The launching of the United Nations System-wide Special Initiative on Africa took place on 15 March 1996, in Addis Ababa as well as simultaneously in Geneva, New York, and Washington. The Initiative was formulated in order to face the enormous economic and social problems that beset the continent. Its aim is to identify and develop practical proposals to maximise the support provided by the United Nations system to African development and to raise the priority given to Africa in the international agenda.
Fifty-four percent of the continent live in absolute poverty, and Africa is the only region in the world in which poverty is projected to increase over the next decade. The annual rate of growth of population of the African continent is the highest in the world. Africa is a continent in turmoil and lacks political stability.
However, there has been some economic progress, with 35 African nations implementing structural adjustment programmes for more than a decade. In Southern Africa, peace in Mozambique and Angola spell progress and together with South Africa's miracle social and political transition are the success stories of Africa. Political liberalisation is spreading across the continent, and with economic success will come an end to the marginalisation of the African continent.
The Special Initiative is also an opportunity to clearly establish the supportive role of donors in Africa by reinforcing that Africans, women and men, must be at the centre of their own development.
The priorities of the Initiative are presented under four major cross-cutting themes, all intended to emphasize key issues essential for accelerating African development. They are civil and economic development (including information development), human development, governance issues, and sustainability.
The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has the lead role in the Initiative area of harnessing information technology for development. According to the Initiative, if Africa does not become a full actor in the global information revolution, the gap between the have's and have-nots will widen, opening the possibility of increased marginalisation of the continent. Alternatively, participation in the information society will offer Africa a tremendous opportunity to leap-frog over past development deficiencies into the future.
Education, health, trade, and regional and international cooperation will be vastly improved at a modest cost, with an enhanced telematics infrastructure. In some countries the private sector will take the lead in developing information networking systems, but in others it may well take a combination of new policies, and direct support by regional and international institutions to make networking a reality.
Donors such as the World Bank and the ECA are placing information technology high on their priority lists. ECA's partners in the Initiative information technology area are the World Bank, UNESCO, ITU, and UNCTAD. Through the Initiative, ECA is involved in improving telematics facilities for development in Africa, at an estimated $11.5 million, covering 20 countries. Increasing Internet connectivity, building training capacities, and securing the necessary policy reform for African participation, are some of the Initiative's objectives. Trained personnel are necessary to operate and utilise the new systems that will be introduced.
The following are the aims regarding African information technology as described in the Africa Initiative:
*National policy and sectoral workshops to intensify policy dialogue on regulatory frameworks.
*Regional commission on information technology and communications.
*Installation of Internet nodes with local servers, to provide internet services through very small aperture terminals (VSATS, or small satellite earth stations) in eight countries.
*Training systems engineers and operators and information users throughout Africa in computer networking.
*Applications development and dissemination
*Establishment and operation of an electronic clearinghouse on African development information.
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The ninth session of the Conference of African Planners, Statisticians, and Population and Information Specialists, held every two years, took place in Addis Ababa from 11-16 March 1996. The conference was opened by Ms. Nancy Hafkin, Officer-in-charge of PADIS, on behalf of Mr.K.Y. Amoako, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). Forty-one UN member states from Africa attended the conference, with foreign observer nations, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), and several NGO's attending too.
The opening address stated that in the past two years Africa's economy had improved only slightly. The Executive Secretary stressed the need to make African economies more competitive through the aggressive pursuit of regional economic integration. External resource flows had decreased, external debt had risen, and the social situation had deteriorated further.
The conference elected Zambia as Chairperson, Senegal as first Vice Chairperson, Egypt as Second Vice Chairperson, and Cameroon as Rapporteur, in the plenary meeting.
Building Africa's Information Highway was also an issue in the plenary meeting, and as a response to the ECA's Conference of Ministers resolution 795, the acceleration of African socio-economic development through the application of information technology was discussed. Participants stressed that Africa should participate as producers as well as consumers on the information highway. Among other areas, software production was suggested.
