ICTworks

I am Jacob B. Odame and today I pursue my educational dreams in the United States. I am taking a break from the roads to rural villages in Ghana. There, I was helping NGOs access their ICT needs, define what is suitable for them, submitting proposals, arranging logistics and doing ICT deployments.

I particularly miss seeing the children and the hope so evident in their eyes. My hearts feels warm within after every successful deployment – and that fact made every project implementation that I was engaged in whiles working in Ghana with the 1Village team a success.

Maybe I didn’t recognize all the benefits before, but now I realize that access to ICT tools, especially the Internet, for the Ghanaian child in a typical village opens the world to them, increases their imagination and opportunities and shapes them to become whatever they want to be because knowledge is power.

This is what the internet is about – knowledge sharing and open access to valuable information. The motto, or if you will, mantra of 1Village in Ghana, has been to source and recommend ICT solutions that fits local context. Catching this vision that Kafui Prebbie, CEO of 1Village had was a great inspiration to look out for strategic partnerships. Probably we didn’t find them – no they found us! For I believe when you decide to do something right, people who share your vision and love your services will find you.

Jacob Odame installing Inveneo computers

I think about names like Inveneo, Userful, NComputing etc. It was really great partnering these organizations. Using the ruggedized systems supplied by an organization like Inveneo and the holistic approach that makes it possible to co-design with them and get all gear for computing and wireless connectivity setups have seen the implementation sustainable of ICT labs for schools and communities in places which actually be impossible.

By sustainability, I think of so many things including, keeping systems running for years without need for repairs or replacements, keeping running costs of labs low (for instance electricity bills are low since systems draw low power), having all the software to be productive on the go and finally constant technical support.

I think of my time in Ghana as an opportunity to serve. I am pleased for the opportunity of working with oneVillage Foundation and 1Village Ltd. I have never seen such a dedicated team. I am really thankful to them. I got most of my experiences working on numerous projects with these two organizations including researching and making presentations at the global level.

I am happy for the recognitions that 1Village has received including receiving an award by the Clinton Global Initiative. I am proud to be part of all of this. I also think about the many organizations I have engaged with whiles working in Ghana including Winrock International, IREX, Camfed International, Plan Ghana, Student Bridging the Information Gap just to mention a few and the great friends and connections built.

So my passion is what is driving me, and having an opportunity to come study for my MS in Communication Technology and Policy in Ohio University, one of America’s prestigious institutions especially in telecommunications is throwing more light and shaping my thoughts on what I want to do in the nearest future.

I want to see every child, regardless of where they are in the world having access to broadband Internet! I think this is an important. And by the way my access to education in the US is just one of the benefits that having Internet brings.

I want to think and help shape policies that will guide and improve a global universal broadband access. I also want to see reliable networks that promise maximum benefits. I am all optimistic with hope and will welcome again and again any opportunities that will come my way to share knowledge on better means of communicating in an ever-changing technological world.