1,800 children attend Our Lady of Nazareth primary school in Nairobi. Great news, indeed, but what’s special is that all have the chance to use a computer. In fact, the teacher explains the computer lab is the only room the school never finds empty. All of the computers may be recycled (from Europe), but the students don’t seem to mind.

One girl especially likes Microsoft, the Internet, Twitter, Google, and Facebook. No surprise there!

Computers also help nurses earn full qualifications (including those at the Kibera Health Clinic, as shown in the video). 7,000 Kenyans have received a nursing diploma through e-learning in the last six years. E-learning is flexible and accessible even in remote locations and during any time of the day.

The take-away: Knowledge teaches problem solving skills which then lead to new chances. The Commissioner was overly impressed with how Kenyans are embracing technology. Her visits to the primary school, health clinic, and iHub painted a hopeful picture for what’s in store for Kenya. In fact, every primary student the Commissioner met in the computer lab imagined a career using a computer. You’d be hard-pressed to find a similar collective vision anywhere else in the world.

• infrastructure (network and specialized rooms)
• digital educational content
• human capacity and training
• community involvement

The video – in French language – shows classrooms with students using computers. Nkoma (Network of Knowledge and Online Mentoring for Africa), a Gabonese online education platform used in many classrooms, is shown prominently. Great to see, especially out of Gabon.

Interviews with Patricia Kaliati, MP (Minister of Information) and Charles Chuka – CEO – MTL shed light on how Malawi’s fibre costs are slowly decreasing (courtesy MBC in the above video):

• costs must drop before Malawi can “make it as an ICT nation”
• want a combination of affordable, quick, and reliable service
• buy capacity from 30 partners
• price has come down more than 50% in the past year
• MTL keeps negotiating from suppliers to give consumers the best price possible
• “Internet is very expensive”
• Charles Chuka – CEO – MTL: “we shouldn’t be saying every Malawian has access to the Internet; we should be saying the majority of Malawians have access to the Internet.”

Moreover, the Malawian government is also committed to lowering the cost of international connectivity through the ongoing Regional Communication Infrastructure Programme – Malawi Project (RCIPMW).

Last year, we found Chad’s progress toward information access rather optimistic, observing that, “published expectations for the Central African Backbone project and the apparent Libyan telecom stake in Sotel both are consistent with Chad’s national ICT policy outline created in 2007.” One year later, with only media reports on the well-funded Central African Backbone progress coming down the line, we are less hopeful that Chad will meet 2011 NICI goal of a completed 1,100km SAT-3/fibre backbone between N’Djamena and Adré and a 100% completed e-government network in N’Djamena.

At least work is underway on these initiatives. Lofty are the final goals for 2012. Will Chad boast 50,000 WiFi subscribers  – roughly 5% of N’Djamena’s population – by the end of next year? An August 2011 report by Research and Markets confirms that Chad lacks still true fixed-line broadband, lacks 3G, and lacks international bandwidth. Satellite is the only means to a decent web browsing experience and is unreliable given the sporadic nature of power within the country.

All hope is not lost, however. Thanks to efforts from non-profit organizations like Chad Now, the Internet is gradually (and sustainably) reaching more Chadians. Early next year, Chad Now hopes to establish a solar-powered Internet cafe as part of a broader series of small-scale, short-term development projects. Even though broadband is not available in Chad, Cyber Cafe Chari will demonstrate the significance of computers so that Chadians are ready when the time for even greater innovation comes.

The whole endeavor is described on the hot-off-the-presses ChadNow.org. We’re especially intrigued by the option to test the Internet before paying (and the low access costs to spur local competition):

Chad Now centers the Internet cafe concept on the foundations of affordable startup, sustainable operation, cultural appropriateness, and excellent service. The model cafe, located in a low-income area of Chad’s capital N’Djamena, is comprised of four laptop computers powered by a flexible solar cell system. In addition to simple internet services, the cafe also sells computer accessories and refreshments. Free educational courses make the cafe a learning environment, and free access periods allow locals to try out the internet before paying. Once they do, they pay an hourly rate 30% below market price, a step that expands internet access equity and is made possible by the savings of solar power.”

In fact, Chad Now hopes to use this model to bring Internet access to even more Africans. Guidelines are:

• launch costs not to exceed $2,000 (includes two months’ pay for two employees)
• laptops running Ubuntu Linux
• strategic location to bring immediate clientele
• reduced access costs to increase demand and cause other cafe owners to cut costs to compete
• offer computer accessories for sale
• hosting of local entrepreneurs
• free computing classes for local groups

The video at the top of this post explains the solar charging system (battery, wiring, solar panel, controller, power inverter) with the goal of helping others avoid a lengthy trial-and-error process.

