A memorial service was held for her in Lusaka on 6 June 2010 -  Lusaka memorial sheet.

Connect Africa is a British Airways Opportunity Grant Winner 2010.  As an Opportunity Grant Winner the airline will provide Connect Africa, business class travel for one year. 

The airline had an overwhelming response to the initiative and Connect Africa is one of the lucky winners of the 50 Grants that were on offer.                                                                  

The standard of the entries was exceptionally high and there were more than 1000 applicants in South Africa. Connect Africa, was chosen as they demonstrated how business travel would allow the company to achieve their goals and aspirations for 2010. 

The British Airways Opportunity Grant initiative was launched this year for the first time in South Africa and promotes the building of long term business growth by encouraging face-to-face meetings between businesses. 

For further information on British Airways and the Opportunity Grants, please visit  ba.com/safrica-grants.

Connect Africa is a non-profit social enterprise that leverages innovative technologies for socioeconomic development. We promote the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) among our network of entrepreneurial local operators to facilitate the delivery of  communication, business and public services to their rural communities.

Our business model varies from country to country and even village to village, but is always based on the sustainability of a complete infrastructure and logistics network. Our networks of locally owned rural service centres are supported by district supervisors and are routinely visited by a fleet of service and maintenance vehicles.  

After 2 years of research and field trials, funded internally and by the Southern Africa Trust, Connect Africa successfully completed a 6-month pilot project in South Africa’s Limpopo Province in 2007. This pilot was carried out in partnership with the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), with the support of key sponsors that included Vodacom, HP, Iveco, Microsoft, VW, Iridium, Graffiti, 4×4 Megaworld and Galaxy Media. Work continues with provincial and local government to roll out a rural service network across the Limpopo Province.

In April 2008 Connect Africa began conducting a trial of satellite connected public pay-phones, supported by the Iridium Satellite Network and the Southern Africa Trust, in deep rural Zambia – in and around the Zambian Wildlife Authority’s (ZAWA) Kafue National Park Game Management Areas.

The success of these trials resulted in the deployment of an extended pilot project in early 2009. Funded by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Co-operation ACP-EU and with the support and approval of the Zambian Communications Authority (now the Zambian Information and Communication Technology Authority), Connect Africa deployed six public pay-phones in and around ZAWA’s Kafue Game Management Area in March 2009. This trial incorporated an additional satellite network supported by Thuraya’s regional distributor Fort Info Technology.

All activity across the trial network was monitored and analysed for three months and a project report with recommendations for a national network of rural pay-phones was submitted to the Zambian Communications Authority for review. The rural pay-phone network is the foundation for a multi-purpose service delivery network to deliver routine government, agriculture, health, education, and business services to deep rural communities.

The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Co-operation ACP-EU has since extended their support to include a series of stakeholder workshops to identify areas where the public, private and NGO sectors can engage with Connect Africa.

It is proposed that the Zambian service network will serve as a model for an African rural service network covering 10 countries by 2015. 

RURAL areas that have often been marginalised and cut off from the usage of state-of-the-art telecommunication facilities are now getting connected and opening up, thanks to a new project that uses satellite antennas to pick a signal. 

The project, currently running on a pilot basis in Mumbwa and Kaoma districts, is being implemented by a South African organisation, Connect Africa, which seeks to promote communication services in areas that are often isolated from the national telecommunications grid. 

By providing satellite-networked phones, Connect Africa is empowering rural communities with cheaper communication alternatives which, in the long run, will enable poor communities to have a say in shaping poverty alleviation policies. 

According to Dean Mulozi, the national coordinator for Connect Africa in Zambia, the introduction of the new technology has been necessitated by the limited capacity of the three mobile service providers to cover the entire country. 

Whereas the mobile phone service providers depend on the country’s international gateway and can only service areas where they have mounted their antenna boosters, Connect Africa phones use satellite antennas to locate signals and are powered by solar panels, thereby making it possible to be connected even in the remotest of areas where there are no mobile phone signals. 

