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Euro-Africa / ICT News


Research and development cooperation between Europe and Africa in the field of ICTs.
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AU 2010 Summit and AU ICT Exhibition (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia / Jan. 29 - Feb. 2, 2009)
02 12 2009 ICT have fundamentally changed the way people communicate, work and earn their livelihood. It has forged new ways to create knowledge, educate people and disseminate information. It has restructured the way the world conducts economic and business practices, runs governments and engages politically. Considering this reality, the Assembly of the Heads of State at the Second Ordinary Session of the African Union Summit held in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2009 approved the Decision (Assembly/AU/Dec. 232(XII)) to have the January 2010 Summit theme on �Information and Communications Technologies in Africa: Challenges and Prospects for Development�. During this Summit, key issues for consideration will be: The Enabling Environment for Growth / ICT Infrastructure Development / Africa in the Economics of the Internet / Capacity Building and Research & Development.

The UN Economic Commission for Africa (UN-ECA) promotes the use of iCT for Africa�s socio-economic development, through policy analysis, advocacy and capacity building of its member States. ECA is also a bridge that brings emerging global UN issues on ICT to Africa, and takes Africa�s ICT issues to the UN. It achieves its objectives through alliances and partnerships, most notably with the AU, the AfDB and with African Information Society communities. The recent repositioning of ECA to better serve Africa�s development needs has created a new, focused Division of ICT, Science and Technology (ISTD), thus aligning ICT more closely with AU partners for enhanced collaboration. The ICT world, its cyberspace and the information Society in general reflect the increasing importance of access to knowledge for socio-economic development. A knowledge based economy is one in which the exploitation of knowledge has come to play the predominant part in the creation of wealth and prosperity for the communities. The importance of knowledge in economic growth is widely acknowledged worldwide and it is evident that the creation of a knowledge economy and knowledge-based industries does not happen in isolation, but is highly correlated with An efficient innovation system of firms, research centers, universities, and other organisations that can tap into the growing stock of global knowledge, assimilate and adapt it to local needs and create new knowledge.

In order to showcase innovative ICT projects and to demonstrate the role that ICT can play in Africa�s socio- economic development, the AU Department of Human Resources Science and Technology, is organising an exhibition on ICT and innovation for Africa with the technical cooperation of the ECA. The exhibition will run in parallel with the 2010 Summit of Heads of States and Governments.

Information Letter / Exhibitor Manual / Contact: Auguste Yankey (S&T and ICT Division - Department of Human Resources Science and Technology - African Union Commission)

FP7-ICT-2009-6 ICT Call for Porposals is now open! (closing date: April 13, 2010)
01 12 2009 The next FP7/ICT Call for Proposals (FP7-ICT-2009-6) is now open. The call fiche, the associated work programme, guides for applicants relevant to the funding schemes used in this call, an overview of the basic features of this programme, and other key documents required for the preparation of project proposals are available at: FP7-ICT-2009-6

Rural Data Collection Boosted by Mobile Tech (source: SciDev Net)
30 11 2009 Scientists have harnessed a free operating system to turn a mobile phone into a device for collecting data in the developing world. The Open Data Kit (ODK), developed by scientists at the University of Washington, United States, is a free set of tools that helps organisations collect information in areas with poor infrastructure. It uses Android, an open-source mobile operating system launched two years ago by a number of companies including Google. "There are many organisations working on all kinds of projects to improve different aspects in developing regions. In order for these organisations to make decisions or determine the effects of their projects, they need to collect various kinds of information," study co-author Carl Hartung told SciDev.Net. ODK enables users to collect a range of data including GPS locations and barcode scans. "The tools we've developed can help them collect a wide variety of data, create visualisations, and analyse it very quickly," Hartung said. "We've found a lot of organisations were building a lot of one-off tools that were very similar," he says, adding that they're trying to make theirs as compatible and flexible as possible. One example where ODK has been successfully trialled is the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH), said Hartung, a partnership between Kenya's Moi University and Indiana University in the United States. The programme seeks to train Kenyan community health workers testing patients in rural areas for diseases. In field trials, health workers used the phones to scan patients' identity codes - rather than entering them manually - locate themselves within seconds using GPS, and upload the data automatically. Following the success of the trial AMPATH will deploy 100 ODK phones by the end of this year, with an eventual goal of 300 phones. "This opens doors by allowing us to bring data collected in the field directly into our medical records system," said Burke Mamlin, assistant professor of medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine. "Now we have a phone, all the personal digital assistant capability, the ability to read barcodes, and the ability to capture images or video, all in one unit."

