News | NEPAD | e-Africa Commission

The Kigali Protocol: A policy and regulatory framework to accelerate development of ICT broadband infrastructure in Africa

Submitted by nepadadmin on Tue, 10/20/2009 - 09:56.

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10/20/2009

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Because many countries in Africa still rely on foreign owned satellite networks for regional and international telecommunications links, the NEPAD ICT broadband infrastructure project was conceived, amongst other objectives, to reduce Africa’s dependence on foreign owned telecom networks.<o:p></o:p> In August, 2006, under the auspices of the African Union, seven (7) countries from Eastern and Southern Africa signed a protocol in Kigali, Rwanda. Subsequently, five more countries from the region signed the protocol before the cut-off date of 30 November, 2006. To date, the protocol has been ratified by eight of these twelve countries and has been in force since February, 2008. Now known as the Kigali Protocol, the protocol enshrines an ICT policy and regulatory framework within which the NEPAD Network can developed, owned, operated and maintained. Initially developed for countries in Eastern and Southern Africa, the protocol will be extended to all African countries after appropriate amendments have been made. The Protocol is guided by policy principles based on non-discriminatory, open access and equitable joint ownership of the backbone infrastructure across the region; the use of Special Purpose Vehicles( SPV’s) to build, own and operate the NEPAD Network, which is considered a ‘’public good’’; and the need to apply the principle of Public Private Partnership to develop the network. Among other objectives, the protocol promotes and facilitates the provision of ICT broadband infrastructure on the continent that will support high-quality speed and reliable electronic communication at affordable prices for end users. The protocol is based on open-access principles and promotes the incorporation of existing national networks, subject to agreement by the countries concerned, where applicable and practical, into the NEPAD Network. To that end, a Ministerial Inter-Governmental Assembly (IGA), comprising of Ministers responsible for ICT /and or Telecommunications, has given the NEPAD e-Africa Commission the task to design and implement two networks in collaboration with other stakeholders. The first network, named UHURUNET, will be the submarine segment and the second one, UMOJANET, will be the terrestrial segment. Feasibility studies for both segments have been already done. For now, the objective is to cater for all African countries in the Protocol and to ultimately make these networks a reality in order to bridge the huge digital divide the continent still faces. For more information contact Dr Edmund Katiti<o:p></o:p> <a href="mailto:ekatiti@eafricacommission.org">ekatiti@eafricacommission.org</a> <a href="/">www.eafricacommission.org</a>

INAUGURAL SOUTHERN AFRICAN INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM (SAIGF)

Submitted by nepadadmin on Wed, 08/31/2011 - 00:00.

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08/31/2011

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THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS, SOUTH AFRICA, WITH THE ENDORSEMENT OF THE SOUTHERN AFRICA DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY (SADC) WILL HOST THE INAUGURAL SOUTHERN AFRICAN INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM (SAIGF) Pretoria, South Africa 31st August 2011- SAIGF is jointly convened by the NEPAD Agency, the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and the Southern Africa NGO Network (SANGONeT). Key outcomes of the forum will be the establishment of a framework for the SAIGF and the articulation of a regional position for the global IGF in Nairobi (September 27-30).<o:p></o:p>The objectives of this forum would be to contribute to the establishment of a coordinated, structured and coherent framework for dealing with Internet Governance issues in the SADC region. Moreover, the Forum is intended to increase awareness of Internet Governance issues in Southern Africa, to facilitate the participation of a broad range of SADC stakeholders ahead of the Global Internet Governance Forum in Nairobi, Kenya, and, lastly to build capacity of SADC stakeholders and to create a systematic, national, regional and global Internet Governance policy dialogue process within the SADC region.<o:p></o:p>This high level forum attracts also delegates and speakers from other regions such as West and East Africa. It will be held in Hilton Hotel, Sandton-Johannesburg from the 1st to 3rd September 2011. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>For more information, please visit: <a href="http://www.ngopulse.org/saigf">www.ngopulse.org/saigf</a><o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>To confirm attendance, please contact Flore Kamdomg on <a href="mailto:fkamdomg@eafricacommission.org">fkamdomg@eafricacommission.org</a> or 0767959646<o:p></o:p> For media queries, please contact Gilles Eric Foadey at <a href="mailto:erickf@nepad.org">erickf@nepad.org</a> or 0835559696

