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.
Launching
the African ICTs, Trade and Economic Growth Initiative
ECA is organizing a Forum on ICTs, Trade and Economic Growth
under the auspices of the Africa Node of the Global ePolicy
Resource Network (ePol-NET) and in partnership with Industry
Canada and the Canadian ePolicy Resource Centre (CePRC) from
14-16 March 2006 at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC)
in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The forum aims to promote and build
confidence in e-business development, and sensitize stakeholders
to emerging e-business opportunities and their impact on national
strategies in Africa. It will uniquely combine learning, expertise
sharing (South-South and North-South), interactive dialogue,
networking and business matching to launch the African ICTs,
Trade and Economic Growth Initiative. More: http://www.uneca.org/e-trade/
World
experts discuss the establishment of the Internet Governance
Forum in Geneva
Initial consultations on the establishment of the Internet Governance
Forum (IGF) were held in Geneva from 16-17 February 2006. 300
participants representing government, civil society, private
sector and international organizations met to discuss the IGF's
scope of work, themes and priorities, as well as aspects relating
to its structure and functioning. Unfortunately, Africa’s
participation at the consultations was limited, with only a
few countries and civil society organizations attending. Hence,
in order to bridge the gap caused by the absence of African
delegates, and upon the request from Ghana, which serves as
Chair of the African Ministerial Committee on Information and
Communication Technology (ICT), ECA held online consultations
with key African stakeholders in order to prepare a contribution
and make a statement on behalf of the continent. More: http://www.uneca.org/disd/news/022106disd_dna.asp
ECOWAS
experts adopt a draft Information Society Declaration
Representatives of the Economic Community Of West African States
(ECOWAS) met in Lome, Togo from 31st January to 2 February 2006
to review progress made in ICT Policy development and implementation
in the West African sub-region taking into account the various
regional and global ICT frameworks such as the AISI, NEPAD and
the World Summit on the Information Society. The objective of
the meeting was to define a harmonized ICT Policy framework
for ECOWAS taking into account the National Information and
Communication Infrastructure (NICI) process being implemented
in member States. This framework would address the challenges
of building the information society at the ECOWAS level, including
harmonizing national ICT policies and plans, developing an enabling
environment, building a regional infrastructure/backbone, developing
local content and financing mechanisms and for the Information
Society. The ICT Forum was attended by ECOWAS regional integration
focal points and NICI experts. The Forum adopted a Draft Declaration
on the Information Society to be submitted to ECOWAS Heads of
State. The Declaration took into consideration the NEPAD Short
Term Action Plan on Infrastructure, the African Regional Action
Plan on the Knowledge Economy (ARAPKE) and the NICI development
process under the framework of the AISI. More: http://www.uneca.org/aisi/ECOWASmeeting.htm
Togo
launches the NICI process
Approximately 98 participants from the Office of the President,
Cabinet of the Prime Minister, various government ministries
and departments, the private sector, parliamentarians, academia,
NGOs and international organizations attended the launch of
the National Information and Communication Infrastructure (NICI)
process in Togo on 3 February 2006. The workshop, which was
coordinated by the Ministry of Communications and Civic Training,
evolved around the following issues: stakes and opportunities
of the Information Society; the NICI process; engendering the
NICI process; and, Togo and the Information Society, among others.
A National NICI Committee, comprising the main Government bodies
and other stakeholders was set up to oversee the development
of the plan. More: Makane Faye (mfaye@uneca.org).
Workshop:
"Dialogue between telecoms and media regulation stakeholders
in Africa in times of convergence"
Panos Institute West Africa, in partnership with the HAAC (Haute
Autorité de l’Audiovisuel et de la Communication)
of Benin, the ACRAN (African Communication Regulatory Authorities
Network), the West African Telecommunications Regulators Association
(WATRA), brought together from February 2nd to 4th, about fifty
media and telecoms professionals coming from public institutions
(regulators), the private sector, civil society and international
and regional institutions. The aim of this workshop was to debate
on issues and new challenges as result of convergence for media
regulators and stakeholders. The questions debated were: convergence
and regulation; legal and legislative frameworks; institutional
frameworks and collaborations; social and economic issues for
the region; and lessons from the experiences in Africa and at
the international level. Participants adopted the Cotonou Appeal
on the Regulation of Convergence at the end of the workshop.
More: Mohammed Timoulali (mtimoulali@uneca.org).
