Angola

ANGONET Project

Title: 00036258	Developing Community Networks to Leverage the Local Development in Angola, ANGONET
Duration:	3 years –December 2004 to December 2007/ Extended for 3 months in early 2008 (phase out activities)
Amount:	US$ 1.917.657,00
SOF:	TRAC 1.1.1 and Cost Sharing (DW and CNTI).
Key achievement	This project aims to create 6 electronic information networks in support for the sustainable development targeting disadvantaged population in terms of information exchange, i.e. local NGOs, schools, professionals and local government.
Modality of Execution:	NGO Execution
Site	Development Workshop site
Contact Person	Ms. Olívia Augusto (Project Co-ordinator – NGO DW)-  448377/448366

Brief Description:

This project represents a continuation and expansion of the original Angonet project activities which started in 1989 and which took on a new role as Angonet initiated its participation in UNDP's SDN program from 1994. It allowed the establishment of the first commercial Internet Service Provider, provided technical resources for international and local CSOs to run electronic conferencing systems and Web sites.

The new Angonet Project aims at increasing CSOs' capacity, provide training and Internet access to the communities and local authorities through improving communications and information exchange. This involves: i) Creating an electronic network to support beneficiaries identified above; ii) Providing ICT tools for information dissemination and exchange in the areas of human rights, peace building, sustainable development and humanitarian assistance to national and international CSOs, community organizations and projects, students and teachers as well as various professionals; iii) Maintaining a monitoring and evaluation process regarding the use of ICTs for supporting the development of poor communities, with emphasis on the most adequate use of these technologies.

Through the multiple aspects of its activities, the project seeks to contribute to: a) Strengthening technology application strategies for poverty reduction; promoting generation and sharing of knowledge; b) Improving people's skills; developing new forms of collaborative work in civil society; exploiting new forms of partnership between social projects and the private sector; c) Seeking local solutions for universal access to the new Information Technology (ICTs); leveraging personal abilities to use ICT tools for information exchange, thus contributing to digital inclusion; d) Developing local content; leveraging the ability to generate, obtain, disseminate and use information for knowledge; e)  Maintaining a monitoring and evaluation process regarding the use of ICTs for supporting the development of poor communities, with emphasis on the most adequate use of these technologies.

What has been achieved?

Creating an electronic network : five telecenters have been successfully inaugurated since the beginning of the project:

• 1 st Community Telecenter opened on the 8 th August 2005, in the province of Huambo and the establishment of a wireless network to grant access to internet to various institutions and NGOs in the province
• 2 nd Community Telecenter opened in the province of Luanda, granting access to NGOs and Civil Society organisations in the capital of the country
• 3 rd Community Telecenter opened on the 10 th August 2006 in the province of Malange (inaugurated by both Vice-Governors of Malange)
• 4 th Community Telecenter opened on the 14 th February 2007 in the province of Cabinda and the establishment of a wireless network to grant access to internet to various institutions and NGOs in the province
• 5 th Community Telecenter opened on the 9 th June 2007 in the province of Zaire by both Vice-Governors of Zaire and establishing a wireless network to grant access to internet to various institutions and NGOs in the province

Services provided by the telecenters include internet, photocopies, copies, e-mail and others .

Number of beneficiaries:

Year	Luanda	Huambo	Malanje	Cabinda	Zaire
2005		4977
2006	1.358	14.658	1.122
2007	384	9978	3694	2507	1427
Total	1.742	29.613	4.816	2.507	1.427

 

Providing ICT tools and improving people’s skills:

The project has undertaken training in LINUX, CISCO and TCP/IP for 3 technical staff in the province of Huambo, and 2 in the province of Luanda and also conducted training of trainers for the centers in Luanda, Cabinda, Malanje, Zaire, and Uige for use in Windows, TCP/IP, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Main Constraints Encountered in the Project:

The establishment of telecenters faced numerous constraints related to the lack of appropriate infrastructures to host the telecenters in some of the provinces, the difficulties in transporting the necessary equipment to the provinces which had to be done on the most part by air at high cost. Other constraints included changes in the planned provinces due to lack of suitable infrastructures to hold the telecenters, and the provision of electricity.

Lessons Learned:

The project has reached a wide range of intended beneficiaries and continues to provide a valuable service to the communities. In some communities a new culture of accessing and using of information technology has installed (see the figures provided above, with particular attention to the province of Huambo).

The sustainability of the project will depend largely on the support of the NGOs and of the users of the telecenters.

Steps forward:

The project will open two more telecenters (one more then originally previewed) before officially closing in March 2008. The sustainability plan for the telecenters will also be put in place during this period as the project phases out.

Ongoing Projects (by MYFF Service Lines)

1. ACHIEVING THE MDGS AND REDUCING HUMAN POVERTY

Project ID	Title
1.2 PRO-POOR POLICY REFORM TO ACHIEVE MDG TARGETS
00011122	Support for MDG and NEPAD Advocacy Activities
1.5 PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT
00040754	Angola Enterprise Programme
1.6 GENDER MAINSTREAMING
00046236	Joint Gender programme
1.8 MAking ictd work for the poor
00039328	Science and Technology Innovation
00036258	Developing Community Networks to Leverage the Local Development in Angola- ANGONET