COMMUNIQUE:The Africa Union Commission Clarification on Dot Africa

Submitted by nepadadmin on Tue, 06/28/2011 - 00:00.

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06/28/2011

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It has come to the attention of the African Union Commission that an organization calling itself DCA is claiming that it has the support of the Commission to bid for the Dot Africa strings. The African Union Commission would like to bring the following clarifications on the matter of the bid for authority and mandate over the use of dot Africa domain name. <o:p> </o:p> The AU Commission was at some point approached by an organization now known as DCA seeking endorsement and support for in its bid to use of the domain name. The Commission, while appreciating all individual initiatives presented the matter to Member States, for guidance. The Member States meeting within the framework of the Conference of African Union Ministers in Charge of Communications and Information Technologies decided to allow competition from any African organization or entity that would be interested in bidding for the domain name on behalf of and for the use of the African organizations and citizens at large. This decision was endorsed by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in 2010 and again reiterated in 2011. <o:p> </o:p> The AU Commission would like to hereby categorically state that it is not supporting any one individual or organization in this bid. The African Union position is that the bid in question should lead to the selection of a firm to represent the interests of Africa on the domain name space, in fulfillment of the decisions and declarations of the AU Policy Organs. These decisions charge the Commission with the responsibility to "Establish Dot Africa as a continental Top-Level Domain for use by organizations, businesses and individuals with guidance from African Internet agencies". The Heads of State and Government also requested the Commission to “Set up the structure and modalities for the Implementation of the Dot Africa project.’’ <o:p> </o:p> The Commission is currently pursuing an open and transparent procedure to guarantee the selection of a registry to act on behalf of the African community. Parties interested in managing the Dot Africa registry are advised to apply to the AUC Call for Expression of Interest (EoI) which will be the sole mechanism for selecting and endorsing prospective companies, groups or individuals, prior to the launch of the ICANN new gTLD program. All relevant information and forms will be made available at (<a href="http://www.africa-union.org/">www.africa-union.org</a>). <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The African Union Commission will release the names of the winners through appropriate channels <o:p> </o:p> The African Union Commission takes this opportunity to again to assure the people and governments of Africa of its commitment to a transparent and accountable process in the selection of the winning candidate to act for and on behalf of the continent on the matter of dot Africa.

NEPAD equips young African with ICT Skills

Submitted by nepadadmin on Mon, 12/20/2010 - 00:00.

