Ambassador speeches

REMARKS BY AMBASSADOR JANET E. GARVEY

Technology Outreach Projects/Montgomery County Public Schools
Computer Donation Ceremony

At the Residence of the U.S. Ambassador
Friday, January 4, 2008, 4:00 to 5:00 pm

Your Excellency, the Minister of Basic Education,
Your Excellency, Madam Secretary of State at the Ministry of Secondary Education,
General Baba Souley,
Mr. Ousmanou,
CAF President Mr. Hayatou,
Representatives of the Presidency,
Teachers and students,
Friends, ladies and gentlemen,

Today we witness yet another generous step in the process of bridging the digital divide. More specifically, today’s ceremony joins the United States and Cameroon in a gesture of strategic friendship whose beneficiaries are Cameroon’s future generations.

In the United States, the NGO Technology Outreach Projects and Montgomery Country Public Schools are demonstrating how concerned global citizens can work together toward a common good. Once their joint donation of 1,000 computers reaches schools throughout Cameroon in the coming weeks, students will receive exposure to skills needed in the reality of today’s fast-growing technological environment. Of the 1,000 computers destined for Cameroon, 500 will be distributed this time around, to schools and offices throughout the country.

This technology transfer from the United States to Cameroon was only possible due to the philanthropy of Mr. Yakoubou Ousmanou, Executive Director of Technology Outreach Projects, and full logistical support in Cameroon, provided by Mr. Issa Hayatou, President of the Confederation of African Football. Please join me in a round of applause to thank their good-will efforts. [applause]

During this start-of-the-year phase, the 500 computers from Technology Outreach Projects will be distributed throughout Cameroon with help from the Ministry of Basic Education, the Ministry of Secondary Education, the U.S. Embassy, the Peace Corps, individual NGOs and school directors.  Through Mr. Hayatou, 75 computers will be distributed to the network of Ecoles Franco-Arabe in Adamawa, the North, and the Far North. Among a list 26-computers strong, the Peace Corps will assure delivery of five to the University of Dschang and another five to a Government Secondary School in Batibo, in the North West.

Perhaps most interestingly, a donation that will affect the lives of thousands of people, is the delivery of computers to civil registries in Bamenda, Douala, Buea, Bafoussam, and here in Yaounde. At present, births, deaths, and marriages are documented manually in registry books, at the more than 330 registrars throughout Cameroon.  Only a small handful of registrars even have a computer, much less a central registry system for the nation. The current manual environment in which citizens and registrars operate, has helped fuel a system that is rife with fraud and corruption.  The electronic recording of these government documents may eventually lead to automation of all registrars across the country and the creation a central system where documents can be verified.

The computer is a formidable tool of the twenty-first century, but only if computer literacy keeps up the pace. Mastery of even basic computer skills solidifies a link between present and future generations around the world. Appropriate integration of online instructional resources in school curricula can enhance the learning environment and respond effectively to different learning styles. The computer opens doors to communication, research, opportunities. The goal of computer literacy is for the user to become an explorer, an active seeker of information.

The collaboration between Technology Outreach Projects Executive Director Yakoubou Ousmanou, Confederation of African Football President Issa Hayatou, the Ministry of Basic Education, the Ministry of Secondary Education and Douala II and Douala III city councils in assuring distribution of these 1,000 computers within Cameroon is exemplary. Their partnership stands as a model for obtaining resources in Cameroon that have far-reaching consequences.

Mr. Ousmanou, a technology consultant, U.S. citizen, and member of the Cameroonian diaspora, kept Cameroon in focus while gaining his own expertise in the field of computer science in the United States. Through Technology Outreach Projects, he is sharing that expertise and knowledge with Cameroonians and providing the IT exposure he did not have during his formative years. I commend his vision and philanthropic spirit.

Thank you for your attention.