Celebration of the 4th anniversary of the 2nd phase of the WSIS: JEG8 3rd Meeting ICT 4 All Forum-Tunis 4 Event (Hammamet, Tunisia)
27 11 2009
As a celebration of the fourth anniversary of the second phase of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS), held in Tunisia in Nov. 2005, the Tunisian Government, in collaboration with UNCTAD, ITU, and in partnership with G@ID, ECA, ADB, the World Bank, the Arab Society for Intellectual Property and the UTICA, organised the fourth edition of "ICT 4 All Forum-Tunis 4" in Hammamet (Tunisia) on Nov. 24-25 2009 to deal with developing ICT activities through ICT Innovation as a tool for strengthening competitiveness and growth.

The Forum was hailed as an important international event, consisting of an International Forum and a Technological Exhibition, aiming to contribute to the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society through the promotion of more dynamic business environment for the ICT sector in the Mediterranean area and particularly in Africa.

For instance, the 2008 edition has been a great success, with the participation of

1500 participants coming from 67 countries, among which there are the Secretary General of ITU, and the Vice Secretary General of the United Nations,
20 ministers in charge of ICT and 22 high level representatives of international organizations
A considerable number of leaders of telecommunication operators, Internet service providers from African, European, American and Asian countries,
More than 500 presidents and vice presidents of many international noteworthy enterprises

The 2009 edition of the "ICT 4 ALL Forum-Tunis 4" focused on "ICT Innovation as a Tool for Strengthening Competitiveness and Growth", with a view to shaping the opportunities in this field, to promote investment and partnership, stimulate growth and develop knowledge economy, with special attention to the Mediterranean area, Africa and developing countries. "ICT 4 All Forum-Tunis 4" included a high level International Forum as well as a Technological Exhibition to enable enterprises to present their own innovative applications and solutions.

The 3rd meeting of the Joint Experts Group for the �8th Africa - European Union Strategic Partnership on Science, Information Society and Space� organised by the African Union Commission, the European Union, the CERT and IRD was held on Nov. 23 at the Solaria Iberostar Hotel (Hammamet, Tunisia) as a piggyback event to the ICT4ALL event.

The EuroAfrica-ICT Partnership was represented by its coordinator - Karine Valin � at both events.

Africa - Digital Library Expansion Underway (source: University World News)
26 11 2009
A two-year programme aimed at establishing and expanding digital libraries in Africa is underway and is expected to run until the end of next year. The initiative by the Southern African Greenstone Support Network, or SAGSN, follows a pilot project undertaken during 2007 and 2008 in 11 African countries.

Greenstone is a suite of open source software for building and distributing digital library collections that is produced by the New Zealand Digital Library Project at the University of Waikato. Its development and distribution is being done in cooperation with the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) and the Human Info NGO.

In an interview with University World News Amos Kujenga, SAGSN regional coordinator, said the SAGSN initiative was aimed at promoting the establishment of digital libraries using Greenstone Digital Library Software.

"Digital libraries are an effective way for libraries in higher education to support teaching, learning and research," said Kujenga, who is also a systems analyst at Zimbabwe's National University of Science and Technology (NUST).

This month, he added, SAGNS expects to draw conclusions on expressions of interest to become National Centres received from Kenya and Senegal.

The librarian added that between 2007 and 2008 Electronic Information for Libraries (eIFL), a non-profit organisation that supports the wide availability of electronic library resources in transition and developing countries, facilitated a Greenstone pilot project to train librarians and archivists from Southern African countries including Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

That project resulted in the formation of a regional support network consisting of five national centres at university libraries or affiliated organisations in Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

"The success of the pilot led directly to the formation of the Southern African Greenstone Support Network in late 2008," Kujenga added.

SAGSN paved the way for the current 2009-2010 initiative that is at strengthening the existing national centres and networks in Southern Africa through centre-specific investments and activities, as well as extending the network to other African countries.

The project also seeks to "work towards a self-reliant and self-sufficient network of national centres in a broad landscape of libraries, archives and museums," Kujenga added.

Information posted on the Greenstone website says the aim of the Greenstone software is to empower users, particularly in universities, libraries and other public service institutions, to build their own digital libraries. It says the software has been used to radically reform how information is disseminated and acquired in the fields of education, science and culture around the world, and particularly in developing countries.

The establishment of the Greenstone project in Africa was largely as a result of the efforts of Dynal Patel, who in 2004 was a senior student in computer science at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

That year Patel proposed the need for a Greenstone organisation in Africa whose main aim would be to support African users to establish and develop digital library projects. Patel's proposal was supported by Unesco in the form of a grant to the University of Waikato, which commissioned a study that recommended the initiative.

