Connect Africa is an innovative ICT initiative that combines entrepreneurship and social enterprise to bring communication, business and public services to deep rural communities across Africa. 

Using a network of public phones and data terminals, working in tandem with a fleet of service vehicles that routinely visit these installations , Connect Africa provides an infrastructure and logistics network to facilitate the delivery of multiple services to deep rural communities.    

In April 2008 Connect Africa began conducting a trial of satellite connected public pay-phones in deep rural Central Zambia.

The success of these first trials resulted in the deployment of an extended trial project, supported by the Iridium and Thuraya Satellite Networks, in March 2009. Funded by the Southern Africa Trust and with the approval of the Communications Authority of Zambia and the Zambian Wildlife Authority, Connect Africa deployed six public pay-phones in and around the Mumbwa/Kafue region of Central Zambia.

All activity across the trial network was monitored and analysed and a project report with recommendations for a national network of rural multipurpose service points was submitted to the Zambian Communications Authority for review in July 2009.

This voice and data supported network will provide the framework for a multi-purpose service network to deliver public sector e-government, agriculture, health and education services, as well as multiple private sector services,  directly to deep rural communities.

It is proposed that with the support of the Zambian Government, and private sector service providers, Connect Africa will begin a phased roll out of their ICT based rural service network across Zambia in late 2009.

The Zambian rural network will then serve as a model for a pan-African rural service network operating in 10 countries by 2015.

Website: www.connectafrica.net