In August 2007, Winneba Open Digital Village Foundation (WODIV) organized a wireless training workshop for persons interested in deploying Wireless Local Area Network technology (WLAN). Participants were drawn from across the country – Ghana with others from Nigeria. The workshop was dubbed Simpa Open Summit.

Some of the members were sponsored by IICD whilst others sponsored themselves. At the end of the workshop, the participants from Northern Ghana felt very strongly the need to form a wireless user group to enable members to continue to share and exchange knowledge and skills in WLAN technology deployment. This desire of the Northern Ghana group resulted in the maiden meeting of the group on Wednesday, 22^nd August 2007 at Lady Sweets Restaurant at Gumani – Rice City, a suburb of Tamale.

 Purpose of the group 

1. To continue to update and to share knowledge in the newly acquired skills in wireless networking
2. To promote wireless networking as an alternative means of deploying internet access to deprived communities in the Northern Ghana
3. To be a WLAN technology think-tank for the Northern Ghana
4. To be a group that would deploy wireless technology cheaply and rapidly in the Northern part of Ghana
5. To give support to IICD Sponsored projects to deploy wireless technology to serve their various communities

 Founding members: 

The founding members are of varied professional background working with different organizations in Northern Ghana. They are:

 Name                                                              Organization

1. William B. Nsiah-Asare                        UDS
2. Agbenyo John Stephen                         NINS
3. Norbert Apentibadek                           ACDEP
4. Baatuomu B. Christian                          ECG-CBC
5. Basiru                                                  Total Supply
6. Baba Musah                                         MOFA
7. Baba Salifu                                           GES
8. Mumuni Mohammed                             SEND Foundation
9. Bro. Gracious                                       PEPS-C Wa

   Membership of the Group 

For now the group would be a closed one and membership of the group will be by application and registration or by honorary status conferred on individuals by the founding members. The group is yet to be registered with the appropriate authorities in the country.

The following potential opportunities were identified for the group should it come into existence.

1.      NGO, Government Organizations and Individuals would be more comfortable dealing with a group rather than individuals

2.      Deploy and execute wireless projects as a group

3.      Bid for contracts if and when the opportunity comes.

 Services 

The following are some of the services which the group will offer

1.      Organize awareness seminars WLAN technology and ICTs for development in general

2.      Organize training programmes in ICTs for communities and institutions in Northern Ghana

3.      Organize training programmes on behalf of strategic partners like IICD

 Strategic Partners 

The group identified the following organizations and individuals as strategic partners:

1. IICD, Netherlands
2. GINKS,
3. WODIV, Wiineba
4. Kofi Annan ICT Center, Accra
5. ECG- Business and Computer School
6. Total Supply Ltd
7. Ghana Telecom University
8. Ghana Telecom
9. George Azunga
10. CEO, Clinton Computers
11. Some prominent non-political Individuals in society
12. Some prominent non-political individuals in society as patrons
13. CEO, Data Security

 Potential clientele 

1. NGOs
2. Government Organizations
3. Private institutions
4. Individuals

 Message from the Team Leader and Country Director (IICD) 

The maiden meeting was joined later by the IICD country manager (Olaf Erz) and Team Leader, Mr. Stijn van der Krogt. They shared their experiences on wireless technology deployment in other deprived communities in Bolivia and other countries with the group. They also shared their experiences on their familiarization tour of the Community Information Centres (CICs) of the District Assemblies which are being supported by the Ghana Government.

Next meeting: 5^th of September, 2007

The convener thanked them for coming to share ideas with the group and for coming at a very important time to reinforce the ideas that our noble idea of forming a group was a good one.

• Introduction to Wireless Networking                                               
• Introuction to WiFi Devices
• Building Local Wireless Routers
• Setting up and Configuring Wireless Local Area Network
• Installing Open Source Software
• Open Source on Wireless Technologies
• Network Securities
• Trouble Shooting
• Bandwidth / internet Link Optimisation
• Managing your Network

Participants were taken through practical aspects of the topics discusssed including: installing ubuntu software, cabling, constructing antennas, and intallation of other wireless technology devices.

Personal interaction with other participants revealed that the course was very relevant to their field of work and they look forward to acquiring the basic local resources that will enable them to set up wireless local area network within their organisations and at home.

My personal experience is that the training sessions provided a lot of insights into the basic principles of deploying wireless network technology. I am also now informed than before about the various technological options available for internet connectivity, particularly for rural communities. I hope to harness the resource and potential available withinn the Northern Ghana group that participated in the course to assist ACDEP members who are interested in deploying WLAN technology at their stations for effective acess to information and communication to accelerate rural community development in Northern Ghana.

Stay in touch with norconsult for further tit bits on participants impressions about the training and what some of them propose to use the knowledge and skills acquired for at their various organisations. Norconsult’s radar has picked excellent signals from the biquad antenna of PEP-C in Wa, the riegional capital of the Upper West Region of Ghana, indicating that Brother Gracious is wirelessly preparing to cause a sterling revolution in transforming the ineficient, ineffective and unreliable existing technology at PEP-C with an affordable cost-effective and easy to manage wireless internet access connected to Computers with ubuntu software.

Do not miss this exciting moment with Brother Gracious on August 22 2007. Stay connected to norcunsult.

Story by team leader, Norbert