[governance] Africa, ICT and electricity

[Nyangkwe Agien Aaron]

That sounds more reflective and on purpose.
Thank you Dan.
Aaron


On 9/14/07, Dan Krimm <dan at musicunbound.com> wrote:
> At 2:10 PM +0100 9/14/07, kwasi boakye-akyeampong wrote:
>
> >I think what we have to be doing is to take a reflection on how much
> >effort and resources have been pumped into bridging the digital divide and
> >see whether the gains match up. If not, which I think is the case, then we
> >should look for appropriate models that would suit each particular
> >environment.
>
>
> I think this is a very sensible approach, as each local context likely has
> unique characteristics that are best served by a custom blend of solutions.
>
> In fact, this is true in developed countries as well as developing
> countries.  In the US we had a big implosion recently of EarthLink with
> regard to municipal wireless systems (for communities that either had
> little or no broadband coverage, or wanted to expand broadband options and
> assure universal coverage within the municipality, etc. -- that is, the
> digital divide exists within the US itself, not just in developing
> countries).
>
> EarthLink, for example, laid off 900 staff including the former head of
> wireless business, is opting out of its contract for Houston, TX, and has
> backed out of the proposed (but not yet ratified) deal in San Francisco, CA.
>
> The hype is that "this is the end of muni wireless" but that of course is
> claptrap.  The rational analysis suggests that "nothin's for nothin'" and
> the business models that followed a few pilot projects and supposed that
> all municipalities could get "wireless for free" was unrealistic.
>
> What this leaves us with in the US is an understanding that (1) there are a
> whole range of options in terms of how to build muni broadband systems
> (including both wireless and fiber, involving both public and private
> assets where private can be some mix of for-profit and non-profit entities,
> with various different models for financing, etc.), and each case should be
> developed bottom up on its individual merits.
>
> That is, one must (a) evaluate the current state of the community or
> communities that one wants to provide access, (b) assess the primary needs
> of those communities in terms of how they would most benefit from Internet
> (or broadband) access, and particularly involve community members and local
> community-based organizations in assessing those needs, and (c) let those
> needs and whatever current assets be the driving factors in choosing how to
> design a plan that will most effectively address the needs that have been
> identified.
>
> One size most definitely does not fit all in the US, and I suspect
> elsewhere as well.
>
> In Africa some of the details may differ, but the overall process may still
> be applicable. So for example, just getting *any* access is a first step,
> rather than worrying about how to get from dial-up to broadband (although,
> in some cases it may be possible to go directly to some variant of
> broadband, even if not the highest speeds -- note that in the struggling US
> broadband market, speeds in the hundreds of kbps are often still considered
> "broadband" -- personally I live out of DSL and cable range, so I have only
> satellite service beyond dial-up, and that is rather expensive and entailed
> a huge setup cost, and my speed is about 750-800 kbps down and about 150
> kbps up).
>
> Interesting technology is starting to come on the market too.  In San
> Francisco, as the delay in the muni wireless project dragged on, a small
> Silicon Valley startup called Meraki (yes, funded partially by Google)
> began a pilot project setting up a wireless mesh network that has as an
> option a solar powered kit that can power a wireless mesh repeater.  See:
> http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/19260/?a=f
>
> Now of course, such options still require funding for setup and
> maintenance, and that will always be a challenge when resources are
> extremely scarce.  But it occurs to me that funding pools might be arranged
> on more of a large-scale basis even while the details of local designs
> might be case-specific.  But where money concentrates, power politics
> follow, so this must be evaluated in the local political context as well.
>
> As for battery-charging services, someone mentioned wind-up charging (which
> is available on some "camping" radios, etc. in the US, but at prices that
> may not make sense in Africa unless subsidized -- still, they would pay
> themselves off in under a year at the rate of 50 cents/day, so does a
> typical African have resources to self-finance an amount of that magnitude?
> perhaps this is a task for micro-finance).  If a large market were
> developed for such technology, perhaps one or more manufacturers would be
> attracted to building inexpensive wind-up chargers for battery-powered
> devices in bulk, as a complement to centralized electric power service.  So
> there is an aspect of chicken-egg here, but if addressed under a
> comprehensive policy maybe the chicken and egg could be established
> simultaneously in a large-scale package deal.
>
> In any case, I'm not suggesting that these are at all fully-developed
> answers to the issues, but that one ought to continue exploring as many
> varied options as possible, while understanding that a complete solution in
> any one case will involve a whole complex of related markets, and that each
> local case will likely have some unique characteristics.
>
> I think this principle of local variation is applicable pretty much
> everywhere, regardless of the state of one's economy.
>
> Dan
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-- 
Aaron Agien Nyangkwe
Journalist/Outcome Mapper
Special Assistant To The President
Coach of ASAFE Camaroes Street Football Team.
ASAFE
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Tel. 237 3337 50 22
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