In August this year, University World News reported that an international conference held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, had recommended the urgent setting up of an African digital library and archives programme. It argued that the continent lacked a comprehensive system for accessing and storing information.

The conference suggested that the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) champion the initiative as the continent is lagging behind in the global drive to build digital libraries and archives.

Advanced School in High Performance and GRID Computing - Concepts and Applications (Trieste, Italy / Nov. 30 - Dec. 11, 2009)
26 11 2009 An �Advanced School in High Performance and GRID Computing - Concepts and Applications� is taking place at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste, Italy, from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 2009. The workshop, which is being co-sponsored by the Central European Initiative (CEI), Democritos-Infm, eLab Joint Democritos/Sissa, E4 Computer Engineering S.p.A., and the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN), will welcome around 100 computer scientists from more than 30 countries, including 6 European countries and eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Bringing innovative and sustainable ICT to empower the rural poor
15 11 2009 The Rural ICT Development Foundation (RICTDF) was founded in 2008. It is a non governmental organization, which seeks to improve on the socio-economic living conditions of deprived communities in Africa by bridging the yawning gap between developed countries and the poorly developing African communities in the field of ICT and promoting good health. RICTDF is targeting ICT illiteracy, rural-urban migration by creating opportunities through ICT training and job creation which should lead to poverty reduction in impoverished local communities in Ghana.

Through its innovative and sustainable ICT efforts to empower the rural poor, RICTDF seeks to form partnership with all stakeholders to achieve the following: 1/. Reduce ICT illiteracy by 85% in the targeted community within two years from implementing our intervention. 2/. Ensure that community members become knowledgeable both theoretical and practical in the field of ICT and use these knowledge in their daily activities to reduce illiteracy, extreme poverty, disease and hunger in pursuit of achieving the MDGs. 3/. Support good health in targeted local areas through the application of ICT.

The initiative objectives are the followoing: 1/. Identify rural communities which are deprived of ICT and make consultation with traditional authorities and opinion leaders of such communities; to harness the potential of the community to achieve a sustainable ICT intervention. 2/. Create awareness through advocacy and focus group discussions on �The Role of ICT in Sustainable Development� in the identified local communities. 3/. Build new computer laboratory(s) (ICT centres) in targeted rural communities and/or renovate old labs where necessary. 4/. Provide ICT training for local people (school children / students and community members) and empower them with modern technologies so as to establish a system of Training of Trainers (ToT) in enhancing sustainability of the intervention programme.

For further information, please contact RICTDF at info@ruralictdf.ws.

International Conference on Regional and Interregional Cooperation to Strengthen Basic Sciences in Developing Countries (Sept. 1-4, 2009 - Ethiopia)
15 11 2009 The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) in association with the International Science Programme (ISP - Uppsala University, Sweden) and the Addis Ababa University (AAU - Ethiopia) under the auspices of The African Union Commission (AUC) is organising the �International Conference on the Strengthening of Research and Higher Education in Basic Sciences by Regional and Interregional Cooperation; Relevance for Developing Countries� on Sept. 1-4 at the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. How can regional and interregional cooperation best strengthen Basic Sciences in developing countries? How can cooperation be enhanced? In the cases where cooperation already exists, how has it improved postgraduate training and building of research capacity? What has been the impact on society? Which form of cooperation is most efficient under different circumstances and from different perspectives? What is the importance of education at all levels for the development of research and higher education in basic sciences? What is the role of governments and intergovernmental organizations in promoting research cooperation in the Basic Sciences? More. Contacts: Leif Abrahamsson and Zsuzsanna Kristofi.

SA-EU SME event
15 11 2009 South Africa�s Department of Science and Technology (DST) together with the European Commission (EC) and the Swedish Government Agency for Innovation Systems (Vinnova) is organising an SME side event to the 2009 South African-European Union Summit. The event will be held on Sept. 9, 2009 at the Table Bay hotel, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa. The theme of the event is �Enhancing SME participation in South Africa - European Union Science and Technology Partnerships�. The event is targeted at South African and European SME, and other research institutions which are interested in collaborating with SME under FP7, will provide a platform for participants to identify possible areas of collaboration under the Seventh Framework Programme and other EU funding programmes. A draft agenda of the event and more information on the event is available on the esastap website.

