- KICTANet - KICTANet

Fwd: Planning Meeting 3rd Thursday
by Judy kimiti 31 Jul '06

31 Jul '06

Dear Membrs, Please RSVP your attendance to the undersigned for The KICTANet Planning meeting on Thursday 3rd August for Logistics Purposes. Thank You Regards Judy Kimiti KICTANet Note: forwarded message attached. --------------------------------- All New Yahoo! Mail Tired of Vi@gr@! come-ons? Let our SpamGuard protect you.

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Re: [Kictanet] British High Commision Training
by Andrew Limo 31 Jul '06

31 Jul '06

The list is relevant. Maybe something on Change management. Judy kimiti <jkimiti01(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote: Dear Member, KICTANet is planning to offer the following training courses starting from Mid August. Structure Organization Strategic Planning Conflict resolution Report Writing Public Speaking Analysis of Policy Repertoire Survey How to do questionnaires and interviews Leadership & Team building Research/ Proposal Writing Techniques Public Speaking Presentation and Communication Skill Conflict Management KICTANet secretariat has proposed the following three as a priority to start: - Proposal Writing - Report Writing - Public Speaking From the list above which other courses you think we should include and are willing to participate? Please respond to the undersigned by wed 2nd august with your suggestions Judy Mumbi Kimiti KICTANET Tel:(020)6751323 Cell: +(254) 0722 716020 --------------------------------- Try the all-new Yahoo! Mail . "The New Version is radically easier to use" The Wall Street Journal_______________________________________________ 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/andrew.limo%40yahoo.com --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Get on board. You're invited to try the new Yahoo! Mail Beta.

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Fw: ICT bill proposals
by alice＠apc.org 24 Jul '06

24 Jul '06

Dear KICTANet members Find attached a report of the IC bill analysis process. For those who would like a copy of the bill containing KICTANet proposals, please send an offline request to Judy Kimiti: jkimiti01(a)yahoo.co.uk best regards alice

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Fw: Issue 315: EASSy members agree to hybrid SPV and KDN still going ahead
by alice＠apc.org 23 Jul '06

