Six U.S. foundations have joined forces on a project that could help African institutions step firmly into the Internet age — by updating those universities’ sluggish Web connections.
The project, simply called the Bandwidth Initiative, aims to increase the bandwidth at 11 African universities by about 50 percent in the coming months. Under the plan, institutions in Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda will band together to buy broadband Internet access, offered by satellite, at discounted rates. Grants from the foundations will ensure that none of the participating universities pay more for the broadband networking than they now pay for much slower Internet connections.
The project has already left member institutions dreaming about ambitious plans for the future. Officials at Mozambique’s Eduardo Mondlane University, for example, are hoping to set up five distance-learning facilities for students living outside the nation’s capital, Maputo. (Chicago Tribune)
