The Leland Initiative was a five-year program of
USAID
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...
to improve internet connectivity in
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
. It was named after
Mickey Leland
George Thomas "Mickey" Leland III (November 27, 1944 – August 7, 1989) was an anti-poverty activist who later became a congressman from the Texas 18th District and chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. He was a Democrat.
Early years
Leland w ...
. Its implementation phase started in March 1996.
It is criticised for forcing connectivity through incumbent telecoms, which hampered countries’ nascent efforts for Internet connectivity.
References
External links
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Information and communication technologies in Africa
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