23 Jul '06

> Top Story from Balancing Act > > TOP STORY: EASSY MEMBERS AGREE TO HYBRID SPV AND KDN STILL GOING AHEAD > _____________________________________________________________________ > > The trio of parties involved in getting the EASSy project of the ground – > African Governments, external funders (DFIs in the jargon) and last but > not least the EASSy consortium members have agreed that the project will > go forward using a Hybrid Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). An exhausting > 3-day all-stakeholder meeting in Nairobi produced the breakthrough but > many of the difficult details have yet to be sorted out. But KDN’s Kai > Wulff is going ahead with a rival project and looks like a man with more > than one option should he choose to change his mind. Russell Southwood > tries to make sense of the latest twists and turns in this East African > fibre saga. > > The Nairobi meeting was the first time that all of the parties had sat > down together to discuss substantive issues and although the going proved > to be hard, when the Chair asked if anyone was against the hybrid SPV, > answer came there none. > > The hybrid SPV model is being backed by the DFIs that include: the World > Bank, the European Investment Bank, the Development Bank of South Africa, > the African Development Bank, the Agence Française de Développement (and > its private sector finance arm PROPARCO) and KfW Entwicklungsbank (German > Development Bank). > > So what is the hybrid SPV? If you go to our web site you will be able to > see an organisational chart showing how it will be organised. In essence > there will be two sets of companies: > > 1. the EASSy SPV that will receive support from the World Bank that will > in turn support what we might call the Higher SPV (H-SPV) > 2. The Higher SPV that will receive investment from all those > organisations investing directly and that will not be subject to the Open > Access requirements placed upon the EASSy SPV. > > Since part of the EASSy SPV’s purpose is to offer the lowest possible > prices, its decision on pricing will set the benchmark against which those > not in the EASSy SPV will have to set their prices as setting a higher > price will not be an option. > > The EASSy SPV will be open to all of the existing EASSy consortium > signatories plus all of those parties that got left out in the formation > of the original project. It should therefore include entities like > UbuntuNet, the university bandwidth consortium. Everyone is still > insisting that international licences will be required to participate and > this may yet create a hurdle for some parties. > > The consensus on the hybrid SPV structure seems to have made everyone’s > position much more fluid and according to Laurent Besancon, Senior > Regulatory Specialist, Global ICT Department, World Bank who has been > closely involved with the negotiations from the DFI side:”Quite a large > number of companies will join the EASSy SPV and the more that join, the > lower the financing costs will be and therefore the lower the final price > of the bandwidth.” > > It has to be said that it is currently quite hard to see the incentive to > remain outside of the EASSy SPV unless you are an organisation > “forward-buying” extremely large amounts of bandwidth or that you imagine > your presence on the Board of the H-SPV will grant you some form of > control not otherwise available through the EASSy SPV. > > Because it has taken a long time to reach agreement on the hybrid SPV, > none of the tricky details about corporate governance and pricing have yet > been resolved. Obviously the EASSy SPV and the direct investors into the > H-SPV will nominate representatives to the Board of the H-SPV but how this > will be achieved and what level of representation is assured for each > group has not yet been settled. > > The discussion to settle this issue will be tricky as the EASSy SPV needs > to ensure that Open Access principles and low pricing are achieved and the > private sector members will want to ensure that the entity is run > commercially. And it would not be beyond the bounds of imagination that > one or two of the direct investors outside of the EASSy SPV will try and > undermine in subtle ways the consensus achieved on a “low price, high > volume” approach. For example, will those with landing stations get a > special position at the table as in the current EASSy structure? At > present there are apparently 4-5 landing station parties in the EASSy SPV > so the issue may not be clear cut. > > The EASSy SPV’s Open Access position is underwritten by the DFIs but what > if one or more of them was to decide that their work was done after five > years and to sell out to another external investor? None of the details of > the financing package are clear and yet it will be the balance between > grants, soft loan funding and commercial funding that will ultimately > settle the outcome of the final price of the bandwidth. The DFI package is > worth US$170 million. The last budget announced by NEPAD was US$280 > million and this included $10 million working capital and $30-40 million > to build or upgrade existing landing stations. > > The DFIs say they are working hard to clarify the funding package issues > and to produce the funding to pay for the expertise to get the “i”s dotted > and the “t”s crossed. > > There is still no clarity on pricing. The principle is that the bandwidth > will be as cheap as possible and that there will be a “step-down” after > the initial five-year period. It appears from what is known that the > bandwidth will be in the range that has already been quoted by various > people associated with the EASSy consortium (see previous News Updates). > > A Task Force has been set up representing the three main parties involved > and it will be this group that will have to try and overcome “the devil in > the details”. > > A certain frisson was caused last week by the news that several countries > (including Burundi) had signed the CNMA but we are assured that this was > simply to allow the release of monies to get the equipment acquisition > moving for the capital project ahead. According to the World Bank’s > Besancon:”We’ve had reassurances that the CNMA will be amended to reflect > the Task Force and EASSy SPV input. The signing of the CNMA helps keep the > momentum moving forward from Nairobi.” > > Meanwhile KDN’s CEO Kai Wulff is still sounding bullish about its project > to sign with Flag to connect Mombasa to a Yemen branch of the Falcon > cable:”We are definitely going ahead. There are enough people willing to > listen to a better and cheaper proposal. But whatever happens I will > simply go with whatever is the cheapest option and I’m not going to be > delayed by anything.” The company is believed to have a “let-out” clause > on the Flag deal and could make the move back to EASSy if the price is > right. > > Wulff stressed that whilst he would compete in all other arenas in the > field of international bandwidth he was simply trying to make the cheapest > bandwidth available to everybody:”KDN’s motivation is that we’re looking > for the best and cheapest option that will help the development of the ICT > sector in the region and through that the development of the whole > region.” > > Regional press reports say that the company is in negotiations with > Safaricom, Telkom and Celtel Kenya and ISPs. > ____________________________________________________________________

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Partnership to Bridge Digital Divide for Urban Youth
by Wainaina Mungai 19 Jul '06

19 Jul '06

Partnership to Bridge Digital Divide for Urban Youth UN-HABITAT and Computer Aid International have signed a landmark agreement to help avail ICT to the inhabitants of Kibera slums in Nairobi, Kenya, one of the world's poorest informal settlements. The document was signed in June 2006 by UN-HABITAT Executive Director Anna Tibaijuka and Tony Roberts Computer Aid International Chief Executive during the Third Session of the World Urban Forum in Vancouver, Canada. The Agreement of Cooperation spelt out how the two organisations will work together to apply ICTs to urban development projects beginning with a pilot in Kibera, Nairobi called the 'Computers for Communities' project. Kibera is Africa's largest urban slum and is home to about one million people. The Computers for Communities project is part of the UN-Habitat 'ICT for Development' programme. Computer Aid International is the world's largest not-for-profit provider of computers to developing countries. Computer Aid has provided 70,000 PCs to educational institutions and not-for-profit organisations in 104 different countries. More than 6,000 of that total have been sent to Kenyan schools, universities and non-governmental organisations. The first computer laboratory created under the scheme will be at the 'One Stop Youth Shop' community resource centre in Kibera, Nairobi. This innovative and ground-breaking centre provides a rare meeting place for young people to come together to access information SOURCE: http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=3300&catid=41&typeid=6&subMenuId=0 --- Wainaina Mungai http://www.madeinkenya.org SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