“We still have so many people in this country who have no access to cheaper and affordable means of communication, especially in rural areas,” Mr Mulozi said. 

Although cellular phone usage in Zambia has become the most popular and effective means of communication, analysts say the technology has been concentrated only in the cities and communities along the line of rail.

It is estimated that only about four million of Zambia’s over 11 million population are able to use cellular phones as a means of communication, whereas much of the population in rural areas remains largely unserviced by the three commercial mobile phone service providers. 

“There is such a high demand for the services. We want to expand the programme to cover the entire country and cater for all rural districts. All the districts not connected (to the mobile phone grid) must be reached,” Mr Mulozi said. 

Even in the two districts where the project is running, demand for the service has already outstripped supply with thousands of people having to walk over 10 kilometres to the nearest point to make a phone call.

There are only six telephone handsets catering for an average of 4,000 people per phone. 

As a result, Connect Africa has had to increase the allocation of credit for some phones from US$50 per week— which is often used up in less than a day— to $135 for the same period. 

To make a call, the beneficiaries of the new technology pay K2,000 per minute for all local calls and double the amount for the same duration for an international call, but they reckon it is far better and cheaper than having to scribble a letter. 

Enock Kamwaya, 36, a peasant farmer at Kaoma’s TBZ farm bloc, said: “This amount is nothing compared to how we used to communicate in the past. We would write letters that would take over two months to be replied to, or we would not even receive a reply. But a phone call gives you an answer immediately, so we don’t write letters now.” 

The usage of the technology is slowly proving effective and helpful in the manner rural farmers conduct their businesses. 

“We are benefitting from this programme. Now we can communicate with the outside world. As farmers, we connect with different organisations such as World Vision, Oxfam, and the World Wildlife Fund to help us with fertiliser or markets for our produce. 

“This plays a major role in our development; we wish every household could have a phone,” Mr Kamwaya said. 

For the 10,000 peasant farmers at the TBZ farm bloc, communication comes at a high price. In the absence of the satellite phones, people are forced to travel a distance of 70 kilometres to Kaoma town centre to communicate with the outside world.

“Sometimes, when this phone is not working, and there is an emergency such as a funeral, we are forced to board a bus to Kaoma town. We pay K60,000 to go and make a call,” disclosed 52-year-old Mildred Muwanei, who was found in a group of people standing in disorderly manner in front of a pigeon-hole window with small pieces of paper in their hands. 

Inside was a telephone booth and an operator who kept dialling one number after the other and pushing the receiver through the window to the callers as he received one piece of paper after the other. 

“This is the only place where I can make a call from. Otherwise, I might come later and find the person I am calling has switched off the phone, or this phone is not working,” Ms Muwanei explained. 

According to sub-chieftainess Mulendema, a traditional leader in Mumbwa, the satellite phones could not have come at a better time. 

Her chiefdom is located along the highway connecting Western Province to Lusaka, and both towns on her end – Mumbwa and Kaoma – are connected to the national telecommunications grid under Zain, MTN, and Cell Z. 

At a time when the Government is striving to improve infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, sub-chieftainess Mulendema represents the plight of thousands of Zambians who are living within a reachable radius from the highways, yet are too far away from communication services. 

“We are very lucky to be using this phone. Our problems are now minimised. We used to climb that hill (about six kilometres away) to make a phone call by tapping into the stray waves from Mumbwa (about 50 kilometres away),” the traditional leader said, pointing to a nearby mountain on the northern side of her village. 

“It was a huge problem for women like me. Even then, we could only make local calls (within Zambia); this one is able to phone anywhere. Now we don’t just rely on the road. When we have a problem, we come here to phone cheaply and we ask our relatives for anything that we want. Life is better this way.” 

In commenting on the impact of the innovation on rural communities, Lotty Kakubo, spokesperson of the Communications Authority of Zambia (CAZ), said the Government’s telecommunications regulatory body would soon issue a comprehensive statement after conducting a feasibility assessment of the installations. 

“CAZ supports the efforts by other institutions to contribute to the extension of services in unserviced areas,” Mr Kakubo said. 

