July 2008 - KICTANet

Liveblog session
by Rebecca Wanjiku 31 Jul '08

31 Jul '08

I am attempting to do a liveblog session..... check it out on beckyit.blogspot.com Tel. 254 720 318 925 blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/

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Tomorrow's National ICT Stakeholders final program
by Rebecca Wanjiku 30 Jul '08

30 Jul '08

National ICT Stakeholders meeting to be held on 31st July 2008 at Kenya International Conference Centre – Tsavo B all Room 8:00 – 8:30 Registration 8.30 – 9:00 KICTANet – Introduction PS - Bitange Ndemo DG – Charles Njoroge 9:00- 9:30 TESPOK KENIC Skunk works Kenya ICT Board 9:30 – 9:45 Q&A 10- 10:30 Kenya Telecommunications Operators Form ICAK – ICT Consumer Association of Kenya Kenya Private Sector Alliance 10:30- 10:45 Q&A 10:45-11:00 Tea Break 11:00- 11:30 Kenya BPO & Contact Centre Kenya ICT Federation Linux Chix Kenya Software Industry Association (KSIA) 11:30- 11:45 Q & A 11:45 -12:30 ISACA - Information System Audit and Control Association E- Government NSCT Media Council 12:30 – 12:45 Centre for Corporate Governance 12:45 – 1:00 Q&A 1:00 – 2:00 Lunch 2:00 – 2:30 Computer Society of Kenya 2:30 – 3:00 Linux Professional Association Business Incubator Association of Kenya 3:00 – 3: 15 Q & A 3:00 – 3:45 Grant s Management – Githongo & Association 3:45 – 4:00 Q & A 4:00 – 4:30 EACIT4D Media Owners Vision 2030 4:30 – 5:30 Open mic 6:00 Cocktail COCKTAIL PARTY PROGRAM Overall MC – Bill Kagai 6:00 - 6: 15 Introduction 6:15 – 6:30 Eng. Waweru DG – CCK - Njoroge P.S Ndemo Tel. 254 720 318 925 blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/

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[Fwd: NATINAL BUSINESS AGENDA, NBA ISSUES]
by alice 30 Jul '08

30 Jul '08

Dear All, Kindly review the attached National Business Agenda, NBA draft in your respective sector and give us more input in order be included in the final NBA document to be presented in the Prime Ministers Round table meeting soon. We will appreciate, when we get the input at the soonest time. Best Regards, Anthony Wanjohi Weru, Kenya Private Sector Alliance, KEPSA Mamlaka Rd,Shelter Afrique Bldg, 2nd Flr, P. O. Box 3556-00100 - Nairobi Tel: 254-020-2730371/2 Fax: 254-020-2730374 Cell: 0735999979 / 0720340949 Personal: 0720 972782 Website: www.kepsa.or.ke

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National Stakeholders Forum, Thursday July 31st
by Rebecca Wanjiku 30 Jul '08

30 Jul '08

Re: National Stakeholders Forum July 31st 2008 at the KICC The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) and the Kenya ICT Board wish to invite you to the national ICT stakeholders’ forum to be held on July 31st at the KICC from 8.00 am-5.30 pm. The forum will bring together the ICT industry stakeholders- software developers, industry experts, consumer organizations, government agencies, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) among others. All major associations will be given a chance to present about their organizations, their formation, and activities. The forum will also address corporate governance issues as well ways of creating synergy between the various players and the government. Bitange Ndemo, Permanent Secretary in the ministry of information and communication will open the meeting. The new Director-General of CCK, Mr. Charles Njoroge will also grace the occasion and interact with participants. Kindly confirm participation with Evelyne at Evelyne(a)kictanet.or.ke or 0204453671, 0204453672, 0728111018, 0737550003. Yours faithfully, Brian Munyao Longwe Chairman, KICTANet Tel. 254 720 318 925 blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/

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Perceptions about Africa
by Brian Munyao Longwe 30 Jul '08

30 Jul '08

So here we are, working very hard to build knowledge societies, knowledge economies and bring 'e' into as many areas as possible. Achieving the highest levels of mobile growth than any other continent in the world. Providing the highest returns on any kind of investment into any sector than any other continent in the world. But here is how we are percieved: http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/kevin-myers/africa-is- giving-no thing-to-anyone--apart-from-aids-1430428.html What can we do about this? Troubled, Brian