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Fwd: [Stock-Detective News] Alert - UCHUMI – Their Half-Way Proposition
by Bill Kagai 18 Jul '06

18 Jul '06

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: info <info(a)circuitspackets.co.ke> Date: Jul 18, 2006 8:38 PM Subject: [Stock-Detective News] Alert - UCHUMI – Their Half-Way Proposition To: news(a)stock-detective.co.ke 'Don't worry, I will make them an offer they cannot refuse' - Don Corleone in the God-Father. That seems to be, what the dons in Uchumi are thinking at the moment. The Stock-Detective has established that the Shareholders meeting for Uchumi is as predicted on our website, scheduled for Friday, 21st July 2006 at KICC. We will not bother with the details on the time for it will be in the press in the next few days. Let's dig into their more interesting strategy. Apparently, the 'big' shareholders of Uchumi have been talking to the 'management' since they do not want to see their cash go down the drain. Their offer - They pump in more money into Uchumi to be converted into equity...[but], they get to earn 6% interest in the new capital injection. Apparently, 'the powers that be', did not like the 'big shots' making this decision on their own and thus the need to call the Friday meeting for all the shareholders. The argument at the moment seems to be that since they stand to lose all…they had better pump in a bit more, ensure Uchumi is profitable and then reap in the future...albeit pegged on interest in regard to the new capital injection. Of course, sideshows still ran paramount with antics like Farmers Choice could not believe that their products were not in the shelves and the MD (holed somewhere in London) summoned the marketing guys to ensure all Uchumis stock our favourite sausages. Don't we learn from past mistakes?? As we ponder whether CMA and NSE will accept this half-way proposition by Uchumi big wits, why not focus on the sound business/investment to be made here by the 'normal' shareholder? Of course, it sounds lucrative to add more cash into Uchumi instead of losing all. But that does not mean that you stand to lose if the supermarket soars without your new investment. The issue really is - Is it financially logical to pump in more money just because Government bailed out an in-efficiently run supermarket?? Pundits argue that Uchumi has what it takes, ample parking, 'soon to be' fully-stocked shelves and friendly customer service. But it's your money that counts here. Is this an offer you cannot refuse?? Stock-Detective is only two weeks old and therefore feels too naive to offer advice here. IT'S YOUR CALL!! Reported by the 'Stock-Detective' somewhere around in Nairobi City! Keep it here for more breaking news. _______________________________________________ News mailing list News(a)stock-detective.co.ke http://www.stock-detective.co.ke:8080/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/news -- -- 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. www.JKUATEgovAcademy.ac.ke

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FW: [swopnet] Statement by President Kikwete at Microsoft GLF-Africa
by Harry Harry 11 Jul '06

