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What is AISI?
The African Information
Society Initiative (AISI) is an action framework that has
been the basis for information and communication activities
in Africa since 1996. AISI is not about technology. It is
about giving Africans the means to improve the quality of
their lives and fight against poverty.
For
more about AISI, click
here > |
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Science
With Africa Conference
Addis
Ababa
3 - 7 March 2008
As its
name indicates, the Science with Africa conference symbolizes
a joint effort between Africa and its partners to promote
and enhance the role of science and technology in the continent's
development. This global collaboration highlights the spirit
behind this unique project. The objective of the conference
is to provide a network to create synergies between African
science-based organizations and businesses and their global
counterparts.
More
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Gender and e-Government worshop opens at ECA
21 March 2008:
 A one-day workshop on Gender and E-government was opened today, 21 March 2008 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Over forty participants are in attendance at the workshop drawn from Ministries of Information and Communication Technologies, National Gender Machineries and representatives of Regional Economic Communities.
More
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PICTA
Bulletin, Number 68, January - March 2008!
 “Science With Africa” Conference: Science and technological innovation critical for Africa's economic growth ......20 Ideas selected during “Science With Africa” Idea Factory .......GKP AFRICA 2008: Powering Africa with ICT & Entrepreneurship .....NOVATECH 2008. NOVATECH 2008 .....ICT for Health Network launched in Tanzania .....Introducing mobile phones to a farming project in Ghana ....Nokia launches recycling initiative in East Africa ....Nigeria's ICT Infrastructure Plan validated by Stakeholders .....Gambia Scan-ICT report released .....Fifth Annual General Meeting of the Association of Regulators of Information and Communication for Eastern and Southern Africa (ARICEA) .....Gender and e-Government workshop ......
More
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NEW
PUBLICATION !
 e-Strategies:
National Information and Communication Infrastructure (NICI):
Best Practices and Lessons Learnt, Economic Commission for
Africa (ECA), 2007
The
publication captures the lessons learnt as a result of a decade
of national and sub regional ICT policy-making. The ECA decision
for support to national e-policies development came as a result
of Africa Information Society Initiative (AISI) implementation,
which called for countries to develop guiding policy and infrastructural
frameworks to optimize the use of ICTs in carrying out their
socio-economic development agenda. From the global context,
the WSIS process and Action Plans from Geneva and Tunis later
reinforced this thinking.
The
publication also assesses how NICI policies are formulated
using case studies from Rwanda, Ghana, Malawi and Nigeria,
which indicate the critical importance of the nation’s
development priorities and goals for the sustainability of
any e-strategy. In line with AISI, the assistance being accorded
to Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to implement their
Information Society programmes and initiatives is extensively
discussed, citing the various activities being undertaken
by the RECs in using ICTs for regional integration objectives.
The
status of NICI policies and plans in member States is analyzed
in terms of the progress made and challenges encountered is
presented, capping this, with the process critical success
factors.
Download
the document > |
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Nigeria's
ICT Infrastructure Plan validated by Stakeholders
 23
January 2008 (ECA) - Following a workshop held in Lagos on
17 January 2008, over 100 experts from various stakeholder
groups, comprised of Government ministries, private sector,
non-government organisations (NGOs), community-based organisations
(CBOs), academia, women and youth groups endorsed Nigeria's
Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICTD)
Plan.
More
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Gambia
Scan-ICT report
 The
Scan-ICT project for the Gambia marks another milestone in
the development of the ICT sector, measuring access, usage
and exploitation of ICTs in the Country. This
study was coordinated by the Department of State
for Finance and Economic Affairs, the Department of State
for Communications and Information and Technology and the
Gambia Bureau of Statistics. Henceforth the exercise will
be integrated in the regular data collection mechanism of
the Statistical Bureau.
