Senegalese musician launches African Internet initiative

Computerworld - Youssou N'Dour, the revered Senegalese musician who introduced many Westerners to the rhythms of African popular music, is now launching an ambitious plan to bring Africans into the online community.

At a meeting of celebrity United Nations "goodwill ambassadors" in New York this week, N'Dour announced the creation of the Joko Project, which seeks to build affordable Internet access centers in Senegal and other African countries as well as a Web site that will contain African cultural content. The Internet-related project is the flagship program for a new nonprofit foundation called the Youth Network for Development that N'Dour has set up in Senegal's capital city, Dakar.

"I want to make sure that the Internet becomes a core part of African culture, so that African youth are not locked out of the new digital economy," N'Dour said during a press conference. "Countries that lack the resources and skills to take part in the Internet revolution may never achieve independence in the world economy."

In Wolof, a native Senegalese language, "joko" means "connection" or "link." Formal development work on the Joko Project is due to start in January, with N'Dour's schedule calling for the new Web site and an initial set of Internet access centers to be operational by next spring.

The pilot phase of the project calls for the creation of nine Joko Clubs in Senegal to provide computer access and training. American and European mentors will teach Web-content development skills to the Senegalese participants. Nine smaller Joko facilities are due to be built in Europe, Africa and North America for use by Senegalese expatriates who want to remain in touch with family members and friends online.

Lisa Goldman, Joko Project co-director and former president and CEO of a San Francisco-based Internet development company, said the project will create 65 professional Internet development jobs in Senegal during the first year of its existence. Senegal's existing telecommunications infrastructure provides some Internet access now, Goldman noted. But she said 99% of the current network traffic goes to Web sites outside the country because there is virtually no local content.

Goldman said the ultimate goal is to use the cultural aspects of the Internet to help foster online entrepreneurial skills among users in Senegal. "Our premise is that economic growth will derive out of strong local Internet culture in Africa, [the same] as it did in America," she said.

Hewlett-Packard Co. said it's signing on as a sponsor of the Joko initiative, as part of the computer and software maker's Worldwide HP e-Inclusion Project.