[UgaBYTES] ICT news summary from Africa

[Nasikye Esther]

Hullo folks,
Here is a summary of the ICT news from Africa
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>440 Schools in Nigeria to get Internet Centers
At least 440 secondary schools are to benefit from two projects from the
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) with Internet Centers before end of
this year, an official said.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Engineer Ernest Ndukwe said this
Friday at the commissioning of the Two Internet Centers in Queens
Comprehensive Secondary School and Unity Secondary Schools both in Enugu
under the Commission's Digital Awareness Program (DAP).

>Zimbabwe: Promote Solar-Powered Computers
A partnership between Government and a private indigenous electronics
company to promote the use of solar-powered computers in schools around the
country is laudable.
This development is coming on the back of challenges over power supplies
that the country is facing, which have rendered computers in many schools,
especially in rural areas idle.
President Mugabe has donated hundreds of computers to schools in cities,
towns and rural areas to ensure that technology becomes the most affordable
and effective way to educate young people and give them better job
opportunities.

>Election Campaigns Go Hi-Tech in Zimbabwe
Savvy text messaging and cheeky ring tones are the new face of
cost-effective political campaigning in Zimbabwe in the run up to the 29
March election, despite the creakiness of country's cell phone networks.
"Call it an SMS [short message service] craze if you like ... It's a simple,
inexpensive and effortless way of campaigning for candidates of one's
choice," Aleck Ndlovu, a political activist, told IRIN.

>Uganda's Police Call Centres Boosted
For the first time in Uganda will people have the option of contacting the
police through the use of the short message service (SMS) to report
emergencies.
The service (sms option) will however only be available to Warid Telecom
subscribers after the telecom firm last week handed over 47 GSM enabled
complimentary desk phones that support the SMS technology to the Uganda
Police Force. With the phones, the deaf and incapacitated persons who may
not be in position to talk will simply text their requests to 112 or 999,
the traditional police emergency numbers.

Get the details of this news summary here
http://www.telecentre.org/en/news.detail/102096
Cheers
Esther
-- 
Esther Nasikye
Community Content Facilitator
UgaBYTES Initiative
Plot 2218 Ggaba Road
Kampala, Uganda
Tel: 25641370163
skype:esther.nasikye
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