The 18 million people of Ghana are set to receive an economic, educational and social development boost following the launch of a multi-thousand dollar digital village project led by a consortium of local and international players.
The project is being spearheaded by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Knust) in the west African country; the institution`s US-based Alumni Association; the Community Services Foundation (CSF) - a non-profit organisation; and the University of Pennsylvania`s School of Engineering and Applied Science (UPenn).
The initiative centres around building a comprehensive IT infrastructure for Knust - Ghana`s principal science and technology academic institution, based in the Ashanti region`s capital of Kumasi. This will enable Knust to increase the general levels of IT education in the country.
The ICT infrastructure - comprising technology solutions and services from HP and its Ghanaian reseller, CIS, as well as high speed DSL (digital subscriber line) communication links from Ghana Telecom - will be deployed at Knust by December this year.
"Ghana faces some serious socio-economic challenges. Using the digital village we aim to help build a workforce that is skilled in the critical areas of ICT," explains Thierry Boulanger, the regional sales manager for English-speaking African countries at HP.
"This should help the country attract greater international investment, create sustainable vocational opportunities and bolster educational, agricultural, medical and economic development across Ghana."
A series of computer resource centres will be established and linked to the infrastructure over the next two years; more than 50 centres should eventually exist nationwide. These centres will provide cost-effective access to the Internet and equip Ghanaian students and people with higher levels of IT education and skills.
One centre will be housed at the main Knust library, one on the outskirts of the campus and one in the heart of Kumasi city; they will all be linked to the ICT backbone and will be used to facilitate train-the-trainer programmes that educate IT specialists who teach at primary and secondary schools in Kumasi.
"The training will include Web-based and online course generation, as well as the preparation and delivery of lectures, seminars and continuous education programmes via video- and tele-conferencing," says E Kwame Obeng, the US-based Knust alumnus responsible for facilitating the project.
Once the first series of centres have been established, funds raised by UPenn and the Community Services Foundation (CSF), a non-profit organisation registered in Ghana and the US, will cater for the rest.
It`s not just Ghanaians that will benefit though. "This programme will provide a component of undergraduate education in both universities ... it exposes students to the rewards of community service, group projects and awareness of other cultures," explains Sohrab Rabii, a professor of electrical engineering at UPenn.
It is expected that the digital villages will also help link Ghanaian educational institutions, agencies and industries with the rest of the world, enabling them to pursue joint research programmes and projects. For example, drug information centres could be established, ensuring that healthcare providers have access to up-to-date information on medication.
"This, in effect, narrows the economic and digital divide between Ghana and the rest of the world," says Boulanger.
"Business for HP in Africa is not always about generating revenues - it`s sometimes about identifying and delivering on projects that help develop communities and countries as a whole. That`s exactly why we`re involved here."
For more information on HP`s solutions and activities in Africa, surf to www.hp.com/country/aa/eng/welcome.htm
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