Launch of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Reciprocal agreement between South Africa and the COST office
15 11 2009 South Africa through the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has concluded a Reciprocal Agreement with the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) office in June 2009. DST has designated the European South African Science and Technology Advancement Programme (ESASTAP) to be the implementing agent for the South Africa COST Reciprocal Agreement. COST is Europe's oldest science and technology networking programme, and under the Reciprocal Agreement, COST will avail funding for European researchers to undertake short-term scientific missions to South Africa, whilst ESASTAP will avail funding to South African researchers undertaking such missions to Europe. Please visit esastap website for more information on the agreement and DST co-funding. The agreement will be launched on Sept. 8, 2009 at the Innovation Hub, Pretoria, South Africa. The Director-General of the South African Department of Science and Technology, the President of COST and representatives of the European Commission and the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union will be participating in the launch. A draft agenda of the launch is available on the esastap website.

Info Day - Africa Call (FP7-AFRICA-2010 / �A targeted research effort to meet the challenges for Water, Food Security and Better Health for Africa�)
15 11 2009
The European Commission is organising an information day on the upcoming Africa call for proposals (FP7-AFRICA-2010 / call fiche) of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) on Sept. 18, 2009 in Brussels, Belgium.

A global promise to ease hunger for millions has been undermined by financial turmoil and climate change. Meanwhile, fears about global water and food security continue to grow, as does public concern for the health of populations in developing countries. In this context, the publication of the Africa call from the 7th Research Framework Programme represents a great opportunity for strengthening Africa�s base in research areas addressing these complex issues.

The EU-AFRICA Strategic Partnership has paved the way to this call, implemented jointly by the Themes: �Health�, �Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and Biotechnology� and �Environment (including climate change)�, which will fund projects aimed at enhancing African socio-economic development and capacity building.

The call is structured around two major areas: Water and Food Security / Better Health for Africa. It has a holistic approach involving various scientific and technological research fields, such as food, agriculture, health, land and water resources, including their interaction with climate change and integrating broader socio-economic factors such as migration and resettlement, urbanisation, health care systems and programme interventions. Research activities are intended to strengthen local capacities. Achieving the expected impact means that the involvement of local stakeholders and regional actors is of paramount importance. Funded projects will provide innovative management, governance tools and technologies suitable for the relevant authorities and stakeholders, empowering them to reduce poverty, increase food security and enhance public health. Further expected benefits are related to academic training and the setting up of health research networks, efficient water management and the protection of natural ecosystems in Africa.

The Info Day (Sept. 18, 2009 - Conference Centre �Albert Borchette� - Brussels, Belgium) is for everyone interested in the research opportunities offered by the Call FP7-AFRICA-2010. That means researchers and research institutions, universities, industry, small and medium size enterprises, civil society organizations, other non state actors, and National Contact Points. Participants from African international cooperation partner countries (ICPC) are particularly welcome.

The Info Day will be opened by the European Commissioner for Science and Research, Janez Poto?nik and a representative from the African Union. The morning session will continue with an overview of EU-AFRICA Strategic Partnership in the research field and ongoing activities in support of Africa carried out by DG RTD highlighting the rationale of the call, modalities for its implementation, and presentations of the different topics. A general discussion with all Commission services involved will follow. In the afternoon session, the research topics of each Theme will be further discussed in two parallel sessions: �Water and Food Security� and �Better Health for Africa� . The second part of the afternoon will be dedicated to a brokerage session with flash presentations from participants and to networking.

The Info Day offers participants the possibility of giving a �2-3 minutes flash� (3 slides max) presentation. This should be a presentation related to a project idea, to competence in the specific field or to interest in starting or joining a consortium. Presentations will be uploaded on the Conference website for public access. Presentations must be sent by 14th September 2009 to: RTD-AFRICA-2010-CALL@ec.europa.eu

You must register to participate. Registrations will be accepted on a �first come first served basis�.

Open Access 2009 - 7th International Conference on Open Access (Accra, Ghana, Nov. 1-3, 2009)
15 11 2009 The University of Ghana, Legon in collaboration with The Royal Swedish Institute of Technology (KTH) and Ghana Academic and Research Network (GARNET) will host the 7th International Conference on Open Access (�Harnessing the rapid growth of fibre infrastructure for Social Economic Development�) in Accra Ghana on Nov. 2-3 2009. There will be a preliminary meeting on the Nov. the 1st, 2009 ushering the OA conference, and will focus on Regional Research Education Networks (RRENs), by bringing together key players in West and Central African Universities and other participants who may share their experience in forming RRENs; it is expected that this meeting will lead to the formation of the West and Central African Research Education Network (WACREN). More...

