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The Global Development Commons launches the 2008 USAID Development 2.0 Challenge
by carthy 30 Oct '08

30 Oct '08

Subject: Global Development Commons launches the 2008 USAID Development 2.0 Challenge Greetings from the Global Development Commons, You are invited to participate in the 2008 USAID Development 2.0 Challenge! It's an open call for innovative mobile technology applications for developing countries, and the USAID’s first ever open source challenge. The winning project ideas will receive grants of up to $10,000 and present before USAID, development community, and industry officials in Washington . The Challenge can be accessed through our website at www.usaid.gov/commons . There are two ways to participate: a) If you have a great mobile technology application for developing countries, y ou can enter the contest by submitting your ideas . b) At the same site, ANYONE can register to comment and then vote to select the best submitted ideas. We need your help to promote innovation! Please share the challenge website for the 2008 USAID Development 2.0 Challenge with friends, colleagues, and other innovators you know. Attached is a PDF of the flier, which we'd greatly appreciate you strategically placing at your office or school, or featuring on your Facebook page, blog, or website. Of course, you can always get the latest about the Commons at our website, www.usaid.gov/commons . Let's Collaborate, The Global Development Commons Team Please forward this message to gather excitement for the Global Development Commons, and encourage friends to sign up for this listserv by visiting www.usaid.gov/commons and filling in the box in the upper right corner.

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ANTI-CORRUPTION AND GOOD GOVERNANCE TRAINING, 2009
by carthy 30 Oct '08

30 Oct '08

THE LES ASPIN CENTER FOR GOVERNMENT WASHINGTON, DC USA: ANTI-CORRUPTION AND GOOD GOVERNANCE TRAINING 2009 Applications are invited for a limited number of scholarships for a six-week capacity development training program on "Anti-Corruption and Good Governance", to be conducted in AUGUST and SEPTEMBER 2009, at the Les Aspin Center for Government, Washington, DC, USA. The main aim of the program is to provide personnel with knowledge and skills in how to implement anti-corruption strategies in order to improve integrity and accountability systems in the private and public domains. The training is being organized by the Marquette University Les Aspin Center, in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). ELIGIBILITY: - Candidates will be selected mainly from government agencies and civil society organizations that work in the area of anti-corruption and the administration of justice, from central and local government institutions, human rights organizations, women's development organizations, educational institutions, the print and electronic media, religious organizations, as well as from other sectors with work related to the promotion of integrity and accountability in the public and private sectors. Except students, all other candidates in junior to middle level positions or in positions with potential policy influence are preferred. - Candidates must have at least a national diploma of advanced education (Diploma Certificate, B.A., M.A., etc) or proven record of other advanced educational training. Students currently enrolled in a university program are exempted. - Candidates must be currently employed in a relevant institution, in good standing, and with not less than 2 years of proven work experience in development work or relevant field. - Candidates must be at least twenty-five years of age. University students must not be less than 21 years old. - Applicants must be Kenyan citizens and MUST also already have a valid Kenyan national passport, with expiration date not less than one year from date of application. - NOTE WELL: Only short listed applicants will be invited for interview and only those candidates successful in the interviews will be further contacted. APPLICATION PROCEDURE: - Application materials must include the following: 1. Application letter; 2. Two letters of recommendation; 3. Photocopy of passport, including pages with photo, date and place of birth, issue and expiry dates and other personal details; 4. Current organizational information, with position at organization and work responsibilities; 5. Daytime contact: phone, fax or email; 6. Curriculum Vitae; 7. Personal Statement of Purpose (200-250 words) which outlines reasons for participation in the training, including, but not limited to, how training will benefit the candidate or his/her organization and community, what the candidate will seek to accomplish with training, and why the candidate feels she or he should be selected. All the above materials must be sent together, at the same time, with the application letter. - All applications received must be post-marked, otherwise they will be rejected. Hand-delivered applications will not be accepted. Completed applications should be sent through regular postal mail service only to the following address: THE LES ASPIN CENTER FOR GOVERNMENT P. O. BOX 50309 CITY SQUARE NAIROBI DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: Strictly, ALL APPLICATIONS must be received not later than November 20, 2008. Any application received after this date will be automatically disqualified.

