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Evaluating Digital Citizen Engagement
by Grace Githaiga 25 Mar '16

25 Mar '16

Listers Happy Easter. This publication may be of interest to some of you. A regular complaint among practitioners and academics alike is that we do not really know how effective technology interventions have actually been. All too often high quality monitoring and evaluation are ignored, underfunded, or left as an afterthought. Moreover, even when it takes place, the design of evaluation activities often means that they are more expressions of wishful thinking, rather than rigorous reviews of why different elements of a program might have been successful or not. Three particular problems are pertinent with evaluating Digital Citizen Engagement: first, actually identifying the extent to which it is the technology, rather than anything else, that has had the impact; second, the use of generalised ‘official’ statistics, be they from governments or operators, which may not sufficiently differentiate between ownership of a device, and actual usage thereof; and third, getting the balance right between expected and unexpected outcomes. Digital engagement need not always be a positive outcome! Professor Tim Unwin https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/23752/deef-book.…

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Opportunity - Help Advance Tech in Africa
by Grace Githaiga 24 Mar '16

24 Mar '16

Hello Team,MEST made to major announcements today. I trust there competent hands here to join the team to steer and help develop African tech further. - General Manager Positions for its Nairobi and Lagos Incubators- Trainee application slots for South Africans in its one-year training program in Accra. (Also open to applicants from Ghana, Nigeria & Kenya) Please find more info below; If you have any questions, don't hesitate to send them my way. Regards. MEST Training Program Now Recruiting in South Africa; Hiring Incubator GMs in Lagos and Nairobi for Summer Launch ACCRA, GHANA—March 21, 2016—Adding to its current cohorts from Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya, the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) continues its expansion across the African continent, announcing recruitment of Entrepreneurs-In-Training (EITs) in South Africa, for the first time in the school’s history. We are now accepting applications from South Africans, Ghanaians, Kenyans and Nigerians who wish to spend a year at MEST in Accra to take part in our intensive training program and launch their own software company, with potential for seed investment opportunities. Applications close May 20, 2016. Training Program: Admitted applicants receive a full scholarship to a one-year entrepreneurial training program that blends an MBA-type education with hands-on training in software development. During the program, students form into teams, develop a product, write business plans, and craft their investor pitches. The strongest and most promising concepts receive between $50,000 to $250,000 USD in equity investment, to support the launch of these new businesses.Incubator: Teams that receive investment then start their journey at the MEST Incubator, where they receive continued hands-on support as they launch and grow their businesses. To date, the MEST Incubator has invested in over 25 companies and backed more than 75 co-founders. These companies have developed solutions addressing global markets, created jobs and wealth locally, received outside follow-on funding from global investors, and have gained admittance to top accelerator programs such as 500 Startups and TechStars.With expansion into South Africa, this will mark the fourth country in Africa where MEST has a foothold in the African tech ecosystem.“2014 was the first year that MEST recruited outside of Ghana, due to our sponsorship from Interswitch in Nigeria,” says Katie Sarro, Managing Director, MEST. “We’ve found the diversification of students in Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria exponentially increase the business ideas that come from the training program. With the addition of South Africa, we look forward to fostering even more talent.”Selected Entrepreneurs-in-Training (EITs) will receive:A year-long, fully sponsored training program in Accra starting September 2016Hands on training in software development and entrepreneurshipPotential for seed funding at the end of the programHousing, monthly stipend, tuition and meals covered by MEST during the one-year training program Apply online as an entrepreneur here. Incubator NetworkMEST will also be expanding the reach of its incubator program, with new incubators launching in Lagos and Nairobi set to launch this summer--and next year, in Cape Town and Johannesburg. “The scope and resources of our Pan-African incubator network is a unique value prop and one of a kind on the continent,” says Jorn Lyseggen, founder of MEST. “Our entrepreneurs will now have the ability to launch startups in their home countries, after completing the one year training program in Ghana, while also allowing our current portfolio companies to more easily access new markets.”MEST plans to have strategic corporate partners in each market, who assist, support and promote our program entry into new cities. This expansion enables a clear network effect amongst MEST’s points of presence and helps empower MEST portfolio companies to reach broader audiences of potential consumers, clients and partners. With the opening of Lagos and Nairobi incubators this summer, MEST is now accepting applications for General Manager positions in each location. Apply online here. Edward Amartey-Tagoe-Skype : ttaaggooee Twitter : @ttaaggooeeBlog : EdwardTagoe.comMobile : +233244709575gh.linkedin.com/in/edwardtagoe/ -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "GDG Ghana" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to ghana-gtug+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. _______________________________________________

