This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.

Innovative Programs
Utilizing Information Technology:
Case Studies

The following are a few of the programs which the Leland Initiative is funding, working in partnership with, or chooses to highlight as an effective case-study of the use of the Internet as a tool for development:

USAID AfricaLink Agriculture and Environmental Scientists Program
USAID's AfricaLink Program targets the end users of information technologies, in particular the scientists and policy makers who are members of USAID partner networks in the agricultural, environmental, and natural resource management sectors. Within the context of each country's existing infrastructural and regulatory environment, AfricaLink works with network leadership to implement simple strategies for Internet access, especially access to electronic mail, to inexpensively share regional information on a timely basis. For more information, visit their web site directly. Leland and AfricaLink work in close collaboration.

USAID Agribusiness Association Program
The Agribusiness Association Electronic pilot project, funded by Leland, was designed to help integrate use of the Internet in small to medium-scale agribusinesses across sub-Saharan Africa. Agribusiness Associations often lacked the experience and equipment necessary to use information technologies to make their businesses more efficient. The overall purpose of the project is to promote and strengthen agribusinesses and their associations by providing training on how to take advantage of electronic information and to streamline their access to this technology. To accomplish this, the project seeks to demonstrate how electronic networking and access to critical market information can be incorporated into marketing strategies and everyday business practices. For more information, see the expanded case study.

USAID CARPE Environment Program
Central African Regional Program for the Environment (CARPE) is a USAID Initiative to address the issue of deforestation in the Congo Basin forest zone. One of the least developed regions of the world, the Congo Basin, extending across Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), holds massive expanses of closed canopy tropical forest, second only to the Amazon Basin in area. Much of this forest remains relatively intact, yet unsustainable timber exploitation, shifting cultivation, urban expansion, and other human activities are posing increasing threats to this globally-significant tropical forest resource. Loss of forest cover on this scale imposes serious risks of loss of biodiversity, and emission into the atmosphere of carbon dioxide previously locked-up in forest biomass. CARPE is helping scientists link together electronically for a sustainable environment. For more information, visit their web site directly.

USAID Community Learning Center Program
The USAID Leland Initiative sponsored Ghanaian Community Learning Centers ("CLCs") will provide public access to the wealth of information on the Internet. Each CLC will be equipped with a local area network of multimedia personal computers and shared high-speed access to the Internet. In addition to Internet access, each CLC will contain a library of supporting print materials. A training room will allow the CLC to conduct classes for the public to improve computer literacy and awareness of resources available through the Internet. Skilled support staff will be available to help visitors learn to use the Internet effectively. CLCs will be operated on a cost-recovery basis by local NGOs and will employ local staff. To follow the progress of the CLCs, please visit the RTI web site and the USAID Learnlink web site directly.

USAID Decentralization Project - ARDnet
The USAID Leland Initiative sponsored Africa Regional Dialogue in Decentralization Network ("ARDnet") is designed to build and promote a strong, sustainable network of decision makers and stakeholders in decentralization in West Africa. The first four member states, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, and Mali have agreed to (A) Increase the political commitment through sensitization and mobilization, (B) Establish national mechanisms for dialogue to support the decentralization reform process, (C) Assure accountability and responsiveness to citizens' needs in local electoral procedures, (D) Improve mobilization of resources through a participatory approach, and (E) Elect municipal teams responsive to citizens' needs. For more information, visit RTI's web site directly.

USAID Famine Early Warning System Project
USAID's Famine Early Warning System (FEWS) is an electronic information system designed to help decision makers prevent famine in Sub-Saharan Africa. FEWS specialists in the US and Africa assess remotely sensed data and ground-based meteorological, crop, and range of conditions for early indications of potential famine areas. Other factors affecting local food availability and access are also carefully evaluated to identify vulnerable population groups requiring assistance. These assessments are continuously updated and electronically disseminated to provide decision makers with the most timely and accurate information available. For more information, visit their web site directly.