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12/20/2010

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The NEPAD e-Schools initiative has made some real inroads into the daily-lived experiences of many Africans students. The Wa Senior High School in Ghana, like other schools in 16 African countries* are the beneficiaries of the NEPAD e-Schools Initiative that aims to equip young African with the 21st century skills, by using Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) as a tool that can help to improve education and/or even reduce poverty. In Northern rural Ghana, the Wa Senior High School students can now say:’’ once upon a time with the arrival of NEPAD and…Technology’’. This is their story. <o:p>Wa Senior High School has been in existence for over four decades. Most of the students come from the nearby villages where they accompany their schooling with farming, cattle rearing, charcoal burning and selling. The teachers at the School have until recently relied on the traditional teaching and learning aids such as the ‘chalk and talk’ method and textbooks – in a context where scarce resources have to be stretched to accommodate and feed the increasing number of students. <o:p></o:p>The 2004 arrival of the NEPAD e-Schools Initiative has brought to Wa Senior High School - and by extension to northern Ghana - a well equipped ICT centre installed by CISCO with 20 client servers, a main server, five computers and a smart board with lots of software ranging from Learn, Learnthings, Didier, Learn@yourownpace all of which are aimed at enhancing ICT integration into the school’s activities. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>The centre is being used by the students from our High School as well as students from over 150 other high schools in northern Ghana. This is a major development especially one bears in mind that our school did not have a single computer let alone access to the internet and/or e-learning facilities unti the arrival of the e-Schools project. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>Based on the experiences attained through the NEPAD e-Schools initiative, in 2009, Wa Senior High School entered into the 2009 Microsoft Innovative/Pathfinder School Contest. The High School performed well and it was then selected to become one of the Microsoft Pathfinder Schools in the world.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>Being the only Pathfinder school in Ghana and Sub-Saharan Africa, the students and teachers at Wa Senior High School agreed to proactively share their experiences and knowledge – including experiences gained from the 2009 World Wide Education Forum in Brazil – with other schools, teachers and educational workers in Ghana.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>Outside of the work being done by the NEPAD Agency, one of the main supporters of our e-schools project includes the ‘Microsoft Partners in Learning’ initiative which has provided various facilities and software towards Wa Senior High School. This support has also been extended towards networking forums, seminars and exchanges with students and teachers from other schools across the continent. As a result we have managed to score successes in some of the following areas:<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>· Creating e-communities that are dedicated to innovative teaching and learning and professional development; <o:p></o:p>· Finding new content and curricula such as - peer coaching and the set-up of the ‘Innovative Schools Toolkit’;<o:p></o:p>· Content creation by sharing the latest thinking, tips and tricks, lesson plans, recommended links, and much more;<o:p></o:p>· The promotion of practices that school leaders and teachers can use to improve students’ 21st-century skills such as critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration, communication, contextual learning and creativity.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>Through the work that is being done within the context of the e-schools project Wa Senior High School is now extending its work deep into the corridors of rural Ghana with the roll-out of the Microsoft Partners in Learning initiative. Our students now move round in Ghana collaborating and introducing Microsoft Partners in Learning (PiL) Programs to schools as well as launching PiL Clubs across the country.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>We can now proudly say ‘Once upon a time, before technology arrived at Wa Senior High School, our School was fondly referred to as a ‘sports college’, but with the arrival of ICTs, Wa Senior High School is now a ‘Pathfinder school’ in Ghana a ‘centre of excellence’, an example of the local successes of NEPAD and a reference for the study of technology in Ghana.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>We now see our problems and challenges as opportunities and we are going to strive even harder in order to succeed.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>The NEPAD e-Schools initiative it’s a priority continental project of the Africa Regional Action Plan for the Knowledge Economy (ARAKPE). The initiative is driven by the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency through its e-Africa Programme, previously known as NEPAD e-Africa Commission. The Initiative is present in Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda and Congo Brazzaville. <o:p></o:p>For more information on the NEPAD e-Schools Initiative contact:<o:p></o:p>Towela Nyirenda Jere. PhD<o:p></o:p>Tel: +27 (0) 12 841 4347Email: <a href="mailto:towelan@nepad.org">towelan@nepad.org</a><o:p></o:p>   </o:p>

World Conference on e-Parliament calls for the ratification of the Kigali Protocol

Submitted by nepadadmin on Mon, 12/20/2010 - 00:00.

