Shadrach Ankrah
Africa Rural Internet and STEM Initiative
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Shadrach Anorah is an information technology (IT) specialist and the Founder and Executive Director of the Africa Rural Internet and STEM Initiative (AFRISTEMI).
His work focuses on contributing to bridging the digital divide in rural communities in Ghana through digital skills training, community-centered connectivity, and technology-driven initiatives. He's passionate about digital inclusion and believes everyone deserves meaningful access to the opportunities the Internet offers.
Community-Centered Connectivity - What’s Collective enablers for strong adoption in Africa
The moderator from the Internet Society will open the panel by presenting the current community-centered connectivity (CCC) landscape in Africa and introducing the three main dimensions for CCC adoption and development: financing, licensing, and spectrum. The panelists will be invited to share their organizations' perspectives, challenges, and ways forward on how we can help Africa set an inclusive regulatory framework and improve Internet affordability, access, and adoption for our African community. The panelists will come from a regional organization, policymakers, regulators, MNOs, and community-owned CCC operators.
Community-Led Connectivity in Ghana: Experiences, Challenges, and Stakeholder Collaboration
This session will share experiences and insights from Ghana’s community network ecosystem, exploring how community networks are organized and operated, the technologies they use, and the approaches they take to governance and financial sustainability. It will discuss key achievements and challenges in expanding community-owned and community-centered connectivity, including regulatory and operational barriers.
The session will also examine ongoing engagement with stakeholders, particularly Ghana’s National Communications Authority (NCA), to advance dialogue on community networks and identify opportunities for collaboration that can support their growth and extend connectivity to underserved communities.
Community Networks in Africa: Models, Challenges, and Opportunities
Community networks across Africa are adopting diverse approaches to expanding connectivity and addressing the digital divide in underserved communities. This session will bring together community network operators and practitioners from different African countries to share their experiences, showcase their work, and discuss the approaches they are taking to build and sustain locally driven connectivity solutions.
Through contributions from networks operated by Internet Society Chapters, nonprofits, community-based organizations, cooperatives, social enterprises, and other local initiatives, the session will explore the technologies and infrastructure being deployed, organizational and governance models, financial sustainability approaches, and the communities they serve.
Participating community network representatives will have the opportunity to share their experiences through live virtual presentations or pre-recorded contributions, highlighting their deployments, successes, challenges, and lessons learned. The session will provide an opportunity for knowledge exchange, visibility, and discussion around the diverse community network models emerging across Africa.
Format
Session — Moderated, multi-speaker session featuring live virtual contributions and/or pre-recorded presentations, followed by Q&A and discussion.
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