PICTA Bulletin
is a monthly publication that provides information on activities
of members in the Partnership for ICTs in Africa (PICTA), as
well as news on ICT-related activities in Africa.
This Forum is an initiative of Microsoft, organised in partnership with the Government of Burkina Faso with support from the European Union. The overarching theme was e-government while showcasing all new examples of the most innovative projects implemented in the public sector from across Africa, as well as in other emerging market regions. The Forum presented a unique opportunity for private sector representatives to meet with top representatives of government, donor organisations, civil society and international governmental organisations in an environment that encourages one-on-one communication, allowing them to discuss potential commercial partnerships. Over 300 participants attended the Forum, and they were drawn from Government leaders (heads of state, ministers of government, IT agency heads), International Financial Organizations (such as World Bank, the African Development Bank), Bilateral donor organisations (such as USAID, DFID, GTZ, JICA, SIDA, etc), IGOs (such as the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, NEPAD); the private sector (including partner technology firms, etc); and Civil society representatives (e.g. academia and NGOs). More: http://www.ictbestpractices.net
New task group on measuring ICT impact
In a recently held meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, the international Partnership for Measuring ICT for Development decided to create a new Task Group on Measuring Impact analysis (TGMI) in 2008. All Partners will inform the Steering Committee of the Partnership of their interest to participate in the TGMI; UNCTAD, ECLAC, and OECD have already expressed their interest. In order to prepare the terms of reference for this Task Group, the interested Partners will first put together an overview on work being done on the socio-economic impact of ICT, and then make a proposal on what the TGMI could do and how to do it (which could include cooperation with academics), including timeline and outputs. The TGMI could issue recommendations on measuring impact, but would not be setting standards. Eventually, the overview and the main findings from existing research could become a Partnership document. More: http://measuring-ict.unctad.org/
GKP engages 5 UN Regional Commissions at Addis Ababa meeting
At the invitation of Mr. Abdoulie Janneh, Under-Secretary General and Executive Secretary for the Economic Commission for Africa, GKP Executive Director Rinalia Abdul Rahim addressed the heads of UN Regional Commissions for Africa (UNECA), Asia Pacific (UNESCAP), Central and Western Asia (UNESCWA), Europe (UNECE), and Latin America the Caribbean (UNECLAC) at their meeting on 16 June in Addis Ababa. Rinalia briefed them on the work of GKP and invited partnerships with GKP to strengthen regional as well as inter-regional collaboration efforts, particularly in convening governments, private sector and civil society organisations to share knowledge, pool resources and work together in the area of ICT and Knowledge for Development. UNECA and UNESCWA who are already members of the GKP Network agreed to enhance existing collaboration efforts. UNESCAP and UNECLAC expressed interest to become members. More: http://www.globalknowledge.org
IICD enters new Global Teenager Project partnership
On May 8th, Caroline Figuères, IICD’s Managing Director, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Bob Hofman, Managing Director of the Dutch Foundation The Round Table to host and coordinate Global Teenager Project activities for the next three years. The Round Table will take over the responsibilities from Mind Set, the South African organisation who has been hosting GTP for the past 3 years. The Global Teenager project was founded by IICD in 1998 with the primary objective of building a bridge between youth in developed and developing countries; to teach them how to use ICT by working with other students, across the internet, on topics such as HIV/AIDS and freedom of speech. The Project currently involves around 8,000 pupils in 33 different countries. More: http://www.iicd.org/articles/iicd-enters-new-global-teenager-project-partnership/
The Africa E-Governance Academy Validation Meeting
Over the past two years a number of persons, experts and institutions, which initially included UNDP, OSIWA, Trust Africa, IDRC, CODESRIA, PANOS, AIDIE-Senegal and a later stage ECOWAS and UNECA constituting the “Steering Committee for the establishment of the Academy”, have been deliberating on the needs of the academy since 2006, and this meeting is the outcome of these deliberations. At this workshop, the Steering Committee, West African policymakers, and other stakeholders came together to discus and validate the African e-Governance academy framework document and looked at issues pertaining to sustainability and project mandate, mission and vision, as well as scope in terms of geographical coverage and activities the academy is perceived to carry out. The workshop provide space for interaction and engagement with key stakeholders towards a well established regional e-Governance Academy. The main objectives of this three day workshop were to a) validate Africa E-Academy Framework project by key stakeholders, with an emphasis on the multidimensional effects (policy, economics, social, etc.) of ICT services on Public policies and administration and develop a sound methodology for an Africa E-Academy Framework development and implementation; b) identify national priorities to be integrated in the project; c) explore conditions and modalities for key stakeholders involvement, to ensure sustainability; and d) design a shared action plan for the Africa E-Academy Framework project. These objectives were achieved through exploration of the existing initiatives and experiences from different countries as they getting ready for e-governance implementation. Through breakout sessions where participants discussed fully on issues pertaining to the e-Governance Academy which centred around the mandate, content, scope, activities of e-governance academy, partnerships models and funding mechanisms as well as financial implications and budget issues. More:Makane Faye (mfaye@uneca.org).
