Ericsson is partnering with the United Nations and The Earth Institute to provide connectivity to African villages through the Millennium Villages project. The partnership will bring mobile communication and the internet to 400,000 people in 10 countries throughout the continent.
 
Hundreds of millions of people are trapped in extreme poverty throughout Africa. The Millennium Villages project, led by Jeffrey Sachs, has been created to address this.
  

Currently working with 79 villages of about 6,000 people per village, the project looks at improving access to healthcare and education, and tackling challenges related to agriculture, business development and gender equality.
 

Ericsson, with its partner operators in Africa, will make sure that these villages have the telecom services and applications they need to tackle these challenges. As an example, Ericsson will apply its products and solutions to bring internet access to schools and provide emergency communications. Its mobile technology will also be used to stimulate business opportunities, boost agricultural development and improve basic needs in the fight against AIDS and malaria.
 

Sachs, who also heads The Earth Institute at Columbia University in New York City, says the mobile phone plays a crucial role in the fight against poverty.
  

“A mobile phone is one core breakthrough technology; it won’t end malaria by itself, but it can make it possible for a mother whose child is dying of malaria to access a community health worker to ensure that her child gets the emergency treatment they need to stay alive,” he says.
  

“The more I see on the ground what happens when we take winning technologies and help empower the poor to use them - and, thereby, become empowered themselves - the more I see that these dreams [to end poverty by 2025] are realistic.”
 
As a first step, Ericsson and Sony Ericsson will supply mobile and fixed-wireless phones to the villages. Together, they have also developed a solar village charger that is capable of recharging at least 30 mobile phone batteries per day and provide power for eight fixed-wireless phones for each village.
  

Sachs, who is travelling around the world to raise awareness of the project, is encouraged by the willingness shown by the private sector to do its part. “I’m very happy that so many major responsible businesses are taking on the challenge, and Ericsson is certainly a leader among them,” he says.
  

Jan Embro, managing director, Market Unit Sub-Sahara Africa, adds: “We are very committed to this project and believe that its success will take everyone towards an all communicating world where social, economic and environmental benefits will be felt by all those who partake.”