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Re: [Kictanet] Nationmedia.com News: Kibaki launches vision for growth
by Eric Osiakwan 02 Nov '06

02 Nov '06

Take what they have written and nicely insert as much ICT as possible both as an enabler of other sectors and a sector by itself then submit to them based on consensus from KICTANET as contribution from the multi-stakeholder community. Eric here ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: <alice(a)apc.org> Reply-To: Kenya ICT Policy - kictanet <kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke> Date: Wed, 1 Nov 2006 09:48:21 +0300 >It is such a pity that the fastest moving sector has not been given the >attention and prominence it deserves, what with Safaricom's and other's >contribution to the economy! Anyway we have been accused of moaning! > >The draft vision was created by NESC, and from what I see the ICT "sector" >cuts across the 3 main pillars Economic, social and political they have >presented.They have outlined the project's approach which will take three >phases, I see an immediate entry point for ICTs during phase one where they >will "identify priority sectors with possibilities of quick wins" > >Perhaps KICTAnet could work with the IC master plan team to ensure that >links between the IC plan and the 2030 vision are created in all phases. >Important to identify priority sectors with possibilities of quick wins. > >Important to identify priority sectors with possibilities of quick wins. > > >best >alice > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Nation Media" <news(a)nationmedia.com> >To: <alice(a)apc.org> >Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2006 9:22 PM >Subject: [Kictanet] Nationmedia.com News: Kibaki launches vision for growth > > >> >> eadera(a)idrc.or.ke has sent you this article from >> Nationmedia.com with this message: >> Colleagues, It is TRAGIC! that vision 2030 has not >> given prominence to the role of ICTs as an enabler - it's not highlighted >> in the article, maybe in the document itself?. Who's working on the >> strategy to deliver this vision? and what role can we play as KICTANET to >> change this? This is a challenge I throw to all of us! We must do >> something! The countries mentioned in this article have been fundamentally >> transformed by ICTs. your views on practical steps we can take to ensure >> ICTs are well integrated in the strategy? Edith >> Kibaki launches vision for growth >> Published: 10/31/2006 >> By: MUGO NJERU >> >> -------------------------------------------------------- >> >> President Kibaki yesterday launched an >> ambitious economic programme aimed at transforming Kenya into an economic >> powerhouse with a sustainable growth rate of 10 per cent by 2030. >> >> The President told leaders to keep politics >> out of the project dubbed Kenya Vision 2030. >> >> >> President Kibaki greets Nation CEO Wilfred >> Kiboro and other members of the National Economic and Social Council >> yesterday before officially launching Vision 2030 at KICC in Nairobi. The >> vision is expected to transform Kenya into a prosperous nation. >> Photo/William Oeri. >> >> >> He said: "Vision 2030 goes beyond any single >> government, party, political persuasion or religion. It is a call to all >> Kenyans to make it possible for us to wipe out from our land absolute >> poverty, famine, mass unemployment and preventable deaths from malaria and >> water-borne diseases." >> >> Although President Kibaki said he was >> optimistic that the development goal would be achieved, it will depend on >> how the country manages its affairs in the next five years. >> >> High quality of life >> >> "Under Vision 2030, we see ourselves becoming >> a middle-income, prosperous country, providing a high quality of life for >> all our people," the President said at the launch of the initiative at the >> Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi. >> >> To realise the goal, he said Kenyans must >> build on the competitive advantages in key sectors of the economy to >> expand the country's share of the global market. >> >> Besides the 10 per cent growth over 25 years, >> another pillar of the programme will be building a just and cohesive >> society with equitable social development and a clean and secure >> environment. >> >> The initiative also aims at building a >> democratic political system that nurtures issue-based politics, the rule >> of law and protects the rights and freedoms of every individual and >> society. >> >> Several leaders at the meeting described the >> vision as noble and said it should be supported by all Kenyans. ODM Kenya >> secretary-general Anyang Nyong'o said the vision was good but its success >> would depend on the goodwill of successive governments. "The Government >> and the opposition are united on this vision," he said. >> >> Finance minister Amos Kimunya said its >> success depended on people working together as one nation. >> >> He and other speakers said it was possible to >> propel the country to the levels of economies like Malaysia, Singapore, >> Indonesia, Chile and South Korea, most of which which were in the same >> economic footing with Kenya in the 1970s. >> >> Trade and Industry minister Mukhisa Kituyi >> said the vision is achievable if it is not held hostage by any government >> and if it receives support from the media and the private sector. >> >> President Kibaki said for the country to >> realise the success of the vision, it was important to put in place a >> clear strategy detailing what needed to be achieved for each of the >> pillars of the programme for the next five years. >> >> He said that over the years, coffee >> production has been declining from over 120,000 tons a year to less than >> 50,000 this year, which had a devastating effect on farmers' incomes and >> employment opportunities. >> >> "We need to make sure that under Vision 2030, >> the strategies that will be developed will not repeat the mistakes of the >> past and avoid imposing a costly burden on the people of this country," he >> said. >> >> On manufacturing, the President said the >> sector had barely grown in the last 20 years. "The textile industry which >> was very vibrant in 1970s and 1980s has virtually been wiped out while the >> EPZ-based enterprises are experiencing serious competition in the global >> market," he said. >> >> Leather and other livestock-related >> industries have also not made significant breakthroughs in the global >> market although these are sectors in which Kenya could have competitive >> advantage and growth if the right strategies and policies were applied. >> >> "I challenge the experts who are developing >> the strategies to pay special attention to these sectors for the next five >> years, because they have the greatest potential for delivering widely >> shared economic and social benefits for the Kenyan people," President >> Kibaki said. >> >> On tourism, he noted that although the number >> of tourists visiting Kenya had increased over the last few years, income >> from the sector was far below that of small European countries, the >> Caribbean and North Africa. >> >> With proper planning and investment, the >> country should be able to attract and accommodate five million tourists by >> 2012, the President said. >> >> He said the economic performance of any >> country was closely tied to the application of science and technology and >> that was why the country was investing considerably in higher education >> and research institutions. >> >> The vision strategy, he said, should be >> geared towards enhancing Kenya's scientific and technological capacity, >> promoting a scientific culture and integrating science and technology into >> the production and service sectors. >> >> There was also need to expand, upgrade and >> sustain health facilities while ensuring that they remain accessible and >> affordable to all Kenyans. >> >> President Kibaki said rapid urban population >> growth had resulted in serious unemployment, growing slums and an increase >> of hawkers. It was also causing a severe strain on the provision of >> services such as maintenance of law and order, water supply, sewerage and >> sanitation, education and health facilities. >> >> The President said: "Effective planning of >> and ability to enforce compliance for the proper administration of our >> cities and major towns requires to be accorded high priority in the >> strategies that will be developed to meet the challenges of urbanisation." >> >> He directed that measures to wipe out slums >> and replace them with well-planned, low-cost houses in all major towns be >> implemented without delay. >> >> >> >> >> >> -------------------------------------------------------- >> >> >> to view this article on the web click here >> >> -------------------------------------------------------- >> >> Are you receiving daily news headlines from the >> Daily Nation? Sign up today and receive headlines andweekly articles from >> your favorite magazine delivered to your email inbox. >> >> To sign up: Registered users click here New >> members click here. >> >> Interested in advertising in our emails? Contact >> internetsales(a)nation.co.ke or read about our advertising opportunities >> herehttp://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/advertise.asp >> >> >> >> >> -------------------------------------------------------- >> >> You have received this email because someone >> thought you might be interested in our article. Please be assured that we >> have not saved your email address for any purpose. To read our Privacy >> Policyclick here >> >> >> >> Nation Media Group all rights reserved 2004 >> Website: www.nationmedia.com >> For querries or info: comments(a)nation.co.ke >> >> >> >> >> >> >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- >> > > >----------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- > > >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke >> http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> Please unsubscribe or change your options at >> http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/alice%40apc.org > > >_______________________________________________ >kictanet mailing list >kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke >http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > >Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/ kictanet/eric%40afrispa.org > -- Eric M.K Osiakwan Executive Secretary AfrISPA (www.afrispa.org) Tel: + 233.21.258800 Fax: + 233.21.258811 Cell: + 233.244.386792 Handle: eosiakwan Snail Mail: Pmb 208, Accra-North Office: BusyInternet - 42 Ring Road Central, Accra-North Blog: http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/eric/ Slang: "Tomorrow Now" --

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Test 4 - List VRFY
by Odhiambo WASHINGTON 01 Nov '06

01 Nov '06

Test 4 for the list!! Please keep on ignoring me, pls ;) cheers - wash +----------------------------------+-----------------------------------------+ Odhiambo Washington . WANANCHI ONLINE LTD (Nairobi, KE) | wash () WANANCHI ! com . 1ere Etage, Loita Hse, Loita St., | GSM: (+254) 722 743 223 . # 10286, 00100 NAIROBI | GSM: (+254) 733 744 121 . (+254) 020 313 985 - 9 | +---------------------------------+------------------------------------------+ "Oh My God! They killed init! You Bastards!" --from a /. post

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LIST VERIFICATIOBN TEST 3
by Odhiambo WASHINGTON 01 Nov '06

01 Nov '06

VRFY Test 3. cheers - wash +----------------------------------+-----------------------------------------+ Odhiambo Washington . WANANCHI ONLINE LTD (Nairobi, KE) | wash () WANANCHI ! com . 1ere Etage, Loita Hse, Loita St., | GSM: (+254) 722 743 223 . # 10286, 00100 NAIROBI | GSM: (+254) 733 744 121 . (+254) 020 313 985 - 9 | +---------------------------------+------------------------------------------+ "Oh My God! They killed init! You Bastards!" --from a /. post

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FLOSS, peer production, new models, innovation... a voice at the IGF
by alice＠apc.org 01 Nov '06

01 Nov '06

Piracy creates jobs, but [Free Software and] Open Source and Open Standards create opportunity, create entrepreneurs. And I think that's the challenge for the IGF as well, how to look at it is a public interest forum, the Internet is a public space, and how can we facilitate maximum sharing, maximum creativity, peer production, new models, innovation. --Anriette Esterhuysen, at the Internet Governance Forum, Athens, November 1, 2006 http://www.intgovforum.org/IGF-Panel2-311006am.txt

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List Verification Test 2
by Odhiambo WASHINGTON 01 Nov '06

01 Nov '06

List Verification test!!! cheers - wash +----------------------------------+-----------------------------------------+ Odhiambo Washington . WANANCHI ONLINE LTD (Nairobi, KE) | wash () WANANCHI ! com . 1ere Etage, Loita Hse, Loita St., | GSM: (+254) 722 743 223 . # 10286, 00100 NAIROBI | GSM: (+254) 733 744 121 . (+254) 020 313 985 - 9 | +---------------------------------+------------------------------------------+ "Oh My God! They killed init! You Bastards!" --from a /. post

