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Inside Nairobi, the Next Palo Alto?
by alice 22 Jul '08

22 Jul '08

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/20/business/worldbusiness/20ping.html?ex=121… Inside Nairobi, the Next Palo Alto? Jacob Wire/European Pressphoto Agency Google has mapped Nairobi and wants to add similar detail for other African cities. Other places must be content with technologies made by others. Yet people in these areas are dreaming of more. Consider Wilfred Mworia, a 22-year-old engineering student and freelance code writer in Nairobi, Kenya. In the four weeks leading up to Apple’s much-anticipated release of a new iPhone on July 11, Mr. Mworia created an application for the phone that shows where events in Nairobi are happening and allows people to add details about them. Mr. Mworia’s desire to develop an application for the iPhone is not unusual: many designers around the world are writing programs for the device. But his location posed some daunting obstacles: the iPhone doesn’t work in Nairobi, and Mr. Mworia doesn’t even own one. He wrote his program on an iPhone simulator. “Even if I don’t have an iPhone,” Mr. Mworia says defiantly, “I can still have a world market for my work.” Nairobi’s challenges are many. Internet use is relatively expensive and slow. Power failures are common. The city also lacks a world-class technical university. Mr. Mworia’s professors don’t offer lessons in the latest computer languages; he must learn them on his own. Political instability can be a problem, too. Earlier this year, Kenya suffered widespread violence after its disputed national election. For weeks, work in Nairobi came to a halt. “If you have a bright idea in Nairobi, you can’t just turn it around,” says Laura Frederick, an American working on an online payment system in the city. Still, Nairobi is home to a digital brew that invites optimism about its chances for creating unusual innovations. The city has relatively few wired phone lines or networked personal computers, so mobile phones are the essential digital tool. Four times as many people have them as have bank accounts. Text messages are far more popular than e-mail. Safaricom, the dominant mobile provider, offers a service called M-pesa that lets customers send money with text messages. Nokia sells brand-new phones here for as little as $33. While engineers in the United States lavish attention on expensive phones that boast laptoplike features, in Kenya there are 10 million low-end phones. Millions more are used elsewhere in Africa. Enhancements to such basic phones can be experimented with cheaply in Nairobi, and because designers are weaned on narrow bandwidth, they are comfortable writing compact programs suited to puny devices. “Applications are heavy in America,” says Michael Wakahe, a Nairobi code writer. “Here we have to make them light,” because simpler hardware requires smaller programs. These can have advantages in wireless systems. The distinctive digital experience in Nairobi inspires confidence in its youthful community of programmers, bloggers and Web enthusiasts. Over the past year, about 600 people in Nairobi — most under 25 — have coalesced into a group called Skunk Works, sharing ideas and encouraging new businesses. In June, it held an all-day workshop that included sessions on using the Android phone operating system from Google, developing applications for digital maps and creating content for mobile phones. “Possibilities are opening up for us,” says Josiah Mugambi, one of the group’s organizers. The prospect of marrying low-end mobile phones with the Internet is earning Nairobi notice from outsiders, who wonder whether the city might emerge as a test-bed for tomorrow’s technologies. One intriguing possibility is broadcasting local television programs on mobile phones. In Nairobi’s highest-profile validation, Google opened a development office here last September. “Africa is a huge long-term market for us,” Eric E. Schmidt, Google’s chief executive, said by e-mail. “We have to start by helping people get online, and the creativity of the people will take care of the rest.” Google hired seven recent university graduates, who digitally mapped the streets and structures of Nairobi for Google Maps. The company is now doing the same for other African cities. A leading Nairobi television broadcaster, NTV, has made a deal to present whole episodes of its programs on YouTube, a Google property. Google plans to hire more people in Nairobi and is recruiting staff in half a dozen other African cities. In Nairobi, Google chose a veteran of the city’s Internet-access industry to lead its office. The company assigned two Americans here; like the presidential candidate Barack Obama, each is the child of a Kenyan and an American. The company’s presence has raised ambitions. “When I interview people for jobs in this office,” explains Chris Kiagiri, a Google technology officer in Nairobi, “I ask them, ‘What would you like to see Google do in this market that it has not attempted anywhere else in the world?’” “A lot of people assume Google is trying to replicate in Africa what it has done elsewhere,” adds Mr. Kiagiri, who transferred last year from Google’s head office in California. “Sure, we want to bring existing products into this market. But we also want to organize information locally in a way we haven’t done elsewhere.” To be truly creative in a technological backwater is to defeat geography. Even as powerful a technological force as Google might not succeed. But dreaming of greatness, Kenyans are pushing Google to expand into completely new areas. One local programmer, Timothy Mbugua, wants Google to enhance its communication backbone so he can use it to build a money-transfer business that would charge lower rates than existing services. While it sounds daunting, Mr. Mbugua explains, “I’m only saying to Google, ‘This is what I need from you in order to execute my idea.’” G. Pascal Zachary teaches journalism at Stanford and writes about technology and economic development. E-mail: gzach(a)nytimes.com.