ECA Moves from Ideas to Action to Promote Scientific Research and Development in Africa
ECA organized a workshop early June in Addis Ababa in collaboration with the African Union Commission and Brainstore to devise strategies and set a timeframe for the implementation of innovative ideas, which the Science with Africa Conference generated last March. Government officials, ECA and AU experts as well as the African Diaspora representatives who attended this roadmap workshop identified potential lead institutions and possible partners for each core idea. They also discussed funding constraints and reviewed fiscal systems in place to ensure a thorough assessment of the costs involved. The Science with Africa Conference ended last March with the adoption of 20 ideas for boosting research and development in Africa . Key among these ideas were: the creation of an African Philanthropists for science club, the launch of Olympic science games and an African research yearbook. One science kit per classroom, a luxury contribution fund and a science camp for girls were also among the ideas adopted by a large majority of participants. One of the biggest implementation challenges today is to explore innovative ways for funding selected ideas. In his closing statement, the Idea Director of Brainstore Mr. Samuel Mueller indicated in an optimistic note that: “if you have an idea that is unique, it attracts funds”. According to Ms Aida Opoku-Mensah, the Director of ISTD, ECA, the outcome document of the road map workshop will also be a good way of marketing the innovative ideas agreed upon. The Science with Africa Conference was convened by ECA in response to the need for a major science initiative in Africa addressing the weak interaction between the African scientific community and other stakeholders. It was also intended to increase the usability of scientific outputs on the continent and ensure an adequate representation of African scientists in international research projects. More: http://www.uneca.org/eca_resources/news/2008/080609science.htm
Third Meeting of the Fifth African Technical Advisory Committee (ATAC V)
The third meeting of the fifth African Technical Advisory Committee (ATAC) of the AISI took place on 27th May prior to the 2008 eLearning Africa conference. ATAC is a group of African experts appointed by the Executive Secretary to advise ECA on the implementation of the AISI. The meeting reviewed the progress made in the implementation of the 2007-2009 work programme. The ATAC members commended ISTD in the achievements accomplished so far in line with implementing its 2007-2009 work programme. Particularly, the integration of the science and technology programme in the existing work programme, following the restructuring of ECA, was appreciated very much. Though the activities are right on track, ATAC members provided the Secretariat with invaluable inputs and comments so as to effectively implement the remaining activities up to 2009. ATAC members renewed their commitments in assisting and advising ECA in its work programme of promoting information for development and developed their work plan for the reminder of their term. More: http://www.uneca.org/aisi/atac.htm
eLearning Africa 2008
The eLearning Africa Conference, which was opened on 29 th May 2008 by H. E. Alhaji Aliu Mahame, Vice President of Ghana, highlighted on the crucial role ICTs play in education and the strong needs for eLearning capacity building in Africa. Ms. Aida Opoku-Mensah made remarks and presentation during the opening session focusing on “creating the enabling environment for ICT education: challenges and opportunities”. She highlighted on the challenges and opportunities for eLearning in Africa and ECA's commitment in enhancing and supporting its member States in policy formulation in the framework of the AISI. The Director also requested participants to address the following key questions in their deliberations:
• Do we have Education Sector ICT Policy to promote e-learning?
