Dear GKD Members,
The idea of sending free PCs already "amortized" from the inventories
of companies is a great idea from the western perspective.
I am in charge of information networking in Africa in a development
organisation. I got in the past several opportunities to send such
PCs...
Unfortunately, 4 major problems changed this great idea into a simple
waste management idea.
1. In most cases, out of 10 computers, only 1 or 2 are working properly.
2. Nobody wants to pay for the transportation (example: from Canada to
Senegal, and from Germany or Austria to Mali), the cost of
transportation (very high) brought me to stop the project.
3. It is not really serious to send equipment without a small training
of trainers especially for rural areas (usually without software, in
English with english keyboards)
4. In most cases, the question of electricity and who will pay for the
bill at the end of the month seems to be forgotten.
The "company" insisted on the fact that the Government should pay for
all this "external and local" costs. The "poor" Government usually send
a letter to selected development institutions or to the United Nations
organizations and here we are...
I am requested by Governement as well as the private sector and selected
civil society organisations to build an kind of industrial information
networks in selected countries in Africa. I am currently looking for
several computers for countries such as Mali, Madagascar, Senegal, Togo,
Tunisia, Morocco.
Should you have interesting proposals taking care of the above issues, I
would be delighted to be contacted and to see how I can help. But,
should the whole story end up as a waste management story (send old
computer without paying for the transportation to Africa), I would
rather prefer to keep it as a good idea.
Sorry for not being positive, but I am a practical person and in Africa,
the success story does not stop because somebody offers "old computers".
I fully support the view of M. Richard Labelle who present the whole
issue very smoothly.
Best regards
10 May 2001
Dr. Yves Ekoue Amaizo
United Nations Industrialization Development Organization
Statistics and Information networking Branch
Team leader for Mali and responsible officer for French speaking
countries in Africa
E: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
T: 0043 1 26026 5102
P.S. I am travelling a lot and may not reply automatically to all
Email.. Sorry for that. Next mission next week - Senegal...
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