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Fwd: Re: [Kictanet] Nationmedia.com News: Kibaki launches vision for growth
by evelyne ofwona 01 Nov '06

01 Nov '06

alice(a)apc.org wrote: From: <alice(a)apc.org> To: <evelyneofwona(a)yahoo.com> CC: "Odhiambo_Washington" <wash(a)wananchi.com>, "Judy kimiti" <jkimiti01(a)yahoo.co.uk> Subject: Re: [Kictanet] Nationmedia.com News: Kibaki launches vision for growth Date: Wed, 1 Nov 2006 11:16:51 +0300 Peaese forward this to the list for me. As I had mentioned none of my posts are going through.......:( ------------------------------------------------- It is such a pity that the fastest moving sector has not been given the attention and prominence it deserves, what with Safaricom's and other's contribution to the economy! Anyway we have been accused of moaning! The draft vision was created by NESC, and from what I see the ICT "sector" cuts across the 3 main pillars Economic, social and political they have presented.They have outlined the project's approach which will take three phases, I see an immediate entry point for ICTs during phase one where they will "identify priority sectors with possibilities of quick wins" The plan also mentions creation of ministerial committee headed by P.S from various ministries and involving stakeholders to identify sector specific visions/constraints, etc This is good for all stakeholders and we should take the opportunity to work with our ministry and P.S. Perhaps KICTAnet could work with the IC master plan team to ensure that links between the IC plan and the 2030 vision are created in all phases. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nation Media" To: Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2006 9:22 PM Subject: [Kictanet] Nationmedia.com News: Kibaki launches vision for growth > > eadera(a)idrc.or.ke has sent you this article from > Nationmedia.com with this message: > Colleagues, It is TRAGIC! that vision 2030 has not > given prominence to the role of ICTs as an enabler - it's not highlighted > in the article, maybe in the document itself?. Who's working on the > strategy to deliver this vision? and what role can we play as KICTANET to > change this? This is a challenge I throw to all of us! We must do > something! The countries mentioned in this article have been fundamentally > transformed by ICTs. your views on practical steps we can take to ensure > ICTs are well integrated in the strategy? Edith > Kibaki launches vision for growth > Published: 10/31/2006 > By: MUGO NJERU > > -------------------------------------------------------- > > President Kibaki yesterday launched an > ambitious economic programme aimed at transforming Kenya into an economic > powerhouse with a sustainable growth rate of 10 per cent by 2030. > > The President told leaders to keep politics > out of the project dubbed Kenya Vision 2030. > > > President Kibaki greets Nation CEO Wilfred > Kiboro and other members of the National Economic and Social Council > yesterday before officially launching Vision 2030 at KICC in Nairobi. The > vision is expected to transform Kenya into a prosperous nation. > Photo/William Oeri. > > > He said: "Vision 2030 goes beyond any single > government, party, political persuasion or religion. It is a call to all > Kenyans to make it possible for us to wipe out from our land absolute > poverty, famine, mass unemployment and preventable deaths from malaria and > water-borne diseases." > > Although President Kibaki said he was > optimistic that the development goal would be achieved, it will depend on > how the country manages its affairs in the next five years. > > High quality of life > > "Under Vision 2030, we see ourselves becoming > a middle-income, prosperous country, providing a high quality of life for > all our people," the President said at the launch of the initiative at the > Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi. > > To realise the goal, he said Kenyans must > build on the competitive advantages in key sectors of the economy to > expand the country's share of the global market. > > Besides the 10 per cent growth over 25 years, > another pillar of the programme will be building a just and cohesive > society with equitable social development and a clean and secure > environment. > > The initiative also aims at building a > democratic political system that nurtures issue-based politics, the rule > of law and protects the rights and freedoms of every individual and > society. > > Several leaders at the meeting described the > vision as noble and said it should be supported by all Kenyans. ODM Kenya > secretary-general Anyang Nyong'o said the vision was good but its success > would depend on the goodwill of successive governments. "The Government > and the opposition are united on this vision," he said. > > Finance minister Amos Kimunya said its > success depended on people working together as one nation. > > He and other speakers said it was possible to > propel the country to the levels of economies like Malaysia, Singapore, > Indonesia, Chile and South Korea, most of which which were in the same > economic footing with Kenya in the 1970s. > > Trade and Industry minister Mukhisa Kituyi > said the vision is achievable if it is not held hostage by any government > and if it receives support from the media and the private sector. > > President Kibaki said for the country to > realise the success of the vision, it was important to put in place a > clear strategy detailing what needed to be achieved for each of the > pillars of the programme for the next five years. > > He said that over the years, coffee > production has been declining from over 120,000 tons a year to less than > 50,000 this year, which had a devastating effect on farmers' incomes and > employment opportunities. > > "We need to make sure that under Vision 2030, > the strategies that will be developed will not repeat the mistakes of the > past and avoid imposing a costly burden on the people of this country," he > said. > > On manufacturing, the President said the > sector had barely grown in the last 20 years. "The textile industry which > was very vibrant in 1970s and 1980s has virtually been wiped out while the > EPZ-based enterprises are experiencing serious competition in the global > market," he said. > > Leather and other livestock-related > industries have also not made significant breakthroughs in the global > market although these are sectors in which Kenya could have competitive > advantage and growth if the right strategies and policies were applied. > > "I challenge the experts who are developing > the strategies to pay special attention to these sectors for the next five > years, because they have the greatest potential for delivering widely > shared economic and social benefits for the Kenyan people," President > Kibaki said. > > On tourism, he noted that although the number > of tourists visiting Kenya had increased over the last few years, income > from the sector was far below that of small European countries, the > Caribbean and North Africa. > > With proper planning and investment, the > country should be able to attract and accommodate five million tourists by > 2012, the President said. > > He said the economic performance of any > country was closely tied to the application of science and technology and > that was why the country was investing considerably in higher education > and research institutions. > > The vision strategy, he said, should be > geared towards enhancing Kenya's scientific and technological capacity, > promoting a scientific culture and integrating science and technology into > the production and service sectors. > > There was also need to expand, upgrade and > sustain health facilities while ensuring that they remain accessible and > affordable to all Kenyans. > > President Kibaki said rapid urban population > growth had resulted in serious unemployment, growing slums and an increase > of hawkers. It was also causing a severe strain on the provision of > services such as maintenance of law and order, water supply, sewerage and > sanitation, education and health facilities. > > The President said: "Effective planning of > and ability to enforce compliance for the proper administration of our > cities and major towns requires to be accorded high priority in the > strategies that will be developed to meet the challenges of urbanisation." > > He directed that measures to wipe out slums > and replace them with well-planned, low-cost houses in all major towns be > implemented without delay. > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------- > > > to view this article on the web click here > > -------------------------------------------------------- > > Are you receiving daily news headlines from the > Daily Nation? Sign up today and receive headlines andweekly articles from > your favorite magazine delivered to your email inbox. > > To sign up: Registered users click here New > members click here. > > Interested in advertising in our emails? Contact > internetsales(a)nation.co.ke or read about our advertising opportunities > herehttp://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/advertise.asp > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------- > > You have received this email because someone > thought you might be interested in our article. Please be assured that we > have not saved your email address for any purpose. To read our Privacy > Policyclick here > > > > Nation Media Group all rights reserved 2004 > Website: www.nationmedia.com > For querries or info: comments(a)nation.co.ke > > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke > http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Please unsubscribe or change your options at > http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/alice%40apc.org --------------------------------- We have the perfect Group for you. Check out the handy changes to Yahoo! Groups.

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List Verification
by Odhiambo WASHINGTON 01 Nov '06

01 Nov '06

List VRFY. Please ignore.... List VRFY. Please ignore. Just testing if the list is working properly ./Lists Admin cheers - wash +----------------------------------+-----------------------------------------+ Odhiambo Washington . WANANCHI ONLINE LTD (Nairobi, KE) | wash () WANANCHI ! com . 1ere Etage, Loita Hse, Loita St., | GSM: (+254) 722 743 223 . # 10286, 00100 NAIROBI | GSM: (+254) 733 744 121 . (+254) 020 313 985 - 9 | +---------------------------------+------------------------------------------+ "Oh My God! They killed init! You Bastards!" --from a /. post

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Fw: VISION 2030..our collective role
by alice＠apc.org 01 Nov '06

01 Nov '06

----- Original Message ----- From: <andrew.gakiria(a)kenya.go.ke> To: <alice(a)apc.org> Cc: <andrew.limo(a)kenya.go.ke> Sent: Wednesday, November 01, 2006 10:27 AM Subject: VISION 2030..our collective role > Dear Alice, > > Kindly forward this for me to the Kictanet list > > Thanks > > Gakiria > > ****************************************************************************************** > > Dear Colleagues, > > I wish to respond to the very apt challenge thrown to us by Edith. From > where i sit at the e-Government Directorate, it is of great interest to us > to explore ways in which we can leverage ICTs and e-Government to deliver > on the broad goals of the 2030 vision. As indicated by the Head of state, > the 2030 vision is NOT a Government project but trancends all players > across the political divides, sectors and socio-economic classes including > electoral calendars. > > Thats why the challenge by Edith is very timely. What can we as Kenyans > and core stakeholders bring to the table to ensure that existing > opportunities are leveraged effectively? My colleague Andrew Limo is in > the technical team that was working on the vision and i believe he will > also comment on this. > > I would like to throw the challenge back to KICTANET to bring to bear your > very impressive arsenal of intellectual and lobbying might to open this > debate far and wide. Lets all remember that the vision is a broad > statement of intent and the way it all turns out will depend on how we > intepret this statement and break it down to manageable pieces. We should > not get discouraged but instead bring to light ways in which ICTs CAN > hasten the attainment of the vision. Edith mentioned that the countries > mentioned as success cases in national visioning leveraged ICTs..can we > get more concrete information publicized and brought to the attention of > decision makers? what specific learning examples can we immediately tap > into to start demonstrating success? > > I believe together we can pull this off..for the good of all of us Kenyans > > Kind regards > > Gakiria Andrew > Senior Policy Analyst & Information security Administrator > e-Government Directorate > Office of the President > Harambee House 10th Floor > Tel: +254 20 341582 > Cell: +254 721 323118 > Nairobi, KENYA

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Fwd: Nationmedia.com News: Kigali: Where MPs debate and vote in a simple click
by Edith Adera 31 Oct '06