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Is Africa the safe haven for Cyber-Criminals?
by John Walubengo 22 Jul '08

22 Jul '08

The rapid developments within the ICT sector across Africa may be happening faster than the corresponding development within the Information Security space. The uptake of mobile and internet services in Africa is considered one of the fastest globally yet governments, businesses and consumers have adopted various e-Services with little or no regard to the underlying security challenges. check out the rest of story @ http://politics.nationmedia.com/Blog/default.asp?Display=310 walu.

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[Fwd: Unravelling the Basics of Regulation under Convergence]
by alice 21 Jul '08

21 Jul '08

FYI -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Unravelling the Basics of Regulation under Convergence Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:11:29 +0100 From: The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation <programmes(a)cto.int> Reply-To: tdrtchrdpbgjr(a)email-reply.co.uk To: alice(a)apc.org Dear Sir/Madam, *Regulation and Applications Under Convergence, 25-29 August 2008, Nairobi, Kenya* Here's your chance to gain deep insights into an industry buzzword and to learn how it impacts your business and the industry as a whole. What do we really mean by convergence and what are its key drivers? What regulatory and legal frameworks should apply to converging networks and services? Perhaps you are an operator seeking to analyse how to consolidate networks into a single network capable of handling different kinds of traffic? Or you may be an IT technician or an engineer looking to broaden your understanding of application, network and service convergence and how these interplay within an existing non-converged regime? Or you may be from a forward-thinking regulator looking to develop conducive regulatory and legal approaches to convergence? You could also be in an executive decision making, advisory or policy making role and feel the need to better understand the different types of economic regulation, tariff regulation and pricing mechanisms in order to come up with the most cost-efficient and competitive mix. Answers to these and many more questions will be answered by this high-level course with a focus on implementation issues. *ABOUT THE COURSE* This highly relevant industry course is designed to offer a clear understanding of the following aspects in convergence: Regulation and market structure Regulatory and legal frameworks in a converged environment, conflicting issues, and how these have an impact on competition Models of new regulatory options in converging, competitive environments Licensing, standards of enforcement, service interoperability Unbundling, pricing mechanisms, tariffs regulation Interconnection pricing and regulation, universal access and universal service obligations, regulation and pricing of spectrum Converged applications, networks and services *WHO IS IT FOR?* The course is developed for staff of regulatory agencies, fixed and mobile operators, and economists and policy makers. *ABOUT THE COURSE LEADER* This course will be delivered by Christie Christelis, a senior associate at Alliances Consulting Group Inc. Christie brings over 20 years of international experience in ICTs including convergence technologies, wireless and mobile technologies, internet, broadcast interactive TV, IPTV, VoIP, satellite communications, fixed line and fixed wireless technologies. He has extensive experience in regulatory capacity building to address newly liberalised telecommunications and broadcasting environments. Through the CTO Christie has delivered training in the areas of convergence technology and regulatory issues, financial and economic considerations around carrier selection, number portability and the unbundling of the local loop, price cap formulation and implementation, and competition and privatisation. Christie holds an MBA, a B.Sc. (Eng.) in electronics, a graduate diploma in engineering and a diploma in programme management. *HOW TO PARTICIPATE* *To access full course information including the Registration Form please* *click here * <http://mailer.eddiction.co.uk/_webscripts/emaillog.php?dbid=29&caid=215&coi…> *To view other courses and the latest Training Schedule for 08-09 please **click here * <http://mailer.eddiction.co.uk/_webscripts/emaillog.php?dbid=29&caid=215&coi…> For any enquiries please contact Nomita Das at +44 20 8834 1573 or n.das(a)cto.int <http://mailer.eddiction.co.uk/_webscripts/emaillog.php?dbid=29&caid=215&coi…> Click here to unsubscribe <http://mailer.eddiction.co.uk/_webscripts/emaillog.php?dbid=29&caid=215&coi…>

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Re: [kictanet] Short Code spamming
by James Kagwe 21 Jul '08

21 Jul '08

I have a problem with the same media house and the most unfortunate thing is that they have a newspaper onto which they give instructions on subscribing but not unsubscribing. I know that they know themselves and if they do not willingly give both the instructions I think they should be taken to KACC on charges of fraud. They should give customers a chance to subscribe and subscribe in their own volition but not trap them in. Regards, James Kagwe ________________________________ From: kictanet-bounces+jkagwe=kippra.or.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of wesley kiriinya Sent: Friday, July 18, 2008 12:29 PM To: James Kagwe Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: [kictanet] Short Code spamming A guy I know is having problems with being spammed on his phone from a 6006 short code. Unfortunately it seems the mobile phone operator isn't getting to the bottom of it. Who handles these types of issues? Unfortunately I also had a similar problem with one of our media houses and I had to get rid of my sim card even after making 3-4 calls and following there instructions on how to stop. When I am working on a problem I never think about beauty. I think only how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong. -R. Buckminster Fuller.