African Universities Face Fresh Internet Challenges (source: SciDev.Net - Brenda Zulu)
15 11 2009 Africa's access to digital research resources has improved but the continent faces new challenges in its use of these resources, a report finds. "With infrastructure and facilities steadily improving � addressing the use of, rather than access to, electronic resources should perhaps receive greater attention," writes report author Jonathan Harle, programme officer for the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU). His report, 'Digital resources for research: a review of access and use in African universities', was published by ACU in June. It reviews studies in the area, as well as listing resources available to African universities. While there is still "a considerable way to go" before all African universities have access to broadband and the large bandwidth that the majority of digital resources require, Harle notes that "progress is encouraging". Generally, free or affordable access is available but the material is not always used, Harle told SciDev.Net. Poor awareness of available resources is part of the problem, says Harle. Other problems faced by institutions include difficulty gaining access to relevant sites and an inability to locate relevant, high-quality material. "The range of electronic resources now available is dizzyingly wide � Users must be given the skills to identify and locate what they need for their work," writes Harle. Library staff has a key role to play in this. "As information gets more complex, we increasingly need skilled people to manage it," he says. To this end, time must be invested in training staff, particularly in information and communication technology and web skills, says Harle. He adds that developing online platforms for the publication and dissemination of local research is also important, such as the Database of African Theses and Dissertations Initiative launched in 2003 by the Association of African Universities � a project that aims to collect, manage and disseminate theses and dissertations electronically. He says the ability of African scholars to publish and contribute information is critical to redressing the prevailing imbalance, where Africa is a consumer but not a contributor of information and knowledge.More...

Bio Circle Info Day - Brussels, Oct. 7, 2009
15 11 2009 The BIO CIRCLE is a project funded by the European Commission. It aims at increasing the participation of researchers from outside Europe in research projects under the Food, Agriculture, Fisheries and Biotechnology theme (FAFB) of the 7th Framework Programme (FP7). Whether you are an education body, researcher, entrepreneur, business specialist, government agency, representative of a public service or a non-profit organisation, you can fill in your profile. The BIO CIRCLE project organises an Info Day on Oct. 7th, 2009 in Brussels.

FARA has received funding from BIO CIRCLE to sponsor the participation of only 2 African researchers to this event.
FARA operates as an interface between the EU and FAFB research communities in Sub Saharan Africa. Kindly send your profile to FARA before Sept. 5, 2009.
This application is open to researchers and companies who have the expertise to participate in European projects.
The selected candidates will also be included with their profiles in the catalogue of the Info Day of Oct. 7

database

CHPC National Meeting 2009 and 5th BELIEF Symposium
15 11 2009 Advancing research competitiveness through collaboration: towards an integrated South African cyber infrastructure - The Centre for High Performance Computing (CHPC) and Bringing Europe�s eLectronic Infrastructure to Expanding Frontiers Phase II (BELIEF II) are hosting the CHPC National Meeting 2009 and 5th BELIEF Symposium during the period Dec. 7-9 2009 at the Sandton International Convention Centre (Johannesburg, South Africa). The event is aimed at advancing research collaboration and competitiveness through an integrated South African national cyberinfrastructure. The joint event of CHPC and BELIEF intends to explore the contributions and expectations from policy makers, research communities, ICT vendors, industries, academia and EU funded projects. Through a series of presentations and open discussion forums, both local and international stakeholders and key players will have the opportunity to jointly harness synergies, in an attempt to promote existing cyberinfrastructure activities. The event will showcase some of the recent progress in the South African (SAn) cyberinfrastructure and its role in SA and developments in Africa. Keynote research and application results utilising the cyberinfrastructure will be illustrated, and the latest international developments will be discussed. The closing date for abstract submission is October 2 and October 30 for registration. For more information and registration, visit http://www.chpcconf.co.za.

BarCampAfrica is coming to the UK - Nov. 7, 2009
15 11 2009 London will be hosting the first BarCampAfrica UK event on Nov. 7, 2009. This event is expected to attract technologically inspired Africans from diverse fields who have a common passion � to bring about further development in Africa. Participants will include talented entrepreneurs, technologist, charities, engineers, designers, bloggers, and artists. Like other BarCamp events, the actual content and format of this event will be driven by the participants themselves. So if you have ideas to share, want to collaborate with similarly minded people, or are simply interested in African development within the context of technology we�d love for you to come. For more details and to be notified about ticket availability please visit the BarCampAfrica website or contact Ethel D Cofie.