31 Oct '06

Collegues? When is this likely to hit the Kenyan August House? Edith > >Threats of computer viruses are the biggest nightmare for the Rwandan >Senate and Parliament, which have fully embraced state-of-the-art technology. > >This is a sharp contrast to the Kenya National Assembly where normal >business is regularly interrupted owing to lack of quorum. > >The Senate and the Lower House are fully computerised and rank among the >most modern on the continent, only second to South Africa. > >Unlike in Kenya, where one has to pass a language test (English and >Kiswahili), in Rwanda, a senator must be a university graduate and >computer literate, in addition to being trilingual (Rwandese, English and >French). > >The debating chambers of the Senate and Parliament are virtually >paperless. This new initiative headed by President Paul Kagame has >resulted in a drastic reduction of costs on stationary, while boosting >efficiency and transparency. > >The debating chambers and the precinct of the two buildings, which are in >two different houses about five kilometres apart, are ICT-complaint. There >are internet services for all senators and deputies (members of >parliament) 24 hours a day. > >Because of the new technology, all senators and MPs must be computer >literate and carry lap-top computers, supplied by the government, to the >debating chamber and/or to the committee meetings. > >Even staff at the Senate and the Lower House are required to use the >information super-highway to communicate with each other and with senators >and MPs. > >Citizens can get virtually all information they want on their senators and >MPs by a touch of a button. They can also know what is on the day's order >paper, the Bills being discussed, which committees are meeting; and what >is being discussed. > >This is unlike the Kenyan Parliament where the new technology has not been >embraced fully, what with the august House yet to launch its website! >Committee meetings are also held in camera, as per the standing orders. > >During a visit to the Senate early last week, seven staffers of the Kenya >National Assembly were mesmerised by the ultra-modern building and ICT >system that has been integrated. > >The sub-committee was chaired by Mr Harry Owino, a senior systems analyst. >It was on a fact-finding mission to the Great Lakes country to study how >it has embraced ICT in the Legislature, and how the same could be >replicated in Kenya. > >The tour was part of the team's mandate to come up with targets and >results to improve service delivery in the Kenya National Assembly, within >100 days. It was part of the rapid results initiative launched by the >Government, through the Head of the Civil Service and Secretary to the >Cabinet, Mr Francis Muthaura, two months ago > >Resembles UN facilities > >The debating chamber of the Rwanda Senate resembles the faculties of the >United Nations Environment Programme in Nairobi, where each member has his >or her seat, plus a name tag on it and a microphone. > >In Kenya, members of the front bench and the back bench seat on benches >facing each other, with the Speaker (Mr Francis ole Kaparo) in the middle. > >Plans to modernise the building, start live coverage and launch a website >have been pending for the past five years. > >The Rwandese Senate has an electronic board which shows how many members >are present and how they have voted, either for, against or abstained. >Lack of quorum has so far not been a problem, according to the Senate >President, Dr Vincent Biruta. > >He said members were committed and had a high sense of integrity and >patriotism. "In addition to the website, we are also reaching out to the >public through a magazine focusing on issues before us, and how they >relate to all." > >But Dr Biruta regretted that unlike the Kenyan media, which was aggressive >and gave the Legislature lots of coverage in the print and broadcast >media, the opposite was the case in Rwanda. Where they have been invited >to attend sessions, they have shied away. > >"We even send them a summary of the day's proceedings and only a few FM >and TV stations use them," the Senate President said. > >The Senate was established three years ago under the new Constitution, >following the genocide a decade ago. It receives Bills from the Lower >House that have been passed, studies them and either endorses or rejects >them. If they are passed, they are sent to the Head of State for assent >into law. > >The proceedings are covered live by video and are and tape recorded. All >debates in the Senate and Lower House are in the national language, >Rwandese. They are recorded in the Hansard (verbatim reports) in that >language. > >But Motions which are passed are translated into English and French for >public consumption. > >When the Kenyan team visited the Lower House on Wednesday afternoon, it >was introduced to the members during debate and given an opportunity to >follow the talks through a translator. > >By then, two ministers were on the floor responding to public concerns >raised by their MPs, on poor infrastructure, water shortages and power >blackouts. > >Had 20 minutes to respond > >The two ministers, Mr Kamanzi Stanislos and Mr Musoni Protais, were at >pains to explain to members why the grievances had not been addressed. >Each had 20 minutes to respond to all the concerns gathered by a >parliamentary committee during a recent field visit. No supplementary >question was allowed, as is the case in the Kenyan Parliament. > >The debating chamber resembled a UN conference. It was orderly and issues >orientated. If that was in Kenya, an MP would ask a personal question and >the Speaker would allow him or her to ask a supplementary question. Other >MPs were also free to raise points of order and hijack the member's question. > >We heard the voice of the speaker of the Lower House only at the beginning >and at the end of the minister's presentation. He was dressed in a black >suit and matching tie, and had no wig, unlike the Kenyan speaker. > >The members could dress formally in suits or casually, in Mandela shirts. > >All the Senators have seats reserved for them, with their own microphones >placed on a table. As they enjoy leather seats, they can also connect >their lap-tops to the system and access the day's order paper, Bills >pending and those that have been passed. > >By the touch of a button, the Senators can vote for or against a motion or >Bill placed before them. The idea is to have a "paperless" debating chamber. > >Success of the ICT programme in the Senate and the Lower House has been >due to political goodwill by the Head of State and donors, as well as >contributions by UNDP, USAID, Microsoft and CISCO, among other organisations. > > > >to view this article on the web ><http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id>click >here > >Are you receiving daily news headlines from the Daily Nation? ><http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/register_form.asp>Sign up today >and receive headlines andweekly articles from your favorite magazine >delivered to your email inbox. >To sign up: ><http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/updateprofile.asp>Registered users >click >here <http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/registration_form.asp>New >members click here. > >Interested in advertising in our emails? Contact ><mailto:internetsales@nation.co.ke>internetsales(a)nation.co.ke or read >about our advertising opportunities >here<http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/advertise.asp>http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/advertise.asp > > > > >You have received this email because someone thought you might be >interested in our article. Please be assured that we have not saved your >email address for any purpose. To read our Privacy >Policy<http://www.nationmedia.com/syndicated/privacy.asp>click here > > > >Nation Media Group all rights reserved 2004 >Website: <http://www.nationmedia.com/>www.nationmedia.com >For querries or info: <mailto:comments@nation.co.ke>comments(a)nation.co.ke > > >----------

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Fwd: WG: URGENT: WSA Experts Call - Your support needed for Africa
by charles nduati 31 Oct '06

31 Oct '06

Hi All, Attached kindly find a request from WSA awards who organise worldwide web contest and are in their 5th year. Kindly see if you can help them by being the nominator in your country. Many thanks, Charles nduati Note: forwarded message attached. CHARLES N. NDUATI BUSINESS MANAGER JKUAT ENTERPRISES LTD JOMO KENYATTA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY JUJA MAIN CAMPUS, THIKA P. O. BOX 79324-00200 NAIROBI, KENYA TEL: 254-067-52420 OR 254-067-52711 FAX: 254-067-52438 MOBILE:254-722728815 EMIAL:charlesnduati2002@yahoo.co.uk www.jkuat.ac.ke Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

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Fw: Call for Proposals
by alice＠apc.org 30 Oct '06

30 Oct '06

Dear all Anyone interested in conducting research, M&E in Health/MDGs should apply for funding. See message below best regards alice ----- Original Message ----- > From: "CFP" <cfp(a)gdnet.org> > To: <alice(a)apc.org> > Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 1:10 PM > Subject: Call for Proposals > > > Dear Alice Munyua, > > > > As a valuable member of the GDN research community I am pleased to write > to you on our latest call-for-proposals for our Fifth Global Research > Project: > > > > Promoting Innovative Programs from the Developing World: > > Towards Realizing the Health MDGs in Africa and Asia. > > > > > > This is a 3 year USD 5.9 million project which involves conducting > extensive international standard impact evaluations and > cost-effectiveness analyses of both about-to-be-launched and ongoing > health and health-related programs from the developing and transition > world. > > > > As a project participant you will receive funds (ranging from US $75,000 > to US $250,000) for conducting an international standard impact > evaluation research project and will benefit from high-quality mentoring > and interaction with international experts, networking with researchers > from around the world, and development of program evaluation skills and > expertise in best-practice impact evaluation techniques. > > > > I urge you to participate in this project and submit a proposal to be an > independent evaluator of programs. > > > > The last date for submissions is November 17, 2006. The detailed call > for proposals and guidelines for submission are available on: > http://www.gdnet.org/middle.php?oid=1095 > > > > Thank you for your continued interest and support. I look forward to > your participation in this project and request you to disseminate this > information to your colleagues. > > > > With my very best wishes, > > > > > > Lyn Squire > President > Global Development Network > > Address for registered mail and courier: > > 2nd Floor, West Wing, ISID Complex > > Plot No. 4, Vasant Kunj Institutional Area > > > New Delhi - 110 070 > INDIA > > Web: www.gdnet.org <BLOCKED::http://www.gdnet.org/> > > >

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Internet Governance Forum
by alice＠apc.org 30 Oct '06

30 Oct '06

A reminder for those who want to follow events at the Internet Governance Forum being held from 30 October to 2 November in Athens, Greece that you can read APC blogs at: http://blog.apc.org/en/events- list.shtml?conds[][short_id........]=5042107 And follow Feminist Talk at: http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml The official IGF website is http://www.intgovforum.org/index.htm

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ICANN seeks input on transparency and accountability
by alice＠apc.org 28 Oct '06

28 Oct '06

(Apologies for cross posting) ICANN has announced a new public comment forum and list of questions related to principles of transparency and accountability: http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-16oct06.htm "Responses are sought by October 31, 2006. Based on the responses received and other research, a first draft of the principles will be published for community comment in November, 2006. It is hoped that the Management Operating Principles will be adopted by the Board as part of the Strategic Plan at the Sao Paulo meeting." Among the specific questions ICANN is asking is, "What standards of transparency are appropriate in ICANN operations and activity?" The obvious answer is that the appropriate standard of transparency is set by ICANN's Bylaws: "the maximum extent feasible". It's impossible to tell from the announcment if someone at ICANN wants to change that standard. It's odd that this is intended for inclusion in ICANN's Strategic Plan. The only non-spam comments submitted to ICANN's previous public forum on the draft Strategic Plan were mine, related to exactly this issue. But until now, ICANN has entirely ignored them: http://forum.icann.org/lists/stratplan-draft-comments/msg00000.html http://forum.icann.org/lists/stratplan-draft-comments/ Comments can be sent to <principles-comments(a)icann.org>, and can be viewed at <http://forum.icann.org/lists/principles-comments/>.

