ICT4Democracy in East AFrica Workshop in Dar es Salaam

The ICT4Democracy East Africa Network – of which CIPESA is a member – is currently holding a two day workshop in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This workshop aims to promote the Network’s activities with partners showcasing the progress of their work to improve democratisation in the region.
The event was officially opened by Eng. Dr. Zaipuna Yonah, the Director of ICT, Ministry of Science and Technology in Tanzania. In his opening address, Eng. Dr. Zaipuna thanked the government of Sweden through (SPIDER) The Swedish Program for ICT in Developing Regions and SIDA (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) for supporting the development of ICTs in the developing world and indicated that the work of the ICT4Democracy in East Africa network is already impacting the lives of citizens living in the region.
Eng. Dr. Zaipuna also  highlighted the work the Tanzanian government was doing in developing ICT infrastructure within the country and extending it to neighbouring countries. He urged the members of the network to continue sharing the progress of their initiatives saying that “Accountability should not only be in what we read and write, democracy is more about translating the intentions into realities.”
To view the complete photo gallery of the ongoing workshop  visit this link.
The presentations from the workshop will be uploaded at www.ict4democracy.org

Launch of AfricaConnect, the Regional Connectivity Ramp-up Initiative

The 2012 Africa-Euro Cooperation Forum on ICT saw the European launch of AfricaConnect, a high-capacity internet network for academic and scientific collaboration for sub-Saharan Africa.
The AfricaConnect project has seen the establishment of UbuntuNet, a high-capacity regional data network for academic and scientific collaboration in East and Southern Africa, and improved the volume and reliability of connectivity within the region and to the global research and education community.
The specific fields of research activities for the network are Health, Bio-Medical Sciences, Climate, Agriculture, Education and Environment.
Launched in Africa two weeks ago on November 15 at the UbuntuNet 2012 conference held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the network connects the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. It also connects African and European partners via GÉANT, the pan-European (Germany, Italy, Portugal, Ireland and Netherlands) research and education network.
Speaking at the launch, Dr. Francis Tusubira, CEO of the UbuntuNet Alliance, stated that the network is not only intended to help science, but “change lives”.
“We can not forget that this is not only about networks. It is about people and the change we can bring to communities,” said Dr. Tusubira.
He added that borrowing from the meaning of the word Ubuntu, the project is centred around mutual responsibility in community welfare and people committing to change to “remove the isolation of researchers in Africa.”
AfricaConnect is intended to enable researchers and academics in Africa to collaborate seamlessly with each other and with research and education institutions around the world. The network supports data-intensive and time critical applications, provides fast access to web-based resources enabling research centres and universities across the region to participate in joint projects.
The project is funded by the European Commission and African partners in collaboration with DANTE (Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe) and the Ubuntu Alliance.
Further information is available at www.africaconnect.eu
 

The 2012 Africa-EU Cooperation Forum on ICT Opens

The 2012 Africa-EU Cooperation Forum on ICT opened today, Wednesday November 28, 2012 in Lisbon, Portugal. Under the theme Teaming-up for a strengthened and coordinated approach to foster Euro-African innovative cooperation on ICT, the two day forum will bring together European and African stakeholders in the public and private sectors involved in collaborative ICT research and ICT for development to share knowledge and experiences. Furthermore, discuss policy related issues.
The ICT4Democracy in East Africa Network – of which CIPESA is a member – is participating in the forum under the eGovernment & eDemocracy track.
Session chair: Angela Crandall, iHub Research
Panellist: Ashnah Kalemera, CIPESA
The objectives of this session are to understand the different eGovernment/ eDemocracy initiatives being undertaken, discuss the progress being made in governance through the use of mobile tools, and identify the challenges that need to be overcome in order to scale and sustain eDemocracy/ eGovernment initiatives.
The 5th in its series, the event is organised by the EuroAfrica-ICT initiative under the aegis of the European and the African Unions Commissions.
Read more about the forum here.

