- KICTANet - KICTANet

AfriNic Board Nominations
by Alice Wanjira 30 Mar '06

30 Mar '06

AfriNIC Board Nomination form Nominated by Alice W. Munyua: Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) Association for Progressive Communications (APC). Catalysing Access to ICTs in Africa (CATIA) ----------------------- Nominee Brian Longwe Physical address: P. O. Box 30054-00100, Nairobi, KENYA e-mail address: brian(a)pure-id.com Phone number: +254 722 5188744 Fax number: +254 20 4452327 Country and sub-region: Kenya, East Africa Brief statement explaining the candidate's background and motivation (Not more than 500 words): Brian Longwe is the incumbent primary board member for the East African region. Since election to the board in 2004, he has participated with other Board member, the CEO and staff of AfriNIC in bringing the organisation to gain full recognition as a Regional Internet Registry by ICANN in April 2005. Prior to and since gaining full recognition, AfriNIC has undergone a number of significant changes, the most crucial being the transfer and enrolment of members (LIRs) from other regional internet registries and the establishment of an operational base, legal, financial and administrative structures. At the moment the current Board is in the process of establishing structures that will facilitate better governance of the affairs of the organisation. These range from the definition of various policies to the establishment of a number of Board committees to better provide support to the CEO and staff of the organisation in fulfilling the mandate and objectives of the organisation. Brian Longwe serves a Chairman of one of the Board committees and is a member on a number of others. It is his earnest wish that he be allowed to continue in his service to the community in capacity as Board member from the Eastern African region. Brian's long experience and involvement with AfriNIC ever since the initial proposal in 1998 has helped the organisation grow into its current status. His 14 years of experience in information and communications technologies institutions in various countries in Africa has also helped him obtain a wide range of skills and capacity, which are of benefit to AfriNIC and the member community as a whole. Brian has played a key role in Africa's Internet industry over the past 10 years in the following organisations: - 1996-1997: Form-Net Africa: Nairobi, Kenya - Network Manager - 1997-1999: Mission Aviation Fellowship, Nairobi, Kenya - Information Systems Manager - 1999-2005: IS Kenya Ltd, Nairobi, Kenya - Chief Technology Officer - 2001-2004: African Network Operator Group, Continental - Track Leader, Instructor and member of organising Committee - 2002-Present: African Internet Service Providers Association, Continental - General Manager - 2005-Present: InHand Ltd, Nairobi, Kenya - Chief Executive Officer -- Alice Wanjira-Munyua National Coordinator, Catalysing Access to ICTs in Africa (CATIA) Association for Progressive Communications (APC) alice(a)apc.org http://www.apc.org wanjira(a)cck.go.ke http://www.catia.ws Cell: +254 733 731074

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Afrinic Nomination - Brian Longwe
by Muriuki Mureithi 30 Mar '06

30 Mar '06

AfriNIC Board Nomination form Nominated by (full Name): Muriuki Mureithi Nominee (Full Name): Brian Longwe Organization (or affiliation): Summit Strategies Ltd Physical address: P. O. Box 62454-00200, Nairobi, KENYA e-mail address: mureithi(a)summitstrategies.co.ke Phone number: +254 20 3875824 Fax number: +254 20 38572384 Country and sub-region: Kenya, East Africa Brief statement explaining the candidate's background and motivation (Not more than 500 words): Brian Longwe is the incumbent primary board member for the East African region. Since election to the board in 2004, he has participated with other Board member, the CEO and staff of AfriNIC in bringing the organisation to gain full recognition as a Regional Internet Registry by ICANN in April 2005. Prior to and since gaining full recognition, AfriNIC has undergone a number of significant changes, the most crucial being the transfer and enrollment of members (LIRs) from other regional internet registries and the establishment of an operational base, legal, financial and administrative structures. At the moment the current Board is in the process of establishing structures that will facilitate better governance of the affairs of the organisation. These range from the definition of various policies to the establishment of a number of Board committees to better provide support to the CEO and staff of the organisation in fulfilling the mandate and objectives of the organisation. Brian Longwe serves a Chairman of one of the Board committees and is a member on a number of others. It is his earnest wish that he be allowed to continue in his service to the community in capacity as Board member from the Eastern African region. Brian's long experience and involvement with AfriNIC ever since the initial proposal in 1998 has helped the organisation grow into it's current status. His 14 years of experience in information and communications technologies institutions in various countries in Africa has also helped him obtain a wide range of skills and capacity which are of benefit to AfriNIC and the member community as a whole. Brian has played a key role in Africa's Internet industry over the past 10 years in the following organisations: - 1996-1997: Form-Net Africa: Nairobi, Kenya - Network Manager - 1997-1999: Mission Aviation Fellowship, Nairobi, Kenya - Information Systems Manager - 1999-2005: ISPKenya Ltd, Nairobi, Kenya - Chief Technology Officer - 2001-2004: African Network Operator Group, Continental - Track Leader, Instructor and member of organising Committe - 2002-Present: African Internet Service Providers Association, Continental - General Manager - 2005-Present: InHand Ltd, Nairobi, Kenya - Chief Executive Officer I hereby request your support in my nomination and vote in the election. Brian Longwe