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CONVERGENCE: The importance of convergence in the ICT policy environment
by alice＠apc.org 27 Oct '06

27 Oct '06

In the occasion of the Internet Governance Forum, the Association for Progressive Communications is launching three new papers on key ICT policy and internet rights issues. --------------------------------------------------------------------- CONVERGENCE: The importance of convergence in the ICT policy environment By Kate Wild This paper looks at the meaning and importance of convergence and considers some of the challenges to implementing it, along with strategies for overcoming them. It also provides a global perspective on regulating convergence and broadband from ITU and then it looks at experiences in North America and Europe as well as regional and country approaches in Africa. http://rights.apc.org/documents/convergence_EN.pdf (English) http://rights.apc.org/documents/convergence_FR.pdf (French) --------------------------------------------------------------------- OPEN ACESS: Lowering the costs of international bandwidth in Africa By Mike Jensen This paper was commissioned by the APC as part of the Catalysing Access to ICTs in Africa initiative and to contribute to APC's efforts to promote open access to ICT infrastructure in Africa. According to the author, a variety of factors are responsible for the lack of acess to bandwith in Africa, but the biggest cause is the high cost of international connections to the global telecommunication backbones. http://rights.apc.org/documents/open_access_EN.pdf (English) http://rights.apc.org/documents/open_access_FR.pdf (French) --------------------------------------------------------------------- WSIS: Whose information society? Developing country and civil society voices in the World Summit on the Information Society By David Souter This paper summarises a study of developing country and civil society participation and influence in WSIS that was commissioned by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC). As well as analysing participation, the study looked at the impact of WSIS on international ICT decision-making in general and makes recommendations to all main actors about how future decision-making might become more inclusive of developing countries, nongovernmental actors and their concerns. http://rights.apc.org/documents/wsis_EN.pdf (English) -------- FRANÇAIS -------- Les nouveaux thèmes émergents d'APC en anglais en français A l’occasion du Forum sur la gouvernance de l’internet (FGI), l’Association pour le progrès des communications lance trois nouveaux articles sur les thèmes fondamentaux des politiques de TIC et des droits d’internet. --------------------------------------------------------------------- CONVERGENCE : L’importance de la convergence dans le contexte des politiques des TIC Kate Wild La première partie de ce document porte sur le sens et l’importance de la convergence et sur certains des problèmes associés à sa mise en oeuvre, ainsi que sur les stratégies qui permettent de les surmonter. La deuxième partie présente un survol de la régulation de la convergence et de la bande passante par l’Union Internationale des Télécommunications (UIT) et s’intéresse aux expériences en Amérique du Nord et en Europe ainsi qu’à certaines approches régionales et de pays d’Afrique. http://rights.apc.org/documents/convergence_EN.pdf (Anglais) http://rights.apc.org/documents/convergence_FR.pdf (Français) --------------------------------------------------------------------- ACCÈS OUVERT : Abaisser les coûts de la bande passante internationale en Afrique Mike Jensen Cette analyse a été commandée par APC dans le cadre de Catalysing Access to ICTs in Africa et pour contribuer aux efforts d´APC pour promouvoir l´accès ouvert à l´infrastructure de TIC en Afrique. Selon l’auteur, la situation actuelle de la bande passante en Afrique est attribuable à un certain nombre de facteurs, mais elle est due essentiellement au coût élevé des connexions internationales vers les dorsales de télécommunication internationales. http://rights.apc.org/documents/open_access_EN.pdf (Anglais) http://rights.apc.org/documents/open_access_FR.pdf (Français) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Uniquement en anglais: WSIS: Whose information society? Developing country and civil society voices in the World Summit on the Information Society By David Souter This paper summarises a study of developing country and civil society participation and influence in WSIS that was commissioned by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC). As well as analysing participation, the study looked at the impact of WSIS on international ICT decision-making in general and makes recommendations to all main actors about how future decision-making might become more inclusive of developing countries, nongovernmental actors and their concerns. http://rights.apc.org/documents/wsis_EN.pdf (English) A. Wanjira Munyua National Coordinator, Catalysing Access to ICTs in Africa (CATIA) Association for Progressive Communications (APC) alice(a)apc.org http://www.apc.org http://www.catia.ws

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RE: [Kictanet] Kenya on the rising
by David Musoke 27 Oct '06

27 Oct '06

Eric is that magazine on-line????? Kezio-Musoke David -----Original Message----- From: John Walubengo [mailto:jwalu@yahoo.com] Sent: Thursday, October 26, 2006 4:17 PM To: David Musoke Subject: Re: [Kictanet] Kenya on the rising On behalf of the 'silent' Kenyans... Allow me to accept your (Eric's) compliments. I haven't read the magazine but it is nice to hear that it potrays a bright (i did not say orange;-)) future. i think Kenyans can 'do it'. They are doing it in the US/SA/Europe and many other places. With the right focus and effort, things will eventually begin to happen locally as well. walu. --- Eric Osiakwan <eric(a)afrispa.org> wrote: > Dear Kenyan Colleagues, > > You must be proud of yourselves, i just got a copy of the > lat edition > of the Computer and Communication Africa (CCA) for 2006 > and the lead > story is "Kenya's drive to become ICT powerhouse" and > much more on > Kenya. > > While i have being familiar with the momentum there i was > amazed when > i read the stories about the pace of engagement. In some > ways this > confirms my believe that Africa has pockets of excellence > but what we > need is SPEED to SCALE and definately you guys are on a > FASTRACK. We > are with you and i want to personally congratulate the > level of > engagement from the various constituencies and not > belittling the > others by singling out the exemplary leadership of the > PS, Dr. Ndemo > and Hon. Minister, Mutahi Kagwe. > > Thanks to AITEC for throwing the spotlight @ http:// > new.aitecafrica.com/ and not to promote AITEC but i think > we should > all get copies of the hardprint....:-) > > Go Kenya. > > > Eric M.K Osiakwan > Executive Secretary > AfrISPA (www.afrispa.org) > Tel: + 233.21.258800 > Fax: + 233.21.258811 > Cell: + 233.244.386792 > Handle: eosiakwan > Snail Mail: Pmb 208, Accra-North > Office: BusyInternet - 42 Ring Road Central, Accra-North > Blog: http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/eric/ > Slang: "Tomorrow Now" > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke > http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jwalu%40yahoo.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/dmusoke%40newvision.co.ug

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Kictanet Planning Meeting - 9th November Jacaranda Hotel
by Judy kimiti 27 Oct '06

27 Oct '06

Dear Member, Please Find attached the agenda for the next KICTANet Planning Meeting which will be held on 9th November 2006, 3:00pm, Jacaranda Hotel As alot of members who had expressed interest in the Fibre Presentation by KDN where not able to attend, Mr Kai Wulff, has accepted to join us and give us the presenation at the above mentioned meeting. Please note because of time constraint, we shall have the presentation at exactly 3:30pm and will run for 30min. Those who are interested in joining this presentation are urged to be at the meeting on time. For logistics purposes, please RSVP your attendance to the undersigned. Yours Faithfully Judy Kimiti KICTANet Tel: 4453671 / 2 Cell: 0722 - 716020 Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

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Fw: [Kictanet] Re: India's Weaknesses
by alice＠apc.org 26 Oct '06

26 Oct '06

----- Original Message ----- From: "Vincent Waiswa Bagiire" <vincent(a)cipesa.org> To: "Kenya ICT Policy - kictanet" <kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Thursday, October 26, 2006 11:37 AM Subject: Re: [Kictanet] Re: India's Weaknesses > Dear All, > > I am a newcomer on this list thanks to Alice and I look forward to being > engaged in the discussions. > > Regards, > Vincent > > Bill Kagai wrote: >> On 10/25/06, waudo(a)signet.co.ke <waudo(a)signet.co.ke> wrote: >>> there is very little linkage between what the ICT training institutions >>> (including Universities) are producing and the requirements of the >>> industry either now or in the foreseeable future. >> >> Check out www.jkuategovacademy.ac.ke to see how PPPs are trying to >> address this linkage. >> >> The JKUAT Academy is the only one that has developed its curriculum >> based on actual Govt environment and in line with the E-Govt Strategy >> paper. >> >> PS. Sorry, I could not resist the marketing opportunity offered by >> this discussion. >> >> -- >> With Kind Regards, >> Bildad Kagai >> MD - Circuits & Packets Communications Ltd >> Content & Training Partner - JKUAT E-Government Academy >> Suite B2, Tetu Apartments, State House Avenue >> P. O. Box 20311 - 00200 >> Nairobi, Kenya >> Tel. 254 20 2728332 >> Fax. 254 20 2726965 >> Cell. 254 724 226600 >> URL. www.circuitspackets.co.ke >> URL. www.JKUATEgovAcademy.ac.ke >> >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke >> http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> Please unsubscribe or change your options at >> http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/vincent%40cipesa.org > > > -- > Vincent Waiswa Bagiire, > Director, CIPESA > Plot 30, Bukoto Street, P.O. Box 26970 Kampala > Tel: 256-41-533057 > Fax: 256-41-533054 > Cell: 256-77-702256 or 256-71-702256 > Email: vincent(a)cipesa.org > www.cipesa.org > > > >

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Planning Meeting Minutes
by Judy kimiti 26 Oct '06

26 Oct '06

Dear Member, Please find attached the 12th October Kictanet Planning Meeting Minutes Thank you Judy Kimiti KICTANet --------------------------------- Try the all-new Yahoo! Mail . "The New Version is radically easier to use" The Wall Street Journal

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Re: [Kictanet] Re: India's Weaknesses
by Eric Osiakwan 25 Oct '06

