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Innovative solutions and partnerships critical for rural ICT connectivity

19 June 2008

Commonwealth African Rural Connectivity Initiative targets donors, investors and regulators

Uganda's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Minister, Dr Ham-Mulira Mukasa, said Commonwealth African countries need to find innovative and novel solutions to the problem of rural connectivity. He stressed that offering ICT access to rural communities in Africa can help to transform lives by opening up opportunities for the development of skills, knowledge and businesses.

"We need to look at options in terms of technology, business models, partners and relationships to address the rural connectivity gap in our countries. We, as policy-makers and regulators in ICTs in our respective countries need to provide leadership in implementing possible solutions and work towards broader programmes to establish a lasting resolution," said Dr Mukasa at the opening of the Commonwealth African Rural Connectivity Initiative (COMARCI) meeting at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, UK, on 19 June 2008.

He cited the case of ICT development in India and Malaysia and the success they have achieved in rural connectivity. Dr Mukasa said this success can be replicated in Africa after having identified the connectivity gaps in each country and examining ways in which they can be addressed by studying the achievements of other countries.

"Progress is a vector quantity - it has both magnitude and direction. I believe that the steps we are all making in ensuring the role of ICTs in transforming our societies from ‘wanting’ to ‘having’ are great strides in magnitude and in the right direction. We need to continue with ever increasing zeal to make it a better place for all our people and the world as a whole," stated Dr Mukasa.

Chief Executive of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah pointed out that around 80 per cent of Africa remains unconnected today. He said this is regrettable as access to information and knowledge is vital to enable the poor and marginalised to be able to benefit from socio-economic development through ICT. Dr Spio-Garbrah emphasised that efforts must be made to engage donor agencies and development partners on rural connectivity initiatives, while developing partnerships with the private sector on projects, services and technologies targeting rural connectivity.

The head of the Commonwealth Connects Secretariat, Anthony Ming, commented that the sharing of ICT wealth across the Commonwealth can uplift citizens.

"ICT has transformative powers to change societies. It can bring governments and citizens closer together especially if a country has a large geographical zone," said Mr Ming. "COMARCI represents a significant milestone in the Commonwealth Connects programme to bridge the digital divide in Africa and we hope the same can be done for other parts of the Commonwealth."

COMARCI is supported by the Commonwealth Connects programme through a £50,000 funding from the Government of Malta, with additional funding from BT Global, Telkom South Africa and Vodacom. The first phase of COMARCI involved a six-month study of rural connectivity in the 18 Commonwealth African countries and the achievements of the United States, Canada, Australia, India and Malaysia in promoting rural access for ICT. The recently concluded study undertaken by the CTO also identified ten pilot projects that can be adapted and replicated in Africa based on successful ICT rural connectivity programmes in Canada, Ghana, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Mauritius, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and the UK.