OKN
active in six African countries
Open Knowledge Network (OKN) is now active in six African countries:
Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Senegal, Uganda and Zimbabwe. In Kenya,
Zimbabwe, Senegal and Mali the project is expanding beyond the
initial organisations to form national networks working with
many other partners. The new software, Open Enrich, has been
released and will also be used by UNESCO’s Community Multimedia
Centre network, increasing the pool of shared content. A study
tour to India focusing on content creation and revenue generation
carried out in late February 2006. More: http://www.catia.ws
“Asia,
Africa and Latin America can learn from each other”, says
Jac Stienen
Jac Stienen, the Managing Director of IICD, shares his views
and experiences on the changes IICD has undergone over the years,
about its work in the South and on the learning’s from
IICD’s work, in an interview with Manish Kumar of OneWorld
South Asia. More: http://www.iicd.org/articles/iicdnews.2006-02-01.6413537617
Tanzanian government ready to adopt ICTs in health services
The government is ready to adopt ICTs in the provision of health
services, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health
and Social Welfare, Hilda Gondwe, has said. The PS made the
announcement in the Coast Region, as she officiated at a national
roundtable workshop on the application of ICTs in the country's
health sector on February 1, 2006. The workshop was organized
by Christian Social Services Commission (CSSC) and financed
by the Catholic Organization for Relief and Development (CORDAID)
and International Institute for Communication and Development
(IICD). The forum brought participants from different fields
- project implementers of different health projects, representatives
of faith-based organizations providing health services, university
professors, ICT experts and officials from Non-Governmental
Organizations (NGOs). More: http://www.ippmedia.com/ipp/guardian/2006/02/03/59218.html
ITU discusses the future of the Internet
As ICTs continues to revolutionarise human activity around the
world, the International Telecommunications Union, ITU, has
put together a workshop on Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID)
to bring a spotlight on what is now referred to as “Internet
of Things”. The ‘Internet of Things’ enables
ubiquitous network connectivity, anytime and anywhere. With
the use of key technologies such as radio tags and wireless
sensor networks, real-time communications and the free exchange
of information between users and the intelligent objects around
them firmly leave the domain of science fiction. More: http://www.digitalopportunity.org/article/view/127713/1/
e-Security; an emerging concern for Africa's digital
revolution
“As
African governments begin to implement e-government and e-commerce
initiatives, the new terrain will be a haven for malicious hackers,
who want bragging rights for bringing these sites down,”
cautioned Michael Bitz, a consultant who facilitated discussions
among ECA staff at a workshop on the Economics of E-security,
held from 6-8 February 2006. More: http://www.uneca.org/apps1/newsfromdivisions/News.asp?cmd=view&articleid=366
IDLELO2:
Achieving Millennium Development Goals through community software?
The second Idlelo conference took place at Safari Park Hotel,
from the 23rd to 25th of February 2006. The Conference jointly
organized by the Kenya Government, ECA, the Free Software and
Open Source Foundation for Africa (FOSSFA), and the International
Weiterbilung und Entwicklung gGmbH (Inwent), brought together
more than two hundred participants drawn from, government, international
organizations, FOSS practitioners, industry players all over
Africa and the Diaspora. Strategies on the possible use of FOSS
applications for accelerating the eight MDGs and stimulating
local FOSS industry in Africa, were identified. FOSSFA constitution
was ratified and a new council elected four years. The secretariat
was handed over to the South Africa-based CSIR Meraka Open Source
Centre. Other partners involved in the Conference include, the
Commonwealth of Learning, HIVOS, Google, Open Society Initiative
of West Africa -OSIWA, Ubuntu and Circuits and Packets. More:
http://www.fossfa.net/idlelo2/index.html
Internet
Governance - The Way Forward: From Tunis via Malta to Athens
The conference was officially opened by the Minister of Foreign
Affairs of Malta, Dr. Michael Frendo, and the President of DiploFoundation,
Professor Dietrich Kappeler. Conference participants proposed
different models for the process of establishing the Internet
Governance Forum (IGF). Some advocated discussing structure
and procedure first, while others favoured a substance-driven
process. A possible compromise could consist of combining the
two, that is, to develop procedures out of the substantive discussions
on ways to deal with a particular issue. This approach recognises
that procedures may need adaptation to specific topics. Conference
discussions were divided into five panels, each looking at different
aspects of the future Internet Governance Forum. In addition,
DiploTeam members and researchers presented Diplo’s Internet
Governance Capacity Building Programme and the results of research
on a number of topics, including the protection of public interest
with regards to the Internet. Some of the main points, which
emerged from each panel’s deliberations are available
at the conference website. More: http://www.diplomacy.edu/Conferences/IG/default.asp
OTHER
NEWS ..... OTHER NEWS .....
