The Leland Initiative was a five-year $15 million US Government program of USAID to improve internet connectivity in Africa. It was named after Mickey Leland. Its implementation phase started in March 1996. The Leland Initiative works to support policy reforms to reduce barriers to open connectivity, providing affordable prices, based upon costs plus profit, conducive to broad expansion of the user base; delivery of Internet services by private sector providers; and,free and open access to information available through the Internet, inconformance with host country laws.
It is criticised for forcing connectivity through incumbent telecoms, which hampered countriesâ nascent efforts for Internet connectivity.