Local Expertise

This is about one of the finest for the north. Right?

In August 2007, Winneba Open Digital Village Foundation (WODIV) organized a wireless training workshop for persons interested in deploying Wireless Local Area Network technology (WLAN). Participants were drawn from across the country – Ghana with others from Nigeria. The workshop was dubbed Simpa Open Summit.

Some of the members were sponsored by IICD whilst others sponsored themselves. At the end of the workshop, the participants from Northern Ghana felt very strongly the need to form a wireless user group to enable members to continue to share and exchange knowledge and skills in WLAN technology deployment. This desire of the Northern Ghana group resulted in the maiden meeting of the group on Wednesday, 22^nd August 2007 at Lady Sweets Restaurant at Gumani – Rice City, a suburb of Tamale.

Purpose of the group

1. To continue to update and to share knowledge in the newly acquired skills in wireless networking
2. To promote wireless networking as an alternative means of deploying internet access to deprived communities in the Northern Ghana
3. To be a WLAN technology think-tank for the Northern Ghana
4. To be a group that would deploy wireless technology cheaply and rapidly in the Northern part of Ghana
5. To give support to IICD Sponsored projects to deploy wireless technology to serve their various communities

Founding members:

The founding members are of varied professional background working with different organizations in Northern Ghana. They are:

Name Organization

1. William B. Nsiah-Asare UDS
2. Agbenyo John Stephen NINS
3. Norbert Apentibadek ACDEP
4. Baatuomu B. Christian ECG-CBC
5. Basiru Total Supply
6. Baba Musah MOFA
7. Baba Salifu DAVOTEC
8. Mumuni Mohammed SEND Foundation
9. Bro. Gracious PEPS-C Wa

Membership of the Group

For now the group would be a closed one and membership of the group will be by application and registration or by honorary status conferred on individuals by the founding members. The group is yet to be registered with the appropriate authorities in the country.

The following potential opportunities were identified for the group should it come into existence.

1. NGO, Government Organizations and Individuals would be more comfortable dealing with a group rather than individuals

2. Deploy and execute wireless projects as a group

Services

The following are some of the services which the group will offer

1. Organize awareness seminars WLAN technology and ICTs for development in general

2. Organize training programmes in ICTs for communities and institutions in Northern Ghana

3. Organize training programmes on behalf of strategic partners like IICD

Strategic Partners

The group identified the following organizations and individuals as strategic partners:

1. IICD, Netherlands
2. GINKS,
3. WODIV, Wiineba
4. Kofi Annan ICT Center, Accra
5. ECG- Business and Computer School
6. Total Supply Ltd
7. Ghana Telecom University
8. Ghana Telecom
9. George Azunga
10. CEO, Clinton Computers
11. Some prominent non-political Individuals in society
12. Some prominent non-political individuals in society as patrons
13. CEO, Data Security

Potential clientele

1. NGOs
2. Government Organizations
3. Private institutions
4. Individuals

Message from the Team Leader and Country Director (IICD)

The maiden meeting was joined later by the IICD Country Manager, Olaf Erz and Team Leader, Mr. Stijn van der Krogt. They shared their experiences on wireless technology deployment in other deprived communities in Bolivia and other countries with the group. They also shared their experiences on their familiarization tour of the Community Information Centres (CICs) of the District Assemblies which are being supported by the Ghana Government.

The most comfortable way of living poor

Teaching they say is the most comfortable way of living poor. Oh! Why teachers and not others? Teachers are the block, mortar, tools and materials that build the world yet Ghana sees them not, when they are counting nation builders.

Teachers in Ghana have been turned into zombies. They are at the 'at-will' beck and call of policy makers and implementers.

I am referring to the recent educational reform. Was there consultation? How much were we involved in the planning of this? Or, are we not the center and the rock of the reform? Em, as for the training, talk less of it. Is there or was there any orientation at all?

Okay, ICT has been added as a subject and some of us would love to teach it but it still remains an undeniable fact that very few teachers out of the whooping lot are computer literates.

My story is a very sad one. I am the bee that produces the honey. I am the goose that lays the golden egg. I am the tree that produces the apple.

Some of my peculiarities (for those of you who know me) are wearing worn-out shoes and toting a deflated stomach.

I walk in the rain and in the scorching sun on my trip to the rectangular classroom to ensure that my pupils are able to spell E-D-U-C-A-T-I-O-N and also to ensure that they explain that a computer is an electronic device that works under the control of a stored program………

I am a hardworking teacher. No doubt. But I am also the last to receive my take home pay even though it cannot take me home.