- About Kondoa Community Network (KCN)
Kondoa Community Network (KCN) is the first community network in Tanzania to pilot the use of Television White Space (TVWS) to connect the unconnected population in Kondoa District, Dodoma Region, Tanzania. It is an initiative that came about in 2014 as an academic contribution seeking to address the issue of the digital divide gap in rural Tanzania by providing alternative and cheaper Internet connectivity solutions to the marginalized communities, in the quest to aid them attain agenda’s 4, 5, 8,9 and 10 of the UN SDGs.
For more details about Kondoa Community Network, please visit: https://kcn.or.tz/
- KCN School of Internet Governance (KCN SIG)
KCN SIG is a maiden programme that aims to create an empowered knowledge community members capable of playing a critical role in building a sustainable community networks infrastructure, creating local content for digital inclusion, shaping policies that govern the evolution and use of community networks. The main objective of this program is to help individuals from local community networks in Tanzania and East Africa to better understand the national, regional, and global Internet Governance and policy issues, settings, and processes, in the quest to build a critical mass of Internet governance and community-based telecommunication policy ambassadors.
- KCN SIG Key outcomes
- Improved capacity on Internet governance policies and advocacy Increased awareness and adoption of community networks concept Localized Internet content and learning materials in Swahili.
- Gain technical skills on the OpenCellular technologies in addressing the digital divide in rural areas.
- Participate in creating hyper local content using GAIUS platform.
- Improved technical skills in designing, installation and management of community-based telecommunication network.
- KCN SIG Convenors
- The University of Dodoma
- Kondoa Community Network (KCN)
- Tanzania Community Networks Alliance (TzCNA)
- Centre for Youth Empowerment and Leadership (CYEL)
- Internet Society Tanzania Chapter (ISOC Tanzania)
- KCN Partners:
- University of Dodoma (UDOM)
- Internet Society (ISOC)
- Mozilla Foundation
- Telecom Infra Project
- GAIUS Networks
- Kirat Communications
- The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
- Kuza Steam Generation Tanzania (KsGen Tz)
- Internet Society Tanzania Chapter
- BasicInternet
- KCN SIG Programme Format
KCN SIG anticipates partnering with relevant Internet Governance stakeholders to offer a 2 days intensive digital policy training to 50 selected participants in Kondoa District, Dodoma Region. The induction course will cover the political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, legal, local content and other dimensions of Internet Governance and community networks in Tanzania’s context. The programme will be coupled with both presentations, practical oriented lectures as well as hands-on activities covering the management of critical Internet resources and the development of local content to foster Internet development and inclusion. Other formats include case presentations, breakout sessions for interactive discussions and a practicum. A social programme is included in the programme to facilitate networking among faculty and fellows. At the end of the session, fellows will get a certificate of participation in attending the KCN SIG. The organizing team and partners understand that school may attract more application and therefore admission to the School shall be through a competitive selection process.
- KCN SIG Target Audience
The target audience shall comprise of practitioners, researchers and professionals from the following sectors (50% of whom shall be women):
- Technical Community i.e telcos, developers, community networks/radios
- Legal Fraternity
- Civil Society/NGO Private Sector and Business
- Academia and Research
- Government and Public Sector
- KCN SIG Selection criteria Applicants must have demonstrated:
A basic awareness of, and interest in, Internet governance, local content creation and community network related issues; Fluency in English, and or Swahili; Interest to engage in the Internet governance Policy ecosystem, content development, Community Networks Good writing, argumentation skills, audio/video creation/editing skills
- Proposed Dates and Venue
- Dates: 14th – 15th February 2020
- Venue: Study Zone Computer Centre, Kondoa
- Workshop Theme: Internet Governance and Local Content for Sustainable Community Networks
- Workshop Focus Areas:
- Introduction to Internet Governance
- Introduction to community networks
- Local content development
- Localization and Intellectual property
- Strategies to connect the Next one Billion of Internet users
- ICT policy ecosystem in Tanzania
- Accessibility and Content regulation
- Capacity development with policy stakeholders
- Hyperlocal content creation in GAIUS platform
- OpenCellular Technologies for Rural Communities
- Digital inclusion and societal empowerment through Internet
- Panelists (Tentative):
- AfriNIC Representative
- Mr. Bob Ochieng – ICANN Stakeholder Engagement Manager, Africa
- Mr. Nazarius Nicholas, ISOC TZ Chapter President
- Facebook Africa Representative
- Eng. Abdalmonem Galila, ICANN Universal Acceptance Ambassador, Egypt
- Ms Madeline Kimei – iResolve Tanzania (Legal & Intellectual Property Expert)
- Dodoma FM Radio Representative
- Mr. Haji Dachi
- dLAB Representative
- Mr. Stanley Mosha
- Ms. Rebecca Ryakitimbo (KsGen Tz)
- Jabhera Matogoro, Mozilla Open Internet Fellow
- Peresi Mgolozi, Software Developer, Tanzania Community Networks Alliance
- GAIUS Networks Representative
- Telecom Infra Project Team
- VERIDOC Global Tanzania
- Representative APC
- Representative
- Mr. Daniel Khauka Nanghaka, the Father of Modern Internet Standards in Africa and Chair, Outreach and Engagement S/C ICANN At-Large.
- Catherine R. Kimambo, African Child.
We are committed in building the required capacity to manage and support community networks using the local team available in our rural areas. This event is towards achieving this target said Jabhera Matogoro.