The beauty here is how two parties can agree on the benefit of an information society. The Plan de développement des Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication au Tchad, cites ICT as a vehicle needed to achieve a climate of peace, justice and democracy. Similarly, Chad Now also seeks to empower Chadians and improve livelihoods in Chad. The timing is certainly right with the arrival of international bandwidth via the Central African Backbone.

Follow @Chad_Now on Twitter.

Read about the effort to film a documentary in N’Djamena (including the creation of Cyber Cafe Chari).

Skim Chad Now’s recent article “Solar-powered Internet Cafés for Sub-Saharan Africa” which cites $190/month cost for 128kbps dial-up access and the unreliability of VSAT during Chad’s rainy season.

• important to put the right on every national agenda
• not meeting the 2015 Millenium Development Goals is not a question
• won’t be able to meet MDGs without universal broadband (ie. government services)
• government/private/consumer need to be at the same level (are complementary)
• recent summit in Geneva brought delegates from nations together
• Arab Spring: communication is a powerful tool in the hands of the people.  it is too late to have governments take away this right – there are too many mobile phones.

Of course, providing the option of broadband to every citizen by 2015 is unlikely. Such a monumental effort requires unprecedented levels of coordination among investors, governments, corporations, and consumers. Providing broadband capacity is one thing, but last-mile connectivity at reasonable rates is another. Perhaps 2025 would be a more realistic goal than 2015 to actually fulfill this need.

Read more at Forbes.

However, the tens of millions of dollars needed to create broadband infrastructure begin to seem affordable given Burundi’s strong GDP growth over the past few years. Plus, the local telecoms regulator says there were more than 1.6 million mobile subscriptions in 2010, up substantially from the previous year. A mobile penetration rate of roughly 20% is set to double in a matter of years. With these facts in mind, the investment cost doesn’t seem so daunting. And, high-speed Internet access will strengthen and create e-health and e-government opportunities.

Edris Kisambira neatly anticipated Burundi’s Internet future in a May 2011 article published by Computerworld Uganda:

Burundi is currently laying a 1,300-km cable at a cost of $10.5 million, using a grant from the World Bank. The cable will cover key entry points — two on the Rwandan border and one on the Tanzanian side. The cable will also cover the capital, Bujumbura, and all the 17 provinces…The cable is also expected to reduce the cost of Internet access by more than 70 percent.”

Well, the cable connecting Bujumbura to the Burundi-Tanzania border (which then connects with the EASSy undersea cable landing at Dar es Salaam) appears operational. In July 2011, Econet, one of four licensed telecom operators in Burundi, began offering 3G mobile Internet in Bujumbura. Data was priced as low as 53-BIF ($0.04 USD) per megabyte.

Last month (October 2011), U-com launched a 3G service under the subsidiary leo™. Thanks to Burundi’s membership in WIOCC and the aforementioned cable connecting Burundi and Tanzania, the cell towers are able to connect to the EASSy fibre cable in Dar es Salaam. More than 50 3G sites across a handful of Burundian cities were to be active by the end of the month. According to leo™’s Facebook page, 3G plans seem to start at $17 US per month, but an unlimited data plan seemingly costs $81 US per month. These are high prices, for sure, but at least there is 3G competition within the marketplace.

The promotional video for leo™ 3G strives to appeal to all types of urbanite: auto owner, businessman, young couple, and mother and child. Due to the lack of rural infrastructure (and high access costs) there is no need to market to rural areas. Only one grip with the video: the mother is using an Apple computer. You certainly don’t see one of those very often in Burundi.

"Experience the high-speed Internet via WIOCC/EASSy fiber optic cable" {leo™ Burundi Facebook page}

Currently, interest in AR within Africa is limited by 3G availability and the ability to own a current smartphone. Only South Africa produces enough search volume to rank on Google Insights for Search for the term ‘augmented reality’. What’s more, the search interest over time has remained flat since enough data was available two years ago. That ignorance is about to change. Earlier this year Qualcomm released an AR developer kit. Layar, an Android AR app with 100+ layers that each provide AR functionality, is based in Cape Town, South Africa.

It is promising for South Africa to be on par with global AR trends, but less can be said for the rest of Africa. 3G service is still in its infancy in most nations. A recent Gallup survey with data from 2010 found that fewer than 10% of the population in 10 African nations has accessed the Internet in the past year and owns a mobile phone. In all likelihood, AR will not be commonly used outside South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, parts of North Africa for the next 10 years or so. Technophiles and aid organizations will have reasonable access to this technology much sooner, but again, AR is confined to 3G or 3G+ areas.

