[UgaBYTES] AFRICA KOWLEDGE NETWORK launched in Dar es salaam

Tue Jul 7 06:21:44 GMT 2009

Congratulations all on this key step towards realizing the African knowledge network.

Cheers
Shaddy

-----Original Message-----
From: ugabytes-bounces at lists.ugabytes.org [mailto:ugabytes-bounces at lists.ugabytes.org] On Behalf Of pbarera at yahoo.fr
Sent: July 6, 2009 10:56 PM
To: ugabytes at lists.ugabytes.org
Subject: [UgaBYTES] AFRICA KOWLEDGE NETWORK launched in Dar es salaam

The AFRICA KNOWEDGE NETWORK was
launched on 3rd July in Dar es Salaam/Tanzania. The Africa Knowledge
Network is being implemented by United Nations in its five regional commission
including Africa.

The main goal of the project is to empower poor and
disadvantaged communities through the transformation of existing ICT access
points /Telecentre in selected countries around the world into knowledge hubs of global
knowledge networks. It intends to increase the involvement and engagement of
disadvantaged communities - with an emphasis on women - by encouraging and
promoting the dissemination, in existing access points, of knowledge that
pertains to key areas of sustainable development such as employment, education,
gender and health.  Currently, at
regional level the project involves Rwanda,
Burundi, Tanzania,Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia with the plan of extending
to other African countries in near future. 

As part of workshop agenda, participant agreed on knowledge network strategy, the process of knowledge generation,
capturing, and dissemination through the regional knowledge portal and the
action plans for the coming six months.

Finally, a steering committee composed of
3 members from 3 different countries were elected on the board: These are

·       
Paul BARERA, chairman  (RTN, Rwanda)

·       
Aggrey Omondi ,Member(KENTEL,Kenya)

·       
Janet Achora, Member(WOUGNET, Uganda)

Paul BARERA

--- En date de : Ven 26.6.09, Mwathi Francis <mfrancis at ugabytes.org> a écrit :

De: Mwathi Francis <mfrancis at ugabytes.org>
Objet: [UgaBYTES] WEEKLY NEWS ROUND UP- AFRICA (WEEK 26)
À: "ugabytes" <ugabytes at lists.ugabytes.org>
Date: Vendredi 26 Juin 2009, 9h29

Mobile Communications to Improve African Weather Monitoring Underway

24th June 2009

The Global Humanitarian Forum and its President, former UN
Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, together with Ericsson, the World
Meteorological Organization (WMO), mobile telecommunications company Zain,
and the Earth Institute at Columbia University, have announced a major
initiative, dubbed "Weather Info for All", to radically improve Africa's
weather monitoring network in the face of the growing impact of climate
change. A recent Global Humanitarian Forum report estimated that climate
change is responsible for some 300,000 deaths each year and over USD100
billion worth of economic losses, mainly because of shocks to health and
agricultural productivity. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for close to a
quarter of these losses, and is the region at the most immediate risk of
droughts and floods. Agricultural yields in some areas are expected to fall
by 50 percent as early as 2020.

http://www.independentngonline.com/busi/itte/article03

Quiet launch of undersea cable heralds arrival of digital revolution

23rd June 2009

Save for the grandeur of the presidential entourage that graced the event,
June 12 would probably have passed quietly just like any other ordinary
Friday. Yet this was the day President Kibaki had flown to Mombasa to
preside over the official launch of the fibre-optic undersea cable - a
project whose completion is set to usher in a new era of faster and cheaper
internet connectivity in the region.

In Mombasa, the President aptly described the project as another landmark
leap in the country's development history, comparing it only to the
completion of the Kenya-Uganda railway line more than one century ago.  "This
comparison is not far-fetched because while the economies of the last
century were driven by railway connections, the economies of today are
largely driven by the internet and other ICT links," the President told a
crowd in attendance to witness the launch of the East African Marine
System's (TEAMS) fibre optic project.

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Company%20Industry/-/539550/614064/-/u9me6gz/-/

Techno hubs planned for Johannesburg townships

23rd June 2009

As part of its ambitious broadband project, the City of Johannesburg plans
to set up techno hubs where people can access the internet and boost their
technology skills.  According to Vumani Mangali, the assistant director of
Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Joburg's Economic Development
Department, the project will be a vital tool to transport citizens to
digital fluency. Besides transforming the way the city delivers its
services, broadband will also offer beneficiary programmes to its residents,
reports Joburg.org.  "These programmes linked to broadband are meant to
empower citizens. They will provide access to ICT infrastructure, ICT
skills, business advice and job advisory support for disadvantaged
communities," he said.

http://www.buanews.gov.za/news/09/09062311251002

Zambia: IT specialists in

26th June 2009

THE International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has sent a team of experts
to Zambia to help the country to formulate a National Disaster Management
Plan.

Speaking at a media briefing in Lusaka yesterday Communications Authority of
Zambia (CAZ) acting chief executive officer, Richard Mwanza said the team
had been sent to Zambia on a needs assessment exercise. Mr Mwanza said
Zambia planned to incorporate Information and Communications Technologies
(ICTs) in disaster management.

http://www.times.co.zm/news/viewnews.cgi?category=6&id=1244787264

ICT and Telecommunications Advantage to Cameroon's Economy

25th June 2009

The adaptation of the country to ICT evolution has eased administration.

The evolution in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and
Telecommunications has left no country indifferent. Their contributions to
growth have been remarkable. Efforts are being made on daily basis by
administrators of different sectors to ensure that their domains do not lag
behind in this new-found communication chain. These efforts seem to be
paying off given the level of awareness in both government offices and in
the private sector. Already, recruited workers are either sent on training
within their areas of work or they enroll in the so many ICT and
telecommunications schools dotted around the country.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200906250323.html

Zain, Western Union in cross-border money transfer deal

23rd June 2009

Mobile operator Zain Group and Western Union announced that they will work
together to deliver mobile money transfer services in countries in Africa
and the Middle East through Zain's new Zap platform. The Zap service
provides Zain customers access to a range of transactional services from
their mobile phones. Customers can interact with select bank accounts,
top-up or transfer airtime, and move money to businesses, friends and
family. The service allows customers to pay bills such as electricity, and
can even be used to settle grocery bills in the supermarket. Zap has been
operational in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda for several months, making mobile
banking services available to more than 100 million people in East Africa.

http://www.telecompaper.com/news/article.aspx?cid=677668

-- 
Enter our blog contest for your chance to win recognition and prizes from
telecentre.org
For more info, please check www.telecentre.org

Francis Mwathi
Support Community Facilitator
UgaBYTES Initiatives (www.ugabytes.org)
Telecentr.org (www.telecentrecommunity.ning.com)
Tel: +256 414 370163
Mob: +256 783 010269
Skype: francis.mwathi
E-Mail: mfrancis at ugabytes.org
_______________________________________________
ugabytes mailing list
ugabytes at lists.ugabytes.org
http://lists.ugabytes.org/mailman/listinfo/ugabytes_lists.ugabytes.org

_______________________________________________
ugabytes mailing list
ugabytes at lists.ugabytes.org
http://lists.ugabytes.org/mailman/listinfo/ugabytes_lists.ugabytes.org