IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

Among the global e-innovators e-policy followed e-business, which was enabled by an explosion in internet usage fueled by increasingly cheap and fast internet bandwidth.

This was highlighted at the start of the three-day '3rd annual African e-government Forum 2009' that is taking place in Kigali since yesterday.

Global VSAT Forum, the association of the global satellite industry, said it will be doubling the number of satellites serving the continent.

Global Mobile Association, the industry body of GSM service providers, promised to spend $50 billion to connect the remote areas of the continent over the next five years.

Kaapanda said this in a speech read on his behalf by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mbeuta Ua-Ndjarakana, on Friday at the launch of the 2009 African Economic Outlook report.

There’s no question that a smart city extends beyond infrastructure and urban planning. For a smart city to work, it requires smart citizens and technology plays a pivotal role in enabling civic engagement.

If a city wants to empower those who live in it, it requires initiatives that improve service delivery and technology is the solution to making e-government platforms a reality.

Washington. Shimmering new call centres, the rapid explosion of mobile phones and Internet connections today mark the landscape of many African cities—where improved information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure is helping connect urban dwellers to global networks.

International Telecommunications Union - ITU secretary general Hamadoun Toure said limited development in infrastructure especially energy development and distribution on the African continent is hindering the fast growth in the telecommunications sector.

Officially opening the 6th Information Technologies Africa 2011 Africa Conference and Exhibition at GICC yesterday, the Minister of Infrastructure, Science and Technology, Johnnie Swartz, said development of the ICT sector is of outmost importance and could facilitate the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

One example is a telephone hotline in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Callers can receive information about family planning and the prevention of unwanted pregnancies. They are able to speak privately with trained operators about contraceptive methods and about health clinics.

The occasion: Inauguration of the second phase of the Pan-African e-Network Project.

The tentacles of the project have now been spread to 12 African countries, and Zambia is among the beneficiaries.

It is early morning in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital. The traffic jam along Ngong Road, one of the city’s main feeder roads, stretches for kilometres as matatus (taxis), buses and cars try to make their way into the central business district. At the top floor of Bishop Magua Centre complex, sitting just off Ngong Road, Antony Njoroge is already at work, typing away at his computer, a mug of freshly brewed coffee beside him. He is the founder of RevWeb, a local software development company.

According to Bekele, thanks to social media, women now surpass men in the use of ICT and have firmly moved away from seeing technology as that of a man's domain.

The internet, she said is being utilized more by women, where women are increasing their rights, representation, and participation.

The 17200km marine cable, which is to be managed by a consortium of 12 companies, stretches from South Africa to the UK linking 14 countries: South Africa, Namibia, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cape Verde, the Canary Islands, Portugal and the UK.

The consortium said in a statement the operation offered the highest capacity sub-marine cable system through sub-Saharan Africa and would be the first direct access to global communication networks for Namibia, DRC, Togo and Republic of Congo.

The biggest tech trend in Africa, and the one that is making the biggest impact on the everyday lives of people, is the rise of smartphones and feature phones. Africa has seen the fastest uptake of mobiles in the world and mobile subscribers are set to hit half a billion in the next five years, according to the GSMA, says Ahmed Simjee, executive smarter Planet, IBM, South Africa.

This statistic supports the fact that mobile technology is and will continue to be the most powerful communications platform in Africa. Driven by cheaper mobile devices and continued innovation in the mobile space, mobile technology has the power to and will transform the delivery of healthcare service into Africa.

Leadership, ICT infrastructure for development, ICT infrastructure, M-Applications and ICT in business were some of the issues that were discussed at the conference.

It was also observed that the translation of policy to meet the demands of ICT and leadership is often problematic due to obstacles that can be attributed to human capacity, financial resources, institutional arrangements, political will and appropriate leadership.

In the past, citizens in many countries have only had access to information through their elected representatives. But with the growth of the internet and other informational tools, this is rapidly changing.

This was particularly true for Africa, where most citizens did not have access to the formal banking sector, Ernst & Young global deputy telecommunications leader Jonathan Dharmapalan said.

Addressing the ICT Indaba in Cape Town, he said ICTs could be used to transform the African economy into a knowledge-based one.

“... We must remain aware that the biggest commodity in the world today is knowledge, and the ability to generate, access, and distribute knowledge have become key determinants for a higher developmental trajectory for any nation.”

The recommendation that ICTs be harnessed to increase health awareness and empower individuals and communities was part of the Brazzaville Declaration on NCDs, which the ministers have signed.

The declaration includes other recommendations, calling for the strengthening health systems, and support for partnerships and networks that bring together national, regional and global players including academic and research institutions, public and private sectors, and civil society to tackle the rising problem.