11 Jul '06

Apologies for cross-posting. Harry _____ From: David Sawe [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, July 11, 2006 10:45 AM To: Sharing With Other People Network Subject: [swopnet] Statement by President Kikwete at Microsoft GLF-Africa Greetings colleagues, Please receive a copy of the keynote statement that our President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete read yesterday morning at the Microsoft Government Leaders' Forum for Africa, in Cape Town. Below the statement, I have pasted a photo of him with retired President Bill Clinton, Chairman Bill Gates, at the Gala Dinner for Forum participants yesterday evening. I apologise for the poor quality of the photo, but it was taken while security guards were threatening me... With regards from Cape Town, David. _____ STATEMENT BY HIS EXCELLENCY JAKAYA MRISHO KIKWETE, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA, AT THE MICROSOFT GOVERNMENT LEADERS’ FORUM – AFRICA, CAPE TOWN, REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA 10TH JULY, 2006 Your Excellencies Heads of State and Government; His Excellency Bill Clinton, Mr. Bill Gates, Chairman of Microsoft Corporation; Distinguished Participants; Ladies and Gentlemen. Let me start by saying what a privilege it is to join you here this morning. It is a great honour for me to have the opportunity to address this important Forum. I thank Microsoft for organizing the event for the second time in Africa, and I am also thankful to Chairman, Bill Gates for inviting me to participate here. I also wish to thank our hosts, the Government of the Republic of South Africa, for the warmth of their hospitality and the excellent arrangements they have made for this meeting. This meeting is about Africa’s competitiveness in the global market. In a globalised world of today, survival is predicated upon ability to compete in the global marketplace. It is a function of being able to produce goods and services which can compete in terms of quality, affordability and availability. It is in essence a matter of production capacity and efficiency. These in turn are very much influenced and enhanced by technology particularly information and communications technology (ICT). Development and use of ICT is very central to modern day production and development processes. ICT therefore is central not only to the production process but also to other aspects of human life and activity such as governance, tourism, education etc. where when used it engenders greater efficiency and better services. In this context, it is indisputable that the pace of Africa’s development will necessarily rely upon the extent and depth of the ICT Revolution. ICT offers a cross-cutting and multisectoral resource that can be beneficial in many different ways. In particular, ICT increases productivity and efficiency in all sectors and facilitates the creation of new industries and services, thereby augmenting growth and job opportunities. When the development of Europe and other countries was being supported by the Industrial Revolution, Africa was left out. Even now in the era of ICT revolution, Africa seems to be lagging far behind others. Africa is the world’s last frontier in human and ICT development. Africa needs, and deserves the assistance of the developed world. It is heartwarming indeed, to note that there is this kind of initiative by Chairman Bill Gates which will enable us to better identify priorities to bring Africa rapidly onto the Global Information Highway. We thank you Chairman Bill Gates for your foresight and for timely action. Given the historical handicaps and the current infancy of Africa’s ICT sector, African Governments and leaders realize that we must be pro-active and adapt international best practices for the continent to be able to raise its ICT standing. We need to fast-track ICT development in the continent. All of us in Africa recognize the importance of ICT for accelerated socio-economic growth, as policies are being formulated for creating conducive environments for ICT development. There are a number of things that need to be done to bring Africa into the ICT fold. One, we need to look at the infrastructure facilities which will make ICT available in Africa. They present a serious constraint to ICT development in the Continent. Most countries in Africa and many areas within nations are not properly connected and are currently dependent on expensive satellite technologies that are not affordable to governments, businesses and the majority of our people. We have to reduce dependence on the satellite if we have to make fast progress. It is in this regard for example, that our nations in Eastern Africa, are ready to invest in the submarine cable (The Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System - EASSy) to link our countries. In my country, Tanzania, we are making huge investment in a nationwide terrestrial optical fibre cable network to connect the whole country up to the districts. Later, of course, we intend to take it to the villages. Such heavy investments will necessarily involve creating innovative partnerships among our public and private sectors, and between us and our international development partners and friends. It is a matter of great comfort and inspiration to observe that Microsoft has chosen to take a lead in lending valuable support to Africa through cross-sectoral networking. The other thing that needs to be addressed is the question of human resources development. Africa’s competitiveness is essentially dependent on the skills of its people. Our Continent’s future therefore, is dependent upon our ability to develop our people’s skills to cope with the rapidly evolving needs of the ever changing global and national environment. In that changing environment, ICT is a major factor. This means therefore that ICT development must be an integral part of the education systems of our nations. It should be anchored properly in the curricula of our schools from the level of pre-school, through primary, secondary, to tertiary education and vocational training. This is a big challenge indeed to our Governments, especially in the least developed ones, like mine, Tanzania. But, because of its immeasurable contribution towards promoting fast growth it is a cost we must bear. On the same vein, this is enough reason for the developed world, governments institutions and for friends, to look seriously into supporting the LDCs in ICT development. Our nations and governments in Africa should also appreciate the role the private sector in our respective nations can play in ICT development. We need to promote and develop this partnership. I believe, in partnership with the private sector, our countries can make faster progress in ICT as has been the case with other important areas. In the African continent where teachers are very scarce compared to our needs, ICT could be used, and has been used in some cases to extend the capability of teachers. ICT can also be used to empower students to access higher quality learning experience via educational software. In many instances, this effectively makes for the