Leland Initiative: Africa Global Information Infrastructure Gateway Project

Submitted to:

The United States Agency for International Development

Africa Bureau, Office of Sustainable Development

Submitted by:

Brian Bacon, PPC/CDIE/DI/RRS

November 1998

The Leland Initiative’s Strategic Objective 3 (SO3) promotes the effective use of the Internet for sustainable development within USAID missions and within the USAID development partner community. The Leland Initiative SO3 Internet end-user training is designed to enable the participants to harness the potential of Internet technologies to further their development objectives. This training introduces participants to the information and communication resources available through the Internet. In addition to learning about the mechanics of Internet use, the training guides the participants through a planning process for effectively introducing the Internet into their respective institutional settings.

The October 19–28, 1998, Leland Initiative end-user training in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, was held at Winrock International’s West Africa Regional Office. The activity coincided with the formal inauguration of the West Africa Regional Office on October 16. Participants in the training were invited by their respective U.S. government partner agencies active in Côte d’Ivoire, including the U.S. Embassy, USIS, Peace Corps, and remaining USAID health projects. The training, which included four two-day sessions and one single day session, introduced 83 participants to the Internet and the research and communication tools it offers for development. Each participant of a two-day training session also created an action plan designed to guide the introduction of the Internet into his or her organization. As part of this process, the participants reflected on their organizations’ information use patterns and perceived needs. The one-day training session was tailored more to the perspective of decision-makers from local U.S. government-affiliate organizations, designed to introduce the Internet and its potential utility for assisting an organization to achieve its development objectives.

The growth of Internet use in Côte d’Ivoire has been dramatic. Current subscription estimates range from 3,000 to 4,500 paying subscribers, with an estimated user-base of 8,000 to 10,000. In close collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan, the Leland Initiative has thus far played an integral part in developing the Internet industry in Côte d’Ivoire. With the close-out of USAID’s regional office, REDSO/WCA, Andrew Snow, the U.S. Embassy economics officer, has assumed the role of in-country Leland representative. Snow’s involvement has been instrumental to the success of the Leland Initiative in Côte d’Ivoire.

Due to the recent closure of REDSO/WCA and USAID’s dramatically reduced presence in Côte d’Ivoire, opportunities for follow-up activities to the Leland Initiative end-user training are limited. There is potential for Leland involvement in ongoing regionally focused USAID programs which are either based in or include Côte d’Ivoire. Further, attention needs to be paid to resolving certain remaining, though minor, Leland/Côte d’Ivoire Telecom coordination issues. It should be noted that with its established Internet Service Provider (ISP) industry, the presence of numerous in-country information technology training centers, and a local Internet Society (ISOC) chapter, Côte d’Ivoire has a fairly developed support infrastructure capable of providing technical support for future Internet application activities.

Leland activity in Côte d’Ivoire began in 1996, with a July 10–17 visit to explore options for a Leland Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Government of Côte d’Ivoire and to assess the "fit" of Leland with REDSO/WCA’s project portfolio at the time. A Leland Internet end-user applications (SO3) assessment team visit in November of 1996 was soon after followed by the signing of the USAID/Leland MOU with Côte d’Ivoire on December 5, 1996. Following the purchase and installation of related equipment, and relatively involved bandwidth pricing negotiations, the Leland-funded Côte d’Ivoire ground station became operational on January 15, 1998. Côte d’Ivoire Telecom hosted the official opening ceremony for this Leland contribution on May 14, 1998.

A Leland SO3 team visited Côte d’Ivoire from May 7–12, 1998. The objective of this visit was to prepare for the anticipated Leland Internet end-user training. Activities during the visit included meeting with staff from the U.S. Embassy and REDSO/WCA, and with representatives from remaining USAID partner organizations, in order to discuss levels of interest and options for the training in Côte d’Ivoire. Accordingly, dates and locations for this training were explored. The team also surveyed the status of the Internet industry in Côte d’Ivoire.

Presently there are an estimated 3,000–4,500 Internet subscribers in Côte d’Ivoire. Estimates rise to approximately 8,000–10,000 users in Côte d’Ivoire when considering all those with access to the Internet. Presently, there are four recognized ISPs in Côte d’Ivoire: [For subscription cost information, see specific ISP WWW sites.]

1. Africa Online (www.africaonline.co.ci)
2. AF NET (www.afnet.net)
3. Globe Access (globeaccess.net)
4. NET AFRIC (www.netafric.ci)

Of these ISPs, only one, NET AFRIC, does not have access to the router accessing Leland-subsidized bandwidth. In addition, several other organizations have expressed interest to Côte d’Ivoire Telecom in providing ISP services. Two notable examples are Côte d’Ivoire Telecom, itself, and Comafrique. Comafrique presently uses a dedicated line from the Leland router but only offers cyber café–type access to clients. In addition to Comafrique, there is a number of public access Internet sites in Abidjan.

