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Fw: EASSy Project Dispute Takes New Twist
by alice＠apc.org 12 Jan '07

12 Jan '07

----- Original Message ----- From: "Binaifer Nowrojee" <bnowrojee(a)osiea.org> Eassy Project Dispute Takes New Twist by Elias Biryabarema 729 words Kampala, Jan 09, 2007 (The Monitor/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- THE protracted wrangle between the NEPAD's e-Africa Commission and a consortium of companies that initially conceived the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy) project now looks set to result in the construction of two competing submarine cables, Daily Monitor has learnt. What is still unclear is to what extent this new development will affect the pace of development of the cable project and how it will impact its ability to meet its overriding objectives, mainly bringing down the costs of communication and spurring the Information, Communication and Information (ICT) industry in the region. EASSy is an ambitious initiative to connect countries of eastern Africa via a high bandwidth fibre optic cable system to the rest of the world. It was first mooted by a group of about 15 telecom companies meeting in Nairobi, Kenya in 2003. They included Uganda's MTN and UTL, Telecom S. Africa, Kenya Telecom and others. They planned to lay a fibre optic cable along the East African coast that would offer a direct connection to the world's information superhighway. It was to enable the region have access to a broadband network which would permit ultra-fast transmission of digital traffic and at cheaper prices. Mr Donald Nyakairu, UTL's Legal Counsel and Chairman of EASSy Finance committee asserted in a recent interview that the e-Africa Commission's hijacking of the cable was unfair and opportunistic and that its actions were being totally disregarded. The consortium has repeatedly rebuffed entreaties from the commission to stop their plans and join in the NEPAD project. "While the e-Commission is busy making everybody believe that they're in charge of the project, for us we are advancing pretty fast and real construction is starting soon," Mr Nyakairu said. He said the original companies that conceived the idea later signed an understanding and constituted themselves into a consortium that was supposed to develop, own and operate the cable. The e-Commission was invited in the subsequent meetings, as an observer but to the astonishment of the consortium, it soon started to show deep interest in the project's details and even demanded active involvement. "We thought they were attending to see the progress, but all of a sudden they started to make demands which shocked us," Nyakairu said. Right now, the e-Commission is pursuing its own project in concert with the World Bank, the African Development Bank and the governments of South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, DR Congo, Rwanda and others which are also signatories to the EASSy protocol. The conflict between the two sides principally stems from the mode of the project implementation. NEPAD e-Africa Commission insists that a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) develops, owns, and operates the cable while the consortium wants companies to take charge exclusively. Mr Nyakairu said if the commission wants to construct a parallel cable, then it must find its own name and stop encroaching on the intellectual property of the consortium (EASSy). However, the Commission's regulatory advisor, Dr Edmund Katiti dismissed claims that it was hijacking the EASSy name. "The regional network is currently referred to as the NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network" he said, adding that it consists of two interconnected segments - a submarine cable and a terrestrial network (intra-country cable). He said the shareholders in the SPVs are the ones who will decide what name(s) to give to the network and its segments. As a way of attempting to defuse the differences and accommodate the concerns of the Commission, Mr Nyakairu said the Consortium members had decided to also have an SPV that would act as a collective investment vehicle for all smaller telecom concerns in the region. This SPV will then buy shares in the cable as a single investor. "We really think we have done everything to address all these accusations," he said. Even then, the two sides seem to be far from striking any agreement. Dr Katiti said the Nepad ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network Protocol is scheduled to go into effect in the first quarter of 2007, which would also mark the commencement of construction. On the other hand, the consortium has already awarded the construction contract to Alcatel and work is beginning early this year.

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Apple "reinvents the phone," unveils iPhone
by Brian Longwe 12 Jan '07