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Re: [kictanet] New DG
by Catherine Adeya 21 Jul '08

21 Jul '08

Correct Wainana and thanks for that! N ----- Original Message ---- From: Wainaina Mungai <wainaina(a)madeinkenya.org> To: Catherine Adeya <elizaslider(a)yahoo.com> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Monday, July 21, 2008 5:40:24 PM Subject: Re: [kictanet] New DG I would assume Nyaki meant "effective engagement" rather than "effective management" Regards Wainaina On Mon, Jul 21, 2008 at 4:45 PM, Catherine Adeya <elizaslider(a)yahoo.com> wrote: Walu, Your suggestion for 3.5 is good though I think it should simply be 'How to organize Associations for Effective Managment with the Government. Unless I heard wrong, KTN Sunrise news this morning announced Mr Charles Kinyanjui Njoroge as the new CCK DG. Nyaki ----- Original Message ---- From: John Walubengo <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> To: elizaslider(a)yahoo.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Monday, July 21, 2008 2:31:33 PM Subject: Re: [kictanet] Forum Agenda - Lets focus Harry, Indeed it would be a public forum - but to what extend has the message gone outside Nairobi given that most listservers have subscribers in NRB? Maybe there's need to have the traditional notice in the print media. As for the Agenda proposed and copied below, 1. Forum Objectives 2. Association presentations 3. General Discussion 4. Way forward I would add - 3.5. How to Organise the different Associations for effective engagement with Govt. walu. nb: meanwhile, unconfirmed reports from my moles indicate that a new DG for CCK has been unveiled. Anybody with such a copy? _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: wainaina(a)madeinkenya.org Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/wainaina%40madeinkenya… -- Made in Kenya Network P. O. Box 72031 - 00200 Nairobi. Kenya Tel: +254-20-3590451 Cel: +254-722-811171 Cel: +254-735-370840 www.madeinkenya.org www.bungesms.com www.pamonet.org

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CCK finally picks the Director General
by Michael Ngaruiya 21 Jul '08

21 Jul '08

Finally CCK has a new boss htpp://www.kbc.co.ke/story.asp?ID=51355 htpp://www.bdafrica.com Regards, Mike --- On Mon, 7/21/08, Brian Munyao Longwe <brian(a)caret.net> wrote: From: Brian Munyao Longwe <brian(a)caret.net> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Unsubscribe To: mikengaru(a)yahoo.com Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Monday, July 21, 2008, 5:00 AM Hi, Please enter your subscription/unsubscription details at: http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Regards, Brian On Jul 21, 2008, at 2:54 PM, <info(a)targetmarketingafrica.com> wrote: Hi, Please unsubscribe me from the mailing list. Please put my personal email i.e. fanisanne(a)gmail.com Target Africa, Peponi Road, Westlands. P.O.BOX 18731- 00100 Nairobi, Kenya. Tel: +254 20 2010629 Cell:+254 720 278136_______________________________________________kictanet mailing [email protected]://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: brian(a)caret.netUnsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/brian%40caret.net _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: mikengaru(a)yahoo.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/mikengaru%40yahoo.com

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Re: [kictanet] Facilitators - Kenya ICT Stakeholders Forum
by Catherine Adeya 21 Jul '08

21 Jul '08

Hope I am not time-barred....I vote Eng. Rege. ----- Original Message ---- From: Bill Kagai <billkagai(a)gmail.com> To: elizaslider(a)yahoo.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Friday, July 18, 2008 10:04:24 AM Subject: Re: [kictanet] Facilitators - Kenya ICT Stakeholders Forum I vote David Otwoma. On Fri, Jul 18, 2008 at 9:19 AM, Brian Longwe <blongwe(a)gmail.com> wrote: 1) Engineer Kariuki - 1 2) Florence Etta - 3 3) Ambassador Tabitha Seii - 1 4) Hon. Eng. James Rege, MP - 14 5) David Otwoma - 3 6) Fred Murunga - 1 On Thu, Jul 17, 2008 at 8:09 PM, Jotham Kilimo <jokilimo(a)yahoo.com> wrote:

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Unsubscribe
by info＠targetmarketingafrica.com 21 Jul '08

21 Jul '08

Hi, Please unsubscribe me from the mailing list. Please put my personal email i.e. fanisanne(a)gmail.com Target Africa, Peponi Road, Westlands. P.O.BOX 18731- 00100 Nairobi, Kenya. Tel: +254 20 2010629 Cell:+254 720 278136

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Forum Agenda - Lets focus
by Harry Hare 21 Jul '08

