Lack of investment in electric power generation and a dearth of renewable energy alternatives are threatening to derail the New Partnership for Africa's Development's (Nepad) plan to equip schools in Africa with computers to promote e-learning.
The problem is also threatening the computerization of schools particularly in rural areas, which often are not connected to the national grid. The question of electric power has dominated many discussions on how technology can be used to spur economic growth in the region.
Despite political pronouncements by African governments, little progress has been made in improving the region's power generation and supply capacity especially to rural areas.
Several Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) countries including Zambia, South Africa, Malawi and Namibia are facing increased power shortages to run computers and other ICT equipment in schools. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe said last week that Zimbabwe will not be able to connect schools in rural areas to the e-learning program due to lack of power from the national grid.
"The program will only be rolled out in 600 secondary schools in urban areas and will not be extended to rural areas because some schools are not electrified," Mugabe told a council of ministers earlier this month.
Last year, Nepad unveiled a plan to equip schools with computers and connect them to the Internet in order to access educational content.
The business plan was approved by African ministers in charge of information and communication technology last year. The project is also aimed at creating a critical mass of African youths with ICT skills, in order to narrow the digital divide between Africa, America and Europe.
Several African countries are now worried that the project may fail due to lack of constant power supply. Persistent power outages have further added to the high cost of doing business in Africa, as most mobile service providers and business process outsourcing facilities are forced to use generators to power installations.
Zimbabwe, like many other countries in Africa, has been facing a challenge raising funds to buy generators for schools that are not connected to the national grid. The power outages are taking place at a time when the region is trying to convince international companies to invest in the telecom sector in order to grow the sector and improve communication.
The initial phase of the e-schools project was launched in 11 African countries including South Africa, Egypt, Rwanda, Mauritius, Uganda and Senegal in 2003 after African presidents approved the plan.
After a successful trial, Nepad through its e-Africa Commission based in Johannesburg, South Africa, extended the project to cover all of Africa. Nepad hoped that by 2015, the project would cover around 600,000 schools on the entire continent. Each school is supposed to be equipped with a computer laboratory containing at least 20 computers, a server and network infrastructure, as well as peripherals such as scanners, whiteboards and printers.
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