This paper is similar to other papers focusing on the state of computing in developing countries, especially in Africa, written to demonstrate access to information technology. Different models of tele-centers are described. The Ghanaian model is different, in that the vast majority of tele-centers are established on the initiative of private entrepreneurs, rather than being like the more ambitious ones, offering a multitude of services like information technology training, distance learning, tele-medicine, informational services, and so on, established in cooperation with international agencies, like the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

In Ghana, telephone lines are highly concentrated around the capital, Accra. Although Accra hosts less than ten percent of the population, it accounts for 70 percent of the fixed lines. Cellular phones may improve universal access to other places, but they add to the skewed distribution of tele-communication facilities between cities and rural areas.

In order to assess the role of tele-centers in the provision of telecom access, and in rural development, a survey of the tele-centers was undertaken. The results of the survey indicate the state of telecommunications in Ghana. The demand-driven centers focus mainly on provision of basic communication services, such as telephone, fax, and sometimes also e-mail and Internet, established in conjunction with other businesses. They expand their revenue by offering complimentary services, such as typing and photocopying, and are clearly profit-oriented.

Most of the centers surveyed were very new, and not very profitable. The busy times in the Accra-based centers are early morning and evening, indicating that the services are mainly used for contacting family members and friends. Each of the tele-centers provides employment for 23 people, and is operated by a female, often educated as a secretary.

Regardless of their origins, and struggles to survive, these centers offer a low-cost opportunity for those who cannot afford their own phone or Internet connection, and therefore somehow contribute to universal access.

This paper will be of interest to those who would like to monitor the state of information technology in third world countries.