The International Development Research Centre (IDRC), funded by the Canadian government, has launched a R63 million project aimed at improving access to information and communications technology (ICT) in Africa.
The project, launched at an African networking conference in SA last week, will apply Canadian ICT expertise to projects for education, health and community development.
The networking conference, the Acacia Conference, was held at Kwa Maritane game lodge last week and 200 delegates from more than 20 countries attended.
Delegates said that African governments needed to be pro-active in removing barriers to socio-economic progress by harnessing the power of ICT. Many delegates expressed frustration at government-initiated barriers to ICT progress.
The connectivity project is the latest in a series of projects under the Acacia Programme banner. The IDRC launched the Acacia Programme in 1997 to fund research into the impact of ICT on poverty in Africa and to demonstrate that the benefits can reach disadvantaged sub-Saharan communities. Acacia has invested R230 million in programmes in SA, Mozambique, Senegal and Uganda.
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