[APC Africa-ICT-Policy Monitor] e-Updates No.12

[Africa ICT Policy Monitor Project]

Dear all,

Here is the latest issue of the APC Africa ICT Policy Monitor e-updates 
No. 12, a selection of the latest content added to the Africa ICT Policy Monitor
Website chosen by our editors.

ON THE NEWS FRONT, telecommunications news have continued to dominate news 
headlines in several countries mainly on issues of privatization  and liberalization in the 
sector. Malawi took the centre of attention in last week or so following the announcement that
the privatization of Malawi Telecommunications Limited (MTL) would go ahead only for the 
President to turn around and suspend the proposed sale after 5 days citing amongst 
other reasons that the price was too low. Kenya, Namibia and Nigeria have also been in the
news on the same issues of privatization of their fixed line telephone 
operator and/or the mobile telephone operator. 

Liberalization issues have also taken a fair share of the news headlines in the past two 
weeks, with Namibia mentioned as lagging in ICT sector growth given the lack of competition 
in the sector. On the same note, we see the regulator announce the suspension of 
the second mobile operator licence process. 
Kenya has finally legalised VOIP services, setting the stage for fierce competition 
while Botswana and Liberian parliaments have been discussing relevant legislation 
documents that would have positive effects into the countries telecommunications sector. 

Finally, the five-year duopoly that gave MTN and Uganda telecom exclusive rights 
over the provision of telecommunication services in the country came to an end 
this week, with the new telecommunication policy still in parliament, Ugandans may 
have wait a little longer before full competition can be achieved in the sector.



ON INFORMATION RESOURCES, do remember to take a look at a new paper on the role 
of information and communication technologies in the development of African Women. 
The paper emphasizes on current issues and highlights key issues and challenges faced 
by women in Africa and to a smaller extent, globally.


ON UPCOMING EVENTS, August and September will be a busy month with several events 
taking place in Cape Town, South Africa on Community Informatics and WSIS. 
There is also the upcoming preparation conference on WSIS to take place in Geneva. 
Do visit the links for more information on these events.


For these news, information resources and upcoming events, please visit the 
APC Africa Policy Monitor Website links below. 


Editor
APC Africa Policy Monitor Website
http://africa.rights.apc.org/


//\//\//\//\//\//\/ - NEWS - //\//\//\//\//\//\/ 


  News > Access

 Mozambique: Journalists Welcome Access to Information Bill 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=21860ne_1&x=802367>
09/08/2005 (IFEX <http://www.ifex.org>) -- ARTICLE 19 and the Media 
Institute of Southern Africa-Mozambique (MISA) have welcomed a draft 
bill that gives citizens in the country the right to obtain information 
held by public authorities. After five years of consultations, the 
government has introduced the draft Law of Mozambique on Access to 
Official Sources of Information that press freedom advocates hope will 
pave the way towards greater transparency and government accountability.

*News > E-Governance *

 Kenya computerises lands records 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=21865ne_1&x=823808>
11/08/2005 (Daily Nation <http://www.nationmedia.com/>) -- All land 
records will soon be available at the touch of a button. "Kenyans can 
rest assured that the question of missing files is now a thing of the 
past," said Land and Housing minister Amos Kimunya yesterday. "This will 
be a Christmas gift as all rent cards will be available online."

 Ethiopia connects all Federal Courts through a Wide Area Network 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=21865ne_1&x=825472>
10/08/2005 (ENA <http://www.ena.gov.et>) -- Vice President of the 
Federal Supreme Court said activities are underway to connect all 
Federal Courts with a centralized database through a Wide Area Network 
(WAN). Menberetsehay Tadesse said all federal courts will establish a 
database that would enable judges of the Federal Supreme, High and First 
Instance Courts to work on near-final pending cases during their recess 
period so as to prepare them for decisions.
 


  News > Laws and Regulation

 Ghana: Communications regulator revokes licenses of 34 companies 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=21870ne_1&x=827651>
11/08/2005 (Ghanaweb <http://www.ghanaweb.com/>) -- The National 
Communications Authority (NCA) has revoked the licenses of 34 companies 
who had earlier been granted licenses to operate as Internet Service 
Providers (ISP), Fiber Optic, Public Data and Paging, as well as FM 
Radio Services.