More
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 AISI-GKP
Media Awards 2007 winners announced at GK3 Gala Dinner
The
winners of the African Information Society Initiative (AISI)-GKP
Media Awards 2007 were announced at the GK3 Gala Dinner on
Tuesday, 11 December. [more]
African
Journalists to receive Information Society awards at GK3
The
Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and its partners will
award deserving African journalists for reporting on the effective
use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in
development on the continent. The awards ceremony will be
held during the third Global Knowledge Conference (GK3) taking
place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 11 – 13 December
2007. [more]
ECA
@ GK3 > |
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Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) experts
from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
adopted new guidelines on combating cyber crime in the sub-region,
following a workshop that concluded 11 December in Lome, Togo.
[more]
website
| guidlines [en
| fr]
| feedback |
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Connect
Africa
 The
Connect Africa will be launched at a Summit of leaders in
Kigali, Rwanda, 29-30 October 2007, under the patronage of
the President of Rwanda, Mr Paul Kagame, as well as the Chairman
of the African Union and President of Ghana, His Excellency,
Mr John Kufour. It will be organized by the International
Telecommunication Union, the African Union, the World Bank
Group and the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development,
in partnership with the African Development Bank, the African
Telecommunication Union and the UN Economic Commission for
Africa.
More
>
Connect
Africa Summit adopts five goals to bridge the digital divide
in Africa
Addis Ababa, 6 November 2007
The
Connect Africa Summit which took place in Kigali, Rwanda,
on 29 - 30 October 2007, ended with the adoption of five goals
to bridge the digital divide in Africa. The Summit, which
was held under the patronage of the President of Rwanda, Mr.
Paul Kagame, gathered over a thousand participants from 54
countries, including six Heads of State and Government. Forty-three
countries in Africa were represented, including 23 at the
Ministerial level.
More
>
Participants
call for a scaling up of policy implementation activities
25 October 2007
Over
forty African policymakers and other stakeholders reached
consensus on the need to move from policy development to implementation
as most countries had developed policies which remained unimplemented
for various reasons. The participants urged the ECA and its
partners to continue supporting this process to ensure that
benefits from the Information Society are realized.
More
>
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PICTA
Bulletin, Number 67, November-December 2007!
The
third Global Knowledge Conference (GK3) .....The 2007 AISI-GKP
Media Award winners honoured at GK3 .....Stockholm Challenge
- GKP Awards 2007 Winners honoured at GK3 .....UN partners
with European Commission to boost ICT investment ....ECA's
Aida Opoku-Mensah Speaks on the State of ICT Development in
Africa ....ICT 4 All Forum in Tunis ....Dutch IT company Altran
supports ICT projects in Tanzania and Zambia ....APC makes
recommendations to UN Internet governance forum .....ECA Panels/
Workshops during GK3 .....Knowledge summit comes to Africa
.....Regional Stakeholders Workshop on Knowledge Networks
for disadvantaged communities .....ECOWAS adopts Guidelines
on combating cyber crime ....ECA Head Abdoulie Janneh brokers
partnerships with Europe for a science driven development
in Africa .... .....
More
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Swaziland
Prime Minister launches National ICT policy
6 August 2007
 Over
180 participants attended the National ICT Policy Launch and
Expo 2007 in Swaziland at the Royal Swazi Spa Convention Centre.
The participants included His Excellency, the Right Honourable
Prime Minister, Mr Absalom Themba Dlamini, accompanied by
the Deputy Prime Minister, Mrs Constance Simelane, Cabinet
Ministers, Principal Secretaries, MP’s, members of the
diplomatic corps, industry captains and members of the public.
In
her welcoming remarks, ECA’s Director for the ICT, Science
and Technology Divison (ISTD) Ms. Aida Opoku-Mensah, who was
representing the ECA Executive Secretary, Mr. Abdoullie Janneh,
advised participants that the successful deployment of ICTs
can contribute to the development of knowledge societies in
all nations of the continent and bridge the digital divide.
She alluded to the pervasiveness of knowledge in production
and that technology and knowledge were now the key factors
of production and economic development.