25 Oct '06

Waudo said "Perhaps something could be done now before we find ourselves in India's position" We all know that one of the demons that has held back Africa's rise is the DE-LINK between industry and academia (research) and also with governments. Prof. Ernest Wilson's (of Maryland University) squad model makes the argument that you need a constant interaction between these constituencies for growth and innovation to take place. He argues that Silicon Valley is a clear example. My proposition therefore as a way to answer the question above is to leverage the BPO opportunity. Most African governments are at least on board the BPO wagon so my idea is, lets establish the BPOs in the University environment given the current public policy favouring. The BPO companys can take advantage of cheap but good student labour whiles they build the real estate for their operations using university land on a "build operate and handover basis". The Universities then get real estate which they use for their long term expansion of physical infrastructure. The BPO companies get their work done cheaply and when they migrate in the long term, much value would have being gained. The University students get work experience for the long term job market entry and also interim cash to support their University education. This also gives the non-computer related students some basic skills and exposure and for the CS, EE etc students, they build their internal capacity not only to take calls and do word processing but more technical stuff. They would soon be writing software for those BPO companies. Mostly importantly this becomes the nucleus of the government/academia/private sector LINKINING which would grow into other areas. Hence the value proposition of the BPO banwagon is, it gives us a foot into the door but we must move up the value chain very quickly or we would end up doing the low end jobs which would make us less competitive in the Knowledge economy. When I proposed this to my Ghana Cyber Group friend (Yaw Owusu, leading the way with a private TechPark in Ghana) whom i have cced on this mail, he said, then the Tech Parks (BPOs + more) should be in the University/Research Environment and his example of been able to acquire land from the Ghana CSIR which is close to the University of Ghana would be a good prototype. This is the story am going to be telling at the the first University Leaders Forum in Cape Town to which governments, academic leadership, private sector and Civil Society has being convened. Eric here ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: waudo(a)signet.co.ke Reply-To: Kenya ICT Policy - kictanet <kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke> Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 09:53:47 -0400 (Eastern Daylight Time) >Thanks to PS Ndemo for bringing this out. As for Wafula's question, the >work force survey undertaken by the CSK earlier this year revealed that >there is very little linkage between what the ICT training institutions >(including Universities) are producing and the requirements of the >industry either now or in the foreseeable future. Certainly there appear >to be no mechanisms to facilitate such linkage. Perhaps something could be >done now before we find ourselves in India's position. > > >Kind Regards >Waudo Siganga > >On Wed, October 25, 2006 9:22 am, TONY WAFULA wrote: >> Good lesson , though wonder whether as a country we are ready to address >> manpower shortage in this area. Just the other day Safaricom's Micheal >> Joseph was lamenting about the same...are we checking what our >> Universities are offering in relation to our projected needs? >> >> Regards >> >> Wafula >> >> bitange(a)jambo.co.ke wrote: >> Hi Edith, >> You must have been blogging. >> >> Regards >> >> >> Ndemo. >> >> >>> Certainly, a great lesson to learn from. >>> >>> Thanks for sharing the article! >>> >>> At / À 12:56 PM 10/24/2006, bitange(a)jambo.co.ke wrote / a écrit: >>>>Dear All, >>>>I think there are good lessons to learn from the article below. >>>> >>>>Regards >>>> >>>>Ndemo. >>>> >>>> >>>>October 17, 2006 >>>>Skills Gap Hurts Technology Boom in India >>>>By SOMINI SENGUPTA >>>> >>>> >>>>TIRUCHENGODE, India >>>> >>>> As its technology companies soar to the outsourcing skies, India is >>>>bumping up against an improbable challenge. In a country once regarded >>>> as >>>>a bottomless well of low-cost, ready-to-work, English-speaking >>>> engineers, >>>>a shortage looms. >>>> >>>>India still produces plenty of engineers, nearly 400,000 a year at last >>>>count. But their competence has become the issue. >>>> >>>>A study commissioned by a trade group, the National Association of >>>>Software and Service Companies, or Nasscom, found only one in four >>>>engineering graduates to be employable. The rest were deficient in the >>>>required technical skills, fluency in English or ability to work in a >>>> team >>>>or deliver basic oral presentations. >>>> >>>>The skills gap reflects the narrow availability of high-quality college >>>>education in India and the galloping pace of the country's >>>> service-driven >>>>economy, which is growing faster than nearly all but China's. The >>>> software >>>>and service companies provide technology services to foreign companies, >>>>many of them based in the United States. Software exports alone expanded >>>>by 33 percent in the last year. >>>> >>>>The university systems of few countries would be able to keep up with >>>> such >>>>demand, and India is certainly having trouble. The best and most >>>> selective >>>>universities generate too few graduates, and new private colleges are >>>>producing graduates of uneven quality. >>>> >>>>Many fear that the labor pinch may signal bottlenecks in other parts of >>>>the economy. It is already being felt in the information technology >>>>sector. >>>> >>>>With the number of technology jobs expected to nearly double to 1.7 >>>>million in the next four years, companies are scrambling to find fresh >>>>engineering talent and to upgrade the schools that produce it. >>>> >>>>Some companies are training faculty members themselves, offering courses >>>>tailored to industry needs and improving college labs and libraries. >>>> They >>>>are rushing to get first choice of would-be engineers long before they >>>>have completed their course work. And they are fanning out to small, >>>>remote colleges that almost no one had heard of before. The country's >>>> most >>>>successful technology concerns can no longer afford to hire only >>>> >>>> >>>>_______________________________________________ >>>>kictanet mailing list >>>>kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke >>>>http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >>>> >>>>Please unsubscribe or change your options at >>>>http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/eadera%40idrc.or.ke >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> kictanet mailing list >>> kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke >>> http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >>> >>> Please unsubscribe or change your options at >>> http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/bitange%40jambo.co.ke >>> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke >> http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> Please unsubscribe or change your options at >> http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/twaf78%40yahoo.com >> >> >> >> WITH COMPLIMENTS OF ANTHONY WAFULA >> >> --------------------------------- >> All-new Yahoo! Mail - Fire up a more powerful email and get things done >> faster._______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke >> http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> Please unsubscribe or change your options at >> http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/waudo%40signet.co.ke > > > >_______________________________________________ >kictanet mailing list >kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke >http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > >Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/ kictanet/eric%40afrispa.org > -- Eric M.K Osiakwan Executive Secretary AfrISPA (www.afrispa.org) Tel: + 233.21.258800 Fax: + 233.21.258811 Cell: + 233.244.386792 Handle: eosiakwan Snail Mail: Pmb 208, Accra-North Office: BusyInternet - 42 Ring Road Central, Accra-North Blog: http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/eric/ Slang: "Tomorrow Now" --

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African choices...critical voices...crossing borders...African stories... harnessing local knowledge in Africa
by alice＠apc.org 25 Oct '06

