Mobile network operator Tigo Ghana, in partnership with social enterprise Street Library Ghana, has established a mobile digital library to boost digital inclusion for children in rural Ghana. But the library is actually the interior of a van fitted with tables, chairs and laptops. It also holds a mobile extension that can be set up outside the van to cater for more children.

The project’s major goal is to encourage children to read, a key reason for the mobility of the library. Previously, hard copy books were transported (by Street Library Ghana) in mini-vans for the same reason. “With this innovation we have taken the project a step further,” Gifty Bingley, Head of Tigo’s Corporate Social Responsibility unit, said. “We have digitized the books, they will also have a hands-on experience with the computers and the digital experience will be the same for every community we visit.”

“Children in rural Ghana will be the ultimate beneficiaries of this pioneering project,” said Hayford Siaw, founder of Street Library Ghana. Hayford noted that offering children from rural communities a shot at obtaining a decent education digitally has become the focal point of many philanthropic organisations. “It will go a long way to support digital inclusion. Even though children in rural Ghana study ICT as a core subject, several of them have neither seen nor touched a computer. I look forward to introducing them to the computers and going through the downloaded books.”

By Emmanuel Iruobe