- KICTANet - KICTANet

Kenya works on training information security managers
by Rebecca Wanjiku 29 Apr '08

29 Apr '08

Kenya works on training information security managers Lack of training institutions for information security management has made IT investment expensive for many organizations in Kenya. http://computerworld.co.ke/articles/2008/04/28/kenya-works-training-informa… Tel. 254 720 318 925 blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/ --------------------------------- Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.

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[Fwd: [Fibre-for-africa] As SAT-3 Opens Up, Neotel Makes Its Move]
by alice 28 Apr '08

28 Apr '08

Michael Malakata , IDG News Service Wednesday, April 23, 2008 2:10 PM PDT Now that the SAT-3 undersea cable has opened up to competition, with South African communications network operator Neotel gaining access to the network, industry insiders hope that prices will come down. Neotel's access to the cable means that consumers have a wider choice of operators, which could lead to lower prices for international calls. Since 2002, cable consortium members with landing points had an effective monopoly on providing cable bandwidth in their own countries and to countries without landing points. As a result, the cost of bandwidth remained high. Neotel, however, will be offering bandwidth between South Africa and the U.K., without having to touch the Telkom S.A. network. Local landing rights to the cable were held exclusively by Telkom, a South African government-owned provider, allowing the company to operate the cable as a monopoly. The South African government and other African countries where the cable had landing points had control over who got direct access to SAT-3 cable system. Neotel Chief Technology Officer Angus Hay said Neotel gained access to the cable last week, enabling the company to carry international voice and data traffic to London at competitive prices and giving consumers a choice of operators. SAT-3 cable links South Africa to Portugal, Spain, India, Malaysia, and West Africa including Nigeria, Cameroon, Angola and Senegal. South African Minister of Communication Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri declared last year the termination of all exclusive provisions contained in SAT-3 agreements. Neotel's Hay said, meanwhile, that the company has deployed its own equipment at the Melkbosstrand and Mtunzini landing stations of the SAT-3 cable system, connected directly over its own high availability fiber-optic network. "Neotel is now able to obtain international capacity on the cable and is able to pass the cost benefits to customers," Hay said via e-mail. African policymakers, nongovernmental organizations and consumers had been pushing for SAT-3 to include more operators to make the market more competitive and bring down telecom costs. The end of the SAT-3 monopoly over access will now subject the cable to international bandwidth business competition and is likely to bring down the cost of telecommunication in the region. Already, Telkom has announced it is considering bandwidth price reductions for the second time this year. There are fears, however, that a bandwidth rush may occur among African countries following the opening of the cable, causing it to run out of capacity. Source: http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/145021/as_sat3_opens_up_neote… _______________________________________________ Fibre-for-africa mailing list Fibre-for-africa(a)lists.apc.org http://lists.apc.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fibre-for-africa

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Outsourcing is a huge opportunity: example Acturial Services outsourcing india
by Paul Kukubo 27 Apr '08

27 Apr '08

I got this article from the Times of India online. Actural outsourcing is catching up. 24 Apr 2008 They are the professionals who design our insurance policies. Their job is to assess the financial implications of unforeseen events and the money needed to cover the risks. As the global insurance market hots up, actuaries have become hot property. And ever since actural process outsourcing (APO) has caught up, KPOs especially in India are wooing actuaries with lucrative packages. Experts say the estimated revenue from Indian offshore insurance BPO services are expected to rise from $790 million in 2007 to about $2 billion by 2010. However, as the market matures , Indian IT companies, who till now provided only back office insurance services like claims processing and others, are now moving to doing the more complex actuarial valuations jobs as well. While APO is fast emerging as a niche KPO segment, there are no official studies to forecast the market yet. ‘‘ The global insurance KPO market is estimated to be around $430 million in 2007 and India’s share is expected to be about 70 per cent at about $300 million by 2010,’’ says Mohit Thukral, senior VP, Genpact. According to Sanjiv Kapur, Senior VP Head, Patni BPO, ‘‘Various sources of market research predict the KPO industry to be anywhere between $10 billion to $17 billion by the year 2010. Going by the indication and the response we are seeing from the global market, India has the potential to become actuarial back office of the world.’’ Patni BPO has almost 120 actuarial workers in India. Kapur feels, considering, APO is not driven by volumes, growing to 125 FTEs in itself is considered significant. So what is driving this market? Apart from significant cost savings and improved productivity, India provides global companies access to skilled resources. End..... Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Celtel Kenya