USAID Ghanaian Central Region Network
The USAID Leland Initiative sponsored Ghanaian Central Region Network ("CRnet") will be the first Intranet in Africa designed to support the operation of decentralized democratic government. Using a combination of networking and telecommunications technologies, CRnet will connect districts in Ghana's Central Region, improving communications and increasing efficiency. These efforts will strengthen regional and district administration while increasing local autonomy. For more information, please see the September 15th, 1998, press release or visit RTI's web site directly.

USAID Global Trade Network Program
USAID's Leland Funded Global Trade Network (USGTN) is designed to assist the African and US business communities in finding current business opportunities in Africa and facilitating trade and investment between the US and Africa. Business opportunities for U.S. firms are identified by in-country public and private sector partners and are sent via the Internet, fax, or e-mail to GTN in Washington, DC. GTN staff provide quality control for all trade leads and match them with US firms through an extensive coding database. Each trade lead outlines the specifications of the public/private sector opportunity, available funding , and detailed contact information. Qualified leads are sent within 48 hours by fax or e-mail to selected U.S. firms registered with the USGTN. There is no fee for U.S. firms. For more information, visit their web site directly.

USAID Greater Horn of Africa Initiative
USAID's Greater Horn of Africa Initiative (GHAI) is a U.S. Presidential foreign policy initiative launched in 1994 in order to address the recurring cycle of crisis, instability and famine in the Greater Horn of Africa region including Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Somalia, Uganda, Djibouti, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi, by improving food security and through the establishment of a system for conflict early warning, prevention and response. Partner countries exchange current information electronically for fast and reliable communications between member States. For more information, visit their web site directly.

USAID LearnLink Education Program
Learnlink is a USAID-funded project that serves USAID missions throughout the world. LearnLink uses culturally appropriate education and communication technologies to strengthen learning systems essential for sustainable development. LearnLink applies these technologies to link individuals, groups, and organizations, and to build the capacity of people to meet their learning needs, particularly needs associated with basic education. For more information, visit their web site directly. Leland and Learnlink work in close collaboration.

USAID School-To-School Program
The Leland Initiative's School-to-School Partnership Program aims to facilitate cross-cultural dialogue and joint projects between African primary and secondary schools in countries where this initiative is active, and where similar goals are adopted in schools in the United States. In African countries, this initiative, in conjunction with the USAID mission's bilateral funds, may assist schools in becoming aware of the academic uses of the Internet, and in acquiring the hardware and training needed to participate in this program. For more information, see our fast-track model P.I.E. Project in Ghana.


Artisan NGO Case Study
PEOPLink is a nonprofit organization that trains and equips grassroots partner organizations to use digital cameras and the Internet to market their products. Their goal is to empower poor producers to use the Internet to maximize the benefits of world trade. PEOPLink provides digital cameras to partner organizations and trains them to e-mail pictures and detailed descriptions of their products. PEOPLink then places the pictures and information about them on the PEOPLink web page and promotes the products to retail and wholesale buyers in industrialized countries. For more information, see the expanded case study in English, (version en Francais), or visit their web site directly.

Coffee Marketing Case Study
In less than a year, the Ugandan Coffee Trade Federation installed an electronic email system and launched a sophisticated marketing initiative that took advantage of video-conferencing technology and its own web site. The federation began using information technology to raise the profits of its association in 1995 with an electronic mail system and soon upgraded to full Internet. For more information, see the expanded case study in English, (version en Francais), or visit their web site directly.

Democracy and Electronic Media Case Study
This paper written by USAID Africa Bureau colleague Dr. Dana Ott presents an analysis of the role of electronic media in promoting the formation of democratic political regimes in Africa. With the dramatic expansion of various forms of electronic interchange, including electronic mail and the Internet, opportunities for communication across national boundaries, and cross-fertilization of ideas are greater than ever before. This article argues that access to electronic information can have a positive impact in promoting democracy in Africa, by providing civil society with greater leverage vis-à-vis the state and political elites. However, without parallel efforts to insure that access to the Internet is not restricted to urban, elite populations, political instability may result. The paper is on-line at First Monday's site.

