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WEEKLY PUBLICATION DEADLINE: 12 pm GMT Sunday. ISSUE NO 402 Second Africa ICT Best Practice conference in Ouaga – Closing the gap between words and actionThis week, the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou hosted the second annual “Africa ICT Best Practice Forum” which serves as a practical way for Governments from across Africa to share their own experiences and demonstrate practical examples of successful technology solutions in their respective countries. It attracted a large crowd of Ministers and civil servants from all over Africa and was held in at the same time as Burkina Faso’s national Internet week and the local ICT event SITICI. Isabelle Gross was there to find out what was happening. Attendance at the forum was sponsored by Microsoft, the European Union and the Government of Burkina Faso so it attracted high-level attendees. But if those attending were high-level so was the rhetoric surrounding the event. For sponsors wanted nothing less than to:” accelerate Africa’s social and economic development, help foster more efficient and transparent public services, deliver the benefits of information technology much more broadly across Africa, facilitate e-government initiatives, promote technology access and capacity building, share regional and global best practices, … ”. And perhaps in the afternoon, to bring about world peace. But the expectations of the attendees themselves were also high in terms of securing international public and private financing and cheap or free provisioning of hardware and software. There is no doubt that the Minister of Education of Burkina Faso appreciated the donation of 50 Intel-powered Classmate PCs running Windows software for the Lycée Philippe Zinda Kabore in Ouagadougou. However, this is a secondary school which currently has 6,000 students so it will now have one computer for every 120 pupils. Whilst Rome wasn’t built in day, it is clear that there is still a considerable gap between the efforts of private sector initiatives and the actual commitments of the Governments themselves. For without a regular allocation in the education budget, ICT initiatives will remain like a dripping tap hitting a stone: regular and insistent but making little real impact. Countries may be poor but hard choices need to be made if the gap between intention and action is to be closed. Despite the harmonious choreography of presentations of best practise case studies of projects implemented across the African continent, the question that lingered was what drives what? Is it the desire for more ICT assistance from African countries or the need for a more carefully thought through commercial offer from international ICT vendors to fit the context? Is it Government-driven, supply-led initiatives or demand-led initiatives (both public and private) that will generate their own momentum? If countries were making hard decisions with more of their own money then perhaps these issues would fall into starker contrast for them. Everybody agrees that African public administrations need more information and communication technology to serve their citizen better and to support vital economic growth. According to Kedikilwe O. Kedikilwe, coordinator at the Ministry of Agriculture in Botswana, the implementation of Botswana Livestock Identification and Traceback System (LITS) has ensured that the country’s farmers have been able to continue exporting their beef to the European Union. In a country that can count more cattle than people (2.5 million beef cattle against 1.3 millions inhabitants) and exports 90% of its beef to the European Union, the introduction of new, more stringent European regulations covering the origin of the meat entering the European market had to be addressed as it was a clear threat to the country’s income. Today each animal has a tracking device implanted to provide the required information which is fed into a national database. The implementation of Botswana livestock identification system has not only secured local farmers’ income but also enabled it to reduce the level of cattle theft. And while the UK was struggling to contain a major outbreak of foot and mouth a few years ago, Botswana had the disease under control. So African countries can teach Europe a lesson or two. It is perhaps unfair to highlight the low level of computers in Burkina Faso’s schools as the country has a range of initiatives to address the digital divide. It has an infrastructure project for building a national fibre network reaching every administrative centre in its provinces/departments at an estimated cost of CFA50 billion francs (over US$100 million). Undoubtedly, this will lay the foundation for improving service delivery and making it more faster and more cost-effective. However, it remains difficult to believe that such project could become commercially viable in the short to mid-term in a country that has a literacy rate of about 30%. The Government recognises this gap and supports grass root project like training and the annual Internet week. In 2007, around 6,000 people (civil servants, teachers, students and general public) received a 5 hour training course covering: basic understanding of computer hardware and software; email: setting up an email account and sending et receiving emails; Internet and how to carry out Internet searches. This year, the organisers hope to train over 7,000 people in 34 towns across the country in an effort to reduce the digital illiteracy rate. As ever, the difficulty for African Governments is to try and get multiple initiatives from building a backbone (the equivalent of building a national road network) to raising the standards of education to coalesce into a focused form, where each initiatives actually feeds into the other. All too often the digital access