12 Jan '07

Talk about convergence! This phone is a real handheld computer! View this article at: http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/01/09/ apple.unveils.iphone/ Tuesday, January 9,2007 @ 12:55pm Apple "reinvents the phone," unveils iPhone [u] Apple today unveiled the iPhone (site not updated), a wide-screen iPod with touch controls that also functions as a mobile phone and an internet communication device. The company chief Steve Jobs revealed the new device during his keynote speech at the Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco. "This is a day I've been looking forward to for two and a half years," Jobs said on stage in front of the keynote attendees. "Every once in a while a product comes along to change the industry. Apple has been fortunate to introduce a few of these: the Mac in 1984; the iPod in 2001. Apple will introduce three revolutionary products of this class. Wide-screen iPod with touch controls. The second is a mobile phone. The third is a break-through internet communication device. All of those in a single device. Not separate devices, but a single device called iPhone. Apple reinvents the phone." [updated] iPhone development began with a revolutionary user interface that leverages hardware as well as software, overcoming the problem of fixed controls that cannot change as applications change. The iPhone utilizes a touch sensitive screen with "multi-touch" technology that does not require a stylus pen to operate, and is far more accurate than other touch displays, according to Jobs. The touch pad allows multi-finger gestures that Jobs says is "at least five years ahead of any other." The iPhone runs Mac OS X with power management, networking, security, applications, Core Animation, and audio/video support. Users can also create desktop-class applications, according to Apple's chief. The iPhone includes a 3.5-inch screen with 160 pixels per inch, as well as a single "home" button. The phone is thinner than any other phone at 11.6mm, and offers volume controls alongside a two megapixel camera built-in on the back. The phone also features a 3.5mm headphone jack, a sleep/wake button on top, a speaker microphone, and an iPod connector on the bottom. A proximity sensor turns off the screen as well as the touch sensor when the phone passes close to the head, and an ambient light sensor turns down the screen brightness as necessary. An accelerometer determines whether to capture a landscape or portrait orientation when taking photos, and the phone includes coverflow technology similar to that used in the company's iTunes software. Apple's iPhone has a dashboard- like interface to each module and function, allowing users to scroll using a finger. The home button returns users back to the dashboard, and the coveflow technology supports scrolling through album art with the touch of a finger. Jobs demonstrated the iPhone's video capability by playing "The Office" TV show, and began playing a wide- screen movie using on-screen controls. The iPhone -- which includes more than 200 patents for inventions used in the device -- offers visual voicemail that allows random access voicemail for direct access, and functions as a quad-band GSM/Edge phone. iPhone includes WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity, providing users with SMS functionality alongside various applications such as a calendar, contacts, and more. An iChat-like interface enables users to send as well as receive SMS messages, and the iPhone supports error correction via a visual keyboard that allows users to type messages. The phone includes built-in photo management that can scroll through photos with the touch of a finger, and a 'pinch' motion zooms in or out while viewing images. Further iPhone features include rich HTML email capability that works with any POP/IMAP email service, and a fully usable copy of Apple's Safari Web browser with support for Google Maps. The phone includes widgets for weather and stocks, and automatically locates WiFi networks when they are available -- switching to the network to maintain internet connectivity. Additionally, Yahoo is offering all iPhone users free push IMAP email service with inline photos and rich text email support. Apple's iPhone also automatically parses out phone numbers with a simple touch-to-call option. Finger gestures navigate Web pages in Safari when browsing the Web, and pinching gestures zoom in on a particular area of a page. Double tapping on a page zooms to that area, while a Cingular menubar displays an AirPort-like signal indicator for WiFi strength. Users can also quickly move to portions of a Web page before it is finished downloading. Steve Jobs introduced Cingular Wireless CEO, saying that features like visual voicemail required help from the carrier. Cingular entered into a multiyear exclusive contract with Apple without ever having seen the phone. Jobs said Apple hopes to grab 1 percent market share (10 million units) in 2008 following the iPhone's introduction into the existing mobile phone market, which consists of nearly 1 billion phones. iPhone accessories include standard headphones that feature a button to answer calls, as well as a new Bluetooth headset with a single button that automatically goes to sleep. Jobs promises five hours of battery life for talking time or video playback, as well as 16 hours of audio playback time. The iPhone will ship in June for $499 (4GB model) and $599 (8GB model), both with a 2 year contract. Copyright ©1995-2005 Macintosh News Network, Inc. All rights reserved.