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Midrand, South Africa. After Geneva in 2007, Brussels in 2008 and Washington in 2009, Midrand, South Africa hosted the Fourth World Conference on e-Parliament from 21 and 22 October 2010. <o:p>Co-organized by the United Nations, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the South African Parliament, the Pan-African Parliament and the Global Centre for Information Technologies and Communication in Parliament, the Conference aims at promoting the effective and efficient use of ICT in parliaments and legislative assemblies. <o:p></o:p>“As a vital tool, ICT can push governments to respond more quickly to the needs of their citizens,” declared Mr Radhakrishna Padayachie, Former South African Vice-Minister of Employment and Civil Service, in his opening statement. <o:p></o:p>Echoing on the comments of Mr Mninwa Mahlangu, Chairperson of the National Council of the Provinces of South Africa who felt that “it is time for a change”, Mr. Padayachie stated that in “Africa, many people do not use ICT due to various infrastructural difficulties that must be resolved.” <o:p></o:p>Mr Mahlangu asserts that “the African Union through NEPAD is striving to change the legislative and regulatory framework of ICT on the continent with the implementation of the Kigali Protocol, which should solve the problems of infrastructure and accessibility of ICT that the continent is facing.” He further asked the Conference and the various African parliamentarians participating in the Conference “to amend the legislative framework” in order “to have access to the Kigali Protocol,” which was originally designed for countries in Southern and East Africa. <o:p></o:p>Professor Lasse Bertzen, of Vestvold University in Sweden, is of the opinion that “only 10% of parliaments worldwide are effectively using ICT in their communication.” And even though “the websites have become the main means of communication for parliamentarians”, they could, in Africa as it is the case in the rest of the world, also be used as an effective tool for parliaments to better inform citizens of their activities. <o:p></o:p>It is therefore up to parliaments, and particularly those in Africa, to make use of most opportunities offered by the various existing social networks in order to govern by involving people at a time of technological change, for better governance which guaranties economic and social development. <o:p></o:p>It should be noted that responses to these challenges and requirements are contained in the 2010 Report of the World Conference on e-Parliament through the 2010-2020 Action Plan developed by the Global Centre for ICT in Parliament. <o:p></o:p> For more information on the Kigali Protocol under revision visit: <a href="http://www.nepad.org/">www.nepad.org</a> </o:p>

The NEPAD e-Africa Commission becomes NEPAD e-Africa Programme

Submitted by nepadadmin on Wed, 09/29/2010 - 00:00.

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09/29/2010

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The NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee meeting during the 15th Ordinary Session of the African Union held on 27 July in Kampala, Uganda made a decision to change the NEPAD e-Africa Commission into the NEPAD e-Africa Programme to drive the ICT priority sector. The name change is in line with the cohesion and rationalisation imperatives in implementing the continent development projects as well as with the new strategic orientation of the NEPAD Agency. <o:p>Set up by African Communications Ministers in October 2001, the NEPAD e-Africa Commission was adopted in 2002 by the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementing Committee as the task team responsible for developing policies as well as managing the structured development of the ICT sector in the context of NEPAD. <o:p></o:p>To that end, it had its own governance structure and was therefore autonomous from the NEPAD Secretariat.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>In January 2010, a decision of the African Union Assembly changed the NEPAD Secretariat into the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency in order to make it a technical organ within the structures and processes of the African Union. In the interest of cohesion, the Assembly had also decided in 2009 to reduce the number of Specialised Technical Committees. Henceforth, all questions relating to ICT would be taken care of by the Committee on ICT Ministerial Conference (CITMC) <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>Based on these decisions, it became clear that there was a need to dissolve the governance structure of the NEPAD e-Africa Commission (Ministerial and Executive Committee) into the Committee on ICT Ministerial Conference, and to transform the NEPAD e-Africa Commission into the NEPAD e-Africa Programme. Further, the NEPAD e-Africa Programme would become a department within the NEPAD Agency department charged with driving the ICT related agenda. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>Due to the cross-cutting nature of ICTs and the new strategic direction of the NEPAD Agency, the NEPAD e-Africa Programme is housed within the Office of the NEPAD Agency Chief Executive Officer<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>With the mandate of accelerating Africa’s digital integration, in order to turn the continent into a global information society and knowledge economy, the NEPAD e-Africa Programme should pursue more intersectoral initiatives with the objectives of entrenching ICT globally and within the NPCA programmes.The NEPAD e-Africa Programme will support the implementation of NEPAD projects through the application of ICTs and will recommend specific policies on the development and use of ICTs to improve the social and cultural development of the African Society. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p>The NEPAD e-Africa Programme is currently developing two priority programmes for the continent: the e-Schools initiative and NEPAD’s Broadband ICT Infrastructure Network.<o:p></o:p>   </o:p>

IMPLEMENTATION OF UHURUNET SUBMARINE CABLE

Submitted by nepadadmin on Fri, 07/09/2010 - 00:00.