project has unreliable and costly bandwidth, little or no content and services and is not of sufficient scale to move the considerable mountain range of barriers it addresses. Government is always attempting to respond to a wide range of needs and often failing to meet any of them effectively: implementing initiatives remains its Achilles heel. Ministries often fail to co-operate and co-ordinate their own initiatives. Change can be made but it will probably require a different attitude from African government itself. Despite the fact that there were significant local events and a major international ICT event taking place at the same time, there was no real interaction between them. In the course of the forum, Microsoft’s CEO, Steve Ballmer announced a new partnership with the government of Angola which also includes a commercial agreement on software. It is likely that Microsoft will also reach a similar partnership agreement with Congo-Brazzaville in the near future. Follow-up action on sharing existing and new best ICT practices in Africa will be fostered by the launch of a website with an interactive database to post them to. The site which can be found at http://www.africaictbestpractices.net has been built by local IT company Softnet Burkina SA. As international ICT representatives departed on the promise to meet again next year, Joachim Tankoano, Burkina Faso’s busy Minister of Post, Technology, Information and Communication went on to open the fourth annual international ICT show (SITICI) where local IT companies showcased their products and services until the end of the week. Over the last couple of years, the number of local IT companies has increased considerably. Hugue Kouraogo, Head of IT company Hugo Tech told us that more competition has pushed down charges for IT services and there were similar falls in prices on IT products like computers. He reckoned that local IT companies will have to diversify and offer new services to stay in the race. His company is now also offering security and CCTV solutions. At the other end of the spectrum, a French-Burkinabe charitable organisation l’Atelier du Bocage (part of the Emmaus charity) is promoting its IT waste recycling project. Based in Ouagadougou, the organisation sells refurbished computers and accessories but also offers a recycling service. The recycling scheme has started in November 207 so the project is just beginning. According to Jean-Yves Taillandier, Head of the project, recycling IT waste requires high-tech processing facilities which currently don’t exist in Burkina Faso. Since copper is the only row material that can be recycled locally, the remaining components are shipped back to France for further processing. This recycling project, even if the IT waste is only partially recycled locally, is nevertheless an interesting awareness initiative as soon or later the 50 donated Classmate PCs will themselves need to be recycled.
Mozambique’s Government Denies Plans to Privatise TDMMozambican Transports and Communications Minister Paulo Zucula assured workers of the Mozambique Telecommunications company (TDM) that the government has no plans to privatise the company. Zucula was speaking in Maputo during a meeting with the workers as part of his tour of a number of companies under his ministry to sound out the workers' concerns. He was thus reacting to complaints that the previous government had expressed intention to privatise TDM, justifying that this would render it more profitable, and the move would also help face the new challenges of an ever more competitive market with the introduction of new technologies. But the workers argue that this would make most of them redundant, a situation that would create them social problems, extremely difficult to deal with. But Zucula reiterated that the government has no intention to privatise TDM because, besides its central role in the country's economy, the company is also a symbol of Mozambican sovereignty. 'There are no plans to privatise TDM, at least while I remain as Transports and Communications Minister', said Zucula, urging his audience to work harder to guarantee the rendering of improved services to the country. Other problems presented by the workers include drainage of qualified staff to other companies in the communications sector in the country, and lack of promotions and career progression at work. Zucula said that he is much aware of all these problems, and he promised to pay the due attention and, though solutions may be late, they will come in due time. He praised the achievements of the company in the fight for the market, saying that it is heading for the future. (Source: Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique) NCA forges on with ‘beauty contest’ for sixth mobile licence in GhanaThe Ghanaian telecoms regulator, the National Communication Authority (NCA), is said to be ploughing ahead with plans to license a sixth mobile operator in the country, contrary to earlier rumours that the process had been suspended on the advice of the government, pending the privatisation of state-backed PTO Ghana Telecom. However, local online newspaper Myjoyonline quotes the Director General of the NCA, Bernard Aidoo Forson, as saying that the state has not advised any such thing and that the licensing process is still under way. Forson added that no fewer than eleven telecoms operators and companies including Afritel Communications, Awesomedia, BenchMac PR & Business Consult, Express Mobile Communications and Faith Telecom are considering bidding for the licence on offer. Other possible bidders are believed to include Global Trade Imex, Glo Mobile Ghana, a subsidiary of Globacom of Nigeria, TechnoEdge Ghana, Teylium Telecom International, TransAtlantic Industries and Warid Telecom International. All of the eleven companies named have been short-listed to take