SURVEY OF ICT AND EDUCATION IN AFRICA - infoDev

ANNEX 1:Regional ICT in EducationInitiatives in AfricaA wide range of programmes and projects on ICTs in Education in Africa have activities that involve one ormore African countries in varying numbers. These range from high-level intergovernmental, multi-stakeholderprogrammes such as the NEPAD e-Schools initiative, to institutions focused on networking Africanschools and universities such as the African Virtual University (AVU), to collaborative learning projects thatdirectly involve learners and teachers from schools in several African countries such as the Global TeenagerProject (GTP) and the International Education Resources Network (iEARN).An illustrative (non-exhaustive) list of prominent organisations active in supporting and promoting technology-relatedactivities in the education sector in Africa is provided below. Individual country activities aredescribed in respective country reports available in this Survey.African Academy of Languages | www.alacan.orgThe African Academy of Languages is a pan-African organisation that was set up in 2001 by Mali’s thenpresident Alpha Konare. It was established under the auspices of the African Union to promote Africa’smany indigenous languages. One of its major projects relates to the promotion of African languages in“cyberspace” and particularly the use of local languages in education in Africa.African Development Bank | www.afdb.orgThe African Development Bank (AfDB) is a membership-based, regional multilateral development financeinstitution that mobilises resources to support the economic and social development of its member countries.The AfDB has an education policy which promotes support for basic, vocational, and adult educationand training. The AfDB also supports the use of ICTs in education in Africa. To date the AfDB has assistedwith open, distance, and e-learning capacity development centres and connectivity provision at AfricaVirtual University (AVU) partner institutions to support teacher training and development programmes andto mainstream gender issues, as in the AVU Support Project.African Virtual University (AVU) | http://web.archive.org/web/20060426202907/www.avu.orgInitially a project of the World Bank and now an independent intergovernmental organisation, the AVU isan innovative education institution based in Nairobi, Kenya, that services 57 learning centres in 27 Africancountries. The AVU works with universities based in Africa and other countries such as the US and Australiato provide academic programmes and short courses through open and distance e-learning. The AVU alsoboasts a digital library that provides resources to African academics and students.AMD | www.amd.comAMD is a leading global provider of innovative processing solutions in the computing, graphics, andconsumer electronics markets. AMD introduced the 50x15 Initiative which is an attempt to promoteaffordable, accessible Internet connectivity and computing capabilities for 50% of the world’s population by2015. AMD has introduced its personal Internet communicator (PIC) device which it deployed to Africanschools through its support for the NEPAD e-Schools programme. In Africa, AMD led a consortium ofcompanies in the promotion of the NEPAD e-Schools Demonstration Project in five African countries(Cameroon, Gabon, Mali, Senegal, and Uganda) where they promoted their 50x15 devices.www.infodev.org ANNEX 1: Regional ICT in Education Initiatives in Africa 35