- KICTANet - KICTANet

Call for nomination - AfriNIC Board of Directors Election
by alice＠apc.org 02 Apr '09

02 Apr '09

** [Apologies for any duplicate mails] ** Dear Colleagues, We would like to inform you that this year, the AfriNIC Board of Directors will have the following vacant seats: a) Seat 3: The Eastern African sub-region (Primary and alternate) Mandate: 2009 to 2012 b) Seat 4: The Southern African sub-region (Primary and Alternate) Mandate: 2009 to 2012 We are pleased to invite nominations to fill in the above seats. ** Who can be nominated to seat on the Board? Anybody resident in one of the above sub-regions. Self-nomination is also possible. Nominees should have a good experience/background in the Internet Protocol environment and in a similar position (Board member or hold a senior position in an Internet related organization), be able to participate actively in all activities conferred to the Board of Directors by the AfriNIC bylaws (Section 13). The candidates should have a good comprehension of the English language. Nominations should be sent to nomination2009(a)afrinic.net <https://ssl0.ovh.net/squirrelmail/src/compose.php?send_to=nomination2009%40…> with the following details: -------- 1: Candidate Information Nominated by (full name): Nominee (Full name): Organization (or affiliation): Position: Physical address: e-mail address: Phone number: Fax number: Country of Residence: Sub-region nominated for: 2. Brief statement explaining the candidate's background and motivation (in English, and not more than 400 words): Note: Please also attach a copy of your CV. (Note: CV must be sent in English.) -------- The deadline for candidacy/nominations is Wednesday 15 April 2009 at 20:00 UTC. Afrinic bylaws: http://www.afrinic.net/corporate/bylaws.htm See also the 2009's Election Process and Policy attached. --------- Ken Lohento, on behalf of the 2009's Board Election Committee

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Following the Trail of eWaste
by Edith Adera 01 Apr '09

01 Apr '09

Colleagues, This is a must watch short video clip on eWaste damping in Africa from developed countries. What are the policy implications? Worth discussing on the list to guide Kenya's policy on electronic waste. Please check out this incredible short documentary of e-waste traveling from England to Nigeria. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/photosvideos/greenpeace-photo-essay…

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Fwd: Call for submissions: GAID Committee of eLeaders for Youth and ICT - Best Practices Forum
by waudo siganga 31 Mar '09

31 Mar '09

Dear all - this could be of interest to some on the list. Apologies if any cross-posting. ----- Original message ----- From: "Serge Kapto" <kapto(a)un.org> To: undisclosed-recipients: ; Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:49:24 -0400 Subject: [GAID Gender] Call for submissions: GAID Committee of eLeaders for Youth and ICT - Best Practices Forum Please disseminate widely! Call for submissions: GAID Committee of eLeaders for Youth and ICT - Best Practices Forum Working so hard and not telling the world about your project is like winking in the dark. The GAID Committee of eLeaders for Youth & ICT, in partnership with TakingITGlobal, presents an opportunity for young people to showcase their work in using ICTs for development. We believe that there are many young people doing amazing things in various corners of the world and we wish to bring them to light through a publication of best practice efforts. Sharing the stories of the work you do will also help others know that the power of one is bigger than we often assume, and we hope that your stories will inspire many people who will have access to the publication at this year's UN General Assembly in New York – and those who will read the stories online. What's next? Visit http://www.tigweb.org/resources/best/add.html to submit your best practice effort. _______________________________________________ gender mailing list gender(a)mx.un-gaid.org http://mx.un-gaid.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gender

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Protecting Critical Information Infrastructures: Something for RECs to think about?]
by alice 30 Mar '09

