Our Organisation

SchoolNet Africa is one of Africa's first African-led, African-based non-government organisations (NGO) that operates across the continent in its endeavour to improve education access, quality and efficiency through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in African schools. SchoolNet Africa works mainly with learners, teachers, policymakers and practitioners through country-based schoolnet organisations across Africa.

SchoolNet Africa is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa where it employs staff from different African countries to manage its programs.  

Our Vision

SchoolNet Africa's vision is for the empowerment of all of Africa's children and youth through access to quality education, information and knowledge on the basis of their effective use of information and communication technologies (ICTs).

Our Mission

SchoolNet Africa's mission is to support national SchoolNets throughout Africa by mobilizing resources, building effective partnerships and knowledge in promoting education through sustainable use of ICTs in African schools.

SNA stands for the right of all African youth to education and lifelong learning possibilities.

• SNA stands for the right of every African child to have access to information.
• We stand for affordable and sustainable access to ICTs in African Schools.
• African education content on the Internet.
• We work towards developing online content in local languages.

What We Stand For

SchoolNet Africa supports and promotes

• the right of every African child to have access to education, information and knowledge
• affordable and sustainable ICT access for African schools using a variety of solutions
• the creation of locally developed, digitised education content
• expression through the recognition of indigenous African languages
• multi-stakeholder partnerships within a progressive, development framework
• gender integration and women's empowerment 
• the achievement of the Education For All objectives and the UN Millenium Development Goals

SchoolNet Africa's Network

Included in SchoolNet Africa's network is a range of donor and development agency partners and regional organisations promoting ICTs in African schools.

Our History

It all started at a Cape Town workshop hosted by the International Develoment Research Centre's Acacia Program in September 2020, which was attended by SchoolNet resentatives from 10 African countries. The SchoolNet

Africa Case Statement was adopted at this workshop. Later, in November 2020, the African Development Forum '99 (ADF '99) hosted by the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) formally endorsed the initiative.

With support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), a SchoolNet Africa Business Plan was developed and tabled at a Workshop on School Networking in Africa, held in Okahandja, Namibia in July 2020. This workshop was hosted by SchoolNet Namibia, the Namibian Ministry of Basic Education, Sport and Culture, the National Institute for Educational Development, and the IDRC. It was attended by more than 100 representatives from SchoolNet projects, ministries of education, and the private sector from 20 African countries. Here an interim Steering Committee was elected comprising two representatives from all five sub-regions in Africa.

See Report on School Networking in Africa Workshop for more information.

In July 2020, the Interim Steering Committee met for the first time in Cape Town and endorsed the formal establishment of SchoolNet Africa as an independent organization in partnership with the Open Society Institute for Southern Africa (OSISA).

SchoolNet Africa is now an established non-governmental organization headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. SchoolNet Africa (SNA) was officially launched on 12 November 2020.