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07/09/2010

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A DREAM COME TRUE FOR NEPAD <o:p> By Gilles Eric FOADEY <o:p>In Paris on the 5th of June 2010 in the presence of representatives of various African Governments, the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA) and twenty (20) Telephone Companies supported by their Countries endorsed Uhurunet, the submarine segment of the NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network. </o:p><o:p></o:p> <o:p><o:p></o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p><o:p></o:p>   <o:p></o:p><o:p>Baharicom Development Company, developer of the Uhurunet submarine cable system, was joined by France Telecom and 18 other companies to sign the Construction and Management Agreement for the ACE /Uhurunet cable system. </o:p><o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p>   <o:p></o:p><o:p>T</o:p><o:p>he Uhurunet submarine cable system in its planned configuration will be 17,000 km-long fiber optic cable that will stretch from France to South Africa and will be operational in the first half of 2012. It will connect 23 countries, either directly for coastal countries or indirectly through terrestrial links for landlocked countries Mali and Niger.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p></o:p>   <o:p>Speaking at the official ceremony, the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency CEO, Dr. Ibrahim Assane MAYAKI stated that” Uhurunet is essential to the African Union’s plan to bring broadband connectivity to all African countries, their governments and businesses, schools and universities, hospitals and communities’’ and therefore” NEPAD is happy to be one of the sponsors of Uhurunet’’. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> </o:p><o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p><o:p> Under the sponsorship of NEPAD, Baharicom will operate as a carrier’s carrier providing a full spectrum of Internet, voice and data services to telecommunication carriers, Internet Service Providers and others. Baharicom will have landing stations in Africa’s two largest markets, South Africa and Nigeria, as well as in Ghana, Tenerife, Angola, and Namibia. It will have access to all the landing points in the ACE/Uhurunet system.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> As the single largest investor in the ACE Consortium, Uhurunet will be the largest holder of capacity on ACE/Uhurunet cable. The ACE/Uhurunet system will pioneer the new 40 Gbps Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) technologies, which are currently being tested for deployment as part of the most advanced submarine cables. With an overall potential capacity of 5.12 Tbps, the systems will accommodates tomorrow's ultra-broadband networks.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> The ACE/Uhurunet project represents an overall investment of around USD 700 million for the consortium. Baharicom will invest 240 million USD in the project. Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks has been awarded the supply contract of the system, with Tyco as a subcontractor.<o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> This achievement is a dream comes true for NEPAD and is the result of the tireless efforts of the ICT Broadband Infrastructure team. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> In 2012 the Uhurunet submarine cable will be completed and the African citizens will use this bridge to cross into the global information society and knowledge economy. <o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p> </o:p></o:p>

RESOLUTIONS OF THE 2ND ANNUAL MINISTERIAL COMMISSION MEETING OF THE NEPAD E-AFRICA COMMISSION

Submitted by nepadadmin on Fri, 06/18/2010 - 12:59.

