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Gazettement of the Kenya National ICT Policy
by Muriuki Mureithi 28 Apr '06

28 Apr '06

Hi colleagues The Minister has gazetted the National ICT Policy and therefore conforms to the requirement of Kenya Communications Act 1998 as a policy notification to Communications Commission of Kenya. CCK may therefore implement the policy A copy is available at Government Printer at Ksh 50 Rgds Muriuki Mureithi --------------------------------------- Summit Strategies Ltd - Strategic information for decision support in infocommunication business ICT Consultancy & Research in Eastern & Central African markets Contacts : Tel +254 (20) 3875824 , Cell + 254 (722) 520090, email: <mailto:[email protected]> mureithi(a)summitstrategies.co.ke

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Media Workshop Report -Mombasa, 10th-13th March 2006
by alice＠apc.org 27 Apr '06

27 Apr '06

Dear KICTANet members Attached the media and ICT policy workshop report. The workshop took place in Mombasa in March with Media editors from the mainstream media and alternative media thank you and best alice

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Do you or your organization want to influence decisions that shape the Internet?
by alice＠apc.org 27 Apr '06

27 Apr '06

Apologies for cross posting --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Do you or your organization want to influence decisions that shape the Internet? If you do, why not apply to be designated "At-Large Structure" and participate in the Internet Cooperation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) decisions critical to the Internet's end users? ICANN's Interim At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) is now accepting applications from existing or new groups that involve (or want to involve) individuals in Internet issues. Go to <http://alac.icann.org/> for more information. A new mechanism for individual Internet users participation in ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) has been launched for people who want to be involved in issues that affect individuals use of the Internet's domain name system. ICANN is involved in shaping the Internet and is dealing with issues such as privacy protections for your personal domain registration information (called the WHOIS database), the implementation of internationalized domain names (use of non-ASCII characters), trade mark and domain name disputes and related matters, and how new top-level domains (i.e. .info, .name, .museum, etc.) are introduced. These are but a few ICANN issues on which the end-users voice needs to be heard. Groups throughout the world that deal with individual Internet users' interests are encouraged to register and participate in ICANN by submitting a simple application form. Groups that meet the minimum requirements will be designated as "At-Large Structures." The ALAC is an Advisory Committee to ICANN's Board charged with providing advice on activities of ICANN that relate to the interests of individual Internet users, and helping to organize At-Large groups throughout the world for structured involvement and informed participation of the individual Internet user community. Why become an At-Large Structure? By being designated an At-Large Structure, your group gets: a.. A recognized role in forming the policies that affect how individuals' use the Internet (ICANN is listening. Make sure your voice is heard!); b.. Quick and easy access to first-hand information on what's happening in ICANN and why it matters to end-users; c.. Opportunities to provide your members education on ICANN's work and Internet developments; d.. Participation in building your region's At-Large organization (RALO), and opportunities to network with other groups in your country and region as At-Large grows; e.. Representation in ICANN at the regional and international level, plus your group's members will be eligible to serve on important regional and international decision-making bodies in ICANN; f.. A free web page and other Internet-based mechanisms to support your group's work; and g.. Opportunities for funding to support some of your group's activities (ALAC is applying for grant funding). What type of groups can be At-Large Structures? Any group that supports individuals' ability to share their views on ICANN issues, and that meets the few simple criteria listed on the ALAC's website, can apply to be an At-Large Structure. Types of groups that have expressed interest in being designated At-Large Structures include: a.. Professional societies (e.g. engineers, attorneys, etc.) b.. Academic and research organizations c.. Community networking groups d.. Consumer advocacy groups e.. Internet Society chapters f.. Computer user organizations g.. Internet civil society groups Where can I get more information? Send an email to <als(a)alac.icann.org>, or go to the ALAC website at <http://alac.icann.org/>. We look forward to working with you, and hearing from you. ~ The Interim At-Large Advisory Committee

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Fw: [APC Forum] Digital Divide narrowing...
by alice＠apc.org 27 Apr '06

