PROPOSAL FOR FREE WIFI TO ASSIST IN THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN Free WiFi For Africa NPC, trading as Project Isizwe NPO Registration 133-371 NPO 156 DORP STREET, STELLENBOSCH, 7600, SOUTH AFRICA
TABLE OF CONTENTS OVERVIEW OF THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN... 3 NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN: STRATEGIC GOALS... 3 HOW FREE WIFI CAN ASSIST IN REACHING THE STRATEGIC GOALS OF THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN... 4 2
OVERVIEW OF THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN The impact of rising inequality and unemployment growth due to unsustainable growth based on resource extraction, has contributed to poverty. 1 A combination of slower growth, rising inequalities and vulnerability to exogenous shocks has contributed to civil conflict, trapping Africa in a vicious spiral of economic decline. Poverty and inequality are major factors that contribute to the distortion of development. Poverty leads to inadequate healthcare, which contributes to the spread of diseases, in particular HIV/AIDS in the African context. 2 Almost 70% of people living with HIV worldwide live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Also, inadequate education, which creates a generation of uneducated youth, places pressure on the aid system and dampens the promotion of economic growth and creation of job opportunities as they are not actively participating in the economic activities of the region. 3 The National Development Plan (NDP) has to attack the blight of poverty and exclusion and nurture economic growth at the same time; creating a virtuous cycle of expanding opportunities, building capabilities, reducing poverty and involving communities in their own development, all leading to rising living standards. NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN: STRATEGIC GOALS The NDP strategic goals that can be dealt with via Free WiFi are as follows: 1. Increase employment. 2. Raise income per capita. 3. Increase national income of bottom 40%. 4. Increase quality of education. 1 Economic Shocks and Civil Conflict: An Instrumental Variables Approach. Journal of Political Economy. 2004. 112 (4) 2 UNAIDS. 2012. 3 National Development Plan. Vision 2030. (2011:2) 3
5. Provide affordable access to quality healthcare. 6. Make broadband internet universally available. 7. Broaden social cohesion and unity. HOW FREE WIFI CAN ASSIST IN REACHING THE STRATEGIC GOALS OF THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN 1. Increase employment Free WiFi has a multiplier effect on the economy, creating new businesses, increasing employment and increasing accessibility to consumers. The World Bank estimates that for every 10% of broadband penetration, there is a 1, 28 % increase in GDP. By providing citizens with access to Free WiFi, the opportunity to create, update and upload a CV onto job searching sites opens up a new dimension of possibilities for the community. Profiles on professional work sites such as LinkedIn can also be a method of finding employment. Companies or private people seeking employees can now connect with the community members by linking the employer s needs with the employee s skills. With sites that are focused on start-up companies, detailed information can be provided to the reader regarding step-by-step setup of a small enterprise. This could be utilised via Free WiFi and community members can create work for themselves as well as for other members of the community. Companies could be involved in the initiative in order to support and advise these members. This can be done through e- mail, video-conferencing or VOIP. 4
2. Raise income per capita 4 A successful strategy of poverty reduction must have at its core measures to promote rapid and sustained economic growth. With a sustainable growth rate, the Millennium Development Goals will be easier to achieve. Free WiFi creates a larger online consumer base which, in turn, creates an opportunity for e-commerce and other tech entrepreneurs to establish a local economic foothold, from which to grow internationally. 3. Increase national income of bottom 40% Free WiFi is specifically required in low-income and rural communities, in order to enable the bottom 40% of income earners to capitalize on connectivity with the greater economy and market opportunities. There are many job opportunities for community members to make money whilst being on the Internet. In order to work online, Free WiFi will save them the operational costs and the money they receive can be invested in better living conditions for themselves and their families. Activities such as data encoding, website searching and marketing on behalf of companies are all ways of making money whilst being online. No travelling costs, office space or other costs are involved. The community member can work in the comfort of their own home and earn money while doing so. 4. Increase quality of education Low-income communities have the most to gain from the internet, and yet they are the most marginalized due to the high costs of data in SA. Government-subsidised Free WiFi networks in low-income communities are one of the most effective means to bridge the digital divide and ensure equal opportunity for all. 4 Department for International Development. Building jobs and prosperity in developing countries. (2) 5