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FW: [Idlelo2] Fw: ADVERT: PROJECT COORDINATOR - LINUXCHIX AFRICA
by Harry Hare 08 Jan '07

08 Jan '07

Apologies for cross posting. Harry -----Original Message----- From: idlelo2-bounces+harry=aitecafrica.com(a)fossfa.net [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Anna Sent: Sunday, January 07, 2007 7:49 PM To: idlelo2(a)fossfa.net Subject: [Idlelo2] Fw: ADVERT: PROJECT COORDINATOR - LINUXCHIX AFRICA ---------- Forwarded Message ----------- From: "Anna" <anna(a)cs.wits.ac.za> To: africasource2-l(a)lists.tacticaltech.org, africasource-l(a)lists.tacticaltech.org Sent: Sun, 7 Jan 2007 18:44:17 +0200 Subject: Fw: ADVERT: PROJECT COORDINATOR - LINUXCHIX AFRICA LinuxChix Africa (LCA) Programme Coordination LinuxChix Africa seeks to appoint a Project Coordinator. The Project Coordinator will be based at the LinuxChix Africa offices in Johannesburg, South Africa. This position includes both administrative responsibilities and programme management responsibilities, and an opportunity to make a substantive contribution to the growth of LCA. LinuxChix Africa is an African continental organisation that aims to build technical GNU/Linux and Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) skills among African women. We have a presence in over 26 African countries and we are one of the fastest growing networks. We actively encourage and facilitate the active participation of African women in FOSS software development projects. Key areas of responsibility are: 1. Coordinate the following projects: - Capacity Development for LCA in Open Source Software, Production of Training Kits and LCA e-Learning initiatives. - Advocacy and Policy recommendations. - Awareness, Publicity and Software Freedom Day celebration planning and activities. - Communications and Newsletters. - Marketing and Public Relations Strategies. - Conference Planning and Logistics - Policies and Governance coordination. - Develop strategic partnerships with key regional, continental and local organizations. 2. Coordinate LCA website enhancements, lists and newsletters. Manage the online communication with Council, Board, and the membership lists (chix and femme). 3.Convene key meetings with core regional and continental educational institutions and related organizations. 4. Manage the project budget according the objectives and plans agreed to with the Board. 5. Report to the Board meetings and prepare reports as requested by the Board, Council and Funders. 6. Manage Office Staff 7. Any other duties as assigned. Requirements: - Postgraduate qualification. A postgraduate qualification in ICT will be an advantage, - Experience in women and ICTs issues and a passion for women's development in ICT and FOSS - Excellent written and oral presentation skills in English - Demonstrated ability to carry out independent research and project management - Willingness to travel in Africa and occasionally outside the continent, as required - Strong computer and organisational skills, attention to detail, ability to prioritize, and resourcefulness in problem-solving - Ability to listen and communicate clearly and effectively with people from diverse cultures - Ability to work independently but also as a team member (with staff of LCA, the Board, Council and the general membership). The job is offered on a one-year contract. Interested and qualified candidates who match the profile are invited to submit their CV and a letter of interest to: The Chairperson LinuxChix Africa The School of Computer Science University of the Witwatersrand Private Bag 3 Wits 2050 Email: anna(a)cs.wits.ac.za Closing Date for applications is 10th January 2007. Only short-listed candidates will receive a response from LinuxChix Africa. Althouhg LinuxChix Africa does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender or creed, preference will be given to a female candidate. ------- End of Forwarded Message ------- Anna _______________________________________________ Idlelo2 mailing list Idlelo2(a)fossfa.net http://mailman.dst.gov.za/mailman/listinfo/idlelo2 -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.410 / Virus Database: 268.16.5/616 - Release Date: 1/4/2007 -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.410 / Virus Database: 268.16.7/619 - Release Date: 1/7/2007 ---------------------------------------------- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by Jambo MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. --------------------------------------------- "easy access to the world"

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E-COMMERCE THE WAY FORWARD FOR KENYA and other articles on Kenya from Balancing Act
by alice＠apc.org 07 Jan '07

