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Title: Wireless Ghana
Location:
Categories: Education
Technology
Globalization
Status:
In Progress
Timeline:
December 2 07 to December 2 08
Description:
The Akwapim Community Wireless Network is a Community Wireless Network executed and maintained by a small group of volunteers. These volunteers also work in the Apirede Community Resource center established by CBLit. Rural communities in developing parts of Ghana use the network for information and communication purposes. The model of a Community Wireless Network is by definition one of varying organization and overlapping leadership roles. In this section we set out to show how members of the project go about working alongside one another, and how they go about working with the members of the communities they serve.
Background:
Wireless Ghana is a project of Community-Based Libraries and Information Technology (CBLit), a
non-government organization based in both Ghana and the United States. The Wireless Ghana
project is a rural project. It was initiated at the Apirede Resource Center (CBLit’s first Community
Resource Center) in 2005 in response to the local community’s requests for connectivity to help
them break their isolation and move their children and community closer to the 21
st
century, and be
competitive with their urban counterparts. Apirede is in the Akwapim
1
North district in the Eastern
Region of Ghana. This district has seventeen towns and several villages with a total population of
about 1.2 million people.
The project is being developed and managed by the Apirede Resource Center. The officers,
volunteer staffing, and a variety of resources (Internet access, spare computer parts, etc.) are based
1
Throughout this document we will refer to the local geographic district as “Akwapim,” though it is
also commonly referred to as “Akuapem.
Objectives:
The Wireless Ghana project is committed to the goals set forth by CBLit:
• Promote a reading culture.
• Train rural schoolchildren and teachers in the use of Information and Communication
Technology (ICT).
• Empower rural communities by providing access to information and breaking the isolation.
• Provide and use ICT to help increase direct participation in development and decision-
making processes at local and national levels.
• Help to make Internet access in rural communities a reality.
Milestones:
The social transformation is clearly evident and people who have never been allowed to manage
projects of such scope can see the results of their effort. On display are citizen’s confidence, the
willingness and ability to do things for themselves. Citizens are looking beyond narrow agendas
and entrenched traditional bureaucracy, toward vision and open-minded approaches.
Citizen’s realization of the sense of ownership of the project has been a central driving force toward
progress. Through inclusion of rural perspective and reality, and by making the citizens manage
the project themselves, there has emerged a “can do” attitude and the tenacity to make the project a
success.
The community is learning quickly the value of collaborating with CBLit and other communities to
achieve their agreed goals and that collaboration offers access to resources needed to help
overcome their challenges.
The women who at the beginning of the project were seen only in the background are now
articulating their needs and those of their children, providing suggestions and getting the men to
accept constructive criticism. The economic gains from the women center are certainly
empowering them. This empowerment is important because their participation is needed in the fight
against poverty and the education of children.
A few statistics throws light to what is happening. The Computer Center trains teachers and
children from primary grades through high school (SSS) as well as adults in introduction to ICT to
help break the isolation and make them competitive. From October 2004 to March 2006 one
thousand, seven hundred and twenty-one (1,721) school children and one hundred and twenty-eight
(128) adults have been given introductory classes. Access is also provided to the Internet (Internet
Café) and Games Room. During the same period, three thousand, and sixty-five (3065) people from
the community and neighboring communities have used these two facilities. Also organized by the
ICT center is the Film/Video/Media Room. Films and videos are screened from their impressive
video library of educational cartons for children and tapes on health, sanitation, childrearing and
parenting and governance for adults.
Budget:
Estimated overall budget for the project
$72,000 USD
Needs:
The Wireless Ghana project provides rural West African villages with access to communication and information via the Internet. It is currently building the Akwapim Community Wireless Network to serve as a model for community wireless networks in Ghana. Funds are being requested for Phase II of the project, which will address:
1. Strengthening of the network infrastructure with a backbone of high-power, low-fault "central" nodes and a cost-priced VSAT solution;
2. Expanding the network from 10 to 20 nodes by providing new Internet access points to 5 secondary schools, in addition to continued support for adding and maintaining nodes for businesses, organizations, and community groups that can purchase their own equipment;
3. Bridging current volunteers to part-time employees to achieve a well maintained, sustainable network;
4. Hosting a conference on Community Wireless Networks in Ghana to address the applications of wireless networking technology throughout the country.
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