By AUGUSTINE ODUOR in Juba
Africa must adopt new plans to enable the public to access information.
In the new paradigm shift, the local community should be empowered to come up with their own networks depending on regionl needs in relation to their economic priorities.
Efforts between the Government and development partners should then be made to facilitate community-based groups to offer ICT services within a given radius through wireless connection.
These were some of the findings of the just ended major Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation conference to increase knowledge and use of ICT in rural areas in the continent for faster growth.
The three-day conference held in Juba, brought together top brains in the sector from over 20 countries to specifically enable Southern Sudan open up its ICT sector and to empower African states to adopt new ways of providing ICT services to underserved populations.
Edith Adera, a programme specialist with the International Development Research Centre said Kenya in particular must move fast to empower local communities directly to enable them build their own networks.
"We should move away from traditional multiple telecentres to a new community-based model to enable communities access ICT services from the comfort of their homes through a wireless connection," Adera said.
new model
She said the Universal Access Fund ought to be refocused to community driven networks. "We must think of innovative ways to building community networks called first mile," she said.
She said through the bottom-up new model, communities are able to share costs and bandwidth to enhance access of ICT services for enhanced economic development of the people.
Speaking on the implementation and sustainability of community telecentres in underserved areas at conference in Juba, she said similar project had been implemented successfully in Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Angola, South Africa and Mozambique with good results.
In Uganda, for instance, it was used to integrate war returnees in northern Uganda back into the society. "Through their groups, the people used the Internet to sample latest design on clothes they made to fetch better market prices," she said.
Adera said if these new model is adopted; communities will use the existing connectivity to share services within a radius of their reach through wireless connection.
A telecentre is a public place where people can access computers, the Internet and other technologies that help them gather information and communicate with others at the same time as they develop digital skills.
While each telecentre is different, the common focus is to support community and social development in reducing isolation, bridging the digital divide, promoting health issues, creating economic opportunities, reaching out to youths by utilising appropriate technologies.
Today most populations move to one stop telecentres for all their information and communication needs, which is getting costly and difficult for most people.
exchange information
"If we could make these services more accessible and nearer the people we will have made a big step towards empowering the people.
The Kenya ICT board therefore needs to think innovatively. Challenges presented by these traditional way has for the past fifteen years shown that they are outdated," she said.
Adera said as opposed to one multiple centres for ICT services, getting farmers for instance to access internet from their homes through wireless will enable them exchange information freely and to easily analyse market trends of their agronomic products.
She said under the new arrangement, challenges faced with traditional centres are overcome.
"Issues of technical and financial sustainability are no more because if people are connected to the same network then the cost is shared evenly. Local expertise are used than hired ones to maintain networks," she said.
She said trials in other countries have been successful. ÏIn rural Nigeria, where there no fixed telephone lines, no reliable power grid and used satellite connection, has now managed to connect people.
