African Information Society Initiative (AISI) e-strategies

:: 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 >

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.

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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.

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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 ......

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 >

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]

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 .... .....

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 >

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.

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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.

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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.

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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".

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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.

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2007 Technology in Government in Africa (TIGA) Awards

2007 Technology in Government in Africa (TIGA) AwardsThe 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

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Atelier de restitution de la stratégie des TIC pour l’Afrique Centrale

Atelier de restitution de la stratégie des TIC pour l’Afrique Centrale - Douala - 24-25 janvier 2007 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.

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North African Development Forum: Trade for Growth and Job Creation

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.

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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 .....

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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 .....

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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 .....

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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 .....

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Atelier de restitution de la stratégie des TIC pour l’Afrique Centrale - Douala - 24-25 janvier 2007New 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.

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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 ....

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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 .......... ...

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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 .... ...

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Building an inclusive Information Society in the SADC Region: Making ICTs work in Parliaments
19 February 2007

Building an inclusive Information Society in the SADC Region: Making ICTs work in Parliaments 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.

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Launch of the Third Global Knowledge Conference (GK III) on "Emerging People, Emerging Markets, Emerging Technologies"
12 February 2007

Building an inclusive Information Society in the SADC Region: Making ICTs work in Parliaments 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.

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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 .....

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ECA, ECOWAS and UEMOA to chart a legal framework for ICT development in West Africa
16 January 2007

Building an inclusive Information Society in the SADC Region: Making ICTs work in Parliaments 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.

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