25 Oct '06

This issue of The Soul Beat looks at the role of communication in harnessing local knowledge in Africa. The edition covers a range of project descriptions, strategic thinking documents and materials related to local knowledge specifically in the fields of agriculture, sustainable development and health. >From the SOUL BEAT AFRICA partnership - Soul City and The Communication Initiative ...African choices...critical voices...crossing borders...African stories... *** Subscribe to The Soul Beat - http://www.comminit.com/africa/soul-beat-subscribe.html or e-mail Seipati Fountain sfountain(a)comminit.com *** EXPERIENCES http://www.comminit.com/africa/experiences.html 1. LinKS Project This project is a regional programme working in Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Swaziland, that aims to enhance rural people's food security and promote sustainable management of agrobiodiversity. The project is called LinKS, because it explores the linkages between the crucial issues of local knowledge systems, gender roles and relationships, food provision, and the conservation and management of agrobiodiversity. LinKS aims to strengthen the capacity of institutions in the agricultural sector to apply approaches that recognise men and women farmers' knowledge in their programmes and policies. It does this through training, research and communication and advocacy. LinKS is administered by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. http://www.comminit.com/africa/experiences/Pds82006/experiences-3950.html Contact Dr. Sachin Das linkstz(a)africaonline.co.tz OR Estevão Filimão Estevao.Filimao(a)fao.org OR Dr. Patricia Musi faolinks(a)agric.uniswa.sz 2. Traditional Knowledge and Community Healthcare - Nigeria Organised by the Fantsuam Foundation, this programme involves drawing and building on the health knowledge possessed by local people, especially women. Specifically, the project works with women in rural Nigerian communities in order to understand various traditional healthcare practices and introduce best practices and safer techniques for selected treatments. The purpose of the project is to produce a written catalogue of traditional medical wisdom, the content of which is largely generated by local people. http://www.comminit.com/africa/experiences/pds32003/experiences-2447.html Contact John Dada johndada(a)fantsuam.com 3. Sahel Oral History Project - Africa This project by the UK-based SOS Sahel is an oral history project that took place in eight African countries in an effort to record the culture, history, and environment of the Sahel through the recollections, experiences, and perceptions of its people. The aim was not only to record indigenous knowledge but also to develop a practical methodology which could then be incorporated into development planning, project implementation, and evaluation. By talking with - mostly ageing - farmers, pastoralists, refugees, and others, researchers hoped to gain a better understanding of traditional land-use practice, land tenure, farming and pastoral systems, the causes of desertification, and other aspects of Sahelian life. http://www.comminit.com/africa/experiences/pds092003/experiences-2134.html Contact Siobhan Warrington Siobhan.warrington(a)panos.org.uk AND otp(a)panos.org.uk OR Risha Chande risha.chande(a)panos.org.uk 4. Desertification 2002 - Southern Africa Organised by the Desert Research Foundation of Namibia (DRFN), this regional network works to halt the spread of southern African deserts and enhance rural livelihoods. The purpose of the project is to provide a forum for the exchange of knowledge between scientists, development practitioners, and dryland community members; to generate an understanding of the value of linking local knowledge with scientific research; to interpret and disseminate information; and to offer working examples of community action. It does this by linking communities, field practitioners, governments, and scientists through a website, conferences, workshops, training, and community exchanges. http://www.comminit.com/africa/experiences/pds32003/experiences-2291.html Contact info(a)drfn.org.na 5. Community Documentation of Indigenous Knowledge - Kenya Implemented by the Kyanika Adult Women Group (KAWG), this two-year project aimed to conserve the diversity of Kitete - a bottle gourd that is found in virtually every aspect of the Kamba people's traditional and cultural life - and its associated indigenous knowledge. The project involved the collection and sharing of knowledge about the Kitete through resource centres. Here, recorded materials, documents, and a collection of Kitete samples and seeds are available for use by members of the local community and others. Other activities include storytelling by elders - sharing myths, songs, dances, riddles, poems, and drama as well as listening to taped materials, looking at photographs, watching videos and reading written reports. http://www.comminit.com/africa/experiences/pds32003/experiences-2282.html Contact Yasuyuki Morimoto y.morimoto(a)cgiar.org 6. Indigenous Knowledge Program - Sub-saharan Africa The World Bank's Indigenous Knowledge (IK) programme aims to facilitate dialogue between local communities, NGOs, governments, donors, civil society, and the private sector. This dialogue is intended to help bring indigenous/traditional knowledge into the activities of development partners and to optimise the benefits of development assistance, especially for the poor. The programme works primarily through a website that provides resources on IK such as a database on indigenous/ traditional knowledge and practices with over 200 case studies, a report on IK for development and videos, which document success stories in applying indigenous practices. The programme also supports over 15 resource centres across Africa that focus on the identification and dissemination of indigenous/traditional knowledge and practices. http://www.comminit.com/africa/experiences/pds32003/experiences-2331.html Contact Nicolas Gorjestani ngorjestani(a)worldbank.org OR Reinhard Woytek rwoytek(a)worldbank.org 7. Aang Serian - Tanzania Aang Serian, which means "House of Peace" in the Kiarusha language, is a non-profit cultural organisation that aims to promote and protect indigenous knowledge. It focuses on education in an effort to raise the self-esteem of young people, to empower them to work together for a peaceful future, and to promote environmentally and socially sustainable development. The organisation has established a community college with a curriculum covering indigenous knowledge. They also undertake research in collaboration with other NGOs and have formed an international network of organisations that work to improve education for indigenous peoples while simultaneously preserving and promoting indigenous knowledge. http://www.comminit.com/africa/experiences/pds32003/experiences-2233.html Contact aang_serian(a)hotmail.com OR Gemma Enolengila enolengila(a)yahoo.co.uk OR Yunus Rafiq mrafiq(a)indiana.edu OR Bob Webzell bob(a)webzell.co.uk STRATEGIC THINKING http://www.comminit.com/africa/strategicthinking.html 8. Grandmothers Promote Maternal and Child Health: The Role of Indigenous Knowledge Systems' Managers by Judi Aubel This article looks at the importance of community elders as knowledge providers in the context of child health. The results of experiences in Asia and Africa illustrate how change can be brought about from within indigenous knowledge systems when key actors in those systems, i.e. the indigenous knowledge managers, are involved in deciding if and how to combine global knowledge with traditional knowledge. http://www.comminit.com/africa/strategicthinking/st2006/thinking-1846.html 9. The Utilization of Indigenous Knowledge in Range Management and Forage Plants for Improving Livestock Productivity and Food Security in the Maasai and Bargaig Communities of Kibaha by Nelson Kilongozi, Zabron Kengera and Samwel Leshongo By examining how the Maasai and Barbaig communities have traditionally cared for their livestock and environment, the report suggests ways to sustain indigenous knowledge and incorporate this with conventional, 'scientific' techniques of livestock care and land management. The authors recommend that policymakers and development workers should continue to recognise, identify, validate and document indigenous pastoral techniques and integrate them into conventional management approaches for pastoral land and should encourage knowledge sharing among the pastoral communities to allow them to expand their existing knowledge. http://www.comminit.com/africa/strategicthinking/st2006/thinking-1902.html 10. Gender, Local Knowledge, and Lessons Learnt in Documenting and Conserving Agrobiodiversity Research Paper No. 2006/69 by Yianna Lambrou and Regina Laub This paper explores the linkages between gender, local knowledge systems, and agrobiodiversity for food security by using the case study of LinKS, a regional FAO project in Mozambique, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania over a period of eight years. The project aimed to raise awareness on how rural men and women use and manage agrobiodiversity, and to promote the importance of local knowledge for food security and sustainable agrobiodiversity at local, institutional, and policy levels. They did this by working with a diverse range of stakeholders to strengthen their ability to recognise and value farmers' knowledge and to use gender-sensitive and participatory approaches in their work. http://www.comminit.com/africa/strategicthinking/st2006/thinking-1828.html 11. Indigenous Management of Wetlands: Experiences in Ethiopia by Alan Dixon Using the case study of a wetlands project in Ethopia, this study discusses how the stability of wetlands has been undermined by development initiatives that ignore indigenous knowledge. The study states that while neither indigenous nor scientific knowledge alone can solve the problems of development, they can be complementary sources of wisdom in wetland management. The research recommends that maintaining an effective network for sharing local knowledge and experimenting with new techniques should be a key principle of sustainable wetland management. In addition non-governmental organisations and donors should introduce reviews of varying local knowledge, to support these networks. For example, they could organise meetings between members of the wetland farming community to assess the strengths and weaknesses of different management techniques. http://www.comminit.com/africa/strategicthinking/st2005/thinking-1390.html 12. ICTs in Namibia's Communal Area Conservancies by Carol Murphy and Sandra Slater-Jones This article describes the use of participatory GIS (Geographic Information Systems) in Namibia's Communal Area Conservancies. The approach used by the Conservancy Programme, according to the authors, is innovative in not only capturing local knowledge of an area through participation of local residents, but in improving the spatial accuracy of maps through a geo-referencing procedure. The procedure involves village mapping workshops and careful recording to capture indigenous knowledge with regard to local area names, the spatial location of resources such as grazing, cropping and useful plant species, as well as wildlife sightings and movements. http://www.comminit.com/africa/strategicthinking/st2005/thinking-1400.html MATERIALS http://www.comminit.com/africa/materials.html 13. Toolkit I: Capitalising on Local Knowledge - Methodological Overview & Case Studies by Noel Oettle and Bettina Koelle This Toolkit is designed to give decision-makers in government and donor agencies an overview of the concept of community-to-community knowledge exchanges, as well as practical approaches to their use in developmental processes and programmes. The volume contains case studies from Africa that aim to illustrate the successes achieved with the approach as well as the challenges faced during implementation. http://www.comminit.com/africa/materials/ma2006/materials-3054.html 14. Toolkit 2: Capitalising on Local Knowledge - Guidelines for Implementation by Noel Oettle and Bettina Koelle This Toolkit is designed to provide practical guidance in designing and implementing community-to-community exchange visits. It is intended for practitioners and service providers who wish to implement knowledge exchange processes. It is also aimed at students and development professionals who would like to better understand how the methodology is implemented. http://www.comminit.com/africa/materials/ma2006/materials-3055.html 15. Unleashing the Power of Knowledge for Meeting MDGs and Sustainable Development in Africa Fundamental Issues for Governance by Jacques L Hamel The paper critically reflects on the notion of knowledge, African knowledge, African knowledge economies (AKEs), African knowledge societies (AKSs) and African knowledge policies for sustainable development. Its purpose is to contribute to sustainable development thinking in the African region and open a new front in the development discourse. http://www.comminit.com/africa/materials/ma2005/materials-2534.html LINKS http://www.comminit.com/africa/links.html 16. Tanzania Indigenous Knowledge Database This is a database that has been established to enhance sharing and dissemination of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) information, experiences and practices in Tanzania. http://www.comminit.com/africa/links/linksngos/links-1645.html 17. Creating & Exchange of Local Agriculture Content (CELAC) This Ugandan organisation aims to develop agricultural content from rural farmers for dissemination through digital technologies, radio, and print. http://www.comminit.com/africa/links/linksngos/links-1709.html *** To view archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter see http://www.comminit.com/africa/soul-beat-archives.html Subscribe to The Soul Beat Extra - your e-journal focussed in each alternate month on Community Radio or Edutainment. If you would like to receive the Soul Beat Extra on Community Radio or Edutainment please contact Seipati Fountain sfountain(a)comminit.com We would love to hear from you: Please send us your comments by going to http://www.comminit.com/africa/comments.html or email Anja Venth aventh(a)comminit.com For more comments on the Soul Beat Africa website see http://www.comminit.com/africa/comments_aboutus.html *** . *** A. Wanjira Munyua National Coordinator, Catalysing Access to ICTs in Africa (CATIA) Association for Progressive Communications (APC) alice(a)apc.org http://www.apc.org http://www.catia.ws

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Fw: [Catia_team] Engaging policy makers and regulators in Africa - theCATIA experience
by alice＠apc.org 25 Oct '06

25 Oct '06

FYI ----- Original Message ----- From: "Claire Sibthorpe" <csibthorpe(a)usa.net> To: "Lists: Catia_team" <Catia_team(a)catia.ws> Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2006 1:27 PM Subject: [Catia_team] Engaging policy makers and regulators in Africa - theCATIA experience > > Engaging policy-makers and regulators in Africa > - the CATIA experience > > October, 2006 > > Media release > > For the past three years the Catalysing Access to ICTs in Africa programme > (CATIA) has worked towards strengthening the context for the vibrant > adoption and use of ICTs in Africa. The programme has been set up with > nine > components, each with its particular advocacy aim, in countries as diverse > as Ethiopia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Senegal. > > CATIA has shown that one of the most effective ways to have an impact on > the ICT policy landscape in Africa is by collaborating in > multi-stakeholder > processes, where experiences, perspectives and resources can be shared, > and > a common agenda shaped. > > Equally important, however, is how advocates engage policy-makers and > regulators. These experiences have been documented in an article entitled > 'checks and balances', which can be downloaded off the CATIA website > (www.catia.ws) > > Some of the key findings of the article are: > > * The distinction between policy-makers and regulators is not clearly > felt in some countries in Africa. Reasons include a lack of 'checks and > balances' or political instability, amongst them. Even in liberalised > environments, such as Kenya or South Africa, the independence of a > regulator > can be challenged by the state; > * Policy-makers and regulators are key to any ICT policy advocacy > process. However, having a policy influence may mean targeting influential > officials in government who may not be policy-makers or regulators > themselves; > * The direct involvement of policy-makers and regulators in activities > is an important way of ensuring the sustainability of advocacy > initiatives. > Advocates need to provide policy and regulatory officials with a sense of > buy-in and confidence in their work. Advocates need to demonstrate that > they > are serious; > * Developing informal relationships are often more effective than > formal engagements; > * Advocates need to nurture a culture of 'honest brokerage' so that > their work can be trusted in a policy development environment where there > are many competing interests. > > > > > _________________________________________________ > Claire Sibthorpe > Public Sector Consulting > Atos Consulting > 4 Triton Square, Regent's Place, London NW1 3HG, UK > Tel: +44 (0) 77 33312667 > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > _______________________________________________ > Catia_team mailing list > Catia_team(a)catia.ws > http://catia.eyecon.co.za/mailman/listinfo/catia_team >

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Fw: [Catia_team] Multi-stakeholder engagement in Africa - the CATIAexperience
by alice＠apc.org 25 Oct '06

