National and international business community

Government and public authorities in South Africa

World Bank

To facilitate and deliver affordable technology and Internet access for learning, enterprise and social development in developing countries.

To deliver ICT skills training to support the development of human resources.

To realise the potential of thousands of young people who find themselves across the 'digital divide' without access to the skills, knowledge and technology required to live and work in the global economy.

The pilot initiative in South Africa will commence in April 2002 in Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal and Western Cape Provinces.

Evaluation of the pilot project will be undertaken by an independent agency to access partnership models, learning and development impact, and a cost-benefit analysis. This evaluation will be made available on the Digital Partnership website.

Lessons learned from the pilot experience in South Africa will be used to establish a model for the further implementation of the project.

The Digital Partnership will be implemented through the establishment of E-Learning Centres in schools, training centres, and social enterprise projects. The E-Learning Centres will be equipped with Internet links, software and content, and ICT Instructional support.

The Digital Partnership will provide a platform for a wide range of partners to contribute resources, technology, education and training content and technical assistance.

The partnership will benefit from the network effect and the innovative leverage of corporate resources.

Pilot initiatives will be started in Brazil, India, Pakistan, Russia, and possibly Poland based on the experience of the pilot efforts in South Africa.

Previous Initiative

Return to list

Next Initiative