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Nominations Sought for Technical Women from Developing Countries - Anita Borg Change Agent Awards]
by alice 26 Apr '08

26 Apr '08

fyi Begin forwarded message: > *From: *"Richard Heeks" <richard.heeks(a)manchester.ac.uk > <mailto:richard.heeks@manchester.ac.uk>> > *Date: *April 25, 2008 4:38:57 PM EDT > *To: *"ICT-Based Enterprise for Women" <womenictenterprise(a)dgroups.org > <mailto:womenictenterprise@dgroups.org>> > *Subject: **[womenictenterprise] Nominations Sought for Technical > Women from Developing Countries - Anita Borg Change Agent Awards* > *Reply-To: *"ICT-Based Enterprise for Women" > <womenictenterprise(a)dgroups.org <mailto:womenictenterprise@dgroups.org>> > > > From: SRSterling [mailto:srsterling@gmail.com] > Sent: Thursday, April 24, 2008 4:37 PM > > Hello - I'm chairing the upcoming Anita Borg Change Agent Awards, to > be given at the October 2008 Grace Hopper's Conference. Could you > please pass this around your contacts and distributions lists? We are > looking for applicaitons from technical women from developing regions > who are making a difference in the lives and livelihoods of those > around them. Transportation to the event is covered; winners will be > featured on a panel and during the awards ceremony. Criteria and more > info at this link; intersted folks can contact me with any specific > quesitons. Thank you! > > http://anitaborg.org/initiatives/awards/change-agent-awards/ > > Many thanks, > Revi > srsterling(a)gmail.com > > > Dgroups is a joint initiative of Bellanet, DFID, Hivos, ICA, IICD, > OneWorld, UNAIDS > --- You are currently subscribed to womenictenterprise as: sjorge(a)att.net > To unsubscribe send a blank email to > leave-womenictenterprise-1157412F(a)dgroups.org ======================================= APC Forum is a meeting place for the APC community - people and institutions who are or have been involved in collaboration with APC, and share the APC vision - a world in which all people have easy, equal and affordable access to the creative potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve their lives and create more democratic and egalitarian societies. _______________________________________________ apc.forum mailing list apc.forum(a)lists.apc.org http://lists.apc.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/apc.forum

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Re: [kictanet] ICT Authority?
by Leonard Mware 24 Apr '08

24 Apr '08

I agree with Monica. Perhaps change KICTB to KICTA? Then make e-gov a department of KICTA? This would be better than creating a new outfit. Expand scope of existing Board. L ----- Original Message ---- From: Monica Kerretts-Makau <mkmakau(a)yahoo.co.uk> To: mleonardo(a)yahoo.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Thursday, April 24, 2008 2:51:23 PM Subject: Re: [kictanet] ICT Authority? Waudo, While I agree that there needs to be coordination, should there not be a review of existing agencies : for scope and mandate and see if these agencies can be realigned to meet the gaps as raised rather than creating a new body? In doing so we may end up with even lesser institutions if some are merged etc? Dr. Monica Kerretts-Makau On 24/4/08 2:26 PM, "waudo siganga" <emailsignet(a)mailcan.com> wrote: > Alex - actually the KEPSA proposal is not at a stage of detail. I think > the first stage is for all to determine and agree, as KEPSA has done, > that there is a problem of "coordination and coherence" with regard to > ICT and Government. We can use a forum like this one to share > experiences to determine this. For me the reality is that ICT is > cross-cutting and horizontal to the Government structure while most > Ministries appear structured to operate in a vertical format. The > Ministry of trade will tell you that OOXML (and ICT standards in > general) is their baby; so is the yet to be attended to WTO Information > Technology Act; so is signing (WTO) commitments to liberalize ICT > services sector. Finance will claim GITS; Immigration want to > unilaterally control the entry of ICT experts into the country, etc. > There is no-one stop-shop to manage or even act as an interface. In this > connection an ICT Authority is just one proposal but the flesh of it > would have to come from wider consultation and input of all > stakeholders. > > Waudo > > On Thu, 24 Apr 2008 02:03:05 -0700 (PDT), "Alex Gakuru" > <alex.gakuru(a)yahoo.com> said: >> >> --- Edith Adera <eadera(a)idrc.or.ke> wrote: >>> >>> Can the proposal be shared in this list? >>> >> >> I have refrained from commenting without seeing and >> understanding what the said proposal contains. >> >> Alex >> >> >> >> _____________________________________________________________________________ >> _______ >> Be a better friend, newshound, and >> know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. >> http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ >> >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> This message was sent to: emailsignet(a)mailcan.com >> Unsubscribe or change your options at >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/emailsignet%40mailcan.…>> m .............................. ³As we look ahead into the future, Leaders will be those who empower others² Bill Gates _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: mleonardo(a)yahoo.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/mleonardo%40yahoo.com ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

