Archive
2006 |
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Role
of MPs in putting in place a national ICT strategy highlighted
12
December 2006
In collaboration with the National Assembly of Kenya,
the ICT Science and Technology Division of the Economic
Commission for Africa (ECA) facilitated 2-day Member of
Parliaments (MP) training workshop on "Empowering
MPs for building an Inclusive Information Society in Kenya"
from 8 to 9 December in Nairobi, Kenya. More than twenty
(20) MPs and staff attended the workshop. |
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Regional
e-Government Framework for the East African Community
(EAC) Approved
28
November 2006
The East African Community (EAC) Council of Ministers
approved the Regional e-Government Framework for EAC at
its 13th meeting which ended on 29 November 2006. |
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SADC
Ambassadors build their ICT skills
28
November 2006
A 3-day training workshop on Information Society issues
and hands-on ICT skills development is underway for SADC
ambassadors at ECA’s Southern Africa Regional Office
in Lusaka. The programme aims to introduce the ambassadors
to the overall African Information Society Initiative
(AISI) framework and the activities underway in the southern
Africa region with respect to ICT for accelerated socio-economic
development. |
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Putting
Geography into Information Policies
20
November 2006
ISTD has been assisting member States to develop their
National Information and Communications Infrastructure
(NICI) plans and strategies as the guiding framework for
ICT programme planning and project development and implementation.
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ADF
V: The African youth deliberate on ICTs and entrepreneurship
17
November 2006
Over 100 youth delegates from all over Africa deliberated
on ICT & Youth entrepreneurship during the ADF V Breakout
Session, which was held on 16th November 2006 organised
by the ICT, Science and Technology Division.
For more information please visit the ADF V website: http://www.uneca.org/adf/ |
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ADF
V: eSkills for Youth Entrepreneurship
15
November 2006
More
than 55 African youth, representing all of ECA's member
States participated in a one day intensive skills building
programme on Blogging and e-commerce at the Information
Technology Centre for Africa (ITCA). The training was
offered to the youth here to attend the ADF was an effort
to provide basic understanding of the links between ICT
and enterprise development. |
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“African
Youth Speak on the Information Society” –
a new publication from ISTD
13
November 2006
In
its effort to ensure the participation of all stakeholders
in Information Society development, the ICT and Science
Technology Division (ISTD) has been engaged in supporting
and mobilising African Youth in the implementation of
the AISI through their national and regional Youth networks. |
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Rwandan
Cabinet Approves Second NICI policy and plan
13
November 2006
Rwanda
is one country on the continent that has made progress
in developing an all-encompassing ICT-led social and economic
development framework, based on the ECA-led African Information
Society Initiative (AISI). Rwanda with the assistance
of ECA began formulating its first ICT policy in 1998,
championed by President Paul Kagame. This is part of a
series of documents, spanning the 20 years required to
realize Rwanda’s Vision 2020. |
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First
session of the Internet Governance Forum opened on 30
October in Athens
2
November 2006
One
of the outcomes of the World Summit on Information Society
(WSIS), which took place in Tunis from 16 to 18 November
2005, was the creation of the Internet Governance Forum
(IGF). The main purpose of the IGF is to discuss a wide
range of issues related to Internet Governance. |
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Africa
participates in the Canadian Government Technology Exhibition
and Conference (GTEC) for the second year
30
October 2006
The
Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in collaboration
with the Canadian ePolicy Resource Centre (CePRC) and
under the Global ePolicy Resource Network (ePol-NET),
facilitated the participation of over 54 e-Government
and ICT Policy makers from 25 African countries in the
Canadian Government Technology Exhibition and Conference
Week (GTEC) 2006. GTEC Week, which has just concluded,
was held from 23 – 27 October 2006 in Ottawa, Canada. |
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ICT
Policy and Regulation workshop concludes in Dakar
24
October 2006
As
a follow up to the World Summit on the Information Society
(WSIS), ECA, the Canadian e-Policy Resource Centre (CEPRC),
the e-Policy Resource Network (ePol-NET), NetTel@Africa
network and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie
(OIF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications
and New Technologies of Sénégal, convened
from 16-19 October 2006 in Dakar a workshop under the
theme "Development and implementation of ICT policies
in Africa : Strengthening the capacity of stakeholders".