Bridging the Digital Divide in Rural Africa (Source: Commonwealth News - Issue 454)
15 11 2009 Internet access has largely been the preserve of rich, urban, industrialised communities since the world wide web was born. But, in a digital age, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are essential to the growth and development of emerging economies, such as those in Africa. A major conference organised by the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) last week sought to redress the digital isolation of rural communities in Africa. Bringing together nearly 200 policy-makers, IT companies, donor organisations and regulatory heads, the African Connecting Rural Communities conference in Livingstone, Zambia, looked at how to improve �rural connectivity� through tools such as Universal Service Funds (USFs). Universal Service Funds are government vehicles set up to levy funds to reinvest in internet connections in remote areas, but are regarded by many organisations as under-utilised. Bob Lyazi, Administrator of the Uganda Rural Communication Development Fund, a USF run by the Uganda Communications Commission, said conference discussions focused on �how the funds can improve and become more efficient�. �Previously we have discussed all aspects of universal access, including government intervention, universal service obligations and USFs in largely regulated forums,� he explained. �Now we are going to finally be able to deal with the global problem of a significant amount of accumulated funds said not to be utilised.� At the three-day event, which took place on August 25-27, 2009, delegates were also able to look at the economic impact of the digital divide, the make-up of IT regulatory regimes, and how policy-makers can increase the uptake of wireless broadband. Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, Chief Executive of the CTO, spoke of the importance of creating a policy framework that goes beyond creating traditional �public-private partnerships� to also encompass the needs of the ordinary public. �The CTO, as the main organisation mandated to develop ICTs in the Commonwealth, remains totally committed to removing both international and national digital divides,� he said. �These various actors need to work much more closely to forge the �public-private-people partnerships� we advocate, if rural communities in Africa are to be connected sooner than later. �Forging these partnerships is critical for sustainable community ownership and empowerment.� Dion Jerling, a delegate from Connect Africa, an ICT initiative combining entrepreneurship and social enterprise in Zambia, added: �The conference opened up a lot of solutions for us and it was a tremendously good networking opportunity.� First founded in 1901 as the Pacific Cable Board, the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation is one of the oldest associations affiliated with the Commonwealth. Since 1985, it has delivered 3,500 policy, operational and regulatory assistance projects to its members in Europe, the Caribbean, Americas, Africa and Asia-Pacific working to bridge the digital divide across food and agriculture, education, health, e-government and e-commerce sectors.

European Commission Horizontal Development Cooperation Instrument
15 11 2009 The European Commission has just published a call for proposals under its horizontal Development Cooperation Instrument (i.e. covering all countries classified as development cooperation partners of the EU and including South Africa) for the Thematic Programme: Environment and Sustainable management of natural resources, including energy. Details on the Thematic Programme are available here. South Africa is eligible for the following focus areas of the call: Promoting Environmental Sustainability / Climate Change in non-European Neighborhood Partnership Countries / Forests / Forest Law Enforcement / Governance and Trade / Desertification / Fisheries / Sustainable Production / Consumption and Waste / Sustainable energy for Sub-Saharan Africa. Further details are in the Guidelines. All other supporting documents required for participation are available here. Whilst actions focused solely or mainly on research will not be eligible for funding, elements of knowledge generation, technology transfer and demonstration, could certainly be part of proposals, for example under the energy section.

New Cables Will Kick-Start Africa�s New Broadband Era (Source: African Press Organization / PRNewswire-FirstCall)
15 11 2009 Total broadband adoption in Africa will increase at a CAGR of 28 percent through 2013 as new undersea cables boost Africa�s international bandwidth, reducing the number of coastal countries without any cable access from 19 to one, according to a new report from Pyramid Research, the telecom research arm of the Light Reading Communications Network. Africa Connects: Undersea Cables to Drive an African Broadband Boom describes in detail the upcoming evolution of Africa�s international bandwidth market, as five major new cables and a host of smaller ones are deployed and launched over the next three years. The 15-page report then discusses how this increase in capacity will affect African broadband end users, driving adoption of fixed and mobile broadband by reducing tariffs by up to 72 percent. Finally, it examines how this changed environment will affect African broadband operators and looks in detail at two key markets, Egypt and Kenya, to see how their contrasting regulatory environments will affect the impact of the newly available bandwidth. Download an excerpt of this report here. The biggest change to African telecom markets over the next three years will be invisible. �Twelve new undersea cables planned for launch between third quarter 2009 and mid-2011 will remove the most serious obstacle that has historically prevented operators from taking advantage of Africa�s great unmet demand for broadband services,� says Dearbhla McHenry, analyst at Pyramid Research and author of the report. �As a result, the cables will increase Africa�s total international bandwidth from about 6 Tbps to as much as 34 Tbps and will reduce the number of coastal countries without any cable access from 19 to one,� she adds. �Through the end of second quarter 2009, 40 percent of continental Africa�s 47 nations had no direct cable connections at all, forcing operators to rely on expensive satellite links,� McHenry explains. �The combination of heavy reliance on satellite and monopoly control of local access to undersea cables meant that prices were also astronomical: Rates for SAT-3, for example, are about US$4,500 to $12,000 per Mbps per month, which is more than 20 times more expensive than bandwidth prices in the U.S.,� she says. The quintupling of Africa�s international bandwidth will support the upcoming boom in African broadband adoption by increasing capacity and bringing down prices for end users. �By early 2011, we expect that more than half of all African markets will have 3G, while broadband coverage is increasing daily via both wireless and wireline technologies,� McHenry comments. �We forecast that total broadband adoption in Africa will increase at a CAGR of 28 percent from 2009 to 2013, as increased competition in the international bandwidth market brings down prices and as new cables support the corresponding increase in demand.

