A new partnership between Britain’s Aceleron and Madagascan Jirogasy enables the use of solar-powered computers to … fight digital illiteracy in Africa.
The Malagasy solar start-up, Jirogasy, and the British company Aceleron, the British developer of lithium-ion batteries from the circular economy unveil a new partnership.
This agreement between the two structures aims to provide computers powered by solar energy to 10,000 children per year in schools in Madagascar and East Africa.
One of the technicians with Jirodesk 2 computers!
These computers are intended for schools that do not have access to a stable power supply. This will help reduce the digital divide that their energy isolation accentuates.
Jirogasy’s Jirodesk 2 solar-powered PC is establishing itself as a support for learning in schools with poor access to energy and will enable younger generations to acquire the digital skills necessary to build their future. And also build the digital economic future of the African continent.
Young Leader of the Year 2019 of the French African Foundation, Yann Kasay, CEO of Jirogasy, does not say anything else.
For him, “each link in the value chain integrated in this project proudly bears an East African identity. Computers are built here in Madagascar, which supports the development of local jobs in digital and engineering.
Batteries enable the growth of the sustainable development sector and its jobs in Kenya. Together, they provide essential educational resources for Malagasy schoolchildren, strengthening digital literacy and offering largely unelectrified communities a way to connect to new economic opportunities”.
This innovative and high impact project was funded by Efficiency for Access Fund (supported by UK Aid, Usaid, World Bank and other members of the coalition).
As for the circular economy batteries specially designed by Aceleron, they will power computers, with the aim of supporting job creation in East Africa.
In sub-Saharan Africa, only 35% of schools are electrified, 89% of learners do not have access to digital tools at home, and 82% generally do not have access to the Internet.
Globally, 230 million children attend primary schools without electricity, compromising their education and academic performance. A trend to be rapidly reversed, as the International Finance Corporation (IFC) estimates, for its part, that at least 230 million jobs in Africa will require a good level of digital literacy by 2030.
Concretely, this translates into 650 million training possibilities with a potential market of 130 billion dollars.
The choice of Jirogasy for Aceleron as a partner is linked to the African anchoring of the British company and the joint mission of the two entities aimed at green economic growth in East Africa.
Reacting to his partnership with Jirogasy, Amrit Chandan, CEO of Aceleron admitted that “using a solar system to turn on a light is one thing, using it to power education takes this technology and its social utility to the next level.”, Before taking the care to specify that “these computers can change lives. Circular economy batteries can be the cornerstone of local and regional channels for qualified green jobs. This project is proof that clean technologies don’t just cut emissions, they improve people’s lives.”
In the pilot phase of this project, seven schools will be equipped in 2021, and 20 more in 2022. Ultimately, the Jirodesk should be available to 10,000 Malagasy students annually, with an additional production site in Kenya, which will allow extend the reach of this technology.
The computers will be equipped with software and educational resources, thanks to the Franco-Malagasy NGO AccesMad.
Jirogasy and AccesMad have already partnered to install 24 computers in four Malagasy secondary schools, providing digital education to thousands of students.
Jirogasy also worked with other NGOs throughout 2020 to provide their computers to remote medical clinics in response to Covid-19.
“We are pleased to receive the Jirodesk 2 which will be invaluable in our mission to electrify high schools and other academic institutions in Madagascar. Jirogasy’s engineering team upgraded the initial computer to develop a V2 and meet our expectations. It’s a real success and it will be a great asset on the pitch,” enthuses Olivier Ralaiharivonison, Director of AccesMad.
