FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT AND COMPUTING

9/1/2013

ASSIGNMENT 1
CASE STUDY
ICT FOR DEVELOPMENT (CPT129) BACHELOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Asadhu Shujaau

(000033475)

Assignment 1 Case Study PART A: Based on the case study, answer the following questions:

September 1, 2013

1. What is the main goal of this project? What are the ICT tools used in the Fantsuam project?

The goal of the project is to increase access, particularly for women, to information and communication technology (ICT) facilities in southern Nigeria. ICT tools used in this project include: Refurbished computers 2 laptop computers Videotapes Intranet & Internet Thuraya satellite phone Inmarsat BGAN satellite modem WorldSpace satellite radio Printer Alternative power supply / solar system Microsoft Word 2000

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2. Identify the principal benefits that the local communities of Nigeria will get from this project.

Computing skills helped the rural youth and adults to find jobs in residential areas. This can help improve the communities living standards and help in poverty reduction.

Fantsuam Project provided health education videos in local languages, a 3 day workshop for health officers to improve their knowledge and computer skills. Plus, basic IT training was given to frontline health workers, students, and health trainers to help them translate health information from the Internet into information suitable for local communities. These will help to improve the health of the local Nigerian communities.

As Fantsuam is trying to be the first rural Internet Service Provider in Nigeria, the local communities will be able to connect with people/relatives from different areas of the world. Plus, they will be able to acquire better education and knowledge hence improving the education in the area.

Even the upcoming new generations will benefit from this project, because the people who learn can help the others to learn. Hence helping to improve the educational background of the Nigerian local communities.

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3. What were the major challenges that Fantsuam faced to implement the project?

They overlooked the need to offer financial incentives to rural health workers to undertake the additional tasks of health education, including video and community radio program production.

Fantsuam had to abandon plans for a mobile telecenter that would provide email access to local communities because satellite connectivity was too expensive.

Unreliable power supplies led to failure in using WorldSpace satellite radios for receiving selected Web content. Early trials with copper telephone cables did not succeed because they were stolen. Women who were offered loans for studying had difficulty repaying them. Due to this, Fantsuam had to come up with new strategies. They had to rebuild the local health information database from the scratch due to computer failure.

4. Which Community Learning Centers was the most successful among the three CLCs built in South Nigeria and why?

The Bayan Loco Community Learning Center (CLC) was the most successful among the three learning centers. It has trained 155 local men and women in basic computer skills at a cheaper rate ($30), while The Kagora CLC has only trained 60 people at the rate of ($38) and The Kagoma CLC has not been able to train anyone so far due to political difficulties. Moreover, now The Bayan Loco CLC is financially self-sustaining, capable of having a full-time trainer and is able to purchase and maintain equipment. Also, 20 women and 10 youths were provided with Scholarships for IT training at the Bayan Loco CLC.

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5. What are the organizations who supported Fantsuam Foundation and in which way.

Fantsuam U.K: donated text books and PCs, U.K. charity ComputerAid: provided 225 refurbished computers, Galilee College Israel: offered a scholarship for a staff member to take part in a course on NGO development and management, Gamos Ltd. and Big World: offered advice on using video and Video Compact Discs (VCDs) for training, Open Society Initiatives for West Africa, OSIWA: provided support for setting up a community radio station, African Development Foundation: allowed to expand the Fantsuam microcredit project.

6. Who are the beneficiaries of the project?

The beneficiaries of this project are: The Local Nigerian Communities as it will help to improve their education, living standards and reduce poverty. Local Community Learning Centers in Nigeria as this project helps them to generate income and to bring improvements. Nigerian Women as the project encourages gender empowerment and as it is targeted especially for women.

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PART B: Based on your own knowledge and research, answer the following questions:

1. What other ICT tools can be used to manage similar projects like Fantsuam? Can we implement a similar project like this in the Maldives? Explain how you would go about planning the process?