part in a 'beauty contest’, the outcome of which will be announced by mid-June. GSM operator MTN Ghana (formerly Spacefon Areeba), had an impressive 4.016 million subscribers, putting it ahead of Millicom International Cellular's (MIC's) Millicom Ghana (formerly Mobitel) unit, the oldest of all the providers, which had 2.023 million users of its Tigo-branded service. State-owned national PTO Ghana Telecom (GT) claimed an estimated 1.275 million subscribers to its GT-OneTouch GSM network, while Kasapa Telecom, the country's sole CDMA operator, had 289,066 users, up from 200,166 the previous year. The country's troubled second national operator (SNO) WESTEL received a licence to operate mobile services in November 2006, bringing the number of companies licensed to provide mobile telephony services to five. (Source: Telegeography) Company Aims to Bring a Smile to Poor With Free Cellphone Numbers in South AfricaTelecom’s veteran Irene Charnley is back in business with a new venture to make communications more affordable for the masses. Charnley -- a billionaire thanks to her years as a vice-president at MTN -- is now CEO of Smile Communications, which is testing a tactic of giving customers their own telephone number even if they do not own a handset. "For the first time individuals are offered free telephone numbers and voice message boxes whether they own a handset or not," Charnley said. The trial run is being held in the Gamalakhe community, near Port Shepstone in KwaZulu-Natal. Smile will appoint agents to sign up customers in their communities. The agents will operate Smile pay phones in shops or kiosks, and will give the customers a free phone number and then sell them airtime. Customers will be given a secure PIN code so they can use any Smile phone. Once they log in, they can make low-cost calls and operate a voice mailbox with free message retrieval. Having a personal number means the customer can be contacted directly, though the incoming caller will need to leave a voice message, unless the user logs on to a Smile phone at a pre-arranged time to answer the call. Their airtime balance is always visible and calls are charged per second with the fee deducted from their prepaid airtime balance. The customer can also set up a contact list of numbers, with recent calls shown first for fast dialling. The agents will also sell handsets to customers who can afford one. Those phones can be shared by several people, with each user entering their PIN number to access their airtime. The system would also benefit entrepreneurs in the communities by letting them start a new business using Smile's tools and training, Charnley said. Technologies such as broadband wireless and the ability to carry voice calls over data lines had dramatically reduced the cost of communicating and challenged the dominance of traditional operators. However, the cost of owning and using a cellphone was still prohibitive for more than 500-million people in Africa and the Middle East, she said. If they wanted to communicate they had to use a public phone with limited features, or had to borrow a friend's phone. Smile would use new technologies and a new business model to take affordable communications to communities that needed it most, she said. The company plans to operate in various countries in Africa and the Middle East. Charnley, along with fellow South Africans Paul Savage and Sharron Naidoo, own 21%, with 79% held by Al-Nahla Technology, a Saudi Arabian consortium owned by Al-Nahla Group and the Atheeb Group. Savage is a former MTN technician who led its research and development and broadband wireless strategies, and Naidoo is a former chief financial director of Johnnic Entertainment. The service is a variation on another initiative to make telecoms affordable for the masses, which was started by the government several years ago but has failed to fly. That required the cellular operators to hand out 4-million free SIM cards to SA's poorest people. Vodacom, MTN and Cell C agreed to give away the cards in exchange for spectrum access, but got bogged down by administrative and technical hitches. The cards were useless without a handset, so the owner had to borrow a phone. Though the cards gave the recipient a cellular number, they were not loaded with airtime so users still had to pay the high retail rates for prepaid airtime. (Source: Business Day) GSM Operators are Given an Ultimatum in LiberiaThe Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) has given the four GSM cell phone providers until May 7, 2008 to comply with the authority's licensing standardisation process consistent with the telecom laws of 2007. The GSM service providers include LoneStar, Cellcom, Comium and LiberCell. LTA Chairman Albert Bropleh told that the ultimatum is in keeping with an earlier letter to the GSM companies that the deadline for the end of the standardisation process for GSM service providers remains at May 7, 2008, notwithstanding their refusal to comply with the licensing and standardisation process being put in place by the LTA. "This means that come May 7, 2008, all those GSM operators who may have not complied with the LTA's directives in this regard would have indicated by their actions (omissions) that they do not wish to continue to operate in the sector and/or comply with the LTA's regulatory functions and responsibilities," Bropleh indicated. The LTA Chairman warned operators or heads of the four GSM companies who may desire playing "politics with this very important and vital aspect of the Government of Liberia's (GoL) policy reform and LTA's regulatory responsibilities to desist from such attitude, as the consequences for such unadvisable behaviour may be far reaching". Mr. Bropleh indicated that in order to continue implementing GoL's sector policy and effectively deal with the deficiencies continuing to