07 Jan '07

* E-COMMERCE THE WAY FORWARD FOR KENYA (from Balancing Act) > > The way we do things has changed in the last few years mobile phones > became more affordable. > > Take, for example, the short message service, or SMS as it is popularly > known. It is now the medium of interaction in popular radio and TV > programmes or season's greetings and invitations. There is an addition to > our vocabulary - smsing. > > Our lives have been tremendously changed by technology. This is a perfect > illustration of the magnitude of change. > > A local beer company once held a competition that required participants to > send entries of bottle tops by post. A story is told of a gentleman who > went ballistic when he woke up one morning from a night of heavy drinking > to find his little son scattering his treasured collection of > "prize-wining" tops. > > Today such a humiliating quarrel over bottle tops would not arise since > all the old fellow needs to do is instantly SMS the details of entry to > the company server, and he will be notified of the outcome by SMS. > > And if this is what the simple SMS can do, what revolution would computers > and the internet cause if they were made accessible to more people? > > Advertisements along the road from a country's major airport to the city > centre is said to reflect its core economic activity. > > And what do we see from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Kenyatta > Avenue in Nairobi? An array of what the world calls ICT (information and > communication technology) messages are lined up to entice us - from mobile > phone handsets and wireless service providers, computers, TVs and so on to > radio stations. > > They are the gadgets and services that matter, and what George Gilder > calls "the vectors of growth, the sweet spots of finance" (Telescom: The > World After Bandwidth Abundance, Touchstone, 2002). So if the information > age is where the money is, who does not want to be there? > > One sector that is going to drive the next phase of the internet boom, or > Web 2.0, is e-commerce, which is doing business electronically without the > seller and the buyer being in physical contact. > > Lower communication costs is enabling people to reach wider markets and > making it possible for goods and services to be traded in a whole new way. > > For example, some women's groups in Tabaka, Gucha district, now sell their > soapstone artifacts to the world by simply taking digital pictures of > their new products and posting offers on their Web ite, > www.soapstoneafrica.com > > A firm in Eldoret that spins yarn and makes woollen products cannot > imagine business without the e-mail, which has made it easy for them to > reach the sophisticated western market at the click of the mouse. > > There are many more Kenyans making innovative efforts in the e-business, > especially in the service industries of consultancy and outsourcing. > People used to believe in duty-free shops as real bargains, but they now > say they are as cheap as the internet. > > Although e-commerce is the future of enterprise, consumer protection, > intellectual property rights, privacy and security are issues of grave > concern. For instance, on the internet you do not know whom you are > dealing with; it could be a robber or a con man. > > Thus, for e-business to grow, people must trust the technology. People are > not only buying and selling cars, computers and kiondos and other "brick > and mortar" goods online, but they are also dealing in information, music > and software, which are now categorised as products. There is an urgent > need to enact e-commerce laws. The law shoulddeal with if electronic > evidence is admissible in the court. > > Kenyans would do more business if there was legislation and the right > infrastructure for electronic transactions, and more tourists would be > happy to come and see the new wonder of the world at the Maasai Mara and > make payments online. > > Although it may be difficult to tame the Internet because of its > cross-border nature, all is not lost as there are tools of control. Recent > efforts by the Government and development partners to tackle reforms in > e-transaction and e-commerce laws are commendable, but more needs to be > done. > (SOURCE: The Nation) * KENYA GOVT MAY LET VTEL OFF 30% LOCAL STAKE AS IT CONSIDERS RULE CHANGE > > The government of Kenya is considering abolishing the rule that stipulates > that foreign companies investing in the telecommunication sector must > allocate at least 30 per cent shares to nationals. > > It is the government's response to the perennial disputes between local > and foreign investors that have frustrated the conclusion of major > telecommunications projects in the country, especially of late. > > The East African has learnt that the Ministry of Information and > Communication has already drafted a document with proposals for a more > liberal regime for foreign investors. The developments come in the wake of > a major falling out between the shareholders Vtel Holding Ltd - the > company that only recently won the bid for a major telecommunications > licence combining mobile and landline services - that has now plunged what > was regarded as the most promising deal in the telecommunications sector > in recent years into uncertainty. > > V-tel won the highly contested licence, for which it bid an impressive > Ksh12 billion ($169 million) - the single largest foreign direct > investment in Kenya in decades. Well-placed sources told The East African > that the government wants an arrangement where the 30 per cent local > shareholding rule will be made optional, on the understanding that foreign > investors have to sell the 30 per cent stake to the public through an IPO > after a stipulated period. > > Before the Dubai firm won the bid, the licensing of the second national > operator to compete with the lacklustre Telkom Kenya - the country's sole > fixed-line operator - had proved to be a messy affair mired in court cases > leading to several postponements. > > But hopes that the Vtel will hit the ground running seem to be fading > after it turned out that its local partners are unable to raise their > portion of the financial commitment. > In a development that is eerily reminiscent of the woes plaguing Kenya's > third operator Econet Wireless, the dispute between Vtel and its Kenyan > partners seems destined for the courts, where it is likely to take years > to resolve. > > Legal experts who spoke off the record to The East African trace the > origins of the problem to a policy statement made by the government in > 1997. In November of that year, the government published the "postal > telecommunications sector policy statement," spelling out a new structure > for the industry. It was this document that introduced the threshold for > equity participation by local investors in privatised telecommunications > companies. > > Specifically, the document stipulated that "any company licensed to > provide telecommunications services in the liberalised market should have > at least 70 per cent