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Fwd: More on ICT Authority?
by John Walubengo 24 Apr '08

24 Apr '08

Something I couldnt help floating on the list...ofcourse with permission... walu. --- amugambi(a)jambo.co.ke further wrote: I have been following the ongoing online melodrama debate of the ICT Authority with keen interest. Here are my thoughts.. It is important to note that the issue of centralised ICT services provision to GOK has not been addressed or fully understood as this has been handled from time to time on project by project basis (e.g. the Metronet) or subject (e.g. e-Gov)depending on the flavor of the month. You see E-gov, GITS, GCCN, CCK, ICT Board, KCCT, KEPSA et al, they are all behemoths, but we should look in totality at GOK ICT Operation and Strategy Implementation within the wider context of the GOK 'ICT Management Strategy'. This would ensure that going forward and for ever that interests are managed and people only lobby those they need to. Look at this Scenario - u want to sell software/hardware to GOK ...,1. Visit CCK for authority to sell... 2. Move to ICT board for strategy and selling / budgets et al ... 3. Go to Govt GITS for implementation. It is lenghty and chaotic... No wonder nothing really gets done!! The only way you will have a clear helicopter view of the sector and be able to draw on synergies such as combined trunks, data centres, fail over and disaster recovery strategy, is to have an implementation company run and manage vendors as well as shortlist/blacklist vendors for all Governmet ICT services. And this is exactly what the ICT Authority would be doing amongst others! --- amugambi(a)jambo.co.ke further wrote: Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:28:41 +0300 (EAT) Subject: More on ICT Authority? From: amugambi(a)jambo.co.ke To: "John Walubengo" <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> Walu, Further to my mail this morning, i wish to add the following. There is need for a body to manage and coordinate the management and Maintainance ICT aspects of govt (the non-exciting and zero-money stuff) as vendors have interest in all the money minting aspects above anything else. Others are being driven by the potential of creating monster projects that can be funded by the WorldBank as well as other bilateral and multilateral partners. Each player (GITS, Egov, ICT Board, CCK et al) seems to have all components of a complete self contained ICT business/market by themselves. They can and do buy, fund, implement, and use ICT products and services, so to them their systems and ICT use encompasses all aspects from design, funding, procurement,implementation, management and Maintainance with the last 2 as most neglected. The two most neglected items (ICT Management and Maintenace) could be addressed if we could take the approach where the Policy Maker becomes a Rejigged CCK (technology), ICT Board does the commercial/environment), KEBS(Standards), and Implementer could be a New Entity or Rejigged GITS (same name or a different monster and could comprise of E-gov, et al) The User would be the Government of Kenya with a Usergroup Board made of other ICT players including major GOK CITOs Other grey areas can be run by committees ... Easier to constitute, don't have to be employees of GOK and can be funded by MOIC. What do you think?? Kinoti Mugambi > > By the way I have no objection to an ICT Authority....I > think such an > > agency (RITA) has done wonders for Rwanda, founded by > none other than Dr. > > J Oketch the current boss at eGovt. But such a body > must come in to play > > an over-arching role over the others rather than focus > on a sub-theme as > > it were...maybe i will take a look at the KEPSA > proposal. > > > > walu. > > > > > > ----- Original Message ---- > > From: "MEldon(a)symphony.co.ke" <MEldon(a)symphony.co.ke> > > To: jwalu(a)yahoo.com > > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions > <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke>; > > > kictanet-bounces+meldon=symphony.co.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > Sent: Wednesday, April 23, 2008 9:13:04 AM > > Subject: Re: [kictanet] ICT Authority? > > > > First, it's a shame that e-Gov and GITS have not > merged. They should, and > > in a 'neutral' ministry like OP. > > > > Then, as far as the coordination need is concerned I > see a number of > > options: > > - have one of the bodies convene the others to handle > issues where more > > than one is involved > > - expand the mandate of one of the existing ones to > cover the need > > identified by Waudo > > - the option mooted by Waudo > > > > Mike Eldon > > > > > > > > From: "waudo siganga" <emailsignet(a)mailcan.com> > > > > To: meldon(a)symphony.co.ke > > > > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions > > <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > > > > Date: 04/22/2008 05:56 PM > > > > Subject: Re: [kictanet] ICT Authority? > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I would not see any overlap Walu as the bodies you have > mentioned have > > their specific mandates which are not encompassing the > ICT universe. > > Roughly I think ICT Board is for marketing (Min. of > INFOCOM), GITS to > > run Gov. ICT services (Min. of Finance) and the > e-Secretariat to > > implement the e-Gov. strategy (Office of Pres.). I am > always open to > > correction but meantime I am endorsing the KEPSA > proposal. > > Waudo > > > > On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:23:50 -0700 (PDT), "John > Walubengo" > > <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> said: > >> Waudo, > >> > >> jst wondering if we dont already have enough overlaps > >> between ICT Board, eGovt Secretariate, Government > >> Info-Technology Services (GITS) and now you (KEPSA?) > want > >> to add on an ICT authority? > >> > >> walu. > >> > >> --- waudo siganga <emailsignet(a)mailcan.com> wrote: > >> All this ultimately suggests the necessity for the > >> establishment of an oversight statutory > >> ICT Authority as is being proposed by KEPSA to the > ongoing > >> Government harmonization Committee. > >> > >> > >> > >> --- waudo siganga <emailsignet(a)mailcan.com> wrote: > >> > >> > Actually the Government never voted and was never > called > >> > upon to > >> > vote on this issue. The Government only facilitated > the > >> > stakeholder committee at KEBS and national voting > was > >> > done by > >> > members of that committee. The overall issue however > >> > reiterates > >> > what I see as a persistent problem regarding ICT and > >> > Government: > >> > ICT is wide and diverse, as well as being horizontal > to > >> > the > >> > Governm > >> ent structure. This sometimes leads to matters > >> > that are > >> > considered "ICT" not revolving around a central > spoke in > >> > the > >> > Governemnt structure. So for example KEBS (and by > >> > extension > >> > issues of ICT standards) falls under the Ministry of > >> > trade. In > >> > the committee that handled OOXML there was no > >> > representative from > >> > the Ministry of Info and Comm., which was a mistake > >> > because the > >> > Government was a Stakeholder. All this ultimately > >> > suggests the > >> > necessity for the establishment of an oversight > statutory > >> > ICT > >> > Authority as is being proposed by KEPSA to the > ongoing > >> > Government > >> > harmonization Committee. > >> > > >> > Waudo > >> > > >> > > >> > On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:14:43 -0700 (PDT), "Rebecca > >> > Wanjiku" <rebeccawanji > >> > ku(a)yahoo.com> said: > >> > > >> > Microsoft denies threatening to withdraw > >> > funding > >> > > >> > Microsoft East Africa has dismissed allegations that > it > >> > threatened to withdraw funding to Kenya if the > government > >> > did not > >> > vote "yes" on OOXML. > >> > > >> > Louis Otieno, Microsoft general manager in East and > >> > Southern > >> > Africa denied the allegations, saying that Microsoft > EA > >> > acted > >> > appropriately. > >> > > >> > "We've acted appropriately in all instances. And we > are > >> > grateful > >> > that the National Body members engaged in this > process > >> > collaboratively and constructively," Otieno said. > >> > > >> > > >> > http://computerworld.co.ke/articles/2008/04/21/microsoft-denies-t > >> > hreatening-withdraw-funding > >> > > >> > Tel. 254 720 318 925 > >> > blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/ > >> > > >> > > _________________________________________________________ > >> > > >> > Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all > with > >> > Yahoo! > >> > Mobile. [1]Try it now. > >> > > >> > References > >> > > >> > 1. > >> > > >> > > > http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=51733/*http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8… > > > >> > -- > >> > waudo siganga > >> > emailsignet(a)mailcan.com > >> > > >> > > _______________________________________________ > >> > kictanet mailing list > >> > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > >> > > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > >> > > >> > This message was sent to: jwalu(a)yahoo.com > >> > Unsubscribe or change your options at > >> > > >> > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jwalu%40yahoo.com > >> > > >> > >> > >> > >> > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________ > > > >> Be a better friend, newshound, and > >> know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. > >> > http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ > > -- > > waudo siganga > > emailsignet(a)mailcan.com > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > kictanet mailing list > > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > > > This message was sent to: meldon(a)symphony.co.ke > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > > > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/meldon%40symphony.co.ke > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > kictanet mailing list > > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > > > This message was sent to: jwalu(a)yahoo.com > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > > > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jwalu%40yahoo.com > > > > > > > > > > > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________ > > Be a better friend, newshound, and > > know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. > > > http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ > > > > _______________________________________________ > > kictanet mailing list > > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > > > This message was sent to: amugambi(a)jambo.co.ke > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > > > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/amugambi%40jambo.co.ke > > > > ---------------------------------------------- > > This message has been scanned for viruses and > > dangerous content by Jambo MailScanner, and is > > believed to be clean. > > --------------------------------------------- > > "easy access to the world" > > > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------- > This message has been scanned for viruses and > dangerous content by Jambo MailScanner, and is > believed to be clean. > --------------------------------------------- > "easy access to the world" > > ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

