Internet now! is here

A project to create 100 Maarifa centres in northern Uganda.

Many agree to disagree yet as the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus said, “Change is the only constant in life”, is pragmatic to nearly everything but not limited to technology. It was time to adapt to the new normal. Day after day, technology plays a key role in robust services and solutions. On the grounds of that, Oxfam Novib has partnered with ALIN, Samsource and Inveneo to deliver technology infrastructure to 100 rural Maarifa centres in Northern Uganda as project Internet Now! set sail.

The goal of the Internet Now! The project is to create 100 telework centres throughout northern Uganda, in the districts of Adjumani, Amuru/Gulu and Moyo, offering outsourced ICT data services, wireless Internet access via a wireless café hotspot model, and services such as agricultural education and crop pricing information to generate increased income and employment over time. There are 100 centres in the network, covering 872,000 people with 10 workstations at each centre, two fully equipped. All centres will be stand-alone solar-powered and independent from a grid. The network is staffed with two Knowledge Facilitators who will provide training and support to visitors and a Field Officer who will specialize in identifying needs. ALIN led the team in the project which established a Micro Telco in Northern Uganda. This initiative included 22 ‘service & employment centres’ that were all connected to the Internet via solar and wireless technology.