Rural Development

This summary is part of a research project carried out between March and October 2006 in support of the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD), one of The Communication Initiative (The CI)'s partners.

Nearly 90 percent of Uganda’s 21 million people live in rural areas, where communication services tend to be very poor. The Nakaseke Multipurpose Community Telecentre (MCT) project was initiated in 1998 as a pilot study for future investment in information and communication technology (ICT) for rural development by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and with support from the Danish International Development Agency, DANIDA. The project was part of a broader MCT Pilot Programme established by the African Information Society Initiative (AISI).

[Note: Project update - according to the contact below in August 2006, this pilot project has become self-sustaining and has been renamed to be the Nakaseke Community Multimedia Centre (CMC).]

The two objectives of the project were to provide a centre where the rural community could access ICT resources, such as print, video, CD-ROM, telephone, fax, e-mail and the internet/web; and to determine whether providing ICT to rural communities could facilitate their socio-economic development and improve the quality of their lives. In order to achieve these objectives, the MCT project developed strategic alliances and partnerships with a number of national, international, governmental, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that were able to provide both financial and technical resources.

The rural communities served by the MCT project are Nakaseke and Kasangombe. The MCT services all stakeholders within these communities, including primary and secondary schools, a university and Teachers Training College, hospitals, NGOs, the local administrative council, small businesses, farmers, women’s groups, youth, and the general members of the public.

The MCT uses a 13-element Yagi Antenna to amplify the presence and strength of the cellular network signal in the area, which enable the MCT to provide telephone, fax, and internet/e-mail access at a consistent 9.6 Kbps. The Telecentre also provides a resource centre and book box for schools, ICT training and applications, topical video shows, outreach programmes and community development programmes, secretarial services, compilation and dissemination of indigenous knowledge; sports and entertainment, telemedicine, a demonstration site for modern agricultural practice, and a central hub for the linking of research centres with extension agents and rural farmers.

In order to develop local capacity, ICT training was provided to 20 community members, who have in turn trained more than 80 users and conducted community outreach programmes. The MCT is owned by the local Council and directed by a Management
Committee, a Local Steering Committee and a Core User Group who intend to achieve self-sustainability for the centre.

The following challenges were observed:

• Poor telecommunications infrastructure has affected telemedicine and other heavy file transfer applications;
• Erratic electric power supply to the area;
• High rate of illiteracy in the community and restricted accommodation for facilities; and
• Low usage of the centre by women.

Key factors that have led to the success of the project are:

• The support and commitment from local leadership in making the MCT a sustainable reality;
• The MCT is the only such centre in the whole district. As such, it reaps the benefits of monopoly status;
• The development of partnerships and strategic alliances at both local and international levels; and
• The creativity and dedication of the staff and stakeholders.

The following lessons were noted:

• User needs and translating these into services and content - This is a key consideration in determining an appropriate model for a telecentre. It is important at the earliest possible stage to articulate the core service, that which is most critical to the community or will most quickly attract users, and then structure the other services around this;
• Sustainability - It is vital to determine at the outset those factors, measured by qualitative and quantitative methods, which will ensure a sustainable service;
• Resources - The hardware, software and human resources necessary for accomplishing the task must be in place;
• Strategic partnerships - These can facilitate networking, content creation, applications and the mobilisation of users;
• Local champions - Whether individuals, institutions or both, having these will create the initial impetus and support for the MCT and form an invaluable stakeholder group and initial client base.