27 Apr '06

Is this a good example of why the term 'digital divide' is misleading? > Technical vs education discouses? > > Maybe not. > > Frédéric Dubois > APC information coordinator > > Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/04/26/business/lost.php - > Reuters, International Herald Tribune > World's digital divide gets smaller > Reuters > > WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 2006 > > > BERLIN The digital divide is narrowing as citizens in emerging markets > get online via computers and mobile phones, > with some regions now on a par with developed nations, a ranking of > Web-savvy countries showed Wednesday. > > "Encouraging is the apparent narrowing of the digital divide," the > annual study, published by IBM and the intelligence unit > of British magazine The Economist, said. "This is particularly evident > in basic connectivity: Emerging markets are providing > the vast majority of the world's new phone and Internet connections." > > Within China and India, regions like Shanghai and Bangalore have almost > the same level of Internet and > mobile phone connections as developed nations, said Peter Korsten, > European director at IBM's Institute for Business Value. > > "This is the first time we see a level playing field between developed > and developing nations in terms of > connectivity," he said. "It's up to governments to take advantage with > education and other initiatives." > > The survey looks beyond basic connections and also studies how the > Internet is being used to > improve productivity and reduce costs, including online access to > public services. > > "Virtually all countries have improved their scores over the past > year," the study said. > "The improvement is greater in the lower tiers of the rankings than at > the top. > As a result, the distance separating the best from the rest has > declined." > > > > > ======================================= > 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/mailman/listinfo/apc.forum

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Fw: AGREEMENT BETWEEN KICTANET AND AeRC
by alice＠apc.org 26 Apr '06

26 Apr '06

Dear members Find draft MOU prepared by Innovative Lawyering for hosting of KICTANEt secretariat. Any comments alice

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Uganda: Country Soon to Jump Onto the Outsourcing Bandwagon
by Dorcas Muthoni 26 Apr '06

26 Apr '06

Uganda: Country Soon to Jump Onto the Outsourcing Bandwagon East African Business Week (Kampala) April 24, 2006 http://allafrica.com/stories/200604240920.html Edwin Nshuti--Kampala Since independence, Uganda has been actively engaged in the outsourcing industry, offshoring the refining and value-addition processes of most of her raw materials to Europe and America - to her disadvantage. This sad spectacle is, however, set to change and the country is set to realise its first positive benefits out of outsourcing. InterGlobal Services (IGS), a U.S. call centre operator in conjunction with the Busoga Kingdom are in the final stages of setting up a 150-seater world-class call centre in Jinja, 80 kilometres east of Kampala. "We are about one month behind schedule," the prime minister of Busoga Kingdom, Mr. Martin Musumba revealed to Business Week, "but it should be up and running by the end of May." The call centre will employ 450 operators, working 3 shifts everyday, and 7 days a week earning an estimated salary of about US$1,000 every month. However, the groundwork for equipping the population to work in the intricate offshoring industry had started earlier. The government through the ministry of education entered into an agreement with Global Management Consortium-Trade Information Network (GMC-TIN) and Serebra Learning Corporation (Canada) to provide low cost and affordable education in ICT, professional development courses including call technologies and call centre management through a programme known as EasyLearning. This programme will, according to Mr. Godfrey Seruwagi, the EasyLearning national project coordinator, go a long way in "bridging the digital divide through access to ICT education and provide Ugandan's with outsourcing job opportunities." Serebra, which owns the courseware has over 3,000 courses in its library but only 400 of those have been negotiated into EasyLearning and are accessible at a cost of Ush12,000 (US$6) per course. Ms. Rossette Serwanga, the EasyLearning programme manager says that since its launch on January 17, 2006, over 600 people have sat and passed the online courses. Busoga Kingdom set up an e-Learning centre in Jinja called IT Synergies, where they have been training the future call centre operators and managers and are now set to run the first outsourcing centre in the country. Outsourcing is the process through which one company hands over part of its work to another company, making it responsible for the design and implementation of the business process under strict guidelines regarding requirements and specifications from the outsourcing company. In this age of globalisation, in a world where Information Technology (IT) has become the backbone of business, very many huge companies like IBM, General Electric, Microsoft, etc are beginning to move some of their vital but peripheral operations like low-end software development and help-desk services to low cost labour countries. This phenomenon has mainly emerged due to stringent labour laws in developed countries and the need to cut costs to remain competitive. Over the last decade, India has been the leading offshore destination for global IT and Business Process Offshoring (BPO) industries because of its huge pool of highly educated, English speaking workers who are willing to work for just a fraction of what their counterparts in Europe are paid. These industries have played a major role in transforming India from a slow-growth economy with recurring balance of payments problems to a fast-growth economy generating ample foreign exchange surpluses. India's offshoring industry earns foreign exchange revenue of about US$6billion and employs about 350,000 people. However, India could soon lose its leading position as the world's 'back office.' According to a study conducted by McKinsey & Company, a U.S. consultancy firm and the India IT body Nasscom, India's outsourcing industry will face a short fall of 500,000 workers in the next few years. With Indian universities churning out 3.6million graduates every year, how can it be short of workers? The problem in India, according to experts, has always been the quality of its workforce, not quantity. US companies that operate call centres in India have continually complained the call centre agents' English accent being heavily influenced by their mother tongues. This has been India's biggest setback. Fluency in English aside, employers also complain that the majority of India's IT graduates lacked computer skills, inability to reason clearly and think critically _______________________________________________ incom-l mailing list incom-l(a)incommunicado.info http://mail.kein.org/mailman/listinfo/incom-l

