KNUST Selected as HP Digital Village

PALO ALTO, Calif-- Hewlett-Packard Company announced on, 11 October, the international launch of the HP Digital Village program with the selection of three underserved communities in Africa and Europe as HP Digital Villages. The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana, Leondale in South Africa and a community of four cities in France will be participants in the pioneering philanthropic program to jumpstart their collaborative technology plans.

Launched in the United States in April 2000, the HP Digital Village program aims to bring the tools for learning and competing in the digital economy to communities that need them most. It includes HP products, services and consulting.

The HP Digital Village program helps communities harness technology in collaboration with partners -- including schools, universities, local government, community services, non-profit organizations and small businesses -- to develop sustainable solutions to meet critical social and economic needs.

It is part of HP's broader business and philanthropic efforts to bridge the digital divide through e-Inclusion, a vision of the future where all people have access to the social and economic opportunities of the digital age. Building on the experiences and insights HP has gained through 60 years of community service, the HP Digital Village program sets a new standard for how HP and other companies contribute to their communities through its holistic and participatory approach.

``HP will be listening to the Digital Villages and working side-by-side with them as they become trailblazers in using technology to revitalize a community,'' said Didier Philippe, chairman, HP European Grants Committee. ``Through the program's focus on community partnerships, the Digital Villages will define and fulfill their own development plans for sustainable growth and cohesiveness and will bring all of us closer to a future in which all people have access to the benefits and opportunities of the digital age.''

The HP European Grants Committee selected the following communities based on their proposals, which outlined their vision for development, the strength and stability of their partnerships and their capacity to execute and sustain their vision and plans.

KNUST Digital Village in Kumasi, Ghana's Ashanti Kingdom

The KNUST Digital Village is a joint project spearheaded by Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana's second-largest city, and the University of Pennsylvania. It includes the participation of Ghana Telecom and local IT companies. The project's goal is to create a comprehensive IT infrastructure and training forum and to use its results -- wide access to the Internet -- as a launch pad for educational, agricultural and economic development to benefit the 4 million people in the Ashanti kingdom and Ghana's eastern regions.

``One important goal that we had in launching the HP Digital Village program is to learn how we can better serve communities through collaborative efforts and a multidimensional approach,'' said Bess Stephens, global director, HP Philanthropy and Education. ``We selected communities that would challenge us in very different ways so that HP and the Digital Villages might make a significant contribution to bridging the digital divide by sharing lessons and solutions.''

HP globalized the HP Digital Village program to share the replicable achievements of the three U.S. Digital Villages, which are using technology to widen social and economic opportunities in their communities.

A low-income area in the heart of Silicon Valley and the first Digital Village, the East Palo Alto Digital Village is strongly focused on education, job training and business development. East Baltimore's Digital Village is building a community network that supports learning for youths and adults, connects community organizations and businesses and enhances the delivery of community services. The Tribal Digital Village, a community of 18 Indian reservations scattered across 150 miles and 124,000 acres in Southern California, has begun a project to provide wireless access to connect the reservations, promote cultural preservation and widen economic opportunities.

About HP

Hewlett-Packard Company -- a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services -- is focused on making technology and its benefits accessible to all. HP had total revenue from continuing operations of $48.8 billion in its 2000 fiscal year. Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.