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06/18/2010

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We, the Ministers in charge of the ICT programme of the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NEPAD Agency) having met in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Dakar</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Senegal</st1:country-region></st1:place> from 8th to 9th June 2010; <o:p></o:p>RECALLING the decision of the AU Assembly (Assembly/AU/Dec.17 (XIV)) on the Integration of NEPAD into the structures and processes of the African Union, including the establishment of the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA); <o:p></o:p>AWARE that the NEPAD e-Africa Commission is mandated to develop and coordinate implementation of the AU / NEPAD ICT programmes in the African continent; <o:p></o:p>RECOGNISING the following:<o:p></o:p>1. the commitment of the NEPAD e-Schools Initiative to support participating countries in their efforts to ensure quality, robust, secure, reliable, and sustainable broadband connectivity to the Internet and online educational resources and networks by 2015; <o:p></o:p>2. that a policy and regulatory framework for the development of the NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network framed in the Kigali Protocol is currently under review;<o:p></o:p>3. that the development of the submarine component of the Network (Uhurunet) and the cross-border terrestrial component of the Network (Umojanet) is being implemented within the framework of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP); <o:p></o:p>NOTING the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Declaration of Principles regarding the building of the Information Society and the pivotal role that ICT can play in meeting the Millennium Development Goals;<o:p></o:p>And being fully committed to the on-going integration of NEPAD into the Africa Union structures; <o:p></o:p>HEREBY RESOLVE as follows:<o:p></o:p>1. The governance structures for ICT in the NEPAD Agency and African Union Commission (AUC) be harmonized by merging the Ministerial Commission and Executive Committee of the NEPAD e-Africa Commission with the African Union Committee on ICT Ministerial Conference (CITMC);<o:p></o:p>2. Commend the NEPAD Agency and the AUC for the on-going harmonization of their ICT programmes in order to increase synergy and collaboration;<o:p></o:p> 3. Urge the NEPAD e-Africa Commission to mainstream its strategic plan into the NEPAD Agency strategic themes; 4. Encourage national governments to categorize the provision of information and communication technologies, including broadband connectivity, to schools as a Universal Access issue; 5. Urge Ministries in charge of Information and Communication and the Ministries of Education to prioritize the provision of broadband connectivity to secondary schools and to include this issue in the policies and plans of the respective ministries; 6. Encourage national governments to ratify or accede to the Kigali Protocol and call upon all stakeholders to actively participate in the on-going review of the Kigali Protocol; 7. Call upon public and private sector investors to participate in the development of Uhurunet and Umojanet; 8. Charge the NEPAD Agency to develop frameworks and tools and to promote and facilitate the development and dissemination of digital content; <o:p> </o:p>We sincerely thank the Head of State, the government and the people of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Senegal</st1:country-region></st1:place> for their warm hospitality and excellent organization that led to the success of this important meeting. <o:p></o:p><o:p> </o:p> Done in Dakar on Tuesday the 8th of June 2010.

Meeting of ICT Ministers from NEPAD e-Africa Commission Members States

Submitted by nepadadmin on Mon, 05/31/2010 - 00:00.