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Press release... Bootstraps, slingshots and angels: Engaging the private sector in Africa - the CATIA experience
by alice＠apc.org 25 Apr '06

25 Apr '06

Learning to working together: > civil society, the private sector and ICT advocacy in Africa > > April 21, 2006 > > For nearly three years the Catalysing Access to ICTs in Africa programme > (CATIA) has worked towards strengthening the context for the vibrant > adoption and use of ICTs in Africa. The programme has been set up with > nine > components, each with its particular advocacy aim, in countries as diverse > as Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Senegal. As components have found, the > private sector is crucial to the success of their interventions. > > To document its experience in engaging the private sector, CATIA has > produced Bootstraps, slingshots and angels, an article that looks at the > successes and challenges the programme has had over the past > two-and-a-half > years. The article is the result of interviews with CATIA participants > from > both civil society and private sector backgrounds. > > Some of the key findings of the interviews are: > > * The private sector has been crucial to the success of a number of > the CATIA advocacy drives. In countries such as Kenya, a multi-stakeholder > approach, which has included the media, has had a startling impact, > including playing a major role in the development of the country's ICT > policy strategy; > > * In many instances, the relationship between civil society and the > private sector is seen to be mutually beneficial. Working with the private > sector means that collective expertise can be leveraged, and a common > advocacy goal forged that neither sector could have developed on its own; > > * By collaborating with civil society, private sector activity begins > to be formulated and articulated in the context of broader socio-economic > issues, such as job creation, poverty eradication and consumer awareness; > > * Through its engagement with the private sector, civil society has > learned to work more efficiently, and be more decisive in its advocacy > strategies and actions. Collaboration with the private sector has, in some > instances, made its work more acceptable to government, and therefore more > influential in encouraging ICT policy change; > > * Winning the private sector's trust has been a major hurdle for many > ICT advocates. This includes dealing with a natural sense of competition > between private sector participants. Components have found that it is > important to create a fora where each sector's needs can be understood and > where disagreements can be expressed; > > * The best advocacy approach tends to depend on the balance of power > between the private sector, civil society and the state. Often a > dependence > on the government for contracts (as in Ethiopia) means that the private > sector is reluctant to directly confront the state in an advocacy drive. > At > the same time, an 'unofficial' relationship between some private sector > players and the government can hamper advocacy initiatives. Businesses > sometimes need to be encouraged to cut back on "personal political space"; > > * While some multinational IT companies have been reluctant to be > involved in ICT advocacy initiatives, those that have suggest that the > relationship has been beneficial and in line with its own business aims. > > To read the full article, visit www.catia.ws. > > _________________________________________________ > Claire Sibthorpe > Programme Manager > Catalysing Access to ICTs in Africa (CATIA) > Atos Consulting > www.catia.ws > > Tel: +27 11 881 5910 > Mobile: +27 82 895 4603 > Fax: +27 11 881 5481 > > Postal Address: P O Box 785553, Sandton, 2146, South Africa > Physical Address: Nelson Mandela Square, 2nd Floor, West Tower, Sandown, > 2196, South Africa > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > _______________________________________________ > Catia_team mailing list > Catia_team(a)catia.ws > http://catia.eyecon.co.za/mailman/listinfo/catia_team >

