TECHAIDE TAKES KNOWLEDGE TO RURAL GHANA VIA TECHNOLOGY
By Mawutodzi Abissath
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| MODERN LIBRARIES AS A CENTRE FOR KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION RATHER THAN A ROOM WHERE BOOKS ARE STORED |
Well, there may be some half-truths in this observation. However, in the opinion of this author, that scornful statement can be characterized as a fallacy of “hasty- generalization” in terms of logic.
Because, even though one may be able to hide something from a black man by putting it in a book some of the time, it is not true that something put in a book can always be hidden from all black people all of the time.
Mr. Kafui Prebbie, a young
Ghanaian “techy savvy,” like many African bookworms, vows that no one on this
planet of knowledge boom can hide anything from him by putting that thing in a
book. And it is my considered view that there are many black men and women who
can simply be described as “bibliophile” because they can hardly take away
their noses from books.
On Tuesday, July 9, 2013, within
the premises of the State Boys School, Kumasi the noble consort of Asantehene,
Lady Julia Osei Tutu Community Knowledge Center (CKC) was inaugurated by the
madam herself under the auspices of The Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Charity
Foundation. The event was very brief but colourful and witnessed by a multitude
including this writer.
Mr. Kafui Prebbie Chief Executive
Officer of TechAide, an Accra-based up-and-coming ICT firm, was among several
other development partners who contributed in diverse ways for the realization
of the Community Knowledge Centre project.
The Kumasi CKC is the first of two pilots projects earmarked for the
Ashanti Region. The second one is expected be launched at Kenyasi for the
benefit of rural communities. Vital Capital Fund is supporting the project
financially.
As a matter of fact, TechAide among other
things, provided IT technical services
in terms of designing, installation, supplying and provision of unique Inveneo
Certified low voltage computers, ICT hardware and software as well as technical
training of the CKC Manager at over 100,00dollars value.
To throw more light on the
involvement of TechAide in taking knowledge to rural and deprived people in
Ghana through the establishment of community libraries, Mr. Prebbie granted an
interview to this writer after the inauguration of the CKC in the Ashanti
capital.
According to Mr. Prebbie, between December
2010 and July 2011, a research study into the perception of public libraries
was conducted in six African countries including Ghana. The other countries
were Ethiopia. Kenya, Tanzania Uganda and Zimbabwe.
The study was commissioned by a
European-based international not-for-profit organization known as EIFL’s Public
Library Innovation Programme (PLIP). The actual research was conducted by TNS
RMS East Africa. The focus of the study was to explore perceptions of public
libraries in Africa among different stakeholders including people who use
libraries and those who do not; government decision-makers, librarians
themselves and library officials.
“The basic objective of the
research was to better understand the status and role of libraries in Africa
the vision, aspirations and expectations of library stakeholders,” disclosed
Mr. Prebbie in our tête ă tête. TechAide
boss explained that the finding of the study was used to inform an outreach and
advocacy efforts to build and strengthen policies and long-terms support for
public libraries.
“In all the six African
countries, an overwhelming majority of stakeholders - library users and non-users,
librarians, library officials, government decision makers – perceive public
libraries to be for books and study rather than spaces for technical innovation
and provision of community development services,” the study revealed.
According to Mr. Prebbie, “only
five percent of users and non-users associate libraries with information
communication technology (ICT).” The
study also established a fact that funding for libraries is very low in local
communities due to poverty. “Yet, all stakeholder groups believe that library
services can improve lives and livehoods and contribute to community
development goals,” the study concluded.
TechAIDE Chief Executive Officer
disclosed that it was the findings of this research that most Africans,
especially Ghanaians perceived libraries only as a place where books were
stored rather than associate them with ICT. “This is what motivated me to
embark of advocacy not only to create awareness about the benefit of library
services for economic prosperity but to take knowledge to the door steps of
rural poor through technology,” he stressed.
TechAide is a technology social enterprise that is
development-oriented and is poised to take knowledge to rural Ghana, by first
conducting need assessments of the rural communities before providing
professional services in various fields such as IT consulting and training; project design and development; as
well as technology project management, supply, installation and support
services.
Other technology partners of
TechAIDE who supported and witnessed the launching of the first ever Community
Knowledge Centre in diverse ways in Kumasi were the Information Services
Department (ISD) of the Ministry of Information and Media Relations, National
Information Technology Agency and Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic
Communications (GIFEC) all of the Ministry of Communications and the Ghana
Library Authority; Vital Capital Fund, Appleseeds Academy, Google and Vodafone.
 TechAID Technology Partners cheerfully waiting for their flight at theDomestic Departure Hall in Accra Airport en route to Kumasi 
Mr. Kafui Prebbie, CEO, TechAID briefing Partners
on arrival at the Community Knowledg Centre in Kuamsi
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 Lady Julia Osei Tutu (sited middle) Wife of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II sharing ideas with some Development Partners after commissioning the CKC  School children and members of the public trooping to see what the CKC has in stock for them 
Unique Inveneo Certified Low Voltage
Computers donated by TechAID to CKC
 Mr. Prebbie hands over the special computers to the Ashanti Regional Director Ghana Library Board  Members of the public going round to view facilities at the CKC 
Mr. Kafui Prebbie (left) explaining a point to
a Journalist Mr. Kamel Nasan of GNA (second right)
TechAIDE CEO (back to camera) dramatising things
with passion to Technology Partners from Accra
 Group photograph of Technology Partners from Accra and some staff of TechAID who witnessed the event in Kumasi  Lady Julia Osei Tutu (middle) with her royal entourage posed for the cameras at the end of the grand ceremony |
- Story and Photographs by Mawutodzi Kodzo Abissath, Deputy Director/Head of IT at the Information Services Department (ISD) of the Ministry of Information and Media Relations
Contact: abissath@gmail.com