of its equity owned by Kenyans." In subsequent years, > to make the regime more friendly to foreign investors, the rule was > revised to 60 per cent for foreigners and 40 for locals. > > In the year 2002, then Minister for Information and Telecommunications > Musalia Mudavadi published a gazette notice in which he changed the local > equity threshold to 70 per cent for foreign investors and a minimum of 30 > per cent for locals. > > Another condition that has come to affect the process and which Vtel will > have to deal with is the requirement that the shareholding structure of > the winning bid's tender cannot be changed before the licence is issued. > This, say experts, is what has seen the South African-based Econet > Wireless Ltd locked in one case after another. > > Sources tell The East African that Vtel was facing a crisis that emerged > barely a fortnight after it won the tender, when it failed to formally > submit its licence application. > > It is believed that Vtel, a $1 billion holding company registered in the > United Arab Emirates, which serves as the investment arm of the > Palestinian Telecommunications Company (Paltel) in the Middle East, North > Africa and Asia, could easily pay its share of the licence fees, but was > being held back by its local partners. > > Sources say the firm stated as much in a letter to the Communications > Commission of Kenya (CCK) in which it sought an extension of the December > 8, 2006 deadline for formally applying for the licence. > > Subsequently, one of the local partners, Unitel, denied in a press > statement that they were unable to raise their share of the licence fee. > > Unitel's managing director Francis Makanga, insisted that the firm has the > required funds. He said the company's documents were completed on time and > are filed with the CCK and that it will have all financing ready for its > shares by the time the licence fee is to be paid. > > Vtel Holdings, the consortium's bid leader for the second national > operator, had written to the Communications Commission of Kenya notifying > their intention to drop its local partner owing to its inability to meet > its share of financial obligations. > > A profile of Vtel's local partners makes for intriguing reading. They > comprise Kirinyaga Construction, a leading road builder in Kenya > associated with tycoon Ephraim Maina; Unitel, which is said to be owned by > the family of former District Commissioner Ben Makanga; Kusco, the > umbrella body of more than 3,000 co-operatives; and businessman Michael > Kirui, Nairobi lawyer Fred Ngatia and Fairacres Ltd coming in as minority > shareholders. Loita Capital Partners International is the lead transaction > advisor. > > Sources say Vtel, in its letter to the CCK, was seeking the nod to drop > its partners on the grounds that they were facing difficulties coming up > with their share of the licence fees. The firm says it will not be able to > submit its application with Unitel as its partner, raising fears that the > matter could be headed for the courts. > > Econet, has been involved in damaging feud with its local partners, the > Federation of Co-operatives of Kenya and Corporate Africa after the two > failed to raise their share of the licence fees, which saw the matter end > up in court, where it is still stuck. > > Vtel's imminent falling out with its partners has put paid to a > declaration by its Chief Executive Officer Nour Atout that the consortium > will roll out both fixed line and mobile telephony networks at the same > time, making a record of sorts. > > The pledge saw Telkom, Vtel's principal competitor as a national operator, > declare it will also venture into the highly profitable cellphones sector, > drawing immediate protests from its partner Safaricom, the region's most > successful cellular phone company. > (SOURCE: The East African) > > > WEB AND MOBILE DATA NEWS > _____________________________________________________________________ > * KENYAN PUPILS GET SCHOOL RESULTS THROUGH THE INTERNET AND MOBILE PHONES > > For the first time in KCPE history, candidates and their parents yesterday > received details of their results directly on their cellphones and through > the Internet. The results were accessible through the Kenya National > Examination Council (Knec) website www.examscouncil.org.ke or on the > cellphone after sending a prescribed short text message (sms) to 7070. > > Last February, Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education candidates were > able to access their results by logging on to the council website, but > yesterday was the first time the short text message was used to relay > examination results. This year's top candidate David Wamugi got a > breakdown of his results on the sms service. > > His father, James Wamugi, sat for his primary school examination 27 years > ago at Gathathiini primary school in Nyeri. But it took him a day to > receive his results from the school, unlike the instant services his son's > generation is enjoying. Last week, the senior Wamugi told the Nation: "I > didn't know that they had received the breakdown until I saw it on the > mobile phone. "In our days, it took a day to receive the results and then > one had to see the result slip to get a breakdown." > > The website appears to have been inundated with visitors and it often > failed to download the results, unlike the first instance in February this > year when KCSE candidates used it. The public also expressed concern that > strangers could access the results of any candidate whose index number > they held and suggested that a security measure be put in place to protect > the candidates. > > The tradition has been that provincial directors of education attend the > news conference where the Education minister was releasing examinations. > They were then expected to physically transport the results to their > respective offices where their juniors from the districts and head > teachers would collect them. Students in Nairobi would receive their > results the same day while those in other parts of the country would have > to wait for a day or more, depending on how far the school was from > Nairobi. > > > In Mombasa, hundreds of parents jammed cyber cafes trying to know how > their children had performed but left frustrated as the Knec website was > yet to be updated. > Boniface Otieno, who wanted to know how his sister had performed, said: "I > have spent three hours trying to refresh this website but there are no > KCPE results." > (SOURCE: The Nation) . > To see a copy of our new rate card for 2006, e-mail a request to: > (info(a)balancingact-africa.com) Don't get left behind. Be seen and known > through advertising in our e-letter and on our web-site. > ____________________________________________________________________________ > All material printed in Balancing Act's News Update is subject to > copyright. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without the > express permission of the publisher. > ____________________________________________________________________________ > > > > > >