Stakeholders' Conference on Africa-Europe S&T Cooperation (Nov 10-11, 2009 - Mombasa, Kenya)
15 11 2009 The Kenyan Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (MoHEST) in collaboration with the International Bureau of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (IB of BMBF) announce a Stakeholders' Conference on Africa-Europe science and technology cooperation, taking place in Mombasa, Kenya, on November 10-11, 2009. Details regarding the conference programme and registration will be made available shortly on the conference website. People interested in participating in the conference, can express their interest by fill in the dedicated Expression of Interest form and send it to the conference secretariat not later than Sept. 25 2009. Individuals submitting expressions of interest will then be considered for formal invitations. Please note that due to limited capacity not all received expressions of interests may be considered for a formal invitation. For a limited number of participants financial support may be provided to facilitate the attendance of the conference. The allocation of support has to consider the special character of the conference. Please note that an Information Day for African institutions about the 7th EU Framework Programme for research and technological development (FP7) is scheduled to take place on November 9, 2009 at the same venue as the stakeholder conference. Interested parties should contact the organisers.

WINDS-Caribe Seminar "Fostering EU-Caribbean cooperation in ICT research" (Oct. 20, 2009 - Brussels, Belgium)
15 11 2009 On Oct. 20, 2009, this key seminar will gather ICT research leaders from the Caribbean and Europe to discuss about outstanding ICT research initiatives from Cuba, Francophone Antilles, Dominican Republic and the English speaking Caribbean, among other countries from the region, and to discuss future strategies to foster EU-Caribbean cooperation in ICT research. During the event, participants will get an overview of the ICT research capacities and dynamics present in the Caribbean region, as compiled by the WINDS-Caribe project, and will have the possibility to find research partners from the Caribbean region. In the afternoon session, participants will participate in an open discussion with key decision makers (such as the European Commission, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Caribbean Embassies in Brussels) on how to shape the Roadmap on EU-Caribbean Cooperation in ICT research (developed and proposed by the WINDS-Caribe project).

International cooperation highlighted at the 2009 NEM Summit
15 11 2009 The 2009 edition of the Summit of the NEM (Networked Electronic Media) European Technology Platform (NEM ETP) has just been held in Saint-Malo, France. It gave the opportunity to over 460 delegates from all regions of the world to attend a 2-day conference, to discover leading-edge technologies presented by over 50 exhibitors, and to actively network. The event, in the organisation of which Sigma Orionis (a member of the NEM Steering Board and of the NEM Executive Group) has taken a substantial role, included a session devoted to international cooperation. In this session, Roger Torrenti, CEO of Sigma Orionis, presented an overview of the EU-funded activities of his organisation aiming at strengthening cooperation on ICT research, under FP7, between Europe and Asia and between Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. To access this presentation, and full details on the event, please visit the event web site.

A successful 7th EuroAfriCa-ICT Concertation Meeting - Brussels, Belgium
15 11 2009 Given the increasing number of Regional, National and International initiatives addressing the development of EU-Africa S&T Cooperation, the EuroAfriCa-ICT project - in its mandate to establish links between related initiatives developed in Europe, sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean addressing ICT research - organises quarterly concertation meetings to offer stakeholders in the field opportunities to share visions, network and build synergies. The last six meetings (organised since December 2006) have proved to be very successful in fostering partnerships and information sharing, and in building contact networks among researchers. The 7th EuroAfrica-ICT Concertation Meeting, organised with the support of the European Commission's DG Information Media and Society (DG INFSO) through its Seventh Research Framework Programme (FP7) successfully took place at the Radisson Blu Hotel (Brussels, Belgium) on Oct. 1st, 2009. The event attracted over 100 delegates coming from both Europe and Africa together with several EC Directorate-Generales (DG INFSO, DG DEV, DG RTD and DG AIDCO), four ETPs (NEM, NESSI, eMobility, ISI), a keynote speaker (Tim Unwin - �ICTs, Citizens and the State - Moral philosophy and development practices in an African context�) and top-notched speakers. Presentations as Acrobat files together with the event attendee list are available here.