21 Jul '08

Dear Colleagues, Now that we have democratically identified a facilitator for the forum, can we collectively discuss the agenda of the meeting? This will help in making sure that we achieve what we want to do at the forum. So to begin with, I had floated some issues, so probably we could use the next few days to "panel beat" and come up with a concise programme for the forum. I reproduce the ideas I had floated earlier for you indulgence. Harry +++++++++++++++++ 1. Forum Objectives "Clearly articulate the purpose of the forum and the expected outputs, this is important so that we can have a focussed discussion" 2. Association presentations "Brief presentations by the associations sharing their mandate, governance, objectives, activities, achievements, plans and membership composition" 3. General Discussion "Questions, Answers, Concerns etc raising from the association presentations@ 4. Way forward "General discussion on how associations could collaborate and offer high quality leadership to the sector. Agree on joint activities that have a national appeal that can work as bonding sessions" African eDevelopment Resource Centre eDevelopment House 604 Limuru Road, Old Muthaiga PO Box 49475 00100 Nairobi, Kenya Cel +254 725 650044 Land +254 20 3741646/7 <http://www.africanedevelopment.org> www.africanedevelopment.org June/July 2008 Training Opportunities VSAT Feild Eng. 18-20 June Supply Chain Management 24-27 June Fibre Optic Technician 1-4 July Knowledge Management 8-11July Space is limited Book Now! P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

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Spoilt Vote & Business Summit
by Bill Kagai 21 Jul '08

21 Jul '08

On Wed, Jul 16, 2008 at 10:32 AM, <wainaina.mungai(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >From the list, I would vote for either Florence Etta or Eng. James > Rege, based on previous work. > > Further, I would openly vote against Tabitha Seii. > > Regards, > Wainaina Brian and the electoral commission, Would I be in order in requesting that the above vote be declared 'spoilt' and the voter given an opportunity to vote again??? PS. In the outskirts of the Business Summit at Kampala Serena, I have seen Paul Kukubo and was wondering if there are any other ICT chaps around, we could probably have lunch or a drink in the evening. Bill

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Four Reasons Most Startups Fail...
by saidimu apale 21 Jul '08

21 Jul '08

>From the Harvard Business Review: http://discussionleader.hbsp.com/taylor/2008/07/four_reasons_most_startups_… 1) "make something people want" - "What are people forced to do now because what you plan to do doesn't exist yet?" 2) "be willing to let [your] ideas change" - "the founders of Reddit came ... with a plan to help people order fast food on their cell phones. When everyone agreed it wasn't exactly a killer idea, the desperate search for a new idea led to the launch of their successful company." 3) "Don't worry too much about money" - "... today, unlike back in the mid-90s, you've got the MBAs working for the technologists, rather than the other way around. 4) "be benevolent"... act in the long-term best interests of customers, as opposed to the short-term best interests of [the business] - "people will rally around you" with ideas, improvements, and word-of-mouth marketing If only number 3) was true in Kenya. There's certainly not enough venture cap. flowing, and most certainly it's the technologists working/slaving for the MBAs (and policy wonks). The KICTAnet/Skunkworks divide. Any policy prescriptions to be derived from the summary, especially around number 3) ? Saidi

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Nigeria Oil Prices from NY Times
by Joseph Manthi 21 Jul '08