• Does our education reform meet the requirements of the knowledge economy?
• Are the policies in higher education systems pragmatic and flexible to adapt to the changing demand in both local and global market for curricula and new mixed mode of teaching?
• Will the 21st century see a real expansion of knowledge sharing to address the well-known ‘digital divide' which is now coupled with a ‘knowledge divide'?
More: Thierry H. Amoussougbo (tamoussougbo@uneca.org)
Empowering Zambia Parliamentarians for their new Role in the Information Society
In collaboration with the Parliament of Zambia, the ICT, Science and technology Division (ISTD) and ECA Sub-regional Office of Southern Africa, facilitated a 2-day MPs workshop on “The role of Parliament in promoting an inclusive Information Society in the Zambia” from 19-20 April 2008. More than twenty Members of Parliaments and Staff participated in the vent. 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 Government of Canada to provide expertise, guidance and advice to African countries implementing national e-strategies. The workshop served as a platform to launch the development of the Zambia Parliament ICT Policy and Strategy as a pilot phase of the implementation of the SADC Parliamentary Forum ICT Strategy a flagship program of e-SADC Policy underway. It increased the understanding of the Members of Parliament on their role in supporting the implementation of the national ICT Policy and Strategy through the creation and strengthening of ICT Committee function within the Parliament. More: Thierry H. Amoussougbo (tamoussougbo@uneca.org)
African education ministers call for more collaboration in the continent on ICTs in education
ECA and the Global eSchools and Communities Initiative (GeSCI) co-organised a Ministerial meeting on ICTs in education on Wednesday, 28 May 2008 at the Conference Center in Accra , Ghana . The meeting took place as a pre-conference event prior to eLearning Africa 2008 Conference, taking place from 29 – 30 May 2008 on the theme “ICTs for development, education and training”. The meeting was attended by ministers of education from Ghana , Tanzania , Uganda and Zambia . In addition, over 50 participants drawn from 21 countries ( Benin, Burkina Faso, Congo Republic, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe), including Permanent Secretaries, partners as well as international and regional institutions such as UNESCO, UNECA, IDRC, SDC, GeSCI, and CISCO Systems were in attendance. The main objective of the meeting was to discuss and highlight policy issues and challenges in the context of developing national capacities in using ICTs in education, and provide a forum for policy makers and other stakeholders to share their experiences as well as good practices for a common and shared goals in socio-economic development of the entire continent. A series of presentations were made on ICT in Education in Africa policy formulation and implementation, case studies from Ghana and Namibia GeSCI, e -learning as a means to ensure quality education, and ECA- IICBA-UNESCO report on “needs assessment of the development of ICT Standards for African Teachers” study, as well as a demonstration on ECA's Information, Science and Technology Center for Africa (ISTCA) e-learning Platform for decision-makers. Participants of the meeting emphasized the fact that there is a need for a strong collaboration between ministries in countries as well as with local and international partners. The meeting noted that ICTs are tools to achieve developmental goals, but by no means solutions for all problems. The issue must be addressed in a holistic manner to reflect the cross-sectoral nature of ICTs. More: http://www.uneca.org/eca_programmes/it_for_development/news/istd-dna-2008052901-en.asp
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African countries have approved plan to set up parliamentary knowledge network
The plan was announced during the International Conference entitled “African Parliamentary Knowledge Network - Building together open and learning parliaments in Africa” that was held in Egypt, Cairo from 4-5 June 2008 and was attended by African parliament speakers and lawmakers and international parliamentary and ICT experts. Ten African countries sanctioned the charter and agreed on making Egypt, the temporary seat of the African parliamentary knowledge network (APKN) and appointing the Egyptian parliament as the chair and coordinator of the network's future activities. APKN aims at promoting and enhancing the collaborative creation and sharing of knowledge, ideas, experiences and good practices among parliamentary administrations in the areas of legislation, information, research and documentation, and information and communication technologies (ICT). The conference was hosted by The People's Assembly of Egypt and organized under the auspices of the pan African Parliament, by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) through its regional initiative "Africa I-Parliaments Action Plan" and by the global center for ICT in parliament. More: http://www.parliaments.info
Rwanda Boosts Telecom Market With Bids for New Third Operator