1st International Conference on Building Research Capacity in Africa (Bamako, Mali - Nov., 9-11, 2009)
15 11 2009 The UNESCO Bamako Cluster Office in collaboration with the Government of Mali, the International Telecommunications Union, the Global University Network for Innovations (GUNI), the National Universities Commission (NUC) of Nigeria, the Association of African Universities, the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Working Group on Higher Education is very pleased to announce its 1st International Conference on Building Research Capacity in Africa (�Promoting Research in African Universities through Regional and International Research and Knowledge Networks and the Use of ICTs�) to be held in Bamako, Mali on Nov. 9-11, 2009.

The conference will be followed by a training workshop on the theme �Development and Use of Virtual Facilities for Quality Teaching and Research in Africa�. The proposed conference prominently features within the Africa�s Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of Action which mainly aims at implementing the African Union research and development programmes through the NEPAD network of Centres of excellence in five programme clusters. The conference is also in line with the African Union Plan of Action of the Second Decade of Education in Africa (2006-2015) and the African Regional Action Plan on the Knowledge Economy (ARAPKE) -- A Framework for Action. This first conference is also seen as a follow up to the �Knowledge for Africa�s Development� (KAD) Conference organized in 2006 in Johannesburg as part of the World Bank�s �Knowledge Economy Forum� to assist African policy and decision makers in the formulation of strategies focused on the role of education, ICTs and innovation to promote the Knowledge economy in Africa.

Objectives - Review the state of research in higher education institutions in Africa | Identify human resource and institutional obstacles to quality research | Propose strategies for enhancing research capacities | Update participants with modern methods of conducting and reporting research. Sub-themes - State of research in higher education in Africa | Advances in research methods in scientific and non-scientific disciplines | Innovative practices in research: Learning from success stories | Maximising synergy between academia and industry in research and development | Enabling environment and policies for funding research. Participants - Ministers in charge of higher education and research | Vice-Chancellors/Rectors/Provosts | Head of research institutes and agencies | Directors of research in higher education institutions | Supervisors of theses and dissertations of higher degree students | Researchers in all disciplines in the higher education system in Africa and other regions of the world | Research funding agencies | Other stakeholders and interested persons in higher education research (National and international award winners in research, Funding agencies for research, etc.). Expected Results - Participants who have acquired modern skills in the conduct of scientific and non-scientific research | Enhanced contribution of African scholars to the global world of knowledge | Networking for research collaboration between African scholars and colleagues from other regions of the world | Outline Plan of Action for improving research capacity in the African higher education system. Updates on the conference will be uploaded shortly to the conference site located at http://www.unesco-bamako.org/conferences.

For further information, please contact: Professor Juma Shabani (Director, UNESCO Bamako Cluster Office)

ASCAL Conf�rence - Les enjeux des S&T pour le D�veloppement (15-16 Oct. 2009, Luxembourg)
15 11 2009 Les pays de l�Afrique subsaharienne (Niger, S�n�gal, Burkina Faso, Mali, etc.) sont absents des grands d�fis du lib�ralisme, de la mondialisation et de la globalisation. Depuis des ann�es, le foss� scientifique et technologique entre l�Afrique et le reste du monde ne cesse de s�accro�tre. La science peut contribuer � r�duire cet �cart et doit apporter des solutions pour r�pondre efficacement aux besoins des peuples africains. Les scientifiques ont donc un r�le important � jouer pour r�tablir l��quilibre entre les diff�rentes soci�t�s. Ils doivent d�velopper des projets scientifiques respectant les exigences culturelles des pays ainsi que des projets contribuant � l�av�nement d�un d�veloppement durable. La conf�rence organis�e par l'ACSAL au Luxembourg cette semaine visait � promouvoir le d�veloppement de l�Afrique par les sciences appliqu�es et le transfert de technologie. Elle a permit d�offrir une tribune aux diff�rentes d�l�gations Europ�ennes et Africaines pr�sentes afin d�examiner les questions de coop�ration scientifique entre le Luxembourg (et plus g�n�ralement l�Europe) et l�Afrique. Karine Valin (Coordinateur du projet EuroAfrica-ICT et Directeur Ex�cutif de Sigma Orionis) a pr�sent� � une large audience de plus de 100 participants les activit�s d�EuroAfrica-ICT et � contribu� au Manifeste r�dig� � l�issue de la conf�rence et qui sera bient�t d�voil�.

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