[WSIS CS-Plenary] Microsoft wants to deliver ICT training to more than 45 million people in Africa by 2010

[Ralf Bendrath]

Will they pay for Free and Open Source Software training?
Or train people how to use the 100$ laptop?
Ralf

<http://www.microsoft.com/emea/presscentre/pressreleases/GLFAfrica2006Day2PR_1172006.mspx>

Press Releases
Bill Gates Announces Microsoft Partnerships and Programmes to Benefit More 
Than 45 Million People in Africa By 2010
Accessibility and affordability of technology central to helping Africa 
achieve Millennium Development Goals.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — 11 July 2006 — Today at the Microsoft Government 
Leaders Forum Africa 2006, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and former US 
President Bill Clinton highlighted the critical role information and 
communication technology (ICT) and public-private partnerships play to 
create change and a strong, vibrant future across Africa and developing 
countries. During his keynote, Gates highlighted Microsoft’s long-term 
approach to investment in Africa, including collaborations between 
Microsoft and local and global organisations such as the United Nations 
World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the United Nations Industrial 
Development Organization (UNIDO) and the New Partnership for Africa’s 
Development (NEPAD).

Through these partnerships, together with Microsoft’s existing Partners in 
Learning and Unlimited Potential education programmes, the company hopes 
to deliver the benefits of ICT training to more than 45 million people in 
Africa by 2010 and help governments create sustainable economic growth.

“For Africa to truly become competitive in the global economy, strategic 
collaboration between businesses, governments and non-governmental 
organisations is essential,” said Gates. “By providing more affordable 
access to technology and helping partners build strong local software 
economies, Microsoft can help create knowledge-based economies in Africa 
that generate new jobs and offer new opportunities for growth, prosperity 
and innovation.”

"Technology has expanded opportunities of millions of people around the 
world and — whether expanding access to information, education or 
healthcare or increasing the collective power of individuals — it has an 
important role to play in creating a thriving, competitive Africa," said 
Clinton. "The efforts I've seen from Bill Gates and companies like 
Microsoft, in partnership with governments, NGOs and other private-sector 
organisations, are helping Africa in its push to achieve the United 
Nations Millennium Development Goals."

In support of the eight United Nations Millennium Development Goals 
(MDGs), Microsoft’s efforts in Africa focus on investments in education to 
increase skills and create opportunities, partnering with local businesses 
to increase trade and grow local industries and software economies, and 
working with government to develop ICT infrastructure through 
affordability and access. The MDGs form a blueprint agreed to by UN 
countries and leading global development institutions. The MDGs range from 
halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS to providing 
universal primary education by 2015.

Infrastructure to Support Africa’s Future Growth
Creating the right technology infrastructure is an essential ingredient in 
economic development — both with existing industries and new industries 
with significant growth potential, such as tourism in Africa. Gates 
announced today Microsoft’s collaboration with the UNWTO to support 
tourism in developing countries and on the continent of Africa.

“This agreement is a huge leap forward for tourism-driven job creation, 
export income and capacity building for the world’s poorest countries — 
especially in Africa where it will be integrated into our programmes to 
alleviate poverty through sustainable tourism. It links Microsoft’s 
technology and solutions with UNWTO’s central role of advancing the sector 
as an instrument of development, “said Francesco Frangialli, secretary 
general of UNWTO. “Equally importantly over the next five years we will 
collaborate closely to build a leading-edge ICT dimension into all of our 
key programmes, ranging from improved access for tourists through 
electronic border clearance, to better quality service through distance 
training and sustainability management at destinations.”

Through this cooperation, Microsoft is supporting the commitment the UNWTO 
made to contribute to the MDGs to develop sustainable tourism as a force 
to alleviate poverty. The collaboration with Microsoft has benefits 
including the creation of two solutions. The first is a new portal system 
called “Windows on Africa”. Through the cooperation with UNWTO and NEPAD, 
the portal is designed to showcase African tourism by aggregating online 
content in a user-friendly pan-African format. This material will be 
linked at the national and local level to incorporate key data from 
visitor centres, museums, and libraries. Ultimately, it will even provide 
real-time advice via PDAs and mobile devices with destination-specific 
data. To further support capacity building and industry growth, a tourism 
industry and skills curriculum, based on a model implemented by Cape Town 
Tourism, will be made available both on the portal and through training 
sessions at local community-based technology centres.

