The
Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in collaboration with
the Government of the Republic of Tunisia, Elgazala Technoparc
and Softopia Technopark of Japan are holding a workshop
on ‘Involving the African Private Sector in building
the Information Society’ from 8-9 June 2006 in Tunis.
“The
workshop will bring together experts and specialists from
technological parks and business incubators to exchange
views on innovative ICT applications,” says ECA’s
Thierry Amoussogbo, Regional Advisor in the Development
Information Services Division (DISD).
“This
will include assessing the African private sector, in the
context of an enabling policy and regulatory environment,
provision of incentives as well as banking and financial
reforms , he says, adding that time will be devoted to strategies
to better involve African Private sector in building an
African Information Society, including the need for public-private
partnerships (PPPs), investment in infrastructure, incubation
initiatives and south-south cooperation.
The
workshop is a follow-up of the Private Sector Forum held
during the second preparatory conference on the World Summit
on the Information Society in Accra Ghana, 2-4 February
2006. Specific activities will be outlined in areas such
as exchange programmes, collaborative research and development
with academia, technology transfer through south-south cooperation.
Co-sponsored
by ECA, and the German Government’s development agency
Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), the
workshop will host thirty participants from Benin, Egypt,
Gambia, Ghana, Mauritius, Morocco, Tunisia Senegal and thirteen
technology experts from Japan.
A
parallel exhibition will serve as an opportunity to network
and show-case services and solutions for project and business
development.
Contact:
Thierry Amossougbo (tamossougbo@uneca.org)
www.uneca.org/aisi