More
>
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South
African stakeholders assess the use of ICTs in facilitating
trade
2
August 2007
 A
two-day roundtable to review a study on ICTs, trade and economic
growth in South Africa was opened 30 July 2007 in Pretoria,
South Africa. Over forty participants were in attendance at
the roundtable drawn from various stakeholders including the
ICT private sector, representatives from the Department of
Communication as well as Department of Trade and Industry,
ISP Association of South Africa, regulator, telecom operators,
commercial and development banks, and other government agencies.
The results of the roundtable will be presented to concerned
Government agencies through the Department of Communications
for their implementation.
More
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Experts
assess Ghana's e-trade progress
25 June 2007
 A
two-day roundtable to review a study on ICTs, trade and economic
growth in Ghana opened on Monday, 25 June 2007 in Accra. The
roundtable is aimed at reviewing a country study conducted
by a team of local consultants in the framework of the ePolicy
Resource Network (ePol-NET), as well as the ICTs, Trade and
Economic Growth Initiative supported by the Canadian government.
Opening the roundtable, Dr. Benjamin Aggrey-Ntim, Deputy Minister
of Communications said his government was committed to taking
advantage of the ICT revolution. Establishing a favourable
e-trade environment would enhance trade efficiency and facilitate
the integration of Ghana and other African countries into
the global economy, he added.
More
>
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Workshop
held to boost ICT, STI awareness in Ugandan parliament
18 June 2007
Boosting
parliament's role in promoting ICT was the theme of a two-day
workshop held in Uganda last week, facilitated by ECA's ICT,
Science and technology Division (ISTD). Over
45 MPs and staff from the Ugandan parliament took part in
the event held in Entebbe from 15-16 June, under the theme
“The role of Parliament in promoting ICT, Science, Technology
and Innovation (ISTI) for development”. The workshop
was organized in the context of ECA's e-Policy Resource Network
for Africa (ePolnet) ( www.epolafrica.org ), which was set
up with support from the Canadian government to provide expertise,
guidance and advice to African countries in implementing national
e-strategies.
More
>
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ICT
significantly impacting Egyptian economy
15 June 2007
An
ECA-sponsored study on the relationship between ICT and economic
growth has revealed significant impacts on the Egyptian economy,
according to Egyptian researcher Dr Nagwa El-Shenawy. She
was presenting the findings of the study, financed by the
Government of Canada under the Global ePolicy Resource Network
(ePol-NET). The report, presented to stakeholders from the
ICT and trade sectors in the country, found that the contribution
of Egypt's ICT sector exceeds three percent of GDP. During
the roundtable discussion, participants called on the Egyptian
Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA)
to conduct an awareness campaign on the Egyptian e-signature
law, as 37% of the surveyed enterprises still cited the lack
of a legal framework as one of the difficulties faced in rolling
out e-commerce in Egypt.
More
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West
African countries urge ECA to continue work on e-commerce
15 June 2007
 Participants
in a West African regional workshop on e-commerce have called
on ECA to continue its assistance to member states in this
important area. The workshop, held within the framework of
the African Information Society Initiative (AISI) from 11-12
June, was jointly organized in Niamey, Niger by ISTD and the
ECA sub-regional office for West Africa.
Specifically,
the AISI calls for: “Linking chambers of commerce, trade
associations and the business sector to help small and medium
enterprises and increase both regional and global trade; reduced
commercial transaction costs; online trade related information
and import/export opportunities; development and marketing
of new products through electronic networks.”
In this
context, the workshop brought together regional ICT experts
to discuss the policies and regulatory framework for the promotion
of e-commerce, review obstacles to its expansion, exchange
experiences and chart a roadmap for a Public Private Partnership
on e-commerce in West Africa, in cooperation with ECOWAS and
UEMOA.
More
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GKP
Africa regional preparatory meeting to GK III: “Knowledge
and Access”
5 - 6 June 2007
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
 In
the view of providing a GKIII-preliminary regional forum,
ECA- the African regional node for GKP- in collaboration with
SDC and with the support of IDRC is organizing a GKP Africa
preparatory meeting on " Knowledge and Access",
which will provide an opportunity for GKP Africa members as
well a other stakeholders committed to promote information
and knowledge for development in the Continent. Participants
will debate on issues such as: market opportunities, knowledge
as a public good, language and culture, inclusive solutions
for women and youth, innovative technologies, around 3 main
themes: Emerging People, Emerging Markets, and Emerging Technologies.