30 Mar '09

*Protecting Critical Information Infrastructures: Frequently Asked Questions* *What are Critical Information Infrastructures?* _*There is no globally shared definition of Critical Information Infrastructures (CII).*_ In its Green Paper on a European Programme for Critical Infrastructure Protection <http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2005:0576:FIN:EN:…> (EPCIP), the* *European Commission captured the concept of CII as being all* */"ICT systems that are critical infrastructures for themselves or that are essential for the operation of critical infrastructures (telecommunications, computers/software, Internet, satellites, etc.)"./ In 2008, the OECD defined CII as /"those interconnected information systems and networks, the disruption or destruction of which would have a serious impact on the health, safety, security, or economic well-being of citizens, or on the effective functioning of government or the economy"./ Despite the existing differences in national and international policy contexts, what is important is that the notion of CII is conducive to a holistic policy perspective on the secure and continuous functioning of ICT systems, services, networks and infrastructures (ICT infrastructures) of which the Internet is a very important component, due to its widespread diffusion and the process of technological convergence. *Why is action at EU level to protect these infrastructures urgently needed?* Cyber attacks have risen to an unprecedented level of sophistication. What used to be simple experiments are now turning into sophisticated activities performed for profit or political reasons. The recent large scale cyber-attacks on Estonia, Lithuania and Georgia are the most widely covered examples of a general trend. The huge number of viruses, worms and other forms of malware, the expansion of botnets^*[1] <http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/09/141&format=…>* and the continuous rise of spam confirms that this is a severe problem. The high dependence on CII, their cross-border interconnectedness and interdependencies with other infrastructures (e.g. energy infrastructures), as well as the vulnerabilities and threats they face raise the need to address their security and resilience in a systemic perspective as the frontline of defence against failures and attacks. Because of the transnational dimension of this issue, a more integrated and coordinated approach throughout the European Union will usefully complement and add value to the programmes which are already in place within Member States. This will also reinforce the wealth creation capabilities of the Single Market. It is clear that no single "silver bullet" solution will be able to provide all the answers, but simply leaving the situation as is will not lead to satisfactory results. It is necessary to establish the right policy framework – in particular for economic and societal drivers and incentives – on the basis of a shared responsibility and cooperation amongst all the involved stakeholders. It is vital to promote operational/ tactical cooperation in the short and medium term (until 2010-2011) as well as strategic policy discussion for long-term scenarios (2012 and beyond). The work must start now in order to prepare Europe against large-scale cyber attacks and disruptions. *How does this initiative relate to the debate around European efforts towards an increased and modernised network and information security policy?* The Commission's initiative on Critical Information Infrastructure Protection focuses on prevention, preparedness and awareness and defines a plan of immediate actions running until 2011 to strengthen the security and resilience of CII. The focus and timeframe are consistent with the debate launched at the request of the Council and the European Parliament to address the challenges and priorities for network and information security policy and the most appropriate instruments needed at EU level to tackle them beyond 2012. The work conducted and the lessons learned under the Commission's proposed action plan will be an important contribution to the more general debate on an increased and modernised European policy in this area. *Why is the Commission proposing voluntary rather than binding measures?* Ensuring the security and resilience of CII requires cooperation between public and private actors, which is largely based on trust. A non-binding approach will be more effective in steering a dialogue through which interested parties can work out the best way to cooperate and share best practices. During the consultation process prior to the launch of this initiative, Member States' and private sector representatives strongly supported the proposed initiative and confirmed the need and willingness to cooperate at EU level, as long as this remained voluntary. This does not mean that a binding approach can not be used to enhance the level of security and resilience of CII. Proposals by the European Commission to reform the Electronic Communication regulatory package – including provisions to strengthen operators’ obligations to ensure that appropriate security measures are taken, and those on mandatory security breach notification – show that binding measures are considered when it is feasible and useful. Moreover, there is not yet sufficient data on security incidents and their impact across the different sectors to define and frame additional regulatory measures in a consistent economic and public policy perspective. *What are the specific objectives of the Critical