Fantsuam Foundation banks on shared access

Executive director; Kafanchan based Fantsuam Foundation, Dr John Dada, has said that in order to survive the high cost of having access to bandwidth, his organisation has embraced shared access formula.

He said shared access has become a cultural norm in bridging the hard biting digital divide mostly in the rural areas of Africa and Fantsuam Foundation in northern Nigeria is banking on it to reduce cost of access.

Dr. Dada made this disclosure while responding to questions, at the on going
workshop on “Achieving affordable bandwidth,” and said that though the
foundation pays estimated 1,800 United States Dollars monthly on Very Small
Aperture Terminal (VSAT) access.

Speaking to newsmen recently, Dr. Dada who just returned from a three day workshop held in Saly, Senegal, said, it has become relevant to share access with other local organisations to empower the villagers and at the same time contributing in closing the gap between the advanced countries and bringing the rural communities closer to the cities in respect of technology usage.

“We are strategically located in Kafanchan,” he said.

Stressing that the reason the foundation was set up in a rural area was to be closer to the people which stimulates how the organisation intervenes by contribution to the development of the community.

He also said that disposal income varies according to communities.

“A community that has road access (what quality?), electricity, telephone, hosts
a post office, a secondary school and health clinic is richer than one that does
not have these. Graded pricing of services, pay what is affordable, and subsidize the balance via community leaders and understanding,” he declared.

Dr Dada also said that the current service in use at the foundation is being managed by Emperion, VSAT service provider.

This, he said, was after trying other products like Bgan and Arabian telecom.