The Leland Initiative end-user training in Abidjan was held at Winrock International’s West Africa Regional Office from October 19–28, 1998. Abidjan-based U.S. government agencies, including the U.S. Embassy, USIS, Peace Corps, and remaining USAID regional health projects, nominated the 70 participants in attendance. These trainees represented a variety of sector activities, including urban management, health, environment, agriculture, women-in-development, and journalists. The training was conducted by AED’s Brian Bacon, Leland’s Yaovi Atohoun, and Winrock International’s Isidore Boutchue.

The training environment provided by Winrock International was ideal. Leland made use of the computer training room, with its thirteen networked computers connected to a dedicated line provided by Africa Online. The capacity of the Internet connection allowed all computers to simultaneously access WWW resources used during the training. An LCD projector attached to the designated trainer’s computer allowed for effective classroom demonstrations. The information use analysis and action planning sessions were conducted in an adjacent spacious conference room. The equipment and applications ran smoothly throughout the training, with Winrock International’s technical support on-hand during the entire training. Coffee breaks were held under an outdoor gazebo.

By design, the Leland Initiative end-user Internet training targets both USAID staff and their local partner institutions for Internet training sessions of varying duration, including one- and two-days. The training sessions conducted in Abidjan from October 19–28 included four two-day sessions and one one-day executive session. As noted, in Côte d’Ivoire, the participants represented partners of multiple U.S. government agency partners due to the closure of REDSO/WCA. The training includes Internet use skill development, as well as a process for examining organizational information uses and needs, and an action planning process for the use of the Internet in a participant’s organization. This action planning process is often new to the participants and assists them in becoming realistic about the Internet as an information and communication tool. The process also prepares them to become advocates for Internet use within their organizations.

The Leland training is tailored to the participants’ computer skill levels and their knowledge of the Internet. In Abidjan, participant enthusiasm for learning the Internet was high. Some trainees were already connected to the Internet and/or using e-mail yet still eager to improve their skills. When solicited for their expectations of the training, the participants articulated varied desires. When these initial expectations were reviewed at the end of the training, it was concluded that the majority of these expectations had been met. The participant evaluations of the training indicated that overall the stated objectives were achieved to the satisfaction of the participants.

Two-Day Sessions: The two-day training sessions provided participants with background information on the Internet and effective Internet use, including hands-on practice of WWW and e-mail use. The sessions also took the participants through the above-mentioned information use analysis and action planning process. The training modules were arranged so that participants would alternate time spent at the computer with time away from the computer, reflecting on their organizations’ use of information and, through the action planning process, the potential use of the Internet within their respective organizations. Due to the ambitious schedule, the sessions regularly went over the time allotted. Participants were generally amenable to working into their coffee breaks and lunch and were offered free time for practice before and after formal sessions and during breaks.

Executive Sessions: Leland trainers also conducted one-day training sessions tailored primarily to managers and other decision-makers. Attendees representing a cross-section of Ivoirien development partner organizations, ranging from ministry officials to administrative assistant-type staff. The training focused on introducing the Internet’s potential through basic WWW navigation and e-mail use. The trainees were also asked to think about how the Internet could help their organizations. The participants were also informed of the kind of skills and action planning exercises that were acquired by their employees attending the two-day training. The goal of this abbreviated training session was to encourage high-level support within each organization, and to facilitate the acceptance of the action plans produced by those attending the two-day sessions.

Participant organizations were selected and invited by partner Abidjan-based U.S. government agencies, including the U.S. Embassy, USIS, Peace Corps, and remaining USAID regional health projects. The 83 trainees attending the sessions were distributed as follows:

French-versions of the Leland SO3 training manual, "Using the Internet for Development Participant’s Workbook," were distributed to each participant and used for all training sessions. A Leland Initiative informational brochure in French was included in the materials package. Supplemental sector-specific Internet resource guides, featuring both English and French web sites, were also distributed to participants. This resource guide was a hard copy of the Leland Initiative Resource Center (www.info.usaid.gov/regions/afr/leland/resource.htm). A list of Ivoirien ISPs, with contact information, was provided to participants to assist in establishing future Internet connectivity. Informational hand-outs in French on various subjects, including WWW page creation, were distributed on-demand.

As a result of these Leland Initiative Internet end-user training sessions, U.S. government development partners in Côte d’Ivoire were exposed to the potential of the Internet and how it can improve their organization’s internal and external communication and information strategies. During the training, participants began the process of creating action plans for Internet use in their organizations. These action plans can, in turn, be used by each participant to introduce what was learned during the session to his or her organization. The action plans can also be used as outlines for project proposals, should an organization wish to request outside assistance for incorporating the Internet into their operations. At times, the action planning sessions also contributed to a sector-wide plan for improving communication between the participating organizations. In light of this, groups are generally formed by sector interests during the action planning module. With the reflection that the process generated among the participants, the information use modules, as well as the candid discussion of cost issues, made the action planning process a valuable summary exercise.

The one-day executive sessions helped to build knowledge and support for Internet use within the management and decision-making levels of the participating organizations. Participants in the two-day sessions stressed the need to orient and educate this cadre of professionals if the Internet is to be appropriately integrated into the Ivoirien work environment.