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Program- National Stakeholders Meeting July 31st
by Rebecca Wanjiku 29 Jul '08

29 Jul '08

National ICT Stakeholders meeting to be held on 31st July 2008 at Kenya International Conference Centre Program 8:00 – 8:30 Registration 8.30 – 9:00 KICTANet – Introduction PS -Bitange Ndemo DG- Charles Njoroge 9:00- 9:30 TESPOK KENIC Skunkworks Computer Society of Kenya (CSK) 9:30 – 9:45 Q&A 10- 10:30 Kenya Telecommunications Operators Forum ICAK- ICT Consumer Association of Kenya National Communication Secretariat (NCS) 10:30- 10:45 Q&A 10:45-11:00 Tea Break 11:00- 11:30 B.P.O Association KENET Linux Chix Kenya Software Industry Association (KSIA) 11:30- 11:45 Q & A 11:45 -12:30 KIF ISACA- Information System Audit and Control Ass. E Government NSCT Media Council 12:30 – 12:45 Centre for Corporate Governance 12:45 – 1:00 Q&A 1:00 – 2:00 Lunch 2:00 – 2:30 Kenya ICT Board 2:30 – 3:00 KEPSA KIF LPA BIAK 3:00 – 3: 15 Q & A 3:00 – 3:45 Grant Management – Githongo & Ass. 3:45 – 4:00 Q & A 4:00 – 4:30 EACIT4D ICJ Media Owners Vision 2030 4:30 – 5:30 Open mic 6:00 Cocktail Tel. 254 720 318 925 blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/

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EAC members to draft a ICT policy
by Mike Theuri 28 Jul '08

28 Jul '08

http://www.kbc.co.ke/story.asp?ID=51512 EAC members to draft a ICT policy Written By:KNA , Posted: Mon, Jul 28, 2008 Member states of the East African Community (EAC) have resolved to come up with a harmonized Information Communication technology (ICT) policy to promote regional integration to yield effective business investment opportunities. Participants at the EAC National Workshop for ICT Policy Review at a Nairobi hotel were Monday told that it was important for them to come up with a common policy for five member countries; Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. Information and Communication Permanent Secretary Dr. Bitange Ndemo in his address speech in opening the seminar said the community was looking towards deepening political, social, economic and cultural integration in order to improve the quality of life of people through increased competitiveness, value added production, trade and investment. "As you already know we have made a lot of progress towards integration of Customs Union in East Africa and our aim when we bring the five partner countries together is to establish a common market of at least 120 million people," he said. The PS said once the policy becomes synchronized East Africa residents would enjoy the benefit of sending data across the borders without hitches, as the ultimate outcome of the policy would ensure a level playing field for member countries. Dr. Ndemo said as the stakeholders discuss on the harmonization of the policy they needed to focus on issues such as market structures and regulations, effects a single market on consumers, political, economic and social considerations, institutional arrangements and prioritization areas. Kenya's Policy Review Framework he said was centered on the importance of ICT policy environment, interconnection costs, innovative technology and Finance, Internet Governance, Open access, ICT and violence against women, participation in international bodies and ICT and environment (E-waste). He said the Government has had problems with innovative technologies like the M-PESA as a lot of people in the financial sector complained of encroachment in banking sector while the region generally lacked adequate representation in international bodies for failing to sponsor somebody to represent the countries at the international organizations. He announced that the ICT Bill already has been published, was currently under review, and told the EAC stakeholders that the parliamentary committee on Information and Communication would invite them to discuss the bill in the next three weeks. He said the bill covers E-transaction and broadcasting with a broadcasting law that would lead to proper regulation of radio and television content. He also said the Freedom of Information Bill had reached advanced stages while the Government was also working on a new Bill called Data Protection Bill not covered in the ICT Bill. And the EAC Secretary General who was represented at the meeting by Philip Wambugu, Director of Planning and Infrastructure at the EAC secretariat said there was need to develop a policy that would lead to creation of an environment to foster massive expansion in coverage and capacity of information infrastructure network. He said that even though the region has witnessed growth of the mobile industry there was still limited improvement in broadband networks thus killing opportunities for development. "The universal access to ICT network and service as an indicator is still far from being a reality," said he.