25 Oct '06

Hi all FYI ----- Original Message ----- From: "Claire Sibthorpe" <csibthorpe(a)usa.net> To: "Lists: Catia_team" <Catia_team(a)catia.ws> Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2006 1:27 PM Subject: [Catia_team] Multi-stakeholder engagement in Africa - the CATIAexperience > > Multi-stakeholder engagement in Africa > - the CATIA experience > > October, 2006 > > Media release > > For the past three years the Catalysing Access to ICTs in Africa programme > (CATIA) has worked towards strengthening the context for the vibrant > adoption and use of ICTs in Africa. The programme has been set up with > nine > components, each with its particular advocacy aim, in countries as diverse > as Ethiopia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Senegal. > > CATIA has shown that one of the most effective ways to have an impact on > the ICT policy landscape in Africa is by collaborating in > multi-stakeholder > processes, where experiences, perspectives and resources can be shared, > and > a common agenda shaped. > > The programme's experiences have been documented in an article entitled > Breaking new ground towards each other, which can be downloaded off the > CATIA website (www.catia.ws) > > Some of the key findings of the article are: > > * While the multi-stakeholder approach to ICT policy development was > unusual a few years ago, many new success stories in policy engagement in > Africa are the result of collaborating across the sectors; > * Participants consider the multi-stakeholder approach an important > nation-building process that unlocks a country's expertise and resources; > * Multi-stakeholder networks increase the credibility of an advocacy > drive; > * They also tend to make policy processes more transparent, > particularly if the media is one of the stakeholders; > * Multi-stakeholder networks are dynamic, and their make-up depends on > the context. While collaborations between civil society, private sector > and > the media have proved successful, other stakeholders in policy development > processes have included academics, the government, global agencies such as > the United Nations, and policy-makers and regulators; > * The interests of the different stakeholders needs to be managed and > a common agenda forged that all stakeholders are comfortable with. > Processes > need to be put in place to ensure that all perspectives are appreciated; > * Sometimes advocacy objectives need to be aligned with government > strategies to make the advocacy goals more palatable for politicians; > * While stakeholder buy-in into an advocacy initiative is important, > this should not come at any cost. Values and principles, such as > accountability and transparency, need to be preserved and sometimes > defended. > > > _________________________________________________ > Claire Sibthorpe > Public Sector Consulting > Atos Consulting > 4 Triton Square, Regent's Place, London NW1 3HG, UK > Tel: +44 (0) 77 33312667 > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > _______________________________________________ > Catia_team mailing list > Catia_team(a)catia.ws > http://catia.eyecon.co.za/mailman/listinfo/catia_team >

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Re: [Kictanet] Does Africa need an IGF or Internet Development Forum?
by Eric Osiakwan 25 Oct '06

25 Oct '06

Loud Applause, Vincent ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: <alice(a)apc.org> Reply-To: Kenya ICT Policy - kictanet <kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke> Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 21:30:23 +0300 >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Vincent Waiswa Bagiire" <vincent(a)cipesa.org> >To: "Africa ICT Policy Forum" <africtic(a)dgroups.org> > > >> Does Africa need an IGF or Internet Development Forum? >> >> The Internet Government Forum (IGF) convenes in Athens at the end of >> October (next week) to chart a way forward for making the running of the >> Internet more inclusive, and more democratic. Several key issues of >> concern for various governments and members of the Internet community >> worldwide were amply articulated in the run-up to the World Summits on the >> Information Society (WSIS) a process that has continued ahead of the >> IGF. Simply put, these issues revolve around enabling control of the >> Internet and its technical arms to be decentralised from ICANN and its >> few chosen agents, increasing security of the Internet, having >> international oversight over the Internet, among others. >> >> Africa stands to be a great beneficiary of the Internet, in areas ranging >> from communication to education, health to trade, and governance to >> knowledge creation. The case of how Africa embraced the mobile phone when >> conditions were created for more players to come in, and when technology >> allowed connecting thousands of people at lower costs, could be a learning >> example. Africa has got the highest growth rate of mobile phone >> connections in the world, and the mobile phone has become the centre of >> the continents connectivity successes. But Africa has also been >> registering high bandwidth consumption rates. According to the African >> Internet Service Providers Association, bandwidth demand in Africa rose by >> 19% in 2001, 28% in 2002, and 37% in 2003. This high growth rate comes >> against the background of very high bandwidth prices in Africa - which are >> several times higher than in Europe, America, and even Asia and the >> acute shortage of Internet infrastructure in most of Africa. >> As far as Internet usage is concerned, Africa is doing pretty badly. The >> ITU World Telecom/ ICT Development Report 2006 says while in a number of >> countries more than 50% of the population is using the Internet, an >> average of 2.6 percent of Africans are online. This compares miserably >> with the Americas (28.2%), Europe (31.1%), and Asia (8.1%). In the >> broadband sector, Africas show is even gloomier, as it has just 0.1% of >> the worlds connections. Comparatively, in the mobile phone sector the >> continent boasts 4% of global totals. The continent is not doing any >> superbly in terms of ownership of personal computers, the main medium on >> which the Internet is run. According to the Information Economy Report >> 2005 of the UN Conference on Trade and Investment, while the Republic of >> Korea in 2003 had 26.7 m PCs, the whole of Africa had 11.5 m PCs. Clearly, >> too few Africans are using the Internet at the moment, and this needs to >> be addressed for the continent to harvest benefits from the Internet. >> The question to ask then is, why are so few Africans using the Internet? >> And the answer to this question should provide the pointer to what needs >> to be done for more Africans to be brought into cyberspace. Are issues >> related to Internet Governance the main hindrance to Africans usage of >> the Internet? The answer is a plain no. Africans are not using the >> Internet because the technology deployed tends to be expensive, often the >> licensing procedures for Internet Service provision are expensive and >> cumbersome, ISPs charge exorbitantly for their services, monopoly >> providers do not give little attention to improving affordability, the >> content on the Internet is often irrelevant or not in a language many >> Africans understand, governments are rarely acting proactively and smartly >> to enable the poor and remote parts of their countries to have >> connectivity. Now those are the issues that need to be at the top of the >> agenda for those promoting Internet usage in Africa. Those are issues that >> should be addressed by an envisaged Internet Development Forum (ADF). >> >> As it is, African countries have been working towards developing a common >> position on the issues they will be addressing at the IGF in Athens. Among >> these are the need for security of the Internet, freedom of expression, >> multilingualism and local content on the Internet, Internet >> infrastructure, and Intellectual Property Rights. Reining in SPAM or >> unsolicited mail mainly used for commercial promotion, social or political >> activism, the need for cyber laws, and need for international management >> of the internet are the other issues African delegates will be >> passionately addressing themselves to. They say management of the Internet >> should be multilateral, transparent and democratic, with the full >> involvement of governments, the private sector, civil society and >> international organisations. It should ensure an equitable distribution of >> resources, facilitate access for all and ensure a stable and secure >> functioning of the Internet. >> >> Who controls the Internet has not hindered vast number of Asians and >> Europeans from using the Internet. And it has not been the key hinderance >> to Africa use of the Internet. So Africa must lay its emphasis elsewhere: >> the emphasis should be on improving connectivity (and this connectivity >> should be low-cost, including wireless and VSAT), giving more Africans to >> know-how of using the internet, and generating content that is relevant to >> Africans, and easy for them to access and use. >> >> At Athens, African delegates are likely to strongly express their concern >> about Internet naming and addressing. In this light, they are likely to >> talk about the need for a dotAfrica as the continental Top-Level Domain >> name. The African Networks Operators Group (AfNOG) is spearheading the >> building of a dotAfrica, purportedly to attend to African interests. AfNOG >> argues that it is important to have a dotAfrica to help Africa get its >> recognition as an entity with a high stake in Internet Governance. This >> proposed dotAfrica would target 100,000 organisations under the >> name.Africa or nom.Africa (for Francophone Africa). Many proponents of >> dotAfrica tend to justify its need by arguing that since regions like Asia >> and the European Union have adopted the idea of having dotAsia and dotEU, >> it would also be good for Africa to adopt dotAfrica. They also point out >> that dotAfrica would help Africa to market itself in the area of >> innovation. But some critics feel the clamour for dotAfrica appears to >> merely be a matter of emulating what the Asians and Europeans are doing, >> or engendering African pride, and will not translate into cheaper >> connectivity and accessibility of the Internet on the continent. >> >> The Athens IGF, which is providing the basis for Africans to define their >> priorities as far as the Internet is concerned, was a blueprint for global >> Internet governance. As such its concerns are not targeted at Africa; >> instead they tend to reflect the interests and concerns of the vast >> majority of users mainly outside of America the Internet as a democratic >> and inclusive forum whose management is not monopolised by the Americans >> and those they handpick. It can hence be argued that the core spirit of >> the IGF is therefore not necessarily about making more people use this >> medium, because this is not exactly at the top of the list of priorities >> for concerned parties in Europe and much of Asia, who in any case have had >> a louder and more enlightened voice in Internet governance discourse. >> Back in Tunis in November 2005 at the World Summit on the Information >> Society, the Tunis Agenda adopted by heads of state called for development >> in the broader Internet governance arrangements to include international >> interconnection costs, capacity building and technology/know-how transfer. >> It called for realisation of multilingualism on the Internet, development >> of software that is easy to localise and enables users to choose >> appropriate solutions from different software models including >> open-source, free and proprietary software. Those are some of the great >> pronouncements made at Tunis, which could help develop Internet usage in >> Africa, but which few Africans are articulating. >> Africa has its humongous work to do in the area of content, since content >> drives access to new technologies and vice versa. But the development of >> content cannot be achieved without empowering people and organisations in >> Africa, and enabling them to develop and disseminate their content, and to >> use globally available information resources for their day-to-day >> challenges. The majority of the African population lives in rural areas >> and depends on local content. Specific attention should therefore be paid >> to the advancement of indigenous content including its sharing and >> localisation. >> >> And low-cost technologies like Wi-Fi and VSAT must be adopted to play a >> leading role in Africas Internet development. A good example of how to go >> about this is provided by Knysna municipality in South Africa, which is >> touted as the first completely Wi-Fi covered town in Africa. The >> municipality awarded a tender to build a wireless local-loop access and >> transit infrastructure to cover its entire jurisdiction. Outdoor hotspots >> are installed throughout the region, including in informal settlements, >> and the municipality uses the network to provide free basic Internet and >> voice services to the community. And while UniNet, which built the >> network, provides sustainable low-cost commercial internet, VOIP and data >> services to the community, other service providers in the region can >> utilise the network for delivery of services to their clients >> effectively creating the first open access network in South Africa. To the >> users, there are high quality low-cost fixed line telephony and internet, >> access to low cost VOIP and data services, free local calls (on-net), free >> basic internet services in libraries and on all hotspots. If such >> innovative policies and actions as informed the Knysna connectivity >> project are replicated across municipalities and nations in Africa, the >> continent could potentially witness an Internet boom in a couple of years. >> >> In a nutshell, Africa needs to be concerned about developing Internet >> usage first, rather than dwelling on who governs the Internet and how. >> Africa needs low cost equipment, affordable services and applications, a >> better quality and greater numbers of ICT graduates, accessibility of the >> Internet on mobile phones, cheaper bandwidth including through fibre >> optics, eradication of monopolies and duopolies in Internet service >> provision. Africa also needs government subsidies to extend Internet >> access to all communities; it needs free and open source software that can >> support e-governance, education and health; and it needs to attract >> investment in ICT activities like business process outsourcing. The way >> the Internet is governed now allows for all these; the way most African >> governments are positioned now and planning on putting their issues >> forward at Athens, doesnt quite allow it. >> >> Best regards, >> Vincent >> >> -- >> Vincent Waiswa Bagiire, >> Director, CIPESA >> Plot 30, Bukoto Street, P.O. Box 26970 Kampala >> Tel: 256-41-533057 >> Fax: 256-41-533054 >> Cell: 256-77-702256 or 256-71-702256 >> Email: vincent(a)cipesa.org >> www.cipesa.org >> >> >> >> >> Dgroups is a joint initiative of Bellanet, DFID, Hivos, ICA, ICCO, IICD, >> OneWorld, UNAIDS and World Bank >> --- You are currently subscribed to africtic as: alice(a)apc.org >> To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-africtic-617601R(a)dgroups.org > > >_______________________________________________ >kictanet mailing list >kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke >http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > >Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/ kictanet/eric%40afrispa.org > -- Eric M.K Osiakwan Executive Secretary AfrISPA (www.afrispa.org) Tel: + 233.21.258800 Fax: + 233.21.258811 Cell: + 233.244.386792 Handle: eosiakwan Snail Mail: Pmb 208, Accra-North Office: BusyInternet - 42 Ring Road Central, Accra-North Blog: http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/eric/ Slang: "Tomorrow Now" --

