Corporate Citizenship Report 2007

Cisco believes that with increased opportunities for education comes the power to address the many challenges that African nations face on their road to development. We have partnered with several other companies to bring educational resources to Africa, and we have assigned a Cisco Leadership Fellow to work on developing education solutions that promote sustainable growth and renewal in Africa.

As one of five companies leading the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) consortium, Cisco is implementing IT-enabled learning environments in 19 schools in six African countries: Algeria, Ghana, Mauritius, Rwanda, Senegal, and South Africa. Cisco is also providing networking technology to an additional 39 schools in another nine countries. So far, these efforts have benefited approximately 30,000 students who for the first time have access to computers and the Internet. Next year, we expect to increase that number to 50,000 students.

The technology implemented at each school includes basic network infrastructure, a full PC laboratory environment, Internet connectivity, a wireless LAN, curriculum-based content, interactive whiteboards, office equipment, a media center, e-health content, comprehensive teacher training, and online technical support.