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Opportunities fund for urban youth development
by carthy 30 Oct '08

30 Oct '08

Introduction During the 21st session of the Governing Council that oversees the work programme and budget of UN-HABITAT, member countries in 2007 passed a resolution calling on the executive director of UN HABITAT to set up a special fund to help young people living in poverty. A high proportion of the worlds population is young, especially in the developing world, and this segment of the population is disproportionately affected by the problems of unsustainable development. At the same time, urban 15-24-year-olds in developing countries have immense potential to contribute to social and economic development if given the right opportunities. UN-HABITAT recognizes that young people need to be active participants in the future of cities. Its Strategy for Enhanced Engagement of Youth aims to promote leadership and participation of young women and men in all its efforts to improve the lives of people living in the rapidly expanding cities of the world. It sees the urgent need to create opportunities for youth to play a much more active and constructive role in making cities the engines of development. Championed by Norway, the new Opportunities Fund for Urban Youth-led Development is designed to improve understanding, and lead to more effective ways of involving young people in sustainable urban development. UN HABITAT in partnership with the Norwegian government will be launching the Opportunities Fund for Youth Led Development, a fund which will fund youth led initiatives globally at the third World Urban Youth Forum from (WUYF) 1 to 2 November, 2008, prior to the main Fourth Session of the World Urban Forum, building on the huge success of the previous two forums in Vancouver and Barcelona. 2 Why Youth-led Development? All over the world young people are responding to the development needs of their communities through social projects and youth-led businesses. Youth want to be involved and all development actors should take youth-led development (YLD) seriously in their efforts to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), as well as the Convention on the Rights of the Child (art.12), which guarantees youth the right to participate in decision-making. Putting youth at the centre of development can be compared to the challenge, two decades ago, of putting gender issues on the development agenda. A similar shift in societys thinking is now required for youth in urban development. Young people are the most vulnerable to social problems caused by unemployment and poverty. Girls and young women are most at risk. With over 200 million youth living in poverty, 130 million illiterate, 88 million unemployed and 10 million young people with HIV/AIDS, there is a clear need to direct efforts and resources to youth. While youth are the promise of the future, failure to invest in them greatly reduces potential for future development. YLD is about young people making a living and future for themselves and their communities. YLD involves business and community improvement projects, devised and managed by young people, often working alongside adults with skills to mentor them. The Opportunities Fund for Urban Youth-led Development has been set-up by UN-HABITAT to catalyze innovative approaches to YLD that can improve understanding, and lead to more effective policies and strategies to strengthen the role of youth in sustainable urban development. 3 THE INTENTION The Opportunities Fund aims to facilitate achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and their youth-related targets. It will help young people in the poorer neighbourhoods of cities in the developing world find new opportunities in life, especially in employment and entrepreneurship. The fund will strengthen youth-related policies, help governments, civil society organizations and the private sector address youth concerns, and support new information and learning channels for young people. The Fund will promote collaboration with the private sector, CSOs and other UN bodies, who can propose relevant initiatives to the fund as well as contribute their own resources. More specifically, the fund will support youth-led initiatives in the following areas: · Mobilization of young people to help strengthen youth-related policy formulation; · Building capacities of governments, civil society organizations and the private sector to better address youth needs and issues; · Supporting information and communication oriented networks; · Piloting innovative ideas on employment, governance, shelter and secure tenure; · Sharing of best practices; · Vocational training and credit mechanisms to promote entrepreneurship and employment for young women and men; · Promoting gender mainstreaming in all activities of urban youth. While the Youth Fund will clearly benefit many youth and youth groups through direct support to their initiatives, it is intended to creating greater awareness of the urgency to mainstream a youth focus in development policy and strategies. It will thus promote strengthening capacity of youth organizations to participate in local development planning, as well as helping local and national governments to address youth issues as part of democratic processes. Knowledge about youth-led initiatives around the world is very weak. One of the benefits of a mechanism for supporting local initiatives is that information on what is happening on the ground can be easily obtained. In this way the Fund will contribute to learning on the role of youth in development, providing input to strengthening international and national youth policies. 4 How will it work? The Opportunities Fund is being set up under the authority of the Executive Director of UN-HABITAT. The operation of the Fund will be managed by a committee of experts drawn from UNHABITAT, donor governments and youth representatives. At least two youth representatives will also sit as members of the Advisory Committee. Funding activities will be based on applications from relevant groups. A Steering Committee will assess proposals and develop strategies to enhance access to and effective implementation of the fund. The Committee will facilitate linkages with partner agencies, and put in place procedures for promoting the fund, monitoring and evaluation of projects and documentation and dissemination of best practices. The Youth fund will represent a milestone marking recognition at the highest levels of the need to practically support youth-led initiatives and lead the way for other organizations and governments to place youth at the centre of their development strategies. For more information: Partners & Youth Section, UN-HABITAT, P.O. Box 30030, Nairobi, Kenya Tel: + 254-20-7623710/4218; Fax: + 254-20 -7624588, 3080; E-mail: partners(a)unhabitat.org

