The Web We Want and the Alliance for Affordable Internet are forming a network of activists across Africa and international experts who will campaign together for more affordable Internet access in Africa. Tagged FASTAfrica, where FAST means Fast, Affordable, Safe, and Transparent (internet in Africa), the project involves an action week from May 1-7, 2016 featuring a combination of online and offline activity by varied groups.
The project seeks to attract stakeholders across all spectrums including new actors such as women and girl groups, tech entrepreneurs, artists, librarians and the likes, even though the internet rights activists will be at the forefront of the campaign. Interested stakeholders can join the planning email group where strategy and details of the campaign would be discussed by submitting their names at: https://webwewant.org/fast-africa/fast-africa-planning-group/
However, applicants who are not sure how much they would be able to participate may also wish to endorse the campaign by submitting their names online at: https://webwewant.org/fast-africa/. Such persons or groups of persons would subsequently be updated by email.
Limited grants are also available to help cover costs of local events that actors may wish to organise in Africa. Online application for the grant is hosted on: https://web-foundation.forms.fm/fast-africa-small-grants. Application is open until April 10, 2016.
The grant will support all activities that raise public awareness of #FASTAfrica, including but not limited to meetings, events, radio broadcasts, petition drives, press conferences and even parties, but funding priority will go to those organisations that also have an actual strategy for shifting policy or action in the right direction.
According to the Web We Want, “Africa has the slowest, most expensive Internet in the world.” The Internet is painfully slow and expensive across Africa, thereby necessitating a need to get the message through everywhere that political action makes faster and more affordable Internet a reality and that more access is critically important for development. Thus, in the TRUSTAfrica project, activists are coordinating activities to fix this as part of a greater campaign for Fast, Affordable, Safe, and Transparent Internet
More information can be found on the website and toolkits for the campaign would soon be available on the same address at: http://webwewant.org/fast-africa.