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Kictanets Planning minutes
by Judy kimiti 06 Jan '07

06 Jan '07

Dear Member, We at the secretariate would like to begin by wishing you a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Attached are the minutes and presentation of the last Kictanet meeting on December 21st 2006. Should you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned. Thank you Judy Kimiti KICTANet Tel: 4453671 / 2 Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

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[Fwd: Present from the ITU]
by Michuki Mwangi 03 Jan '07

03 Jan '07

FYI -------- Original Message -------- http://www.dailypayload.com/2006/1221.html ITU to Distribute Standards Free of Charge December 21, 2006 Many people in the telecommunication industry have pressed for the ITU to make its standards documents available free of charge. Well, the long wait is over. Starting January 2, 2007 the ITU will make its standards documents available to the public free of charge. The same kind of change in policy took place at ETSI several years ago. Reportedly, making its standards available for free did not have a negative impact on ETSI's bottom line. Rather, the free standards helped to drive participation in the standards-making body, thus compensating for any loss in revenue.This move came after a very long trial wherein the ITU allowed a person to register an e-mail address and download three documents free. This trial demonstrated conclusively that there was a strong desire to receive standards at no cost. Since the ITU publishes some documents jointly with ISO, special consideration will be given to those "common" texts, since ISO still charges for its standards and is apparently heavily dependent on the revenue from the sales of its standards. For such "common" texts for which ISO charges a fee, the ITU will not release documents free of charge until they are at least one year old. Documents will be made available in PDF format, downloadable directly from the ITU web site. _______________________________________________ Ietf mailing list Ietf(a)ietf.org https://www1.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/ietf

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Fw: KICTANET CLOSING DATES
by Judy kimiti 21 Dec '06

21 Dec '06

Dear Members, Please Note Opening Date will be Monday 8th January 2007 and not Thursday as earlier indicated. Thank you and have Merry Christmas. Judy Kimiti ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Judy kimiti <jkimiti01(a)yahoo.co.uk> To: kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke Sent: Thursday, 21 December, 2006 10:14:32 AM Subject: KICTANET CLOSING DATES Dear members, partners, colleagues and friends Greetings. Please note that the KICTANet secretariat will be closed for the christmas holidays from Thursday 21st, 2006 to Thursday 8th, January 2007. We thank you all for your support this year and look foward to continued collaboration in the years to come. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a fabulous 2007. Best wishes Alice Munyua Evelyne Majale Judy Kimiti Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com ___________________________________________________________ All New Yahoo! Mail – Tired of Vi@gr@! come-ons? Let our SpamGuard protect you. http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html