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Announcment: Financial Services Project and Application Reminder
by Alice Wanjira 30 Mar '06

30 Mar '06

The Reuters Digital Vision Program (DVP) at Stanford University is > now accepting applications for a 2006-07 Fellow to work on a special > DVP project in conjunction with its partner, Women's World Banking > (WWB). The WWB is a network of leading microfinance institutions with > presence in more than 30 countries. For this special project, the > deadline has been extended to April 19, 2006.* The Fellowship for > this project will be awarded at the end of May, 2006 as part of and > at the same time as the rest of the DVP Fellowships. > > THE PROJECT > This Fellow will employ a needs-based approach to design, develop and > deploy a simple system to allow micro-entrepreneurs to register their > business transactions, generate reports and communicate directly with > micro-finance institutions. The objective of this project is to > improve micro-entrepreneurs' financial literacy and business results > and to enhance the efficiency of micro-finance institutions. The > project will initiate with WWB affiliates in Colombia and/or the > Dominican Republic. > > We are seeking applicants with a product (development & management) > background, ideally in the financial services industry and/or Latin > America. > The Fellow will play a key role in defining and articulating the > vision for this solution, and will lead the effort to: > * Understand market needs and user requirements and translate these > into detailed product requirements, product features and functionality > * Articulate end user and micro finance institution value proposition > and develop a viable business model > * Manage the pilot tests in the field > > Qualifications: > * Self-starter with an entrepreneurial spirit > * Experience in product (development & management), ideally with > financial services > * Excellent communications and analytical skills > * Understanding of network technologies, devices, and management tools > (MIS) > * Desirable experience in emerging markets > * Experience with field research > * BA/BS degree or Equivalent > * Fluent in English and Spanish > > This is a two-year project. The DVP Fellowship will last one academic > year (2006-07) with the potential of extending to a second year. > Significant travel will be required. > > Please visit our Become A Fellow <http://rdvp.org/become> page for > more information, including special application instructions for this > financial services project. > > > THE PROGRAM > The Digital Vision Program supports social entrepreneurs who seek > to leverage technology-based solutions in the interest of > humanitarian, educational, and sustainable development goals. The > Program fosters interdisciplinary projects and prototyping efforts > that address real needs in underserved communities. For the 2006-07 > academic year, the program will focus on the following broad categories: > > * Advancing Financial Services (Microfinance, microinsurance, > remittances, market information, e-commerce) > * Knowledge and Empowerment (Literacy and numeracy, e-learning and > training, e-government, social networks, and community building) > * Networked Health and Welfare (Health administration, health > research and sciences, public health and safety, telemedicine, relief > services, advocacy) > > The core of the Program is a nine-month fellowship that brings > individuals from around the globe to the Stanford University Campus. > Digital Vision Fellows collaborate with faculty, students, private > sector firms, non-government organizations, and most importantly, > each other. Digital Vision Fellows have Visiting Scholar privileges > at Stanford University, including the ability to audit courses. > Fellows also participate in a structured Sanford Digital Vision > Program with weekly meetings, workshops, and seminars. > > Fees and Scholarships > > The Reuters Foundation and other DVP partners will cover all Stanford > University fees and expenses for full-time fellowships. Living > stipends may be available for fellows accepted from developing world > countries. The Digital Vision Program also offers "Corporate > Fellowships" to individuals from organizations who continue to > perform their full-time professional duties in their organizations, > while participating in the seminars, workshops, and other organized > activities of the DVP. > > How to apply > Please visit the "Become a Fellow" link on our website at > <<http://rdvp.org>http://rdvp.org > for more information. > DVP Applications are due on April 3, 2006, with the exception of the > financial services project. > > > Karen Coppock > Director of Industry Collaboration > Reuters Digital Vision Program > Stanford University > <http://rdvp.org> > > * Please note: this deadline extension applies only to this Financial > Services Project with WWB. All other RDVP applicants must submit > their completed application by April 3, 2006. Applicants who have > already submitted their applications and wish to apply for this > project must contact us directly by email <digitalvision (at) csli > (dot) stanford (dot) edu> or by phone +1 650.724.4069. > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > _______________________________________________ > RDVP-UPDATES mailing list > RDVP-UPDATES(a)lists.rdvp.org > http://lists.rdvp.org/mailman/listinfo/rdvp-updates > -- Alice Wanjira National Coordinator, Catalysing Access to ICTs in Africa (CATIA) Association for Progressive Communications (APC) alice(a)apc.org http://www.apc.org http://www.catia.ws Cell: +254 733 731074

