Basic ICT Skills

Who it is for. Complete beginners: school leavers, traders, farmers, women's groups, older people and persons with disabilities. You do not need a certificate. National Proficiency I is the first level of Ghana's TVET framework and is open to people with little formal education. If you can read a little English, you can start. If you cannot read well yet, your trainer will use pictures, voice and a partner.

Why ICT skills

• In the 2021 census, about 25.2% of Ghanaians aged 15 and older, around 5 million people, had not used the internet in the three months before the count. Women were more often offline (30.3%) than men (19.8%). About 24.6% had no working smartphone.
• In the census, only Greater Accra had 10% or fewer people offline. Rural and coastal communities like Akwidaa have the most to gain.
• Jobs, school forms, passports, tax numbers and business registration now happen online. People who can type, save, print and email can do these things for themselves, and can earn by helping others.

How this course fits with the Hub's other digital course

The Hub already teaches Digital Skills and Mobile Money Agent. That course covers mobile money, becoming an agent, float, MoMo fraud and WhatsApp Business for agents. This course does not repeat that. Here you learn the computer itself: files, typing, documents, email, the internet, online safety and accessibility. If you want to run a mobile money kiosk, take that course as well.

How the module works

Each unit has learning outcomes, performance criteria, the range and the evidence your assessor needs. You are judged Competent or Not Yet Competent. About 70% of the time is practical, following CTVET's Oil Palm programme split of about 30% school and 70% workplace.

Each unit ends with a practical, a homework and Check yourself: three quick questions. Your trainer has the answers.

Honesty rule. Prices are asking prices seen on Jiji Ghana on 8 October 2026; they change often. Numbers marked example were made up to teach a method. Where a fact could not be checked, the book says not verified.

Free software first. Everything in this book can be done with free software: LibreOffice is free and open source and includes Writer (documents), Calc (spreadsheets) and Impress (presentations). Microsoft offers free Word, Excel and PowerPoint in a web browser with a free Microsoft account and 5 GB of free OneDrive storage. A Google account is free and gives up to 15 GB shared by Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos. The steps in this book use words like "File", "Save" and "Print" that are the same in all of them.

Competency standard

Range. A Windows desktop or laptop and an Android smartphone. (Apple and Linux computers work in a similar way.) Evidence. Observation of each task; oral questions; logbook entry.

What ICT means

ICT means Information and Communication Technology: computers, phones, the internet, printers and the programs that run on them. Hardware is what you can touch. Software is the programs inside, such as Windows, Android, a word processor or a web browser.

The parts you touch

Memory and storage in plain words. Memory (RAM) is the work table: what you are using now. When the power goes off, the table is cleared. Storage (the hard drive or SSD) is the cupboard: files you save stay there when the power goes off. That is why you must save your work.

Step by step: switch on and log in

Step by step: shut down safely

1. Save your work (Unit 2 shows how).
2. Click Start → click the power icon → click Shut down.
3. Wait until the screen is black and the lights go off.
4. Then switch off the extension board.

Common mistakes and fixes

Using the mouse

On a laptop touchpad: tap once to click; tap with two fingers to right-click; move two fingers up or down to scroll.

Using a smartphone touchscreen

Phone basics (calls, data bundles, installing apps) are taught in the Hub's Digital Skills and Mobile Money Agent course, Unit 2. This course uses the phone for email, files, voice typing and safety.

Sit and work safely

Power and electrical safety

Accessibility: tools for everyone

Computers and phones have free tools that make them usable by people who cannot see well, cannot see at all, cannot hear or cannot use their hands well. Learn to switch them on and off on the first day, so you never panic if a computer starts talking or zooming.

Android phones also have Select to Speak, Magnification and Voice Access. In 2020, only 7% of visually impaired Ghanaians owned a smartphone, and a national course had trained 600 visually impaired people to use screen readers. Trained users can change that number.

Check yourself

1. Why must you shut down from the Start menu instead of pulling the plug?
2. What is the difference between memory (RAM) and storage?
3. Which keys turn Windows Magnifier on and off?

