Here is the latest issue of the APC Africa ICT Policy Monitor e-updates
No. 14, a selection of the latest content added to the Africa ICT Policy Monitor
Website chosen by our editors.

Editor
APC Africa Policy Monitor Website
http://africa.rights.apc.org/

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News > Access

 East African fibre optic cable work to start in March 2006
26/10/2005 (The Monitor) -- The laying of the proposed fibre optic cable along the entire stretch of the East African coast will start in March next year. This is according to information provided by Uganda Telecom, which is chairing one of the project's implementation committees. Upon completion, the fible optic cable will interlink the region to two other undersea cables serving South, West and Northern Africa and forming a highway continental loop that connects Africa to the rest of the world.

 Uganda: Bwindi gets telecentre
21/10/2005 (The Monitor) -- A state of the art multi-purpose community telecenter has been launched in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Kanungu district. The centre, the first of its kind in Uganda, was set up by Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), a grass roots NGO working in Buhoma. It is equipped with high-speed wireless Internet access and voice telephony via satellite communication to connect the community and tourists to the outside world

 Ghana Internet eXchange (GIX) Launched
19/10/2005 ((GIX) ) -- On Tuesday 18th October 2005, the entire Internet fraternity in Ghana would be gathered at the Ghana India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence for the official launch of Ghana Internet eXchange (GIX @ www.gixa.org.gh) in the company of the Hon. Minister of Communication and the French Ambassador to Ghana.

 South Africa: Wireless broadband report released
18/10/2005 (ITWeb) -- Sentech's MyWireless is the best broadband solution in SA, says the wireless broadband report released by Johannesburg University's broadband laboratory.

 Nigeria: Twist in BPE, Nitel & Sat- 3 Transatlantic Cable Tale?
14/10/2005 (Allafrica) -- Reports carried in the media this week indicate that there may be some contention between the BPE and the Ministry of Communications over the future of Nitel SAT - 3 submarine cable following Nitel's impending disposition by sale later this year.

News > Telecommunications

South Africa: Broadband restores fixed-line trend

 Nigeria Federal Government to Sell Nitel Without Sat-3
21/10/2005 (Allfrica.com) -- Controversy surrounding the ownership of SAT-3 has been put to rest as federal government has resolved to separate SAT-3 from Nigerian Telecommunication Limited (NITEL). Communication Minister, Chief Cornelus Adebayo said federal government has started the process of selling the national asset.

 CTO Publishes New Report on Impact of Telecoms in Poverty Reduction
19/10/2005 (CTO) -- The results of an international study into the impact of telephones on rural livelihoods and poverty reduction will be presented on 19 October by the CTO and an international research consortium. Funded by the UK Department for International Development (DfID), the report focuses on the use of telephones and other information and communication technologies (ICTs) by rural communities in Africa and Asia. Field research for the study was undertaken in India, Mozambique and Tanzania during 2004.

 New Wave of African VoIP Operators Emerge
17/10/2005 (Balancing Act) -- Africa's grey market VoIP operators are coming out into the light as attitudes and legislation change. The emergence of a VoIP service providers sector could prove almost as significant for Africa as the earlier emergence of independent ISPs. Because beyond the mobile companies, it has been the entrepreneurial energy and lobbying of ISPs that has driven regulatory change in many countries.

 Kenya: Telkom Raises Phone Tariffs By 16pc
15/10/2005 (East African Standard) -- Telkom Kenya yesterday raised cost of local telephone calls by 16 per cent. In the new tariff structure that comes into effect on November 1, local calls will cost Sh10 per three minutes up from Sh8.60. In a bid to promote trade and communication within the East African Community, the cost of calls to Uganda and Tanzania went down by 25 per cent.

 Nigeria: Twist in BPE, Nitel & Sat- 3 Transatlantic Cable Tale?
14/10/2005 (Allafrica) -- Reports carried in the media this week indicate that there may be some contention between the BPE and the Ministry of Communications over the future of Nitel SAT - 3 submarine cable following Nitel's impending disposition by sale later this year.