inadequacy and absence of libraries, laboratories and other learning materials. It is a pleasure to note that Microsoft has made substantial investments in this particular field within Africa, as well as elsewhere in the world. While applauding Chairman Bill Gates for this, may I make a humble request to you, that you continue to extend this useful service a little more and a little longer, to cover more countries and people. It is now time for all of us to move beyond experimental pilot projects in e-Education and to implement broadbased integrated strategies such as those envisaged by NEPAD, among others. Unless we do so, the Digital Divide among the peoples of this continent will be aggravated as ICT skills, access and benefits will remain the preserve of small minorities. It is therefore imperative for us to use ICT to enhance the quality of our educational pipelines, as well as to expand its accessibility to our people. This will assist them to adopt and adapt these tools in the context of their work places. Let me raise another important fact. This relates to availability of PCs to the people so that they can make use of the ICT. They are not readily available and too expensive to many to buy when available. African countries are unlikely to be able – on their own – to reduce the cost of PCs and other ICT equipment so that they become as affordable as cell-phones have now become. They have no leverage but the industry can do something. There are examples of what the industry can do. Merely eight years ago, a cell-phone in my country would cost close to US$2,000 and the equipment was nearly the size and weight of a bricket. The technology was new then, and the subscriber base was barely measureable. Now that handsets are easily available for less than US$100, the user base has increased tremendously to close to 4,000,000 subscribers. Over 10% of Tanzanian population are subscribers. I am sure that similar measures towards the affordability of access to ICT equipment would yield comparable results in terms of the user base. However, because computers are able to offer substantially more uses and productivity enhancements than cellular phones, I firmly believe that our economic statistics will reflect an even more pronounced and favourable impact. With the view to improve on affordability in Tanzania, my predecessor His Excellency Benjamin W. Mkapa lifted duties and taxes on computer equipment and other ICT equipment. Still, in an economy where a sizeable population lives on less than one dollar-a-day, it is quite unrealistic to expect many people to invest on equipment worth two years of their income – and yet spend more money on maintenance. We need to do something on this important matter. I am aware that Microsoft and partners are working on improving the affordability of ICT for the end-user. I applaud the work done thus far; it is my hope and that of many of us in Africa that we will soon enjoy its fruit. The other challenge for us in Africa is the use of ICT in government, businesses, in tourism, in medicine, and in everyday life. Where ICT has been used in government, delivery is fast and efficiency is increased. There is more transparency and corruption is curbed. In tourism, marketing is easy and realization of financial proceeds is instant. We need to get there. Africa needs to be assisted to develop e-Government and e-tourism as much as we need to be assisted to develop e-commerce. Development of a critical mass of African entrepreneurs, who are actively involved in the process of Africa’s integration into the global ICT highway, is essential for anchoring ICT in our economies and societies. Further, ICT helps businesses to grow, small businesses to become medium, local become global and able to compete effectively in delivering affordable and quality goods and services on a timely basis. E-commerce is the way to do businesses in the globalised world. It handles billions of dollars of business per annum, yet only a mere small fraction of this revenue comes from Africa. Africa is left on the periphery of this important vehicle of trade. The development of innovation hubs and incubators for ICT entrepreneurs, if accelerated could speed up the process of enabling African entrepreneurs to become active participants in this. Africa’s emerging entrepreneurs need to be empowered and enabled, both technically and financially, to play a meaningful role in ICT development in the continent. The growth of entrepreneurs is currently slow, hampered by prohibitive costs of establishing businesses, low accessibility to medium and long term loans, and high costs of production. Some of these obstacles can be addressed internally, by the entrepreneurs themselves and many by governments. Governments have a crucial role to play in creating and supporting a conducive environment in which these entrepreneurs can grow and thrive. They are charged with the responsibility of ensuring that political, fiscal and monetary policies, as well as legal and regulatory frameworks, are receptive and responsive to ICT development. Many governments in Africa have already created incentives and deliberate interventions to promote ICT entrepreneurs in their respective countries. Given that the ICT development process contains both public and private dimensions, it is noteworthy that Africa has woken up to the fact that Private-Public Partnerships are essential. Where Private-Public Partnerships are actively utilized, the rate of digitization is certainly accelerated. Excellencies and Distinguished Participants, Before I conclude, allow me at this point to reiterate and underscore the centrality of ICT development in Africa. It’s the way for us to take. I also reiterate the need for support to ICT development in Africa. Africa needs to be assisted to be part of the global system by overcoming the constraints relating to infrastructure, skills, PCs availability and development of local entrepreneurship. While these areas are important, African Governments also need to ensure that they develop conducive environments for ICT investments to grow harmoniously. In this context, partnerships between private sectors and Governments will ultimately determine the success of our endeavours in this age of Globalisation. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen; I wish to express my sincere appreciation to Microsoft for demonstrating how the peering between ICT entrepreneurs of developed and developing countries can be fostered in order to bridge the digital divide. And finally, may I take this opportunity to once again thank Chairman Bill Gates for bringing together in this venue a valuable network of African Government Leaders and other important players and great personalities of world reknown like His Excellency Bill Clinton, former President of the United States, to share ideas with one another on this dynamic field. We look forward to useful exchanges. Thank you for your attention. _____ _____ -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.9.10/383 - Release Date: 7/7/2006 -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.9.10/383 - Release Date: 7/7/2006