21 Jul '08

Wana KICTANET: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-nigeria-oil-decay.html LAGOS (Reuters) - With oil prices at record highs, government coffers in the world's eighth biggest oil exporter are swollen to unprecedented levels. Yet the vast majority of Nigeria's 140 million people live in no better conditions than their neighbors in West Africa, the least developed region of the world's poorest continent. The same is true of many of Africa's major oil producers -- including Angola, Sudan, Equatorial Guinea and Chad -- but Nigeria's sheer size and 2-million-barrel-per-day output make the poverty-wealth contrasts more striking. Nigeria has earned the equivalent in today's terms of nearly $1.2 trillion from oil production over the past four decades, the sort of money that enabled oil-producing Gulf states like Qatar to develop some of the strongest economies in the Arab world. But its four state-owned refineries are not fully operational, largely due to mismanagement and vandalism, its distribution network is chaotic, and it relies heavily on fuel imports, which cost around $4 billion each year. In Lagos, a mega-city of more than 10 million people, the elite sip champagne on exclusive islands -- albeit to the incessant drone of diesel generators -- while the masses live in mainland slums without water or electricity. Ask an average Nigerian on the streets of Lagos how he is and he will likely tell you "things dey hard, but we dey manage" -- it's tough but we're getting by. Healthcare is virtually non-existent, the roads are potholed, unemployment and crime are on the rise, and Nigeria is suffering from spiraling food prices<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/food_prices/…> . "Nigeria is making more money from oil now, but look at the street we are living on," said Efe Oyingbo, pointing to a dirt road where passers-by waddle through muddy waters and motorists try to navigate cavernous, submerged potholes. A mother of two, her frozen food business in the suburb of Okota has virtually collapsed because she cannot afford the high cost of gasoline. The government has frozen the price of fuel but retailers have taken advantage of short supplies to more than double the price of diesel in some parts of Nigeria in the last few months. The number one complaint is a stop-start power supply. Exasperated residents of Lagos call the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) "Never Expect Power Always." Nigeria's generation capacity has plunged to less than 1,000 megawatts from 3,000 MW a year ago, largely due to lack of maintenance at power stations. South Africa, with a third of Nigeria's population, has over 10 times that capacity. Much of Nigeria goes without power for weeks at a time. The crisis has closed hundreds of factories and slashed millions of jobs. Since taking office a year ago, President Umaru Yar'Adua<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/y/umaru_yaradua/…>has been promising to declare a national emergency on power -- during which billions of dollars would be invested in the sector -- most recently saying he will do so this month. A committee he set up to review the sector said last month Nigeria needs $85 billion to meet its domestic power demand, estimated at roughly 20,000 MW. That dwarfs the $10 billion former President Olusegun Obasanjo spent on the sector during his eight-year tenure, an amount which failed to deliver on his pledge to raise capacity to 10,000 MW by the end of 2007. A parliamentary probe showed more than $50 million of that money had been paid to non-existent companies. Yar'Adua has said his country was also looking for ways of bringing private money into infrastructure investment. Nigeria's public health system, education and roads are all in a shambles, largely due to corruption and mismanagement during decades of military rule which ended in 1999. But close to a decade of civilian administration has given Nigerians little to cheer about. "We've seen over the last few years that the military has no monopoly on ineptitude in government," said Antony Goldman, an independent expert on Nigeria. "By normal measures, Lagos does not function. It is not organized chaos, there often seems barely the pretence of organization ... People survive in spite of what government does not because of it," he said. Lagos state governor Babatunde Fashola has acknowledged the problems and said the state must spend more than $700 million over the next five years to improve the road network alone. Nine out of 10 Nigerians live on less than $2 a day, their lives blighted by poor infrastructure and a lack of public services resulting from decades of endemic corruption. The cost of rice has climbed dramatically in the past few months, doubling for some varieties. Consumer inflation rose to 9.7 percent in May, fuelled by a sharp rise in food prices. "We don't sell anymore, you can see the freezer is open," Oyingbo said, sitting with two other women in front of her shop, pointing to an empty freezer in the unlit room. "This is what we do now, sit and talk about Nigeria and also pray and hope that God will do a new thing." -- Joseph Manthi CEO MEO Ltd http://www.meoltd.com

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Re: [kictanet] International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development
by David Otwoma 20 Jul '08

20 Jul '08

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Richard Heeks <richard.heeks(a)manchester.ac.uk> Date: Jul 18, 2008 1:06 AM Subject: International ICT4D Conference 2009: Second Call for Papers To: Richard Heeks <richard.heeks(a)manchester.ac.uk> The 3rd IEEE/ACM International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development (ICTD2009) will be held 17-19 April 2009 in Doha, Qatar (http://www.ictd2009.org) This conference will act as a focal point for new scholarship in the field of ICT and international development. Confirmed speakers include a keynote by William H. Gates, Chairman of Microsoft Corporation. We invite submission of conference papers relating to use of ICTs for development according to the following schedule: September 22, 2008 Submissions due January 15, 2009 Final decisions sent out to authors February 20, 2009 Camera-ready papers due April 17-19, 2009 Conference CONFERENCE SUBMISSIONS AND PUBLICATION Only original, unpublished papers in English will be considered, through double-blind review. Word-length limit: 8000 words. Submission must be through the conference website (http://www.ictd2009.org) and authors should follow IEEE formatting, detailed online. All papers will be printed in the conference proceedings, and some will be developed for a journal special issue. If authors would like quick feedback on an outline or abstract (especially to gauge topic appropriateness), they can submit this to the Program Committee no later than August 22nd, using the designated email address: ictd2009.abstracts(a)gmail.com. This is voluntary and is not part of the formal peer review process. Richard Heeks, Rahul Tongia Programme Committee Co-Chairs, ICTD2009 -- Karim A. Kasim ICTD/Community Access Centers Coordinator Telecentre.org Knowledge Sharing and Community Content Facilitator-Middle East and North Africa Tel: (202)578 4840–6 (Ext 251) Fax: (202)578 4847 Mobile :(20)10 170 8474 Cairo, Egypt Work: karim.kasim(a)undp.org, Personal/Consultancy: karimkasim(a)gmail.com Academic: kasim(a)aucegypt.edu, www.undp.org.eg www.ictfund.org.eg

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Fwd: [Skunkworks] NYT Article on Skunkworks, Kenya coders and Google Kenya
by Gakuru, Alex 20 Jul '08