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Does Africa need an IGF or Internet Development Forum?
by alice＠apc.org 24 Oct '06

24 Oct '06

----- Original Message ----- From: "Vincent Waiswa Bagiire" <vincent(a)cipesa.org> To: "Africa ICT Policy Forum" <africtic(a)dgroups.org> > Does Africa need an IGF or Internet Development Forum? > > The Internet Government Forum (IGF) convenes in Athens at the end of > October (next week) to chart a way forward for making the running of the > Internet more inclusive, and more democratic. Several key issues of > concern for various governments and members of the Internet community > worldwide were amply articulated in the run-up to the World Summits on the > Information Society (WSIS) – a process that has continued ahead of the > IGF. Simply put, these issues revolve around enabling control of the > ‘Internet’ and its technical arms to be decentralised from ICANN and its > few chosen agents, increasing security of the Internet, having > international oversight over the Internet, among others. > > Africa stands to be a great beneficiary of the Internet, in areas ranging > from communication to education, health to trade, and governance to > knowledge creation. The case of how Africa embraced the mobile phone when > conditions were created for more players to come in, and when technology > allowed connecting thousands of people at lower costs, could be a learning > example. Africa has got the highest growth rate of mobile phone > connections in the world, and the mobile phone has become the centre of > the continent’s connectivity successes. But Africa has also been > registering high bandwidth consumption rates. According to the African > Internet Service Providers Association, bandwidth demand in Africa rose by > 19% in 2001, 28% in 2002, and 37% in 2003. This high growth rate comes > against the background of very high bandwidth prices in Africa - which are > several times higher than in Europe, America, and even Asia – and the > acute shortage of Internet infrastructure in most of Africa. > As far as Internet usage is concerned, Africa is doing pretty badly. The > ITU World Telecom/ ICT Development Report 2006 says while in a number of > countries more than 50% of the population is using the Internet, an > average of 2.6 percent of Africans are online. This compares miserably > with the Americas (28.2%), Europe (31.1%), and Asia (8.1%). In the > broadband sector, Africa’s show is even gloomier, as it has just 0.1% of > the world’s connections. Comparatively, in the mobile phone sector the > continent boasts 4% of global totals. The continent is not doing any > superbly in terms of ownership of personal computers, the main medium on > which the Internet is run. According to the Information Economy Report > 2005 of the UN Conference on Trade and Investment, while the Republic of > Korea in 2003 had 26.7 m PCs, the whole of Africa had 11.5 m PCs. Clearly, > too few Africans are using the Internet at the moment, and this needs to > be addressed for the continent to harvest benefits from the Internet. > The question to ask then is, why are so few Africans using the Internet? > And the answer to this question should provide the pointer to what needs > to be done for more Africans to be brought into cyberspace. Are issues > related to Internet Governance the main hindrance to African’s usage of > the Internet? The answer is a plain no. Africans are not using the > Internet because the technology deployed tends to be expensive, often the > licensing procedures for Internet Service provision are expensive and > cumbersome, ISPs charge exorbitantly for their services, monopoly > providers do not give little attention to improving affordability, the > content on the Internet is often irrelevant or not in a language many > Africans understand, governments are rarely acting proactively and smartly > to enable the poor and remote parts of their countries to have > connectivity. Now those are the issues that need to be at the top of the > agenda for those promoting Internet usage in Africa. Those are issues that > should be addressed by an envisaged ‘Internet Development Forum’ (ADF). > > As it is, African countries have been working towards developing a common > position on the issues they will be addressing at the IGF in Athens. Among > these are the need for security of the Internet, freedom of expression, > multilingualism and local content on the Internet, Internet > infrastructure, and Intellectual Property Rights. Reining in SPAM or > unsolicited mail mainly used for commercial promotion, social or political > activism, the need for cyber laws, and need for “international” management > of the internet are the other issues African delegates will be > passionately addressing themselves to. They say management of the Internet > should be “multilateral, transparent and democratic, with the full > involvement of governments, the private sector, civil society and > international organisations. It should ensure an equitable distribution of > resources, facilitate access for all and ensure a stable and secure > functioning of the Internet.” > > Who controls the Internet has not hindered vast number of Asians and > Europeans from using the Internet. And it has not been the key hinderance > to Africa’ use of the Internet. So Africa must lay its emphasis elsewhere: > the emphasis should be on improving connectivity (and this connectivity > should be low-cost, including wireless and VSAT), giving more Africans to > know-how of using the internet, and generating content that is relevant to > Africans, and easy for them to access and use. > > At Athens, African delegates are likely to strongly express their concern > about Internet naming and addressing. In this light, they are likely to > talk about the need for a dotAfrica as the continental Top-Level Domain > name. The African Networks Operators Group (AfNOG) is spearheading the > building of a dotAfrica, purportedly to attend to African interests. AfNOG > argues that it is important to have a dotAfrica to help Africa get its > recognition as an entity with a high stake in Internet Governance. This > proposed dotAfrica would target 100,000 organisations under the > name.Africa or nom.Africa (for Francophone Africa). Many proponents of > dotAfrica tend to justify its need by arguing that since regions like Asia > and the European Union have adopted the idea of having dotAsia and dotEU, > it would also be good for Africa to adopt dotAfrica. They also point out > that dotAfrica would help Africa to market itself in the area of > innovation. But some critics feel the clamour for dotAfrica appears to > merely be a matter of emulating what the Asians and Europeans are doing, > or engendering ‘African pride’, and will not translate into cheaper > connectivity and accessibility of the Internet on the continent. > > The Athens IGF, which is providing the basis for Africans to define their > priorities as far as the Internet is concerned, was a blueprint for global > Internet governance. As such its concerns are not targeted at Africa; > instead they tend to reflect the interests and concerns of the vast > majority of users mainly outside of America – the Internet as a democratic > and inclusive forum whose management is not monopolised by the Americans > and those they handpick. It can hence be argued that the core spirit of > the IGF is therefore not necessarily about making more people use this > medium, because this is not exactly at the top of the list of priorities > for concerned parties in Europe and much of Asia, who in any case have had > a louder and more enlightened voice in Internet governance discourse. > Back in Tunis in November 2005 at the World Summit on the Information > Society, the Tunis Agenda adopted by heads of state called for development > in the broader Internet governance arrangements to include international > interconnection costs, capacity building and technology/know-how transfer. > It called for realisation of multilingualism on the Internet, development > of software that is easy to localise and enables users to choose > appropriate solutions from different software models including > open-source, free and proprietary software. Those are some of the great > pronouncements made at Tunis, which could help develop Internet usage in > Africa, but which few Africans are articulating. > Africa has its humongous work to do in the area of content, since content > drives access to new technologies and vice versa. But the development of > content cannot be achieved without empowering people and organisations in > Africa, and enabling them to develop and disseminate their content, and to > use globally available information resources for their day-to-day > challenges. The majority of the African population lives in rural areas > and depends on local content. Specific attention should therefore be paid > to the advancement of indigenous content including its sharing and > localisation. > > And low-cost technologies like Wi-Fi and VSAT must be adopted to play a > leading role in Africa’s Internet development. A good example of how to go > about this is provided by Knysna municipality in South Africa, which is > touted as “the first completely Wi-Fi covered town in Africa”. The > municipality awarded a tender to build a wireless local-loop access and > transit infrastructure to cover its entire jurisdiction. Outdoor hotspots > are installed throughout the region, including in informal settlements, > and the municipality uses the network to provide free basic Internet and > voice services to the community. And while UniNet, which built the > network, provides sustainable low-cost commercial internet, VOIP and data > services to the community, other service providers in the region can > utilise the network for delivery of services to their clients – > effectively creating the first open access network in South Africa. To the > users, there are high quality low-cost fixed line telephony and internet, > access to low cost VOIP and data services, free local calls (on-net), free > basic internet services in libraries and on all hotspots. If such > innovative policies and actions as informed the Knysna connectivity > project are replicated across municipalities and nations in Africa, the > continent could potentially witness an Internet boom in a couple of years. > > In a nutshell, Africa needs to be concerned about developing Internet > usage first, rather than dwelling on who governs the Internet and how. > Africa needs low cost equipment, affordable services and applications, a > better quality and greater numbers of ICT graduates, accessibility of the > Internet on mobile phones, cheaper bandwidth including through fibre > optics, eradication of monopolies and duopolies in Internet service > provision. Africa also needs government subsidies to extend Internet > access to all communities; it needs free and open source software that can > support e-governance, education and health; and it needs to attract > investment in ICT activities like business process outsourcing. The way > the Internet is governed now allows for all these; the way most African > governments are positioned now and planning on putting their issues > forward at Athens, doesn’t quite allow it. > > Best regards, > Vincent > > -- > Vincent Waiswa Bagiire, > Director, CIPESA > Plot 30, Bukoto Street, P.O. Box 26970 Kampala > Tel: 256-41-533057 > Fax: 256-41-533054 > Cell: 256-77-702256 or 256-71-702256 > Email: vincent(a)cipesa.org > www.cipesa.org > > > > > Dgroups is a joint initiative of Bellanet, DFID, Hivos, ICA, ICCO, IICD, > OneWorld, UNAIDS and World Bank > --- You are currently subscribed to africtic as: alice(a)apc.org > To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-africtic-617601R(a)dgroups.org

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Online ICT Bill Discussions Report
by John Walubengo 17 Oct '06

17 Oct '06

just in case you are interested in what transpired during the above eWorkshop... walu. nb: apologies for cross-posting. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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