The pilot project for the rural service delivery network is expected to close this monthend after which the CAZ will assess its impact in benefitting communities and determine whether it should be rolled out across the country.

 source:  Sunday Times of Zambia Online

click here for original article …

Inside the window is a telephone booth and an operator who keeps dialling one number after the other and pushing the receiver through the window to the callers. Some have been waiting for more than half an hour, but they must wait a little longer for their turn to make a phone call. 

Mildred Muwanei (52) is indifferent to the discussions going on around her. She is number five in the disorganised queue. The mother of nine and grandmother of six in Kaoma district of western Zambia says making phone calls is a struggle for her. 

Communication comes at a high price in her farming settlement — home to more than 10 000 peasant farmers — about 70km from Kaoma district town centre and 350km west of the Zambian capital, Lusaka. 

“I have to wait; I can’t go home. This is the only place where I can make a phone call from. Otherwise, I might come later and find the person I am calling has switched off the phone, or this phone is not working,” she says. “Sometimes when this phone is not working and there is an emergency, such as a funeral, we are forced to board a bus to Kaoma town [about 70km away] … we pay 60 000 kwacha [about R100] to go and make a call.” 

Muwanei is one among thousands of Zambians benefiting from a pilot project implemented by a South African-based organisation, Connect Africa, seeking to promote communication services in areas that are often isolated from the national telecommunications grid. 

By providing satellite-networked phones, Connect Africa is empowering marginalised rural communities with cheaper communication alternatives, which in the long run will enable poor communities to have a say in shaping policies to overcome their poverty. 

Muwanei and other beneficiaries pay R3.20 a minute for a local call and double the amount for the same duration for an international call, but they reckon it is far better and cheaper than having to scribble a letter. 

According to Enock Kamwaya (36), a peasant farmer in the area: “This amount is nothing compared to how we used to communicate in the past. We would write letters that would take over two months to be replied to, or we would not even receive a reply. But a phone call gives you an answer immediately so we don’t write letters now. 

“We are benefiting from this programme. Now we can communicate with the outside world. As farmers we connect with different organisations such as World Vision, Oxfam, WWF to help us with fertiliser or markets for our produce. This plays a major role in our development; we wish every household could have a phone.” 

Although cellular phone usage in Zambia has become the most popular and effective means of communication, analysts say the technology has been concentrated only in the cities and communities along the railway lines. 

It is estimated that only about four million of Zambia’s 11.7-million population are able to use cellular phones as a means of communication, whereas much of the population in rural areas remains largely unserviced by the three commercial mobile-phone service providers. 

Connect Africa phones use satellite antennas to locate signals and are powered by solar panels, thereby making it possible to be connected even in the remotest of areas where there are no mobile-phone signals. 

Sub-chieftainess Mulendema, a traditional leader in Mubwa district, said: “We are very lucky to be using this phone. Our problems are now minimised. We used to climb the top of that mountain [about 6km] to make a phone call by tapping into the stray waves from Mumbwa town, about 50km away. 

“It was a huge problem for women like me. Even then, we could only make local calls; this one is able to phone anywhere.” 

At a time when the Zambian government is striving to improve infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, Mulendema represents the plight of thousands of Zambians who are living within a reachable radius from the highways, yet are too far away from communication services. 

Mulendema’s chiefdom is located along the highway connecting Western Province to Lusaka, and both towns on her end — Mumbwa and Kaoma — are connected to the national telecommunications grid. 

“Now we don’t just rely on the road. When we have a problem, we come here to phone cheaply and we ask our relatives for anything that we want. Life is better this way,” she said. 

Yet, the demand for telecommunications facilities in the area has outstripped supply, resulting in villagers waiting to make phone calls. 

According to Dean Mulozi, national coordinator for Connect Africa in Zambia, there are only six telephone handsets catering to an average of 4 000 people a phone. 

“There is such a demand for the services. At first we used to load them with credit worth $50 a week, but that is used up in less than a day. So for some of them we have increased the amount to $135 a week. 