Competency standard

Range. File Explorer in Windows; a USB flash drive; the Files app on an Android phone; Google Drive or OneDrive. Evidence. A folder tree made on the computer; a file copied to USB; oral questions.

Files and folders in plain words

• A file is one piece of work: a letter, a photo, a song, a spreadsheet.
• A folder is a container for files, like a box file in an office. Folders can hold other folders.
• Every file has a name and a type. The type is the short ending after the dot, called the extension: .docx (Word document), .odt (LibreOffice document), .pdf (a fixed document for printing and sending), .jpg (photo), .xlsx (spreadsheet), .mp3 (sound).

Good file names

Step by step: open File Explorer

1. Press Windows key + E. File Explorer opens.
2. On the left you see places: Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Pictures, This PC and any USB drive.
3. Click Documents. This is where you keep your work.

Step by step: make a folder tree

1. In Documents, right-click an empty space → New → Folder.
2. Type the name ICT Course and press Enter.
3. Double-click ICT Course to go inside.
4. Make three more folders inside: Letters, CV, Practice.

Your tree now looks like this:

Documents
└── ICT Course
    ├── Letters
    ├── CV
    └── Practice

Step by step: rename, copy, move and delete

USB flash drives

1. Push the flash drive into a USB port. A new drive appears in File Explorer (for example USB DRIVE (E:)).
2. Copy your file onto it (Ctrl + C, then open the drive, Ctrl + V).
3. Eject safely: right-click the drive in File Explorer → Eject. Wait for the message, then pull it out. Pulling it out while it is copying can damage files.

Back up: two places, always

If a laptop is stolen, falls or stops working, everything on it can be lost. Keep important files in two places:

• the computer and a flash drive kept somewhere else, or
• the computer and a free online store such as Google Drive (up to 15 GB shared with Gmail and Photos) or OneDrive (5 GB free).

Never back up other people's ID cards, passwords or private documents to your own drive (Unit 6).

Files on a smartphone

1. Open the Files app (on some phones it is called My Files or File Manager).
2. Look in Downloads for files you saved from WhatsApp, email or the internet.
3. Look in Images or the Gallery for photos.
4. Long-press a file to see Share, Rename, Delete or Move.

Common mistakes and fixes

Check yourself

1. What is a file extension? Give two examples.
2. What is the difference between copy and move?
3. Why should important files be kept in two places?

Competency standard

Range. A standard computer keyboard; a phone keyboard. Evidence. Typing tests in the logbook; observed shortcut use; one paragraph typed by voice.

The keys you need first

The home row

The home row is the middle row of letters. Your fingers rest there and go out to the other keys and come back.

• Left hand: little finger on A, ring finger on S, middle finger on D, first finger on F.
• Right hand: first finger on J, middle finger on K, ring finger on L, little finger on ; (semicolon).
• Thumbs rest on the space bar.
• Feel the small bumps on F and J. They tell your first fingers where home is without looking.

Each finger looks after the keys above and below its home key. For example, the left first finger types F, R, V, G, T and B.

Step by step: a 20-minute daily typing session

Accuracy first, speed later. A fast typist with many mistakes is slower in the end, because every mistake must be found and fixed. A fair goal for this course is 20 words a minute with 2 or fewer errors by the end of the five weeks (example course target, not a national standard). Free typing practice websites exist; your trainer will pick one that works on your connection.

Working out words per minute

Typists count 5 letters or spaces as one "word". So:

Words per minute = characters typed ÷ 5 ÷ minutes

Shortcuts that save time

Voice typing: talk instead of type

Voice typing turns your speech into text. It helps beginners, people with weak spelling, people with hand or arm disabilities and blind users.

On a Windows computer

1. Click in the place you want to type (for example a new document).
2. Press Windows key + H. A small voice box opens.
3. Speak clearly at normal speed. Say punctuation: "comma", "full stop" or "period", "question mark", "new line", "new paragraph".
4. It needs internet, because Windows voice typing uses online speech recognition. English (UK) is one of the supported languages in Windows 11.