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JKUAT E-Government Academy Workshop
by Bill Kagai 25 Apr '06

25 Apr '06

[Introduction] The Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology <www.jkuat.ac.ke> in collaboration with Circuits & Packets Communications Limited 'C&P' <www.circuitspackets.co.ke> are pleased to announce the formation of the JKUAT E-Government Academy. This is a nascent Public Private Partnership (PPP) with a mission to offer high quality E-Government Training, Consultancy and Software development in Kenya. JKUAT E-Government Academy <egov.jkuat.ac.ke> was launched on 23rd February 2006 at Safari Park Hotel by Dr. Thierry Amoussougbo on behalf of the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in the presence of the JKUAT Vice Chancellor, Professor Nick Wanjohi. [Mission] The JKUAT E-Government Academy does not aim at just imparting proficiency in use of computer technology but more on the use of logic and algorithm to promote flair for innovation in service delivery and tripartite communication for Government, its Citizens and Business. JKUAT E-Government Academy derives its strengths from the vast intellectual resources available at the JKUAT University and the experience of C&P in offering practical ICT solutions for development. [Forcing Factor] With a workforce of over 650,000 employees, the Kenya Civil Service will require short but structured courses to inculcate use of ICT in Government. This is inline with the National ICT Policy, The Kenya E-Government Strategy and The Economic Recovery Strategy for Employment and Wealth Creation 2003-2007. <http://www.planning.go.ke/planning_files/econrecovery2004-2007.html> [Strategy] The JKUAT E-Government Academy has so far trained hundreds of Civil Servants in various E-Government Courses <http://www.circuitspackets.co.ke/training> and is currently looking for strategic partners who can help us reach a pilot target of training approximately 10,000 in one financial year. We are making use of 21 training institutions accredited to the University spread all over the country but we still require strategic alliances from development partners and industry who can share with us experiences, best practices and case studies of E-Government Capacity Building in other countries. [Workshop] In this regard, we are planning a two day workshop from 6th to 7th July 2006 at Windsor Golf and Country Club <www.windsorgolfresort.com> to strategise on E-Government Capacity Building in Kenya and exploring the latest technology currently being used in Governments. Expected delegates will primarily be Heads of ICTs in various Ministries, Leading ICT Industry Players and other interested stakeholders. Should your company/organisation be interested in collaborating in this workshop, please contact the undersigned by 15th May 2006 so that we can work together in developing the workshop and exhibition program. -- -- With Kind Regards, Bildad Kagai MD - Circuits & Packets Communications Ltd Content & Training Partner - JKUAT E-Government Academy Suite B2, Tetu Apartments, State House Avenue P. O. Box 20311 - 00200 Nairobi, Kenya Tel. 254 20 2728332 Fax. 254 20 2726965 Cell. 254 722 379409 URL. www.circuitspackets.co.ke URL. egov.jkuat.ac.ke

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AfriNIC Nominations
by Brian Longwe 24 Apr '06

24 Apr '06

Apparently there was a problem with the nomination email alias. Could those of you who received bounces to your messages resend them? Regards, Brian

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Change Agent Scholarship Opportunity
by alice＠apc.org 24 Apr '06

24 Apr '06

------- Forwarded message follows ------- From: "Claudia Morrell" <cmorrell(a)umbc.edu> Good afternoon, The Anita Borg Change Agent Scholarship will be given to up to two women in computing who have expanded opportunities and influenced the careers of girls and women in technology outside the United States. Applicants/nominees must establish their need for financial support to attend the conference. The recipient(s) will have all expenses paid to attend the 2006 Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Conference. http://www.anitaborg.org/awards/2006/change_agent_06.html Claudia Morrell Executive Director Center for Women and Information Technology University of Maryland, Baltimore County 1000 Hilltop Circle, ITE 452 Baltimore, MD 21250 410-455-2822 www.umbc.edu/cwit cmorrell(a)umbc.edu _______________________________________________ AAW-Network mailing list AAW-Network(a)apcafricawomen.org http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/aaw-network

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