OTHER NEWS .....
Launch
of the Project Information Network in Mandé, Mali
The primary goal of this project is to solve the information
and communication problems of farmers in the Mandé region,
south of Bamako in Mali. The almost total lack of infrastructure
in this region makes it very difficult for the implementing
organisation Fabema to reach its constituent members and to
inform them about activities, awareness workshops and market
prices. Through a combination of telephone-Internet technology
and an audio-based radio communication system (RAC), this project
will establish a pilot network between the small town Bancoumana
(where Fabema's headquarters are located) and Bamako (where
the offices of 3AG are located) on the one hand, and four villages
on the other hand. More: http://www.iicd.org/articles/iicdnews.2006-02-01.2928404849
Cameroon:
Baseline scope before ICT strategy. (Cameroon Tribune)
The
new general manager of the National Agency for Information and
Communication Technology in Cameroon says a baseline scope of
who's who in the country's ICT sector is necessary. Once that's
done, a comprehensive, development-oriented national ICT strategy
will be put in place. More: http://allafrica.com/stories/200602170563.html
Launch
of “Golden Book”
The official launch of the "Golden Book" took place
on 24 February 2006, during the Consultation Meeting of WSIS
Action Lines Facilitators/Moderators, convened by ITU, UNESCO
and UNDP in Geneva. The Golden Book highlights some of the valuable
work being done around the world to promote ICTs in projects,
large and small, by governments, individuals or team effort,
for the benefit of all. It provides illustrative examples of
new and innovative projects to build infrastructure, promote
ICTs in education, health and governance, ensure fair access
and enhance online security. More than 375 submissions were
made to the Golden Book by governments, international organizations,
NGOs, companies and individuals, describing their work towards
promoting ICT activities. ITU estimates that the activities
announced during the Tunis Phase to promote WSIS goals represent
a total value of at least € 3.2 billion (US$ 3.9 billion).
More: http://www.itu.int/wsis/goldenbook
01
– 03 March 2006, IFISI World Forum, Marrakech, Morocco
The ''International Forum of ICT Strategies and Investment''
(IFISI) organized in partnership with the Islamic Development
Bank (IDB, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) and Formatiscom, will be
held at the Marrakech Congress Center (Palais des Congrès)
under the High Patronage of His Majesty, Mohammed VI, King of
Morocco. As a continuum of phase two of the World Summit on
the Information Society, in Tunisia, IFISI is intended to bring
effective and concrete answers to the complicated issue of funding
of national, local and corporate ICT projects. The primary goal
of this forum is to afford countries and organizations to present
business plans of their ICT investment projects and strategies
to a varied audience of venture capitalists, private equity
funds, and other capital providers. The Forum, with its emphasis
on investment and ICT business will be articulated in session
presentations and other parallel events. More: http://www.virtualis-net.com/ifisi/index.html
7
– 15 March 2006, World Telecommunications Development
Conference, Doha, Qatar
ITU sanctioned “World Telecommunications Development Conference”
is being hosted by the State of Qatar on March 7 - 15, 2006.
The purpose of the Conference is to agree on development priorities
in view of the high-level recognition of the Digital Divide
between developing and developed nations created by the rapid
but uneven expansion of ICTs. ICT-1-WORLD is the first ever
exhibition to run in conjunction with a World Telecommunications
Development Conference, therefore, it is unique in its appeal
to delegates, media and business influencers. More: http://www.ict-1-world.com/
7
– 9 March 2006, ICTs for Civil Society, Indaba Hotel,
Fourways, Johannesburg, South Africa
The Southern African NGO Network (SANGONeT), in conjunction
with The Information Society Institute (Tisi) at the Cape Peninsula
University of Technology, invites academic/scientific and action-research
papers dealing with the theme, "The Information Society
as a Response to Poverty and Inequality in Southern Africa",
for presentation at the conference. The areas of interest include,
but are not limited to, research on information and community
informatics in the new and emerging information societies of
Southern Africa. More: http://www.sangonet.org.za/conference2006
8
– 11 March 2006, 5th FIG Regional Conference in Accra,
Ghana
The conference is organized by the International Federation
of Surveyors (FIG) and the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS)
and co-hosted by the Ministry of Land, Forestry and Mines (MLFM)
of Ghana. It is the first FIG Regional Conference to be held
in West Africa. As has been the case with the previous FIG regional
conferences the conference in Accra will be organized in co-operation
with other international and regional organizations like the
United Nations and its agencies (e.g. FAO, UN-Habitat and ECA,
as well as other international geospatial societies and ISM).