On an Android phone (Gboard keyboard)

1. Open any app and tap a text box.
2. Tap the microphone at the top of the keyboard.
3. When you see "Speak now", talk. Say "comma", "period", "question mark" or "new line" for punctuation.

Always read and correct. Voice typing mishears names and local words: "Akwidaa" may come out as something else. Check every line with your eyes or the screen reader before you print or send.

Check yourself

1. Which keys are on the home row for your left hand?
2. What is the difference between Backspace and Delete?
3. What must you always do after voice typing?

Competency standard

Range. LibreOffice Writer, Microsoft Word (desktop or free web version) or Google Docs; A4 paper; one printer. Evidence. Printed letter and CV; the files saved in the right folders; observation.

Step by step: your first document

1. Open the word processor (Start menu → type Writer or Word, then press Enter; or open Google Docs in the browser).
2. Choose Blank document.
3. Type two lines: your name and your town.
4. Save straight away: click File → Save As (or press Ctrl + S).
5. Choose the folder Documents → ICT Course → Practice.
6. Type the name My-first-document and click Save.
7. Keep typing. Press Ctrl + S every few minutes. If the light goes off, you lose only a little.
8. Close the program (the X at the top right). Open File Explorer, find your file and double-click to reopen it.

Selecting text

You must select text before you change it.

Formatting: make it neat

Simple rule: one font, two sizes, bold for headings. Too many colours and fonts look untidy.

Check before you print

1. Spell check: red wavy lines show possible spelling mistakes. Right-click the word and choose the right spelling. Be careful with names: "Takoradi" or "Esi" may be marked red but be correct. Click Ignore for correct local names.
2. Read it aloud slowly from the top. Many mistakes are right words in the wrong place (for example "form" instead of "from").
3. Check dates, phone numbers and names twice. A wrong digit in a phone number means the employer cannot call.

Print and PDF

1. Click File → Print (or Ctrl + P). The print preview shows how the page will look.
2. Check: right printer, 1 copy, all pages, paper size A4.
3. Click Print. Collect the page and check it.
4. To send by email or WhatsApp, make a PDF: click File → Export as PDF (LibreOffice), Save As → choose PDF (Word), or File → Download → PDF (Google Docs). A PDF looks the same on every phone and computer and is harder to change by accident.

A formal letter: the layout

Your name
Your address or P.O. Box
Your phone number
Your email

Date (8 October 2026)

The Manager
Name of organisation
Address

Dear Sir or Madam,

APPLICATION FOR THE POST OF SHOP ASSISTANT

First paragraph: why you are writing.
Second paragraph: what you can do and your experience.
Third paragraph: when you are available and thanks.

Yours faithfully,

(signature)
Your full name

Use "Yours faithfully" when you start with "Dear Sir or Madam"; use "Yours sincerely" when you start with the person's name ("Dear Mrs Mensah").

A one-page CV

The Hub's Job-readiness course teaches CVs and interviews in depth. Here you learn to type and format them well.

Common mistakes and fixes

Check yourself

1. Why should you press Ctrl + S often?
2. What does print preview help you avoid?
3. Why is a PDF a good way to send a CV?

Competency standard

Range. Gmail or another free email service; Chrome, Edge or Firefox; a smartphone and a computer. Evidence. Sent emails seen by the trainer; search task sheet; oral questions.

Make a practice email account

To make a Google account you give a name, a username (it becomes your Gmail address), a password of at least 8 characters, your date of birth and gender (or choose not to say); a phone number and a recovery email are optional but recommended.

1. Open a browser and go to gmail.com. Click Create account → For my personal use.
2. Type your name. Choose a professional username, for example ama.mensah.tkd@gmail.com, not sweetgirl4real@.... Employers see it.
3. Make a strong password (Unit 6) and write it in a safe place at home, not on the computer.
4. Add a phone number and recovery email if you can. They help you get back in if you forget the password.
5. Read the terms, then finish.