“We want to expand the programme to cover the entire country and cater for all rural districts. All districts not connected [to the mobile phone grid] must be reached,” Mulozi said. 

In commenting on the impact of the innovation on rural communities, Lotty Kakubo, a spokesperson of the Communications Authority of Zambia (CAZ), the country’s tele-communications regulatory body, said the institution would issue a comprehensive statement after only conducting a feasibility assessment of the installations. 

But generally, “CAZ supports the efforts by other institutions to contribute to the extension of services in unserviced areas,” Kakubo said.

 source:  Mail & Guardian Online

click here for original article …

The PCO, one of many versatile satellite-based telecom solutions offered by Thuraya, address regional needs for universal access to telecom and provides opportunities for small entrepreneurs in rural and under-developed areas. 

The launch in the two African markets has been through commercial partnership with Fort Info Technology, a Dubai-based long-standing Service Provider for Thuraya services across several countries. The initiative in both Zambia and Cameroon is being undertaken in partnership with local Non Government Organisations (NGOs), who are responsible for installing the PCO in remote areas. 

Thuraya’s PCO is a telephone unit providing voice, data and fax communication for communities based in remote and rural areas who have no access to terrestrial networks. At cost-effective rates, it enables people to call and send text messages to friends, family and colleagues nationally and internationally in multiple languages and without having to purchase a mobile satellite handset. 

In Cameroon, Fort partnered with ‘Help Out’ a humanitarian NGO, whereby PCOs have been allocated to the bush areas and cocoa plantations. Similarly in Zambia, ‘Connect Africa,’ also an NGO have installed PCO units in the copper belt region and safari park areas. Thuraya’s satellite-delivered rural communication services offer a vital link for remote communities to the rest of the country and the world.

‘Thuraya has a long history in delivering communications to regions which lack basic fixed line and mobile telephony. This is combined with our capacity to provide border-to-border uninterrupted coverage in both countries at affordable prices,’ said Dr Sven Rohte, Chief Commercial Officer, Thuraya Telecommunications Company.

He also added that Thuraya’s ongoing partnership with Fort now encompasses working relationships with humanitarian NGOs which are actively bringing business opportunities to the doors of people within the communities they support. 

Fort’s Manager of Development and Operations, Ms. Jane Macbeth added: ‘Both these projects in Cameroon and Zambia have received strong support from local governments and are a stepping stone in further rolling out the PCO which will be beneficial to the people of these countries who otherwise are provided with little or no stable and consistent means of communication. The PCOs have been well received by the communities who appreciate both the social and economic benefit of the service.’ 

source:  AMEinfo.com

click here for original AMEInfo article …

The unprecedented success of mobile phones across Africa is well documented and clear for anyone to see. But leave the cities and main roads, and the mobile phone is quickly transformed from an economic success-making tool into an interesting but essentially useless accessory. Cellular coverage is rapidly lost as the population density decreases and distances increase. So how do we ensure that the people in rural areas of ACP countries do not miss out on a service that is enhancing the lives of millions of people across the rest of the developing world? 

For those of us fortunate enough enjoy the latest mobile technology – 3G (third generation), soon to be 4G – it is easy to forget where telephone communication started – with the humble payphone. I’m sure many a billionaire today can recall the days he or she stood at a payphone with a handful of coins waiting to make that essential call that one day brought them success. But it is this simple payphone that could be the first step on the journey to 4G technology for rural Africa. 

At the moment, only high-frequency, shortwave radio and satellite networks offer effective means of communication in much of rural Africa. Due to their high cost, however, these networks and products are the preserve of wealthy corporations and governments. 

To provide an alternative, Connect Africa has teamed up with satellite telephone providers, Iridium Satellite and Thuraya, to test a series of payphones and Public Calling Offices (PCOs) in central Zambia [see box]. In an initial trial in eight rural areas currently managed by the Zambian Wildlife Authority, Connect Africa is monitoring the activity and the demand for information and communication services. This project follows the successful test of two Iridium public phones near Zambia’s Kafue National Park. 