Who controls the Internet? Final statement of the Pan African Civil Society Workshop

Final Statement of the Pan African Civil Society Workshop on Who Controls the Internet? Held in Nairobi, 26-27 July, 2012
We, participants comprising representatives of diverse civil society organizations from the human rights, media and ICT policy sectors, meeting at the Pan African Civil Society Workshop on “Who Controls the Internet” held in Nairobi, Kenya, on July 26 and 27, 2012:

  • Affirm the importance of the Internet as an enabling medium for democratisation and the promotion, exercise and enjoyment of human rights;
  • Recognize that the ability to access and use the Internet has become inextricably linked to the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly, as enshrined in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights , and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights .
  • Stress the capacity and potential of the Internet to contribute to social, economic, cultural and human development;
  • Express strong support for the report of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion on the right to freedom of opinion and expression exercised through the Internet presented in June 2011 to the Human Rights Council (HRC) and HRC Resolution A/HRC/20/L.13 of July 5, 2012 on “the Promotion, Protection and Enjoyment of Human Rights on the Internet” which affirms that the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online;
  • Welcome the establishment in 2011 of the African Platform for Access to Information and the Freedom Online Coalition ;
  • Affirm that multi-stakeholder governance of the Internet at the national, regional and international levels founded on the guiding values of fundamental human rights and the public interest is essential for the effectiveness and legitimacy of Internet governance;
  • Note that current Internet governance arrangements as well as recent proposals for global Internet governance reform from some governments and discussed in various intergovernmental forums do not adequately address civil society participation.

We call upon African States:

  • To promote and facilitate affordable and equitable access to the Internet;
  • To review and repeal policies, regulations, legislation and practices that are restrictive or inconsistent with regional and international human rights standards and that interfere with freedom of expression, association and assembly on the Internet;
  • To prioritise the application of UN Human Rights Council Resolution (A/HRC/20/L.13, July 5, 2012) which “affirms the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online, in particular freedom of expression, which is applicable regardless of frontiers and through any media of one’s choice, in accordance with articles 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights”;
  • To guarantee that all Internet-related policies, regulations and legislation are developed within a framework which ensures the inclusion and full participation of all stakeholders, particularly civil society;
  • That those who have not yet done so to endorse the African Platform on Access to Information (APAI) and apply the principles contained in the APAI Declaration to advance the right to Access to Information in all its dimensions, nationally, regionally, and internationally on the African continent;
  • To apply the UN Principles on Business and Human Rights , also known as the “Ruggie Principles”, in their interaction with and regulation of the Internet and telecommunications industry.

We call upon the African Union and regional bodies:

  • To strengthen its support of and collaboration with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, particularly with the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information;
  • To facilitate in partnership with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights the implementation of regional and international human rights standards in relation to the Internet as enshrined in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, among others instruments;
  • To encourage the expansion and effective implementation of African initiatives to extend the right to information, such as the African Platform on Access to Information.

We call upon all global governance institutions, inter-governmental organizations and standard setting bodies that deal with Internet-related issues:

  • To facilitate the effective and continuous participation of civil society in all their decision-making processes;
  • To ensure transparency of and access to information related to these decision-making processes;
  • In particular, we call on the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in the process of discussions reviewing of the International Telecommunications Regulations to ensure and facilitate the involvement of civil society and make relevant information publicly available in the process leading up the World Conference on International Telecommunications.
  • We call on Internet and telecommunications companies:*
  • To provide, fair, affordable and equitable access to telecommunications services and the Internet;
  • To adhere to the UN Principles on Business and Human Rights, also known as the Ruggie Principles.

We call on Civil Society Organizations:

  • To recognize the importance of freedom of expression, association and assembly on the Internet as an essential element of their work and mandate;
  • To participate actively in Internet related policy and governance issues at national, regional and international levels;
  • To work together in Africa and globally to ensure that Governments and industry are accountable in upholding freedom of expression, association and information on the Internet.

Signed by:
African ICT Consumers Network
Article 19, East Africa
Association for Progressive Communications
CIPESA
CIVICUS
Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance
Global Partners & Associates
Human Rights Watch
ICT Consumers Association of Kenya
iHub
Kenya Human Rights Commission
Kenya National Commission on Human Rights
Kictanet
Kubatana
Media Foundation for West Africa
Media Rights Agenda
Media, Empowerment and Democracy in East Africa
Social Development Network
Ushahidi
Read the full declaration here.

How Can ICT Help to Improve Governance

In what ways can Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) be used to the benefit of good governance? How can these technologies enable ordinary citizens to play a role in ensuring there is transparency and accountability in service provision in key sectors such as health, education, and water?
This was the focus the Promoting Good Governance and Accountability through use of ICTs in Uganda conference held at the end of June 2012, organised by the Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) and CIPESA.
At the one-day national conference, which attracted participants from government departments, civil society, media and academia, the two organisations disseminated their field and research findings on the use of ICT in enhancing citizen participation in governance and monitoring service delivery. There were discussions on how to use ICT more gainfully, given that there has hitherto been limited national experience and documentation in this area.
The Proceedings of the conference are available here.