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Fwd: RANSOMWARE BY NAME LOCKY.
by Gideon 24 Mar '16

24 Mar '16

Listers, I'm not sure if you have heard of this ransom-ware called 'Locky'. I'm forwarding this email FYI, its important not to open any attachments with executable files especially if they are unsolicited emails. Locky is the worst because the only way out if you don't have backups stored elsewhere you are forced to pay a ransom. http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/locky-ransomware-aggressive-hunt-vict… Regards Rop ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Wisdom Donkor <wisdom.dk(a)gmail.com> Date: Thu, Mar 24, 2016 at 11:52 AM Subject: [governance] RANSOMWARE BY NAME LOCKY. Dear All, Yesterday at 2:38pm an employee in one of the organisation in Ghana was attacked by ransomware by name locky, this ransomware was sent in an email with an attachment , the attachment contained an ms-word document with a malicious macro, the locky program was activated when the user clicked "enable editing " after the document was opened, this macro begun an encryption process using a RSA-2048 and AES-128 algorithm, the encryption process targeted the following file extensions *.docx;*.pdf;*.pptx;*.xlsx;*.doc Yesterday Three US hospitals were hit by "locky" as well,The IT systems of Kentucky Methodist Hospital and Chino Valley Medical Center and Desert Valley Hospital, California, were infected with this ransomware, The files cannot be recovered unless the victim has an offline backup to recover from or pays a ransom with bitcoins via the darkweb,the attackers promise to send the private key in a compiled program to decrypt the victim's files after they receive payment. System restore cannot restore files just settings so it will not help in this case. Third-party recovery software cannot recover the encrypted files because the files are not considered as deleted. The previous ransomware by name "cryptolocker" did not rename the files it encrypted so it was possible to recover your files by using the windows "previous version" feature, however "locky" renames all the files it encrypts so that windows cannot index the file's shadow copies to recover them. CERT-GHANA recommends that all users open email attachments with caution especially executable files. Cheers, *WISDOM DONKOR (S/N Eng.)* ICANN Fellow / ISOC Member, IGF Member, Diplo Foundation OGP Working Group Member, Africa OD Working Group Member E-government and Open Government Data Platforms Specialist National Information Technology Agency (NITA) Ghana Open Data Initiative (GODI) Post Office Box CT. 2439, Cantonments, Accra, Ghana Tel; +233 20 812881 Email: wisdom_dk(a)hotmail.com wisdom.donkor(a)data.gov.gh wisdom.dk(a)gmail.com Skype: wisdom_dk facebook: facebook@wisdom_dk Website: www.nita.gov.gh / www.data.gov.gh www.isoc.gh / www.itag.org.gh ____________________________________________________________ You received this message as a subscriber on the list: governance(a)lists.igcaucus.org To be removed from the list, visit: http://www.igcaucus.org/unsubscribing For all other list information and functions, see: http://lists.igcaucus.org/info/governance To edit your profile and to find the IGC's charter, see: http://www.igcaucus.org/ Translate this email: http://translate.google.com/translate_t

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Wikipedia/Facebook Zero in Angola
by Phares Kariuki 23 Mar '16

23 Mar '16

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/wikipedia-zero-facebook-free-basics-angola… Simply make the internet cheaper for all, that's the intervention that will work in the longer term. -- Warm Regards, Phares Kariuki *E*: pkariuki(a)gmail.com | *Twitter*: kaboro |

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Fwd: [Internet Policy] Blogpost: A4AI: Who Could Oppose a More Affordable Internet? The Alliance for an Affordable Internet (A4AI) and the Neo-liberal Stealth Campaign to Control the Internet Throughout the Developing World
by Barrack Otieno 23 Mar '16

