| Ghana
Digital Project
The Ghana Digital Project seeks to
expand computer and internet access to all Ghanaian
schools at an accelerated pace.
BACKGROUND
THE UST-HP-PENN MODELA collaborative
effort between University of Pennsylvania's School
of Engineering and Applied Science (Penn Engineering),University
of Science and Technology (UST), Community Services
Foundation (CSF, a Ghanaian based non-profit organization)
and Hewlett Packard Company led to the establishment
of a Hewlett Packard "Digital Village"
at KNUST in Kumasi, Ghana and several Community
Technology Centers (CTCs) in the Eastern and Ashanti
regions of Ghana. This collaboration was facilitated
by a US based alumnus of UST, Dr. E. Kwame Obeng,
who is also a scientist at Schering-Plough Research
Institute in Kenilworth, NJ. Expanding on an initiative
started by Penn Engineering in which a student-driven
group called "CommuniTech" establishes
Community Technology Centers (CTCs) in locations
throughout the world, Dr. Obeng coordinated with
Professor Joseph Sun of Penn Engineering and UST
to apply for a grant from Hewlett-Packard Foundation
for a digital village to be established in Ghana.
This proposal was approved and a grant for equipment
worth $1.12 million was awarded to lay the foundation
for an IT infrastructure backbone. The IT infrastructure
based on the KNUST campus will create a launch pad
for educational, social and economic development
for the country. The International Literacy Institute
(ILI) and the School of Nursing at the University
of Pennsylvania have also joined in the effort and
will be developing literacy programs in IT, adult
and health education for the CTCs. These community
technology centers will serve school children and
the general public in the surrounding towns and
villages. During the summer of 2002, Penn Engineering
students (CommuniTech) teamed up with the Community
Services Foundation and UST to establish the first
five CTCs in the Eastern and Ashanti regions in
Ghana. Several CTCs will be established throughout
the country and linked to the IT infrastructure
at KNUST as additional funding becomes available.
GHANA DIGITAL PROJECT.
The Ghana Digital Project is modeled
after the UST-HP-Penn initiative. On October 14,
2002,GCG Founder Yaw Owusu, Ama Fordjour and Tanko
Mohammed a members of the Executive Committee met
Faculty leaders at MIT, a leading engineering university
in the United States to:
(1) Solicit funds from U.S. firms
through MIT for the Ghana Digital Project
(2) Arrange with MIT to send 40 engineering students
to Ghana every summer to work with the students
on installation, and applications systems.
Abena Ntoso (Columbia University)
arrived in Ghana to meet Guido Sohne, Director of
the Ghana Digital Project and Samuel Eshun, Project
Director of the Worldlink.
The team will:
(1) visit the University of Development
Studies in Tamale and 4 secondary schools in Northern,
Ashanti and Volta Regions and
(2) write a report on the institutions that Ama
Fordjour and Yaw Owusu will need to complete the
proposal MIT requested.
The GDP Committee has selected the
following schools:
(1) The University of Development
Studies, Tamale
(2) T.I. Ahmadiyya Secondary School, Kumasi
(3) Navrongo Secondary
(4)Tamale Secondary School
(5) Awodome Secondary School, Volta Region
(6) Keta Secondary School, Volta Region
THE TEAM
AMA FORDJOUR, Software
Engineer, Boston
YAW OWUSU, Columbia University, New York,
TANKO MOHAMMED, MIT Sloan Business
School
GUIDO SOHNE, Software Engineer;
Director, Ghana Digital Project, Accra
SAM ESHUN, Country Director, GhanaLink,
Accra
ABENA NTOSO, Columbia University,
New York,
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