undermine the sector reform, Article 84 (1), (2) and (3) of the Telecom Law of 2007 gives the LTA the right to standardise existing licenses and harmonise frequencies that had been given out to the four existing GSM companies to establish a level playing field for all operators, adding "the law left it to the discretion of the LTA to determine the contours of the standardisation process". In this regard, Bropleh noted that LTA has been having relevant consultations with key stakeholders including LiberCell, Comium, LoneStar and Cellcom, and has issued appropriate sets of regulations to guide particularly the licensing issue consistent with the enabling legislation and industry norms and practices. "Despite these best efforts on the part of the LTA, it is now becoming clearer, going by their latest response to LTA's licensing instructions, that the four GSM operators are bent on obstructing LTA's activities in this regard and by extension, the GoL's sector reform; thereby attempting to roll back government's reform achievements in this sector thus far," Bropleh added. The LTA Chairman observed that it was regrettable and of serious concern that the four companies which have for the past several years continued to carry out their activities in the country as they like, with minimum control and reference to international best practices in the sector, have chosen to band together to thwart the LTA, and by extension the GoL's efforts to achieve the strategic goals of GoL's policy in the sector. He said the GSM operators have insisted contrary to relevant provisions of the Telecom Law, that their licenses obtained during those chaotic times in the life of the telecom industry remain as valid today as they were under the previous industry dispensation and added that this points is clearly stated in their collective response to the LTA's recent request that the operators fill out a licensing-related form for the purposes of obtaining relevant information that could assist the regulator to effect a uniform, harmonised and licensing framework consistent with Article 84 (1), (2), and (3) of the Telecom Law. "In a letter of notification to the GSM companies and in discussions with the GSM operators recently, the LTA duly informed the four GSM service providers that the standardisation process, which should have been completed since February 2008 will now end on May 7, 2008," Bropleh noted. He explained that the issuing of the licensing form to the operators is one of the steps toward achieving the standardisation process, to be followed by the licensing agreement which details the terms and conditions of the new licensing framework, including the duration and fees structure of the license to be issued to the operators. "Thus by insisting that they have a 'valid license' and therefore would not submit to the new licensing process, the four GSM operators are in effect disregarding the Telecom Law, which mandates the standardisation exercise, and the LTA's statutory role to implement the standardisation process, including establishing a harmonised licensing and frequency fees regime for the sector. In other words, this posture on the part of the operators if allowed to continue, will in effect render the LTA irrelevant and GoL's reform program moribund," Bropleh averred. Bropleh: "Clearly and certainly, neither the LTA nor the GoL is in a position to countenance such a blatant disobedience to authority, and such, a deliberate attempt to undermine regulatory powers given to the LTA by the Telecom Law and rubbish Gol's ongoing sector reform. For to insist on having 'valid license' in circumstances requiring new framework design for the benefit of all, including the service providers themselves, is to ignore relevant parts of the Telecom Law sections 19 (2) and 20 (1) which, among other things, clearly spells out licensing procedures and conditions and changes to licenses and attempt to defeat GoL policy objectives set in the Telecom Law." (Source: The NEWS) In brief:- Uganda has suspended the creation of a communications court pending the harmonisation of relevant laws. Minister for Information and Communication Technology Dr Ham Mulira said the establishment of the tribunal has been suspended because of differences over the transfer of the Broadcasting Department to the ICT ministry. He said the Prime Minister had requested his ministry to stay action on transfer of the department pending further consultations. - Ghana’s telecoms regulator the National Communications Authority (NCA) says it plans to usher in mobile number portability (MNP) in the country. The move is designed to increase competition and consumer choice by removing some of the barriers and costs that often stop subscribers from migrating to a rival operator. - According to Algeria’s Post and Information and Communication Technologies Minister, the date set for the identification of anonymous SIM cards, scheduled for May 1st, will be extended. Post and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ARPT) and mobile phone operators are in consultation to determine the extension period required for completing the process. - Telecom equipment maker Ericsson and two Gulf Arab telecom firms have applied for the information needed to bid for Egypt's second fixed-line telecom licence. Egyptian daily Al Alam al-Youm did not say where it got the information. Officials at Egypt's National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority could not immediately confirm the report. Telecoms, Rates, Offers and Coverage- South Africa’s SNO Neotel unveils the price of its NeoConnect Prime consumer offering. NeoConnect Prime provides consumers with a CDMA voice & Internet device, a 2.4 Mbps Internet connection with 10 GB of monthly bandwidth, 1 000 free on-net voice minutes and 50 free on-net SMSs for R 599.00 per month. - Africa's largest mobile phone operator MTN reported overall subscribers rose 11% from the last quarter of 2007 to 68.2 million in the first quarter of 2008. MTN said its subscriber base increased by 3% to 15.2 million and Nigerian subscriptions were up 8% to 17.8 million. In Sudan, subscribers grew 13%. - Uganda’s MTN customers roaming in South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland and Zambia can now talk more at less cost following the introduction of MTN Preferred Roaming, a product of the telecommunications company's partnership with sister operations in these countries.