5 Deloitte estimates that by extending internet penetration, another 640 million children may be able to access the internet and the wealth of information it makes available while they study. Technology can expand opportunities for students to engage in collaborative learning, with great potential for learning and circulation of ideas. With online courses in a vast variety of subjects, the community can now educate themselves. The learning is brought to the community, which saves them transport costs, hard copy printed material cost, stationary costs and most importantly, time. Students can now work and study at the same time, creating more income for the household which will contribute to better health of the members as well as positively benefit the economy. Free WiFi makes it possible to provide online teacher and student training and assessment. The anonymity offered by Free WiFi enables teachers and students to ask questions and improve their skills without fear of publicly acknowledging their shortcomings. 5. Provide affordable access to quality healthcare South Africa set out long-term health goals, indicators and action points towards the 2030 vision. 6 There are nine goals for healthcare: the first five relate to the wellbeing of the population and the other four describe the required systems. The matter of health is not only a medical condition; it spreads much wider than that. It could become a psychological spiral for the supporting network at home, a financial burden and an endless struggle and fight with the healthcare service providers. Free WiFi allows for access to online health information resources, empowering citizens to educate themselves on prevention and treatment and generally improve health. Through e-mail access, the community could e-mail their symptoms to a 5 Deloitte. Value of connectivity: Economic and Social Benefits of expanding internet access. (2014:5) 6 National Development Plan: Vision 2030. (2011:333) 6
healthcare provider who can come out to the community with the correct medication. This saves the community member time and costs as well as avoiding traveling while being ill. Many South African citizens live in areas that are remote and difficult to access. Recruiting trained staff to work in these areas is challenging. Free WiFi allows for general practitioners based in urban areas to consult and assist using online tools (both text and video), thereby allowing for rural citizens to have access to the highest quality healthcare possible without having to relocate professionals to such areas. Online training resources for healthcare workers can be made available via Free WiFi networks, thereby minimising the need for on-site training sessions and allowing workers to self-educate in their own time. Furthermore, patients can use Free WiFi networks to rate workers in their localities, thereby providing for accountability in the system. 6. Make broadband internet universally available 7 The commission is concerned about the high domestic cost of broadband Internet connectivity. All in our society should be able to acquire and use knowledge effectively. Everyone should benefit from important breakthroughs in science & technology. WiFi is the most widely used last-mile access medium, largely due to the high rate of penetration of WiFi-enabled smartphones and tablets in low-income communities. Further, WiFi network infrastructure is a fraction of the cost of 3G, allowing for greater economic feasibility for government-funded internet access. The existing fibre backbones are largely unutilized. What is needed is the last mile to provide citizens with access to the huge untapped capacity that has been installed in the past few years. 7 National Development Plan: National Development Commission. (2011:9) 7
Free WiFi is the most appropriate last mile for low-income communities. The implementation of free WiFi hotspots in the rural areas specifically, will drastically increase the connectivity of community members. 7 Many parts of Africa that have not seen fixed-line telephony are widely served today by efficient cellular phone networks that provide a wide range of services. By introducing free WiFi, the success of these phone network services can expand and deliver a greater benefit to society. 7. Broaden social cohesion and unity By connecting community members with one another and with the government, they now have a voice in the decision-making processes of economic, political and social issues that influence them directly. 8 One way in which ICT technologies expand inclusion is through effective public services that rely on ICT infrastructure and through digital inclusion, i.e. the ability of people to use technology. These three aspects are deeply intertwined, and they span dimensions as diverse as disaster relief, food security and the environment, as well as citizenship, community cohesion, self-expression and equality. Tshwane Free WiFi IN NUMBERS Dec 2013 to April 2015 14 Million + sessions logged in total 525 000 + unique users since launch 30 000 + unique users per day logging on TV 4 Million + views on WiFi TV since Nov 2014 80 000 + unique users on Bus WiFi 8 Deloitte. Value of connectivity: Economic and Social Benefits of expanding internet access. (2014:6) 8
During a disaster period experienced by the community, they will be able to have contact with aid workers to advise them about where the safety tents are, as well as where food and family registers will be. The aid workers will be able to register all the names of the families and in such a way ease the process of finding other members that have not yet reported to the tents. Figure 1: Tshwane s success in partnering with Project Isizwe. Internet access is a key factor to attracting small businesses. Free WiFi for rural areas can stimulate economic activity, as well as engender social cohesion via social networks such as Facebook and engage community activism for governmental initiatives. 9 Through the Voices of Africa programme, young reporters from Zimbabwe, Malawi, Uganda and South Africa were trained to create video news using internetenabled devices, allowing them to choose the issues they consider relevant to their communities. Project Isizwe, a Non-Profit Organisation came up with an innovative solution to offer free WiFi as a basic service which will allow for the internet access embarked on by the three spheres of government. Project Isizwe and its approach to facilitate the establishment of Free Internet Zones is detailed in the accompanying information. A partnership with Isizwe will result in increased levels of connectivity, affordable WiFi and the envisaged outcomes of achieving the strategic goals of the NDP 9 Deloitte. Value of connectivity: Economic and Social Benefits of expanding internet access. (2014:6) 9