Information Infrastructure Protection initiative? * The Commission's proposal covers the following objectives: * Foster cooperation, exchange of information and transfer of good policy practices between Member States via a newly-established *European Forum*. * Develop a *public-private partnership* at the European level on security and resilience of CII to support sharing of information and dissemination of good practices between public and private stakeholders. * Enhance *incident response capability* in the EU by increasing national capacities, possibly built on National or Governmental Computer Emergency Response Teams/Computer Security Incidents Response Teams (CERTs/CSIRTs) as well as by encouraging and supporting the European cooperation between these entities with a view to facilitate the exchange of information, technical measures and good practices. * Promote the organisation of *national and European exercises for contingency planning and disaster recovery* on simulated large-scale network security incidents. * Reinforce *international cooperation* on global issues, in particular on resilience and stability of Internet. *What is the purpose and value of a European Forum for Member States? * Although there are commonalities among the challenges and the issues faced, measures and regimes to ensure the security and resilience of CII, as well as the level of expertise and preparedness, differ across Member States. Purely national approaches run the risk of producing fragmentation and inefficiency across Europe. Differences in national approaches and the lack of systematic cross-border co-operation substantially reduce the effectiveness of domestic countermeasures, /inter alia/ because, due to the interconnectedness of CII, a low level of security and resilience of CII in a country has the potential to increase vulnerabilities and risks in other ones. To overcome this situation a European effort is needed to bring added value to national policies and programmes by fostering the development of awareness and common understanding of the challenges; stimulating the adoption of shared policy objectives and priorities; reinforcing cooperation between Member States and integrating national policies in a more European and global dimension. These are the reasons why the Commission has proposed to establish a *European Forum* for Member States to share information and good policy practices on security and resilience of CII. *Why a Public-Private Partnership for Resilience (EP3R)? * Enhancing the security and the resilience of CII poses peculiar governance challenges. While Member States remain ultimately responsible for defining CII-related policies, their implementation depends on the involvement of the private sector, which owns or controls a large number of CII. On the other hand, markets do not always provide sufficient incentives for the private sector to invest in the protection of CII at the level that public authorities would normally demand. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have emerged at the national level as the reference model to address this governance challenge. However, despite the consensus that this approach would also be desirable on the EU level, European PPPs have not materialised so far. PPP at the EU level could play an important role to complement the work carried out by Member States at national level – in particular, in areas like the exchange/promotion of good policy practices and measures, the implementation of cross-border security and resilience measures for CII, the adoption of preventive measures and response strategies, etc. A Europe-wide multi-stakeholder governance framework, which may include an enhanced role of ENISA, could foster the involvement of the private sector in the definition of strategic European public policy objectives as well as operational priorities and measures. The focus would be on enhancing the security and resilience of CII and the coordination of preventive and response activities. This framework would bridge the gap between national and EU policy-making and operational reality on the ground. *What will be the remit and the form of the proposed Public-Private Partnership? * The concrete remit of this PPP might initially consist of: * Knowledge sharing to deepen the understanding and mastering of European challenges for the security and resilience of CII; * Identification and dissemination of good baseline practices and commonly agreed guidelines and standards for the security and resilience of CII. The work of this PPP should be focused on specific issues and be action-oriented. The topics discussed should have a cross-border or global dimension. In terms of form, it is proposed that the setting-up of the *European Public Private Partnership for Resilience (EP3R)* CII would follow a step-by-step approach so that, on the one hand, stakeholders would discuss and design the necessary building blocks that would best match their requirements and, on the other hand, the work on the key challenges that require this kind of approach could immediately start. The first step of this process is the *workshop on the EU policy dimension of vulnerability management and disclosure process* of 31 March 2009. *What is the role of the European Network and Information Security Agency in this initiative?