Dear colleagues, for your information. The Panos Institute West Africa, in partnership with some regulator organizations, is planning a workshop on the regulation of the convergence of telecoms and broadcasting in Cotonou (Benin) from 2nd to 4th February 2006. The workshop title is "Dialogue between Telecoms and Media Regulation Stakeholders in times of Convergence: Challenges and Prospects for Africa". As you know, Convergence brings about new challenges to telecommunications and media regulators and stakeholders. Therefore, Cooperation between regulators especially becomes compulsory. The event is organized within the framework of different programmes including CATIA projects implemented by PIWA. It is a follow up to the two studies we have produced on regulation and convergence in West and Central Africa, from the point of view of media and telecommunications (for the second document, see http://www.cipaco.org/article.php3?id_article=3&lang=en). The HAAC (Haute Autorité de l'Audiovisuel et de la Communication) in Benin, the ACRAN (African Communication Regulatory Authorities Network) will collaborate for event and we are also in contact with WATRA (West African Telecommunications Regulators Association). This workshop aims to promote cooperation between the African media and telecommunications regulators and stakeholders, in order to achieve a concerted and effective regulation of convergence. Its specific objectives are the following: - to identify issues brought about by Convergence in Africa, and particularly, in West and Central Africa, - to exchange on cross-cutting issues in terms of the two sectors regulation, - to examine some African and international experiences on the regulation of convergence, - to draw up recommendations for a harmonized collaboration between regulators and other stakeholders, and concerning the pertinence of setting a single regulatory body that could be in charge of both media and telecommunications, - to continue advocacy, on the one hand, for the strengthening and establishement of efficient and independent regulatory bodies in Africa, and on the other hand, for the adoption of appropriate legislative frameworks in information society which is emerging in Africa. The workshop should gather about thirty regulation, media and ICT professionals coming from public institutions (regulators), but also the private sector, civil society and international and regional institutions (ESMT, ICASA, ARCAN, UNDP, ARTAC, etc.). KL _______________________________________________ Catia_team mailing list Catia_team@catia.ws http://catia.eyecon.co.za/mailman/listinfo/catia_team