Kafue is an area of mostly smallholder farmers, and was chosen because it is so remote and because the infrastructure is so poorly developed. We consulted three local chiefs, and they suggested locations for the trial phones and even people we could approach to operate them. We then trained two operators to manage the payphones, each of whom was assisted by a younger community manager responsible for their respective community centres. The community managers have regular contact with farmers as they also coordinate sales of their produce and provide general farming assistance. 

One of these phones was solar powered and portable, which was useful on market days and special events when it could be used by people who wanted to do business. The other phone was fixed, and powered by zinc–air fuel cells. The price of a call was the same as that of pre-paid call from the national mobile phone operator and was readily accepted by community members. There was also a special discounted rate, however, for calls relating to community affairs, which are mainly agricultural, and this was well received by the farmers. The local high school was also interested in the project, as a permanent PCO installation would ultimately provide an internet connection – a key requirement for the school to be able to teach the higher classes. 

Support 

For the scheme to succeed there has to be a reliable, continuous service, maintenance and good cash management. To provide the necessary support, teams of trained technicians, working in specially equipped vans, routinely visit each payphone or PCO and their operators. The technicians monitor, assess and service the equipment and provide any assistance the local operator requires. They are also responsible for the cash management of the phones and handle microfinance and moneygram transactions for the farmers and other people in the region. 

The telephones were used a lot and consistently over the course of the trial period, a clear indication that there was a demand for a telephone service. This was one the main purposes of the trial, but we also wanted to identify local markets and discover which services each community required. As the scheme expands it is essential that communities decide on which additional services will be useful to them and what can they afford. They could, for instance, decide that they require internet and fax services, or voice may be sufficient. Through further trials and regular monitoring we hope to get an accurate feel for what people in rural communities really want. With more information we can then tailor our services to suit their demands. 

For example, the community centres in the Kafue area already collect agricultural produce, such as eggs, from many farmers and sell them in bulk to traders from the town of Mumbwa. With an affordable communication service the community manager will be able to negotiate with several different traders over a wider area to get the best prices. This would increase the overall income for the community and will be particularly welcome in regions where the lack of a communication infrastructure means that farmers are limited to local buyers. 

Initially, the scheme will generate revenue by charging community members a fair, affordable rate for the service. A fair rate means that they will continue to use the service. Second, Connect Africa will charge a fee to corporate and government service providers for coordinating and managing their services in new rural markets. Securing multiple revenue streams in this way will ensure that the rural service network can continue over the long term.

Power 

Another important factor that will determine the success of the project is the energy supply needed to power the payphones. We have been using an innovative alternative energy source, zinc–air fuel cells, to power the Thuraya PCOs. Each 12 V fuel cell costs slightly less than a lead–acid battery, and can power four LED light clusters (which provide enough light for a typical home) for four hours a day for four weeks or more. Recharging a zinc–air battery costs less than the price of candles for a month, and the power can be used and sold to charge other electronic equipment such as mobile phones, hair clippers, radios and low-power computers. These fuel cells are safe, environmentally friendly, efficient and, unlike lead–acid batteries, do not run down when they are not being used. 

An added bonus of providing power in this way is that it gives the communities the opportunity to establish local micro-enterprises offering recharging services for the fuel cells. The project’s mobile support units deliver the materials needed by the recharging service centres, saving the fuel cell owner from having to pay the multiple costs of taking a battery to a recharging facility that may be far from the community. 

We are currently forging partnerships with the satellite communication industry and exploring opportunities with mobile phone companies. The Connect Africa system helps to build up the local market and provide the knowledge and expertise needed to develop a rural network of satellite payphones. By working closely with Zambia’s Communication Authority we will also use the results from this pilot project to contribute to a policy and regulatory framework to help deliver ICTs throughout the country. Our plan is to then use this model to connect the rest of rural Africa, and other regions where connectivity is still low but very much in demand. 

source:  CTA international (ICT update)

————————————————————————–

 Dion Jerling is special projects director at Connect Africa.

