Workshop Room
15:00 - 16:00
English
Workshop
Beginner
Access
I Want to Start a Community Network, What Do I Do?

Short thesis

More than 450 million of Africa’s population does not have access to mobile broadband signal. Community owned and managed networks are showing potential to contribute to close this gap. These networks not only provide access, but also have broader development implications. In this workshop, authors will engage with the audience going through the steps of creating one, reinforcing good practices and highlighting common pitfalls to avoid.

Description

In Ghana as well as in other African countries, several individuals and organizations have expressed their interest in starting community networks. Yet, many do not know where to start. This workshop will focus on guiding those interested through the steps of creating a community network.

First a brief introduction of the concept will be provided. Then, one pre-selected member from one of the Ghanaian organizations interested in the topic will describe its idea of a community network, and the burning doubts that are blocking them to implement one. The panel will then provide its view on how to move forward. As the session evolve new questions will appear from other members of the audience that will, in turn, be answered, reinforcing good practices and highlighting common pitfalls to avoid.

Although the session will be highly interactive, addressing the doubts of the the audience, it is expected that the panel will answer their questions around technical, regulatory, among other areas. The importance of local content and build up of ICT skills will also be considered.

Partner