 SANGONeT Launches South African NGO Portal
24/10/2005 (Sangonet) -- The Southern African NGO Network (SANGONeT) is pleased to announce the launch of a new Internet portal for and about the NGO sector in South Africa. This portal is primed to become the gateway to the South African NGO sector, boasting the most comprehensive, validated and easily searchable NGO directory in the country, containing information about more than 2 500 organisations.

 South Africa: New licensing conditions for SABC
14/06/2005 (BusinessDay ) -- The Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) will impose new conditions on the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) - which will result in local languages getting more airtime - with effect from April next year, the regulator said today.

News > E-Governance & E-Commerce

 Namibia: Information Staff Play Crucial Role says Minister
21/10/2005 (NewEra) -- The Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, says strategic planning workshops are essential in the operation of any institution as they give an opportunity to reflect on the past and map out the way forward.

 South Africa govt ICT challenges not unique
20/09/2005 (ITWeb) -- The ICT challenges that South African government departments face are not unique, but part of a global challenge, delegates at a government conference organised by the Business Zone at the Rosebank Hotel heard yesterday.

 Kigali-Mombasa Trade Soon On Internet
15/10/2005 (NewTimes) -- The delay of Rwandan merchandise at Mombasa port will soon end when the Kenyan government introduces internet transaction system.The new developments will enable Rwandan traders to monitor the arrival and departure of their merchandise at Mombasa Port through the internet to be installed next year.

News > Freedom of Expression & Media

Nigeria: Journalists Push for Legal Reforms to Safeguard Free Expression

 Botswana: Gaborone Broadcasting Company (GBC) licence renewed
16/10/2005 (BOPA ) -- Botswanas only private television station, Gaborone Broadcasting Company (GBC) has been awarded a 15-year broadcasting licence on condition that it fulfils all the license provisions.

News > Intellectual Property

 IP Charter With ‘Public Interest Checklist’ For Governments Launched
20/10/2005 (IP-Watch) -- A high-level group of legal scholars, artists, scientists and experts has launched an initiative urging governments to change the global intellectual property scheme which they argue has shifted too much toward private interests at the expense of the public.

 2005 WIPO General Assembly Continues Support for Development Agenda
13/10/2005 (IP Justice) -- In its annual meeting from 26 Sept. - 5 Oct. 2005 in Geneva, the General Assemblies of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) remained firm in its commitment to incorporating a "Development Agenda" for reform at WIPO, a UN Specialized Agency.

News > Laws and Regulation

 Nigeria: Journalists Push for Legal Reforms to Safeguard Free Expression
25/10/2005 (IFEX) -- Journalists, editors and other media professionals from Nigeria have called on their government to pass a long-delayed access to information bill and revoke repressive laws that inhibit press freedom and freedom of expression. At a workshop organised last week in Lagos by Media Rights Agenda and the World Bank Institute (WBI), some 50 participants adopted a statement that urged President Olusegun Obasanjo to pass the Freedom of Information Bill, which has been pending before parliament since 1999.

 South Africa: New ICT lobby group chair to continue push for sector reforms
25/10/2005 (Businessday) -- The Communications Users Association of SA’s (Cuasa’s) new chairperson Edwin Thompson today said it would continue to lobby for legislative and regulatory pressure to yield effective competition in the telecommunications and other information and communications technology (ICT) sectors.

 South Africa: ICASA hearings begin in Parliament
24/10/2005 (ITWeb) -- Proposed changes to the mechanism of appointing Independent Communication Authority of SA (ICASA) councillors was a bone of contention in Parliament today. In the first day of public hearings before the parliamentary portfolio committee of communications on the ICASA amendment Bill, representatives from ICASA, the SA Post Office, Internet Solutions and the Freedom of Expression Institute expressed concerns that the appointment of ICASA councillors would be taken out of Parliament's hands and given to a committee appointed by the minister of communications.