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[Fwd: Computing in Developing Economies: IEEE Computer Current Issue]
by alice 28 Jul '08

28 Jul '08

The latest (June 2008) issue of IEEE Computer is a special on Computing in Developing Economies. The four-page editorial overview is available online at: http://www.computer.org/portal/cms_docs_computer/computer/homepage/June08/C… Included in the special issue is "ICT4D 2.0: The Next Phase of Applying ICT for International Development". It reviews the first ten years of ICT4D, and identifies the new technologies, new approaches to innovation, and new worldviews that will be required for the next ten years of ICT4D. If you wish to read this article but have problems accessing it, please let me know. Richard Heeks Development Informatics Group University of Manchester, UK

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Briefing note of the Paris meeting
by alice 28 Jul '08

28 Jul '08

BRIEFING NOTE - Overall summary of the Paris meeting *http://par.icann.org/briefing-note What was it?* ICANN's 32nd international public meeting was one of three held annually to conduct policy development and outreach. It was hosted by ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) and Agifem, a non-profit organization made up of several French Internet companies and organizations. The meeting was opened by the Eric Besson, France's Minister of State for forward planning, assessment of public policies, and development of the digital economy. 1,672 people participated from 166 different countries, making this ICANN's biggest ever meeting. The participants engaged in a wide range of discussions about the Internet's domain name system and related issues. Further information about the meeting, including presentations and transcripts, is available at http://par.icann.org/. ICANN's next international public meeting will take place in Cairo, Egypt, beginning on 3rd November, 2008. *What happened and what are the next steps? * Many meetings, workshops, public forums and informal discussions were held over six days by the different stakeholders of the ICANN model: • business interests • civil society • governments and government agencies • Internet service providers • registrants • registrars • registries • the technical community Several key issues and themes evolved over the course of the meeting. They are summarized below. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *New gTLDs* ICANN's Board of Directors took a significant step forward on the introduction of new generic top-level domains (new gTLDS - extensions to the domain name system in addition to, for example, .COM or .INFO). The Board approved the policy recommendations on new gTLDs developed by the GNSO, ICANN's policy development arm for the generic name space. The Board directed ICANN staff to further develop and complete a detailed implementation plan. New generic top-level domains were a featured topic of conversation during the meeting. The week began with a dedicated two-and-a-half-hour interactive session where experts from different industries and sectors around the world shared a diversity of views about the potential changes to the Internet as the New gTLD Program is launched. The workshop was presented with MARQUES, the Association of European trademark owners, which represents trademark owners' interests before EU and other international bodies. ICANN staff updated the community on how new gTLDs may be implemented, including a timeline and recent steps taken to address potential disputes. Similar updates were presented to the various stakeholders including the GNSO Council. New gTLDs were also discussed at the Public Forum, later in the week. During the meeting, a number of suggestions for new gTLDs also emerged. The discussions on new gTLDs were the subject of worldwide and widespread press coverage including by BBC, CNN, NBC, Les Echos, Business Week, Le Monde, Liberation, The Times of London, the Financial Times, and other media outlets all over the world. More information is available on ICANN's new gTLDs page (http://www.icann.org/topics/new-gtld-program.htm) This web page includes a factsheet on the topic written in plain language and accessible to a general audience. *Next steps:* The Board approved the policy recommendations on new gTLDs, drawn up by the GNSO, and directed ICANN staff to further develop and complete a detailed implementation plan. Before the new gTLD introduction process is launched, the Board will be given a final version of the implementation proposals of the proposed process after a community review. *More information:* More information can be found online at: http://www.icann.org/topics/new-gtld-program.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *IDNs and IDN Fast Track* Much of the discussion about Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) during the Paris meeting centered on the work of the IDNC Working Group (IDNC WG). The IDNC WG was chartered by the Board at its November 2007 meeting. Its participants were appointed by the following supporting organizations and advisory committees of ICANN: the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO), GNSO, Government Advisory Committee (GAC), At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) and Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC). The group has been working on the issue of an accelerated introduction of IDNs (the "fast track") where specific, non-controversial country-code top-level domains in non-Latin scripts could be approved and added to the Internet's root without having to wait for the full approval process to be finalized. The IDNC WG released its draft final report on the feasibility of this approach for