Over the duration of the visit to Abidjan, the training received press coverage in some of the local newspapers. Of particular note was an extensive article in the government daily, Fraternite Matin, introducing both the Internet and providing an overview of Internet use in Côte d’Ivoire. The Leland Initiative training was also mentioned during television coverage of Winrock International’s formal opening. Coincidentally, with the training ongoing, the October 20–26 edition of Jeune Afrique made reference to USAID’s Leland Initiative contribution in Côte d’Ivoire.

All participants of the two-day sessions were asked to complete evaluation forms after each day of training. These forms requested that participants rank the utility of each module (on a scale of 1 to 6) and asked for feedback on the content of the module and the clarity of the presentations. Ample space was provided for further comments.

Overall, the evaluations of the training content were very good. The participants consistently gave high scores to almost all dimensions of the program, particularly the modules that introduced practical Internet skills. The quality of the training structure, trainers, and materials was also rated highly by the participants. Most participants indicated that they felt comfortable asking questions of the trainers and that the concepts were clearly explained. The participant workbook was also described as useful and helped participants to understand the objectives of each module.

The participants were most critical of the amount of time allocated to each module; most indicated that there was not enough time regardless of the session length. Most participants found the information use analysis and action planning sessions helpful. The "dreaming" module, wherein participants were asked to list all of the possibilities for Internet use in-country (no constraints on funding or logistics), was the least preferred of all the components of the training.

This feedback, as well as the additional comments, indicate that the participants who took part in this training were very satisfied with their overall experience. In general, they were eager to gain practical skills and discuss the ways in which those skills can be applied. They felt that the action planning module prepared them to continue this process with their respective organizations and that the hands-on computer sessions "de-mystified" the Internet, providing them with the perspective to advocate Internet use. Most participants indicated that they will train others on the basics of Internet use and planned on continuing to use the Internet themselves, even if it meant having to go to a cyber café for Internet access. Many acknowledged the need for additional, and longer, more in-depth, Internet training activities such as this in the future.

Due to the recent closure of REDSO/WCA, and USAID’s dramatically reduced presence in Côte d’Ivoire, opportunities for follow-up activities to the Leland Initiative end-user training are limited. There is potential for Leland involvement in ongoing regionally-focused USAID programs which are either based in or include Côte d’Ivoire. Further, attention needs to be paid to resolving certain remaining, though minor, Leland/Côte d’Ivoire Telecom coordination issues.

Leland should explore opportunities for collaboration with Winrock International in implementing a Women in Technology Mentoring Program (WTMP). Winrock currently coordinates the African Women Leaders in Agriculture and the Environment (AWALE) program. This program is designed to prepare a critical mass of women leaders to change the policies, programs and practices that affect women farmers in Africa.

The WTMP could complement the AWALE program, enhancing the information and communication technology (ICT) technical training and career guidance training received by AWALE participants and others. Leland might support both the ICT training component of this program, particularly through Internet use for development training, and assisting in coordinating mentors and ICT mentorship activities for AWALE-affiliated girls and young women in the region using Leland’s network of regional contacts. AWALE’s growing pool of regional African woman leaders, in conjunction with the resources available through Leland, would allow the WTMP to also focus on mentoring and career guidance for young women professionals and researchers interested in ITC.

Leland is currently in dialog with U.S.-based Winrock representative regarding opportunities for collaboration.

Many of the USAID REDSO/WCA program activities once based in Côte d’Ivoire have either closed-out or relocated to other sites. Representatives from the remaining FHA-WCA health projects participated in the recent Leland training. These activities included: SFPS, AIBEF, CERCOM, ENSEA, and the AED-managed Health Network Support System for West and Central Africa (HNSS/WCA). While in Abidjan, a meeting was held between Leland and HSS/WCA director, Lorraine Lathen. Also in attendance was Francisco Mingorance, from the Swiss-based HIV-Net project. Opportunities for regional collaboration were discussed, and will continue. Of note, AED and Leland are currently working to support the Internet and information management capabilities of the Mali-based Electronic Communication Demonstration Project (CERPOD). CERPOD is an HSS/WCA partner.

The October 19–28, 1998, Leland Initiative end-user training in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, held for U.S. government partner agencies active in Côte d’Ivoire, included four two-day sessions and one single day session, introducing 83 participants to the Internet and the research and communication tools it offers for development. This training has assisted partner organizations to more efficiently use the Internet and integrate its use into their organization. The training was timely in light of the rapid pace at which the Internet user-base in expanding in Côte d’Ivoire, with corresponding reductions in access costs.

As noted, due to the recent closure of REDSO/WCA and USAID’s dramatically reduced presence in Côte d’Ivoire, opportunities for follow-up activities to the Leland Initiative end-user training are limited. There is potential for Leland involvement in ongoing regionally focused USAID programs which are either based in or include Côte d’Ivoire. These include continued collaboration with Winrock International’s West and Central Africa Regional Office, in addition to the Health Network Support System for West Africa. Moreover, with its established Internet Service Provider (ISP) industry, the presence of numerous in-country information technology training centers, and a local Internet Society (ISOC) chapter, Côte d’Ivoire has an increasingly capable support infrastructure able to provide ongoing technical support for future Internet application activities.