20 Jul '08

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Erik Hersman <erik(a)zungu.com> Date: Sun, Jul 20, 2008 at 3:55 AM Subject: [Skunkworks] NYT Article on Skunkworks, Kenya coders and Google Kenya To: skunkworks(a)my.co.ke http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/20/business/worldbusiness/20ping.html Pass it on! "The distinctive digital experience in Nairobi inspires confidence in its youthful community of programmers, bloggers and Web enthusiasts. Over the past year, about 600 people in Nairobi — most under 25 — have coalesced into a group called Skunk Works, sharing ideas and encouraging new businesses. In June, it held an all-day workshop that included sessions on using the Android phone operating system from Google, developing applications for digital maps and creating content for mobile phones." By the way, Wilfred was working on the Ushahidi iPhone app when Gregg talked to him. :) Erik Hersman www.AfriGadget.com www.WhiteAfrican.com www.ushahidi.com _______________________________________________ skunkworks mailing list skunkworks(a)my.co.ke http://ole.kenic.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks Blog http://skunkworks-ke.blogspot.com Beta Blog http://blog.my.co.ke

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Expensive Software Systems [Update]
by wesley kiriinya 19 Jul '08

19 Jul '08

Following the previous post about the KPA software system which costs > 200M (about 450M including hardware machines), I found the following interesting: http://www.bdafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8717&Item… In summary, the system only uses Internet Explorer (which makes one wonder whether a requirements document was ever created). I can already see your eyes twitching and teeth grinding so I will stop there... And it seems like KRA’s Simba's system is IE only also. I hope this area of ICT is covered in the policy so that Kenyans (whom I believe are very talented) are empowered to take up such projects. Regards. When I am working on a problem I never think about beauty. I think only how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong. -R. Buckminster Fuller.

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NATIONAL WORKSHOP FOR ICT POLICY REVIEW
by Gakuru, Alex 18 Jul '08

18 Jul '08

Excuse cross post to ke-users, kictanet and skunkworks lists. Kindly plan to attend to further influence ICT policy changes. I Look to forward to attending the meetings myself. Regards, Alex Gakuru ( forwarding on request by Esther Wanjau.) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Esther WANJAU <esther.wanjau(a)information.go.ke> Date: Fri, Jul 18, 2008 at 2:50 PM Subject: NATIONAL WORKSHOP FOR ICT POLICY REVIEW To: "gakuru(a)gmail.com" <gakuru(a)gmail.com>, "alexgakuru.lists(a)gmail.com" <alexgakuru.lists(a)gmail.com> My Name is Esther Wanjau. I am the head of ICT in the Ministry of Information and Communications. The PS has requested me to invite all of you to the National ICT Policy Review Workshop on 28th - 29th July 2008 at Hilton Hotel to discuss the EA Harmonized ICT Policy. The PS will use the occasion to briefly present the Kenya ICT Policy Review Framework and invite you to contribute before the drafting begins. Attached is the Invitation Letter. Esther Esther Wanjau Assistant Director/ICT Ministry of Information and Communications Tel: +254 20 251152/250517 Cell: +254 722 867361 email: esther.wanjau(a)information.go.ke

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Final Tally Facilitators - Kenya ICT Stakeholders Forum
by Brian Longwe 18 Jul '08

18 Jul '08

Congratulations to Hon. Eng. James Rege, MP - it is abundantly clear the the general community has a huge amount of confidence in his independence, neutrality, maturity and diplomacy. The final tally reads as follows: 1) Engineer Kariuki - 1 2) Florence Etta - 3 3) Ambassador Tabitha Seii - 1 4) Hon. Eng. James Rege, MP - 15 5) David Otwoma - 5 6) Fred Murunga - 1 Thank you all so very much for taking part in this. We will now proceed to contact them individually in the following order. IF 1) Hon. Eng. James Rege, MP = YES, THEN STOP OR GOTO 2 IF 2) David Otwoma = YES, THEN STOP OR GOTO 3 IF 3) Florence Etta= YES, THEN STOP OR GOTO 4 IF 4) Engineer Kariuki= YES, THEN STOP OR GOTO 5 IF 5) Fred Murungah= YES, THEN STOP OR GOTO 6 IF 6) Ambassador Tabitha Seii = YES, THEN COME BACK TO KICTANET AND ASK AGAIN (As you can see my coding prowess dates back to BASIC on a Commodore 64k or Sinclair 8k - hehehehehe!) Regards, Brian

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KICTANET ICT POLICY DISCUSSIONS
by chelimo kenneth 18 Jul '08

18 Jul '08

Dear All, I vote for David Otwoma - A able, enthusiastic and very resourceful person. Thanks] Ken Chelimo Coordinator Kenya Network of Telecentres (KICTANET) Tel: +254 722 809 690