In a BusinessDay article from August 2011, Jay Srage, the president of Middle East and Africa at Qualcomm, is quoted as saying the two types of augmented reality applications – GPS-based and vision-based – require a smartphone. 2G phones lack the network connectivity speed, processing power and display capabilities to support Augmented Reality applications. Even 3G feature phones do not have the processing speed to support Augmented Reality effectively.

As Fred Roed of Ideate points out, the tablet will be a major driver in AR adoption. People are seeking to interact with data more than ever. Of course, the limitation is also with data – its cost, its production, and its ability to appear on the hardware (via the software). A practical AR device need be lightweight, have a GPS sensor, touchscreen, multiple cameras, and dual-processors. Even then, the physical steps needed to experience AR stand in the way. Interaction needs to become passive rather than active (think seeing the world via special glasses instead of looking “through” a tiny screen).

Perhaps the most useful applications for AR are crisis mapping and commerce. Appfrica wrote a great post on AR for NGOs a couple of years back. The author explores how the latest technologies can be applied to team efforts in the field. Ideas range from adding an AR layer to GIS products for crowdsourced data to knowing the medical history of an entire village based on residence. The ultimate scenario will be when facial recognition technology can pull someone’s detailed life history (with permission, of course).

In the meantime, a handful of apps offer superimposed restaurant reviews, menu items, or prices layered over a streetview. In addition to Layar, Google Goggles, TripWolf (travel guide), and Aurasma (visual browser) offer AR functionality.

Last month, we mentioned that Bharti Airtel had plans to roll-out 3G services in seven African nations. Well, that day has come for Congo-Brazzaville. On paper, October 25, 2011 marks a historic day in the telecommunication chronicles of Central Africa.

Let it sink in. 3G mobile service (HSPA+, 21Mbps) is available in Brazzaville. Press releases and media stories tout the promise of enhanced multimedia functionality for subscribers in the region. Youth will supposedly have faster access to mobile social media. Businesses will be able to perform video calls on-the-go. Indeed, 3G is theoretically supposed to close the “digital divide,” but will it instead worsen the gap with the wealthy using the service and the poor still relying on 2G, cafes, or no access at all?

ABNDigital’s interview with Tiemoko Coulibaly, CEO Airtel Africa, Francophone leaves many answers on the table:

• When asked why it took so long to get 3G to central Africa, he replied that governments take time to issues licenses.
• Infrastructure? Something along the lines of 2G systems serving as a basis.
• Demand? …is important. Youth are especially interested and “the demand is there.”
• Local ecosystem? IBM is taking care of IT needs and will help build local ecosystem.

Either way, the Republic of Congo’s Internet situation has come a long way since 2009 when one hour of unreliable Internet access could cost upwards of CDF 1,000 (nearly 2 USD). Progress takes time. 3G access from Airtel will encourage competitors to also offer 3G (or 4G, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves) – a move that will eventually lower prices and increase the quality of service. For now, though, we should applaud the government of Congo-Brazzaville for awarding a 3G license and hope they give the technology the support it needs to benefit the people.

In effort to connect the most rural areas of the world – communities often without full-time teachers – UNICEF has developed the rugged solar powered computer. The kiosk is made from locally available materials like oil drums that are cut and welded. A computer or two, along with monitors and solar panel, are then attached. The result is a local, reliable, and durable solution for information access. Each drum comes with pre-loaded content to ease web browsing, e-learning, and emailing efforts.

UNICEF describes the physical form as such:

Consisting of low-cost oil drums welded together, waterproof keyboards, solar panels, and low-power laptops, the durable design ensures sustainability, and with its preloaded content dealing with health and education, the drums will serve as veritable information portals.”

Interestingly, the ‘Digital Drum’ will be featured in an upcoming exhibit at the United Nations in New York. The idea is to showcase simple designs that bring information to under-served areas of the world.

On September 11, Proposal Repository uploaded a video to their YouTube channel that showcases efforts to bring ICT skills to Kenya. Craft Silicon, a global software company, has sponsored the “Free Computer Education Bus” – a mobile classroom with computers and reliable internet operating via solar panel. The power of the video lies in its lack of over-production or even narration and music. Instead, the clip relies mostly on the ambient sound of students learning, along with brief narration near the end. An image of the bus driving up a road through the slum and a juxtaposition of garbage and bus signifies the need for youth to break-out of their unhealthy surroundings.

Even if the teacher in the video is only explaining how to save a file (‘picture, file, save as, location’ can be seen on the whiteboard), it is a major step in having youth learn to produce digital content.