23 Mar '16

Listers, Might be of interest to some of you. Regards ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Michael Gurstein <gurstein(a)gmail.com> Date: Sun, 20 Mar 2016 14:35:12 -0700 Subject: [Internet Policy] Blogpost: A4AI: Who Could Oppose a More Affordable Internet? The Alliance for an Affordable Internet (A4AI) and the Neo-liberal Stealth Campaign to Control the Internet Throughout the Developing World To: Internet Policy External <internetpolicy(a)elists.isoc.org> <https://gurstein.wordpress.com/2016/03/20/a4ai-who-could-oppose-a-more-affo rdable-internet-the-alliance-for-an-affordable-internet-a4ai-and-the-neo-lib eral-stealth-campaign-to-control-the-internet-throughout-the-developing-worl d-and-make/> A4AI: Who Could Oppose a More Affordable Internet? The Alliance for an Affordable Internet (A4AI) and the Neo-liberal Stealth Campaign to Control the Internet Throughout the Developing World and Make Big Bucks for the Private Sector While Doing So Given the apparent intense interest on this list in the A4AI this blogpost which looks to identify some of the underlying realities of the Initiative might be of interest to some. M -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno

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Some updates from Connected Summit 2016
by Walubengo J 23 Mar '16

23 Mar '16

In case you missed this.. WALUBENGO: Laptops, 4G, privacy – nothing’s off limits at | | | | | | | | | | | WALUBENGO: Laptops, 4G, privacy – nothing’s off limits at The clear message was that government doesn’t always have all the answers. | | | | -walu

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RELEVANCE, RATIONALE AND TANGIBLE OUTCOMES OF ICT SUMMIT?
by Nanjira Sambuli 23 Mar '16

23 Mar '16

James, very valid points. We shared some of our work around ICTs and Governance, including key recommendations, recapitulated below. In previous years, I recall seeing calls for papers, I may have missed this year’s, but ICTA did seek out industry insights on this forum. I therefore co-ask the very questions you have, and underline what you’ve said. iHub Research conducted a study in 2014, assessing how ICTs facilitate/hinder two-way interaction between citizens and governments in four key areas: access to information, tracking corruption, monitoring/accessing government service delivery, and citizen participation. The study was carried out in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. In Kenya, we looked at Nairobi and Nakuru (where infrastructure to support access to eGovernment services exists to some extent), and very interesting insights emerged. A one page summary on the study?s findings and recommendations is accessible here <http://www.ihub.co.ke/ict4gov>. The full report can be downloaded here <http://www.ihub.co.ke/downloads/ict_4_gov_report.pdf>; the report is in an easy-to-read format, highlighting citizen?s voices and anecdotes on their interactions with ICTs). Key points: 1. SMS and radio are still king! To disseminate information, raise awareness to many, and especially in rural areas, those two mechanisms remain the most effective. And, as Grace pointed out, if SMS queries can be sent at no cost to users, then many citizens are likely to leverage them. Recommendation: Non-Internet based ICTs used in governance such as mobile phones and radios need to be integrated more in ICT and governance initiatives since they are the most widely used and most accessible. 2. User experience on government websites: "Citizens only visit governance-related sites that are a priority for their needs at a specific time, and even then, they reported that the websites are clunky and ugly. User experience is not a key factor in the creation of these websites. ? The iTax platform and KRA website were a common reference on this. Recommendation: embrace user experience considerations <http://www.ihub.co.ke/uxlab <http://www.ihub.co.ke/uxlab>> before deploying or upgrading ICT tools. 3. Design- reality gap: "citizen consultations do not seem to inform the creation or prioritization of eGovernment efforts.? Recommendation: The design of ICT initiatives in governance that are meant to facilitate two-way interaction between citizens and government should include the input of citizens who are intended to use them. 4. A major hurdle faced in the deployment and use of ICT tools in governance is a lack of trust in the government, as well as apathy among citizens that is brought about by perceived government failure to respond to complaints or issues raised along various governance lines. As one FGD participant put it: ?If my going to the office, physical presence, does not inspire the [government] official to act on a problem, how will communication using their websites or Facebook be different?? Recommendation: eGovernment services need to activate interaction and feedback mechanisms, including transparent response mechanisms to queries raised or complaints. (Government officials indicated that resources to facilitate this are often lacking). 5. Lack of involvement of citizens (who are the primary target/end users of most of the ICT tools for governance) in the development of ICTs for governance leads to poor prioritization of the citizens? needs. Awareness creation about the existence of these tools, why and how they should be used is not done by the implementers of the tools. We hope that the study?s findings and recommendations prove useful. > On 23 Mar 2016, at 10:20, kictanet-request(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke wrote: > > RELEVANCE, RATIONALE AND TANGIBLE OUTCOMES OF ICT > SUMMIT? Regards, Nanjira Sambuli Research Lead iHub <http://www.ihub.co.ke/> | Research <http://www.ihub.co.ke/research> | UXLab <http://www.ihub.co.ke/uxlab> | Consulting <http://www.ihub.co.ke/consulting> Mobile: +254722481566 Skype: nanjirasambuli | Twitter: @NiNanjira

