This alliance is expected to provide an enabling environment to expand the availability of ICT technologies in the health, agricultural, education and civil society sectors and thereby offer ICT opportunities to disadvantaged communities that are relevant to the skills required in the modern world. Emphasis is placed on providing rural access to serve Namibia's historically disadvantaged populations in remote areas of the country. SchoolNet assists policy-makers to understand the opportunities and challenges presented by rural access in Namibia, including opportunities envisaged by the establishment of a regulated and carefully managed Universal Access and/or Service Fund.
The ICT alliance is expected to develop strategies for overcoming barriers in a policy environment that should support open entry and innovative approaches to wireless access. The ICT alliance will address the development of appropriate wireless telecommunications and alternative energy solutions and make provision for the implementation of such solutions in Namibia.s rural areas. This solution is expected to be a catalyst that will draw support from other stakeholders, including those offering telecommunications infrastructure, alternative energy solutions, open-source software development, hardware refurbishment, networking equipment and training courses. Successful achievement of these objectives will be of enormous value for cross-border replication elsewhere in Africa.