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FW: [egov4dev] Consultant Sought for Commissioned Writing on ICTs and Fisheries
by Harry Hare 29 Mar '06

29 Mar '06

Any takers? Harry -----Original Message----- From: egov4dev(a)yahoogroups.com [mailto:egov4dev@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Richard Heeks Sent: 29 March 2006 16:25 To: egov4dev(a)yahoogroups.com Subject: [egov4dev] Consultant Sought for Commissioned Writing on ICTs and Fisheries The Sustainable Fisheries Livelihoods Programme (www.sflp.org) is funded by DFID and implemented by FAO in partnership with government ministries and NGO/civil society in 25 West African countries. We are now looking to commission a piece of work on the use of ICT in the small-scale or artisanal fisheries sector in developing countries, for example: - how the use of mobile phones has changed fish marketing - SMS weather forecasting & storm warnings for safety - GPS technology for fishing operations and in participatory monitoring, control and surveillance systems. - Use of low-cost echo-sounders for improved efficiency of fishing operations - Use of internet technologies for networking among civil-society groups and for co-ordination of decentralised/community-based management of resources - Community radio for social change We are looking for someone who understands the kinds of social and economic changes that result from, or are enabled by, recent and emerging ICTs. They don't need to know the fisheries sector, although it may help. They will need to speak French. This will be about 20 days paid work, to include a visit to FAO Rome, and probably to Senegal. Timetable is fairly flexible, but preferably before end September 2006. If you are interested, please contact: Dr Edward H Allison (E.Allison(a)uea.ac.uk) Senior Lecturer in Natural Resource Management School of Development Studies University of East Anglia Norwich NR4 7TJ, U.K. Tel +44(0)1603 593724 Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/egov4dev/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: egov4dev-unsubscribe(a)yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.3.3/295 - Release Date: 28/03/2006 -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.3.3/295 - Release Date: 28/03/2006

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Re: [Kictanet] AfriNIC board
by John Walubengo 29 Mar '06

