Handout on our hub-and-spoke network of rural service centres
We like to use this handout to illustrate our vision for a national hub-and-spoke model of rural service centres. Visit the “Business Model” section of our site for more information.
A day at the Connect Africa service centre
What does a Connect Africa rural operator do? This is a day-in-the-life of one of our valued entrepreneurs. If you’re from a rural village with communications/public/private service delivery challenges and think this day-in-the-life looks fun and interesting, let us know!
ZAMBIA
Report on the Government Stakeholder Engagement Workshop, September
This report details the outcome of the first of four Connect Africa stakeholder engagement workshops funded by CTA. The objectives of this workshop were to 1) identify critical challenges faced by government ministries in the delivery of services to deep rural areas and to suggest possible solutions through the use of ICTs, 2) to identify ways in which Connect Africa could facilitate the delivery of multiple government services to rural communities, and 3) to secure support from government ministries and departments for participation in the Connect Africa rural service delivery project.
Rural Communication Network Trial Project: Mumbwa District, Central Zambia, June 2009
Connect Africa deployed a 3-month rural communication service trial in central Zambia’s Mumbwa district from April to June 2009. The objective of the project was to test the technology, management and logistics of Connect Africa’s rural network model and to determine user demand and commercial viability. Six deep rural communication points were selected, including a school, clinic, Zambian Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) office, two roadside kiosks and a beer hall, and each provided with a satellite community phone. Local operators were selected and trained by the regional coordinator in close cooperation with the traditional leaders of the area. These service points were monitored and managed over a period of three months and the results of the project are detailed in this report.
SOUTH AFRICA
This report documents the activities and outcomes of each milestone in our Mobile Community Services pilot project in Mogalakwena Municipal Region of Limpopo Province, South Africa. Milestones include the establishment of a steering committee, development of local ownership, government engagement, survey of cellular network users, road show and launch, description of the services offered, service routes, management, maintenance, revenues and sustainability. Two deliverables of the pilot project can be downloaded below.
Spreadsheet of raw data from our Cellular Network User Survey in Limpopo Province, South Africa in November 2007Raw data from our network user survey, in partnership with Vodacom, in Mogalakwena Municipal Region of Limpopo Province, South Africa. Includes subscriber demographics, breakdown of subscribers by network and challenges/needs in public service delivery in each village.
This report presents the findings of a community survey undertaken in seven rural villages of the Mogalakwena Municipality, in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The community survey sought to understand the market segment and the existing/potential services demanded by rural people in the region, prior to piloting the Connect Africa rural service network in the region. The findings indicate the need for electricity, telecommunication services, electronic banking services, skills development and a space for creating economic opportunities, sharing knowledge on health issues and facilitating the flow of information between government and the community.
Connect Africa Rural Service Network: Proof of Concept, January 2007
This report marks our debut in the ICT for rural development sector. The Southern Africa Trust provided Connect Africa with a 3-month grant of US$20 000 to develop our model for the sustainable, routine and effective delivery of public and private sector services to marginalized rural communities.
A LITTLE INSPIRATION
Connect Africa founder and director Dion Jerling’s inspiration for a mobile rural service network in Africa. “For 12-year-old Anju Sharma, hope for a better life arrives in her poor farming village three days a week on a bicycle rickshaw that carries a computer with a high-speed, wireless Internet connection….”
SPREADING THE WORD
Presentation on… at the CTA… in Brussels, Belgium October 2009
Presentation on … at the CTO Rural Connectivity Africa Forum in Livingstone, Zambia August 2009
Basic outline and pictures of the current challenges to rural connectivity in Africa, our methodology and our proposed solution to be trialled in Mumbwa District, Central Zambia. Particular emphasis on the sustainability of the proposed solution.