The first of the four committees, the Population committee discussed Family planning, urban environmental problems, and population activities. Contraception and urbanisation were major issues. The Planning Committee studied the utilization of energy resources in Africa. The other two Committees were the Statistics Committee and Information Committee.
The Conference endorsed the information standards adopted by the Standing Committee on Harmonization and Standardization on Information Systems in Africa. These refer to guidelines to e-mail and computer networking in Africa, common-formatting for African CD-ROM development, and other measures to make electronic communication in Africa more efficient.
PADIS's activities in training, advisory services to member states, sub-regional and regional institutions, as well as in information systems' development with emphasis on increasing electronic connectivity, information dissemination and network building, were all discussed by the Information Committee. It was recommended that PADIS should strengthen its network, which should in turn utilise its own national and regional networks to better disseminate information for development. It was also recommended that PADIS also include other African centres of training and research involved in the production and dissemination of information for development, as well as information professionals in the dissemination of its products and services and for the use of African expertise in carrying out its work programme.
A copy of the report of this conference (E/ECA/PSPI.9/24) is available upon request at the PADIS office.
+ PHOTO A (The Zambian Chairperson at the ninth session, Mr. Jotamy Himuyaba Madubansi)
The second meeting of country case study researchers on the impact of electronic networking on development in Africa was held in Addis Ababa from 12-15 February 1996. Research co-ordinator Prof. Michel Menou, together with country researchers from Ethiopia, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia, and the team at PADIS, met to discuss the preliminary findings of the case study reports.
Country researchers were Abebe Rorissa, Ethiopia; Omar Diop, Senegal; Jane Asaba and Bernard Bazirake, Uganda; and Vitalicy Chifwepa, Zambia. PADIS staff attending the meeting were Nancy Hafkin (Project Leader), Makane Faye and Lishan Adam.
It was decided that the original questionnaire was too long, creating difficulties in following the methodology worked out at the original meeting a year previously. A shorter questionnaire was adopted by the workshop.
An additional challenge was that three of the four case-study countries moved from e-mail only to full Internet access in mid-study. The original project data collection and survey instrument design was corrected to incorporate the changes.
The preliminary results of the case studies were discussed at the meeting, and one of the results was the necessity for intermediaries to stand between the end-users and the computer. Although certain users were already complaining of information overload, insufficient computer skills due to inadequate technical support is a major problem.
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A high-level working group (HLWG) met in Addis Ababa from 5-6 February 1996 to draft an action plan to bring the information revolution to Africa. The group, formally named the HLWG on Information and Communication Technologies in Africa, previously met in Cairo in November, 1995, as well as in Dakar in December 1995.
`Get the Ministers to commit themselves to have all of Africa connected to the internet before the end of 1997' were the strong words of Ethiopia's Transport and Communications Minister Abdulmejid Hussein, among the distinguished participants in the meeting. Minister Hussein was referring to the important Economic Commission for Africa's (ECA) Conference of Ministers in early May, 1996. Representatives from Egypt, South Africa, Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroon, as well as the World Bank, and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), amongst others, were present to participate in the February meeting.
Ethiopia is known to be keen to harness state of the art communications technology, and major donors are waiting in the wings to help Ethiopia move to Internet connectivity.
The draft of the plan formulated at the meeting includes recommendations to member states for building Africa's information and communication infrastructure. The need for deregulation to help bring the continent into the information society was highlighted. PADIS has helped to get e-mail networks to more than 24 countries through its CABECA project and skills training.
The draft plan, which became known as Africa's Information Society Initiative, AISI, then awaited approval from the May Conference of Ministers of Planning and Development, the ECA's highest policy authority.
+ PHOTO B (caption: MR. Dawit Yohannis, president of the `BITE' campaign, Bringing Internet To Ethiopia)
In support of the efforts of the High Level Working Group on Information and Communication Technologies in Africa (see related story above), the Africa Region of the World Bank, through the Bank's Electronic Media Center, has produced five broadcast-quality country videos in the series `Building Africa's Information Highways.' The country videos are based on national success stories of building electronic connectivity in Egypt, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Senegal and South Africa. The overall story of the region is presented in the video bearing the name of the series - Building Africa's Information Highways. PADIS collaborated with the World Bank to sponsor the video on Ethiopia - Bringing Internet to Ethiopia.
