High
Level Interest in ICT Development in Mali
H.E. Mr. Alpha Oumar Konaré,
President of Mali, underlined his support for using information technologies for
development in Africa in his address " 'Afrique et les nouvelles technologies de
l'information" (Africa and the New Information Technologies) presented at a
conference in Geneva in October 1996. The conference, which was co-chaired by the
President and Guy-Olivier Segond, Conseiller d'Etat de Genève, adopted a final declaration
enabling the establishment of a network known as ANAIS to facilitate the use of ICT in Africa. The ANAIS group
had its first seminar in Bamako on 15-19 December 1997 to discuss the means, tools and
modalities for setting up an efficient information network. The seminar was organized by
the ANAIS' node of Bamako with the support of la Fondation du Devenir (Geneva) and
l'Association GlobeNet (Paris).
Following the Geneva conference,
the President of Mali set up a project with over US$ 100,000 dollars allotted for
collecting and documenting successful ICT experiences in Francophone countries and in
Ghana.
ANAIS has established its national
nodes in eight countries, and the node in Mali has been set up in Bamako with Mr. Abdoulaye Kone nominated
as the person in charge.
At the national level, substantial
development has taken place in the improvement of the telecommunications infrastructure in
Mali. However, ICT issues such as NICI policies, strategies, and plans have not yet
been addressed.
Full text of H.E.
Alpha Oumar Komare's discours entitled "L'Afrique face aux nouvelles technologies de
l'information: comment prendre l'initiative" can be found at http://www.anais.org/Fr/documents/archives/konare.html.
Back
to Top
Telecommunications
Structure and Policy
The Ministère de la
Communication is the governmental body responsible for the telecommunications
sector. The Telecommunication Regulatory Committee (CRT) has been created
to ensure application of the regulations. Until such time as CRT is operational, the
ministry in charge of telecommunications, assisted by SOTELMA, is in charge of
application. The Société des
Télécommunications du Mali (SOTELMA) is the sole operator in the sector.
SOTELMA was established by decree of the Council of Ministers, and it reports directly to
a Board of Trustees composed of eight members representing key ministries in the country.
SOTELMA has undertaken a number of projects to modernize the telecommunications sector.
These include the following:
- Establishment of a DOMSAT network
(réseau national de télécommunications par satellite) which provides digital links to
four major towns (Gao, Tombouctou, Kidal and Kéniéba) in the north of the country. The
project integrates a complete communications infrastructure, combining telephone, fax,
data transfer, and radio and television transmissions.
- Establishment of a cellular network
in the capital city, Bamako, and its surrounding areas. By the beginning of 1998, the
network was catering its services to a total of 2,842 cellular subscribers.
- Establishment of a VSAT-based
Internet hub by SOTELMA and the four private Internet Service Providers: Bintta
SA/MaliNet, Cefib, Datatech and Spider.
With the assistance from the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU), Mali
executed a project to implement a telecommunication master plan and to elaborate a
broadcasting master plan has been executed from 1991 to 1997. As a result, training was
provided to a significant number of staff.
Back
to Top
ICT
Networking Development
There is no formal national ICT
policy in Mali currently. The Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication is the
organization responsible for national policy on telecommunications, libraries, archives
and documentation centres.
Following the signature of two
Memoranda of Agreements in August 1996 and November 1997, the US Government's Leland
Initiative has provided support for the establishment of an Internet hub in Mali. The
Leland Initiative also co-sponsored a training programme with USAID, CIDA and ACCT for
technicians from SOTELMA, the private ISPs and other public institutions.
The Ecole Nationale de Médecine et
de Pharmacie de Bamako operates a HealthNet node which links to the Internet via inbound
calls from Satellite in Boston, Mass., USA. The major users of HealthNet are Association
malienne pour la protection et la promotion de la famille, Ecole nationale de médecine et
de pharmacie, Centre d'études et de recherche sur la population pour le développement,
Groupe Pivot/Save the Children, and the Malaria Research and Training Centre.
Besides SOTELMA,
four private Internet Service Providers
(Bintta SA/MaliNet, Cefib, Datatech and
Spider) are operating in Mali. The number of Internet users was estimated
to be 400 by 1998.
The ISP Spider opened a cybercafe
in Bamako. The cybercafe is run by two permanent staff. It provides Internet
services (to students at half price), and the staff organizes training programme on
Internet and Intranet.
ICT training is offered by a number
of institutions: Conseil informatique, Association centre Djoliba hommes et
développement, Centre d'études et de formation en informatique et bureautique, Gmi,
Tata-informatique, Wacom-Informatique and Datatech. The PTO SOTELMA operates the Ecole
nationale des postes et telecommunications.
Back
to Top
ICT Partners and
Projects
ACCT's Afrinet Project
L'Agence de la francophonie had provided support within its project known as Afrinet for the
installation of a web server at the PTO's (SOTELMA) national Internet hub. Content for it
is being developed with an emphasis on distance education.
Multipurpose Community
Telecentres (MCT)
Project site: Timbuktu.
Duration: 3 years. Starting date: 1 December 97 (delayed to January 98).
International partners: ITU,
UNESCO/DANIDA, IDRC, FAO, WHO
National partners: SOTELMA,
National Commission for UNESCO, Ministère de la Culture et du Tourisme.
Status: Project Document
signed (by all the above partners, except WHO and local authorities) in December97/January
98. Since then, FAO has joined the project. FAO has a community radio project which may be
complementary to the MCT pilot project. WHO has expressed the intention to join.
National executing agency:
SOTELMA will initially be responsible for the operation of the MCT. By the end of the
pilot project, the intention is to hand it over to the local authority/association and/or
to a franchisee.
Achievements: The National
and local steering committees have been established. A national project co-ordinator was
appointed. As part of the start up activities, a workshop was organized in Timbuktu in May
1998 to develop training plans for the various user groups. Some 40 representatives,
consisting of local Malian partners and user groups, participated in the workshop.
The MCT is now operating in
temporary premises in an underused wing of the local hospital, while awaiting the
construction of a building provided by the local community. The new building will be
located in an attractive setting in the centre of Timbuktu. The existing Domsat link,
between Timbuktu and Bamako, will be upgraded to handle a leased 64 Kbps line to the MCT.
Short-term international volunteers
have been active in helping to install PCs and to establish the network. They are also
providing the local community with training and on how to use personal computers and
Internet applications such as e-mail and the WWW. A Web site has been established for the
Timbuktu project (hosted on a server in Bamako).
Further information can be found at
the ITU Rural
Development and Universal Access Page.
US Leland Initiative
The US
Leland Initiative has provided support for the establishment of an Internet
hub in Mali, and for the development and provision of Internet training programmes.
Back
to Top
|