The workshop, which was mainly targeted to French-speaking
African countries was the second of a series of four seminars
being held in various sub-regions of Africa. |
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African
Journalists receive Information Society awards
12
September 2006
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 annual Highway Africa Conference taking place September
in Grahamstown, South Africa. The conference, to be
held from 11-15th September is host to more than 500
journalists from over 40 countries and is dubbed "the
biggest annual media event in Africa". |
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Cabinet
approves NICI Policy in Kingdom of Swaziland
08 September 2006
The
Government of the Kingdom of Swaziland last week approved
the NICI policy, submitted to Cabinet by the Minister
of Tourism, Environment & Communications, Ms Thandi
F. Shongwe. |
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ITCA/DISD
Capacity building for Ethiopian Customs Authority on
Automated System for Customs Data
03 August 2006
ECA's
Information Technology Centre for Africa (ITCA) through
the Development Information Services Division (DISD)
has launched the final training module in the first
phase of the series of capacity building activities
for officials of the Ethiopian Customs Authority. |
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African
CSOs Speak on the World Summit on the Information Society
31 July 2006
The
African Civil Society have engaged in the World Summit
on the Information Society (WSIS) in a resolute manner.
From its early stages, when the notion of ICT for development
was only a nascent idea to the very last days of the
second phase of the Summit, the profi le of the African
Civil Society has been transformed, making them serious
partners in building Africa’s Information Society.
In this publication, African CSOs share the basic knowledge
that they have acquired in the WSIS process and present
capital issues, fundamental questions in building a
people-centered, inclusive and development-oriented
Information Society. |
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Sierra
Leone Validates the NICI Policy and Plans
19 July 2006
About
70 participants drawn from sectors ministries, departments,
agencies, NGOs, media, civil society representatives
attended the National Information & Communication
Infrastructure (NICI) Policy validation workshop organized
by the NICI core group in collaboration with the Economic
Commission for Africa (ECA) on 30 June - 2 July 2006
in Freetown, Sierra Leone. |
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Training
course prepares Africa for the UN Internet Governance
Forum
4
July 2006
A training course on Internet Governance (IG) for African
policymakers kicked off at the UN Conference Centre on
July 2 2006 with a half-day introductory session. The
course is organized by the Economic Commission for Africa
(ECA) in collaboration with the Diplo Foundation, the
Global ePolicy resource Network (ePol-NET) and the Internet
Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). |
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ECA
organizes a training course on Internet Governance for
African Policymakers
30
June 2006
The debate on Internet Governance, especially regarding
“who owns the Internet” gained momentum in
the late 1990s when the Internet became popular, giving
rise to its use beyond universities and research institutions. |
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Editors
and media house directors to hold Information Society
workshop
26
June 2006
The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in collaboration
with the Government of Cameroun, the Central African ECA
Subregional Office, the Media School of the University
of Yaounde II and Ecole Supérieure des Sciences
et Techniques de l’Information et de la Communication
(ESSTIC) will hold a workshop on the theme, ‘Involving
editors and directors of media houses in building the
Information Society,’ from 28-30 June 2006 in Yaounde,
Cameroun.
Visit
the Workshop
website for
more information...
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African
Private Sector to hold Information Society workshop
8
June 2006
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. |
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ECA@WSIS:
A
report on ECA activities during the World Summit on the
Information Society
On 21 December 2001, the United Nations General Assembly
adopted Resolution 56/183 on the organization of a World
Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), recognizing
“the urgent need to harness the potential of knowledge
and technology for promoting the goals of the United Nations
Millennium Declaration, and to find effective and innovative
ways to put this potential at the service of development
for all.” |
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Meeting
agrees on addressing e-learning at policy level
By
Mercy Wambui, 29 May 2006
“Given the growth of e-learning in Universities,
there is potential for trickling down to younger pupils
in primary school, making localization, customization,
and local content development crucial,” said Dr.