To document the video case studies, ECA/PADIS commissioned a series of country studies on the theme of the videos for the film countries as well as Nigeria. Copies of the studies are available for Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria and Senegal.
Limited copies of the regional video are available free of charge upon request to PADIS at the address listed on p.1. Information on obtaining copies of the other videos in the series is available from Mr. Peter Knight, Chief, Electronic Media Center, World Bank, 1818 `H' Street, Washington D.C. 20433; e-mail: pknight@worldbank.org .
Two consultants, Derek Asoh from Cameroon, and Moussa Fall from Senegal, working with the PADIS initiative, `Capacity Building for electronic communication in Africa' (CABECA), and the World Resources Institute (WRI), were in central Africa on preliminary missions during December/January of 1995/96. Mr.Fall and Mr.Asoh met with government officials, NGO's and universities to explain how electronic networking works and its advantages. The mission was a prelude to the meeting of the Regional Environmental Information Management Project in Yaounde, from 5-7 February 1996.
In the short term, access to the Internet depends largely on the quality of the telephone infrastructure in a country. The consultants found the state of telecommunications in Zaire very disorganised: more than 35 years old, inefficient, with noisy lines being the norm. Cellular phones were used but were very expensive. The two major private lines were Telecel and Comcell, but unfortunately communication between the two was impossible.
The Congo was found to have a number of organisations interested in electronic communications, and the Government itself is modernising the telecommunications system with microwave links, and, in some cases, digital exchanges. At this initial investigation stage, businesses and NGO's had been obliged to establish their own Internet connections for example, the WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society)-Congo.
In the Central African Republic (CAR), the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-CAR was already using e-mail through CGNet. Telephone calls to the United States and Europe were expensive, although inter-regional calls were relatively cheap. The CAR officially got full Internet connectivity in July, 1996.
The WWF in Gabon was also interested in using e-mail but was limited at the time by heavy bank taxes incurred when sending their bill payments to the US-sourced network they originally used. In December 1995, the WWF-Gabon was spending CFA 0.5 million (US$ 1000) every month for communication. This pre-electronic communication figure was unacceptable to the organisation. Today, Gabon has full Internet connectivity.
The ensuing meeting of the Regional Environmental Information Management Project in Yaounde, from 5-7 February 1996, synthesised these case studies into a Central African Internet strategy. The poor quality of postal, and often telecommunications services in Africa magnify the importance of the Internet. In addition, shortages of telephones, and the high cost of phone calls, make the cost-effectiveness of the Internet relative to telephone and fax greater in Africa than anywhere in the world.
Hard copies of the mission reports are available upon request at the PADIS office. (404 words)
The Consultative meeting on the strategic directions for the ECA took place in Addis Ababa from 22-23 January 1996. Mr. Girma Birru, the Ethiopian minister of economic cooperation and development, chaired the meeting. Besides the other members of the bureau of the commission, 38 high level experts from all over Africa were on hand to contribute to the proceedings.
Six major concerns dominated the meeting. Firstly, economic and social policy analysis, where inflation and foreign aid dependency were key issues. Secondly, food security and sustainable development, and thirdly, with good governance as a basic requirement, development management.
The fourth issue, information for development was given a great deal of attention. The importance of connecting Africa to the `Information Super-Highway' was underscored by PADIS's own initiatives in this field in Africa. Member states should be encouraged to liberalise telecommunications, so that Africa builds up and disseminates its own information, the experts said.
The last two issues covered were `economic cooperation and integration', as well as `gender and development'.
Sub-committee seven of the Standing Committee on Harmonization and Standardisation of Information Systems in Africa met in Addis Ababa on 6-8 March 1996 in an effort to standardise electronic information in Africa. Members from all over Africa, chaired by Mr. Ebriama D.Jobe, met to facilitate the interchange of information and help in reducing or even eliminating technical barriers and compatibility problems. Sub-committee meetings which originally began in 1989 were also held in Cairo, Egypt in November 1995.