 Kenya: VOIP now Legalised 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=21870ne_1&x=823732>
10/08/2005 (Daily Nation <http://www.nationmedia.com/>) -- The cost of 
telephone calls is set to go down with new rules that allow voice 
communication over the internet. Voice over internet Protocol has now 
been legalised, setting the stage for fierce competition with fixed-line 
and cellularphone services.

 Liberia: Government Submits Draft Telecommunications Bill 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=21870ne_1&x=683018>
02/08/2005 (Liberian Observer <http://www.liberianobserver.com/>) -- 
Transitional Government Chairman (NTGL) Charles Gyude Bryant has 
submitted a draft bill seeking to amend the Public Authorities Law 
creating the Liberia Telecommunications Corporation and an Executive Law 
creating the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications to the transitional 
legislative assembly for its consideration.

 Namibia: Second cell licence on hold 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=21870ne_1&x=630123>
30/07/2005 (Namibian <http://www.namibian.com.na/>) -- The Namibian 
Government has put the granting of a second cellular phone operating 
licence on hold. Jan Kruger of the Namibian Communications Commission 
(NCC) speaking to the media this week that the Information and 
Broadcasting Ministry had temporarily suspended the process to focus on 
"more pressing issues".


  News > National ICT Strategies

 Poor policies blamed for slow growth of ICT 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=21873ne_1&x=682246>
02/08/2005 (East African Standard <http://www.eastandard.net/>) -- 
Africa's policy for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has 
not kept pace with technological advancement, a regional stakeholders 
forum heard last week. Top on the agenda of the meeting was integration 
of ICT policies in the region to help bridge the digital divide.

 Namibia lagging in the technology race 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=21873ne_1&x=630125>
29/07/2005 (Namibian <http://www.namibian.com.na/>) -- NAMIBIA is 
lagging behind other emerging economies in the development and usage of 
telecommunications technologies, studies have confirmed. The Namibia 
Economic Policy and Research Unit (Nepru) says in its latest report that 
compared to other lower- to middle-income countries, Namibians are not 
fully utilising Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

 Botswana: Draft competition policy presented to Parliament 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=21870ne_1&x=773332>
05/08/2005 (Mmegi <http://www.mmegi.bw/>) -- The long awaited draft 
competition policy has been presented before Parliament. The document is 
expected to help avert unfair business practises, uncompetitive 
behaviour and conduct in the market place.

 


  News > Training and Education

 Kenya: Ambitious ICT project for schools 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=21878ne_1&x=792581>
09/08/2005 (Daily Nation <http://www.nationmedia.com/>) -- Eighty per 
cent of Form Four leavers should be computer literate by 2008 under a 
new plan disclosed by Education minister George Saitoti. Prof Saitoti 
has also said that Information Communication Technology (ICT) would be 
taught in teachers training colleges to prepare them for the project.


  News > Telecommunications

 Uganda: Expedite the telecom policy 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=21877ne_1&x=823678>
11/08/2005 (NewVision <http://www.newvision.co.ug/>) -- Last month the 
five-year duopoly period that gave MTN and Uganda telecom the rights to 
offer countrywide telecommunication services expired. However, the 
government decision to open the sector to more players or not, awaits a 
telecommunications policy paper that is yet to be discussed and passed 
by parliament and the cabinet.

 Namibia: Telecoms liberalisation 'essential' 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=21877ne_1&x=825470>
10/08/2005 (The Namibian <http://www.namibian.com.na/>) -- A Senior 
Namibian researcher has called on Government to seriously consider 
liberalising the telecommunications sector, saying competition would 
allow for improved service delivery. Christoph Stork, of the Namibian 
Economic Policy and Research Unit (Nepru), says liberalisation of the 
telecommunication sector would allow more players to wrestle it out for 
market leadership, allowing for efficiency and more affordable prices to 
consumers.

