Mobi LED

The Meraka Institute derives its mandate as a national strategic initiative from President Mbeki’s 2002 State of the Nation Address, where the concept of an ICT University was first announced. A large-scale intervention in the ICT space to address challenges in both the first economy (well developed and integrated with the global economy) and the second economy (characterised by informal economic activity and poverty). As such, human and intellectual capital interventions are required that address both advanced technical research challenges (“wealth creation”) and urgent developmental challenges (“quality of life”).

The Meraka Institute's emerging ICT in Education Research Group directly supports the South African national Department of Education’s e-Education White Paper published in September 2004. e-Education entails the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to accelerate teaching and learning goals, particularly in the context of a developing world.

MobiLED is concerned with the development of a suite of mobile applications to expand, integrate and disseminate mobile-phone tools, technologies and services in a South African Context.