African nations aim to connect rural areas

In five years' time, several underserved rural areas in Africa will be connected to the Internet following the rural information and communication technology (ICT) policies now being implemented by African governments.

Zambia, Rwanda, South Africa and Nigeria are moving Internet services to rural areas to serve communities that are cut off from the rest of the world and to increase access to public information.

Only a few months after Zambia and Rwanda launched their rural ICT development programs, the Nigerian government last week launched rural information technology centers designed to provide seamless access to information over the Internet in rural communities.

The program will also provide training in computer use for people in rural communities who have little or no knowledge about computer use.

The director general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Cleopas Angaye, said the centers will provide programs designed to bring information technology to the doorsteps of rural Nigerians across the country.

The Zambian government is also disbursing an initial US$4 million to the development of rural ICT infrastructures that will make it easy to roll out Internet services to rural areas.

"The initiative will unlock resources for job creation as service providers will extend their services to remote rural areas," said

Zambian Communications and Transport Minister Dora Siliya.

The money has been raised through service charges slapped on mobile service providers and Internet service providers operating in the country by the Communications Authority of Zambia.

Nigerian Minister of Science and Technology Alhassan Bako Zaku said the launch of rural information technology centers is a grassroots approach to direct attention to the relevancy of science, technology, innovation and engineering. The centers will be used to provide e-governance projects aimed at developing the use of ICT in public service delivery.

The Rwandan government has also installed stations across the country equipped with touch screens and printers so that service seekers will be able to access public information, check e-mail and surf the Web. The provision of the Internet to rural areas by African governments will also support the communication needs for rural schools and hospitals.

However, if rural Africa is to benefit more fully from Internet access, the barriers to it, such as lack of rural energy (electricity) and high telephone access rates, will have to come down. Many rural areas in Africa are not connected to the national grid, and those that are connected often experience power interruptions due to insufficient power generation and distribution.