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FW: [swopnet] Statement by President Kikwete at Microsoft GLF-Africa
by Harry Harry 11 Jul '06

11 Jul '06

Apologies for cross-posting. Harry _____ From: David Sawe [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, July 11, 2006 10:45 AM To: Sharing With Other People Network Subject: [swopnet] Statement by President Kikwete at Microsoft GLF-Africa Greetings colleagues, Please receive a copy of the keynote statement that our President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete read yesterday morning at the Microsoft Government Leaders' Forum for Africa, in Cape Town. Below the statement, I have pasted a photo of him with retired President Bill Clinton, Chairman Bill Gates, at the Gala Dinner for Forum participants yesterday evening. I apologise for the poor quality of the photo, but it was taken while security guards were threatening me... With regards from Cape Town, David. _____ STATEMENT BY HIS EXCELLENCY JAKAYA MRISHO KIKWETE, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA, AT THE MICROSOFT GOVERNMENT LEADERS’ FORUM – AFRICA, CAPE TOWN, REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA 10TH JULY, 2006 Your Excellencies Heads of State and Government; His Excellency Bill Clinton, Mr. Bill Gates, Chairman of Microsoft Corporation; Distinguished Participants; Ladies and Gentlemen. Let me start by saying what a privilege it is to join you here this morning. It is a great honour for me to have the opportunity to address this important Forum. I thank Microsoft for organizing the event for the second time in Africa, and I am also thankful to Chairman, Bill Gates for inviting me to participate here. I also wish to thank our hosts, the Government of the Republic of South Africa, for the warmth of their hospitality and the excellent arrangements they have made for this meeting. This meeting is about Africa’s competitiveness in the global market. In a globalised world of today, survival is predicated upon ability to compete in the global marketplace. It is a function of being able to produce goods and services which can compete in terms of quality, affordability and availability. It is in essence a matter of production capacity and efficiency. These in turn are very much influenced and enhanced by technology particularly information and communications technology (ICT). Development and use of ICT is very central to modern day production and development processes. ICT therefore is central not only to the production process but also to other aspects of human life and activity such as governance, tourism, education etc. where when used it engenders greater efficiency and better services. In this context, it is indisputable that the pace of Africa’s development will necessarily rely upon the extent and depth of the ICT Revolution. ICT offers a cross-cutting and multisectoral resource that can be beneficial in many different ways. In particular, ICT increases productivity and efficiency in all sectors and facilitates the creation of new industries and services, thereby augmenting growth and job opportunities. When the development of Europe and other countries was being supported by the Industrial Revolution, Africa was left out. Even now in the era of ICT revolution, Africa seems to be lagging far behind others. Africa is the world’s last frontier in human and ICT development. Africa needs, and deserves the assistance of the developed world. It is heartwarming indeed, to note that there is this kind of initiative by Chairman Bill Gates which will enable us to better identify priorities to bring Africa rapidly onto the Global Information Highway. We thank you Chairman Bill Gates for your foresight and for timely action. Given the historical handicaps and the current infancy of Africa’s ICT sector, African Governments and leaders realize that we must be pro-active and adapt international best practices for the continent to be able to raise its ICT standing. We need to fast-track ICT development in the continent. All of us in Africa recognize the importance of ICT for accelerated socio-economic growth, as policies are being formulated for creating conducive environments for ICT development. There are a number of things that need to be done to bring Africa into the ICT fold. One, we need to look at the infrastructure facilities which will make ICT available in Africa. They present a serious constraint to ICT development in the Continent. Most countries in Africa and many areas within nations are not properly connected and are currently dependent on expensive satellite technologies that are not affordable to governments, businesses and the majority of our people. We have to reduce dependence on the satellite if we have to make fast progress. It is in this regard for example, that our nations in Eastern Africa, are ready to invest in the submarine cable (The Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System - EASSy) to link our countries. In my country, Tanzania, we are making huge investment in a nationwide terrestrial optical fibre cable network to connect the whole country up to the districts. Later, of course, we intend to take it to the villages. Such heavy investments will necessarily involve creating innovative partnerships among our public and private sectors, and between us and our international development partners and friends. It is a matter of great comfort and inspiration to observe that Microsoft has chosen to take a lead in lending valuable support to Africa through cross-sectoral networking. The other thing that needs to be addressed is the question of human resources development. Africa’s competitiveness is essentially dependent on the skills of its people. Our Continent’s future therefore, is dependent upon our ability to develop our people’s skills to cope with the rapidly evolving needs of the ever changing global and national environment. In that changing environment, ICT is a major factor. This means therefore that ICT development must be an integral part of the education systems of our nations. It should be anchored properly in the curricula of our schools from the level of pre-school, through primary, secondary, to tertiary education and vocational training. This is a big challenge indeed to our Governments, especially in the least developed ones, like mine, Tanzania. But, because of its immeasurable contribution towards promoting fast growth it is a cost we must bear. On the same vein, this is enough reason for the developed world, governments institutions and for friends, to look seriously into supporting the LDCs in ICT development. Our nations and governments in Africa should also appreciate the role the private sector in our respective nations can play in ICT development. We need to promote and develop this partnership. I believe, in partnership with the private sector, our countries can make faster progress in ICT as has been the case with other important areas. In the African continent where teachers are very scarce compared to our needs, ICT could be used, and has been used in some cases to extend the capability of teachers. ICT can also be used to empower students to access higher quality learning experience via