 Malawi halts privatization of telecom 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=21877ne_1&x=773607>
08/08/2005 (BusinessWeek <http://www.businessweek.com>) -- Malawi 
President Bingu wa Mutharika on Saturday (6th August) ordered the 
immediate suspension of the privatization of the state-run 
telecommunication firm after critics said the proposed sale price was 
too low.

 Botswana upgrades network 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=21877ne_1&x=773266>
05/08/2005 (Mmegi <http://www.mmegi.bw/>) -- Botswana Telecommunications 
Corporation (BTC) has embarked on a number of projects to improve the 
capacity and reliability of its network. The Minister of Communications, 
Science and Technology, Pelonomi Venson told Parliament this week that a 
reliable, high capacity national telecommunications network is essential 
to creating an environment capable of attracting high value investors in 
the information and knowledge management sector.

 Malawi: Telecoms board against privatisation process 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=21877ne_1&x=773491>
05/08/2005 (The Nation <http://www.nationmalawi.com/>) -- Malawi 
Telecommunications Limited (MTL) board of directors on Thursday (4th 
August) accused the Privatisation Commission (PC) of misleading the 
nation when it indicated that the privatisation process of the company 
is in its final stage.

 Botswana Telecoms connects 40 lines in Barolong 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=21860ne_1&x=773644>
03/08/2005 (BOPA <http://www.gov.bw/news/index.html>) -- Botswana 
Telecommunication Corporation (BTC) completed over 40 landline 
connections in Barolong constituency as part of its Nteletsa rural 
telephone connection project.

 Malawi's telecoms firm on sale 
<http://www.businessinafrica.net/news/southern_africa/467983.htm>
01/08/2005 (BusinessinAfrica <http://www.businessinafrica.net/>) -- 
Malawi leader Bingu wa Mutharika has given a nod for the Malawi 
Privatisation Commission to finally sell the country's sole fixed-line 
telephone company, Malawi Telecommunications Limited (MTL), which is 
Malawi's statutory cash cow.

 


//\//\//\//\//\//\/ -*INFORMATION & RESOURCES *- //\//\//\//\//\//\/ 

 The Role of Information and Communication Technologies in the 
Development of African Women 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=21867ie_1&x=685166>
03/08/2005 -- This paper sets out to look at the question to information 
and communication technologies (ICTs) in relation to women's development 
in Africa. The emphasis is on current issues and the paper highlights 
key issues and challenges faced by women in Africa and to a smaller 
extent, globally.
Appendix A - Community-based Access Points 
<http://www.apc.org/english/rights/documents/appendixA_access_points.pdf>
Appendix B - Recommendations to Civil Society Organisations 
<http://www.apc.org/english/rights/documents/appendixB_recommendations.pdf>
Appendix C - What are ICTs? 
<http://www.apc.org/english/rights/documents/appendixC_icts.pdf>
Appendix D - Recommended Resources 
<http://www.apc.org/english/rights/documents/appendixD_resource_list.pdf>

 Stories from the field - Examples of using ICTs for women's development 
in Africa. 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=21867ie_1&x=685362>
03/08/2005 -- STORIES FROM THE FIELD - Examples of using ICTs for 
women's development in Africa - for the paper "The Role of Information 
and Communication Technologies in the Development of African Women". 
There are many examples of how women are using ICTs for development on 
the continent. Here we profile only a few in order to highlight how ICTs 
can be used for gender justice and social change.


 New Book Launched: Gender Digital Divide in Francophone Africa 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=21867ie_1&x=554532>
26/07/2005 -- In preparation of the African Woman Day, 2005, the Gender 
and ICT Network (a joint initiative ENDA-ART-OSIRIS) publicly launched a 
book "Fracture numerique de genre en Afrique francophone : une 
inquietante realite" (Gender digital divide in Francophone Africa : a 
harsh reality".