Step by step: write a good email

1. Click Compose (or the + on a phone).
2. To: type the address carefully. One wrong letter sends it to a stranger.
3. Subject: a short title, for example Application for Shop Assistant - Ama Mensah.
4. Message:
   • Greeting: Dear Mr Owusu,
   • Two or three short paragraphs
   • Closing: Thank you. Yours sincerely, Ama Mensah, 024 000 0000 (example)
5. Attach: click the paperclip → find your CV PDF → Open. Wait until it has fully uploaded.
6. Read it once more. Then click Send.

Attachment size. Personal Gmail accounts can attach up to 25 MB; bigger files are sent as a Google Drive link instead. A phone photo is often 2 to 5 MB, so ten photos can be too much for one email.

The web browser

• A browser is the program you use to visit websites: Chrome, Edge, Firefox or the phone's browser.
• The address bar is the long box at the top. Type a web address (for example www.ghana.gov.gh) and press Enter.
• A search engine (Google, Bing) finds pages for you. Type a few key words, not a long sentence.

Search well

Is this website trustworthy?

Save data

Data is expensive in Ghana: one 2025 report gave 1 GB at about US$0.40 in one study and US$0.96 by the communications regulator's figure.

Simple online services

Many Ghana government services are reached through ghana.gov. It is a payments and services platform launched on 14 July 2021; you reach it at www.ghana.gov.gh, through the Citizen app, or by dialling *222# on any phone. It links services such as the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Passport Office and the Lands Commission. Which services work fully online today was not verified.

• Your Ghana Card number has been your tax identification number (TIN) since April 2021.
• The fee for an ordinary 32-page passport became GH¢350 from 13 November 2025, with courier delivery included and 15 working days for regular service.

Level 2 teaches how to fill these forms properly for yourself and others.

Check yourself

1. Why should your email address look professional?
2. Name two signs that a website may be trustworthy.
3. What is the largest attachment a personal Gmail account can send directly?

Competency standard

Range. Practice email and phone accounts; scam examples prepared by the trainer. Evidence. Settings checked; scam sorting exercise; role play; oral questions.

Strong passwords

• The UK's National Cyber Security Centre advises a password made of three random words joined together. It is long enough and strong enough, and easier to remember than a jumble of letters. Avoid common passwords, important dates, football teams and names of family or pets.
• Example idea (do not use it): mangocanoeblue. Add a number or symbol if a website asks.
• Use a different password for your email than for anything else. Your email is the master key: whoever controls it can reset your other passwords.
• A password manager can create and remember strong passwords for you.
• Lock your computer when you walk away: Windows key + L. Use a screen lock on your phone.

2-step verification

2-step verification means a thief needs your password and something else, such as your phone. To turn it on for a Google account: open myaccount.google.com → Security → turn on 2-Step Verification and follow the steps. Google's options include a "Yes/No" prompt on your phone, which Google recommends, an authenticator app, text or voice codes (the weakest option, because phone numbers can be attacked) and printed backup codes in case you lose your phone. Also turn on two-step verification in WhatsApp: the Cyber Security Authority has called WhatsApp account takeover a major threat.

Warning signs of a scam

The Cyber Security Authority's recent alerts warn about fake online investment schemes, people pretending to be real businesses, and fake parcel delivery messages with phishing links. (Mobile money scams are covered in the Hub's Digital Skills and Mobile Money Agent course.)

Phishing means a fake message or website that tries to make you type your password or details. If in doubt, close it, then go to the real website by typing the address yourself.

Report it: 292

Call or text 292, the Cyber Security Authority's line, or WhatsApp 0501603111 to report cybercrime. The Authority advises calling 292 before you send money to anyone suspicious.

Keep evidence: take a screenshot of the message (on Windows, Windows key + Shift + S captures part of the screen), note the phone number, date and time, and do not delete the chat.

