Rethinking telecentre sustainability approaches

Abstract

Abstract: Telecentres today are the key to telecentres of tomorrow. If they succeed in achieving their objectives, there is no doubt that development partners, social investors and governments will have a fresh look at the potential of telecentres to development. In June 2005 the government of Ghana launched the first of its two hundred thirty telecentres to be established across the country. In Rwanda, US $ 1 million has been set aside for a countrywide telecentres program. All these are some of the bold initiatives that will be boosted by exquisite telecentre planning today. Financial and social sustainability of telecentres remains one of the key challenges of the digital inclusion programming more than a decade after. The author uses field-based experiences from India and Africa to review varied telecentre sustainability approaches. While analysing the strengths and weaknesses of each of the approaches he makes an argument for a new approach – one that will ensure high social capital, sustainability and financial sustainability for telecentres.