Private Operators to Manage Fibre-Optic Network in UgandaThe Uganda government plans to privatise the management of its fibre optic cable network. Information and Communication Technology Minister Ham Mulira said a study is being undertaken to establish a private management framework for the communications cable. "If telecommunications companies could join hands and form a firm to manage the national cable, we would buy the proposal," the minister said. Kampala's decision is part of the ICT ministry's plans for the next financial year. Mr Mulira has submitted next financial years' proposals to the ICT parliamentary committee for review. The committee, according to its chairman Edward Baliddawa, will submit approved proposals to President Yoweri Museveni before May. "The ministry anticipates that it will be through with the stakeholders' consultations and development of the management model by the end of June," he said. "Thereafter, a firm to manage the network will be identified through an open and international procurement process. "This process usually takes one month, so a firm to manage the backbone is expected to be in place around the end of July," Mr Mulira told members of parliament. Kampala's decision to privatise the fibre-optic cable comes as no surprise to the telecommunication firms given that MTN and Uganda Telecom Ltd have already the requisite expertise in fibre cable management. Prior to the construction of a national cable, the two firms had been separately developing fibre-optic cable networks across the country. This was part of a policy enshrined in their licences that gave the two companies a five-year duopoly starting in 2000, in which they were required, as national operators, to build communication infrastructure to cover at least 80 per cent of the country. Uganda Telecom was the first telecommunications company to bring the fibre optic technology to Uganda. The installation of the first fibre optic ring was successfully completed in May 2001. In March 2002, Uganda Telecom introduced its second self-healing fibre-optic ring. UTL further embarked on a fibre-optic link from the western town of Mbarara in Uganda to the Rwanda border-crossing point at Katuna, giving a major boost to the long-awaited regional fibre-optic project known as the East African Backhaul System. MTN Uganda, the other partner in the project, has a fibre-optic cable running from Kampala to Uganda's eastern town of Bugiri, not far from Malaba, the crossing point into Kenya. MTN Rwanda has already laid a cable from the capital Kigali to Katuna, with a second phase to the Burundi border to be built soon. The EABS, a terrestrial cable link, is a joint venture among telecom operators from Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya. (Source: The East African) Nigeria’s Representatives Set to Investigate Activities of SAT-3According to the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Communications, Hon. Jerry Mamwe, the strike which has just been called off has raised fundamental questions on the services of most GSM operators and their link with SAT-3. He said "the issue of this industrial action has raised one fundamental question. We are made to believe that the industrial action has also affected the services of most GSM operators because of a vital link with Sat-3 facilities. Manwe stated that the lawmakers were interested in finding out "who are the GSM operators paying to for the services of the Sat-3 facility? Is it the Ministry of Communications, NCC, or NITEL? The chairman stated that the investigation would unearth many outstanding issues, especially monies being collected from the GSM operators but were yet to be properly accounted for. According to him, during the period the strike lasted, most of the GSM companies complained that it affected their services. And we discovered that they pay money for the services. So who is collecting the money? We cannot keep quite while things are not done in the right way. 'If money is being realised, I don't think there should be any excuse for non-payment of salaries of the workers. They deserve their pay,' he declared. (Source: Vanguard) ADSL prices to be cut by half in AlgeriaAlgeria’s communications minister has announced that tariffs for ADSL broadband internet services will be cut by 50%. State-owned Algerie Telecom will reduce charges for a 128kbps connection to DZD590 (USD9) a month, while a 256kbps service will cost DZD1,100 and a 512kbps link will be DZD1,500. General Manager, Nouar Harzallah from Distance Vocational Learning Establishment (EEPAD), an Algerian ISP said that his company will follow the price reduction from May 1st. Harzallah explained further that "we will cut our ADSL prices 50 % and add new options to our packs (microcomputer + ADSL service), such as pay-per-view internet television and video. "The ADSL is to be free in the next few months and profits will be made through added value services, like television via Internet," he underlined. (Source: In brief:- The Uganda Communications Commission will set up Internet facilities in 43 district health offices. The western and eastern region will each get 14 computer laboratories, the central region 12 while the northern region was not catered for. - The chairman of state-owned