More
>
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ICT
Best Practices Forum
7 - 9 June 2007, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
 The
European Union has demonstrated in a recent EU Forum on Africa
that if all of the IT innovations of various African countries
were to be integrated into one single country that it would
be the 12th most advanced country in the world with respect
to the use of technology.
More
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Workshop
on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), Gender
and e-Government
28 - 30 May 2007, Maputo, Mozambique
 The
workshop will take place under the framework of the Global
ePolicy Resource Network (ePol-NET) and in cooperation with
the Mozambican Ministry of Science and Technology, the Economic
Commission for Africa (ECA), the Canadian ePolicy Resource
Centre (CePRC) and the Open Society Initiative for Southern
Africa (OSISA).
The main objective of the workshop is to encourage dialogue
among ICT and gender experts in countries with the aim of
analyzing and evaluating the efforts put in place by African
countries to include a gender dimension in e-Government policies
and programmes that address the specific needs of African
women.
More
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2007
AISI Media Awards Announced !
Deadline:
15 August 2007
 ECA
and its partners are pleased to announce the 2007 AISI Media
Awards. The deadline for the 2007 AISI Media Awards programme
is 15th August 2007. Entries can be made in the following
categories: 1) The AISI-SDC-GKP Media Awards 2007 –
Radio, Print, Television/Video, and Multimedia/Web Media;
focusing on “Emerging People”, “Emerging
Technologies”, and “Emerging Markets” in
Africa, 2) The AISI-IDRC Media Awards: Reporting on ICT Research
and Innovation as well as Reporting on ICT Policy, and 3)
The AISI-IICD Media Award on Local Content Applications, and
Local Content.
More
> [English]
[French] |
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Fifth
Meeting of the Committee on Development Information (CODI-V)
29 April - 4 May 2007, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
 The
CODI-V theme is “ Employment and the Knowledge Economy
in Africa”. Four sub-committees look deeper into
the issue from the perspective of statistical data , geoinformation,
libraries, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
The
Committee on Development Information (CODI) is one of the
seven subsidiary bodies of the Economic Commission for Africa,
established in 1997 by the twenty-third meeting of the Conference
of African Ministers responsible for Economic and Social Development
and Planning. As a subsidiary body of the Commission, CODI
provides policy and technical guidance for the sub-programme
"harnessing information for development".
More
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ECA-ITU-UNCTAD
Regional Workshop on Information Society Measurements in Africa
7
- 9 March 2007, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
 The
Economic
Commission for Africa (ECA), the International Telecommunication
Union (ITU), and the UN Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD) are jointly organising a "Regional Workshop
on Information Society Measurements in Africa" scheduled
to take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 7 - 9 March 2007.
More
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2007
Technology in Government in Africa (TIGA) Awards
 The
Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Canadian e-Policy
Resource Center (CePRC) are pleased to announce the First
Technology in Government in Africa (TIGA) Awards.
Deadline for Applications: 28
February 2007
More
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Atelier
de restitution de la stratégie des TIC pour l’Afrique
Centrale
La Division des TIC et de la Science et Technologie (ISTD)
et le bureau sous régional de la CEA pour l’Afrique
Centrale (SRO-CA) ont organisé en collaboration avec
la Communauté Economique des Etats de l’Afrique
Centrale (CEEAC) et la Communauté Economique et Monétaire
des Etats de l’Afrique Centrale (CEMAC) les 24- 25 janvier
à Douala (Cameroun), un atelier de restitution du projet
de stratégie des TIC pour l’Afrique Centrale.
More
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North
African Development Forum: Trade for Growth and Job Creation
The role of trade as a driving force of economic development
and growth has become unquestionable. There is widespread
evidence that openness and trade liberalization are key components
of the national policy mix required for economic growth and
well-being. The process has been central to the growth of
industrial countries and to the successful economic development
of various countries since the 1970’s.
