Website SDNP in Angola Serving Diverse Needs in Angola The story of SDNP in Angola illustrates just how adaptable an SDNP project can be, reinventing itself in new forms to suit local needs and circumstances. Rede de Informaçao para o Desemvolvimento Sustentavel (RIDS), the SDNP node in Angola, was launched in 1994 with a grant of US $100,000 from UNDP to focus on the environment and sustainable development following the Bicesse Peace Agreement and attempts to rebuild war-torn Angola. At the time, there existed another network, Angonet,operated by an NGO, Development Workshop [DW], which offered e-mail services seeking to increase communications and information exchange among and between Angolan, regional and international organizations. Rather than compete with each other, as has unfortunately been the case in some other countries, the two projects found that they could pool resources and technical expertise by working together. RIDS and ANGONET officially merged in June 1997 in order to enhance capabilities of networking still further. RIDS in collaboration with ANGONET provided information services through 12 Electronic conferences/databases which ANGONET offered on the net. These electronic conferences were the first of their kind in Angola and had a tremendous impact on sensitising the population on the effects that an electronic network could achieve.
Something for everyone
In 1996, when a link to the Internet was established in Angola, two other ISPs started operating, making it difficult for the non-profit content providing ISPs such as ANGONET/RIDS to compete. However, a somewhat unique but innovative solution emerged from the decision to split the project into two entities: Angonet and Ebonet.Angonet continued to receive financial support from the Canadian NGO Development Workshop, which paid the discounted communications costs of about 20 Angolan NGOs and civil society organisations such as labour unions and offered its users electronic mail, news bulletin boards, and electronic conferencing services. As an associate member of the international conferences that are carried by the Association for Progressive Communications [ACP] network ANGONET/RIDS maintains access to a global set of APC. Selections of these conferences have been available to Angonet subscribers via GreenNet.
Capacity Building: Angola's first Commercial ISP
In Ebonet, SDNP performed a national IT capacity building function in developing Angola's first private Internet Service Provider (ISP). EBONET became a highly successful commercial ISP. It worked out a unique arrangement allowing NGO networks, such as ANGONET to operate, on their system maintaining their own distinct identities and user bases, while gaining full access to the commercial ISP's compliment of Internet services! In addition, Ebonet offers technical assistance to Angonet's clients.Thus the financial success of Ebonet helps support the development goals of Angonet. EBONET has 80 access lines linked to the Angola Telecom, 20 employees and about 1,000 clients, each of whom receive four hours of training in the use of email and the Internet. Clients include government offices, private businesses such as oil companies that have their own dedicated lines, and large international organisations like UNICEF and UNDP, all of whom pay a commercial rate of US $44 a month.
Access to email provides a huge benefit to Angonet's clients, who tend to be spread out in provincial towns all over Angola, and who find other forms of communication, such as phone and fax, too expensive. "From what I've seen, people first use our services for communication," says the Angonet coordinator. "Then they pass on to the information phase. But first it's for communication because there is no other way that is affordable."
In fact, many of these organisations even lack computers, and part of Angonet's work has involved arranging donations of used computers for Angolans NGOs (To help contact DW) from large development agencies such as UNDP or the World Bank. Training, of course, is another essential feature of Angonet's work, and all Angonet clients receive training in the use of email and the Internet.
Cyber-Centers and Email for Everyone
In the area of public cyber-centres, Ebonet and Angonet have different goals and different clientele. Ebonet has already opened an Internet Cafe in Luanda with a 64-kilowatt link available 24 hours a day. But it's not for everyone. At US$ 5.00 an hour including coffee or a pizza, many Angolans cannot afford to use it. A project has been proposed to the national Post Office for an affordable cyber-centre where people can send emails and faxes via the Internet at a subsidised cost. If approved, the centre will be called Email for Everyone.For more info: info@sdnp.undp.org
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