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Fw: Security Alert-Kidnap
by Lucy Mathai 29 Oct '08

29 Oct '08

The World is not dangerous because of those who do harm but because of those who look at it without doing anything. - Albert Einstein Date: Friday, October 24, 2008, 7:55 AM _________________________________________________________________ -------------------- End of message text -------------------- Visit our Careers website at: www.pwc.com/ke/careers ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer. ______________________________________________________________________ This email has been scanned by the MessageLabs Email Security System. For more information please contact the IT department. ______________________________________________________________________ This message and any attachment is confidential and may be privileged or otherwise protected from disclosure. If you are not an intended recipient, please notify the sender and delete this message and any attachment immediately. If you are not an intended recipient you must not copy this message or attachment or disclose the contents to any other person. Unless otherwise specifically stated no legally binding commitments are created by this email. Any opinions expressed in this message are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any member of the Actis group. The Actis group parent, Actis LLP, is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales (registered no. OC305927), authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Services Authority. A list of the members of Actis LLP is open to inspection at its registered office, 2 More London Riverside, London SE1 2JT, England. Actis LLP acts for the funds and clients it manages or advises and not for anyone else. It will not act for, advise or be responsible for providing protections afforded to its clients to anyone other than such funds and clients. Others working with Actis LLP should be aware of this and should not expect that they will be treated as clients of Actis LLP or any of its subsidiary and related companies. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com Version: 8.0.175 / Virus Database: 270.8.4/1751 - Release Date: 10/27/2008 10:44 PM

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Rural communication: Is there still a need for telecentres now that , there are mobile phones?"
by alice 28 Oct '08

28 Oct '08

(Apologies for cross posting) A new report out on wireless in rural Africa. Please help circulate. The rationale for the report is featured in an APCNews article out today "Rural communication: Is there still a need for telecentres now that there are mobile phones?" http://www.apc.org/en/news/wireless/all/rural-communication-there-still-nee… which is also available in French and Spanish. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Unbounded possibilities: Observations on sustaining rural ICTs in Africa http://www.apc.org/en/system/files/SustainingRuralICTs_0.pdf This study commissioned by APC and written by wireless expert Ian Howard explores sustainable ICT and the need for wireless internet access for development (W4D). Intended to serve as a guide to members of the W4D community involved in African initiatives, Howard draws conclusions based on his observations of two telecentres in Tanzania with very different business models. Howard’s work is intended to inspire others to share their observations about viable sustainability models for rural telecentres. Future plans include publishing it online in a participative format that will allow others to contribute to it, thus building a knowledge base on the topic. These two communities featured in this study illustrate that the need for internet access is strong, especially in countries where WiMAX and similar wireless bands are available, challenging the current hype that rural communities ICT needs are being met by mobiles phones. The study consists of five main sections. The author begins by describing sustainable ICT in the preface, followed by a rationale section, in which he questions whether or not the need for wireless exists. A methodology section explains the data collection process and how the two case studies were selected, followed by the two case studies. Each case study is broken down into four sections: Background, observations, financial analysis and conclusion. The author then adds his final notes and appendices at the end of the study. The first case study, the Family Alliance for Development and Cooperation, is an initiative by a self-taught technician, Joseph Sekiku, who created a telecentre on his property with the help of small grants. Due to the exorbitant dial-up prices and sluggish connection speeds, Sekiku turned to wireless and began building a network. Though he struggles financially to keep the centre running, the centre is kept operational through the collaboration and dedication of the community. Because of the ongoing need for resourcefulness Sekiku has become a highly knowledgeable individual who is now a leader and expert in computer technologies in his community. Howard draws certain conclusions based on Sekiku’s experience, which can serve other newly emerging telecentres. Through Sekiku’s story, Howard demonstrates how a low-cost, sole-proprietor telecentre can be built and flourish in rural areas. Some 200 km away, in the bigger but largely underdeveloped town of Mwanza, the Seregama telecentre, is the end result of several initiatives carried out over the past four years. It boasts many different services for its numerous clients including a cyber café, a conference room, an e-training lab and so on, which generate revenue. However, the revenue does not cover all the maintenance expenses of the centre and so it is dependant on grants and other sources of financial assistance. The telecentre is a useful example of a sustainable ICT initiative in rural Tanzania, as it serves as a model for community engagement and is a symbol of hope for youth within the community While it is not financially self-reliant, it remains sustainable because it is embraced by all of its stakeholders. APC thanks Open Society Institute (OSI) for its additional support of the study. http://www.apc.org/en/system/files/SustainingRuralICTs_0.pdf ======================================= APC Forum is a meeting place for the APC community - people and institutions who are or have been involved in collaboration with APC, and share the APC vision - a world in which all people have easy, equal and affordable access to the creative potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve their lives and create more democratic and egalitarian societies. _______________________________________________ apc.forum mailing list apc.forum(a)lists.apc.org http://lists.apc.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/apc.forum