E-Commerce Case Study
The US Government's E-Commerce web site contains useful information on the world's cutting edge trading mechanism, electronic commerce. According to Vice President Al Gore, "Trade and commerce on the Internet are doubling and tripling every year. In just a few years, the Internet will be generating hundreds of billions of dollars in sales of goods and services. If we establish an environment in which electronic commerce can flourish, then every computer can be a window open to every business, large and small, everywhere in the world." For more information, visit the US Government's web site directly.

Environmental GLOBE Case Study
Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) is a worldwide network of students, teachers, and scientists working together to study and understand the global environment. Students and teachers from over 6,000 schools in more than 70 countries are working with research scientists to learn more about our planet. GLOBE students make environmental observations at or near their schools and report their data through the Internet. Scientists use GLOBE data in their research and provide feedback to the students to enrich their science education. Global images based on GLOBE student data are displayed on the World Wide Web, enabling students and other visitors to visualize the student environmental observations. The Leland Initiative coordinates activities with the GLOBE Program in a number of African countries and their web site can be accessed directly

Health Case Study
The Bolivian Ministry of Health (Secretaria Nacional de Salud) recently launched its own web site and database. This is one of the first examples of a health information system in a developing country that is accessible dynamically on the Internet. The system, developed by the companies Informed Decisions and Logical Support, under a subcontract with USAID's Data for Decision Making (DDM) Project. For more information, see the expanded case study in English, (version en Francais), or visit their web site directly.

Investment Group Marketing Case Study
Sameer Investments Limited (SIL) and its group companies seek to contribute to Kenya's economy by promoting industrial growth and ethical business practices. They seek to maximize value for all their stakeholders and to be model corporate citizens. To further these objectives, SIL decided in January 1997 to acquire Internet access so that the head office and group companies would have easy and efficient access to global news and financial information. They also sought to reduce their communication costs through the use of Internet email and fax, and to market SIL on the World Wide Web. For more information, see the expanded case study or visit their web site directly.

Listserv for Development Case Study
e-PRODDER is a weekly development information e-mail service that collects and disseminates information on all southern African development issues and role players, using a variety of media. It is PRODDER's mission to provide an appropriate, comprehensive, and dynamic development information service to people and organizations. The main objective of the e-PRODDER-mail service is to inform the southern African development community of important and interesting events and initiatives in the development field. For more information, see the expanded case study in English, (version en Francais), or visit their web site directly.

Micro-Finance Case Study
The Kenyan micro-finance organization, Pride Africa, is using the Internet to market services for small-scale entrepreneurs via the Internet. Pride Africa's mission is to create a sustainable financial and information services network for small-scale entrepreneurs to increase incomes and employment and to stimulate business growth in Africa. The Pride Africa web page has emerged as a strong marketing tool that has enabled Pride Africa to progress at a fast pace. In addition, the Internet has facilitated timely communication with Pride Africa's partners and quick tracking of useful information, including details of equipment that would further automate operations. For more information, see the expanded case study or visit their web site directly.

Parliament Case Study
The Namibian Parliament extended the reach of its constituency when it decided to go online and open its doors to the public. The parliament's aim is to conduct local, regional, and international research; share information with the public and NGOs; make library and parliamentary resources publicly available; widen the use of electronic mail communication; and open a catalogued electronic library. When the parliament installed a new computer network in June 1996, it also went online with the goal of providing basic computer and research skills for its staff. For more information, see the expanded case study.

Leland Links
Project Description		Partner Countries
Leland Activity Update		Internet Resource Center
Leland Photo Gallery		Biography of Mickey Leland
End-User Applications		Business Opportunities
Memorandum of Understanding		Internet Gateway Design
"Making the Connection Count: Effective Use of the Internet in Seven Steps" Leland Initiative Home Page

:  :  :  :  :  :  :  :  :  :  What's New : FOIA Requests : Privacy Policy : Email This Page : Plug-ins : FAQs : Help Desk : Contact Us : Site Map Last Updated on: June 20, 2002