CITAD Sensitize Stakeholders in Tungan-Ashere on Community Networks

  As part of the continued efforts to bridge the digital divide in rural communities in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has extended it's sensitization workshop to Tungan Ashere community.

The exercise is part of activities to be implemented under the organization's community networks project aimed at linking communities for easy access to affordable networks.

Humanity Watch had reported a similar sensitization campaign embarked upon by CITAD in other parts of the FCT.

The campaign which  is part of a larger activity to support Community-Led Approaches to Addressing the Digital Divide Nigeria, a project being coordinated globally by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) with support from the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) through their Digital Access Programme (DAP) was attended by stakeholders in the community.

Cross-section of participants at the sensitization workshop on Friday at Tungan Ashere in Abuja

APC is a global network of civil society organisations that promotes the empowerment of citizens through ICT, and advocates access to a free and open Internet, in respect of human rights and freedoms in the online space.

Muhammad Yahya Bello, Technical Officer, for CITAD, Abuja at the workshop said the sensitization was organised to enlighten and educate the people about community networks which aimed at bridging the digital divide between the rural and urban communities, its benefits, importance and the procedures involved in the project implementation.

"Most of the time we see that rural communities are not connected so they don't even know what is going on in the world. They are always left behind in the technologies, so a group of individuals and organisations like CITAD, APC, and the United Kingdom’s Foreign Common Wealth are trying to bridge these gaps in these communities.

Muhammad Yahya Bello, Technical Officer, for CITAD, Abuja during an interview

"The community networks will strengthen the networks in the beneficiary communities to give then unhindered access to electronic learning, E-commerce. Even in the political aspect, it will help them to be well informed to make the right choice of their leaders, hold their leaders accountable and ensure transparency and good governance," he said.

Bello said to ensure the sustainability of the network facilities when installed, stakeholders have been enlightened on the sustainability plan that would be put in place such as how to generate funds for maintenance of the centre.

While responding to the gesture, the Chief of Tungan-Ashere, Sani Yakubu, thanked CITAD and partners for the project.

He said with the ICT  centre deployed to the community, the community has achieved a lot of things. 

He  said the community is using the ICT Centre to train  neighbouring communities in Diploma in Information Technology on subjects like Ms word, Excel, PowerPoint among others.

Yakubu further revealed that the Communities (Tungan Wakili and Tungan Giwa) usually pay some fees to the facilitator before they are being trained thereby putting the ICT in continous and sustainable usuage while making profit. 

He said when the community networks are implemented, the community would achieve even more.

He  said the workshop had enlightened them on how to leverage the intervention to improve their lives and wellbeing.

CITAD Technical Officers coordinating the workshop

According to him, following the deployment of the ICT centre, the community had been in direct talk with a daughter of former Nigeria President, Ibrahim Babangida who has provided improved cassava stem for farmers in the community for economic empowerment.

"We are also communicating directly with her and she has promised to assist us with processing machine for processing gari and she also promised to link us with buyers overseers for us to export cassava from our farms," he explained further.

Chief of Tungan Ashere, Sani Yakubu responding to the gesture after the workshop

For over seven years, Tungan Ashere community had been empowered by daughter of former Nigeria President, Ibrahim Babangida, Aisha ibrahim Babangida.   Last year she decided to bring a cassava stem to the community after training the community on how to plant, harvest and process the cassava produce. 

Presently the ICT center deployed in the community by CITAD with the support of Actionaid Nigeria is been used to advertise the end produce of the cassava such as fufu, starch and garri to the public.

This has led to a great  sales of more than 5,000 fufu pieces a day within and outside the community.

 Aisha  is also  working presently on how to use the ICT center  to register the community through mapping so there could be possibility of exporting the cassava peel to China for other productions.

Speaking on behalf of women in the community, Safiya Yakubu, said she's very happy that her community was considered for the intervention.

The Women Leader noted that the networks connection project will be of great benefit to women in the community as they will be able to market their farm products on the internet. 

 On his part, Bashir Musa, Community Representative also expressed joy over the enlistment of his community for the network connection project.

While describing the project as a  very good development, he said the project will benefit them in many ways especially in the area of social media engagement. 

"With this, we can advertise and create awareness to people and the government about our farm produce and what is going on in our community.  It will also enable us to make contact with other neighbouring communities," he said.

He said the ICT centre deployed to the community previously by CITAD with support from Actionaid Nigeria had been of great benefit to people in his community because before the intervention they had no knowledge of computers.

"We are very grateful because before now, making a call or using the internet facility was very difficult because of lack of strong network in our community. 

"CITAD has impacted greatly on our community in many ways to give us a good life and we are very grateful and appreciate all their assistance, " Musa stated. 

The network community project program has already been implemented in other communities in the country; Jama'are and Itas in Bauchi, Dakwa and Pasepa in Abuja all are among the communities that are benefiting from the program.

Among participants at the workshop are religious leaders, youth representatives, and traditional rulers.

The workshop featured an overview of community networks and their benefits to the communities; a discussion of service render by community network, regulatory conditions of the project among others. 

At the end of the presentations co-anchored by CITAD  Technical Officer, Suhail Abdullahi and Bello, the participants were allowed to ask questions and make useful contributions.

Report compiled by Josephine Ejeh