News update Telecoms and ICT in Africa – Issue No 123 on 16 August 2002

FIRST AFRICAN TRIAL OF VILLAGEPDA - FISHING FOR CHEAP RURAL CONNECTIVITY

16 August 2002

The first sub-$25 PDA is about to be "road-tested" by the fishing community of Kenya’s Lake Victoria. A partnership between Environmental Liaison Centre International (ELCI) and the PDA’s creators, MediaSolv, the trial is seeking to address issues such as over-fishing in the lake. Vasee Nesiah of MediaSolv describes what they are setting out to achieve.   The vast majority of livelihoods in rural Kenya rely directly on natural resources and most involved engagein unsustainable practices, with potentially dire consequences. The natural resource base is constantly under siege, an issue that must be addressed in the interest of sustainability.   This…