Orange, the global telecommunications operator, has partnered with National Distance Learning Centre (CNED) to facilitate access to educational content on smartphones in Africa
A large number of African students have difficulties accessing high-quality educational content. The partnership aims to provide access to educational content from the best international universities and training centres.
In order to provide access to education to a large number of Africans, Orange and the CNED will distribute educational content through distant leraning via smartphones. With more than 29,000 people registered internationally, CNED is one of the leaders in Europe and French-speaking Africa for distance learning. It now has a large database of content, covering primary and secondary education, higher education and vocational training.
The CNED’s content will be distributed in French in ebook format through the MondoCNED application. The content can then be downloaded onto smartphones where it can be read on any screen size and can even be available offline. This partnership is already available in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in the coming months will be introduced to other countries including Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, etc.
“Of all the digital revolutions, higher education and vocational training is one of the most strategic for Africa, as the benefits of digital technology can help train millions of managers which this continent needs to independently take charge of its development in the long term,” stated Bruno Mettling, CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa.
“These new ways of learning on the move reflect the development of the digital ecosystem. This opportunity for easy, rapid and widespread deployment is the first step of an ambitious strategic plan and a major driver of our development overseas,” explained Michel Reverchon-Billot, CEO of the CNED.
In addition to the CNED, other partners will be able to provide their educational content to Orange customers, particularly French online universities, French-speaking universities and African universities which already produce their own educational digital resources.
