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AfNOG 2007 Workshop on Network Technology - Application for Admission
by Dorcas Muthoni 10 Nov '06

10 Nov '06

AfNOG 2007 Workshop on Network Technology - Application for Admission Please see <http://www.afnog.org/afnog2007/workshop/> for information about the AfNOG 2007 Workshop on Network Technology. If you have questions regarding this announcement and application, they may be addressed to: <workshopinfo(a)afnog.org <http://mail.openworld.co.ke/src/compose.php?send_to=workshopinfo%40afnog.org>> Where to Apply - You can you can fill in an application on line, at <http://www.afnog.org/afnog2007/workshop/online-application.html> - You can download a copy of the application form from <http://www.afnog.org/afnog2007/workshop/application-form.txt>, or request a copy via email to <applications(a)afnog.org <http://mail.openworld.co.ke/src/compose.php?send_to=applications%40afnog.org>>. Then fill it in off-line, and email it to <workshop-apply(a)afnog.org <http://mail.openworld.co.ke/src/compose.php?send_to=workshop-apply%40afnog.…>>. The "Subject" line of the message should contain your surname or family name in the following format: Subject: AfNOG Workshop Application: <your-family-name> When to Apply Application forms must be submitted no later than 30 November 2006. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance to the program and the amount of financial aid available (if any) on or about 8th January 2007. Information to be included on your application Please ensure that all of the contact information you submit is and accurate, or we will not be able to contact you. Please give detailed answers to the questions about your work and your experience. If your are applying for financial assistance from AfNOG, please do not forget to answer the questions about other funding sources available to you. A. Personal data FAMILY NAME (LAST NAME, SURNAME) ONLY: Full Name: Employer/Organization: Position/Title: Business Address: Business Telephone: Alternate Telephone: E-mail address: Fax: Date of birth: Nationality: Name as it appears on passport or other travel document: Passport number: Country issuing passport: Date passport was issued: Date of passport expiration: Knowledge of English: Please rate your knowledge in these categories: Listening/comprehension: minimal / fair / good / excellent Reading: minimal / fair / good / excellent Speaking: minimal / fair / good / excellent Writing: minimal / fair / good / excellent Please indicate with an asterisk (*) the most reliable addresses and telephone/fax numbers above which can be used to reach you. B. Course of Instruction Instructional track applied for (Please select only one track; the tracks will run concurrently): [ ] Track E0 - UNIX SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION [ ] Track E1 - SCALABLE INTERNET SERVICES [ ] Track E2 - SCALABLE NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE [ ] Track F2 - INFRASTRUCTURE RESEAUX (French Track - equivanent to E2) Please indicate your specific interests within the area you have chosen: C. Technical Skills 1. Are you a UNIX user? How much have you used it? 2. Have you been a UNIX system administrator? Describe your experience (length of time, versions, etc.). 3 Have you used/administered TCP/IP networks? Describe. 4. Have you set up and/or administered any of the following? Please give details. - bind or any other nameservers - sendmail/smail/exim/postfix - majordomo/mailman or other list manager - apache/IIS web systems 5. Have you configured or otherwise managed any of the following? Details, please. - routers - switches - network monitoring - noc D. Description of Role in National Networking Activities Bearing in mind that this information will be used to determine whether to admit you to the workshop, please provide in the format of your choice the following information about yourself. Please be sure that it is sufficiently clear, well organized and adequate for this purpose. 1. A description of your current employer, your position, your duties and responsibilities, and how they relate to current and future data networking activities in your country. 2. A brief description of your computing and networking environment (operating systems, networking software, modems, etc.), including the connectivity of your organization to the Internet and your country's connectivity to the international Internet. 3a. Scope of your institution (check all categories that apply): [ ] Commercial Network Provider [ ] Academic Network Provider [ ] NGO Network Provider [ ] Other (Specify)______________ 3b. Approximate number of full time staff at your institution:________ 4. How your training and current work prepare and qualify you for the track you wish to attend. 5. How you expect to use the knowledge you gain at the workshop after you return to your country. 6. If you have previously attended AfNOG/INET Workshops for Developing Countries, a. Year and track you attended: b. A precise description of how you have used the training you have received in the past: c. The significant advances in networking which have occurred in your country specifically because of your knowledge and effort: E. Financial Information ------------------------- Your application must contain the following complete information if you wish to be considered for financial support to attend the workshop. The Workshop fee is US$1,600. This includes accommodation and meals. Applicants are usually expected to provide their own funding (from whatever sources). However AfNOG or its sponsors may make a limited financial assistance available to deserving candidates. Even if you request financial assistance you might not receive any, and your acceptance into the Workshop will be conditional on your ability to provide all or most of the funding yourself. Although you may be well qualified and in great need of financial assistance, the maximum funds AfNOG or its sponsors may provide is US$1,000 in financial assistance for BOTH WORKSHOP FEES AND AIRFARE. Payment for the workshop may be made by funds transfer, bank / certified cheque or in cash. Further details will be provided in the admission letter to successful candidates. NOTE : YOUR ACCEPTANCE INTO THE WORKSHOP MAY BEPEND ON YOUR ABILITY TO PROVIDE SOME OR ALL THE WORKSHOP FEES. 1. Are you are requesting financial aid from the AfNOG Workshop for attending the workshop and meetings? [ ] Yes [ ] No 2. If you are requesting financial aid to cover the workshop fee, please provide a complete list of funding sources in the following form. The list should contain all sources of funds that are available to you for payment of the workshop fee. The amounts should total U.S.$1,600. 1. Your Institution -- U.S.$ __________ 2. Your Government -- U.S.$ __________ 3. From international organizations -- U.S.$ __________ 4. Your personal contribution -- U.S.$ __________ 5. Amount you ask from AfNOG -- U.S.$ __________ (less than $1,000) _________________________________ TOTAL Income = U.S.$1,600.00 (PLEASE SELECT ONLY ONE - WORKSHOP FEES OR AIRFARE) 3. Will you need financial assistance for airfare? If so, how much will you or your institution be contributing? [ ] No, assistance for airfare not needed. [ ] Yes, assistance needed. (less than $1,000) Amount of your contribution: U.S.$_________ 4. If you are requesting financial support for airfare, please provide a good estimate of round trip, lowest economy excursion airfare between your place of residence and Abuja, Nigeria, in April 2007. 1. Airfare: 2. Airline: 3. Type of fare: 4. City of departure: 5. Source of your estimate: Signature (your name as you would sign it): __________________________ Date:___________________ -- DRAFT - Issued by the AfNOG 2007 Programme Committee 17 August 2006