public comment two weeks prior to the Paris meeting. The report provided a number of high-level recommendations and received broad approval from the ccNSO and the GAC. On the broader topic of IDNs, the Director of the IDN Program, Tina Dam, gave updates to the Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees, describing progress on technical and other IDN implementation issues. IDNs were discussed at the Public Forum, and a progress update was also given on the final day of the meeting. Of particular interest was how finalization of the IDNA protocol revision would impact top-level IDN domains, in particular when and how they will be introduced. *Next steps:* The Board asked the IDNC WG final report to be posted for public comment and asked staff to produce a detailed report on implementation issues, following consultation with the community, in time for the next meeting in Cairo in November 2008. *More information:* More information can be found online at: http://ccnso.icann.org/workinggroups/idnc-charter.htm and at http://icann.org/topics/idn ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Improving Institutional Confidence* The Paris meeting saw the release of three documents from the President's Strategy Committee (PSC) outlining a new "Improving Institutional Confidence" public consultation. This consultation's aim is for the community to discuss possible changes to ICANN in the lead up to the completion of the JPA in September 2009. This work has been led by the PSC whose role is to provide advice to the Board. The three documents – Improving Institutional Confidence in ICANN, Transition Action Plan and Frequently Asked Questions – were used as the basis for a two-hour discussion session. During a public meeting on the issue, the PSC explained how the consultation would work and how people could find out more information at each stage. The issue was also given a dedicated timeslot in the Public Forum. The documents are currently out for public comment (closing on 31 July). *Next Steps: * The consultation process outlined in the Transition Action Plan will be followed. The entire community is encouraged to read the documents and send their comments in before 31 July. The documents will then be revised and put out for additional comment in September 2008 in preparation for further discussions at the Cairo meeting in November. A final report by the PSC will be provided to the Board in December. *More information:* More information is available online at: http://icann.org/jpa/iic ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Independent Reviews* The independent review process requires each of ICANN's Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees to undergo review every few years to make sure that the organization as a whole continues to serves the needs of the global Internet community. There are several independent reviews currently underway or soon to be launched. The Board of Directors is also undergoing an independent review in 2008. The Paris meeting saw a number of updates on the current reviews. *GNSO* The GNSO's review has been completed and it is now in the implementation stage. The Board approved all but one of the recommendations developed by a special Board working group to improve the effectiveness of the GNSO's policy activities, structure, operations and communications. Recommendations to be implemented include: • use of a working group model for future policy development • a revised policy development process • enhancements to the different constituencies that make up the GNSO • improved communications. The Board deferred its final decision on one recommendation - restructuring the GNSO Council – and decided to give the GNSO one last chance to submit a consensus recommendation on how to structure the Council before it makes its final decision in the next few weeks. The Board requested that the GNSO convene a small working group to submit a consensus recommendation on Council restructuring no later than 25 July. The group is to include one member from each constituency, one of the current Nominating Committee appointees, and one member from each liaison-appointing advisory committee (if that advisory committee so desires). In a related development, the GNSO Council postponed a vote on a top-level GNSO Improvements Implementation Plan and called for a 21-day public comment forum on the document. That open public comment forum closes on 18 July 2008. *ALAC* Two public sessions and two informal sessions were held to discuss a report from the ALAC's independent reviewers. The Board's ALAC review working group held its first sessions. The draft report is currently out for public comment. *Board of Directors* The Boston Consulting Group was selected as the consultant to perform the independent review of the Board of Directors. *Nominating Committee* A working group created by the Board Governance Committee is working on recommendations following the independent evaluators' report on the Nominating Committee. *Others* The Board established three working groups to review future independent review reports. They will cover: the Board, the DNS Root Server System Advisory Committee (RSSAC), and the Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC). *Next steps:* The reviews will continue to progress through each step in the review process. Updates will be provided at the Cairo meeting in November. *More information:* More information including links to each of the reviews and public comments pages can be found online at: http://www.icann.org/reviews/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Registrar Accreditation Agreement* More progress was made on improvements to protections for registrants provided through the Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA – the contract ICANN holds with companies that register domain names on behalf of registrants). 