29 Mar '06

in that case...i will back down. wish u all the best in your unfinished business... walu. >>> Brian Longwe <brian(a)pure-id.com> 03/29/06 11:54am >>> Hi Walu, Thanks for the proposal. It's good to see this energy - but I have decided to go for a second term as there are still some unresolved issues that need to be finalised within the Board, mainly regarding the formulation of policies surrounding governance and various committees e.g. - Audit Committee - Renumeration Committee - Pr/Communications Committee ... among others Thanks, Brian ps. Hope I will have all of your support :-) On 29 Mar 2006, at 09:29, John Walubengo wrote: > Alice, > > i am asking u to nominate me - and Brian the former holder of the > post to second me...hoping that Brian is not planning to run a > second time; this is the era of one term sessions...(oops!) > > Nominee (Full Name): John Walubengo > Organization (or affiliation):Kenya College of Communications Tech > Physical address:KCCT, Mbagathi Campus, Mbagathi Rd, Nairobi > e-mail address:jwalubengo@kcct.ac.ke > Phone number:254-20-891201 > Fax number: 254-20-891949 > Country and sub-region:Kenya, E. Africa Sub Region. > > walu. > >>>> "Alice Wanjira" <alice(a)apc.org> 03/29/06 08:29AM >>> > Dear Colleagues, > > This year, two seats will be vacant on the AfriNIC board. They are: > > a) Seat 3: for the Southern African sub-region (Primary and > alternate) > Mandate: 2006 to 2009 > > b) Seat 4: The Eastern Africa sub-region (Primary and Alternate) > Mandate: 2006 to 2009 > > Who can seat on the Board? > ========================= > > Anybody resident in one of the above sub-regions. > > Nominees should have good experience/background in the > Internet environment, be able to participate actively in > all activities conferred to the BoT by the AfriNIC bylaws > (Section 16) and, as the working language is English, > candidates should have a minimum comprehension of the > English language. > > How to nominate: > ================ > > Nominations should be sent to board-nomination(a)afrinic.net > using the template below. Self-nomination is allowed > but it must be supported by at least two different people > either from or outside the nominee's sub-region. > > ----------------------------- > AfriNIC Board Nomination form > ----------------------------- > > Nominated by (full Name): > > Nominee (Full Name): > Organization (or affiliation): > Physical address: > e-mail address: > Phone number: > Fax number: > Country and sub-region: > > Brief statement explaining the candidate's > background and motivation (Not more than 500 words): > > ** You may want to add a picture > (it will appear with your details online) > ----------- > > The deadline for Candidacy/Nominations is Tuesday > April 4th 2006 at 08:00 GMT > > Election process policies: http://www.afrinic.net/bot/afbot- > elp200502.htm > > Kind regards. > > > > > - > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke > http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/ > mailman/options/kictanet/jwalubengo%40kcct.ac.ke > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke > http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/ > mailman/options/kictanet/brian%40pure-id.com _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jwalubengo%40kcct.ac.ke

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Afrinic Nomination
by Brian Longwe 29 Mar '06

29 Mar '06

Please support my nomination by sending an email to board- nomination(a)afrinic.net indicating you support me as a board candidate from the Eastern African region? Regards, Brian ps. For those of you who are LIRs I hope I will have your vote in May ;-) > > AfriNIC Board Nomination form > > > Nominated by (full Name): Brian Longwe > > Nominee (Full Name): Brian Longwe > Organization (or affiliation): African Internet Service Providers > Association > Physical address: P. O. Box 30054-00100, Nairobi, KENYA > e-mail address: brian(a)pure-id.com > Phone number: +254 722 5188744 > Fax number: +254 20 4452327 > Country and sub-region: Kenya, East Africa > > Brief statement explaining the candidate's background and > motivation (Not more than 500 words): > > Brian Longwe is the incumbent primary board member for the East > African region. Since election to the board in 2004, he has > participated with other Board member, the CEO and staff of AfriNIC > in bringing the organisation to gain full recognition as a Regional > Internet Registry by ICANN in April 2005. Prior to and since > gaining full recognition, AfriNIC has undergone a number of > significant changes, the most crucial being the transfer and > enrollment of members (LIRs) from other regional internet > registries and the establishment of an operational base, legal, > financial and administrative structures. At the moment the current > Board is in the process of establishing structures that will > facilitate better governance of the affairs of the organisation. > These range from the definition of various policies to the > establishment of a number of Board committees to better provide > support to the CEO and staff of the organisation in fulfilling the > mandate and objectives of the organisation. > > Brian Longwe serves a Chairman of one of the Board committees and > is a member on a number of others. It is his earnest wish that he > be allowed to continue in his service to the community in capacity > as Board member from the Eastern African region. > > Brian's long experience and involvement with AfriNIC ever since the > initial proposal in 1998 has helped the organisation grow into it's > current status. His 14 years of experience in information and > communications technologies institutions in various countries in > Africa has also helped him obtain a wide range of skills and > capacity which are of benefit to AfriNIC and the member community > as a whole. Brian has played a key role in Africa's Internet > industry over the past 10 years in the following organisations: > > - 1996-1997: Form-Net Africa: Nairobi, Kenya - Network Manager > > - 1997-1999: Mission Aviation Fellowship, Nairobi, Kenya - > Information Systems Manager > > - 1999-2005: ISPKenya Ltd, Nairobi, Kenya - Chief Technology Officer > > - 2001-2004: African Network Operator Group, Continental - Track > Leader, Instructor and member of organising Committe > > - 2002-Present: African Internet Service Providers Association, > Continental - General Manager > > - 2005-Present: InHand Ltd, Nairobi, Kenya - Chief Executive Officer > > I hereby request your support in my nomination and vote in the > election. > > > > Brian Longwe >

