Connect a school, connect a community in sub-Sahara Africa (Gambia, Niger, Tanzania)

This project aims to encourage broadband connectivity of schools in remote, rural and underserved areas of three (3) sub-Saharan Africa at least, at least one (1) French speaking country, and use these schools as community ICT centers. The project aims to improve access to and use of ICT by students and members of the local community, including disadvantaged and vulnerable groups such as women and girls, indigenous people, rural residents, people elderly or disabled.

In each selected beneficiary countries, the project will connect schools to Internet broadband services, provide individual or shared computer equipment to students in schools and create connected community ICT centers, which will serve both the socio-economic development of member community and paid service to ensure the sustainability of community centers. The project will also provide the necessary training for teachers; ICT centers managers and trainers who will ensure the socio-economic formation of community members.

To promote school connectivity, the project implements best practices in terms of policies, regulations, applications, services and practical experiences, which are in practice kit "Connect a School, Connect a Community" of ITU (www.connectaschool.org).

Furthermore, in order to generate political support for school connectivity and the creation of community ICT centers in schools in recipient countries will be organized in each of them a national workshop for government officials and other stakeholders. This workshop will explore the steps to connect all schools to broadband Internet services (eg. Changing regulations and policies, the development of a national plan for school connectivity, the use of funds Universal service to connect schools, etc..) The  cash contribution to this Project is funded by a donation of the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.

The project was implemented in three beneficiary countries. It provided connectivity for the selected schools to broadband Internet services  as well as individual or shared computing devices to school children.  In the connected schools ICT community centers were established which can be used both for the socio-economic development of community members while fee-paying services enabled sustainability for the community ICT centers. Furthermore, this Project also provided relevant training for teachers, managers of the ICT centers and the trainers who will provide socio-economic relevant training for community members to enable use of ICTs in their day-to- day social and economic activities.