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KICTANET CLOSING DATES
by Judy kimiti 21 Dec '06

21 Dec '06

Dear members, partners, colleagues and friends Greetings. Please note that the KICTANet secretariat will be closed for the christmas holidays from Thursday 21st, 2006 to Thursday 8th, January 2007. We thank you all for your support this year and look foward to continued collaboration in the years to come. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a fabulous 2007. Best wishes Alice Munyua Evelyne Majale Judy Kimiti Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

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Brain drain is a myth so don�t shed tears for it
by Wainaina Mungai 19 Dec '06

19 Dec '06

Brain drain is a myth so dont shed tears for it By Angeyo Kalambuka ( SOURCE: http://www.eastandard.net ) It has become fashionable to lament the brain drain. On the surface, the loss of professionals to the West or other progressive countries looks gloomy. In academic and research circles, there is a concerted raid by overseas groups on our scientific talent. There is an overall feeling of gloom and despair in medicine and engineering about our ability to recruit and retain talented professionals. But the brain drain concept is misleading if not plain wrong. It is a myth. It is bogus to debate it in modern times. Some economists have even calculated how many billions Africa has lost and the West gained from brain drain. That if it costs $5,000 (Sh350,000) to train an engineer in Africa and $100,000 (Sh7 million) in America, there is a drain of $95,000 (Sh6.65 million) when an engineer moves from Africa to the US. This logic makes no sense. First, it assumes that the true value of goods or services is the cost of producing it in the importing country, not the exporting country. The West supplies aeroplanes and weapons that we do not make. So, does it make sense to say there is a huge aeroplane and weapons drain from the West to Africa? Does it matter if highly skilled Africans leave? The genuine answer is No. There is no reason for anyone to agonise over the loss of our best and brightest. There is probably more brain drain from Europe to America, and from elsewhere to Africa, than there is from Africa to the rest of the world combined. But Europeans and Americans are not anxious because they know that economics usually prevails over protectionist sentiments. I celebrate the success of a Kenyan engineer in the Silicon Valley. The global labour market and entrepreneurial capital is just as competitive as any other business. Most talented people go where there is opportunity for growth, meritocracy, peaceful life, order in political and public life and a reasonable chance of prosperity. Even conservative societies such as Japan and Germany have acknowledged the need for qualified foreign work force, and they issue thousands of green cards. It is easy to note that skilled talent is the scarcest commodity in the world and competition for it is stiff. Realism should be the crying need. We are not desperate for quality work force and entrepreneurial talent. Why do we agonise losing our best and at the same time passionately pretend to believe in free trade? Why should we demur when it comes to globalisation of labour? Western experts have provided technology to Africa for generations. Does it follow, therefore, that there is an infinitely large technology drain from abroad to Africa? When a foreign technical expert comes to Kenya, we pay for his services. But when an African doctor migrates to the West, Africa gets no payment. Is that a drain? It is not because huge flows of brainpower in the reverse direction are free too. The overwhelming bulk of brainpower used in our universities is from research done in the West. No Kenyan pays for Albert Einstens knowledge or the huge flow of knowledge in scientific journals. Let us concede that much of the flow of free knowledge is from the rich to poor countries. Yes, we lose brainpower in form of engineers and academics among others. And, yes, we enjoy a huge import of free brainpower in a multitude of forms. But on balance, we get far more than we supply. We should stop being fixated with the brain drain for there are flows of global brainpower, ideas and creativity. The biggest flow is of brainpower in goods and services made with the latest technology. On balance, such technology constitutes a massive net flow of brainpower from rich to poor countries. The reverse in the so-called brain drain is tiny compared to the huge flow of goods and services. Most research development and academic is done in rich countries. Research budgets in the West for producing entertainment, books and other products are huge. Much of it results in not just superior, but also cheaper goods. The low cost of production reflects enormous brainpower that went into cost reduction. Innovation in technology is extremely expensive. To progress, rich countries spend enormous resources on research and development. But poor and extremely disorganized countries such as Kenya leapfrog from traditional, craft technology to modern technologies quickly and at little cost, with little research effort of their own. This gives us a huge advantage: Catching up with technology leaders is easier and faster than developing it. Rapid catch up possibilities have enabled developing countries to grow much faster than rich ones. China or the South-East Asian tigers now register eight to 10 per cent economic growth for using Western technical and managerial input. But the main sources of innovation, including the US, cannot average more than three per cent annual growth. We ought to also bear in mind that not only are our best and brightest going overseas, but the mediocre and the average, too, and earn money in low skill jobs such as sales, building and cleaning. Further, the majority of the so-called talented Africans who go to the West do not engage in any work that requires the best of their brains per se. Finally, the brain drain we waste locally constitutes a far bigger loss than we are ready to admit. Africa gets a net inflow of brainpower. The question is whether our gain would be greater if we did not lose many skilled people to the West. It is a difficult one to answer. --- The writer is a lecturer at the University of Nairobi ---