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Re: [Kictanet] AfriNIC board
by John Walubengo 29 Mar '06

29 Mar '06

Alice, i am asking u to nominate me - and Brian the former holder of the post to second me...hoping that Brian is not planning to run a second time; this is the era of one term sessions...(oops!) Nominee (Full Name): John Walubengo Organization (or affiliation):Kenya College of Communications Tech Physical address:KCCT, Mbagathi Campus, Mbagathi Rd, Nairobi e-mail address:jwalubengo@kcct.ac.ke Phone number:254-20-891201 Fax number: 254-20-891949 Country and sub-region:Kenya, E. Africa Sub Region. walu. >>> "Alice Wanjira" <alice(a)apc.org> 03/29/06 08:29AM >>> Dear Colleagues, This year, two seats will be vacant on the AfriNIC board. They are: a) Seat 3: for the Southern African sub-region (Primary and alternate) Mandate: 2006 to 2009 b) Seat 4: The Eastern Africa sub-region (Primary and Alternate) Mandate: 2006 to 2009 Who can seat on the Board? ========================= Anybody resident in one of the above sub-regions. Nominees should have good experience/background in the Internet environment, be able to participate actively in all activities conferred to the BoT by the AfriNIC bylaws (Section 16) and, as the working language is English, candidates should have a minimum comprehension of the English language. How to nominate: ================ Nominations should be sent to board-nomination(a)afrinic.net using the template below. Self-nomination is allowed but it must be supported by at least two different people either from or outside the nominee's sub-region. ----------------------------- AfriNIC Board Nomination form ----------------------------- Nominated by (full Name): Nominee (Full Name): Organization (or affiliation): Physical address: e-mail address: Phone number: Fax number: Country and sub-region: Brief statement explaining the candidate's background and motivation (Not more than 500 words): ** You may want to add a picture (it will appear with your details online) ----------- The deadline for Candidacy/Nominations is Tuesday April 4th 2006 at 08:00 GMT Election process policies: http://www.afrinic.net/bot/afbot-elp200502.htm Kind regards. - _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jwalubengo%40kcct.ac.ke

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AfriNIC board
by Alice Wanjira 29 Mar '06

29 Mar '06

Dear Colleagues, This year, two seats will be vacant on the AfriNIC board. They are: a) Seat 3: for the Southern African sub-region (Primary and alternate) Mandate: 2006 to 2009 b) Seat 4: The Eastern Africa sub-region (Primary and Alternate) Mandate: 2006 to 2009 Who can seat on the Board? ========================= Anybody resident in one of the above sub-regions. Nominees should have good experience/background in the Internet environment, be able to participate actively in all activities conferred to the BoT by the AfriNIC bylaws (Section 16) and, as the working language is English, candidates should have a minimum comprehension of the English language. How to nominate: ================ Nominations should be sent to board-nomination(a)afrinic.net using the template below. Self-nomination is allowed but it must be supported by at least two different people either from or outside the nominee's sub-region. ----------------------------- AfriNIC Board Nomination form ----------------------------- Nominated by (full Name): Nominee (Full Name): Organization (or affiliation): Physical address: e-mail address: Phone number: Fax number: Country and sub-region: Brief statement explaining the candidate's background and motivation (Not more than 500 words): ** You may want to add a picture (it will appear with your details online) ----------- The deadline for Candidacy/Nominations is Tuesday April 4th 2006 at 08:00 GMT Election process policies: http://www.afrinic.net/bot/afbot-elp200502.htm Kind regards. -

