Fund to bridge communications gap
Pauline Dikuelo | Wednesday October 28, 2015 14:29
This follows on BOCRA’s mandate of promoting and ensuring universal access with respect to the provision of communications services.
Speaking at the launch of the fund on Monday, the Minister of Transport and Communications, Tshenolo Mabeo said his ministry will fully scale up the implementation of the proposed projects under the fund. He said this is to ensure that by the end of the three years, ICT would have reached out to the rural areas.
“Through this implementation, jobs will be created particularly for the ICT graduates who are highly unemployed. They will be engaged to develop softwares, maintain them thus empowering them to start their own businesses,” said Mabeo. The fund, which is regulated by a board of trustees, has all the telecommunications operators as contributors. These include: Botswana Telecommunications Corporation Limited, Mascom, beMOBILE, Orange and commercial broadcasters; Gabz FM, Yarona FM, Duma FM, Botswana Fibre Networks (BoFiNet) as well as BotswanaPost.
The fund has developed a three-year strategy for the period 2015-2018 with one of its focus being to connect primary schools and fully equipping the computer labs as well as upgrading bandwidth in areas where deemed necessary.
It will also ensure that all Batswana have access to a set of basic yet essential communications services throughout the country at affordable rates as well as focus its assistance on population groups beyond the reach of the communications market. For his part, the Minister of Youth Sport and Culture, Thapelo Olopeng said this will shift focus to the rural areas in terms of development highlighting that the youth will now consider starting businesses in the rural areas as opportunities will be availed.
“This will now open new doors for the youth to start their business in rural areas where the market is not congested. I want to encourage youth to come up with proposals that are culture based as well,” said Olopeng.
He added that if all the computer labs in rural areas are fully equipped, it will ease the ministry’s mandate as the youth will get to learn about different business cultures at a tender age which will groom them to be entrepreneurs.
Then Minister of Education and Skills Development, Moiseraele Goya noted that through this fund they will be able to teach students at a tender age about ICT as the ministry’s focus is on early childhood development.
“BOCRA came in handy, especially by installing computers in the primary schools as this will enhance their competency as well as upskill the students,” he said.
According to Goya, the experience that the students will be exposed to will enable them to compete with the outside world in terms of ICT usage.
Recently, BoFiNet utilised the USAF to connect hotspots on the malls, bus ranks as well as hospitals.