educational software. In many instances, this effectively makes for the inadequacy and absence of libraries, laboratories and other learning materials. It is a pleasure to note that Microsoft has made substantial investments in this particular field within Africa, as well as elsewhere in the world. While applauding Chairman Bill Gates for this, may I make a humble request to you, that you continue to extend this useful service a little more and a little longer, to cover more countries and people. It is now time for all of us to move beyond experimental pilot projects in e-Education and to implement broadbased integrated strategies such as those envisaged by NEPAD, among others. Unless we do so, the Digital Divide among the peoples of this continent will be aggravated as ICT skills, access and benefits will remain the preserve of small minorities. It is therefore imperative for us to use ICT to enhance the quality of our educational pipelines, as well as to expand its accessibility to our people. This will assist them to adopt and adapt these tools in the context of their work places. Let me raise another important fact. This relates to availability of PCs to the people so that they can make use of the ICT. They are not readily available and too expensive to many to buy when available. African countries are unlikely to be able – on their own – to reduce the cost of PCs and other ICT equipment so that they become as affordable as cell-phones have now become. They have no leverage but the industry can do something. There are examples of what the industry can do. Merely eight years ago, a cell-phone in my country would cost close to US$2,000 and the equipment was nearly the size and weight of a bricket. The technology was new then, and the subscriber base was barely measureable. Now that handsets are easily available for less than US$100, the user base has increased tremendously to close to 4,000,000 subscribers. Over 10% of Tanzanian population are subscribers. I am sure that similar measures towards the affordability of access to ICT equipment would yield comparable results in terms of the user base. However, because computers are able to offer substantially more uses and productivity enhancements than cellular phones, I firmly believe that our economic statistics will reflect an even more pronounced and favourable impact. With the view to improve on affordability in Tanzania, my predecessor His Excellency Benjamin W. Mkapa lifted duties and taxes on computer equipment and other ICT equipment. Still, in an economy where a sizeable population lives on less than one dollar-a-day, it is quite unrealistic to expect many people to invest on equipment worth two years of their income – and yet spend more money on maintenance. We need to do something on this important matter. I am aware that Microsoft and partners are working on improving the affordability of ICT for the end-user. I applaud the work done thus far; it is my hope and that of many of us in Africa that we will soon enjoy its fruit. The other challenge for us in Africa is the use of ICT in government, businesses, in tourism, in medicine, and in everyday life. Where ICT has been used in government, delivery is fast and efficiency is increased. There is more transparency and corruption is curbed. In tourism, marketing is easy and realization of financial proceeds is instant. We need to get there. Africa needs to be assisted to develop e-Government and e-tourism as much as we need to be assisted to develop e-commerce. Development of a critical mass of African entrepreneurs, who are actively involved in the process of Africa’s integration into the global ICT highway, is essential for anchoring ICT in our economies and societies. Further, ICT helps businesses to grow, small businesses to become medium, local become global and able to compete effectively in delivering affordable and quality goods and services on a timely basis. E-commerce is the way to do businesses in the globalised world. It handles billions of dollars of business per annum, yet only a mere small fraction of this revenue comes from Africa. Africa is left on the periphery of this important vehicle of trade. The development of innovation hubs and incubators for ICT entrepreneurs, if accelerated could speed up the process of enabling African entrepreneurs to become active participants in this. Africa’s emerging entrepreneurs need to be empowered and enabled, both technically and financially, to play a meaningful role in ICT development in the continent. The growth of entrepreneurs is currently slow, hampered by prohibitive costs of establishing businesses, low accessibility to medium and long term loans, and high costs of production. Some of these obstacles can be addressed internally, by the entrepreneurs themselves and many by governments. Governments have a crucial role to play in creating and supporting a conducive environment in which these entrepreneurs can grow and thrive. They are charged with the responsibility of ensuring that political, fiscal and monetary policies, as well as legal and regulatory frameworks, are receptive and responsive to ICT development. Many governments in Africa have already created incentives and deliberate interventions to promote ICT entrepreneurs in their respective countries. Given that the ICT development process contains both public and private dimensions, it is noteworthy that Africa has woken up to the fact that Private-Public Partnerships are essential. Where Private-Public Partnerships are actively utilized, the rate of digitization is certainly accelerated. Excellencies and Distinguished Participants, Before I conclude, allow me at this point to reiterate and underscore the centrality of ICT development in Africa. It’s the way for us to take. I also reiterate the need for support to ICT development in Africa. Africa needs to be assisted to be part of the global system by overcoming the constraints relating to infrastructure, skills, PCs availability and development of local entrepreneurship. While these areas are important, African Governments also need to ensure that they develop conducive environments for ICT investments to grow harmoniously. In this context, partnerships between private sectors and Governments will ultimately determine the success of our endeavours in this age of Globalisation. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen; I wish to express my sincere appreciation to Microsoft for demonstrating how the peering between ICT entrepreneurs of developed and developing countries can be fostered in order to bridge the digital divide. And finally, may I take this opportunity to once again thank Chairman Bill Gates for bringing together in this venue a valuable network of African Government Leaders and other important players and great personalities of world reknown like His Excellency Bill Clinton, former President of the United States, to share ideas with one another on this dynamic field. We look forward to useful exchanges. Thank you for your attention. _____ _____ -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.9.10/383 - Release Date: 7/7/2006 -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.9.10/383 - Release Date: 7/7/2006