Other possible ICT tools can be: DVDs for providing multimedia files to the targeted group. DVDs are cheap, can hold a lot of data and can be played through different mediums. Smart boards can be used for teaching. Projectors can be used to give presentation and show videos. A twitter account can be used with mobile phones to update people with latest information regarding particular subjects. Cameras to record the events and to use it to reach larger audiences

Similar projects like Fantsuam can be carried in Maldives as well. To do a similar project in Maldives firstly, the main aim and goal of the project has to be set, for example, teaching basic computer skills to lower level workers in offices and the jobless youth. Then a targeted area has to be set, targets can be different island, applying to previous example the islands with a poor background in computer skills can be a possible target. The background of the targeted area has to be studied thoroughly Next, getting the required tools and equipments for the project. Also any required technical expertise has to be taken into consideration. Funds need to be raised through maybe the interested investors and they need to be utilized in the most effective way possible. What will be taught, what activities to hold and how much time is to be spent on each activity has to be understood. How to act on emergencies, like having to cancel an event due to rainfall, has to be figured out. Events should be scheduled in the most flexible way possible. One of the projects as previously mentioned, can be to teach the jobless youth and give them career guidance to find out their interest and help them be a group of people who does something valuable for our community.

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Assignment 1 Case Study 2. How can a project like this bridge the digital divide?

September 1, 2013

Digital divide describes that the world can be divided into people who have and who does not have access or capability to use modern information technology, such as the television, computers or the Internet. The digital divide exists between people living cities and those living in rural areas. (Rouse, 2005) There are different ways that a project like Fantsuam can help bridge the digital divide. 1. The Fantsuam project or any other project targeting to empower women can help to reduce the gender digital divide, promoting gender equality. 2. With computers we see the quality of ones ideas before we see the body they are in or the lifestyle they live. The opportunity to build bridges is to [sic] great to ignore. (Hardin, n.d.). Projects like Fantsuam promotes learning computer skills. Hence helping the people to be able to know and use the latest technologies. Meaning this can help to improve the educational level of the targeted area. 3. Also as we know from the case study of Fantsuam project, the project helped people from rural areas to get jobs from urban areas. This can help to improve the standard of living and reduce poverty. 4. Projects like this can provide health related information. Fantsuam provided health information in the local Nigerian language and also targeted on improving the skills of the health workers. Any other project like this might provide information to the locals about maternal health or detail the locals on particular diseases and how to take actions accordingly. These can help to improve maternal health and reduce child mortality. 5. Working together with locals and other partners from abroad can help to improve the relationship between them and make others aware of the problems in local communities, encouraging them to take actions regarding the matters.

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Assignment 1 Case Study 3. How can this project be improved and sustained for future?

September 1, 2013

As we know Fantsuam is trying to be the first local Internet Service Provider in Nigeria. Having internet service, will help the locals learn more and engage in different learning and teaching activities. Improving energy sources and having back up batteries can help save the loss of data from systems. Also an improved energy source can help Fantsuam to set up their WorldSpace satellite radios. Being able to understand the climate changes in the area can help them be ready for a disaster, even though some might be unavoidable. Giving chances to the keen locals, who learn from the CLCs, to teach in the CLCs can help to continue this project in future. It might even create better results as a local may learn easily from another local as they will be able to understand each other better.

4. The Fantsuam Foundation case study is linked to which Millennium Development Goals?

Fantsuam Foundation case study is linked primarily to 2 Millennium Development Goals. They are: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger: by teaching computer skills to local Nigerian communities, it created opportunity for Nigerians locals to work in urban areas. Promote gender equality and empower women: the main target of the project was the local Nigerian women and a positive response came from the project where a lot of local women were engaged in learning.

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References
Hardin, J. N. (n.d.). http://www.streetdirectory.com/. Retrieved from http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/119871/technology/how_to_bridge_the_digital_ divide.html. Rouse, M. (2005, April). http://searchcio-midmarket.techtarget.com/. Retrieved from http://searchciomidmarket.techtarget.com/definition/digital-divide.

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