 ITU and infoDev Launch New Online Regulation Toolkit 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=re_1&x=777232>
"This new ICT Regulation Toolkit will provide ICT policy-makers and 
regulators with practical approaches and instruments to support their 
decision-making," said infoDev Programme Manager Mostafa Terrab. "It is 
a unique resource designed around three key features: it is an 
interactive, on-line tool allowing for user feedback and enhancement; it 
is dynamic in that its contents will evolve to reflect new developments 
in the sector; and it is forward-looking, foreseeing and anticipating 
policies and regulations that fully leverage the potential of new 
technologies to maximize access for all throughout the developing world."



//\//\//\//\//\//\/ - *UPCOMING EVENTS* - //\//\//\//\//\//\/

*11/08/2005*, Tanzania 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=s21848e_1>

World Youth Development and ICT (WYDI 2005) Conference (Aug 11-12 2005) 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=ee_1&x=34214>
This conference is being organised with a theme of "Young People 
Creating Global Culture". The conference aims to bring together more 
than 250 young professionals, community leaders, non-governmental 
organisation (NGO) leaders, university students, information and 
communication technology (ICT) professionals, among others.

*22/08/2005*, South Africa 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=s21817e_1>
Building Partnerships for the Information Society (Aug 22-27 2005) 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=ee_1&x=34216>
The Cape Peninsula University of Technology, with the support of the 
Cape Town City, the Centre for e-Innovation in the Provincial Government 
of the Western Cape and the South African Department of Communications, 
will be organising and hosting the "Information Society" event.

*24/08/2005*, South Africa 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=s21817e_1>
Community Informatics Research Network (CIRN) 2005 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=ee_1&x=29325>
The Community Informatics Research Network (CIRN) 2005 Conference is 
open to receive research, policy and praxis based papers around the 
major theme of 'partnerships'.

*31/08/2005*, Botswana 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=s21811e_1>
World Information Technology Forum (Witfor) 2005 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=ee_1&x=31388>
The Government of the Republic of Botswana, in collaboration with the 
International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) will host the 
second World Information Technology Forum (WITFOR) in Gaborone from 
August 31 to September 2, 2005. WITFOR is a state-of-the-art, high-level 
international forum, aimed at ICT policy-makers and practitioners.

*05/09/2005*, Cameroon 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=s21850e_1>
CTO Forum 2005 - Yaounde, Cameroon, 5 - 6 September 2005 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=ee_1&x=136150>
Organised in partnership with the Government of Cameroon, the CTO will 
host this unique gathering of opinion leaders and decision-makers in 
response to the growing need for access to ICT in emerging markets in 
the Commonwealth and beyond.

*12/09/2005*, South Africa 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=s21817e_1>
Highway Africa Conference 2005 'Reinforcing journalism in the 
information society'** 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=ee_1&x=33696>
The Highway Africa 2005 will explore the above issues and seek to assist 
in overcoming the challenges. Highway Africa's programme includes a 
unique mix of plenary and keynote presentations, panel discussions and 
hands-on workshops where delegates acquire practical skills and expertise.

*19/09/2005*, International 
<http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=s30084e_1>
PrepCom-3 of the WSIS Tunis phase to take place in Geneva 
<http://www.itu.int/wsis/preparatory2/pc3/index.html>
The third meeting of the Preparatory Committee (PrepCom-3 of the Tunis 
phase) will take place in Palais des Nations, Geneva (Switzerland) from 
19-30 September 2005.


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ABOUT APC

The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) is an international
network of civil society organisations dedicated to empowering and
supporting groups and individuals through the strategic use of
information and communication technologies, especially internet-related
technologies. APC and its members in more than 30 countries pioneer
practical and relevant uses of ICTs for civil society. APC is an
international facilitator of civil society's engagement with ICTs and
related concerns, in both policy and practice.
APC: http://www.apc.org.

APC and ICT Policy Advocacy in Africa

APC's Communications and Information Policy Programme aims to contribute
to more enabling ICT policy environments through promoting inclusive
policy processes. In Africa APC is doing this through the Africa ICT
Policy Monitor project which aims to enable civil society organisations
to engage in ICT policy development to promote an information society
based on social justice and human rights.

APC's Africa ICT Policy Monitor: http://africa.rights.apc.org

The APC Africa ICT Policy Monitor is supported by HIVOS and the
International Research Development Centre (IDRC).


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