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"Fiber Optics: What is the way forward for KENYA"
by Judy kimiti 09 Nov '06

09 Nov '06

Dear Member, The debate on the construction of an undersea fiber-optic cable to connect Kenya to the rest of the world has been on going for a while now. The speedy construction and importance of this cable cannot be over-emphasized. Several initiatives are on the table from different stakeholders. We wish to invite you for a 30 minutes presentation on Fiber Optics: What is the way forward for Kenya by Mr Kai Wulff Managing Director, KDN. The presentation will take place on 9th November 2006, 3:00pm, Jacaranda Hotel at the next KICTANet Planning meeting. The presentation is meant to give members first hand information on the development of fiber in the country and provide a platform for members to give input to the ongoing debate. We look forward having you join us at for this presentation and also request that you please RSVP your atttendance to the undersigned for logistics purpose. Thank You Your Faithfully, Judy Kimiti KICTANet Tel: 4453671 / 2 Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

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Wireless Broadband Africa - Discount Rate for Kictanet Members
by Sean Moroney 08 Nov '06

08 Nov '06

Dear Colleagues, AITEC is pleased to offer Kictanet members a 25% discount on the delegate fee for the Wireless Broadband Conference we are holding at Hilton Hotel over 29- Nov - 1 Dec. In addition, the first 50 delegates that register for the main conference qualify to attend practical implementation workshops on wireless technologies and CDMA free of charge. See our web site for the full programme - www.aitecafrica.com <http://www.aitecafrica.com/> Please phone AITEC Kenya on 020-675-0802/020-2011233 to register. I look forward to seeing you at the conference. Regards, Sean Moroney AITEC Africa <mailto:[email protected]> seanm(a)aitecafrica.com UK Tel: +44-(0)1480-880774 UK Fax: +44-(0)1480-880765 UK Mobile: +44(0)7973-499224 SA Mobile: +27(0)72-610-7153 Kenya Mobile: +254(0)721-845674 Skype: seanmoroney <http://www.aitecafrica.com/> www.aitecafrica.com For the detailed programme and to register as a delegate, log on to www.aitecafrica.com

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Invitation to the Engineering Students' Exhibition
by kevit 08 Nov '06