* The Commission has called on the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) to play a key role in supporting this initiative by encouraging dialogue and cooperation between Member States, the private sector and other relevant players across Europe, building on the findings and results it has already contributed in this area. *How does this initiative relate to the European Programme on Critical Infrastructure Protection and other EU activities in the area of justice and home affairs? * The activities planned in today's Communication are conducted under and in parallel to the European Programme for Critical Infrastructure Protection (EPCIP <http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2006:0786:FIN:EN:…>). A key element of EPCIP is the Directive on the identification and designation of European Critical Infrastructures <http://register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/en/08/st10/st10934.en08.pdf>, which identifies the ICT sector as a future priority sector. One element of the CIIP action plan is to further develop the criteria for identifying European Critical Infrastructures for the ICT sector which will help implement the above mentioned Directive. The proposed actions are also complementary to existing *third pillar *initiatives – e.g. fight against cyber-crime – as envisaged by the Council Framework Decision on Attacks Against Information Systems adopted in 2005 (2005/222/JHA) <http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32005F0222:EN:N…>. As the CIIP initiative focuses on prevention, preparedness and awareness to enhance the intrinsic security and resilience of CII, it does not conflict with or duplicate the efforts carried out under the third pillar, i.e. by police and judicial cooperation addressing measures to prevent, fight and prosecute criminal and terrorist activities targeting CII. *How does the Commission's action plan relate to international efforts in this area? * This initiatives takes stock and builds upon recognised international principles such as the G8 principles on CIIP <http://www.cybersecuritycooperation.org/documents/G8_CIIP_Principles.pdf>, the UN General Assembly Resolution 58/199 'Creation of a global culture of cybersecurity and the protection of critical information infrastructures' <http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/cyb/cybersecurity/docs/UN_resolution_58_199.pdf.> and the recent OECD Recommendation on the Protection of Critical Information Infrastructures <http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/1/13/40825404.pdf>. The initiative complements work conducted by NATO on cyber-security – specifically the common policy on cyber defence and the activities of the Cyber Defence Management Authority (CDMA), announced by NATO on April 2008, as well as the outputs of the NATO's Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence <http://transnet.act.nato.int/WISE/TNCC/CentresofE/CCD> (CCD-COE). NATO initiatives are mostly focused on military defence whereas the Commission's proposal works to facilitate the coordination and cooperation of public and private resources and capabilities across Member States. *Does the action plan include regulatory measures for the Internet?* The action plan does not propose any measure aimed at regulating the Internet. It proposes three complementary activities to enhance the resilience and stability of the Internet. * The Commission will launch a Europe-wide debate to define EU priorities for the long-term resiliency and stability of the Internet. * The Commission will work with Member States to define appropriate principles and guidelines for Internet resilience and stability. * The Commission, together with Member States, will develop a roadmap to promote these principles and guidelines at the global level, building upon strategic cooperation with third countries. *What is the timing envisaged by the action plan? * The different actions have different targets and timelines, running from 2009 until the end of 2011. However continuous European efforts will still be needed beyond 2011. A stock-taking exercise will already be conducted at the end of 2010 and lessons learned will be used as an input into the debate on the future of Network and Information Security beyond 2012. *How will the Commission monitor the implementation of the action plan?* The Commission identified in the impact assessment of the Communication <http://ec.europa.eu/governance/impact/cia_2009_en.htm> a number of indicators for achieving the objectives of the action plan. These include, the number of meetings and conferences organised at EU level with relevance to security and resilience of CII; the agreements on common terminology and procedures for the collection and dissemination of information on economic impacts of security incidents; the number of National/Governmental CERTs participating in the European Governmental CERTs Group; the number of international agreements on mutual assistance, recovery, and remedial strategies for the resilience and stability of the Internet. http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/nis/strategy/activities/ciip… IP/09/494 <http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/494&format=HT…> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ^*[1] <http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/09/141&format=…>* A group of computers, often very large, that malicious hackers have brought under their control. While most owners are oblivious to the infection, the networks of tens of thousands of computers are used to launch spam e-mail campaigns, denial-of-service attacks or online fraud schemes. _______________________________________________ AfrICANN mailing list AfrICANN(a)afrinic.net https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann

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Fwd: - Call for Applicants - Online Course on Global Norms Against Terrorism
by Judy Okite 26 Mar '09

26 Mar '09

FYI, apologies for cross posting....... Kind Regards, ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Vladimir Radunovic <vladar(a)diplomacy.edu> Date: Mar 25, 2009 7:55 PM Subject: - Call for Applicants - Online Course on Global Norms Against Terrorism To: IGCBP(a)diplomacy.edu [image: UNODC-Diplo-Logos] [image: spacer] * 2009 ONLINE COURSES GLOBAL NORMS AGAINST TERRORISM AT WORK: SETTING INTERNATIONAL LAW IN MOTION* The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and DiploFoundation are pleased to present two new online courses on the universal legal regime against terrorism: one for English-speaking participants, and one for French-speaking participants. Both aim to strengthen national capacities by assisting criminal justice officials and other individuals involved in counter-terrorism issues to develop the skills and knowledge required to effectively utilize the channels for international legal cooperation envisaged in 16 treaties adopted within the UN system between 1963 and 2005, and a number of binding resolutions of the Security Council. *Methodology* The courses are conducted entirely online, over a period of 6 weeks. Reading materials and tools for online interaction are provided through an online classroom. Each week, participants read the provided lecture text, adding questions, comments, and references in the form of hypertext entries. Lecturers and other participants read and respond to the hypertext entries, creating interaction based on the text. During the week, participants also complete additional online activities. At the end of the week, participants and lecturers meet online in a chat room to discuss the week's topic. Courses are based on a collaborative approach to learning, with a high level of interaction. The courses are delivered by staff members of the Terrorism Prevention Branch of the UNODC possessing experience in criminal justice issues and extensive work experience in the provision of legal advisory services and technical assistance worldwide. *Practical Information* *Fees:* Both courses are offered free of charge as part of a capacity-building initiative on the part of UNODC. *Timetable:* The course for English-speaking participants will begin during the week starting 4 May 2009. The course for French-speaking participants will begin during the week starting 18 May 2009. Selected applicants will receive full details of the timetable before the course begins. *Who should apply:* Criminal justice officers, practicing diplomats, civil servants, and others who work in the legal areas of international cooperation in criminal matters, or are involved in legislative drafting of criminal law texts. Priority will be given to applicants from developing countries. *Requirements:* Applicants must: § hold a university degree in Law, preferably with specialization in international/criminal law issues; § have at least three years work experience as legal practitioner or governmental official. Involvement in international cooperation matters, especially in criminal matters, is an asset; § possess sufficient ability in the course language to undertake postgraduate level studies; § have unrestricted access to the Internet using Firefox or Internet Explorer web browsers; § be ready to commit at least 6 hours per week to studies for the duration of the course. *How to Apply* The application deadline for the English-language course is *13 April 2009*. The application deadline for the French-language course is *20 April 2009*. Please visit the UNODC website for further information and to apply: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/terrorism/online-training-course.html ------------------------------ [image: Diplo logo] DiploFoundation <http://www.diplomacy.edu/> ------------------------------ I am using the Free version of SPAMfighter <http://www.spamfighter.com/len>. We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam. SPAMfighter has removed 26217 of my spam emails to date. The Professional version does not have this message. -- "Each of us is great insofar as we perceive and act on the infinite possibilities which lie undiscovered and unrecognized about us." James Harvey Robinson

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May be of interest: IT-outsourcing to Africa (seminar Amsterdam)
by Victor Gathara 25 Mar '09

25 Mar '09

DFID, the Department for International Development: leading the British Government's fight against world poverty. Find out more about the major global poverty challenges and get the facts on what DFID is doing to fight them: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/aboutdfid/howwefightpoverty.asp. Subscribe to our e-bulletin: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/feedback ______________________________________________________________________ This e-mail has been scanned for all viruses by Peapod. The service is powered by MessageLabs. For more information on a proactive anti-virus service working around the clock, around the globe, visit: http://www.peapod.co.uk/cleanmail