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Fw: [AU-Monitor] Fahamu conference on mobile technology
by alice＠apc.org 19 Dec '06

19 Dec '06

----- Original Message ----- From: "Binaifer Nowrojee" <bnowrojee(a)osiea.org> To: "Kevin Ombajo" <kombajo(a)yahoo.com>; "A. Wanjira Munyua" <alice(a)apc.org> Cc: "Juliana Osodo" <josodo(a)osiea.org>; "Mugambi Kiai" <mkiai(a)osiea.org> Sent: Monday, December 18, 2006 10:54 PM Subject: FW: [AU-Monitor] Fahamu conference on mobile technology FYI -----Original Message----- From: au-monitor-bounces(a)fahamu.org [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Patrick Burnett Sent: Monday, December 11, 2006 8:57 AM To: au-monitor(a)fahamu.org Subject: [AU-Monitor] Fahamu conference on mobile technology Dear All, I thought you might be interested in this workshop/conference that Fahamu is developing on the use of mobile technology in Africa. Please let us know if you are interested, feel free to pass the information on to your networks and do let us know if you know of any interesting mobile technology initiatives in your country or region. Please reply to fahamumobile(a)gmail.com and not to the list. Best, Patrick Patrick Burnett Contributing Editor Fahamu www.fahamu.org >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Pambazuka News www.pambazuka.org >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Mobile phones for social justice: Calls for expressions of interest Fahamu www.fahamu.org Mobile phone technologies have taken Africa by storm. The technology has raised new possibilities for activism by human rights and social justice organisations and for service delivery in fields such as health care, banking and agricultural information. In 2007, Fahamu and Tactical Tech will hold a conference in Nairobi, Kenya, that will aim to enable those using mobile phone technologies in activism or service delivery work to exchange their experiences of using the technology in the African context and plan strategies to support their work. The conference will explore areas related to the use of mobile technology in the African context, future trends, best practice and available tools and resources. The conference will establish an African regional network of those who use mobile phone technologies and facilitate an ongoing support network. The meeting will also lead to the development of a toolkit on mobile phones put together by an international team of practitioners with relevant expertise. As part of the development of this initiative, Fahamu is conducting research to consult widely and involve as many interested parties as possible in the network and 2007 conference. Fahamu would like to hear from you if you have: - Used, are currently using, or planning to use, mobile phone technology in human rights and social justice work in Africa; - Used or are currently using mobile phones in service delivery work in Africa; - Developed or are in the process of developing technologies related to mobile phones; - Plan to use mobile phone technologies in the future in Africa. Interested individuals and organisations are asked to send an expression of interest not longer than one page to fahamumobile(a)gmail.com with the following information: - Name of organisation or individual - Contact Details - Country - Nature of past, existing or planned work involving mobile technology, including a description of the project, the problem it sought to address and its successes or failures. Alternatively, we would welcome seeing any reports you may have produced (any such information will be treated confidentially if that is your preference). If you would like to discuss this on the phone (preferably using something like Skype) please let us know. It is envisaged that the conference will be held in May 2007. Funds will be available for travel, accommodation and limited expenses of invited participants. Further information about Fahamu can be found at www.fahamu.org and www.pambazuka.org _______________________________________________ Au-monitor mailing list Au-monitor(a)fahamu.org http://lists.fahamu.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/au-monitor African Union Monitor list managed by Fahamu - Networks for Social Justice (http://www.fahamu.org) Subscribe to Pambazuka News (http://www.pambazuka.org)

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