X
  • Contact Us
  • Join Our Team
  • Report a Concern
  • Connexi
  • What We Do
    • What We Do
    • What We Do
      • Overview of What We Do
      • Agriculture and Food Security
      • Corporate Partnerships
      • Democracy and Governance
      • Economic Growth and Trade
      • Education
      • Environment and Natural Resources
      • Health
      • Peace, Stability, and Transition
      • Supply Chain Management
      • Sustainable Energy Transition
      • Water Security, Sanitation, and Hygiene
    • Integrated Solutions
      • Overview of Integrated Solutions
      • Climate Change
      • Digital Development
      • Gender Equality and Social Inclusion
      • Global Health Supply Chains
      • Innovation
      • Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning
      • Private Sector Engagement
      • Research and University Partnerships
      • Sustainable and Resilient Cities
    • Projects
      • Overview of Projects
      • Accelerating Plastic Pollution Reduction in Vietnam
      • Improving Basic Education for Children in East Africa
      • Improving Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Nigeria
      • View All Projects
  • Where We Work
    • Where We Work
    • Where We Work
      • Overview of Where We Work
      • Africa
      • Asia
      • Europe and Eurasia
      • Latin America and the Caribbean
      • Middle East and North Africa
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
  • Who We Are
    • Who We Are
    • Who We Are
      • Overview of Who We Are
      • Our Mission and Values
      • Our History
      • Our Leadership Team
      • Our Board of Directors
      • Our Specialists
    • Our Approach
      • Overview of Our Approach
      • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
      • Environmental Sustainability
      • Commitment to Our Industry
      • Local Leadership and Partnerships
      • Dedication to Quality
      • Commitment to Integrity
  • Work With Us
    • Work With Us
    • Work With Us
      • Overview of Work With Us
      • Career Paths
      • Internships
      • U.S. Veterans
    • Life at Chemonics
      • Overview of Life at Chemonics
      • Inclusive Benefits
      • Professional Development and Learning
    • Partner With Us
      • Overview of Partner With Us
      • Our Procurements
      • Become a Partner
      • One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services
  • News and Blog
    • News and Blog
    • Impact Stories
      • Overview of Impact Stories
      • The Future of Bangladesh is Female
      • Advancing Quality Inclusive Education for Children in Syria
      • Community Health Workers Extend Reach to Prevent Malaria in Nigeria
      • View all Impact Stories
    • News Stories
      • Overview of News Stories
      • Chemonics joins ILGA World as an Associate Member
      • USAID and Chemonics Partner to Support Basic Education in East Africa
      • Chemonics Receives 2023 VETS Indexes Employer Award
      • View all News Stories
    • Blog Posts
      • Overview of Blog Posts
      • Incentivising and Stabilising a Peace Process Through Sensitive and Responsive Programming
      • Democratic Republic of the Congo: Widening the Net of Data Capture for Improved Digital Health
      • Development Works Here with Achini Wijesinghe
      • View all Blog Posts
Chemonics - Development works here.
  • Contact Us
  • Join Our Team
  • Report a Concern
  • Connexi
  • What We Do
    • What We Do
      • Agriculture and Food Security
      • Corporate Partnerships
      • Democracy and Governance
      • Economic Growth and Trade
      • Education
      • Environment and Natural Resources
      • Health
      • Peace, Stability, and Transition
      • Supply Chain Management
      • Sustainable Energy Transition
      • Water Security, Sanitation, and Hygiene
    • Integrated Solutions
      • Climate Change
      • Digital Development
      • Gender Equality and Social Inclusion
      • Global Health Supply Chains
      • Innovation
      • Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning
      • Private Sector Engagement
      • Research and University Partnerships
      • Sustainable and Resilient Cities
    • Projects
      • Accelerating Plastic Pollution Reduction in Vietnam
      • Improving Basic Education for Children in East Africa
      • Improving Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Nigeria
      • View All Projects
  • Where We Work
    • Where We Work
      • Africa
      • Asia
      • Europe and Eurasia
      • Latin America and the Caribbean
      • Middle East and North Africa
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
  • Who We Are
    • Who We Are
      • Our Mission and Values
      • Our History
      • Our Leadership Team
      • Our Board of Directors
      • Our Specialists
    • Our Approach
      • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
      • Environmental Sustainability
      • Commitment to Our Industry
      • Local Leadership and Partnerships
      • Dedication to Quality
      • Commitment to Integrity
  • Work With Us
    • Work With Us
      • Career Paths
      • Internships
      • U.S. Veterans
    • Life at Chemonics
      • Inclusive Benefits
      • Professional Development and Learning
    • Partner With Us
      • Our Procurements
      • Become a Partner
      • One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services
  • News and Blog
    • Impact Stories
      • The Future of Bangladesh is Female
      • Advancing Quality Inclusive Education for Children in Syria
      • Community Health Workers Extend Reach to Prevent Malaria in Nigeria
      • View all Impact Stories
    • News Stories
      • Chemonics joins ILGA World as an Associate Member
      • USAID and Chemonics Partner to Support Basic Education in East Africa
      • Chemonics Receives 2023 VETS Indexes Employer Award
      • View all News Stories
    • Blog Posts
      • Incentivising and Stabilising a Peace Process Through Sensitive and Responsive Programming
      • Democratic Republic of the Congo: Widening the Net of Data Capture for Improved Digital Health
      • Development Works Here with Achini Wijesinghe
      • View all Blog Posts
Image of the logo for the University of Liberia carved into wood on a door. Beside it is a stairway leading up to a gazebo.