More
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PICTA
Bulletin, Number 66, October 2007!
Connect
Africa Summit adopts five goals to bridge the digital divide
in Africa ....Connect Africa Summit: Capacity Building, Applications
and Services .....UNESCO and Library of Congress sign agreement
for World Digital Library ....New Chairman of ICANN Elected
Unanimously ....Participants call for a scaling up of policy
implementation activities .....Development of a Rural Electronic
Schools Model in African Languages (ERELA), in primary school
in Cameroon .....Civil society calls for new governance to
make Internet accessible to Africans ....East Africa: Reform
taxation laws on Telecommunications .....
More
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PICTA
Bulletin, Number 65, August-September 2007!
Connect
Africa .....GKP Announces the GK3 Programme ...AU Conference
on Women and Science and Technology ....New partners join
Web4Dev organisers ....Nokia launches Amharic interface phones
...Member States Adopt a Development Agenda for WIPO ....WITFOR
2007 .....Capacity building at ITCA on web technologies ....First
Meeting of the African Intergovernmental Committee on Science,
Technology and Innovation Indicators ....Ghana holds first
ICT Awards .....South Africa: Free at last! ....DRC: Alternatives
reveals the first independent study on an Internet infrastructure
that can serve the entire country .....Zambia: India Funds
ICT Training in Zambia ....Africa: Mobile Communications for
Rural Homes .....
More
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PICTA
Bulletin, Number 64, July 2007!
Computers
for Development.....GK3
Programme taking shape ....ICVolunteers instrumental in Africa@home
project, Volunteer Computing for Africa .....UN Secretary-General
endorses Connect Africa Summit in Kigali, Rwanda .....ECA
and WHO to launch a study on Africa Health Infoway ....South
African stakeholders assess the use of ICTs in facilitating
trade .....Swaziland NICI officially launched ...... Nigeria
successfully launched satellite- NIGCOMSAT-1 ......Update
on GAID Youth Forum .....Uganda’s 79 districts to get
e-link by 2010 .....South Africa to invest $700 million on
a new submarine cable to cut Web costs
.....
More
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PICTA
Bulletin, Number 63, May-June 2007!
GKP
Africa preparatory meeting for GK III ....ICT Best Practices
Forum for West and Central Africa ....GKP Celebrates a Decade
of Partnership Excellence....GKP Releases its Annual Report
2006 ....IICD highlights the importance of ICT for poverty
reduction ...Regulators and Industrialists address ICT infrastructure
gap in Africa: ICT seen as catalyst for overall development....New
online tool charts cyber security standards developments:
Essential guidance for cyber security architects ....Second
Meeting of the fifth African Technical Advisory Committee
(ATAC-5) ....Anglophone African countries call for sharing
experiences in addressing gender mainstreaming in ICT strategies
...Experts assess Ghana's e-trade progress ....Workshop held
to boost ICT, STI awareness in Ugandan parliament ....ICT
significantly impacting Egyptian economy ....West African
countries urge ECA to continue work on e-commerce .....
More
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 New
Publication: "African E-Markets: Information and Economic
Development"
Edited by Aida Opoku-Mensah and M.A Salih
Co-published by ECA and International Books
12 April 2007
More
Written by a select group of African academics, policy makers,
researchers, and experts from various social and economic
science disciplines, this study provides provocative insights
and case studies on the role information plays in African
development. Up-to-date research and analysis on the impact
of various forms of information on the development process
is presented, including e-economic development and its impact
on economic growth. Calling for greater attention to be paid
to information as a key player in national economic development,
this exploration of African economics cites the advantages
of better statistical data and geographic information for
more effective economic planning, management, and forecasting
in a digital era.
More
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PICTA
Bulletin, Number 62, April 2007!
ICT
Best Practices Forum for West and Central Africa ....Hivos
and IICD extend partnership .....Gender & e-Government
Workshop to be held in Maputo, Mozambique ....ECA, SDC, and
GKP organising African preparatory meeting to GK III with
a special focus on “Knowledge and Access” ....The
fifth Committee on Development Information (CODI-V) .....African
government innovation in information technology rewarded ......E-commerce
the way forward for Africa, new book says A report on rural
connectivity in Tanzania: options and challenges .....Nigeria's
First Internet Exchange Ready ....