15 revised changes and amendments were published in a report currently out for public comment (the comment period closes 4 August 2008). The amendments were outlined in meetings with individual Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees, as well as a dedicated one-and-a-half-hour public workshop. RAA amendments also had a specific timeslot for discussion during the Public Forum, and were further outlined at the final day's report session. There are four categories of amendment to the RAA: • Enforcement tools, including graduated sanctions, liability and audit provisions • Protections for registrants, including possible improvements to data escrow and the ability to make resellers comply with RAA obligations • A more stable registrar marketplace, including training for registrar operators • Modernizing the agreement, bringing it up to date with changes in the use and reuse of domain names *Next steps:* The amendments will be revised following input during the public comment period and then shared with the Board, who will determine the next steps. *More information:* More information can be found online at: http://www.icann.org/topics/raa/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Meetings Review* A paper covering possible changes to ICANN meetings themselves was put to the community in a number of different sessions, including several Supporting Organization and Advisory Committee meetings, the opening day public forum, mid-week Public Forum, and the closing-day reports session. There were two main recommendations in the paper: • that ICANN move from three to two meetings a year; and • that one of those meetings be held in a "hub" city. There was a broad range of views and discussion on both points, as well as discussion of the change to the Paris schedule which saw the meeting end a day earlier on Thursday, rather than on Friday. *Next steps:* The meetings paper is out for public comment until 10 July and will be revised following feedback from the community. *More information:* More information can be found online at: http://www.icann.org/public_comment/#meeting-consultation-2008 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *IPv6* A number of information sessions on the new Internet Protocol were held in order to the make community more aware of support issues and to outline ways forward. The ALAC, ccNSO, Registry and Registrar constituencies were also addressed by experts on this topic during their own meetings. Business leaders were given an overview as part of the Business Access Agenda. IPv6 was also discussed during the Public Forum. The GAC heard from several individuals and organizations, including the OECD and the Names Resource Organization, about current trends and the challenges to IPv6 deployment worldwide. More information: A factsheet written in plain and clear language has been produced: "IPv6 – The Internet's vital expansion - October 2007". It explains the protocol upgrade to a non-technical audience and is available here: http://www.icann.org/announcements/factsheet-ipv6-26oct07.pdf <http://www.icann.org/announcements/factsheet-ipv6-26oct07.pdf> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Business Access Agenda* For the first time, a specific agenda and series of targeted meetings and discussions were held for business leaders in an effort to engage business more effectively within ICANN's processes. The agenda included briefings on the most significant topics facing ICANN at the moment, including new gTLDs, IDNs and IPv6, and a meeting with the Board of Directors. It was organized in cooperation with the E-Business, IT and Telecoms Commission of the International Chamber of Commerce. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Other issues* • The Board approved a recommendation by the GNSO to tackle "domain tasting". • The FY09 ICANN operating plan and budget of $57.1m were adopted by the Board. • Approval was given to a plan by PIR (the Public Interest Registry) to add the security protocol DNSSEC to the .org registry. • An "At Large Summit" was approved to enable representatives of Internet user groups (At-Large Structures) to meet together within the next year, most likely at the Mexico City meeting in March 2009. • The SSAC published a number of new reports and survey results relating to security and stability of the Internet. (http://www.icann.org/committees/security/) • A number of policy development processes were started or advanced at the GNSO including Fast Flux and inter-registrar transfers. • The GAC reiterated its strong support for a number of studies into the use and abuse of Whois data, and asked for clarification from the Board on whether studies would depend on the outcome of the GNSO Council's decision. The GNSO Council created a working group to review recommendations for Whois studies.

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Build successful business on FOSS
by Gakuru, Alex 28 Jul '08

28 Jul '08

Hi, I recently met an official from http://www.sun.com and requested if their company would be willing to speak to local FOSS services business providers on "How to build successful business based on Open Source Software"? and he agreed. At the BarCamp several local FOSS-SMEs signed up and before I proceed to the next level of organising a workshop/seminar/meeting (sometimes I get lost in the difference;) I've felt it would be prudent to ask if there would be other FOSS service providers interested? If so, please drop me an email at gakuru(a)gmail.com Regards, Alex

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