This archive report was first published on 18 June 2020.
Published on June 18, 2020, a Sh20 million fund was launched to promote remote learning in Africa during the Covid-19 pandemic era.
The International Publishers Association (IPA) will administer the fund, aiming to tackle the negative impacts of the pandemic on remote learning in Africa.
"Covid-19 has taught us that technology can protect people and enable life and learning to continue. But this technology is not accessible to everyone," said Bodour Al Qasimi, the vice-president of IPA.
IPA will fund cutting-edge ideas from African innovators with potential to eliminate bottlenecks to distance learning created by Covid-19.
According to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), 89 percent of learners in Sub-Saharan Africa have no access to a computer, 82 percent have no internet access, and around 56 million learners live outside mobile networks.
Tariq Al Gurg, chief executive officer at Dubai Cares, an Emirates-based charity, said that Covid-19 presents an opportunity for African publishing industry to innovate and become a key player in distance learning.