08 Nov '06

Dear Members, Please find below the details on an important invitation for the regional Engineering Students Exhibition 13.11.2006, Sarit Centre (Nairobi) Engineering Students Exhibition 2006 Showing Kenya's innovative powers Nairobi, 6th November 2006 - The 9th edition of the annual ICT and Engineering Students Exhibition 2006 of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) will be held on 13th November 2006 in Nairobi. This exhibition brings together academia, industries and government to realize the vital opportunity of creating linkages and collaboration. There are 120 entries from nine countries in the region. The event is supported by the Ministry of Information and Communications, Kenya Private Sector Alliance and the Kenya ICT Federation. The objective of the Engineering Students Exhibition is to encourage students to develop their engineering skills and to give them deeper insight in technology coupled with market demand. The preparation and presentation of projects challenges them to use their theoretical knowledge and demonstrate their engineering ability. Students also network with local and international participants, and interact with senior representatives of the private sector. An Innovation System for Kenya The Engineering Students Exhibition proofs there is a need and opportunity for Kenya to organise an Innovation System in which academia, private sector and public sector collaborate. The Government can play a facilitating role through an independent Science Technology and Innovation (SCTI) council, tasked to create an Innovation System that takes full advantage of Kenya's comparative advantages. Local industry cannot fund research and development on its own. However, Kenya's vibrant private sector will be able to take full advantage of such an Innovation System. The Innovation System will also help universities and higher education to emerge from isolation and integrate their curriculum with industry requirements. Due to the introverted nature of many institutions, research has limited relevance towards the socio-economic needs of the country and our creative talents remain under-utilised. The IEEE through its East African Section encourages all to explore the impressive creative engineering power we have in our students population. Sarit Centre Expo hall doors open at 10.00am, followed by hourly speeches and with a prize giving ceremony at 6.30pm. Free admission. Information: Kevit Desai Chairperson IEEE East Africa Governor - KEPSA Director of Engineering - Centurion Systems Ltd. Nairobi, Kenya Office tel: +254 20 4440102/3 Cell: +254 0722 517067 Email: <mailto:[email protected]> kevit(a)centurionsystemsltd.com

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Fw: Final Reminder: Invitation to BusinessXchange Forum - Tuesday 31st October 2006.
by alice＠apc.org 06 Nov '06

06 Nov '06

FYI those interested in attending the KENGEN talk...... ----- Original Message ----- From: <events(a)c4idea.com> To: <alice(a)apc.org> Sent: Monday, October 30, 2006 10:37 AM Subject: Final Reminder: Invitation to BusinessXchange Forum - Tuesday 31st October 2006. > Dear Alice Munyua, > > NB: If you have confirmed your participation please forward it to your > friends. > > This month we are privileged to have Mr. Eddy Njoroge, Managing Director > of KENGEN, Kenya's largest power generating company, to speak about going > public and the challenges encountered in the Kenyan market. > > > Date: Tuesday 31st October 2006 > > Topic: The KenGen IPO and How It Transformed Kenya! > > Speaker: Mr. Eddy Njoroge, MD, KenGen > > Time: 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm > > Venue: Grand Regency Hotel, Nairobi > > Cost: KShs. 1,000/- per person > > > c4IDEA.com is a resource network that helps individuals and organizations > exchange innovative and proactive ideas to develop world-class Kenyan > leaders in different professions and disciplines. > > Please email or call the undersigned on 444 9277 or 444 7655 to make a > reservation for this forum. Visit our website www.c4idea.com for more > information. > > Joan Wachira > Program Officer > _________________________________ > c4IDEA.com - Idea Factory Ltd, > The Office Park, Riverside Drive. > PO Box 12, Sarit Centre 00606, > Nairobi, Kenya. > Tel: 254-020-4449277. > Tel: 254-020-4447655. > Fax: 254-020-4449210. > www.c4IDEA.com > > > >

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Fw: Kictanet Planning Meeting - 9th November Jacaranda Hotel
by Judy kimiti 06 Nov '06

06 Nov '06

Dear Member, The next planning meeting is on 9th November 3:00pm at The Jacaranda Hotel. There will be a Fibre Presentation from Mr. Kai Wulff Managing Director KDN. Please RSVP your attendance to the undersigned for logistics purposes. Thank you. Yours Faithfully, Judy Kimiti KICTANet ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Judy kimiti <jkimiti01(a)yahoo.co.uk> To: kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke Sent: Friday, 27 October, 2006 11:20:11 AM Subject: Kictanet Planning Meeting - 9th November Jacaranda Hotel 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 Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