Dawit Bekele from Addis Ababa University in his presentation
entitled, “Localization customization and local
content development for e-learning.” |
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Catching
up on e-learning; a must for African universities
By
Mercy Wambui, 26 May 2006
According to ECA consultant on National Information
and Communication Infrastructure (NICI) policies, Prof.
Clement Dzidonu, "African universities risk the
danger of loosing their revenue base if they don't adopt
e-learning strategies and catch up". |
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Education
is key to Africa's information society and knowledge
economy
By
Mercy Wambui, 25 May 2006
“Raising education coverage through ICT is the
only way out of abject poverty in Ethiopia,” said
Mr. Teferra Walwa, Minister of Capacity Building during
the official opening session of the First E-learning
Conference held in the UN Conference Centre from 24-26
May 2006 under the theme, “Empowering Africa through
E-learning.” |
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Policies
and Partnerships essential for e-learning growth
By Mercy Wambui, 25 May 2006
“African
countries should take the lead in defining, visioning,
planning and implementing their ICT4D programmes through
a comprehensive national e-Strategy, and sectoral strategies
such as e-education policy,” said Ms. Aida Opoku-Mensah
Officer-in-Charge, ECA’s Development Information
Services Division (DISD). |
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Empowering
Africa through e-learning
By Mercy Wambui, 23 May 2006
The
Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) will host the first
International Conference on ICT for Development, Education
and Training from May 24-26 2006 in the UN Conference
Centre.
Visit
the Conference website
for more information... |
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First
World Information Society Day highlights the need for
e-security
By Mercy Wambui, 18 May 2006
The
first World Information Society day was observed
on 17th May 2006 to mark the inception of the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 1865, over 140 years
ago. |
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The
Inter-University Council of East Africa (IUCEA) holds
validation workshop on Information System
By Mercy Wambui, 8 May 2006
The
Inter-University Council of East Africa (IUCEA) convened
a validation workshop on the development of an Inter-University
Information System platform from 3-4 May 2006 at Makere
University, in Kampala, Uganda. |
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EAC
holds workshops on Cyber Laws and e-Justice, and Information
Security
By Mercy Wambui, 3 May 2006
The
East African Community (EAC) convened two consultative
workshops on Cyber laws and e-Justice and on Information
Security from 25 - 28 April 2006 in Kampala, Uganda. |
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ECA
commended at AU African ICT Ministers Meeting in Cairo
By Makane Faye, 20 April 2006
On
behalf of member states and stakeholders, ECA presented
over 80 project proposals to experts ahead of a meeting
of African ICT ministers in Egypt. |
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ECA
hosts meeting on Cartography and Remote Sensing
By
Mercy Wambui, 13 April 2006
The
ad hoc committee of the African Organization for Cartography
and Remote Sensing (AOCRS) is holding its third meeting
at ECA, hosted by the Development Information Services
(DISD), from 11-13 April 2006. |
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WSIS
Follow-up Conference urges better use of Government
information
By
Matthew Baker, 31 March 2006
Addis
Ababa, 31 March - The World Summit on Information
Society (WSIS) follow-up conference concluded Thursday
30 March with a resolution to promote access to and
encourage more effective use of government information
for democratic and economic development in Africa.