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Fwd: Internet Governance Forum "theme" proposal: global free expression
by Florence Etta 29 Mar '06

29 Mar '06

FYI FE -------------------------------------------------------- The new multistakeholder Internet Governance Forum will meet October 30-Nov. 2 in Athens Greece. Currently we are debating what "themes" or topics will be on the agenda. A group of NGOs, including Internet Governance Project, Article 19, and Reporters Sans Frontiers are trying to get the following theme on the agenda: THEME PROPOSAL: Internet content filtering and free expression a. The proposed theme Are the Internet filtering and censorship practices of states compatible with Article XIX of the UN Declaration on Human Rights? Is it possible to develop a protocol to guide private Internet service providers and hosting companies toward ethical interactions with the governments of countries that heavily regulate and censor content? How can countries with different notions of legal and illegal content reconcile these differences in a way that maximizes the freedom and value of the Internet and makes it possible for Internet service providers to operate in a more secure and stable legal environment? b. Why it is important Access to information and free communication is at the heart of the Internet's value. Conflicts over content controls have created a number of tensions, e.g., between multinational Internet service companies such as Google, Yahoo, Cisco Systems, Microsoft and various national governments. Content regulation, filtering and censorship are issues that do not fall within the scope of any existing international body, but cut across many of them; e.g., UNESCO, ICANN, ITU and WIPO. c. How it is in conformity with the Tunis Agenda Paragraph 42 of the Tunis Agenda reaffirms the UN's "commitment to the freedom to seek, receive, impart and use information, in particular, for the creation, accumulation and dissemination of knowledge." Paragraph 46 encourages "governments to reaffirm the right of individuals to access information according to the Geneva Declaration of Principles and other mutually agreed relevant international instruments, and to coordinate internationally as appropriate." Paragraph 60 expresses the recognition that "there are many cross-cutting international public policy issues that require attention and are not adequately addressed by the current mechanisms." d. How it fits within the mandate of the IGF as detailed in para 72; Paragraph 72(a) empowers the Forum to "discuss public policy issues related to key elements of Internet governance in order to foster the sustainability, robustness, security, stability and development of the Internet." 72(b) mandates it to "facilitate discourse between bodies dealing with different cross-cutting international public policies regarding the Internet and discuss issues that do not fall within the scope of any existing body." e. Who the main actors in the field are, who could be encouraged to participate in the thematic session There are no "main actors" in this area but a wide variety of actors, e.g., individual dissidents, national and multinational internet service providers, national governments, civil society advocacy groups, professional associations in the news media, content rating standards proponents, and international organizations. f. Why this issue should be addressed in the first annual meeting of the Forum rather than in subsequent ones Freedom of expression is fundamental to the Internet. To discuss the issue of Internet governance without raising this vital question would deprive the IGF of all credibility as well as a successful outcome to its work. Such a decision would moreover raise an outcry among freedom of expression organisations and would tarnish this forum's image from its very first meeting. --------------------------------- How much free photo storage do you get? Store your holiday snaps for FREE with Yahoo! Photos. Get Yahoo! Photos

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RE: [Africasource2-l] AfrISPA launches a paradigm shift to stimulateInternet growth through CONTENT
by Settimi, Stephen(GH/PRH/PEC) 27 Mar '06