Digital Revolution: The Future of Higher Education in Liberia .

June 28, 2021
  • Impact Stories
  • Digital Revolution: The Future of Higher Education in Liberia
After decades of instability, how can Liberia build a 21st-century learning environment for its higher education institutions?
SHARE

TwitterFacebookLinkedIn

Icon of book and three pencils

The Liberian education system is recovering after decades of civil instability. The longstanding effects of two civil wars, exacerbated by school closures during the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak, left Liberia with a fragile education system and even weaker information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure. Although information is more accessible than ever, students and faculty at Liberia’s colleges and universities have limited opportunities to plug into today’s interconnected world. Internet at universities across the country is expensive and inconsistent, making it harder for students and faculty to collaborate, access educational resources, and keep up with modern institutions.

The USAID Digital Liberia and e-Government Capacity Building Activity project helped address these issues by improving connectivity and access to information across the country. Digital Liberia partnered with the University of Liberia to develop a comprehensive connectivity roadmap. The project procured and installed Wi-Fi equipment for more reliable internet access and linked four university campuses with a local intranet. The university’s chief information officer, Dr. Darren Wilkins, finds the changes encouraging. “The University of Liberia is undergoing a major transition, which includes digitization, automation of services, and connection to global resources for education and research,” he says. “To achieve this goal, ICT plays a crucial role. The Digital Liberia e-Government project’s assistance in building a campus network significantly impacts our efforts to achieve a 21st-century educational and research environment.”

This new IT infrastructure made it possible for the University of Liberia to become a founding member of the Liberia Research and Education Network (LRREN). Like similar networks worldwide, the LRREN will provide affordable, high-quality internet service for higher-education and research institutions across the country. LRREN membership enables students and faculty to access digital libraries, journals, and databases and collaborate with other national and regional networks. With the LRREN, universities in Liberia can enhance teaching and learning, paving the way for Liberia to excel in research and education.

In 2019, presidents from 11 colleges and universities in Liberia signed a memorandum of understanding, becoming the founding members of the LRREN. Digital Liberia supported the LRREN in establishing a governance structure, becoming a legal entity, and preparing campuses to connect to regional and national networks. As Dr. Wilkins states, “The establishment of the LRREN, of which the University of Liberia is a part, and which is a strategic asset of economic and social value to Liberia, could not have come at a better time for a nation working vehemently for socioeconomic development.” In 2021, the Liberia Telecommunications Corporation issued a five-year, special-use internet service provider license to the LRREN, paving the way for it to equip all member institutions with low-cost internet capacity.

