On Fri, 7 Apr 2000 [log in to unmask] wrote:
> Hi Sunday,
>
> Thanks for your replies to my queries about telecenter best
> practices. May I move this discussion to Afrik-IT? I
> suspect others would have interesting comments to make.
Ok Jeff. I have copied this message to the list.
> > N100 ($1.00) per month Fixed and a connect charge of N2 per
> > minute. That is $1.20 per hour!
>
> We might say that the development "model" you are
> following is a commercial one in which access is based on
> price. The theory goes that if one liberalizes markets and
> gets the price down, more people will have access.
Either you or the competition will obviously get the price down. If you
lower price without the matching infrastructure for the upsurge in
clientelle, you will end up with disgruntled (Grumpy) clients.
> The wealthier will have access first of course, since price always
> rations by wealth, right? The critique is that this model neglects
> the poor.
On the contrary Jeff, The "Poor" do not need "Internet Access". What they
need is "Food".
> A response is that those seeking to assist the poor should work
> through telecenters such as yours rather than try to build stand-alone
> projects that invariably fail as soon as donor money disappears.
Those who want to help the poor in Africa should think and work towards
building Grain storage Silos and Food processing Centers.
> Is that how you would describe your "model"?
For what we do in my company, price is lowered in response to patronage,
not in anticipation of patronage. We charge the cost, providing what we
believe is reasonable service.
> I presume your model is sustainable in that you are receiving
> no direct subsidy. True? You're covering your costs from
> revenues?
Yes.
> Yours is precisely the model I have proposed for my colleagues at
> USAID in Kinshasa. There's actually a young entrepreneur there in one
> of the cite's (low-income areas) who has set up a telecenter that
> sounds a bit like yours, though he's still struggling. The proposal
> is that USAID fund the customers to use this man's service, rather
> than fund equipment on the customer's premises or some independent
> telecenter of our own, which is what we usually do.
If you want to make funds available, The Poor ones among the patrons will
prefer food. The rich ones will prefer to marry another wife {:-o).
> We might call on you at some point as a consultant, if you're willing
> to share your business expertise. Interested?
Eh! Eh!! You got me there! I certainly will get fired, the way football
coaches are fired!!. My first recommendation will read something like
"What are we doing here, lets get the H--- out of here!!!".
> Cheers!
> Jeff @ Nairobi
Take Care!
----------------------------------------------
Sunday A. Folayan
General Data Engineering Services Ltd
18b, Oshin Rd, Kongi Bodija Ibadan, Nigeria
Snail: Box 29460 Secretariat, Ibadan Nigeria
Email: [log in to unmask]
Voice: +234-2-8105156 Data: +234-2-8105067
Fax: +234-2-8106268 US Fax: 1-415-449-3514
|