Africa Global Information Infrastructure Project

The project seeks to address the obstacles and opportunities within any given country, including support for policy reform, facilitating low-cost, high-speed access to the Internet, and the introducing proven mechanisms to build networks of active users.

The project is done in 21 African countries including Benin, Botswana, Cote d'Ivoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea-Conakry, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Its objectives are to:

• Create an Enabling Policy Environment: The project will promote policy reform to reduce barriers to open connectivity. The expected results:
  1. Affordable prices, based upon costs plus profit, conducive to broad expansion of the user base;
  2. Delivery of Internet services by private sector providers; and,
  3. Free and open access to information available through the Internet, in conformance with host country laws.
• Create a Sustainable Supply of Internet Services: The project will identify appropriate hardware, assist with full Internet connectivity, and assist private sector ISPs to develop their industry. The expected results:
  1. Indigenous ISPs, trained in marketing and business plan development, offering full Internet access and better communication between counterparts in Africa and the world;
  2. Country-wide access, with special attention to extension (rural) issues; and
  3. Internet Society Chapters serving as advocacy and support organizations

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• Enhance Internet Use for Sustainable Development: The project will increase the ability of African societies to use the communication and information tools of the Internet. The expected results:
  1. Local and international partnerships sharing information related to sustainable development in manufacturing, business, the environment, health, democracy, education, and other sectors;
  2. Indigenous partnerships to create and maintain new information resources based in the African experience which feed the GII;
  3. Increased African capacity to use information in decision-making and in managing scarce resources;
  4. Broadened user base for information systems and telematics services; and
  5. Indigenous training capacity for users and ISPs

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The blend of activities addressing these Strategic Objectives will vary from country to country, depending on the level of e-mail and/or Internet connectivity. The development portfolio of the USAID Mission in each country will be very important, especially in implementing a strategy for growing the user base in priority sectors. For more information, please see Leland's Internet End User Applications page on this process with a highlighted section on USAID's telematic pioneering programs and sector case studies.

Technology.

The project organisers hope to achieve the following results:

1. Improving connectivity within Africa.
2. Increasing access by Africans to people and information for sustainable development.
3. Enhancing African ability to find solutions to African problems.
4. Making African-produced information available to the world.