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After the November 2008 meeting in Johannesburg, the second meeting of NEPAD e-Africa Commission ICT Ministers will be held from 7 to 9 June 2010 at the Meridian President Hotel in Dakar, Senegal. This important meeting will be held under the auspices of the African Union and will be jointly organised by the NEPAD Agency and the Senegalese government. <o:p></o:p>It will be attended by 20 African Ministers of Information and Communications Technology who make up the NEPAD Heads of State and the Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC); two (2) African Union Commissaries (Human Resources, Science and Technology, Energy and Infrastructure); the NEPAD Executive Secretary; the 20 members of the Commission’s Executive Committee and ISPAD Forum participants (Information Society Partnership for Africa’s Development).<o:p></o:p>Three key events will mark this meeting to which more than a hundred participants are expected.<o:p></o:p>· 7 June – Meeting of the NEPAD e-Africa Commission Executive Committee: the Executive Committee is the organ which steers the NEPAD e-Africa Commission between Commission meetings and its members include senior ICT officials from the NEPAD Heads of State and the Government Orientation Committee. It is presided over by the Executive Secretary of the NEPAD Planning and Co-ordination Agency (NPCA), Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki. It will examine, in particular, the NEPAD e-Africa Commission’s report on its activities, projects and programs; its financial report and questions linked to the Commission’s governance. It will also examine the 2010-2015 Strategic Plan conceived to give new direction to the NEPAD e-Africa Commission’s programs and projects in direct line with the integration of NEPAD into the structures and processes of the African Union, following the decision taken by the Heads of State during their last summit in Addis-Ababa in January 2010.<o:p></o:p>· 8 June- Meeting of the Ministerial Commission: made up of 20 ICT Ministers from NEPAD, the Commission is the highest decision-making body. It should proceed to the validation of the propositions which will be submitted to it by the Executive Committee and adopt declarations relating to the way the NEPAD e-Africa Commission functions, considering the integration of NEPAD within African Union structures.<o:p></o:p>· 9 June- The Information Society Partnership for Africa’s Development (ISPAD) Forum: the Forum promotes Public-Private Partnerships in order to establish ICT development projects. It brings together members from government, civil society and the private sector who, together with the NEPAD e-Africa Commission, create synergies for the implementation of ICT projects throughout the continent. This initiative currently involves South Africa participants as well as participants from multinational companies that are based in South Africa, but it should be enlarged to the scale of the continent. The Dakar Forum will be in line with this process. <o:p></o:p>Background The NEPAD e-Africa Commission was established in October 2001, after the creation of NEPAD, by the African Ministers of Communications who met under the auspices of the Surveillance Ministerial Committee (SMC) of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU), who decided to put in place a new continental organ which would address modify the paradigms of the development of the ICT sector in Africa.<o:p></o:p>In November 2002 in Abuja, Nigeria, the Heads of State and Government implementation Committee decided to make the e-Africa Commission the NEPAD instrument responsible for drafting policies, strategies and projects at the continental level, as well as managing the structured development of the ICT sector within NEPAD.<o:p></o:p>In his capacity as the Co-ordinator of NEPAD’s ICT chapter, His Excellency President Abdoulaye Wade is the Honorary President of the NEPAD e-Africa Commission. <o:p></o:p>Presently, the NEPAD e-Africa Commission has projects in operation and some in the course of execution throughout the Continent within the domain of education and infrastructure. These consist of the NEPAD e-Schools initiative, present in 16 countries in the continent including Senegal, as well as the NEPAD broadband network with the implementation of undersea and terrestrial cables which will facilitate communication between African countries and the rest of the world. The undersea segment of the network running from France to Cape Town in South Arica is currently being implemented by the ACE Consortium (Africa Connect to Europe) of which NEPAD and SONATEL, representing Senegal, are members.<o:p></o:p>For further information please contact:<o:p></o:p>In Senegal: Mr Mamadou Moustapha Seck, President of the Communications Sub-Commission. Tel: +221 77 638 48 25. Email: <a href="mailto:mamadoumoustapha@gmail.com">mamadoumoustapha@gmail.com</a> Dakar, Senegal. Website: <a href="http://www.telecom.gouv.sn/">www.telecom.gouv.sn/</a> <o:p></o:p> In South Africa: Mr Gilles Eric Foadey, NEPAD e-Africa Commission Secretariat, Communications Manager. Tel: +27 12 841 4523/ + 27 73 530 6654. Email: <a href="mailto:gfoadey@eafricacommission.org">gfoadey@eafricacommission.org</a> Pretoria, South Africa. Website: <a href="/">www.eafricacommission.org</a>

Dr. Henry Chasia bows out

Submitted by nepadadmin on Tue, 04/20/2010 - 11:08.

