The TechHouse
PeaceTech Lab
We believe that long-term mentoring is fundamental to achieve sustainability. With this in mind, we have created the TechHouse, which provides a space for NGOs to network, discuss ideas and familiarise themselves with technological solutions. GeoA provides "burst trainings" –a terminology taken from the gym, which are intense two-hours sessions led by local trainers where participants develop highly useful and specific tech-skills. Past and ongoing trainings cover a range of tools including podcasting, facebook analytics, digital security and empowering women to become online content creators.
In order to help overcome the digital gender divide, GeoA is currently providing training to 15 female coders. The trainings are delivered by two of Nger's top coders, Latifa Hyari and Nathan Adahou. Trainings are complemented with mentoring sessions from our IT advisors, such as Jordi Baylina.
"The GeoA trainings have shown us that the internet has incredible potential.
There is so much we can do to advance peace!"
"We have peeked into the future of peacebuilding"
Comments from participants at PeaceTech-GeoA Exchange session held in Agadez
Geomapping Niger's security projects
PEACENEXUS
One of the most common issues faced in the developing world is the lack of coordination between international donors. To help deconflict peace-building and stabilisation initiatives, GeoAnalytics is supporting the Haute Autorité à la Consolidation de la Paix keep track of all initiatives that bridge governance and security through an interactive geomapping solution.
This activity is made possible thanks to a generous contribution from Switzerland's PeaceNexus Foundation. Following GeoA's vision, the activity will include training and mentoring sessions, to ensure that future updates of the interactive map are updated by the HACP.
Filmaking courses
PeaceTech Lab
The Geoanalytics Center worked with the PeaceTech Lab to provide an intensive course in Cinema training to selected youth from diferents parts of Niger. The future directors developed various key aspects of filmmaking, such as scripts, frame composition or audio and video processing to improve their knowledge and better understand the role that technology plays in filmmaking. The training revolved around gender issues and countering violent extremism. It was conducted by a professional team with two of Niger's most reputated film makers, Aïcha Macky and Moussa Djingarey, and was made possible by the generous contribution of the U.S. Embassy in Niamey.
The productions developed during the course will be showcast at the US Embassy's 2nd Film Festival.
Gender Hackathon
PeaceTech Lab
Niger ranks 151 out of 189 in the world in UNDP’s gender inequality index, showing the paramount importance of tackling gender problematics in Niger. GeoAnalytics was proud to support the PeaceTech Lab in the implementation of the US Embassy of Niger's first gender-themed hackathon.
The objective of the Hackathon was to team together development professionals working on gender and coders, leading to the creation of concrete technical solutions to specific gender issues. It also raised awareness on the importance of increasing access to technology to women, with a focus on professional development.
The Hackathon counted with the participation of technological expert Jordi Baylina.
Feel free to reach out if you wish to support similar activities!
PeaceTech
Exchanges-Niger
With the support of the US embassy in Niamey, we implemented the PeaceTech Lab Exchanges (PTX), where we provide support to 100 Nigerien organizations with the collaboration of Orange Telecom.
Participants learned about a broad array of tools to enhance their work and receive personal training for technologies they believe will assist them in their work. Attendees formed teams with like-minded civil society organizations to tackle projects together, incorporating technology learned at the PTX into their work. PTXs also foster project design – guiding participants in how to define their problems, develop solutions, and create projects that implement technologies learned at the workshop.The PTXs supported well-thought out proposals conceived during the workshops get off the ground through a series of micro-awards.
Short Film Festival Niger
PeaceTech Lab
The 2nd Nigerien Short Film Festival of the United States Embassy was held at Canal Olympia on March 30, 2019. The films were mostly made in local languages and produced by young directors who received training from GeoA, under the mentorship of Niger’s most renown filmmakers Aïcha Macky and Moussa Hamadou Djingarey. Women participation was particularly important during the festival, with numerous young female filmmakers presenting their work.
The selected films were screened during a gala session attended by the US Ambassador in Niger, who handed out the prizes. The best shortfilms were selected by the public through an App developed by GeoA. The event was financed by the US Embassy of Niamey, with technical support from the GeoAnalytics Center and the PeaceTech Lab.
Youth Act!
Mercy Corps
The GeoAnalytics Center is a proud partner of Mercy Corps and JMED, supporting its Youth Act program in Niger. Leyhana, GeoAnalytic’s Program Officer and award-winning filmmaker, will work alongside Tillabéri youth to develop their own peace-building videos for dissemination on local social media platforms, countering existing extremist narratives. The videos will mostly be produce by the youth, with GeoA providing technical support.
Motion video Fake News
GeoA produced a series of motion design videos to raise general awareness around the issue of Fake News as the Sahel continues to face a growing array of threats.
The low-bandwidth, locally adapted videos for a young audience with a generally low literacy rate were produced by a multidisciplinary team in Hausa, Zarma, Tamasheq, Peul and Kanuri and distributed through WhatsApp and a targeted Facebook campaign. The use of local languages was crucial for this project, as a large segment of the population does not speak French. The videos were reinforced with a memes campaign, also in local languages. The project was implemented under IOM’s NCCI Community Cohesion Initiative (NCCI) program, funded by USAID.
Basic trainings, wide impact
Technology is not always about machine learning, blockchain or developing computational models. In many cases the simplest solutions take you very far. GeoA provides a wide array of trainings to local organizations, as Niger continues to expand its internet coverage. Only to name a few examples, GeoA has organised the following trainings: webpage design, Facebook analytics and Google workspace. We provide in-depth trainings, as well as “burst trainings”, intense two-hours sessions led by local trainers. For Aminou Laoali, the Director and Founder of Nigerien NGO SOS-Civisme, GeoA “our webpage has become a powerful tool for marketing and promoting the expertise of SOS-Civisme-Niger on peace and stability programming”.
Positive Masculinities
Mercy Corps
Overcoming gender issues is as much about working with women as it is about working with men. GeoA will work with Mercy Corps to identify young men who are particularly sensitive to gender issues in the Abala refugee camp, and celebrate their actions by filming a series of short films. The films will be directed by Nigerien young and upcoming film directors who have previously received an intensive 6 day cinema training at GeoA’s TechHouse.
To increase data availability and knowledge on public service delivery, as well as the communication between government and citizens, Counterpart International has selected GeoA to provide and test a pilot web-based application to collect data on service provisions, including a mapping capacity to show the geographic distribution of citizen inputs. The web-based platform will also serve as a two-way communication system for citizens to enter requests, complaints, information and other indicators on public service delivery in the areas of health, education, security, and accountability via their mobile phones, and for government officials to directly react to citizen complaints.
The Rapid-pro web-based application will be developed and tested in the regions of Niamey I and Tillaberi. It will be designed to be transferable to any number of regions and communes. The rollout in these region will provide the experience to extend the project to all areas as additional funding is secured.
Citizen-led communications platform
Esprit critique et fake news
International Center for Migration
Niger is gearing up for an upcoming exponential increase in internet penetration. 3G networks are spreading and cheaper mobile phones now carry social media apps. However, an exponential increase in the use of social media also carries great risks. Already, some groups in the Sahel are developing effective online media campaigns and fake news, as well as hate speech, are spreading at a rapid pace.
GeoA will provide youth leaders with critical thinking and media literacy (MIL) training and mentoring, and will also support them in creating their own novel VE counternarratives.
