Community telecentres create a network

A network of community telecentres has just been created in Congo Brazzaville. It gathers 10 community telecentres around Brazzaville and there are plans to expand the group to include telecentres throughout the country.

The idea for the network came about after a survey of telecentres conducted in April 2006 by the NGO AZUR Development. The network currently has 10 telecentre members. The main office is in Brazzaville. It is expected that more telecentres will join the network in the coming months.

The network objectives are:
· facilitate and encourage the installation of community telecentres in rural and urban areas;
· increase accessibility, in particular of marginalized people, women children, and people with disabilities and illiterates, to ICTs ;
· formalize the collaboration and increase information and experience exchange among telecentres, and
· build the capacity of telecentre members.