Rwanda is set to invite bids for a third national telecom operator. The interest in a third operator comes as the Government targets having at least 5 million phone GSM subscribers by 2012. Addressing a regular presidential press conference on 18th June Rwanda's President Paul Kagame told journalists that already some four companies have expressed interest informally. The four companies include Orascom, an unidentified Israel company, Korea Telecom and the Kuwait based Zain International which operates the Celtel brand in sub-Saharan Africa. KT is South Korea's top integrated wired and wireless telecommunication service provider. On the other hand Orascom Telecom is a leading mobile telecommunications company operating in six emerging markets. It has a population under license of 430 million with an average penetration of mobile telephony across all markets of approximately 40 per cent. The 3rd license will be preferably awarded to a GSM operator who will offer both data and voice wireless networks. Currently Rwanda has only one GSM operator, MTN Rwanda. The other operator Rwandatel uses. Rwanda's telecom industry is monopolized by MTN Rwanda with almost 95 per cent of the market share to a population of over 8 million. The spoils are left for the second operator called Rwandatel. MTN Rwanda has almost 600,000 subscribers. Rwandatel has signed a US$ 35m investment agreement with Huawei Technologies to roll-out a new GSM and 3G UMTS network. More: http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/current1.html
SAT-3 reinforces market monopolies in Africa – Study
A study examining the impact the SAT-3 fibre optic submarine cable has had on telecommunications in four African countries has found that the potential of the cable has not been properly exploited. Instead, ownership of the cable by telecoms incumbents in the countries researched has reinforced their market positions. The study, conducted by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), set out to analyse the effect ownership of the South Atlantic 3/West Africa Submarine Cable (SAT-3/WASC) has had on the communications markets in Angola, Cameroon, Ghana and Senegal. It focused on the ‘Africa section’ of the submarine cable – running along the west coast of Africa down to southern Africa – with a specific emphasis on access and cost. The study recommends fresh measures to liberalise the telecommunications markets in the four countries, with the specific aim of opening up access to SAT-3 to more operators, so that its real potential can be realized in Africa. The study which consists of a briefing that synthesises the results of the four country studies from Angola, Cameroon, Ghana and Senegal, plus the full case studies, are available at: http://www.apc.org/en/pubs/manuals/openaccess/africa/apc-sat3-study
26 – 28 August 2008, 3rd Connecting Rural Communities Africa Forum 2008: Last Mile Solutions, Lilongwe, Malawi
The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization (CTO) is working together with the Malawi Ministry of Information and Civic Education on 3rd Connecting Rural Communities Africa Forum. With strong support from the industry and public sector this ICT forum will be the continent’s most important forum devoted to last mile solutions. Hundreds of ICT stakeholders are expected to attend the Forum, and it will be focussing exclusively on the most urgent topics within rural ICT connectivity. More: http://www.cto.int
2 - 4 September 2008, Accra 3rd High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, Accra, Ghana
Organized by the Working Party on Aid Effectiveness, Government of Ghana and the World Bank, the third High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness will take place in Accra with the aim to help developing countries and marginalized people in their fight against poverty by making aid more transparent, accountable and results-oriented. The Forum will review progress in improving aid effectiveness; broaden the dialogue to newer actors; and chart a course for continuing international action on aid effectiveness. The preparation of the Forum is being guided by the Working Party on Aid Effectiveness, an international partnership of developing and developed countries and international financing institutions. Many multilateral banks, the OECD, the United Nations, and a number of thematic funds and partnerships also participate in the Working Party. Ministers from over 100 countries, heads of bilateral and multilateral development agencies, donor organizations, and civil society organizations from around the world are expected to attend the Forum. More: http://www.accrahlf.net
New Publication: “Global Information Society: a Statistical View” launched