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Fw: [civilsociety] Meeting with Minister to Review Industry Performance- Tuesday 25 July 2006.
by alice＠apc.org 11 Jul '06

11 Jul '06

We invite all ICT executives, entrepreneurs, professionals and > stakeholders to a Symposium for the ICT Industry in Kenya. The Chief Guest > will be Hon. Mutahi Kagwe, MP., and Minister for Information & > Communications. > > Participants will review the progress and achievements made since the 2006 > Kenya ICT Strategy Conference held in Feb 2006 and explore the > opportunities presented to the ICT industry by recent developments in > strategy implementation. > > Date: Tuesday 25 July 2006. > > Time: 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. > > Venue: Safari Park Hotel. > > Cost: KShs. 9,600/- per person. > > Do not miss out on this great opportunity to learn how your business or > organization can benefit from various ICT-related Public Private > Partnership initiatives being spearheaded by the Government. > > ICTvillage.com is an industry-driven online portal and business lobby. Our > objective is to bring the entire ICT industry in Kenya together (from > small enterprises to large multinationals) to make Kenya the ICT hub of > Africa. > > Please email or call 444 9277 or 444 7655 to make a reservation for this > important symposium. Visit our website, www.ictvillage.com, for more > information and to register your organization in our online directory. > > Kate Aloo, > Event Co-ordinator. > > -------------------------------------------- > ICTvillage.com, > c/o Idea Factory Limited, > The Office Park, > Riverside Drive. > Tel: 254-020-444-9277 > 254-020-444-7655 > Fax: 254-020-444-9210 > P.O. Box 12 - 00606, > Sarit Centre, > Nairobi, Kenya. > > > _______________________________________________ > civilsociety mailing list > civilsociety(a)kictanet.or.ke > http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/civilsociety > > Please unsubscribe or change your options at > http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/civilsociety/alice%40apc.org

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Fwd: ScanAd Group Set to Go Public
by Bill Kagai 07 Jul '06

07 Jul '06

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: info <info(a)circuitspackets.co.ke> Date: Jul 7, 2006 2:10 PM Subject: ScanAd Group Set to Go Public To: Bill Kagai <billkagai(a)gmail.com> ScanAd Set To Go Public History is being made in Kenya as Barat Thakkar and Andrew White list the very first marketing services company at the Nairobi Stock Exchange....a very first in Sub-Saharan Africa and the first private sector company to be listed in nine years. To be truthful, they are not looking for your ordinary retail investor. To quote Thakkar..(sic) 'I dont want to hire a football field for my Annual General Meeting'. He is actually looking for 'institutional' and high networth individuals to be his fellow stock-holders in the company. Read more at; www.stock-detective.co.ke

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MINUTES OF KICTANET PLANNING HELD ON 22/06/06
by Evelyne Majale 06 Jul '06

06 Jul '06

Good afternoon all, Please find attached minutes of the last planning meeting. Please disregard the earlier copy sent to you. Apologies for any inconveniences caused. Evelyne

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