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Re: [kictanet] POLE SIGANGA
by Preston Odera 24 Mar '09

24 Mar '09

Hi Siganga Pole for what has happened. Would like to reach you thru m-pesa. Confirm if your cellphone number is compliant. Preston Odera Executive Director K-Ninety East Africa Limited Kenya School for the Blind Complex Mai Mahiu Road off Langata Road P.O Box 3894-00100 Nairobi Kenya Tel +254 20 608316 Tel +254 20 3544352 Fax + 254 20 608318 Cell +254 722 771 478 Email; info(a)k-90ea.com --- On Mon, 3/23/09, waudo siganga <emailsignet(a)mailcan.com> wrote: From: waudo siganga <emailsignet(a)mailcan.com> Subject: Re: [kictanet] POLE SIGANGA To: podera_2002(a)yahoo.com Cc: "Kenya ICT Policy - kictanet" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Monday, March 23, 2009, 10:18 AM Thank you Charles. Yes, My Mzee passed away peacefully in his sleep on 17th. He was 89. He went to UK in 1946 and stood for UK Parliament in Cardiff, Wales (as was allowed of any citizen of the Commonwealth). His opponent was Edward Heath, who later became UK Prime Minister. Heath defeated him by less than 2000 votes! The Mzee's colleagues on the ship (there were no airlines then) to UK were Charles Njonjo, Prof. David Wassawo (first African to get a first class honours degree from Oxford) and Benedicto Kiwanuka - later PM of Uganda. All four had topped at Alliance High School and secured British Government schorlaships. On 16th September 1946 they took a historic picture on the ship (attached - with Mzee and Njonjo in the middle). Njonjo and Wassawo are still alive and active. Kiwanuka was murdered by the Amin regime in Uganda. Mzee returned to Kenya in 1953 and declined a Government job to protest the imprisonment of Kenyatta and other colleagues. Later at independence he became Director of Social Services and Housing with the Nairobi City Council until his retiremenment some 20 years ago. After which he lived a quiet life in the village. We shall rest the Mzee on Saturday in Kakamega. Thank you for your thoughts. Waudo On Mon, 23 Mar 2009 05:21 +0000, "charles nduati" <charlesnduati2002(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote: > > hi Brother Waudo, > > I saw a funeral mesage in the nation lats week, and I believe it concerns > your family, so pole sana and may God sooth your souls. > > Kindly let us know of the arrangements > > Charles > > > CHARLES N. NDUATI > GENERAL MANAGER > JKUAT ENTERPRISES LTD > JOMO KENYATTA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY > JUJA MAIN CAMPUS, THIKA > P. O. BOX 79324-00200 > NAIROBI, KENYA > TEL: 254-067-52420 OR 254-067-52711 FAX: 254-067-52438 > MOBILE:254-722728815 > EMIAL:charlesnduati2002@yahoo.co.uk,cnduati@gmail.com,bm@jkuates.jkuat.ac.ke > www.jkuat.ac.ke > > > Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we have been been waiting for. - Kenyan-American Barack Obama -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: podera_2002(a)yahoo.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/podera_2002%40yahoo.com

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Fwd: Fw: Reuters.com - Kenya sees $5-$10 bln ICT investments by 2010
by Margaret Gichuki 23 Mar '09

