Cosmo City, an underprivileged suburb undergoing major social and economic development in Johannesburg, is the latest community to receive the Samsung Digital Village model which will provide residents with access to the internet as well as education and health services.
Aimed at improving the lives of Africans through renewable and environmentally sustainable solar powered solutions, the Digital Village will offer a solar powered internet school, a solar powered generator, a solar powered health centre as well as a solar powered tele-medical and admin centre.
George Ferreira, VP and COO of Samsung Electronics Africa said: “Everyone speaks of the need to bridge the digital divide, but we can only really achieve this if we focus on the core objective of changing lives for the better. The United Nations says being online is now seen as fundamental to human development, and access to the Internet may soon become a basic human right, like access to water. Our challenge was to look at what was needed versus what was available and devise a plan that connected the two.’
One of Africa’s largest economic challenges is lack of electrification, which has resulted in communities being isolated with limited connectivity and access to education and healthcare. The Digital Village will not only increase the availability of education and connectivity but will provide an easy and affordable power source as well as medical services and health education.
Sung Yong Hong, President and CEO of Samsung Africa said the company had set a goal to positively impact five million African lives by 2015.
“We believe that this can most effectively be achieved if we connect our corporate citizenship initiatives with our history and core business. With the goal to grow our business on the continent, we also know that we have to sustain our level of innovation. This can only be achieved if we invest in education to facilitate African thought leadership,’ Hong concluded.