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OPEN ACCESS SAT3
by Eric Osiakwan 06 Nov '06

06 Nov '06

OPEN ACCESS SAT3 By Eric M.K Osiakwan Visiting Fellow and Scholar DV Program, Stanford University http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/eric/ Since publishing the Open Access EASSy paper @ http:// blogs.law.harvard.edu/eric/ (you must read it to understand this paper), I have being challenged on the viability of Open Access to SAT3 and questioned on the need to institute the same standrards for both cables though we all know that SAT3 is already established and EASSy is yet to be. In this thesis I make an attempt at upholding the same Open Access structure and principles of EASSy to SAT3 – this is possible because both cables lie in the same realm but the context of their execusion are different. This is ONLY possible because of the window of opportunity presented by the end of exclusivity by the historic operators on SAT3 in April 2007 so I also suggest a process approach. For the records, SAT3 was established with an exclusivity period to recoup investment by the historic operators and this is due in April 2007 at which the SAT3 country governments can either entrench the exclusivity of the historic operators or consider other mechanisms such as what an proposing. SAT3 stands both as a pillar of hope and despair for the African continent; hope because it was the first cable and there is an opportunity for it to significantly change bandwidth prices based on it’s non-performance, despair because we may decide to keep things the way they are currently and continue with the incumbency and high bandwidth prices. The reasons for the non-renewal of the exclusivity range from, the historic operators haven recouped their investment in the cable at high cost since the inception of the cable and yet made fiber bandwdith more expensive than satellite capacity. Secondly we know that the loan granted by the WorldBank to the historic operators for their contribution to the SAT3 cable was guaranteed by their respective governments hence the onus lies with the government after supporting the private interest of the historic operators to now consider the public interest of providing cheap and affordable bandwidth for socio-economic development. If the SAT3 goverrnments and regulators collectively or individually decide to end the exclusivity in April 2007 then the question to me is, what steps should they take towards Open Accessing SAT3? I don’t hold monopoly on the steps and process because national and or regional relationships coupled with on the ground details must be taken into consideration but I would proceed to outline what I see as the larger framework of what is possible in terms of structure, principles and processes – same as for the EASSy cable. Hopefully other cables or subsequent ones would adopt or follow the same strucure, principles and process to have the desired impact. For the records again, I applaud the work done by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA @ www.osiwa.org) and other institutions for not only holding two (2) workshops to discuss the SAT3 issues but bringing a community of engagement, culture of awareness of the issues at stake and channelling internal capacity within the various constituencies ie governments, regulators, private sector, educational institutions and Civil Society to understand whatever decisions they make regarding the cable. My effort in this paper is to compliment such efforts with an adoption that considers some elements and layout a general framework based on the several discussions and engagements. Declaring SAT3 an “essential facility” would mean that it holds much in the public interest so must be treated with the public good as primary and other consideration as secondary. Private consideration would be first on the secondary ladder because that is important for the running of the public entity. Am not for once suggesting a move from an extreme private position to an extreme public consideration, but rather my suggestion is to use minimal public holding as a temporal measure to move from an exteme private interest to a balance between the private and public consideration. Open Access is about balance and consideration of the various interests. The governments holding the essential facility in trust after declaring it so is only a temporary measure which must be seeded quickly to a multi-stakeholder institution which would work in the interest of the various constituency and ensure that there is a clear reflection of equity. Regulatory and public policy must recognise the establishment of the essenttial facility which in this case would be “infrastructure provider” – providing infrastructure for the other service providers wthin the value chain. In some cases the regulatory and public policy environment must create the structural change from a vertical to a horizontal layering communication system and that enables the change process. Whatever the case may be, the first fundamental step is the re-alignment of the communication paradigm where there is a distinction between infrastructure and services. This means a move from the vertical to the horizontal communication system. The essential facility in this case, the SAT3 country segment would constitute the infrastructure provider which DOES NOT provide services on the value chain. Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and Senegal has hinted that they are going to adopt this approach post April 2007. In the case of Ghana, the government has also contracted the Chinese to finalise the nationwide fiber network which was owned by the Volta River Authority called Voltacom. Voltacom would be merged with the SAT3 country segment to form an “infrastructure provider” which would provider international and national bandwidth infrastructure. Owership of the infrastructure provider is the next consideration, enjoining a multi-stakeholder ownership model ensures that there is balance of power, money and interest. It is in the interest of the government to ensure that this happens so that they are not labeled as “corrupting” the entity. The mechanism is for the government through an initial private and or public offering to invite the private sector, educational institutions, civil society, investors, PTTs and the consumer to own a part of this entity through a transparent and neutral process. Enlisting the infrastructure provider on the stock exchange would ensure that it is subject to the dictates of that environment ensuring access and commonality on ownership. SAT3 at this point would have adhered to Open Access in terms of the structural change below; Within the structural framework, the cable would have differentiated “Infrastructure” from “Services” where Infrastructure is seen more in the “Ownership” realm whiles Service is seen in “Access to capacity”. The most distinguishing feature of the Open Access approach is that, ownership of the infrastructure DOES NOT GUARANTEE any access (discriminatory or not) to capacity on the value chain for the provision of service to the market. The respective country capacity would be on the money here. A set of principles would hold for the ownership of the cable and those principles would be different from those for access to capacity. Infrastructure ownership principles for the SAT3 cable would include; The ownership of the cable must be in a public private partnership involving Government, PTTs, ISPs, Educational Institutions, Civil Society and Consumers. A fair distribution of these constituencies from the member countries in an equal sub-regional distribution leading up to the Board of Directors of the enterprise in case a regional approach is adopted like EASSy. The same set of rules must be established to identifying the various shareholders from the various countries in the different constituencies, again this applies to regional. For the purposes of this exercise a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) or a legal entity with an African wide structure and majority Africa ownership should be considered The essential facility must have a public interest combined with a private sector approach in it’s business model in order to ensure cheap and affordable bandwidth to the end-user. Value Chain access to capacity for service delivery principles are; The essential facility must sell capacity to all entities who meet the legal and regulatory requirements in each country directly and non-discriminatorily. Service Providers shall be offered Transport Infrastructure Layer access to different capacities depending on their requirements. End Users shall be free to choose any local Service Provider connected to the National and or Regional Network. The essential facility shall not compete with Service Providers (its customers) by offering services at the Service Layers directly to End Users. All countries must create a regulatory structure that recognizes the essential facility. The essential facility shall be formed, owned and operated in such a way as to facilitate competition and to foster innovation at the Services Layer, and where practical and commercially viable at all levels, with a view to maximizing usage of the network and benefits to the End Users. Once these are in place the market structure would align such that the infrastructure cost which is almost always duplicated several times by service providers is consolidated. That reduces the barrier to uptake on the service side and makes the service providers focus on services and competition in the market place for innovation and customer service delivery at cheaper or affordable cost. Ultimately the customer benefits and the uptake of ICTs as a sector and cross sectorial enabler would be enhanced. This sets out the framework for Open Access as it relates to the SAT3 cable but I must admit that this is not the ONLY approach in terms of process but structurally and principles wise, the above is not far from wrong. The devil as they say is always in the details, though. NB: These principles and structure are drawn from the Open Access study conducted by Anders Comstedt, Eric Osiakwan and Russell Southwood for InfoDEV @ the WorldBank – http://www.infodev.org/en/ Project.80.html 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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Phoney finance - Mobile telephony and banking
by alice＠apc.org 05 Nov '06