The Sub-committee covered topics such as recent developments in CD-ROM technologies, emphasising cost, speed, durability, wide distribution, and its protection from copying. Plans to introduce the database on the World Wide Web were also discussed.
The following recommendations were made:
UNECA is implementing a Greater Horn of Africa Electronic Communication Network project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The project aims to facilitate communication and efficient flow of information in the areas of Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) activities including food security and conflict resolution. Effective communication is critical for developing a meaningful plan that improves the quality of life. Communication and the exchange of information are invaluable tools for crisis management. The revitalisation of IGAD that calls for improved focus on food security to provide lasting solutions to the crises in the Horn of Africa requires efficient communication. The project intends to achieve these objectives through needs assessment, network set-up and training.
Lishan Adam and Marisa Astill-Brown from PADIS visited Eritrea 13 - 15 March 1996 with a view to assessing the needs of Eritrean institutions for this project. The mission focused on assessment of the needs for electronic communication in Eritrea, assessment of the existing initiatives in the country and how they can contribute to the project, and discussions with participating institutions to secure their agreement and to develop strategies for implementation of the project in Eritrea.
The mission held extensive discussions with officials of a number of institutions, all of which served to demonstrate a high degree of enthusiasm to improve the potential for communication in Eritrea. The mission observed an advanced level of utilisation of information technology in Eritrea. All offices visited were well equipped with computer and printer technology. With regard to networking, the mission observed several initiatives under progress. Various efforts are underway to develop the infrastructure for an IP (Internet Protocol - i.e. full Internet) connection. Healthnet, EISAnet, Adalnet and the Eritrean Technical Exchange were all actively involved in building local connectivity. The Eritrean Technical Exchange that began as an individual effort and was later formalised to a non-profit-making project is the largest initiative in the country. It has connected over 35 institutions and has developed the expertise in this area in running a UUCP (UNIX to UNIX Copy Protocol - used for exchange of e-mail and file transfer on the UNIX platform) network.
Lishan Adam and Marisa Astill-Brown from PADIS visited Djibouti 27 - 30 March 1996 to assess the needs of the Inter Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD) Secretariat. They also met with Djibouti government institutions associated with the USAID-funded Greater Horn of Africa Electronic Communication Network Project. The mission focused on assessments of the LAN needs of the IGAD Secretariat, which is to become the hub of the network, assessment of the needs for electronic communication in the other institutions in Djibouti and assessment of existing initiatives on electronic communication in the country.
Discussions with Djibouti government officials revealed considerable enthusiasm for improving communication in this way, but also a general dearth of both equipment and suitably trained personnel. The mission also met with the Head of the Technical Division of STID (International Telecommunications Society of Djibouti) who revealed their plans to have a full Internet connection to Djibouti by mid-May.
Whilst in Djibouti the mission made connections between IGAD and PADISnet and between the Food Early Warning System and PADIS.
E-MAIL SUPPORT IN GRANTS AND PROJECTS
In December 1995 the Sub-Saharan Africa Programme of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) published a new book entitled "Know Your Needs: Including E-mail Information Support in Grants and Projects". This new publication provides general information and guidelines on incorporating e-mail and information support in research projects and other relevant activities. They are intended to help people think creatively about how to make use of information and how to put together a realistic budget based on their needs.
Attention is being paid to e-mail by addressing the following issues: an exploratory field trip, what does it take?, what does it get you?, what does it cost?, and pitfalls. The chapter `library support' deals with: what kind of information do you need?, CD-ROM, current awareness service, and document delivery. Finally, policy and management issues are included: needs assessments, training, and administration.
The book is available through the Sub-Saharan Africa Program, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1200 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20005 USA; Fax 1-202-289-4958; E-mail: africa@aaas.org.
AFRICAN EXPERIENCES WITH INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
The publication `Bridge Builders: African Experiences with Information and Communication Technology' by the USA National Research Council is now available. It presents sixteen first-person accounts of how information and communication technologies have been successfully introduced into institutions for the benefit of scientists and engineers in sub-Saharan Africa. The authors provide case studies on the introduction of CD-ROM to university libraries, on desktop publishing, on electronic networking, and on the collection, management, and dissemination of local information resources. The case studies focus on the lessons learned in designing and implementing projects and examine the impacts the projects have had.