A new report on "Global Information Society: a Statistical View" was launched at the 2008 Global Event on Measuring the Information Society, held from 27 – 29 May 2008 at the Palais des Nations under the direction of the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development, whose members include UNECA.. Representatives from developing countries reviewed standards for collecting statistics on ICTs to spur social and economic development. An important outcome of the Conference was the endorsement of a new core list of statistical indicators for measuring ICT use in education, and the launching of Partnership’s publication entitled “The Global Information Society: a Statistical View”, which provides a summary of the current status of ICT measurement worldwide. The report indicates, among other things, that there has been an increase in the collection of ICT data by developing countries but that more such nations need to incorporate ICT statistics into their regular statistical surveys -- that such information is vital for making effective decisions on linking national economies into global information networks and for taking advantage of the opportunities such technologies as the Internet offer for development. More: http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/LCW190_en.pdf
"M-Money - Finances, Banking and payments through mobile phones" report now out
The report provides the information needed to assess the mobile money services market and the range of business opportunities that are available. It outlines the various models and concepts of mobile enabled transactions (M-banking, M-payments, M-transactions), differentiating between the various business models, and illustrating the potentially disruptive nature of some of the models. It looks at the different technologies that are likely to play a part in their mid-term development including Near Field Communication and combined Smart Cards. The report maps various developments in terms of current markets, and identifies the challenges presented by current regulations. It looks at how the market will change over the next few years, and how this may be supported or held back by regulatory changes. The report is priced as follows: Full price (Africa) – GBP290/US$580; Full price (Rest of the World) – GBP350/US$700; Reduced price for universities and NGOs – GBP250/US$500. More: http://www.balancingact-africa.com/mmoney.html
Wireless Technology for Social Change: Trends in NGO Mobile Use
The report, the second in the Access to Communications Publication Series, produces studies that give governments, NGOs and the private sector research and recommendations on how to use technology and telecom tools to effectively address some of the world’s toughest challenges. The report also highlights the results of a global web-based survey of NGO mobile technology use developed by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, and distributed via the email networks of eight partner groups reaching a geographically and thematically diverse group of NGOs: Idealist.org, InterAction, International Youth Foundation, MobileActive.org, New Tactics in Human Rights, OneWorld, SANGONeT, and ShareIdeas. Responses were collected December 10th, 2007 through January 13th, 2008, and generated 560 surveys completed by representatives of NGOs working in all parts of the world. The global survey found that 86% of non-governmental organization (NGO) employees use mobile technology in their work, and 25% believe it has revolutionized the way their organization or project works. While the most common uses of mobile technology by NGO workers are voice calls (90%) and text messaging (83%), more sophisticated uses, such as mapping (10%), data analysis (8%) and inventory management (8%) also were reported. More: http://mobileactive.org/files/MobilizingSocialChange_full.pdf
E-governance in Africa: from theory to action: A Handbook on ICTs for Local Governance
An important contribution to the literature on the subject of e-governance in general, and e-governance in Africa in particular, as well as of ICTs and development in Africa. The book presents the context, theory, and current thinking on the interaction between ICTs and local governance, particularly in Africa. It discusses the shift from “government” to “e-governance,” describes the role of local-level authorities, and presents the benefits and limitations of introducing ICTs in government operations. Case studies from Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, and Uganda describe local governance/ICTs projects executed by civil society organizations, academic institutions, and government authorities. Drawing from the findings in these case studies and from the introductory research and original conceptual framework, the book presents a series of conclusions and recommendation on the future of effective ICTs use for better governance and improved economic development at the local level. More: http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-113398-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html
Internet Address Space: Economic Considerations in the management of IPv4 and in the deployment of IPv6 – OECD Ministerial Report
The report provides an analysis of economic considerations associated with the transition from IPv4 to IPv6. It provides background analysis supporting the forthcoming ICCP-organised Ministerial-level meeting on ―The Future of the Internet Economy, which took place in Seoul, Korea from 17-18 June 2008. This report was prepared by Ms. Karine Perset of the OECD‘s Directorate for Science Technology and Industry. It was declassified by the ICCP Committee at its 54th Session on 5-7 March 2008. It is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. More: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/7/1/40605942.pdf
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