05 Nov '06

Our Safaricom we understand is about to roll out money transfer system using mobile phones. Will phone now turn into banking instruments setting pace for mobile commerce? For people in rural where Bank branches have high operational costs due to lack of infrastructure (Electricity is in short supply, as are safe, passable roads), are clearly not the solution. Yet this is where most potential micro finance patrons still live. If we are looking at ways to fill a need and to by pass infrastructure problems for bank branches, then the opportunities are abundant for mobile phone holders who are able to transact banking through their mobiles. Not to say that infrastructure is not important but that micro finance clients no longer have to wait. However, there are many challenges (policy and regulatory related) in forging these types of partnerships (mobiles and banking) and proving that mobile banking can work even in the most remote areas and protect vulnerable users...... alice ----- Original Message ----- From: <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> To: <alice(a)apc.org> Sent: Sunday, November 05, 2006 1:47 PM Subject: Re: [Kictanet] Fw: Final Reminder: Invitation to BusinessXchange Forum - Tuesday 31st October 2006. Dear All, Do you see opportunities in the Economist article below: Ndemo. Phoney finance - Mobile telephony and banking 875 words 28 October 2006 The Economist ECN 381 English (c) The Economist Newspaper Limited, London 2006. All rights reserved Banking the unbanked, by mobile phone Most South Africans do not have bank accounts. But most do have mobile phones LIFE is now easier for Andile Mbatha, who owns a hair salon in Soweto. Gone are his days of trekking to his bank, which could take two hours by minibus, to send money to relatives. Nor does he keep piles of cash in his salon any more. Last year, he opened a bank account with Wizzit, an innovative provider of financial services. He now sends money to his sister in Cape Town whenever he wants, from wherever he wants, using a simple menu on his mobile phone. Half his customers no longer pay cash for their haircuts. They use their phones to move money from their accounts to his, in a few seconds. "This has taken out a lot of stress," says Mr Mbatha. About half a million South Africans now use their mobile phones as a bank. Besides sending money to relatives and paying for goods, they can check balances, buy mobile airtime and settle utility bills. Traditional banks offer mobile banking as an added service to existing customers, most of whom are quite well off. But Wizzit, and to some extent First National Bank (FNB) and MTN Banking (a joint venture between Standard Bank and a mobile-phone network), are chasing another market: the 16m South Africans, over half of the adult population, with no bank account. Significantly, 30% of these people do have mobile phones. Wizzit hired and trained over 2,000 unemployed people, known as Wizzkids, to drum up business. It worked: eight out of ten Wizzit customers previously had no bank account and had never used an ATM. Mobile banking is just one example of a wider phenomenon in South Africa. With its odd mix of advanced capitalism and developing-world economics, the country is successfully luring people who hitherto dealt only in cash or barter to the world of formal finance. A simplified kind of account called Mzansi was launched in 2004 to reach the unbanked, and portable banks and ATMs have been rolled out in townships and in the countryside. To this fast-changing scene, mobile-phone banking looks to be a promising addition. Millions of South Africans send money to their relatives in other parts of the country. And most of these sums, which add up to about 12 billion rand ($1.5 billion) each year, still move informally. South Africa is not the first place to use mobile-phone banking: countries such as Japan, South Korea and the Philippines have had it for a while. But the potential is probably bigger in the developing world, and in countries in which migrants remit money to their families in relatively poor homelands. In Greece, a European Union member that is now awash with migrant labour, Albanians or Bulgarians often send money home by putting crumpled banknotes in the hands of a trusted compatriot, who takes a cut. If they could do it all by pressing buttons, they would. In most of Africa, meanwhile, only a fraction of people have bank accounts-but there is huge demand for cheap and convenient ways to send money and buy prepaid services such as airtime. Many Africans, having skipped landlines and jumped to mobiles, already use prepaid airtime as a way of transferring money. They could now leap from a world of cash to cellular banking. In Kenya, a pilot scheme called M-Pesa is being used to disburse and pay micro-loans by phone. Meanwhile Celpay, which FNB bought last year from Celtel, a mobile-phone company, is offering platforms for banks and phone companies in Zambia and Congo. In countries like Somalia, with chaotic conditions at home and a huge diaspora, cash transfers by phone would be a boon. For banks, persuading people not to use branches for simple transactions such as balance enquiries or transfers should reduce operating costs. So far, they charge the same for mobile as for traditional banking, though Wizzit says its services are at least a third cheaper than those of a traditional bank. But drawing the unbanked into the joys of cell-finance isn't always easy. Many think banking too expensive and complicated, and helping new customers become financially literate takes time. The technology remains clunky in some cases, with downloads requiring dozens of text messages. Several rival platforms are still in the fight, but so far those that emphasise simplicity and ease-of-use over state-of-the-art technology and security have made the greatest strides. A lot also hangs on putting in place the right laws and regulations. They need to be tight enough to protect vulnerable users and discourage money laundering, but open enough to allow innovative mobile banking to grow. If the transfer of money by mobile phone-between countries as well as within them-takes off, it could have implications far beyond the salons of Soweto. In 2005, according to the United Nations, global migrants remitted $232 billion, of which up to 20% was lost on the way, mostly in bank charges or fraud. If cellular transfers could slash that figure, mobile banking would prove to be a good call. -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. _______________________________________________ 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 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] v2030 and ICT
by Eric Osiakwan 03 Nov '06

