{"id":382,"date":"2019-10-02T08:30:22","date_gmt":"2019-10-02T08:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/isoc.org.zw\/wp\/?p=382"},"modified":"2019-10-07T09:51:49","modified_gmt":"2019-10-07T09:51:49","slug":"planting-the-seeds-of-the-internet-of-things-in-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/isoc.org.zw\/wp\/planting-the-seeds-of-the-internet-of-things-in-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Planting the seeds of The Internet of Things in Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Nicoletta Metri<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the Net Journal: Zimbabwe Chapter #1 Episode<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In a country where schools are operating on shoe-string budgets and families barely afford to pay fees, being a student is not always a positive experience. Some endure difficult conditions, like inadequate teaching materials or lack of competent teachers. Access to modern ways of learning such Internet and IoT is a pipe dream. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zimbabwe currently has an unemployment rate of 85%<\/strong>, but estimates reveal that by 2025 Africa will have tripled internet penetration to around 600 million people opening new opportunities. In this scenario, the software engineer Solomon Kembo<\/strong> and his team believe that The Internet of Things<\/strong> is the real chance for Africa to be part of the global economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In collaboration with Zimbabwe Chapter<\/strong>, he applied to \u201cBeyond the Net Funding Programme<\/strong>\u201d with the aim of establishing IoT Makerspaces<\/strong> in selected Zimbabwean schools to inspire and equip local students with IoT skills and resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Solomon explains about the origin of the project:  \u201cWe thought that a IoT  Makerspaces could provide a flexible model for exploring how schools could better cultivate the interplay between students\u2019s interest, peer culture, digital tools and academic success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilot project started at St Peter\u2019s Mbare High School  in a suburb of Harare, attended by 20 enthusiastic pupils aged between 12 and 18, who proudly refer to the Makerspace as \u201cThe Freedom Makers\u201d. The training will last 9 months with frequency of 2 days a week<\/p>\n\n\n\n

.\"\"First year program is based on Genuino\/Arduino systems due to their low power requirements and flexibility. A starter kit includes components and 15 projects cards to walk students through the basic of coding and electronics. The Do-It-Yourself nature of the project enables them to develop real things and see the fun side of learning. Artifacts build in classroom instill a \u201cmaker mindset\u201d stimulating creative thinking and problem solving.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The students are working on several projects:<\/p>\n\n\n\n