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RELEVANCE, RATIONALE AND TANGIBLE OUTCOMES OF ICT SUMMIT?
by James Mbugua 23 Mar '16

23 Mar '16

Listers, It has been several years since this Connected Summit began in this country and at quite a handsome cost. This year. if it was not for Walubengo's article in the Daily Nation, I did not even know it was ongoing. Which brings me to a number of questions regarding this Summit: 1. This many years later, what tangible outcomes or visible achievements can be attributed to this Summit? What for instance were last year's resolutions and how have they been met going into this year's edition? 2. This Summit is always held in Diani. Initially, it may have made sense to get top government and IT industry execs away together but with rapport having been established and communication channels established, what is the continued rationale for having this conference at an exclusive tourist destination cutting off access to many of our young ICT entrepreneurs who could benefit from it? Shouldn't this Summit be held in Nairobi where we find all the major ICT companies, ICT incubation hubs, Universities and techpreneurs? Slides and sunshine on the beach maketh not a tech nation! 3. What academic papers, journal contributions or published inventions/innovations have come out of this Summit? Can we begin to see more focused, academic/research breakthroughs being tabled at the conference and not just baseline projections of where we are? How are the dominant topics of the day being handled at this Summit by our best tech brains? The Bitcoin saga in Kenya? Where is the CBK governor and the Bitpesa proponents to give their respective views? The issue of Safaricom's National Police Network....where are the respective government and private sector parties to also give their views? IFMIS and NYS funds scandal? Where are the tech papers to advise on how public funds can best be safeguarded within government information systems? Digital migration and digital dividends? What has been the impact on the broadcast sector one year later? These and many more I believe would help contribute to the debate in this vibrant sector. Let us consider making this conference both accessible to the masses and also a forum for debating the major topical issues of the day affecting the country and involving technology. Regards, JG On Wed, Mar 23, 2016 at 8:24 AM, Walubengo J via kictanet < kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: > In case you missed this.. > > WALUBENGO: Laptops, 4G, privacy – nothing’s off limits at > <http://t.sidekickopen50.com/e1t/c/5/f18dQhb0S7lC8dDMPbW2n0x6l2B9nMJW7t5XZs1…> > > WALUBENGO: Laptops, 4G, privacy – nothing’s off limits at > The clear message was that government doesn’t always have all the answers. > > <http://t.sidekickopen50.com/e1t/c/5/f18dQhb0S7lC8dDMPbW2n0x6l2B9nMJW7t5XZs1…> > > -walu > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jgmbugua%40gmail.com > > The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform > for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and > regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT > sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. > > KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors > online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, > share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do > not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. >

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Fwd: [Internet Policy] Is ICANN's oversight really moving away from the US government?
by Barrack Otieno 23 Mar '16

23 Mar '16

Listers, This might be of interest to some. Regards ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: parminder <parminder(a)itforchange.net> Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2016 10:32:49 +0530 Subject: [Internet Policy] Is ICANN's oversight really moving away from the US government? To: "internetpolicy(a)elists.isoc.org" <internetpolicy(a)elists.isoc.org> My take on the ICANN oversight transition is here as an op-ed in The Hindu 'Why the Internet is not just free yet" http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/why-the-internet-isnt-just-free-yet/a… Happy to discuss. parminder -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254733206359 Skype: barrack.otieno

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Facebook seeking Africa Connectivity Deployments Lead, Location Flexible
by Ebele Okobi 23 Mar '16

23 Mar '16

All- The connectivity team is looking for someone to lead on connectivity deployments across Africa. It’s my understanding that there is flexibility in location. This isn’t my team, but if you know someone excellent, please have them apply, and they can also send their CV to me so that I can flag to the hiring manager. Best, Ebele https://www.facebook.com/careers/jobs/a0I1200000IA5K7EAL/?q=internet.org&lo… [Description: Description: Description: cid:[email protected]] Ebele Okobi | Head of Public Policy, Africa m. +44 (0) 771 156 1315 2 Stephen St | London | W1T 1AN ebeleokobi(a)fb.com

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