03 Nov '06

Edith, permit me to emphasis your point "keep our eyes on the ball" and be active in that process - this is what i meant by write ICT in the 2030 document as much as possible and send it to them as KICTANET. This must be done so much and through many ways that they accept what input you guys have. When we did this in Ghana, i made the ICT community aware that if we dont get ICT into that vision, then we have failed as a constituency and we cant blame the government for not listening to us so that it is more our responsibility to ensure it is there than the government to accept it in there. I hope am not TOO OPTIMISTIC.......:-) ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: Edith Adera <eadera(a)idrc.or.ke> Reply-To: Kenya ICT Policy - kictanet <kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke> Date: Fri, 03 Nov 2006 09:02:24 +0300 >Thanks for sharing this Bill. > >There's need to ensure this gets attention at the Strategy development >stage as well (as a cross-cutting theme and as a sector in itself...so lets >"keep our eyes on the ball" and be active in that process. > >cheers! > > >At / À 01:08 PM 11/2/2006, Bill Kagai wrote / a écrit: >>SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY HON. MWAI KIBAKI, C.G.H., M.P., PRESIDENT AND >>COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA ON THE >>OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE VISION 2030, KENYATTA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE >>CENTRE, NAIROBI, 30TH OCTOBER, 2006 >> >>http://www.statehousekenya.go.ke/speeches/kibaki/oct06/2006301001.htm >> >>The ICT sector is one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy, >>with highest potential for Kenya's prospects in tapping global >>markets. This follows the total liberalisation of this sector in >>Kenya. We will soon have a second national operator, which will bring >>greater dynamism to the telecommunications sector. More importantly, >>we are investing in fibre optic connectivity nationally and >>internationally to leverage our global competitiveness in this sector, >>which offers our educated youth extensive opportunities for >>employment. Therefore, the strategies that you are developing for the >>next five years should leverage this competitive advantage, especially >>with regard to business process outsourcing, which is the world's >>fastest growing global market. The economic performance of any country >>is closely tied to the application of science and technology. This is >>why Kenya is investing considerably in higher education, research >>institutions, and universities. >> >>However, there still remain serious limitations in application of >>technology between research, industry, and agriculture. This is a >>serious weakness in our development strategy, which requires urgent >>attention. We have recently created the Ministry of Science and >>Technology, which is developing a national policy for science, >>technology, and innovation. It is important that the Vision Strategy >>that is being developed, is geared towards enhancing Kenya's >>scientific and technological capacity, inculcating a scientific >>culture, and integrating science and technology into our production >>and service sectors. >> >>_______________________________________________ >>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/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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Re: [Kictanet] v2030 and ICT
by Edith Adera 03 Nov '06

03 Nov '06

Thanks for sharing this Bill. There's need to ensure this gets attention at the Strategy development stage as well (as a cross-cutting theme and as a sector in itself...so lets "keep our eyes on the ball" and be active in that process. cheers! At / À 01:08 PM 11/2/2006, Bill Kagai wrote / a écrit: >SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY HON. MWAI KIBAKI, C.G.H., M.P., PRESIDENT AND >COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA ON THE >OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE VISION 2030, KENYATTA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE >CENTRE, NAIROBI, 30TH OCTOBER, 2006 > >http://www.statehousekenya.go.ke/speeches/kibaki/oct06/2006301001.htm > >The ICT sector is one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy, >with highest potential for Kenya's prospects in tapping global >markets. This follows the total liberalisation of this sector in >Kenya. We will soon have a second national operator, which will bring >greater dynamism to the telecommunications sector. More importantly, >we are investing in fibre optic connectivity nationally and >internationally to leverage our global competitiveness in this sector, >which offers our educated youth extensive opportunities for >employment. Therefore, the strategies that you are developing for the >next five years should leverage this competitive advantage, especially >with regard to business process outsourcing, which is the world's >fastest growing global market. The economic performance of any country >is closely tied to the application of science and technology. This is >why Kenya is investing considerably in higher education, research >institutions, and universities. > >However, there still remain serious limitations in application of >technology between research, industry, and agriculture. This is a >serious weakness in our development strategy, which requires urgent >attention. We have recently created the Ministry of Science and >Technology, which is developing a national policy for science, >technology, and innovation. It is important that the Vision Strategy >that is being developed, is geared towards enhancing Kenya's >scientific and technological capacity, inculcating a scientific >culture, and integrating science and technology into our production >and service sectors. > >_______________________________________________ >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

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