News > National ICT Strategies

 Botswana: ICT can contribute to poverty eradication
24/10/2005 (Mmegi) -- Government should empower the poor by way of giving them access to information, an official at Botswana Telecommunication Authority (BTA) has said. BTA senior manager - department of broadcasting regulation - Oshinka Tsiang told participants at a three-day World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) consultative workshop on Tuesday.

 West African regulators agree on common IT framework
14/10/2005 (Businessday) -- The West African sub-region is gradually moving towards common information and Communication Technology (ICT) market as regulators from the sub-region have reached a landmark agreement on a common regulatory framework for the sector.
 

News > Security and Privacy

South Africa: Draft privacy protection law released

News > Software

 Zambia Minister roots for Open Source Software
21/10/2005 (Times of Zambia) -- The Zambia Communications and Transport Deputy Minister Harrigan Mazimba has said that open source technology was a new phenomenon in the African context but if well implemented it would contribute to growth of Zambia’s economy. He said for this goal to be achieved there is need to understand the “Open Source” concept well.

 Open Source Agreed In UN Information Society Summit Preparations
10/10/2005 (IP-Watch) -- Encouragement for the use of free and open source software and open standards for science and technology has quietly worked its way into the draft texts being prepared for the November second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).
 

News > Training and Education

 Ethiopia: A regional ICT training Center to be established
24/10/2005 (ENA) -- A regional ICT training Center will be established in Amhara State during the current year, the State Capacity Building Bureau said. Public Relations Officer with the Bureau, Wudneh Gezahegn told ENA on Sunday that creating skilled manpower enabling to make use of ICT for good governance and development will be given priority during the reported period.

News > WSIS

 NGOs plan „Citizens’ Summit“ in Tunis
25/10/2005 (Worldsummit2005) -- A coalition of civil society organizations today announced they will hold a major parallel event when the WSIS summit meets in Tunis less than four weeks from now. This development was triggered by two developments: The first is a lack of meaningful civil society inclusion in the preparatory process, as again was stated publicly during the last meeting of the PrepCom in September. The second reason is the growing suppression of independent voices in the summit host country Tunisia. The “Citizens’ Summit on the Information Society (CSIS)” is therefore organized together with independent Tunisian civil society groups.

 Botswana: WSIS workshop participants identify ICT bottlenecks
25/10/2005 (BOPA) -- Botswana will only claim its stake in the information society if stakeholders in the implementation of the information and communications technology projects coordinate their activities. Participants at last weeks World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) national workshop in Gaborone believe all need to work together for Botswana to keep pace with information communication technology developments.

 Mozambique sets up committee for November WSIS in Tunisia
21/10/2005 (AngolaPress) -- Mozambique has set up a national committee to help prepare for the country`s participation in the November World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunisia, Science and Technology Minister Venancio Massingue said here Wednesday.

  Tunis 2005 WSIS: finishing touches brought to the Kram Palexpo as summit nears
20/10/2005 (Tunisia Online) -- Twenty six days before the official launching of the Tunis WSIS, the Summit’s main exhibition hall, the Kram Palexpo situated north of the capital, is getting ready for the greatest international gathering in Tunisia’s history.

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Reports

 Interconnection costs
21/09/2005 -- The world is still in the middle of a seismic shift in communication architectures as internet-based networks steadily replace the circuit-switched systems that were designed for voice, while rapid innovation continues to throw new technologies into the mix. We are still in a relatively early stage of this evolution, and as a result, internet interconnection issues are complex, fast changing and not well understood.

 Information Society or Knowledge Societies? Unesco in the Smart State
18/10/2005 -- The chapters in this volume canvasses the dialogue emerging from discussions about the WSIS Statement of Principles and Plan of Action in the context of local, national and international communication policies. It also offers some insights to WSIS participants, which may be helpful when it comes to evaluating the process in Tunis and beyond. The various authors discuss the WSIS Statement of Principles and Plan of Action from multiple perspectives, offering insights into the key challenges facing the process and offering alternative frameworks for the management of communication rights.