Enhanced access to the internet is already paying off. In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a halt, Digital Liberia helped the University of Liberia expand online learning opportunities for students by launching a new online platform – UL Online. The project also assisted the university in training its professors on ways to integrate the e-learning platform Moodle into their teaching. This training allowed the university to pivot to 100 percent e-learning during the pandemic, with 13,000 of the university’s 20,000 students remaining enrolled.

Digital Liberia helped to lay the foundation to transform the student and faculty experience in Liberia. Through more accessible information for research and learning, Liberia can continue to build a strong educational foundation and connect with the rest of the world.

Initiatives such as the LRREN are a part of a larger strategy to build ICT capacity in Liberia and are key to the Liberian government’s e-Government strategy for strengthening ICT infrastructure and improving the availability of ICT services in the country. Advancing this strategy was one of the main objectives of Digital Liberia, which ended in 2020. The project supported Liberia in creating a sound national ICT platform to enhance cross-sectoral development and promote economic growth.

Related Projects


Laying a Digital Foundation
View All Projects
  • Projects
  • Impact Stories
  • News and Blog
A man and a woman posing on a busy street.

Championing Migrants’ Integration in Colombia

A woman smiling and posing for a photo outside.

Advocating for an Inclusive Justice System for All Colombians

A woman showing a document to a man sitting at a table beside her.

Championing People-Centered Justice in Ukraine

Image of Sri Lanka

Improving Sri Lanka’s Justice System

A large irrigation system sprinkling water on a swath of farmland.

Bolstering Jordan’s Water Sector Governance

A doctor posing for a photo in front of a clinic.

Strengthening Public Service Delivery in Mozambique

A school room full of empty benches with light shining through a window.

Improving Basic Education for Children in East Africa

An image of the coastline of Lagos Island, Nigeria at sunset.

Improving Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Nigeria

Fishing boats on the shore in Zanzibar, Tanzania

Conserving Biodiversity in Tanzania

health worker vaccinating a baby

Building a Resilient Health System in Senegal

woman hanging a bednet over her bed

Ending Malaria in the DRC

Teacher teaching an elementary school class.

Sustaining the Legacy of Holistic Education in Malawi

View All Projects
Three healthcare workers posing for a photo outside of a clinic.

Maternal Healthcare in Mozambique: A Balance of Traditions and Institutions

View All Impact Stories
Aerial view of the Dead Sea coast in Jordan

For a Precious Resource like Water, Good Governance Matters

Assortment of images showing Chemonics work

What Role Does Trust Play in Effective International Development Programmes?

A Scientist Looks at a Seed Under a Microscope

In Conversation with Joy Kiiru: Connecting Research and Evidence to Policy 

A group of people sitting in school desks and listening to a presentation.

Rethinking Technical Assistance in Rapidly Changing Socioeconomic Environments

Several people posing for a group photo.

What Is People-Centered Justice Programming and Why Does it Matter To You?

A professional headshot of Karina Perez.

Development Works Here with Karina Perez Jvostova

In the DRC, a community health worker hands a packaged bed net to a woman.

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Widening the Net of Data Capture for Improved Digital Health

Two smiling schoolboys in Zambia sitting in front of bookshelves

News: USAID and Chemonics Partner to Support Basic Education in East Africa

World Malaria Day 2023 – Time to Deliver Zero Malaria: Invest, Innovate, Implement

Women working in a cornfield.

Invest in Emerging Economies to Protect Our Future

Barbara Rossmiller stands in front of a water installation

3 Questions with Barbara Rossmiller on Responsive Development in the Water Sector

View All News and Blog

Sign up for our eNewsletter to learn more about our work.

Sign Up
Chemonics
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Standards of Conduct
  • Data Privacy Policies
  • Afghanistan Support
  • Employment
  • What We Do
  • Where We Work
  • Who We Are
  • Work With Us
  • News and Blog