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Re: [kictanet] East Africa Internet Governance Forum (EAIGF): Opening the Internet Governance Debate in East Africa,“Thinking Globally; Acting Locally”
by John Maina 28 Oct '08

28 Oct '08

Can we share this in other fora or its for KICTANET only? ________________________________ From: alice <alice(a)apc.org> To: j.maina(a)ymail.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Monday, October 27, 2008 5:51:35 PM Subject: [kictanet] East Africa Internet Governance Forum (EAIGF): Opening the Internet Governance Debate in East Africa,“Thinking Globally; Acting Locally” (Apologies for cross posting) The Kenya ICT Board in conjunction with the Kenya Network Information Center (KENIC), the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet), Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) the East African ICT for Development Network (EA ICT4D), International Development and Research Center (IDRC) and other participating organizations invite you to the East Africa Internet Governance Forum (EAIGF) to be held between the 10th and 12th of November, 2008 in Nairobi Kenya. The EAIGF is a follow up to the National Internet Governance Forums (NIGF's) being held in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda in October 2008 and which are aimed at identifying, exploring and building consensus around national level Internet Governance issues. The East Africa Internet Governance Forum (EAIGF) aims at: • creating awareness, • instituting a consensus building process to develop a common understanding of East African Internet governance • building policy capacity in order to enable meaningful participation in global Internet policy, governance and development. The outcomes of the EAIGF will be submitted and presented at the third global Internet Governance Forum taking place in India in December 2008. As a key player in the Internet industry, it is our pleasure to invite you to the Kenya IGF. A detailed programme for the event will be sent in due course. For planning purposes, please register for the meeting at: http://www.eaigf.or.ke or send an email to: meeting(a)eaigf.or.ke confirming your attendance. _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: j.maina(a)ymail.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/j.maina%40ymail.com

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East Africa Internet Governance Forum (EAIGF): Opening the Internet Governance Debate in East Africa,“Thinking Globally; Acting Locally”
by alice 27 Oct '08

27 Oct '08

(Apologies for cross posting) The Kenya ICT Board in conjunction with the Kenya Network Information Center (KENIC), the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet), Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) the East African ICT for Development Network (EA ICT4D), International Development and Research Center (IDRC) and other participating organizations invite you to the East Africa Internet Governance Forum (EAIGF) to be held between the 10th and 12th of November, 2008 in Nairobi Kenya. The EAIGF is a follow up to the National Internet Governance Forums (NIGF's) being held in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda in October 2008 and which are aimed at identifying, exploring and building consensus around national level Internet Governance issues. The East Africa Internet Governance Forum (EAIGF) aims at: • creating awareness, • instituting a consensus building process to develop a common understanding of East African Internet governance • building policy capacity in order to enable meaningful participation in global Internet policy, governance and development. The outcomes of the EAIGF will be submitted and presented at the third global Internet Governance Forum taking place in India in December 2008. As a key player in the Internet industry, it is our pleasure to invite you to the Kenya IGF. A detailed programme for the event will be sent in due course. For planning purposes, please register for the meeting at: http://www.eaigf.or.ke or send an email to: meeting(a)eaigf.or.ke confirming your attendance.

