Project Leader: Father Godfrey Nzamujo 

Institution: Songhai

Region: Benin

        
 Project Details

 WSIS Action Lines: 2, 3, 6, 7

Context: Why is this project important?

Millions of rural Africans have become trapped in a cycle of poverty-induced environmental damage that leads to steadily declining agricultural productivity and hence deeper poverty. As a result, Africa accounts for just 1.8% of world trade. Songhai is helping Africans find ways to make agriculture more productive and sustainable by focusing on improving crop production, fish farming, and livestock production. By fostering entrepreneurship and better management practices, Songhai aims to increase Africa’s role in the global economy while making African society and institutions more stable. ICTs play an increasingly important role in this work. In 1999, Songhai set up community telecentres in three Benin towns—Porto Novo, Savalou, and Parakou—that also have Songhai centres. The telecentres gave many people their first opportunity to use ICTs for accessing knowledge, sharing information and acquiring skills. Their popularity—Songhai soon had to expand both bandwidth and services—made it evident that ICTs had the potential to expand Songhai influence across Benin and into neighbouring countries. This project focused on making the Songhai Website a focal point and resource centre for an extended Songhai community. Its largest component was creating Web-based distance learning courses on topics such as business management, crop production, livestock production, aquaculture, and marketing. Consultants worked with Songhai trainers—most of whom had little previous exposure to ITCs—to transfer computer, Internet and multimedia/video production skills, and then to test the distance learning modules with users. The modules were also adapted to CD-ROM format to make the courses available to those lacking Internet access. The second component of the project was developing Web-based services such as Web mail, discussion forums, teleconferencing and an electronic market to support a virtual Songhai community. These services are gradually being rolled out on the Songhai Website.

The Project: How does this initiative address the development problem?

Founded in Benin in 1985 by Father Godfrey Nzamujo, Songhai (named after the extensive 15th century Malian Empire in West Africa) is one of Africa’s most successful and well-respected sustainable agriculture institutions. Through its programs of training, production, and research and development, Songhai fosters creativity and innovation with the ultimate goal of establishing the conditions for a stable, prosperous African society. At its training centres in Porto Novo, Savalou and Parakou, Benin, Songhai has trained thousands of young people in a wide range of sustainable agriculture techniques. These Songhai alumni went on to establish more than 250 farms in Benin and other West African countries, yet their impact was limited because they lacked a way to share information amongst themselves and with others. And Songhai information resources and training were only available to the relatively few able to come to its centres. This project used the Songhai Website to extend and connect the Songhai community in two ways: by offering training via distance learning multi-media courses, and by beginning to develop new capabilities such as Web mail, discussion forums, teleconferencing and a electronic agricultural market. The project also allowed Songhai to install and experiment with connectivity solutions, including VSAT (Very Small Aperture Technology) satellites and VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) technology, to overcome the communication constraints caused by Benin’s weak infrastructure, especially in rural areas. The results of these experiments will offer useful lessons for others facing similar connectivity challenges.

Objectives:

By making Songhai sustainable agriculture information resources and training available to anyone with access to a computer and by beginning to create a Songhai virtual community, this project has empowered more Africans to effectively harness the economic and social potential of the continent. This in turn helps Africans participate more fully and equally in the global economy.

Development Impact

This project has been critical in creating a culture of information and experience-sharing within the Songhai community—a culture that is essential to inspiring and supporting creativity and initiative. It allowed Songhai’s trainers and other staff to gain skills in developing multimedia content for distance education, and laid the foundation for deploying a range of collaborative tools on the Songhai Web site. It also introduced farmers and their communities to the tangible benefits of using ICTs for development.

Outputs