2nd Giga Africa Ministerial Roundtable
Welcome Remarks
Doreen Bogdan-Martin
Director, ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau
2 December 2021
I am honoured to open this second Giga Africa Ministerial Roundtable and to welcome such a distinguished group of leaders. I would like to express my deepest appreciation to Minister Ingabire for her country's active engagement and continuous commitment to Giga, and for the leadership and vision that Rwanda continues to show in advancing education and connectivity in Africa.
We are all here today as firm believers in the transformative power of education through connectivity. It's precisely because of that power and potential that Giga is highlighted in the UN Secretary General's Roadmap for Digital Cooperation and in his 'Our Common Agenda' report as a key way forward for digital inclusion.
When I look back at the progress made since our last Ministerial roundtable in March, it is amazing to see what we have already accomplished, despite the many challenges brought about by the COVID pandemic.
With the support of partners and collaborators, Giga has raised over US$22 million – and leveraged an additional $200 million – to catalyse efforts to accelerate connectivity. We are working actively with 19 governments, we have already connected more than 3,000 schools together with our Giga partners, and we are well on our way to connecting more schools, students and teachers.
In Africa, our teams are actively engaging with governments and authorities in Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Kenya and Zimbabwe to connect schools, and in Niger, to map schools. We are also working with several of you present here today to explore sustainable business models to connect schools and keep those schools connected, and to evaluate the value of interactive connectivity maps.
In addition, we are exploring possible areas of cooperation and ways to support countries that have shown interest in Giga, such as Namibia, Benin and Guinea.
More than ever before, closing the digital divide calls for global investment, partnerships, and technological innovation.
But financing the necessary infrastructure for connectivity remains a vital, and often overlooked, step.
New research by our knowledge partner, the Boston Consulting Group, identifies sustainable funding models that could cover the bulk of investments to connect schools worldwide.
The research recommends six ways to tackle low school connectivity in a sustainable manner, through:
- Optimizing funding models locally
- Combining funding models to minimize funding gaps
- Combining electricity provision with connectivity
- Focusing on affordability
- Working with NGOs to empower grassroots communities
- And regulatory reforms to promote sustainability
A combination of these models, including community contributions and one-off government subsidies, could finance around 90% of the capital and operational costs required for school connectivity
Ladies and gentlemen,
Achieving sustainable development and the digital transformation of the African continent can only be reached through education, affordable broadband access, and digital skills development.
I know I can count on your vision and leadership to help us progress toward our goals, and I look forward to an inspiring round of discussions ahead.
Thank you.