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FW: Agenda Bashing - Kenya ICT Stakeholders Forum
by Harry Hare 18 Jul '08

18 Jul '08

I had sent this earlier to begin putting the agenda in place. Harry From: Harry Hare [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: 15 July 2008 15:14 To: 'Brian Longwe' Cc: 'kictanet-lists' Subject: RE: [kictanet] Agenda Bashing - Kenya ICT Stakeholders Forum Here is my first attempt to the agenda Harry +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1. Forum Objectives "Clearly articulate the purpose of the forum and the expected outputs, this is important so that we can have a focussed discussion" 2. Association presentations "Brief presentations by the associations sharing their mandate, governance, objectives, activities, achievements, plans and membership composition" 3. General Discussion "Questions, Answers, Concerns etc raising from the association presentations@ 4. Way forward "General discussion on how associations could collaborate and offer high quality leadership to the sector. Agree on joint activities that have a national appeal that can work as bonding sessions" From: Brian Longwe [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: 15 July 2008 13:01 To: harry(a)africanedevelopment.org Cc: kictanet-lists Subject: [kictanet] Agenda Bashing - Kenya ICT Stakeholders Forum Hi all, So let's start off with a few days of throwing around possible agenda areas. This hould give us a sense of what issues have high priority and how much time we need to set aside to deal with them. I would suggest that we have a freestyle discussion - send your proposals as a title with a short paragraph describing the point - then other (or yourself) can contribute add/subtract. Then after a reasonable period we can coalesce these inputs into a single agenda for the meeting and also decide on what format would best suit the dialogue/debate on thiat particular item. e.g. for the different ICT organisations I think a Panel format, where each group gets 15 minutes to "share" - then the audience gets a chance to "interact" - and a session moderator does a wrap up. another thing that I think would be good is to have an "Open Mic" session where for a period of time any participant can air/vent any view for 3 minutes. any other suggestions? Regards, Brian Internal Virus Database is out of date. Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com Version: 8.0.138 / Virus Database: 270.4.7/1546 - Release Date: 11/07/2008 06:47

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Re: [kictanet] KICTANET ICT POLICY DISCUSSIONS
by chelimo kenneth 18 Jul '08

18 Jul '08

Dear Wainaina and other KICTANET Members, Sorry for the mix up. You are right on the wrong Acroynm appended after my title . There was a mix up here. Iam actually the coordinator of the Kenya Network of Telecentres (KenTel) and not KICTANET of course. Thanks Wainaina for highlighting the mix up. Ken Chelimo Coordinator Kenya Network of Telecentres (KenTel) www.ken-tel.org Tel +254 722 809 690 Sorry --- On Fri, 7/18/08, wainaina.mungai(a)gmail.com <wainaina.mungai(a)gmail.com> wrote: From: wainaina.mungai(a)gmail.com <wainaina.mungai(a)gmail.com> Subject: Re: [kictanet] KICTANET ICT POLICY DISCUSSIONS To: chelimoken(a)yahoo.com Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Friday, July 18, 2008, 2:32 AM Chelimo...your signature states you are the Coordinator of KICTANET....(Kenya Network of Telecentres).... did i miss something? On 7/18/08, chelimo kenneth <chelimoken(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > Dear All, > > > > I vote for David Otwoma - A able, enthusiastic and very resourceful person. > Thanks] > > > > Ken Chelimo > > Coordinator > > Kenya Network of Telecentres (KICTANET) > > Tel: +254 722 809 690 > > > > -- Made in Kenya Network P. O. Box 72031 - 00200 Nairobi. Kenya Tel: +254-20-3590451 Cel: +254-722-811171 Cel: +254-735-370840 www.madeinkenya.org www.bungesms.com www.pamonet.org

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Agenda Bashing - Kenya ICT Stakeholders Forum
by Brian Longwe 18 Jul '08

18 Jul '08

One of the items on the agenda will be a panel where reps from different ICT stakeholder organisations will/can share/inform/update/enlighten the community about the organisations. Could we start by listing those organisations? 1) CSK 2) KIF ..... Regards, Brian -- Brian Munyao Longwe e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com cell: + 254 722 518 744 blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com

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Facilitators - Kenya ICT Stakeholders Forum
by Brian Longwe 18 Jul '08