23 Mar '09

--- On *Mon, 3/23/09, Reuters_News(a)reuters.com <Reuters_News(a)reuters.com>*wrote: From: Reuters_News(a)reuters.com <Reuters_News(a)reuters.com> Subject: Reuters.com - Kenya sees $5-$10 bln ICT investments by 2010 [image: Reuters] <http://www.reuters.com/> Kenya sees $5-$10 bln ICT investments by 2010<http://www.reuters.com/article/email/idAFLN25512420090323> Mon Mar 23 13:19:15 UTC 2009 * Kenya sees foreign ICT investment booming * Says multinationals interested in back-office operations By Duncan Miriri NAIROBI, March 23 (Reuters) - Kenya expects $5-$10 billion of foreign investment from communication technology firms by next year, a senior government official said on Monday. East Africa's biggest economy is set to link up with the rest of the world via broadband from June through three undersea telecoms cables. "I would comfortably estimate that next year, even with a very poor economy, we will probably see between $5-$10 billion coming," Bitange Ndemo, permanent secretary at the ministry of information and communication, told Reuters in an interview. He said international firms that had expressed interest in investing included Google <GOOG.O>, Accenture <ACN.N> and General Electric <GE.N>. "We are seeing huge interest by multinational companies who want (to) take advantage of these connections and the availability of many youths who are educated to create back offices in this country," he said. Kenya's government is fronting one fibre-optic cable worth $110 million that will link it with the United Arab Emirates. The chief executive of SEACOM, a $700 million private equity venture, said on Monday that sales of bandwidth capacity were going well ahead of its cable's completion in June. [ID:nLN478381] Analysts say enhanced telecoms infrastructure has the same growth potential as mobile telephony, which has grown exponentially in the world's poorest continent in recent years. (Editing by Daniel Wallis; editing by Simon Jessop) This service is not intended to encourage spam. The details provided by your colleague have been used for the sole purpose of facilitating this email communication and have not been retained by Thomson Reuters. Your personal details have not been added to any database or mailing list. If you would like to receive news articles delivered to your email address, please subscribe at www.reuters.com/newsmails © Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved. Users may download and print extracts of content from this website for their own personal and non-commercial use only. Republication or redistribution of Thomson Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters and its logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Thomson Reuters group of companies around the world. Quotes and other data are provided for your personal information only, and are not intended for trading purposes. Thomson Reuters and its data providers shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the quotes or other data, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

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Kenya going Open Source route...
by Gakuru Alex 23 Mar '09

23 Mar '09

http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/Local/Kenya-going-Open-Source-route-185… Questions and comments are most welcome,, Alex

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Ten African countries sign alliance for e-commerce
by alice 23 Mar '09

23 Mar '09

Balancing Act Ten countries sign alliance for e-commerce Ten African countries have signed up to the "Pan African Alliance for E-Commerce," a new ICT based program launched by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). The Alliance hopes to establish and encourage the use of “Single Window” across the continent, which is an electronic platform where traders undertake transactions online. The system is believed to reduce the need for paperwork. The main aim of the alliance is said will intensify cooperation and initiate common projects of interest to African countries and sub-regions. Senegal, Tunisia and Mauritius have such platforms, dramatically reducing the time it takes to clear customs in those countries. So far 10 African countries have signed with the alliance while a number of other countries are expected to join the alliance in the next few months Ibrahim Nour Eddine Diane, president of executive committee of the alliance, told journalists at the launching ceremony this week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Cameron, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Ghana, Morocco, Gabon, Libya, Togo and Kenya were listed as the 10 countries that have signed with the alliance. It is the first of its kind on the continent, and the signatories hope to encourage more countries to create their own single windows platforms that would become part of the wider network. The Pan-African Alliance on e-Commerce seeks to set up a framework for exchange of Single Window experiences in Africa and establish a mechanism to assist countries in the development of Single Windows. It also plans to ensure Africa’s representation in international forums and contribute to the development of the concept at a global level. Putting in place a platform of resources for facilitating the establishment of regional Single Windows and improving existing projects and facilitating cooperation with other regions of the world, notably through the establishment of pilot paperless projects with countries of Asia, Europe and America is also mentioned as main target of the alliance. In addition, the alliance also acts as focal point for development partners and international institutions active in the promotion of Single Windows in Africa. (Source: Africa News)

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