Africa50 supports Poa! Internet’s school digitization programme to connect thousands of pupils in Kenya
- Africa50’s CSR financial contribution to Poa! Internet’s school digitization programme will provide free Internet access to 4,000 pupils in Kenya’s underserved communities.
- The initiative aligns with Africa50’s mission to bridge the digital divide by connecting the unconnected.
Nairobi / Casablanca 28 March 2023 - Poa! Internet and Africa50, the pan-African infrastructure investment platform, today announced a joint initiative aimed at providing free internet access to schools in Kenya’s underserved communities. They are supported in this initiative by Digital Education Africa Network (DEAN), a Dutch NGO.
Africa50’s financial contribution will support the expansion of Poa! Internet’s school digitization programme, by connecting more schools and upgrading 10 of the schools initially connected, with additional bandwidth and coverage. It will also equip the schools with end-user devices such as tablets, laptops and projectors. In addition, the initiative includes content development and training programmes for the teachers within the schools. The latter is courtesy of DEAN, offering their ElimuPi a portable educational hotspot which gives you access to thousands of educational resources.
Through this initiative and its core activities, Poa! Internet, together with Africa50 are supporting the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), including SDG 4, contributing to inclusive and equitable quality education for all and SDG 10, reducing inequality within and among countries.
The project is expected to start in early 2023 with the upgrade of the 10 initially connected schools, followed by connecting 3 new schools, covering over 4,000 pupils in total. Poa! Internet will also undertake monitoring and evaluation activities for 24 months, to measure the impact of the project and guide future interventions.
Andy Halsall, Poa! Internet’s CEO commented: “Poa! is all about connecting the unconnected communities of Africa, creating opportunities for growth, learning and economic stimulus through digitization. We believe that connecting schools is instrumental in bridging the digital divide. We believe that this wonderful addition to the already existing strong partnership with Africa50 will positively impact the communities that we serve. “Together with Africa50, Poa! Internet is keen on bridging the continent’s digital divide”.
Joost Dam, founder and director of Digital Education Africa Network (DEAN) adds: “I am particularly excited about this partnership because it complements and strengthens our existing CLASSworks model, through which we guide schools in integrating digital learning tools!”
"We are pleased to partner with Poa Internet on its mission to connect schools and bridge the digital divide in the underserved communities it serves. The increasing digitization of education is strongly aligned with the key pillars of Africa50’s strategy of delivering development impact within its shareholder countries. We are excited to be able to contribute to this high-impact journey with Poa!” said Raza Hasnani, Managing Director and Head of Infrastructure Development at Africa50.
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About Africa50:
Africa50 is an infrastructure investment platform that contributes to Africa's growth by developing and investing in bankable projects, catalyzing public sector capital, and mobilizing private sector funding, with differentiated financial returns and impact. Africa50 currently has 32 shareholders, comprised of 29 African countries, the African Development Bank, the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), and Bank Al-Maghrib. For more information, visit: www.africa50.com.
About Poa Internet:
Poa Internet is a Kenyan Internet Service Provider that provides truly unlimited, and highly affordable Internet services to the homes and small business owners of lower-income urban communities that are unable to access services from established communication service providers, visit https://poa.co.ke
About Digital Education Africa Network (DEAN):
DEAN supports primary and secondary schools in Kenya to integrate digital learning tools into their teaching and prepares teachers for the Competency Based Curriculum.
Media Contacts:
Africa50: Nana Boakye-Yiadom, Senior Communications Coordinator, Tel: +212666166308, n.boakyeyiadom@africa50.com
Poa Internet: media@poainternet.net
DEAN: info@dean.ngo, +254 72 3653227
Category: Press Release