27 Mar '06

Eric -Thank you for sharing this piece from the Digital Africa Summit. The position paper somewhat echoes the slogan of the past that "content is King". I believe it remains King, but regrettable the court has been filled with tommyrot and jesters. The need for more African content is especially important for African and non-Northern domains. Content relevancy is the key. An interesting counter-point to the value of content is a compelling paper by Andrew Odlyzko who argues that the real value in the Internet is found not in content -although ipso facto that is all the Internet can carry, but in peer-to-peer communications and knowledge sharing evidenced by the explosive use of file sharing, blogs, SMS, etc. An interesting read: http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue6_2/odlyzko/ Stephen Settimi Sr. Fellow, Knowledge Management USAID -----Original Message----- From: africasource2-l-bounces(a)lists.tacticaltech.org [mailto:africasource2-l-bounces@lists.tacticaltech.org] On Behalf Of Eric Osiakwan Sent: Friday, March 24, 2006 4:21 AM To: discuss(a)afrispa.org; AfriNIC Discuss; afnog(a)afnog.org Cc: africasource2-l(a)lists.tacticaltech.org; kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke; En-ISPA_Team(a)afrispa.org; tier(a)tier.cs.berkeley.edu; committee(a)afrispa.org; fibre-for-africa(a)lists.apc.org; afix(a)afrispa.org; idlelo2(a)fossfa.net Subject: [Africasource2-l] AfrISPA launches a paradigm shift to stimulateInternet growth through CONTENT On Thursday 23rd of March 2006 at the keynote session of the Digital Africa Summit in Arebella Sheraton Grand Hotel, Cape Town, the African Internet Service Providers Association (AfrISPA @ www.afrispa.org) launched their first position paper in a series which is focused on strategies for increased Internet growth. "A call for a paradigm shift to stimulate Internet growth through content" is the first position paper which argues that based on research finding, most African are interested in the value they get out of connecting to the Internet and not just for the sake of having access. Primarily their interest is driven by the value of content that they locate which is relevant to their lives and business. According to Mr. Muriuki Mureithi of Summit Strategies who authored the report on behalf of AfrISPA, it was intriguing to realize that even in the semi-rural areas the interest of most small medium enterprises who could afford the Internet was content; they asked the question "would I find relevant material on the Internet which would aid the growth of my business?". For them it was not just enough to use the Internet to communicate but they also wanted to see how it fits into their business processes for growth. Further the position of the lack of African content on the Internet was expressed by some of the constituents interviewed in the study. Launching the report, Mr. William Stucke, Chairman of AfrISPA expressed AfrISPA's interest in identifying other mechanism for stimulating Internet growth on the continent hence the series of position papers being undertaken with support from the Catalysing Access to ICTs in Africa Programme (CATIA @ www.catia.ws) He outlined the ten point recommendations of the study and emphasised the one that asks AfrISPA members and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Africa to give a free webpage or weblog (blog) to all their clients as well as develop simple web publishing tools to help them publish their content. The main objective of this position paper it to make the case for Africans to move from being consumers to producers of content that is relevant to their livelihoods and business. The culture of generating, process and publishing content in Africa is so lacking that if we don't take a strategic step to deal with it, all the Internet pipes that are being built would lack the relevant content for our socio-economic development. Earlier, Mr. Eric M.K Osiakwan secretary of AfrISPA announced in his presentation that Africa now has fifteen Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) and twelve ISP Associations (ISPAs) however current efforts with other regional institutions would result in the establishment of ten more ISPAs and IXPs in 2006 with a projection of that to double in 2007. He emphasised that the growth of these exchanges is based on content and vice versa so the establishment of IXPs and the culture of developing and publishing content must go hand in hand. A copy of the study can be downloaded @ http://www.afrispa.org/PositionPapers/content.pdf NB: Apologise for crossposting. -- Eric M.K Osiakwan Executive Secretary AfrISPA (www.afrispa.org) Tel: + 233.21.258800 Fax: + 233.21.258811 Cell: + 233.244.386792 Handle: eosiakwan Snail Mail: Pmb 208, Accra-North Office: BusyInternet - 42 Ring Road Central, Accra-North Blog: http://afrispa.skybuilders.com/users/Eric/blog.html Slang: "Tomorrow Now" -- _______________________________________________ Africasource2-l mailing list Africasource2-l(a)lists.tacticaltech.org http://lists.tacticaltech.org/mailman/listinfo/africasource2-l

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