Limited copies of this publication are available free-of-charge from the Board on Science and Technology for International Development (BOSTID), Office of International Affairs, National Research Council, 2101 Constitution Avenue, Washington, DC 20418 USA, Fax: 1-202-334-2027 or 2660, E-mail: wwhite@nas.edu. Readers in developed countries or those who want to order multiple copies should contact the National Academy Press at the same address. Orders may be placed at URL http://www.nas.edu. ISBN 0-309-05483-4; 1996, 275 pages, 6 x 9, paperbound.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN TANZANIA
`Tanzania Science and Technology News' (Vol 4, no.3, 1994) reports on a survey of information technology usage in Tanzania undertaken by Sam Baher of Moshi Co-operative College. The conclusion of the study was that while information technology was underutilized in Tanzania, in-country skills, hardware and software were being well used.
A major problem preventing full computerization was scarcity of resources. Other problems cited were lack of user training, electricity fluctuation and cuts.
Copies of the article are available from PADIS at the address listed on p.1 or from Tanzania Science and Technology News, Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology, P.O.Box 4302, Dar es Salaam.
NEW FRONTIERS
A new journal in the information science field is being published by the University of Nigeria. Dr. Ken M.C. Nwehe is the editor of Frontiers of Information and library science whose first issue appeared in June, 1995. The journal is directed at non-specialists, and includes experience in information centres and libraries around the world.
Inquiries can be sent to Dr. Ken Nwehe, Editor-in-chief, FLIS, University of Nigeria, Department of Library Science, P.O.Box 3169, Nsukka, Nigeria.
NETWORKING IN NIGERIA
According to Isola Ajiferuke in an article published in the FID Newsletter (vol.45, no.1, January 1995), the potential of electronic communication and networking is too enormous to ignore, even given the enormous problems presented to it in Nigeria. While at the moment few organizations and individuals make use of the medium, there are many initiatives on the scene which make its extension appear imminent; these are detailed in the article. Copies of "Electronic communications in Nigeria" are available upon request from PADIS. Isola Ajiferuke is at the Africa Regional Centre for Information Science, University of Ibadan, P.O.Box 22133, Ibadan Nigeria.
SOUTHERN AFRICA SOURCES
A number of useful publications on the information scene in southern Africa are available from Info Africa Nova. These include proceedings of conferences on Library and Information services for future Development of Southern Africa (1992-94), and who's who in Library and Information Services in Southern Africa. More information or requests for proforma invoices can be sent to: Info Africa Nova, P.O.Box 4649, Pretoria 0001, South Africa; Fax: +27 12 6621588 or +27 12 66 20456.
The "Seminar on Bibliographic Standards for the Promotion of Cooperation" was held on 1 and 2 February 1996 at the University of Pretoria, South Africa and was jointly organised by the Subcommittee for Bibliographic Standards of SAILIS (South African Institute for Librarianship and Information Science), the Centre for Information Development of the University of Pretoria, and SABINET (South African Bibliographic and Information Network).
The two main conclusions of the seminar were firstly, that standards are of paramount importance in improving access to information, as they facilitate the exchange of bibliographic records in a global, computerised environment, and secondly, that online bibliographic databases created by cataloguers for their own institutions also have regional, national, and international impact.
The seminar proceedings can be obtained by contacting Petrina Bothma, Centre for Information Development, University of Pretoria, South Africa, Tel: +27.12.420-3087, Fax: +27.12.342-2012, E-mail: bothma@libarts.up.ac.za
A brand new initiative to coordinate cultural information sources of the region by creating a computer network is called SACIS. With UNESCO support a feasibility study was undertaken in January 1995. The report of the feasibility study was discussed during a sub-regional meeting of experts, held in Lusaka in June 1995 and during a meeting of the Sector for Culture and Information of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in July 1995, in Pretoria. At the latter meeting it was decided that each member State of the SADC would be responsible for developing its own National Coordinating Unit (NCU). A NCU will coordinate specialised data based on culture and thus develop national networks for cultural information. The NCU of a country would normally be managed by the national government department responsible for cultural affairs. The SACIS would then constitute a network of all the national systems in the region. The requirements for the regional system would be: a regional policy on culture, a regional steering committee, and a Regional Coordinating Unit (RCU). In Pretoria it was also decided that the responsibility for the RCU would be assigned to Mozambique, with assistance from South Africa.