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Kenya’s ICT players cautioned over Internet security
by alice 27 Oct '08

27 Oct '08

(Apologies for cross posting) Kenya’s ICT players cautioned over Internet security <http://www.itnewsafrica.com/?p=1526>http://www.itnewsafrica.com/?p=1526 October 22, 2008 in Top Stories <http://www.itnewsafrica.com/?cat=15> kibaki.jpg <http://www.itnewsafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/kibaki.jpg>ICT stakeholders and industry players have been urged to upgrade their internet security. The call was made by Charles Njoroge, the Director-General of the Communications Commission of Kenya during the recent Kenyan Internet Governance Forum (KIGF). According to The East African Standard KIGF is meant to act as a central forum through which Internet stakeholders in Kenya can contribute to the global Internet Governance Forum. Njoroge outlined the Government’s priority areas relating to the Internet, among them ensuring improved access and increasing the number of users from the current 2.5 million. Target areas Others are infrastructure and technology deployment; tackling policy issues in the face of increased internet penetration and human capacity development. The CCK Director-General said it is important for the country to start moving forward with the existing policy framework then improve on it to take care and address emerging concerns. He also appealed for intensified public private partnerships. Information and Communications Permanent Secretary Dr Bitange Ndemo said the country’s ICT sector was key to the development of other productive sectors. Emphasising the need for effective management of the internet resource, Dr Ndemo urged those who represent the country at international fora to ensure they articulate Kenya’s position on these issues. Efficiency The PS added that in order to improve efficiency in operations, there’s needed to manage the internet resource effectively. To address internet issues in the country, the PS said his ministry established a taskforce, which incorporated all stakeholder groups to address IPv6 (internet protocol version 6). This was done to protect the country’s internet users from the effects resulting from the depletion of internet protocol.

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CEO Africa Online dies in boating accident
by Brian Munyao Longwe 27 Oct '08

27 Oct '08

KICTANET extends their condolences to AfricaOnline, friends and family of Mr. John Joseph. Brian --------------------------- http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/484266/-/tlhobo/-/ The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Africa Online has died. John Joseph, who was appointed to the position in March 2007, died in a boating accident on Friday while on holiday in Mombasa. He was 47 years old. Officials of the company declined to reveal more details on the circumstances surrounding Mr Joseph’s death as the family had requested for privacy on the matter. Africa Online is a subsidiary of Telkom South Africa and Mr Joseph was also a director of UUNET Ltd. Reacting to the death, Telkom CEO Reuben September said, “John was an invaluable member of our team, a larger than life character who had been integral to establishing and building the Africa Online brand and developing a portfolio of service offerings across all segments in nine African countries. “We are deeply saddened by his passing and on behalf of the company; I would like to convey my deepest condolences to John’s family and friends, as well as staff at Africa Online.” Before ascending to the CEO position at Africa Online, Mr Joseph had occupied various positions at Telkom since 1995. In 2000, he was tasked with establishing Telkom Wholesale Marketing. “John made a tremendous contribution in realizing Telkom’s ambition to play a leading ICT services provider role on the continent. He will be sorely missed, “said Mr September. A new CEO has not yet been appointed and the management of Telkom is set to appoint his replacement soon, said a statement sent to newsrooms. _______

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No free pass: global financial crisis will impact Africa’s telecoms sector
by alice 24 Oct '08