Other people's personal data

Ghana's Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843) protects people's personal information and created the Data Protection Commission. In plain words, people have the right to see the data held about them, to have it corrected, and to stop it being used for direct marketing. Anyone who keeps data must protect it from loss, damage and unauthorised access. Selling another person's personal data is an offence.

What this means for you at Level 1:

Viruses and updates

• A virus (malware) is a bad program that can steal, lock or destroy files.
• Keep Windows and your phone updated; updates fix security holes.
• Keep the built-in security program (Windows Security) switched on.
• Do not install programs from unknown websites or flash drives. Use the official app store on a phone.
• Never open an attachment you did not expect, even from a friend; their account may be hacked. Ask them first.

Keep children safe online

The Cyber Security Authority runs child online protection work. At home and in a business centre:

Check yourself

1. What makes a good password, according to the NCSC?
2. Who do you call or text to report cybercrime in Ghana?
3. Name two things you must not do with a customer's Ghana Card.

Competency standard

Range. The trainee's own plan for a small service. Evidence. Costing sheet; price list; one-page plan.

Small ICT business ideas

Running a mobile money kiosk is a separate trade: see the Hub's Digital Skills and Mobile Money Agent course.

What equipment costs (October 2026)

These are asking prices in Accra on 8 October 2026; prices in Takoradi may differ. Start small: many people begin with a phone and printing at a nearby centre, then buy a printer when customers come.

Cost a printed page

To set a fair price, first work out what one page costs you.

Location settings that give good returns

Market yourself

• A clear price list on the wall: typing per page, printing per page, scanning, email help. Hidden prices make people distrust you.
• A simple sign with what you do and your phone number.
• WhatsApp: a short message to friends and family: "I now type and print letters, CVs and forms. Neat, fast and private." Send only to people you know, and let them say no.
• Portfolio: keep sample work with made-up details (a letter, a CV, a programme) to show new customers. Never show real customers' documents.
• Referrals: do good work and ask happy customers to tell two friends.
• Privacy as a selling point: a notice that says "We do not keep copies of your documents" builds trust (Unit 6).

Accessibility: a service for everyone

Ghana's Persons with Disability Act, 2006 (Act 715) says a person who provides a service to the public must provide facilities that make it accessible to persons with disability. The Assemblies' share of the Common Fund for persons with disabilities rose from 3% to 5% from 2026.

Tasks that work well for owners or workers with disabilities: typing (blind typists use NVDA or Narrator; people with one working hand can use voice typing and Sticky Keys), email help, scanning, teaching others and accessibility setup. Printing and paper handling need some reach and movement; arrange the printer on a low table.

Adjustments that help customers and workers:

Check yourself

1. How do you work out the cost of one sheet of paper from the price of a box?
2. Name three things that make a good location for a typing and printing service.
3. Name two adjustments that help a blind customer or worker.

1. Name four parts of a computer and what each does.
2. How do you shut down a computer safely?
3. Name two posture rules for working at a computer.
4. Give a good file name for Kofi Asante's CV made in October 2026.
5. Which shortcuts copy, paste and undo?
6. Where do your fingers rest on the home row?
7. Esi types 600 characters in 4 minutes. What is her speed in words per minute?
8. What must you check before printing?
9. Name the parts of a good email.
10. Name three warning signs of a scam.
11. What does Ghana's Data Protection Act protect, and what number do you call to report cybercrime?
12. Name three accessibility tools on a computer or phone and who they help.

Best next reads: Microsoft's Windows accessibility help pages; NV Access's free NVDA training; the Cyber Security Authority's alerts; the Hub's Digital Skills and Mobile Money Agent course and Job-readiness course.

What this module does not cover: spreadsheets, presentations, scanning, cloud sharing, filling official forms for customers, power backup and data protection registration (see Levels 2 and 3); mobile money (see the Hub's Digital Skills and Mobile Money Agent course); computer repair and networking.

Every source used in this manual is listed, with links, in the Teacher Copy.