Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Monrovia (Fides Service)- Development in Africa is not only a question of constructing roads, bridges and aqueducts, but also and above all of education. This emerged during a ceremony to open a new Computer Centre for at the University of Monrovia, capital of Liberia. This first concrete step of a Digital Bridge Project, a programme which aims to erase the digital divide, between colleges in Liberia and those in more advanced countries.
These new technologies, when available, can bridge the gap which otherwise with traditional means would need years of large investment to fill. The University of Monrovia, for example, has a modest library of books at least 20 years old. But thanks to the new digital centre the students can access digital archives of the Library of the United States Congress and the prestigious MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).
“The Digital Centre is the result of hard work, partnership and dedication on the part of many people. I am certain the Centre will help Liberia take a decisive step forward to reduce poverty and accelerate the transition to a prosperous nation” Liberian President Johnson Sirleaf said at the inauguration ceremony.
The centre, built in four months and is equipped with 200 computers connected by an intranet, with a digital archive and a VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) connection to the Internet.
The Centre was built by a company founded by a member of the Nigerian Diaspora in the United States. The aim of the company is to help African universities enter the digital era and it already employs 300 people in different countries Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Uganda. The company which has changed the style of life and study of thousands of Africans, intends to extend its activity to Asia starting with India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 10/5/2007 righe 29 parole 341)
