Luanda: Residents of the municipality of Quirimbo, in Cuanza-Sul province, gained access to internet services on Friday under a programme to upgrade and migrate connectivity antennas through ANGOSAT-2, marking a significant step towards digital inclusion in the area.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the announcement was made by the director of the Provincial Office for Registries and Administrative Modernisation in Cuanza-Sul, Ayrton Boavida dos Santos Neto, who said a technical team is currently in Quirimbo connecting the local access point to the satellite network. Quirimbo hosts the only connectivity point covered by the programme in the province, which is why the team is carrying out technical work to restore internet services.
'The technicians have already worked in Icolo e Bengo and Luanda and have now come here to reconnect this point to the satellite and restore internet access,' he said. He noted that, once the work is completed, the municipality's 21,000 residents will be able to benefit from the connectivity service.
The process involves technicians from the Office for Registries and Administrative Modernisation as well as representatives of start-ups that participated in project-related training programmes. As part of the initiative, the Observa+ application will be installed in selected schools, enabling pupils to observe the Earth through satellite imagery and participate in activities linked to space science, technology and innovation.
The official said the launch of these tools is scheduled for October during Space Week, when pupils from participating schools will use the application and access content related to Earth observation. In Cuanza-Sul, the Francisco Ramos da Cruz School, located in the Pedra Um neighbourhood, and the 14 de Abril School have been selected for this phase. Both institutions recently received computers and computer laboratories under digital inclusion initiatives supported by the Institute for the Promotion of the Information Society (INFOSI).
The activities form part of a broader programme that includes the restoration and migration of connectivity antennas through ANGOSAT-2, the installation of the Observa+ application and the mobilisation of local communities for initiatives in science, technology and space innovation. In addition to Cuanza-Sul, the programme covers the provinces of Bengo, Icolo e Bengo, Malanje, Uge, Zaire, Bi©, Moxico, Lunda Norte, Lunda Sul and Cabinda.