fixed line telco, TDM, Joaquim de Carvalho has said Mozambique’s ten provincial capitals will be linked by a fibre-optic cable by the end of 2008. The cable will be installed in Nampula by the end of April and, between June and July in Tete, while the cities of Lichinga and Pemba will be connected by December. The company hopes to offer internet access in cities that currently only have fixed telecom services. De Carvalho hinted the company could be looking for outside investment, saying it plans to take fixed line telephony to all district capitals by 2010, using its own funds, but that this could be achieved sooner if it had the support of cooperation partners. - Egypt freed a woman detained earlier this month for forming a group on the Facebook social networking site that called for protests over price hikes, a security official said. Fattah, 27, was among several bloggers, including Mohammed Sharkawi and Malak Mustafa, arrested ahead of what was supposed to be a nationwide protest on April 6. - A website has been created for the Beninese university community to facilitate access to scientific and technical publications. Its address is www.infosciencesbenin.org. - Another site providing open access to a wide range of journals may be useful to scientists and researchers community. Visit it at http://www.opensciencedirectory.net/ - Social networks including the business-focused website LinkedIn are the newest medium for Nigerian ‘419' scams. The scam involves an e-mail message that is sent as an invite from LinkedIn, or other social networking sites, inviting a computer user to join a network. A profile page is also established with the social networking site in question to make the claims in the letter appear legitimate. And because the scam's messages are only delivered to a social networking site's user accounts, these tend to by-pass anti-spam mail filters.
D-Link to Manufacture Networking Component in NigeriaD-Link International of Singapore has commenced the process that will lead to the manufacturing of computer Networking Components in Nigeria. This will be the first of its kind initiative in Africa that will bring to light the quest to bridge the digital divide and aid Nigeria in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This development is the outcome of the recent strategic working visit of the Minister of Science and Technology, Mrs. Grace Ekpiwhre and her entourage, to D-Link International of Singapore. The week-long official visit and group professional meetings between D-Link representative led by The company President, Tony Tsao and the Minister's entourage which included, Prof. Cleopas Angaye, Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Chris Uwaje, MD/CEO Connect Technologies and country consultant to D-Link International and Mayokun Ogedengbe, country manager, D-Link Nigeria. Making these known in a statement, country manager, D-Link Nigeria, said that the project concept will be focused on IT Networking and Data communication infrastructure, Applications and related solutions. He said that under this initiative the major objective and solutions will focus on total e-Government IP infrastructure Security Camera surveillance solutions adopting e-GIF models. It will also deliver e-Health and E-learning related infrastructure services. Above all, the project objectives will enhance the ICT capacity building profile of Nigeria. The Networking Component Manufacturing process according to the statement, will be delivered in three distinct phases. Phase one will comprise the Semi-Knocked-Down (SKD), component Assembly Phase. Followed by High-level component Research and Development (R & D) process incubation services - leading to the last phase, which will be the delivery of establishing a computer Networking component Manufacturing Plant in Nigeria. The project concept will be focused on IT Networking and Data communication infrastructure, Applications and related solutions. Under this initiative the major objective and solutions will focus on total e-Government IP infrastructure Security Camera surveillance solutions, adopting e-GIF models. It will also deliver e-Health and e-learning related infrastructure services. Above all, the project objectives will enhance the ICT capacity building profile of Nigeria. The proposed project according to the statement, will attract inflow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to Nigeria, transformation of Nigeria into the Hub of activities in Africa as well as facilitation of e-Government growth and development in Nigeria. It will also deliver the benefit of ICT capacity building and empowerment to the citizenry. Other benefits of the project includes e-service delivery to hospitals, clinics access to rural communities, border frontiers surveillance, ports, sea entry, oil and Gas pipeline monitoring, prison and police activities. All these benefits according to the statement, would improve ICT access in Nigeria and reduce the digital divide disadvantage to rural Nigeria. Besides, the R & D component will prepare Nigeria for the 2020 mission and sustain her long-term development. Informed by the potential value of the relationship between D-Link International and Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, it has now become a strategic imperative for D-Link to enter into a "strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) with the Federal Government of Nigeria," the statement added. D-Link International Ltd is a Networking and Data communication manufacturing company. It was established in 1986 and has consistently grown its position in the data-communication segment of the IT industry. Presently, the company is the world number one manufacturer of SMB networking components with a strong presence in over 160 countries all over the world. It boasts of a product portfolio of over 600 