[UgaBYTES] WEEKLY NEWS ROUND UP-AFRICA (WEEK 1)

[Mwathi Francis]

*Continent needs strong ICT policies *

7th January 2010

Publishing scientific findings and accessing the research of others is an
essential part of the academic process, particularly to encourage debate and
foster innovation. But many research institutions in Africa cannot afford to
subscribe to many scientific journals, making it hard for scientists to keep
up with research. Some institutions cannot even afford to promote and share
the results of their research. Only a few people see their results and much
of the research findings on the continent are going unnoticed. The open
access movement removes barriers to academic literature and offers
opportunities to participate in the wider research and teaching community,
ensuring that Africa does not end up on the wrong side of the ‘digital
divide’.

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Opinion%20&%20Analysis/-/539548/838120/-/sw8pq3z/-/index.html



*BBC to offer Africa phone news*

6th January 2010

Mobile phone news services could reach 790 million users over the next four
years, the director of the BBC World Service said on Wednesday.

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/837588/-/vos35s/-/index.html



*Zain expands ‘Zap’ Mobile Commerce service to Malawi, Niger and Sierra
Leone*

6th January 2010

Zain, the leading mobile telecommunications provider in the Middle East and
Africa, announced the expansion of ‘Zap’, its award-winning mobile commerce
service to the African nations of Niger, Sierra Leone and in the boundaries
of a full commercial pilot in Malawi. The move follows the successful launch
of the service in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in February 2009 where more
than 10 million people have already used the service.

http://www.zain.com/muse/obj/lang.default/portal.view/content/Media%20centre/Press%20releases/ZapExpansion



*Nigerian Communications Commission vice Urges ICT Awareness among Civil
Servants*

4th January 2010

Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive of the Nigerian Communications
Commission, Engineer Ernest Ndukwe, has appealed to various categories of
government to ensure that its workforce is ICT literate to be able to fit
into the immediate future dynamics of modern economics that is characterised
by high level of ICT applications. Within the same breath, the NCC in
exercise of its regulatory functions as provided by the Nigerian
Communications Act (NCA) 2003, has disclosed that with effect from March 1,
2010, all new SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) Cards in Nigeria must be
registered before activation.

http://www.leadershipnigeria.com/index.php/news/business/10425-ndukwe-urges-ict-awareness-among-civil-servants



*Tanzania to track supply of malaria drugs via SMS Bottom of Form*

3rd January 2010

A pilot drugs supply management project called “SMS for Life” has Tanzania
authorities excited over its potential. The project, which brings together
IBM, Novartis, Vodafone and the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, taps into a
combination of smart technologies to track and manage the supply of
anti-malarial drugs. The concept is the brainchild of students on IBM’s
Extreme Blue internship programme and uses IBM’s LotusLive technology.“SMS
for Life” is running in 135 villages and could have far-reaching
implications for health systems worldwide. A few weeks after the pilot
project kicked off, the number of health facilities with stock-outs in one
district alone, was reduced by over 75 per cent.

http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/-/2560/835128/-/4fjw7uz/-/index.html



*Rwanda’s National Data Centre Set for April*

8th January 2010

The National Data Centre (NDC) that will store all public and private sector
data is set for April this year according to the Minister in charge of ICT
in the President's office. According to the Minister Ignance Gatare the
centre is targeted for end of April unless if other challenges are
encountered in the course.

In an exclusive interview with Gatare said that once the Data Centre is in
place it will be possible to manage data base at the national level, deploy
security strategy to protect the data and access to access.

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=14134&article=24592




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Francis Mwathi
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