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Re: [kictanet] ICT Authority?
by John Walubengo 24 Apr '08

24 Apr '08

By the way I have no objection to an ICT Authority....I think such an agency (RITA) has done wonders for Rwanda, founded by none other than Dr. J Oketch the current boss at eGovt. But such a body must come in to play an over-arching role over the others rather than focus on a sub-theme as it were...maybe i will take a look at the KEPSA proposal. walu. ----- Original Message ---- From: "MEldon(a)symphony.co.ke" <MEldon(a)symphony.co.ke> To: jwalu(a)yahoo.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke>; kictanet-bounces+meldon=symphony.co.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke Sent: Wednesday, April 23, 2008 9:13:04 AM Subject: Re: [kictanet] ICT Authority? First, it's a shame that e-Gov and GITS have not merged. They should, and in a 'neutral' ministry like OP. Then, as far as the coordination need is concerned I see a number of options: - have one of the bodies convene the others to handle issues where more than one is involved - expand the mandate of one of the existing ones to cover the need identified by Waudo - the option mooted by Waudo Mike Eldon From: "waudo siganga" <emailsignet(a)mailcan.com> To: meldon(a)symphony.co.ke Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: 04/22/2008 05:56 PM Subject: Re: [kictanet] ICT Authority? I would not see any overlap Walu as the bodies you have mentioned have their specific mandates which are not encompassing the ICT universe. Roughly I think ICT Board is for marketing (Min. of INFOCOM), GITS to run Gov. ICT services (Min. of Finance) and the e-Secretariat to implement the e-Gov. strategy (Office of Pres.). I am always open to correction but meantime I am endorsing the KEPSA proposal. Waudo On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:23:50 -0700 (PDT), "John Walubengo" <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> said: > Waudo, > > jst wondering if we dont already have enough overlaps > between ICT Board, eGovt Secretariate, Government > Info-Technology Services (GITS) and now you (KEPSA?) want > to add on an ICT authority? > > walu. > > --- waudo siganga <emailsignet(a)mailcan.com> wrote: > All this ultimately suggests the necessity for the > establishment of an oversight statutory > ICT Authority as is being proposed by KEPSA to the ongoing > Government harmonization Committee. > > > > --- waudo siganga <emailsignet(a)mailcan.com> wrote: > > > Actually the Government never voted and was never called > > upon to > > vote on this issue. The Government only facilitated the > > stakeholder committee at KEBS and national voting was > > done by > > members of that committee. The overall issue however > > reiterates > > what I see as a persistent problem regarding ICT and > > Government: > > ICT is wide and diverse, as well as being horizontal to > > the > > Governm > ent structure. This sometimes leads to matters > > that are > > considered "ICT" not revolving around a central spoke in > > the > > Governemnt structure. So for example KEBS (and by > > extension > > issues of ICT standards) falls under the Ministry of > > trade. In > > the committee that handled OOXML there was no > > representative from > > the Ministry of Info and Comm., which was a mistake > > because the > > Government was a Stakeholder. All this ultimately > > suggests the > > necessity for the establishment of an oversight statutory > > ICT > > Authority as is being proposed by KEPSA to the ongoing > > Government > > harmonization Committee. > > > > Waudo > > > > > > On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:14:43 -0700 (PDT), "Rebecca > > Wanjiku" <rebeccawanji > > ku(a)yahoo.com> said: > > > > Microsoft denies threatening to withdraw > > funding > > > > Microsoft East Africa has dismissed allegations that it > > threatened to withdraw funding to Kenya if the government > > did not > > vote "yes" on OOXML. > > > > Louis Otieno, Microsoft general manager in East and > > Southern > > Africa denied the allegations, saying that Microsoft EA > > acted > > appropriately. > > > > "We've acted appropriately in all instances. And we are > > grateful > > that the National Body members engaged in this process > > collaboratively and constructively," Otieno said. > > > > > http://computerworld.co.ke/articles/2008/04/21/microsoft-denies-t > > hreatening-withdraw-funding > > > > Tel. 254 720 318 925 > > blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/ > > > > _________________________________________________________ > > > > Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with > > Yahoo! > > Mobile. [1]Try it now. > > > > References > > > > 1. > > > http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=51733/*http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8… > > -- > > waudo siganga > > emailsignet(a)mailcan.com > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > kictanet mailing list > > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > > > This message was sent to: jwalu(a)yahoo.com > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > > > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jwalu%40yahoo.com > > > > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________ > Be a better friend, newshound, and > know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. > http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ -- waudo siganga emailsignet(a)mailcan.com _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: meldon(a)symphony.co.ke Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/meldon%40symphony.co.ke _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: jwalu(a)yahoo.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jwalu%40yahoo.com ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

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Chocolate.com -- this is fun and yummy]
by alice 24 Apr '08

24 Apr '08

Technology start-ups Chocolate.com Apr 17th 2008 | SAN FRANCISCO From /The Economist/ print edition A start-up innovates in an unexpected field TCHO, a small company based in a warehouse in San Francisco, sounds like a typical high-tech start-up. The brainchild of an engineer who previously worked on computer-vision systems for the space shuttle, the firm is developing "beta" versions of its new product. Volunteer testers are invited to submit feedback via the web. Louis Rossetto, the co-founder of /Wired/, a technology magazine, is on board as chief executive. All the employees have stock options. But Tcho is not about to launch a new website or mobile device; it is a technology firm that makes chocolate. Its founders believe there is vast scope for innovation in the way chocolate is made and sold. Most cocoa farmers have never tasted chocolate, and produce cocoa beans without any idea of how they will be used, says Timothy Childs, Tcho's founder. The resulting chocolate is classified and sold in a very unsophisticated way, labelled at best by country of origin and percentage cocoa solids. (It is rather like labelling a wine "France, 13% alcohol".) So Mr Childs wants to put things on a more technical footing—just as Americans formalised techniques for winemaking in the 1970s. He has developed ways to analyse and grade beans, and a six-segment "flavour wheel" to map out their natural aromas. Using a variety of jury-rigged spice grinders, heaters and temperature sensors, he has worked out how to get cocoa beans to reveal their complex flavours and to get chocolate to solidify evenly. Tcho is also working with cocoa growers, in conjunction with two research groups it has equipped with satellite-internet connections, to help them improve the quality and consistency of their beans. Tcho hopes that the most effective techniques will then spread in an "open source" fashion to other growers. Beans will be turned into chocolate on Tcho's elaborate production line, which is being used as a test-bed for remote video-monitoring of industrial processes by researchers at Fuji Xerox in Palo Alto. The firm will sell much of its chocolate to other food companies, for use in other products. Such customers, says Mr Rossetto, like the idea of buying chocolate based on a consistent flavour profile; Tcho's flavour wheel could become a de facto industry standard, he suggests, as IBM's PC did in the computer industry. Tcho will also sell chocolate using its website <http://www.tcho.com/>, and through a shop and visitors' centre due to open in the summer. San Francisco, a capital of food culture as well as technology, is the logical place to produce a high-tech chocolate. John Kehoe, Tcho's sourcing director, says chocolate is going down the trail blazed by speciality coffee, as consumers become more discerning. Chocolate today, he says, is where coffee was five years ago. Having been ahead of the curve with /Wired/, which launched just as the web was emerging, Mr Rossetto seems to have spotted another trend. _______________________________________________ AfrICANN mailing list AfrICANN(a)afrinic.net https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann

