Imcon Liberia Foundation and Syracuse University iConsult Collaborative Supporting '40 In 2021' Public-Private Education and Health Partnership Plans to Increase Liberia's Internet Penetration From the Current Low Rate to Over 40% Within 3 Years
ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / July 24, 2018 / Imcon International is pleased to announce that on June 24, 2018, the Imcon Liberia Foundation, a non-profit entity, was established in Monrovia, the capital of The Republic of Liberia. The Foundation's mission is to greatly improve connectivity for the country's education and healthcare systems to achieve societal goals.
Liberia has 6,000 schools, very few of which currently enjoy any access to the Internet. This bold initiative intends to bring this important learning tool to Liberian schools and within three years offer 21st century connectivity and educational opportunities to all schoolchildren in this country of 4.9 million people.
Syracuse University School of Information Studies students have been engaged in experiential learning through the student organizations iConsult Collaborative and WiTec (Worldwide Innovation Technology and Entrepreneurship Club) advised by Professor Lee McKnight, who defined the '40 in 2021' project objectives and methods drawing on his prior experience in the USA helping advance educational Internet services. Dozens of SU iConsult Collaborative graduate students have supported the initiative already, and more are expected to do so in the next phase. Syracuse University School of Information Studies Associate Dean Art Thomas said, "Our students gain tremendously valuable skills in information management, security, and data analytics through their studies here at Syracuse University. It is very rewarding for our students to be able to give back to the world while practicing their new skills through iConsult Collaborative projects, such as they are doing in this case by contributing to Liberia's digital transformation."
In addition to Syracuse University, Imcon is working with STEM global project-based learning partner One Planet Education Network (OPEN) on this project. George Newman, CEO of OPEN, stated "It is a thrill to have the opportunity to work with the wonderful children and young learners of Liberia in hands-on experiential learning across the Internet, as we have been doing for some time. With this initiative, we may reach and engage with many more children, and more importantly, they can engage and interact with each other and with other children and scientific experts worldwide."
Liberia's Minister of Education, Professor Ansi Sonii stated, "We are pleased that Imcon International, Inc. has launched the Imcon Liberia Foundation, to work also with the Imcon International Foundation in bringing new methods and tools to our children and national education system."
Imcon Liberia Foundation organizing committee members are:
- Mr. Ben Wolo, former Managing Director of Liberia Telecommunications Corporation (Libtelco)
- Cllr. Althea Sherman, former Interim President and General Counsel, National Oil Company of Liberia
- Dr. James Sirleaf, Director of Emergency Services, Columbus Regional Hospital, Georgia, USA
The Organizing Committee will be announcing members of the Board of Directors and Executive Management soon.
Mr. Ben Wolo states, "This important development brings instant connectivity to underserved communities and will be a significant step forward for our nation in offering greater educational and healthcare opportunities to our children, and in time, all citizens of Liberia."
The Imcon Liberia Foundation will be an integral piece of helping the '40 in 2021' plan. The Foundation will engage stakeholders in a "Public, Private, and Philanthropic" multi-stakeholder partnership to create a sustainable model for collaborative governance to manage and sustain this significant increase in Internet connectivity. This will lead to the digital transformation of the country and offer many 21st century learning and healthcare opportunities to the Republic of Liberia.
About Imcon
Imcon International, Inc., is an immediate connectivity solutions provider. Imcon is developing edgeware services and device solutions, such as the Internet Backpack, which conform to the Open Specifications Model for the Internet of Things v0.5. The Internet Backpack is a remote connectivity solution utilizing narrow-bandwidth utilities which allows users to be able to communicate from almost every location on the planet. The Internet Backpack also allows users to create internal wireless networks with large coverage areas utilizing various radio frequencies. Please visit http://imconintl.com for more information.
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SOURCE: Imcon International, Inc.