18 Jul '08

So the current list of proposed facilitators reads as follows: 1) Engineer Kariuki, National Communications Secretariat 2) Florence Etta 3) Ambassador Tabitha Seii 4) Hon. Eng. James Rege, MP 5) David Otwoma, National Science Council (did I get that right?) Have I missed any.... Regards, Brian On Tue, Jul 15, 2008 at 9:48 PM, Joseph Manthi <jmanthi(a)gmail.com> wrote: > And humble too > > That's why I propose him > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Jul 15, 2008, at 1:26 PM, "David Otwoma" <otwomad(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > Joe, > > > > You flatter me. > > > > Our Society (http://www.kenyabposociety.or.ke/) has an able Chair and > > she would best articulate us on such a forum as evolving from here. In > > addition to the contemporary positions of chair, secretary and > > treasurer as required by the relevant regulations we also have evolved > > special Committees (e.g. Standard & Ethics which I chair and have > > seven members, but more important Training, Marketing, Membership, > > Events....among others). > > > > We also are young, just turned one year and hence would learn more > > from our seniors here who have been in the game for longer times. > > However, we pride ourselves as trail blazers in BPO & CC and are > > having teething issues. But we wont develop crooked teeth, with your > > watchfullness, hopefully. > > > > You flatter me. > > > > Kind regards, > > > > David > > > > > > On Tue, Jul 15, 2008 at 3:43 PM, Joseph Manthi <jmanthi(a)gmail.com> > > wrote: > >> Can I suggest the The Chief Science Secretary in the Ministry of > >> Science and > >> Technology David Otwoma who has just successfully chaired the > >> Standards > >> Committee of the BPO discussion? > >> > >> Well travelled, well spoken and with great leadership skills > >> > >> Joe > >> > >> On Tue, Jul 15, 2008 at 7:17 AM, Bill Kagai <billkagai(a)gmail.com> > >> wrote: > >>> > >>> On Tue, Jul 15, 2008 at 1:01 PM, Brian Longwe <blongwe(a)gmail.com> > >>> wrote: > >>>> > >>>> I would suggest that we have a freestyle discussion - send your > >>>> proposals > >>>> as a title with a short paragraph describing the point - then > >>>> other (or > >>>> yourself) can contribute add/subtract. > >>> > >>> Brian - This is also called 'moving forward'. Thanks for getting > >>> us here. > >>> > >>> I think the first agenda could be the facilitation issue before it > >>> gets > >>> out of hand. Dr. Ndemo has already demonstrated 'top of the pyramid' > >>> leadership by agreeing to host the forum. By extension, maybe we > >>> could all > >>> be happy if we agreed a body mandated to drive policy e.g. National > >>> Communications Secretariat facilitates the session. I am thinking > >>> Dr. > >>> Kulubi...Eng. Kariuki. > >>> > >>> [My immediate thoughts]. > >>> > >>> _______________________________________________ > >>> kictanet mailing list > >>> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > >>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > >>> > >>> This message was sent to: jmanthi(a)gmail.com > >>> Unsubscribe or change your options at > >>> > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jmanthi%40gmail.com > >>> > >> > >> > >> > >> -- > >> Joseph Manthi > >> CEO > >> MEO Ltd > >> http://www.meoltd.com > >> _______________________________________________ > >> kictanet mailing list > >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > >> > >> This message was sent to: otwomad(a)gmail.com > >> Unsubscribe or change your options at > >> > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/otwomad%40gmail.com > >> > >> > > > > > > > > -- > > David Otwoma, > > Chief Science Secretary, > > National Council for Science and Technology, > > Utalii House 9th Floor, > > Mobile tel: +254 722 141771, > > Office tel: +254 (0)20 2346915, > > P. O. Box 29899 - 00100, Nairobi, Kenya > > email: otwomad(a)gmail.com & otwoma(a)ncst.go.ke > > www.ncst.go.ke > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: blongwe(a)gmail.com > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/blongwe%40gmail.com > -- Brian Munyao Longwe e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com cell: + 254 722 518 744 blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com

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Short Code spamming
by wesley kiriinya 18 Jul '08

18 Jul '08

A guy I know is having problems with being spammed on his phone from a 6006 short code. Unfortunately it seems the mobile phone operator isn't getting to the bottom of it. Who handles these types of issues? Unfortunately I also had a similar problem with one of our media houses and I had to get rid of my sim card even after making 3-4 calls and following there instructions on how to stop. When I am working on a problem I never think about beauty. I think only how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong. -R. Buckminster Fuller.

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CSK Newsletter
by kathae＠cskonline.org 18 Jul '08

18 Jul '08

I am Peter Ndonga Kathae, System administrator at The Computer Society Of Kenya (CSK). I would like to invite all those interested to subscribe to our monthly newsletter which is also available to non-CSK members to subscribe by visiting the website www.cskonline.org Kathae

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No Need to regulate IT Practitioners???
by waudo siganga 18 Jul '08

18 Jul '08

The following story is gripping America today: - A network administrator has locked up a multimillion dollar computer system for San Francisco that handles sensitive data and is refusing to give police the password, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Monday.[1]http://tech.yahoo.com/news/pcworld/148427 Some will remember we had a similar situation here in Kenya in Turkwel some years back. Waudo References 1. http://tech.yahoo.com/news/pcworld/148427 People make a plan work, a plan alone seldom makes people work (Confucius).

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