A local Internet service(ISP) provider says rural areas need to have sustainable internet services to stimulate and enhance their development.
AfriConnect Senior Accounts Manager Andrew Kabwe told ZANIS in Mansa, yesterday, that it was time for remote areas to respond to global changes through access to efficient and cost effective internet service provision.
Mr Kabwe said this would be in order to move rural areas at par with the country’s and global Information Communication Technology(ICT)trends.
He commended government for creating an enabling environment for the growth and utilization of ICT by the various social and economic players in the country due to important role it plays in development
He said ICT plays an important role in the current operations of various sectors worldwide in agriculture, mining, education, health, commerce and trade which bear an impact on the social and economic well being of any community.
He said it was for this reason that AfriConnect Zambia through its brand ‘I-connect’ was on a nationwide roll out to showcase its products starting with coverage of all provincial centres.
Mr. Kabwe said this had come following realization that most rural areas had inadequate or minimal internet service provision that could effectively benefit them.
He said most remote areas had potential to significantly contribute towards the country’s development and poverty reduction through an enhanced online access to markets and information resource for their various sectors because they are home to either mineral resources or hubs for agricultural produce.
Mr. Kabwe said I-Connect was offering a range of products that could facilitate for online research under I-Health and I-School for those in the health and education sectors through link sites which could prove highly beneficial in far flung areas.
He cited I-SMS service which allowed farmers nationwide to access local price information for their produce because of its database updated by the Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) as beneficial for rural small scale farmers.
He said the company had under its social responsibility program installed and was providing free internet service to 16 schools in selected parts of the country which would later extend, where an array of free educational sites are accessed.
“We are therefore calling on business houses, farmers and miners associations, government and non-governmental organizations NGOs to experience our fast and reliable broadband internet facility which has attached complementary products,” said Mr. Kabwe.
Mr. Kabwe said I Connect had developed an educational website called ‘Ischool’.zm that has over 10,000links based closely on the Zambian curriculum which has proved useful resource for both teachers and pupils.
ZANIS/DN/ENDS/MM.
Thanks for thinking about my people. Now they will be able to read email from me!
Information is power. Chadiza, Shan’gombo, Kalomo, Mpu;ungu etc. You will soon be connected and know what the rest of the world is upto.
long overdue
Yes long over due. What’s the population of Zambia, and, how many people have Internet at home? Most people we see here use the net at work. Others use the caves which are slow and expensive.
The last time I heard Zambia had under 200 000 homes connected to Internet majority of which were dial (in this time and age).
Oops! Cafes!
Every development follows necessity, not innovation. The Japs were nuked not because the Americans had an insane premeditation, nor because of serendipity. They were poushed to the corner and they reacted. Giving internet to Zambians, which needs payment for connection and electricity by the way, would seem presumptuous for a rural community that strugles even to farm subsistently. Don’t you think? And the sad thing is, you think we can adopt the American way of life (Oh yes, they invented the internet; and through the DOD. that about sums up the reason why) just by grabbing chunks of their life style… Nope! We need it all, Democracy, Technocracy, Education and the rest will come…
Not everyone in the rural area can be said to have no money my friend . There are civil servants who will greatly benefit from such a move.
why rpovide internet to a bunch of wizards? Only shangombo because that is where the national election results centre for 2011 will be instead of Mulungushi. VJ likes playing his tricks there!
Each time I visit Zambia, I always feel as if our country is not living in this century.
Lord have mercy…
It isn’t though, is it? It is the year 1695 at the latest in my grandmothers village.
However, I think that will we do need to improve people’s standards of living, we must not change everything as we will lose the one thingwe have that the rest of the world doesn’t. Our culture.
we are not progressing well. We have accepted mediocrity in our villages.
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I do not agree. We need to make people rich first so that they can eat and then surf the internet, not the other way round. So this bwana was going to be better off investing in large cassava farms and setting up a milling plant for cassava meal to export quality while at the same time feeding the people of Luapula province with Cassava Nshima and Fish, roasted semi-dry cassava and peanuts etc. Whom are they going to email on empty stomachs?
Walanda bwino mune. What is the point of internet when people have no food? Internet infact requires education. The education system in most rural areas is in a mess right now. Priorities please!
Ati shani ba Moze, mulekosa?
Moderator, Kuti wakosa shani na abena RB ku chipoto? Naishupa mukaamba. and you mani?
They will be e-mailing you baba asking for money! Makes it easier for them doesn`t it? lol!
I agree with you there.Villagers dont need no internet,they have no time for such things.In the first place they cant even afford it.In the urban areas internet cafes are empty because people are broke.We only manage to internet from work when the boss is not looking.Take real development there which will create jobs for the locals and then after they will be able to internet.
Do you really live and understand the Zambia rural set up , there civil servants in the rural areas, that need internet .Of course we don`t strict ourselves to internet only. Introduce other problems as you stated ,remember the wheels of trade from secondary school commerce.
Ichikulu bulecha mukwai. I can see ba Moze, looks like RB aikala sana lufyanya. These guys shouldn’t take Zedians for granted.
Ala, its just too much. I just dont seem to understand the man. the man just doesnt seem to know what time it is. Nga ni ba Veep nabo, disaster. We are a nation heading nowhere.
At last Good news coming from mother zambia.This is good guys, I’m even thinking of supporting my former school by starting such projects. Just imagine a kid at school in Mansa being able to google suff relating to science, this is great.
Just pray that the kids school has electricity. Dont raise your hopes. RB is still in charge. Dont forget.
We also have to put the entire government and its services Online!!! There has to be a platform where the people can forward their queries via mail to different government departments ! I was shocked when the passport office told me that they have no email!!
prHGxs