In addition, the cooperation will allow for the creation of the UNWTO 
Emergency Response System, a mechanism for information sharing and rapid 
messaging that aims to both bring order and help save lives during natural 
or man-made catastrophes. The solution will bring together a broad range 
of existing tourism networks that offer elements of disaster information 
today; these include hotel, airline, cruise ship and travel bureau 
networks — all to be streamlined in one platform. The first slated 
application will be to provide support for industry-wide avian flu 
preparedness.

Investments in Education
As part of his keynote, Gates also highlighted the necessity for 
communities to deal with the workplace of the future and the importance of 
education. Microsoft joined NEPAD’s Information Society Partnership for 
Africa’s Development (ISPAD) Initiative as a foundation partner and 
platinum member in December 2003 and is an active participant in the 
e-Schools Initiative. Microsoft is leading a consortium of industry 
partners to support 25 schools in eight African countries — Cameroon, 
Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda and Senegal — with 
a PC lab per school, software, teacher training, networking, connectivity, 
maintenance and support.

“This is the first time that African governments, NEPAD and the private 
sector are cooperating on an ICT project of this scale and scope in the 
NEPAD framework, developed and driven by Africans, and for African 
people”, said Dr Henry Chasia, Deputy Executive Chairperson for the NEPAD 
e-Africa Commission. ”This technology will enable young people to tap into 
the global mainstream of information and knowledge, where they will learn 
and play, expand their imagination and creativity, collaborate with peers 
across the African continent and across the world, and generally 
participate in defining the future of their world.”

It is estimated that more than 20,000 students and 1,000 teachers have 
already benefited from the Microsoft consortium’s efforts with the 
e-Schools Project. The goal of the programme is to create an ICT solution 
that more than 600,000 schools across Africa can eventually model to bring 
technology to their schools.

Affordability and Access Enables Economic Development
In addition to working to increase access to technology in schools and 
education, Microsoft announced new collaborations with one of South 
Africa’s leading mobile operators, Mobile Telephone Networks (MTN), to 
help bring affordable wireless broadband connectivity and PC access to 
consumers in South Africa. Through this collaboration, Microsoft and MTN 
will work together to provide affordable finance options for consumers 
purchasing internet connectivity and an Intel PC running Microsoft® 
Windows® Starter Edition. The programme allows flexible terms through 
either the purchase of the PC and internet access on a fixed-term contract 
for a low monthly fee or through purchasing the PC and a month-to-month 
internet contract. This initiative will make purchasing a computer and 
internet connectivity more affordable, and therefore more broadly 
accessible, for the average South African consumer. By supporting partners 
delivering more affordable internet access, Microsoft is enabling access 
to technology to expand opportunities that help citizens in emerging 
technology markets access the social and economic benefits of the global 
IT industry.

”Mobile connectivity has become a key driver of telecommunications growth 
across the continent and has paved the way for increased mobile access 
through convergence and mobile data and wireless applications. This 
collaboration with Microsoft to provide internet and PC access will 
encourage enterprise development among disadvantaged communities,” said 
Ashraff Paruk, head of Strategy and Product Innovation for MTN. “Our 
commitment is to growing the prosperity of communities, actively 
developing infrastructure, and participating in the social and economic 
life of the countries in which we operate.”

“It’s great to see leaders in government, education and technology come 
together to identify creative ways that African nations can use technology 
to address the challenges they face and open the door to new 
opportunities,” said Gates. “But there’s still a great deal of work to do 
and we remain committed to extending our resources and investments as we 
work with partners from the public and private sectors to support growth 
and opportunity in Africa.”

Additional information of today’s announcements is available on 
Microsoft’s EMEA Press Centre website at 
http://www.microsoft.com/emea/presscentre and at the virtual press room 
http://www.microsoft.com/emea/presscentre/glfafrica/default.mspx.