The focus of the 5th FIG Regional Conference will be on land
administration and good governance as conditions for sustainable
development. More: http://www.fig.net/accra/
9
March 2006, Consultation on WSIS Facilitation for Action Line
C2: Information and Communication Infrastructure, Doha, Qatar
In line with para 108 and Annex of the Tunis Agenda for the
Information Society, ITU is organizing a Consultation on WSIS
Action Line Facilitation for WSIS action line C2, i.e. information
and communication infrastructure. The purpose of the meeting
is for information exchange and to discuss the WSIS multi-stakeholder
implementation process in the field of information and communication
infrastructure. The meeting will take place in conjunction with
WTDC-06 in Doha, Qatar, on 9 March 2006, in the Convention Center,
Room Al Majlis, to benefit from the presence of many WSIS stakeholders
present at WTDC-06. The meeting will run from 14.00 –
17.00 hours. The meeting is open to all WSIS stakeholders that
are interested and involved in the implementation process in
the field of information and communication infrastructure. The
meeting will be held in English. More: http://www.itu.int/wsis/implementation/c2/index.html
9
– 10 March 2006, National workshop on ICT and health,
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
The workshop is organized by the national telemedicine taskforce,
the ministry of health, and the Ethiopian Telecom Corporation
in collaboration with ECA. The event aims at creating awareness
on the role of ICTs in health and discuss on the effective utilization
of existing and planned ICT infrastructure for e-health activities
in Ethiopia. More: Fasil Shiferaw (et_fassil@ethionet.et)
15
– 17 March 2006, World Congress on Communication for Development,
Rome, Italy
The Communication Initiative [The CI] is one of three organisations
- with The World Bank’s Development Communication Division
and FAO and the generous support of the Government of Italy
- co-hosting and organising the World Congress on Communication
for Development [WCCD]. This first WCCD will focus on demonstrating
the value of communication for a variety of development initiatives
and the need to increase investment in communication for development
as an essential ingredient for meeting developmental challenges.
The 3-day Congress will bring together communication professionals
engaged in development initiatives, policymakers, development
practitioners, donor and NGO representatives, community representatives,
and academics from around the world to share experiences and
best practices in this growing field for a common understanding
of what works, what doesn’t, why and how best to measure
impact. More: http://www.comminit.com
27
– 30 March 2006, WSIS Follow-up Conference on Access to
Information and Knowledge for Development, United Nations Conference
Centre, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
The event is co-sponsored by the ECA and the Government Information
and Official Publications Section (GIOPS) and the Committee
on Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (FAIFE)
of the International Federation of Library Associations and
Institutions (IFLA). The conference, will be delivered in two
parts: 1) workshop on building African capacity to follow-up
on, and implement the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information
Society in the area of libraries and access to information and
knowledge (March 27 – 28), and 2) the IFLA GIOPS/FAIFE
Seminar on the Strategic Management and Use of Government Information
in Africa (March 29-30). There will be wrap-up sessions for
each event. The proceedings and any other outcomes will be published
jointly by ECA, IFLA/GIOPS and IFLA/FAIFE. More: Petrina Amonoo
(pamonoo@uneca.org).
26
– 28 April 2006, Workshop on ICT regulation and public
and community-based access for francophone Central African countries,
Douala, Cameroon
ECA is organising a workshop to facilitate a multi stakeholder
dialogue to strengthen access related public National Information
and Communication plans and strategies. The workshop is organized
under the auspices of the African node of the Global ePolicy
Resource Network (ePolNet) and in collaboration with Industry
Canada, the Canadian ePolicy Resource Centre (CePRC), Government
of France and Agence Internationale de la Francophonie. This
workshop is the second in a series of three in Africa and close
to 80 participants from Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic,
Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Equatorial
Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe and Burundi are expected to attend.
More: Eskedar Nega (enega@uneca.org).
Development Deadline 2015 is a weekly e-newsletter from Inter
Press Service (IPS) providing readers with "independent
news reporting on how the Millennium Development Goals are influencing
policy decisions and making a difference on the ground."
More: http://www.comminit.com/e-zines/emagazines/enews-402.html
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