 ‘Spits and spurts’ ICT advocacy and the media in Africa – the CATIA experience
18/10/2005 -- The media can be active catalysts for change in Africa, and don’t have to be neutral bystanders as the complex ICT landscape on the continent unfolds. That’s one of the findings of a report commissioned by Catalysing Access to ICTs in Africa (CATIA), a three year programme funded by the Department for International Development in collaboration with other donors.

 

 ICANN, Internet governance and Africa
13/10/2005 -- The Collaboration for International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) has published ICANN, Internet governance and Africa, a public briefing on the current status and key points of the debate that provides essential background for the second phase of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS). 

 

 Kenya: Nairobi Software Freedom Day Event Report
10/10/2005 -- The 10th of September 2005 was designated by advocates of free and open-source software (FOSS) the Software Freedom Day. Every year on that day, campaigns are held across the world to sensitize people about the benefits and availability of open-source software. Although the concept is an initiative of the nonprofit company Software Freedom International, it's actualized by grassroots free software advocates.

 

 New Study: Open Access Models: Options for Improving Backbone Access In Developing Countries
09/10/2005 -- InfoDev has just published a report on how open access can help improve infrastructure development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Called Open Access Models: The Study by SPINTRACK AB explores (1) opportunities for leveraging new technologies to increase access and functionality of existing infrastructure; (2) the design and implementation of open access models for infrastructure; and (3) the potential role of public financing in expanding infrastructure roll-out in Sub-Saharan Africa. 


Discussion Papers

 "Digital Dangers: Information and Communication Technologies and Trafficking in Women"
21/10/2005 -- It seems unlikely that whoever coined the term 'information superhighway' anticipated that the traffic on the internet would be in people, as well as information. How, and how much, the internet and other ICTs are implicated in trafficking is the subject of this issue paper by The Association for Progressive Communications Women's Networking Support Programme (APC WNSP) produced in cooperation with The Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID). 

 

 Reframing the Role of Telecentres in Development
21/10/2005 -- Telecentres – public locations for accessing ICTs – have formed an important part of "e-development" strategies for donors, NGOs, governments and the private sector in recent years. At one time, they were a centrepiece of such strategies but more recently have somewhat fallen from favour. Where do we stand today on telecentres?

 

 Free and Open Source Software: A Blind Alley for Developing Countries?
17/10/2005 -- There is considerable interest in the "e-development" community about FOSS: free and open source software. It is argued to be cheaper and more customisable than proprietary software; it is argued to be a potential kick-starter for the local IT industry; it merits a mention in the WSIS Plan of Action. So what is its likely trajectory?


Opinion

 Tanzania's mobile phone firms should lower tariffs
25/10/2005 -- Mobile telephony has registered phenomenal growth in Tanzania in the last decade. In 1995, there were only 2,198 mobile phone lines; by last year there were 1,942,000. In contrast, fixed telephone lines increased from 88,000 to 148,000 lines in the same period. While mobile lines have been growing, the fixed line service has been degenerating. In fact, the number of fixed lines were fewer last year than in 1999. Last year, 93 per cent of telephone subscribers had mobile lines with fixed lines accounting for only 7 per cent.

 

 UN summit should provide a good opportunity for Africa to lobby for support to fund ICT efforts
16/09/2005 -- This week’s UN General Assembly (UNGA), exactly two months before the Tunis World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), gives Africa a perfect opportunity to lobby rich-world leaders to support a long-term mechanism to fund information and communication technology for development (ICT4D).

Why Cyber Crime Persists in Nigeria

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-- 
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Emmanuel Njenga Njuguna
Africa Policy Monitor Project 
Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
Email: africa.rights@apc.org or njenga@apc.org
Web: http://africa.rights.apc.org
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