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By Gilles Eric FOADEY After 9 years at the helm of the NEPAD e-Africa Commission, Dr. Henry Chasia has bowed out to enjoy his retirement. He will be remembered as a fore-runner among Africans who, from very early on, have worked hard to bridge the digital divide. Elected Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in 1994, Dr. Chasia spent more than six years in Geneva before being appointed the first Executive Deputy Chairperson of the NEPAD e-Africa Commission, of which he was an active founding member, in 2001. The e-Africa Commission was set up in October 2001 by African Ministers responsible for ICTs. In September 2002, after NEPAD was established, the Steering Committee of NEPAD decided to adopt the e-Africa Commission as the NEPAD task team in charge of managing the structured development of ICTs in the African continent within the NEPAD context. The NEPAD e-Africa Commission is presently presided over by the CEO of NEPAD and is run on a day-to-day basis by an Executive Deputy Chairperson. This responsibility fell to Dr. Chasia for almost nine years. With about 10 identified areas of competence ranging from ICT infrastructure and development, local content, software development, to human development, capacity building and e-strategies in the fields of governance, health and education, the Secretariat of the NEPAD e-Africa Commission first focused on two priority programmes, namely the NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Programme and the NEPAD e-Schools Initiative, both adopted as priority projects by the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee in 2003. For Dr. Chasia, this decision by the Heads of State certainly responds to the diptych that is so close to his heart, i.e. that we need well-trained young people to have access to the infrastructure and applications that they offer. This certainly explains the concentration of efforts in the NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network and the e-Schools Initiative. The NEPAD e-Schools Initiative The general objective of the Initiative is to master new technologies to improve the quality of teaching and learning in primary and secondary schools in Africa, with a view to providing African youths with knowledge and skills which will allow them to fully participate, confidently and efficiently, in the information society and knowledge economy. As of today, on the ground, the initiative can be seen in 16 African countries. It is now a question of replicating it in the rest of the continent by entrenching the initiative, providing harmonious training for teachers and establishing a pedagogical portal. The NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network After many unsuccessful attempts, the NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network is now beginning to take shape. The purpose of the Network is to connect African countries to one another and, in turn, to the rest of the world through existing and planned submarine cable systems. The primary aim of the program is to integrate the continent so that commercial, social and cultural exchanges are easier and cheaper. Made up of two segments, submarine (Uhurunet) and terrestrial (Umojanet). Once the network is in place it will offer the following advantages to the people of the continent: <ul> <li>Abundant broadband capacity which will reduce the digital divide between Africa and the rest of the world, as well as between African countries.</li> <li>Much cheaper regional and international communications, which will allow affordable access to communication services to more people throughout the continent.</li> <li>Reliability and enhanced quality of regional and international connectivity.</li> </ul> All in all, Dr. Chasia should be pleased to witness the Western segment of Uhurunet come into existence through the presence and participation of NEPAD in the ACE Consortium linking Europe to Africa on the West Coast. From now on it will be the responsibility of his successor to finalize and realize his dream of connecting Africa. Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, the NEPAD CEO and Chairman of the NEPAD e-Africa Commission, has no doubt that the NEPAD e-Africa Commission team “will improve by giving its best”. However, there are enormous challenges ahead. With the integration of NEPAD into the AU structures and its subsequent transformation into a Planning and Coordinating Agency, it will be up to the actors of the new NEPAD Agency, together with the Secretariat of the e-Africa Commission, to make sure that the cross-cutting aspect of ICTs in NEPAD’s programs are indeed taken into account. For this to happen, intelligent integration that facilitates the continuation of the Commission’s projects and programs are much needed. No doubt that the meeting of the e-Africa Commission’s governance bodies which will be held in Dakar, Senegal, on 7 and 9 June will look closely at this issue. Ultimately, and according to the words of Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, CEO of the NEPAD Agency, we should “clearly recognize Dr. Chasia’s immense contribution to NEPAD and to the continent in the ICT field” and “build on the legacy handed down” through his service. For the time being, Mr. Adama Deen, NEPAD Transport Infrastructure Advisor, is acting in the place of Dr. Henry Chasia to manage the daily running of the Secretariat of the NEPAD e-Africa Commission pending the recruitment of his successor, in accordance with the norms and procedures of the AU.