VODAFONE DONATES TO EDUCATIONAL FUND (D/G, Thursday, April 2, 2009. PAGE 39)

VODAFONE Ghana has donated GH¢3,000 towards the Educational Fund instituted by the Paramount Chief of the Bolgatanga Traditional Area, Naba Martin Abilba III.
The amount is to assist the chief to continue to champion the alleviation of poverty and improve the social and economic situation in the traditional area.
The Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Ghana, Mr David Venn, accompanied by the Upper East Regional Manager of the telecommunication company, Mr Eric Asante, and the Head of Corporate Communications of Vodafone Ghana, Major Albert Don Chebe (retd), presented the money to Naba Abilba during Mr Venn’s maiden visit to the region.
The visit was to inform the people of Bolgatanga, through the chief, about the operations of the company.
Mr Venn stated that as part of its corporate social responsibility to share the benefits of developments in mobile communications technology, protect the natural environment and support local communities, Vodafone Ghana would soon launch a foundation
He said in that direction, an initial investment of £200,000 had been voted for the exercise and the public would soon be invited to submit proposals on how the programme would be run.
"We are working feverishly to deploy new technology and introduce innovative world-class products and services on the Ghanaian market to demonstrate the fame of Vodafone worldwide to all Ghanaians," he said.
Mr Venn gave the assurance that within the next few weeks all OneTouch subscribers in the region and other parts of northern Ghana would testify to the exceptional quality communication service on the company’s mobile network, adding that the work, which was progressing steadily, would increase the mobile phone mast from nine to 30.
He said the company was committed to the development of local communities and that under its access to communications programme, community SIM phone booths were being deployed in rural and peri-urban communities across the country to ensure that many Ghanaians could use telecommunications.
Those phones, he said, were also being installed in several second-cycle schools to facilitate easy communication between students and their parents and guardians.
Mr Venn extended his warmest felicitation to the Bolga Naba and assured him of the best of relations between the company and the traditional council.
He later donated a book he authored during his five-year stay in Zambia and Vodafone souvenirs to the Naba.
In response, the Bolga Naba commended the CEO for the visit and urged the management to go all out to deliver quality services to the people.
He later presented Mr Venn with a smock to commemorate the visit to the palace.