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Empowering
Swaziland Parliamentarians for their new Role in the
Information Society
By
Thierry Amoussougbo and Sizo Mhlanga, 28 March 2006
In collaboration with the Government of the Kingdom
of Swaziland, the Development Information Services Division
(DISD) is currently facilitating a 4-day Member of Parliaments
(MP) training workshop on "Empowering MPs for building
an Inclusive Information Society in the Swaziland"
from 27 to 30 March 2006 in Mbabane. More than thirty
(30) MPs and staff are participating in the training
workshop. |
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WSIS
Follow-up Conference on Access to Information and Knowledge
for Development
By
Matthew Baker, 27 March 2006
Representatives of government, national libraries and
archives, universities and other research institutions
from across Africa gathered this morning for the opening
of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)
Follow-up Conference on Access to Information and Knowledge
for Development.
Visit the Conference website
for more information... |
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Media
Training Workshop opens at ECA
By
Andrew Allimadi, 20 March 2006
A one-week regional media training for trainers workshop
opened Monday 20 March at the Economic Commission for
Africa's head office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The workshop
will train trainers working on media-related courses
in institutions of higher learning and journalists on
the role ICTs can play in the development of African
countries and share country experiences. |
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e-Payment
a Challenge for Africa
By
Matthew Baker, 17 March 2006
Electronic means of payment, otherwise known as e-payment,
though practiced in some countries such as South Africa,
Tunisia and Egypt faces uphill challenges in Africa. |
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ECA
to host Forum on ICT, Trade and Economic Growth
By
Mercy Wambui, 10 March 2006
The Economic Commission for Africa will be hosting a
forum on Information and Communication Technologies
and their impact on Trade and Economic Growth next week
under the auspices of the African Node of the Global
ePolicy Resource Network (ePol-NET) supported by the
Government of Canada . Approximately 100 delegates working
in the field of ICTs and Trade are expected to attend.
Visit the Conference website
for more information... |
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Ethiopia
to establish e-health strategy
By
Mercy Wambui, 9 March 2006
A two-day “ICT for Health” workshop, held
from 9 to 10 March 2006 at the UN Conference Centre
in Addis Ababa concluded with a set of recommendations
on the “immediate need for developing and formulating
a national e-Health strategy for Ethiopia”.
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Meeting
to propose strategy for Ethiopia's ehealth programme
By
Mercy Wambui, 9 March 2006
The Economic Commission for Africa, in collaboration
with the Ethiopian Telecommunication Corporation (ETC),
the Ethiopian ICT Development Agency (EICTDA) and the
Ministry of Health are holding a workshop from 9-10
March, 2006 on ICTs and Health aimed at laying the foundations
for the introduction of a comprehensive eHealth strategy
and programme for Ethiopia. |
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Meeting
reinforces the use of Free and Open Source Software
to accelerate MDGs in Africa
By
Mercy Wambui, 7 March 2006
Approximately 200 participants drawn from the Free and
Open Source Software (FOSS) community, industry players
from all over Africa and the Diaspora, government officials,
international organizations, private sector and civil
society actors attended the IDLELO2 FOSS Conference
on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). |
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World
experts discuss the establishment of the Internet Governance
Forum in Geneva
By Makane Faye, 21 February 2006
At the Tunis phase of the World Summit on the Information
Society (WSIS), delegates decided to maintain existing
arrangements for Internet Governance and stressed the
need for a transparent, democratic, and multilateral
process with the participation of government, private
sector, civil society and international organizations. |
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E-security;
an emerging concern for Africa's digital revolution
By Mercy Wambui, 8 February, 2006
“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 a consultant
who facilitated discussions at a workshop on the Economics
of E-security. |
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ECOWAS
experts adopt a draft Information Society Declaration
By Makane Faye, 6 February 2006
Representatives of ECOWAS countries 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
African Information Society Initiative (AISI), NEPAD
and the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).
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Togo
launches the NICI process
By Makane Faye, 6 February 2006
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. |
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Scan-ICT
phase II kicks off in Mauritius
By Mercy Wambui, 27 January 2006
Over 30 participants drawn from government, private
sector and civil society organizations attended the
launch of Scan-ICT Phase II at a workshop organized
by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) on 23 January
2006 in Port Louis, Mauritius. |
