Pan-Africa mobile operator Zain, and Ericsson, have started an initiative coordinated by the GSM Association, to assist fishing communities in the Lake Victoria region.
Zain has developed value-added services, via the GSM network, that will enable fishermen on the lake to send SMS messages and make voice calls to find information such as fish and commodity prices and receive weather and safety alerts.
Chris Gabriel, CEO Zain Africa, says: “The initiative will greatly benefit the communities around Lake Victoria and will substantially improve both the social and economic development in the region.”
The companies reveal in a press statement that the Lake Victoria region now has an additional 21 energy-efficient sites, three of them solar powered, as well as a new Rescue Coordination Centre.
Local stakeholders supporting the project include the International Maritime Rescue Federation and its local representative, the National Lake Rescue Institute (NLRI).
According to Lars Lind'en, president of Ericsson sub-Saharan Africa, mobile communications play an important role in helping communities to develop sustainability.
Gabriel Solomon, senior vice-president for the GSM Association, adds: “As the East African community gets connected to undersea cables for the first time, the communities of Lake Victoria can now access a mobile safety net. It is now incumbent upon the governments of East Africa to leverage this network by partnering with the private sector and delivering a rainbow of new services.”
The network will provide crucial information to enable services such as search and rescue, fleet movement and tracking. Ericsson's Mobile Position System will enable emergency authorities to locate the mobile signal of those in distress on the lake and send the details to the Rescue Coordination Centre, which will be operated by NLRI.
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