24 Oct '08

(From Balancing Act) No free pass: global financial crisis will impact Africa’s telecoms sector It’s early days but the conventional wisdom so far has been that Africa will avoid the worst of the backwash from the global financial crisis. Its banks are less over-committed as lenders and its relatively small number of consumers still struggle to find credit. However, as everything is connected globally, Africa is bound to take a hit like every other continent and that hit will impact directly on Africa’s telecom’s sector. Russell Southwood tries to read the tea leaves. Over the last five years about half of the countries on the continent have experienced above average economic growth. This growth amongst the “fast track” economies has fed through directly into wealth levels among the people affected. For example, the middle class in Kenya grew by 3% over the last three years: this is a small percentage of a big number so it affects several million people. The slower moving economies have often been those emerging from civil war so any growth has been a bonus compared to past years. A significant part of the economic growth of the “fast track” African countries has come from the giant emerging economies of China and India buying food and mineral resources. However, if people in developed economies buy less of the consumer goods that have fuelled the growth of China’s economy then it in turn will need less mineral resources from places like Africa. Less demand for mineral resources will mean lower prices for things like oil and copper. The only upside of the latter is that there may be less organised cable vandalism. But if China sneezes, Africa catches a cold. So how does this general economic analysis feed through into Africa’s telecoms sector and what’s it likely to mean for your business?: - If you’re trying to raise funds to invest in Africa, life has got significantly harder. Some of those who were in the process of doing this were talking deals with financial institutions that have now been rescued by the US Government. Sovereign wealth funds (largely from oil-based economies) may be more immune to the liquidity crisis but the fall in the price of oil will cut the scale of these funds over time. Africa’s local stock exchanges may still be good for some fundraising but the scale of funds available is modest alongside the size of past deals. The interesting one to watch is Nigeria where the banks still appear to be anxious to lend and open for business. Also, barring a major financial crisis, the Chinese Government (which has a considerable amount of US dollars) will continue to support its export drive by offering soft loans to Africa’s impoverished state-owned telco incumbents. Perhaps some mobile operators will join them in this queue? - Africa’s mobile opportunities have been seen as a licence to print money and even with proliferating competition, newcomers have been keen to enter the market, paying top dollar. However, it’s noticeable that some of the more opportunistic investors without a background in telecoms have decided to take money and run: for example, Hits Telecom has sold out to France Telecom (see news item below). Nevertheless, they probably passed coming in the other direction Orascom’s new Africa unit, Telecel Globe. The global tides of financial panic wash people in and out: remember Vivendi who quit Africa during the telecoms finance crisis but returned as things got better. The logic of the current global crisis dictates that less available money will mean lower prices and less contenders. But the number of opportunities for new mobile licences or market entry points through acquisition are limited. Therefore Africa will do what it’s always done best up till now and “sell shortage” at a premium. For there are not many places in the world where you can get an above average return on your money within eighteen months to two years and there’s still another 5-10% of the addressable market untouched. And investing in mobile telephony is probably a better bet than giving people 120% mortgages on their houses in the current climate. - Less investment means less money going into African economies means less growth. Again the specifics are that if a mobile operator invests US$200-400 million in a country operation, a large part of that goes into things like employing people, buying local services and advertising. In advertising terms, the mobile operators have been among the top 5 spenders in any country where tracking exists. With potential buyers of mobile services possibly having less money to spend, the competition for the market share they already have will intensify. There will be a lot of soothing talk about the importance of service and new features before price wars set in. The smaller, one-country or small number of country operations will feel this heat hardest and will come up for acquisition or may even go out of business if the heat gets too intense. - The glimmer of hope against this backdrop is that the African consumer (the person with a monthly salary and some disposable income) is largely not in debt to anything like the same level as his or her European or American counterpart. They will not splash out wildly in the current context but they will continue to spend. The poor who have not yet become consumers will continue to scrape by as ever. However, the level of remittances from relatives abroad may drop as they become affected by the downturn in developed economies. Last week South Africa’s Finance Minister Trevor Manuel was telling people not to panic which is usually a prelude to people heading for the lifeboats. However, the worst that appears to be in store is a strong dose of wage inflation. Telkom’s failure to address its overstaffing may seem like a victory for its employees but if wages continue to rise above inflation, it will begin to squeeze the companies already pressured profits. Whatever the political pressures, hard times will demand drastic solutions. - Economic slowdown means that Government will have lower tax revenues and private companies less income. Both will impact on the replacement and purchase cycle for ICT equipment. SAP commented in its Q3 results that results from BRICs (the key grouping of developing countries) were mixed. And whilst Cisco reported a resurgence in emerging markets orders, bookings in Africa were very weak. Money spent on rescuing deserving causes like banks may also turn into money not spent on foreign aid. Since the latter supports a great deal of the ICT purchases by African Governments, this will also create a tightening in the market, particularly for the larger IT multinationals with a presence on the continent. All have put feet on the ground in the promise of business tomorrow and the more timid or financially windswept may pull back. - On a counter-cyclical basis, there are two key factors: the big change in the cost of international fibre capacity with the arrival of new cables and for South Africa, the World Cup in 2010. The first (in Q2,2009) will be a welcome boost as bandwidth prices will fall from US$5-6,000 a meg on the east coast to nearer to US$500-1,000 a meg. This will not be good news for those selling high-priced bandwidth as a way of making a living but will benefit those selling services and applications on top of the network. On the west coast, this fall will happen in Q2, 2010 and will be slightly less dramatic. The World Cup in 2010 will be a welcome boost to growth for South Africa and is allowing it to put in place key infrastructure. The only question is: will it be finished on time? - The hardest part to read is the sheer irrationality of financial markets: the kind of cold sweat fear that's been gripping the markets in the North does not always relate to fundamentals but it may convey itself South. Asia is already anticipating the worst. But this will probably only happen if the global crisis keeps extending and there is a feeling that Government money simply won’t contain the difficulties. Everything hangs on that difficult word confidence. So hang on to your hat because it may get bumpy….

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