products and the company places a strong emphasis on research and development with over 1000 R & D engineers in four continents. D-Link has also gone a step further in the building of manpower capacity for IT infrastructure. The company has been able to achieve this through its certification programme, DCE (D-Link Certified Engineer). The programme according to the statement is designed to enhance the knowledge base, networking capacity and skill-set of individuals rather than the award of certificates. D-Link commenced full operations in Nigeria in 2007. Prior to this period, the brands product has already enjoyed market dominance in the networking and data communications market. (Source: This Day) New goals and vision for the OLPC low-cost laptop programA key person behind the "$100 laptop" for schoolchildren has left the project as the organization overhauls its operations and prepares to tweak its open-source approach by welcoming Microsoft Corp.'s Windows. While the One Laptop Per Child Foundation is known as the brainchild of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Nicholas Negroponte, his longtime MIT colleague Walter Bender was a close No. 2. Bender oversaw software and content for the green-and-white "XO" laptops, whose user interface was specially designed as an educational tool. But in March, after OLPC's initial run of its $188 laptops reached fewer children than originally envisioned, Bender became head of "deployment." Officially, OLPC said it was streamlining its organization because the laptop's technology essentially had been built. A different view came from the XO's former top security architect, Ivan Krstic, who wrote on his blog that Bender got demoted. Krstic said OLPC was undergoing a "drastic internal restructuring" and "a radical change in its goals and vision." Then last week, Bender left the group entirely. That marked a third high-profile departure from OLPC. In addition to Krstic, Mary Lou Jepsen, who had been chief technology officer, left in December. Negroponte said Bender was burned out after helping to shape OLPC for two years, during which time it has sold more than 500,000 laptops for children in such countries as Haiti, Afghanistan, Rwanda, Peru, Uruguay and Mongolia. But Bender already has new plans: to launch an independent effort to further the development of the XOs' home grown software, known as Sugar, and get it to run on Linux computers other than XOs. "Sugar is in a narrow place and it is ripe to be unleashed," he wrote in an e-mail exchange. Sugar relies heavily on icons and other graphical features and avoids Windows' files-and-folders format. That was done to be intuitive to children in developing countries who have never encountered a PC, but some governments have hesitated to invest in laptops without Windows. Some competing low-cost laptops being billed as educational tools, such as the Classmate PC developed by Intel Corp., do run Windows. For about a year, however, Microsoft has been working to get a slimmed-down version of Windows to run on XO laptops. As a result, Negroponte said Tuesday that he expects XOs to soon have a "dual-boot" option, meaning users would be able to run Windows or Sugar. One current hang-up is whether the necessary hardware would add $7 to $12 to an XO's cost, taking the project even further away from its eventual goal of producing the machines for less than $100. Eventually, Negroponte added, Windows might be the sole operating system, and Sugar would be educational software running on top of it. That might disappoint advocates of open-source software who helped bankroll OLPC and cheered the challenge it represented to Microsoft's dominance. Unlike proprietary software like Windows, open-source applications are developed by a community of programmers and the underlying code is freely shared. Wayan Vota, whose OLPC News blog reported Bender's departure Monday, said he feared Sugar would get neglected on XOs that run Windows. "Which do you think Microsoft is going to put its marketing muscle behind?" he said. Negroponte said he was mainly concerned with putting as many laptops as possible in children's hands. He lamented that an overriding insistence on open-source had hampered the XOs, saying Sugar "grew amorphously" and "didn't have a software architect who did it in a crisp way." For instance, the laptops do not support Flash animation, widely used on the Web. "There are several examples like that, that we have to address without worrying about the fundamentalism in some of the open-source community," he said. "One can be an open-source advocate without being an open-source fundamentalist." Besides rethinking the laptop's technology, Negroponte wants to get OLPC moving more efficiently. An executive-search firm has been looking for a chief executive for the group for more than a year. (Source: AP) Ubuntu Hardy Heron causes download frenzyUbuntu’s Hardy Heron OS was released recently causing a download frenzy among Linux enthusiasts Ubuntu 8.04, aka Hardy Heron, was released yesterday and is the latest Long Term Support product from Canonical. “Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Desktop Edition is a very significant release as it will take Ubuntu squarely into the business environment," said Jane Silber, COO of Canonical Ltd. "Our business and home users have told us that they want a longer support cycle to make Ubuntu a better deployment option. We have responded to that and added a commitment to much broader software and hardware support that we and our partners are excited to deliver.” Linux supporters did not wait long before attempting to get their hands on a copy of Ubuntu Hardy Heron. On the release of Ubuntu’s Hardy Heron, TENET’s Mirror.ac.za service - an anycast system with a server in Johannesburg and 2 servers in Cape Town - peaked at 360 Mbit/s. Mirror.ac.za is a