Between 1992 and 1994 the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) of The Netherlands sponsored a study to access the agricultural information needs in Eastern Africa. Two consultants from the region defined a regional integrated agricultural information programme. The draft programme was submitted to the Committees for Regional Agricultural Information Programmes and Strategies (CRAIPS) meeting held in Nairobi from 31 November to 1 December 1995. The meeting reviewed the proposal and recommended modalities for implementation of the programme especially the coordination at regional level and funding.
The proposed programme aims to reinforce, in a sustainable manner, the activities of individual country units and through networking to serve as a conduit for collecting, processing, sharing, disseminating and using information in support of agricultural development in the region. Two regional organizations, ASARECA and OIC will preside over CRAIPS and provide guidance in the implementation of the activities. The programme is being finalized using the EU logical framework and will be validated through national and regional consultations.
Contact address: CTA, Postbus 380, 6700 AJ Wageningen, The Netherlands, Tel: 31 317 467100, Fax: 31 317 460067.
The Special Program for African Agricultural Research (SPAAR) is developing a user-friendly retrieval system for its SPAAR Information System (SIS). The software will be written in CDS/ISIS PASCAL. At the end of 1995 the SIS database consisted of 5,662 records, 4,093 of which relate to activities funded by SPAAR donors.
Address SPAAR: The World Bank, 1818 H Street, NW, Washington D.C., 20433, USA, Tel: 1 202 4737181, Fax: 1 202 4738231.
The East African Internet Association (EAIA) is a non-profit group formed in April 1995, seeking, by pooling resources and sharing experiences, to promote and expand cooperative electronic communications and inter-networking in the East African region. Its members include the majority of electronic service providers, serving at least 3,000 users, in the following countries: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Partner networks abroad are also members, as are a number of interested individuals. Membership is open to all interested parties for a nominal fee. The Association is in the process of being officially registered in each country.
Good progress has been made in improving and rationalising regional network topology, lobbying international fora and sharing information on new technologies and developments in the region. Discussions take place on a private Internet mailing list.
You can reach the management committee of EAIA at: eaia-manage@sasa.unon.org
Caisten Knoch writes about the "Emergence of Connectivity" in Africa in the August-September 1995 edition of Computers in Africa, describing the options for Internet connectivity in Africa. He also details the case of India showing the benefits of job creation emanating from the creation of national information infrastructure in developing countries.
A copy of the article is available upon request from PADIS.
Although not located in Africa itself, the World Wide Web (WWW) site of the University of Pennsylvania, African Studies, (USA) forms a comprehensive source of information on Africa. The Web specialises in several kinds of information such as basic information on all African countries, K-12 teaching resources, development knowledge, indigenous knowledge, maps and images. Information on PADIS, such as newsletters and proceedings of the 1995 Telematics symposium, can also be found on this Web.
The Web is located on URL http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/AS.html while PADIS information is on URL http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/Padis/. The Web site is now completely indexed and searchable. The URL is http://www.sas.upenn.edu/Search/AS-search.html.
UNESCO has joined the growing number of United Nations agencies giving access to their information on Internet. Available resources include press releases, addresses for UNESCO headquarters and regional office staff, directories of databases and information sources, images of art work at UNESCO headquarters and detailed information of the organizations programmes and activities.
Electronic addresses are: is gopher. unesco.org or (URL) is http://unesco.org.
