized by the development, and exploitation of ICTs within all spheres of human endeavor. This era is giving rise to the emergence of information and knowledge-based economies with traditional economic, industrial and commercial activities moving towards acknowledgedriven processes with most of the advanced economies progressively being transformed into knowledgebased technology-driven services dominated economies. These economies are increasingly laying emphasis on economic activities with intellectual content and knowledge. A number of countries are recognizing the need to rapidly develop their knowledge base through massive investments in human resource development laying emphasis on improving, and broadening universal access to higher and quality education and training avenues including on-the-job and in-service skill updates and life-long learning. Also the need to massively invest in research and development (R&D) efforts to create new products, and services as a way of gaining competitive advantage in an increasingly competitive global economic environment has been given a priority by most nations as part of their effort to develop their information economy and society. The use of these emerging technologies to transform government machineries to facilitate efficiency in operations and service delivery has also been a priority area of Governments worldwide. There is therefore no doubt that Governments world-wide have recognized the crucial role that ICTs can play in facilitating and accelerating socio-economic development. A number of countries in both the developed and developing world have in place relevant policies and strategic plans that will enable them transform their economies into information and knowledge-based economies. Ghana like other developing countries is equally placed to take advantage of these technologies to facilitate her socioeconomic development to aid the process of transforming the nation’s economy and society into an information-rich and knowledge-based economy and society. The emerging information and knowledge economy is no doubt generating opportunities across all sectors in both developed and developing countries. --- It is a new source for the creation of quality jobs, wealth generation and redistribution, rapid economic development and prosperity as well as a means for facilitating global competitiveness. With the emerging information age, ICTs are seen by a number of countries as a key factor for achieving progress in economic and social development. These technologies are offering developing countries like Ghana a window of opportunity to leap-frog the key stages of industrialization and transform their subsistence agriculture dominated economies into a service-sector 13