By: Nyima Sillah
The party leader of the Gambia Democratic Congress, Honourable Mama Kandeh, has commented on the issue of high and poor internet connection as a major challenge facing internet users.
He commented on the situation through his Eid message a situation he said cannot be ignored.
He said the immense potential of the country’s internet for social and economic development remains a grave concern as the number of internet users is struggling with the high expense of broadband and poor quality of the network.
He noted that the cost of broadband subscription and digital devices remains a major barrier to connectivity, while internet access has become progressively cheaper in richer countries, but connecting online is still prohibitively expensive in The Gambia.
“The cost of broadband, especially mobile broadband, has fallen significantly over the past decades, internet connection in The Gambia has continued rising with a very unreliable network.
He affirmed that young people are enthusiastic users of online platforms, most especially the ongoing school children and due to the high cost of megabytes their abilities are limited to harness the online world and understand the digital world in which they are increasingly immersed.
In this background, he said they are calling on the government and PURA to look into this keenly as a country of less than 3 million which can’t have access to good quality and affordable internet worth be severely looked into.
Kandeh further urged the government to encourage more investors in the telecommunication sector as in today’s world, a reliable, affordable, and high-speed internet connection should be mandatory to be provided by all GSM companies.
“We, therefore, strongly urge all Gambians to remain peaceful, tolerant, law-abiding, and respect our national values. We are all faced with very trying times but with concerted efforts, we will surely work towards uniting all Gambians and building a country that all of us can be proud to take ownership of. Finally, we take this opportunity to thank and recognize the efforts of all Gambians and pray for peace to continue to reign in this country,” he prayed.