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See how connectivity is improving lives for students, schools and communities in Mombasa, Kenya

  • Ericsson's partnership with UNICEF in support of Giga’s aims to bridge the digital divide by connecting every school to the internet. In Kenya, our partnership has contributed to connecting 546 public schools by the end of 2023, benefiting more than 340,000 students and teachers. 
  • In Mombasa, I witnessed the transformative impact of school connectivity and met enthusiastic students and teachers using digital devices, proudly showcasing digital art and learning through online assignments.  

Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility

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Students at Amani Comprehensive School use a tablet to access educational material.

Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility

Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility

During my recent trip to New York City for events related to the United Nations General Assembly, I engaged in discussions about the critical role of connectivity in promoting digital inclusion. We explored the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General's Digital Global Compact, which advocates for a digital future that is inclusive, open, affordable, sustainable, fair, safe, and secure for everyone.  

Just a week later, I was on the ground in Mombasa, Kenya, witnessing these principles come to life through Giga, a global initiative created by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) that we have been proud to champion.  

Connecting schools is a key solution to bridging the digital divide 

In 2020, Ericsson teamed up with UNICEF as the first multimillion-dollar partner to Giga, which has the mission to connect every school to the internet worldwide by 2030. At Ericsson, we immediately understood the importance of this project and the impact it could have as a solution to the digital divide. Our contribution was both financial support as well as in-kind technology expertise.  

Giga works by mapping school connectivity, modeling connectivity infrastructure, unlocking financing and supporting governments contracting for connectivity. Since 2019, with the support of partners like Ericsson, Giga has mapped more than 2.1 million schools and supported increased access to connectivity for 14,500 schools, benefitting more than 7.79 million students.  

Connecting schools allows children to develop digital skills and access online learning content. It also helps bridge the gap between urban and rural areas, giving teachers and students access to a wealth of information, online courses, and educational tools that were previously out of reach. Schools can also become anchor points for surrounding communities, often serving as community hubs for learning, voting, and shelter in crises.  

This year marks four years of the UNICEF–Ericsson partnership. Ericsson’s support provided critical funding for Giga to grow, particularly in its foundational stages. Beyond funding, Ericsson has provided in-kind expertise in connectivity, experience with mobile service provider data, and data science analytics to help map and understand the true state of school connectivity.  

Witnessing the impact on the ground in Kenya

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Christine, a teacher at Amani Comprehensive school, uses online materials to help teach her class.

As of 2020, more than half of Kenya’s schools did not have internet access. Only 25.7 percent of primary schools and 34 percent of secondary schools had working internet connections. The Kenyan government aims to connect all schools to the internet by 2030, according to their National Broadband Strategy. 

Giga and UNICEF are helping with this effort to improve internet connectivity in Kenya by mapping schools to understand the scale of need, assessing the costs and gaps in connectivity, and partnering with private companies to provide internet access. 

My visit started in Nairobi by meeting with UNICEF and the Last Mile School Connectivity Technical Working Group of the Kenyan government, including representatives from ICT Authority, the Ministry of ICT and Digital Economy and the Ministry of Education. This was a good example of Kenya taking a whole of government approach to their national broadband planning.  

How UNICEF, Ericsson, Giga and partners are helping to connect schools in Kenya  

One of the advantages of working with global partners is having a local in-country presence. The trip to Mombasa was a joint effort facilitated by UNICEF Kenya. UNICEF started its work in Kenya by identifying 1,160 public primary schools to connect to the internet, working with Kenya’s Ministry of Education and Ministry of ICT and Digital Economy. These schools were set to receive internet speeds of at least 10 Mbps for downloads and 5 Mbps for uploads, which meet government recommendations. Schools were connected gradually. 

By the end of 2023, 546 public schools in Kenya had been connected to the internet for the first time, benefiting over 340,000 students and teachers. 

Together with colleagues from Ericsson Kenya and connectivity provider Airtel, the first school we visited was the Amani Comprehensive School, with a student population of over 2,000. We were received by the school principal and heard about his experiences working with the government and Giga to make school connectivity a reality.  

That reality included a packed classroom of 92 nine- and ten-year old students, who were in groups of four and five children per tablet. Despite these tight conditions, the teacher engaged her students beautifully in their lessons, and they were enthusiastic about showing us the way they used digital learning tools to reinforce the in-class instruction.  

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At the Kwashee Comprehensive School with over 1,000 students, we visited the ICT Club, which has 70 participants, and two ICT teachers. We also met Kwashee Comprehensive’s head teacher who shared her successes but also the daily challenges in the school.   

Students then demonstrated how they navigate the internet to complete assignments and proudly shared digital art projects. These ranged from promoting the environment by incorporating a digital photo of the school’s vegetable garden into a poster, to a message on girls’ empowerment featuring selfies of students. There was even a mock-up business card by an enterprising student in the mix.   

In addition to funding Giga, Ericsson also collaborated technically to create the Daily Check App. This app helps schools report their internet connectivity status to Giga, allowing for better monitoring and continuous improvements. The app is now used in 8,000 schools across 21 countries. In Kenya, it is currently being tested in seven schools and will be expanded as part of a new EU-funded initiative to connect 1,000 more schools over the next four years. 

Progress so far has been greatly supported by the strong commitment and engagement of a cross-functional global Ericsson team and strong customer support while working toward one common goal. 

Despite these advancements, connecting schools remains a challenging task. Much work is still needed to ensure reliable internet access and realize the ambition of the UN Global Digital Compact. Moving forward, Giga and the UNICEF Country Office will continue to map all schools and their connectivity, aiming to connect every school in Kenya. 

Conclusion

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Heather Johnsson, Vice President, Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility, Ericsson, visiting the students in the ICT-club, at Kwa Shee Comprehensive school. Mombasa, Kenya.

Digital technologies are dramatically transforming our world and finding solutions to the digital divide rests on a foundation of network infrastructure and connectivity.  

It is clear that they hold the promise of accelerating the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals but, at the same time, no single entity can tackle this challenge on its own. Only public-private and international cooperation will help close all digital divides. Ericsson's partnership with UNICEF is one example of the work we are doing around the world, and the crucial role that private sector collaboration can play in supporting these efforts.  

We are a technology leader in an industry that understands scale.  The Giga initiative stands as a testament to the potential of collaborative efforts in making technology accessible to the benefit of all learners. It is paving the way for access to information, opportunity, and choice for children around the world and ultimately connecting learners across the globe. 

Learn more about the Giga partnership and see how our work together with UNICEF is empowering the next generation with information, opportunity and choice: 

Discover the Giga partnership

Related content 

A report from the Economist Intelligence Unit: Connecting learners: Narrowing the educational divide 

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