UNICEF Ghana launches Internet of Good Things 2.0

Internet of Good Things (IoGT) hosts mobile-packaged content designed to make lifesaving and life-improving information available for free, even on low-end devices. IoGT is helping communities and frontline workers access educational information at the point of care.

Topics and issues on Internet of Good Things include maternal health, hygiene, emergency information on diseases such as Yellow fever, Polio and Cholera, HIV and sexual health advice for adolescents, Internet safety, positive parenting techniques and more. Including multimedia elements and 2-way communication features, the IoGT platform can also be used to capture feedback and local best practices from communities through polls and survey functionalities.

For 17 million internet users in Ghana (53% of population), access to knowledge on emergency information, health, education and child protection is readily available at the tip of their fingers. Yet millions of people still lack access to quality, credible information. In some instances, this lack of information can be life threatening; in others it constrains social and economic growth. In partnership with local mobile network operators, UNICEF has launched Version 2 of the Internet of Good Things (IoGT) with a bold new look and improved functionality.

On the upgraded platform users can find updated information on COVID-19 prevention, parenting tips and activities, frontline worker training and resources, as well as robust youth offerings on health, climate change, and internet safety. V2 boasts the ability to provide remote courses to users and test their knowledge on each course module. It also allows users to create free accounts to comment on articles, ask questions, and participate in opinion polls that can help inform decision making. By connecting to IoGT, people can access localized, updated, quality content from their mobile devices, at any time.All Vodafone users can access the platform at a zero rate.   It is also available to MTN users with minimal data usage. Check out the new platform here: http:///gh.goodinternet.org

Internet of Good Things is helping to bridge the digital divide and increase access to critical information. Globally, IoGT mobile sites have been accessed by 25 million users since 2015, over 200,000 of those from Ghana. The platform allows everyone to acquire new knowledge and skills so that more children can be protected from violence, harm and disease and can grow to their full potential.

To learn more about the Internet of Good Things Programme, please follow this link.

About UNICEF

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.

For more information about UNICEF and its work for children in Ghana, visit www.unicef.org/ghana or follow UNICEF Ghana on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

For further information, please contact:

Anastasiia Nurzhynska, Social and Behavioral Change Specialist, UNICEF Ghana

Tel: +233 54 979 1859,  anurzhynska@unicef.org