Expanding satellite telephone services:

Thuraya, a Dubai-based satellite network, recently launched the ‘Eco’ call rate, designed to compete with cellular phone rates. Using an Eco SIM card with Thuraya’s Public Calling Office (PCO), a type of satellite payphone, means that relatively inexpensive telephone, fax, SMS, and internet services can be made available almost anywhere in the world, including remote rural areas. Other satellite networks with more extensive coverage than Thuraya, like Iridium Satellite, have taken note of the potential market in rural areas and are looking at expanding their services too. 

Related Links

 http://www.iridium.com

 http://www.thuraya.com

 http://www.aedc.co.za

 www.southernafricatrust.org

Dion Jerling talks about Connect Africa and describes how payphones will provide farmers and rural communities with access to the information they need (visit the website).

 click here for original CTA article …

Dion Jerling Special Projects Director

CONNECT AFRICA Johannesburg/South Africa

dion@connectafrica.net

www.connectafrica.net

rural_eng_16-17.pdf -  Download the whole Article as PDF-file

click here for original Rural21.com article …

Connect Africa is proud to have two loyal and enthusiastic staffers, Elias Mashilo and Melanie Malema, who were voted as finalists in “The Believer” Category of this prestigious event. 

“The Believer” – In many instances, there is a second in command who comes on board quite soon after the social entrepreneur has voiced an idea and stands by them and helps build the organisation through good times and bad. We request nominations from social entrepreneurs from whom we have heard about the second comer, the supporter and ultimate helper who joined them because he or she became convinced of the merit of their idea. 

The prize ultimately went to a dedicated Francois Pienaar - for his 11 years work with the needy in Johannesburg’s notorious Hillbrow suburb – but we at Connect Africa are immensely proud of our own dedicated team who, against very stiff competition, made it through to the three finalists. 

Well done Melanie and Elias – and Thank You!!!

Over 100 guests attending the sit-down lunch function were treated to genuinely enthusiastic presentations by the speakers, a delicious lunch, goodies from the Development Bank and Vodacom, and a breathtaking energetic dancing performed by local drum and dance troupe, Magongoa. 

Master of Ceremonies was Mogalakwena’s Business and Legal Affairs Manager, Morutse Ntsoane and he introduced the speakers in his own inimitable style: 

The Speaker for Mogalakwena Municipality - N.L. Kgobe, introduced the The Hon Mayor B.M. Mmola, Mayor of Mokopane and The Hon Executive Mayor P.S. Kekana, Mayor of the 6 Municipalities in the Waterberg District.

We were also honoured to have the Head of Community Services for Vodacom, Nobuhle Chonco, Regional Manager – Limpopo for the Development Bank of Southern Africa, Pumla Mannya, and Managing Director of Inkululeko, Hilton Theunissen who all also gave rousing and very complimentary speeches. 

Our guests consisted of over 100 officials, Induna’s, Tribal Leaders and future mobile unit operators, many of whom commented afterwards on the genuine support that was demonstrated by the speakers. 

It was particularly rewarding to hear Pumla Mannya from the Development Bank complimenting the Municipality and Vodacom on an initiative that brings government and the corporate sector into partnership. She then went on to invite the other Municipalities in Limpopo to approach the DBSA for funding for this type of venture in the future. 

The Honorable Executive Mayor for the Waterberg District also welcomed the Connect Africa initiative and she used to opportunity to announce that the Waterberg District has been designated the ICT hub for the Limpopo Province. This offers Connect Africa an ideal platform to expand into the district’s 6 municipalities and beyond. 

The speeches were followed by a delicious lunch and the opportunity for people to meet old friends and make new ones. 

The Connect Africa team came away from the event invigorated, motivated, excited and ready to tackle the next stage – our roll-out into Limpopo Province! 

Many thanks especially to the team that made this very successful event happen: 

Melanie Malema – Connect Africa’s Programme Manager 

Marilyn Pugsley – Connect Africa’s ultra reliable assistant 

Kholo & Ronel – Mogalakwena Municipality