Writing in the December 1995/January 1996 edition of Computers in Africa, Mike Jensen described African connectivity advances in a retrospective look at 1995. It was a watershed year for electronic communication development on the continent. By the end of the year more than half the African countries, 33 out of 54, had developed some sort of low cost local dialup service with a gateway to the internet. Fourteen countries had achieved live Internet public access services.
New World Wide Web (WWW) home pages increased even for various countries without full Internet, the pages being maintained on a server in the USA or Europe. The most important event of the year, according to Jensen, was the Addis Ababa symposium on Telematics for Development, helping accelerate connectivity in Africa. The recommendations produced led to the subsequent conference of African ministers, and the ECA `High level working group' (see separate article) to chart Africa's path into the information highway.
A copy of the article is available upon request from PADIS.
The following are some recent entries into the PADdev bibliographic data base on social and economic aspects of development in Africa. Microfiches and photocopies of the documents are available upon request from PADIS at the address shown on page one.
Nageri, M.W. The African Regional Centre for Technology, Dakar, SN. The need for African Science and technology databases: critical areas of concern. 9p. ref. 1994.
Workshop on databases: the needs and contributions of African researchers, Addis Ababa,ET, 10-12 October, 1994.
*Describes the need for databases in Africa, so that researchers can access local databases in their own town, region, country or sub-region. The lack of technical expertise, absence of standardised database formats, and underutilization of existing databases are seen as problems. Governments, National institutions, and Regional institutions have a strong role to play in the dissemination of technology.
/Data bases*/, /science and technology*/, /information management/, /information dissemination/, /Africa/. ISN: 11022
ECA, Addis Ababa, ET. Africa's participation in future multilateral trade negotiations within the framework of The World Trade Organisation. 25p. 15 December, 1995. Conference of African Ministers responsible for trade, regional cooperation, integration and tourism, 1st session, Addis Ababa, ET, 7-13 february 1996. DOC. NO. E/ECA/TRADE/95/13.
*Discusses how African policy makers can participate in future multilateral trade negotiations (MTN) taking advantage of trade opportunities provided. In addition, ways to reduce the negative impact of MTN's on their economies are discussed, particularly with regard to the Uruguay Round of MTN's.
/Trade Negotiations*/, /trade opportunities/, /trade preferences/, /Africa/. /Uruguay Round Agreements/ ISN: 11025
ECA, Addis Ababa, ET. Note on the follow-up on resolution 783 (XXIX) regarding the implementation of the Uruguay Round Agreements. 4p. 21 Dec 1995. Conference of African ministers responsible for trade, regional cooperation, integration, and tourism, 1st session; Technical Committee of Experts, Addis Ababa, ET, 7-13 February 1996. DOC. NO. E/ECA/CMT/1/1/2.
*Highlights the different activities undertaken on African economies by the ECA Secretariat as follow-up on Resolution 783 (XXIX) regarding the implementation of the Uruguay Round Agreements.
/Trade negotiations*/, /trade promotion*/, /resolutions/, /ECA/, /Africa/. /Uruguay Round Agreement/ ISN: 11028
1-6 April Sao Paolo CD-ROM Preparation mission 15-17 April Addis ECA key partners consultation meeting 15-26 April Lusaka ESADIS workshop on standards, Internet 22-26 April Libreville Advisory mission UNESCO/RINAF for Central Africa 30 April-3May Addis 17th meeting Technical Preparatory Meeting of the Whole 6-8 May Addis 31st session ECA Conference of Ministers 6-10 May Abidjan ITU African Regional Telecommunication Development Conference 13-15 May Midrand, South Africa Information Society and Development Conference 27-30 May Bamako Mission to Mali on e-mail node, national informatics plan 31 May-7 June Dakar Delivery training course new info tech & INTERNET 3-7 June Herndon, VA (USA). AFCOM '96 10-21 June Addis Ababa HTML Training Course for ECA staff 10-21 June Addis Ababa CDS-ISIS Training Course for Ethiopian participants 17-29 June Montreal Developing countries workshop, INET,'96 24-28 June Accra Mission to Ghana University Library 22-23 July Cambridge, UK Environmental Information Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: Advisory Committee meeting 1-7 August Bamako Tourism management workshop