Mali became the ninth country to launch NEPAD e-Schools when the Minister of Culture, Cheick Oumar Sissoko, representing the Minister of Education, officially opened the e-Schools Demonstration Project on May 24, 2007 at Lycee Mamadou Sarr in Bamako. He was accompanied by Moctar Ouane, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Oumar Dicko, Minister of African Integration; and senior Government officials.

From left: Minister Sissoko (second left), Matthew Chetty of AMD, Dr Henry Chasia of NEPAD, and Mr Nyasha Musekwa of ORACLE watch a demonstration by Lyceee Mamadou Sarr students in the computer laboratory.

Other countries that have launched the project are Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritius, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.

The initiative is a joint venture between the Malian Government, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Oracle, and NEPAD e-Africa Commission.

"NEPAD e-Schools will improve the way we teach and learn, through the use of modern ICT," said Minister Sissoko. "This project will enable us to ensure effective participation of our children in the globalized information society and knowledge economy."

The NEPAD e-Schools Project falls under the auspices of the NEPAD e-Africa Commission — the NEPAD information and communication technology task team responsible for developing the NEPAD ICT program and implementing related projects.

Dr. Henry Chasia, NEPAD e-Africa Commission Executive Deputy Chairperson, said, "The demo project is the first step in the implementation of the NEPAD e-Schools Initiative. It will provide real-life lessons for the roll-out in all primary and secondary schools on our continent."

Minister Sissoko (right) greets Dr Henry Chasia on arrival at Lycee Mamadou Sarr.

The countries participating in this demonstration project are: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, and Uganda.

NEPAD has put together an innovative public-private partnership to ensure the most effective and expedient implementation of the demo project. The partnership involves more than 50 companies with different skills and competences, working collectively to make the required technology hardware and software available to support teaching and learning in the schools.

"The private sector is playing a critical role in the realization of the demo. Companies have organized themselves in consortiums, installed equipment, content and other facilities in the demo schools at their expense, and will operate the equipment in the schools free of charge to the schools for one year," Dr. Chasia added.

AMD, Oracle, and a number of other private companies are sponsoring the demonstration project, consisting of six schools in each of the 16 participating countries for a period of 12 months.

In Mali, AMD is providing solutions to three schools through the 50x15 Initiative, a global effort founded by AMD to enable 50 percent of the world's population to have affordable Internet access and computing capability by the year 2015. Oracle is providing solutions to three other schools.

Learners in the computer laboratory at Lycee Mamadou Sarr.

"More than just goodwill, 50x15 is about fostering long-term economic progress and investment within high-growth markets in ways that benefit a wide range of people and businesses," said AMD's Matthew Chetty. "When one considers the developmental focus of 50x15 particularly within the education sector as well as the fact that Africa's population is a young one — the majority of Africans are below the age of 25 — there is clear synergy between 50x15 and the aims of the NEPAD e-Schools Initiative."

Chetty continued, "In order to ensure that the necessary complete solution is deployed at each school, AMD has assembled a strong consortium of companies covering all elements of the solution. AMD is therefore pleased to be playing a leading role in the NEPAD e-Schools Demonstration Project."

First announced in 2003 at the Africa Summit of the World Economic Forum in Durban, the NEPAD e-Schools Project focuses on providing end-to-end ICT solutions that will connect schools across Africa to the NEPAD e-Schools network and the Internet. Solutions also include the provision of content and learning material and the establishment of health points at schools.