More
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PICTA
Bulletin, Number 61, March 2007!
GKP
Members requested to submit proposals for activities or events
at GK3 ....IICD connectivity model presented at World Bank
conference .... Partnership’s Core ICT indicators endorsed
by the UN Statistical Commission .....African Network of the
Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID) launched ......ECA
supports Mozambique in the areas of ICTs, Science and Technology
.....Egypt: NEPAD e-schools officially launched .....Kenya
sets up ICT advisory body .....South Africa- Information Society
and Development (ISAD) Plan .....Zambia launches ICT Policy
.......... ...
More
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PICTA
Bulletin, Number 60, February 2007!
ECA-ITU-UNCTAD
Regional Workshop on Information Society Measurements in Africa
... GK III Launched....GKP Releases Summary Results of Consultation
for 10th UN Round Table on C4D......New publication from ITU:
Measuring the Information Society 2007 - ICT Opportunity Index
and World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators .......Building
an inclusive Information Society in the SADC Region: Making
ICTs work in Parliaments......The North Africa Development
Forum on Trade for Growth and Job Creation....The Africa node
for the Global Alliance on ICT and Development (GAID) to be
launched ....Experts Confirm ICT as tool for growth and competitiveness
in African economies ....Eassy renamed The Nepad Broadband
Infrastructure Network .... ...
More
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Building
an inclusive Information Society in the SADC Region: Making
ICTs work in Parliaments
19 February 2007
 In
collaboration with the SADC Parliamentary Forum and the ECA
Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa, ISTD facilitated
a 4-day MPs forum on “Building an inclusive Information
Society in the SADC Region” from 12-14 February 2007
in Johannesburg, South Africa. More than forty (40) MPs and
staffs from twelve (12) SADC Member State participated in
the event. The UNDP sub-regional offices for East and Southern
Africa and West Africa also participated as well as representatives
from the SADC Secretariat and the NEPAD e-Africa Commission.
More
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Launch
of the Third Global Knowledge Conference (GK III) on "Emerging
People, Emerging Markets, Emerging Technologies"
12 February 2007
 The
Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) launched the Third Global
Knowledge Conference (GK III) on "Emerging People, Emerging
Markets, Emerging Technologies”, on February 5th, in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP)
is the world’s leading international multi-stakeholder
network committed to harnessing the potential of knowledge,
and information and communication technologies (ICT) for sustainable
and equitable development.
More
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PICTA
Bulletin, Number 59, January 2007!
GKP
announces the Stockholm Challenge GKP Awards 2007 ....GKP
at ICANN’s 27th International Public Meeting .....GTP
represented in UN Steering Committee on Global Alliance for
ICT and Development .....New Director at IDRC ....GKP Africa
Resource Mobilization Workshop .....ECA, ECOWAS and UEMOA
to chart a legal framework for ICT development in West Africa
.....R&D Bulletin by AISI Academia Research Network (ARN)
Cameroon group working on Electronic Rural School in Cameroon
local language .....ECA-CEEAC-CEMAC Workshop on ICT Strategy
for Central Africa ....Harambee Workshop ....WIPO Press Release
on Traditional Knowledge and Traditional and Cultural Expressions
.....Towards an African e-Index: SME e-Access and Usage .....SANGONeT
attempting a rescue of poorly performing telecentres ....2007
ICANN Nominating Committee Issues Formal Call for Statements
of Interest .....
More
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ECA,
ECOWAS and UEMOA to chart a legal framework for ICT development
in West Africa
16 January 2007
 A
workshop organized last month in Ouagadougou by ECA's sub
regional Office in West Africa (SRO-WA) and ISTD gathered
ICT experts, lawyers, trade specialists and economists on
the most effective legal framework for ICT development in
the region. Discussions focused on how to put in place an
enabling legal environment for e-commerce and for an enhanced
cyber crime control.
More
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