While congratulating the 23 organisations selected after a public call for expression of interests by his ministry, Minister Biyiti bi Essam mentioned the presence at the ceremony of two other cabinet ministers; those of Communication and of Youth Affairs as evidence to underscore government’s resolve to financially support the best initiatives of CSOs promoting ICTs in order to fight digital poverty throughout the country. “I can therefore assure you that government will honour its commitments within this framework of public-private partnership,” he told the beneficiaries to the support package worth FCFA 110 million.
Speaking earlier, the Director of Infrastructure and Access Networks to ICTs at MINPOSTEL, Lucien Nana Yomba, said the 23 pertinent projects were selected among 89 projects submitted for funding using criteria that included administrative qualifications, number of years in activity, computer equipment, sustainability of the project, geographical scope, target population and planning of activities. The selected projects that have to be implemented within three months involve training, building computer awareness as well as developing content. “If these projects are well implemented, they will surely reduce digital poverty in our country,” he said. One of the beneficiaries was the African Institute of Computer Sciences, IAI, which plans to pursue its “Operation 100,000 Women” by training 500 more women in the Far North region.
The initiative was perceived as part of government’s objective to make real the policy of Greater Achievements instituted by the Head of State to grant wider and affordable access to the Internet and digital technology to enable Cameroonians of all ages belong to the society of information and knowledge that uses ICT as an engine of development. MINPOSTEL had undertaken a similar initiative in 2007 by granting FCFA 65 million to CSOs for training in ICTs throughout the national territory.