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Competition could lower mobile-phone costs in Kenya
by Rebecca Wanjiku 24 Apr '08

24 Apr '08

Competition could lower mobile-phone costs in Kenya Kenyan mobile-phone users are hoping the entry of a new company, Econet Wireless, and consolidation of services by Telkom Kenya will offer competition and decreased prices for phone calls. The current GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) service providers, Safaricom and Celtel, are demonstrating duopolistic tendencies, with each refusing to lower cross-network call charges. Calls within the networks remain relatively cheap compared to calls from one network to the other. http://computerworld.co.ke/articles/2008/04/23/competition-could-lower-mobi… Tel. 254 720 318 925 blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/ --------------------------------- Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.

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Uganda Deal for Up to 300, 000 Laptops to Aid Civil Services
by Dorcas Muthoni 24 Apr '08

24 Apr '08

.........Learning from our neighbors ??? Uganda Deal for Up to 300,000 Laptops to Aid Civil Services By Edris Kisambira April 23, 2008 — IDG News Service — An agreement with an international joint venture to supply up to 300,000 laptops mainly to civil-service employees will help the Ugandan government make its workers more efficient and facilitate the delivery of services, officials say. The venture, Tropix/Founder Computer Co., has supplied a first batch of 3,000 laptops to the Civil and Corporate Employees Computer Ownership Programme (CICOCO), a US$106 million project intended to help the government jump-start its e-government program. The thinking behind the laptop project, according to government officials, is to get the civil service as competitive in the delivery of services as private sector. The adoption of ICT is expected to change the way government officials handle public affairs and speed service delivery. "I think the civil service will be improved greatly now that we will be able to continue with our work even when we are not in the formal office environment," said David Arinaitwe, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "I think that on a larger scale, it is going to change the way the civil service works government will work better, more transparent, and [it] reduces cost providing services," Arinaitwe said. Tropix/Founder is a joint venture involving investors from the U.S., Australia and China, with the laptops themselves manufactured in China. Uganda's ICT Ministry is monitoring the project, which is funded by the Chinese government through grants from a Chinese development bank, Exim. Each laptop will cost $699 through a loan scheme from a local bank, Stanbic Bank. The bank will offer loans for the purchase of the laptops in repayment packages over 12 months, 24 months or 36 months. A special 48-month package will be reserved exclusively for civil servants who hold accounts with Stanbic Bank. The computers come with a 120G-byte SATA hard disk; 1G byte of RAM; a 14.1-inch WXGA LCD screen; and a 1.6GHz Pentium dual-core T2330 processor. They also come with a DVD writer, USB ports, integrated graphics, wireless Internet card, independent web camera, a TV card and the home edition of Windows XP operating system, among other specifications. Civil servants' children can also purchase the computers under the same arrangements, but need approval from their parents. The government also plans to pursue a computer scheme for students in the next phase of its e-government program. Such a scheme will be aimed at covering the needs of students from secondary school-level to university. The laptops are part of a public-sector reform program created to improve delivery of services, according to Nicholas Sunday Olwor, the senior assistant secretary to the minister of state for ICT. --- End forwarded message --- __

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