Mark Zuckerberg Launches Internet.Org In Ghana

Mark Zuckerberg officially announces the launch of Internet.org in Ghana, effectively providing millions of residents of the country free access to basic internet services.

The social media titan says the launch will provide support for the development of education, health, jobs, and communication in the third-world country. Currently, less than 15 percent of all Ghanaians has access to dependable internet access. Internet.org partners with Indian-run telecommunications company Airtel Africa to achieve the goal of providing basic internet access to citizens of the West African state.

Ghana has become the fifth country to receive help from Zuckerberg, the first four being Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, and Colombia.

On his official Facebook page, Zuckerberg wrote.

Today we’re launching Internet.org in Ghana — giving people on the Airtel network access to free basic internet services for education, health, jobs and communication.

Right now only about 12% of people in Ghana are connected to the internet, but connectivity is already improving people’s lives and communities.

By connecting everyone, we hope to unlock even more opportunities for Ghana and people like Dauda Musa, pictured here.

Dauda runs a mobile money transfer business in Accra, and as the number of people with mobile phones has grown over the past few years, more people are using his service for business or to share money with friends and family.

Ghana is the fifth country we’ve connected through Internet.org — after Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya and Colombia.

Thank you to our community for your support and for pushing to bring Internet.org to more countries as we continue on our path to connect the whole world.

Internet.org was launched in 2013 by Mark Zuckerberg himself, who aimed to provide internet services to less fortunate places in the world. He has partnered up with other huge tech brands such as Ericcson, MediaTek, Nokia, Opera Software, and Qualcomm.

In recent speeches, he has described the internet, especially “connectivity,” as a basic human right. According to Yahoo! News, Mark Zuckerberg states he recognizes how essential the internet actually is.

“They’re going to use it to decide what kind of government they want, get access to healthcare for the first time ever, connect with family hundreds of miles away that they haven’t seen in decades.”

[Image from Mark Zuckerberg]