popular download location for the latest Ubuntu releases, partly because of the high bandwidth and high-end hardware configurations. The servers boast 4 x Dual-Core Xeon CPUs and 24 GB of RAM each. The Cape Town servers each have a 1 Gbps interface while the Johannesburg server has a 10 Gbps interface. With the release of Ubuntu Hardy Heron the Mirror.ac.za servers peaked at over 8 000 concurrent sessions across the cluster. (Source: MyBroadband) In brief:- Africans experts of the sector of road, air, maritime and railway transportation are discussing in the Republic of Algeria, mechanisms to create integrated computerising systems for the sector in African countries. The experts will determine the creation of reliable, effective and accessible computerising systems, capable of promoting and guaranteeing a participative integration of Africa in the international market. - In the framework of the law on electronic transactions dated January 2008 Senegal’s government has approved new regulation that will apply on electronic certification, electronic communication, e-commerce and the protection of personal data.
Beget Pins Hopes On Schools Business in South AfricaBeget is pinning its recovery hopes on a deal to serve as a sub-contractor on a much-delayed tender to supply internet access to schools in Gauteng. The technology developer produces applications that work over the cellular airwaves, and has been recruited by SMMT Online, which won the Gauteng Online tender. The tender involves supplying a private telecoms network to more than 2000 schools for e-learning purposes. Beget (BEE) will provide biometric log-on systems and power supply units for each computer and anti-theft alarm systems with monitoring software. The Gauteng Online project was first announced in 2001 with an expected budget of R500m. Little progress was made by last year, and it was readvertised as a R2bn tender and awarded to relatively unknown SMMT. Beget's directors expect the deal to provide a significant boost to its own performance, pulling it further out of its previous insolvency. Its auditors qualified its last two sets of results due to cash-flow problems caused by technical delays in the launching of a new product. That saw it fall behind in tax and loan repayments, although it has now begun to clear that backlog. Beget then became insolvent when the auditors wrote off goodwill and intangibles caused by an acquisition as no positive cash flow was generated by those assets. Beget has now appointed a chartered accountant as its financial manager to improve its financial management and reporting. The directors also plan to appoint a chartered accountant to make its audit committee more active. Results for the nine months to January show revenue of R17,7m and attributable earnings of R12,2m, up from a loss of R19,9m on a revenue of R13,2m for the previous full year to April last year. Headline earnings per share of 1,45c reversed a previous loss of 1,68c, while current liabilities stand at R11,5m. The latest results are stronger due partly to the reversal of intangible assets impaired in the prior year to the value of R5,9m. In response to the new contract , Beget has issued forward-looking statements predicting a net profit of R12,8m on revenue of R25m for the year to this month. By next April it expects revenue of R78,5m, but a far lower net profit of R6,4m as the previous benefit from the reversed impairments is lost. (Source: Business Day) Uganda’s ICT Ministry Fails to Utilise Sh5b budget moneyThe information and technology ministry (ICT) used only 19.4% of the money allocated to it during the 2007/08 financial year. The MPs on the ICT committee yesterday expressed surprise on learning that out of sh6.5b allocated to the ministry, only sh1.5b was spent. The finance ministry rated this performance as "below expectation". "The ministry has generally under-performed. It raises question on underutilisation of resources and understaffing in the sector," said committee chairman Edward Baliddawa. The MPs also demanded to know why the ministry had not recruited workers given that the Cabinet had approved the staffing structure in 2007. Undersecretary Albert Mugumya said of the 10 vacancies, 37 had been filled and interviews were ongoing under the Public Service Commission. "We expect the commission to have filled up the posts by the end of June. The vacant positions that may not be filled this year will be filled in the next financial year." But Baliddawa was not convinced. "How do you talk of recruitment now when the ministry started in 2006? You keep saying you are thin on the ground, when will you be thick?" Grace Tubwita (NRM) and Baliddawa also demanded to know who would take responsibility for the unspent funds. Baliddawa directed that the unspent money be taken to the Consolidated Fund as required by the law. The MP also noted that $60m the ministry was seeking from the Chinese Exim Bank for the national backbone infrastructure project was not reflected in the finance ministry's estimates. Baliddawa said all donor funds were supposed to be noted by the finance ministry. He added that the finace ministry, which was supposed to co-fund the project would not do so if the Chinese contribution was not reflected in the Budget. (Source: New Vision) Growth strategy pays off for Vox TelecomStrong organic growth and strategic acquisitions boost alternative telco’s performance Alternative telecommunications operator Vox Telecom has announced a 231% jump in revenues, to R869 million, in its unaudited results for the six months ending February 29, 2008. Operating profit for the period rose by 313%, to R67 million, and net profit by 271%, to R41 million. Earnings per share increased by 121% to 4.7 cents from the prior period. The Group attributes its performance to strong organic growth in its voice and data businesses, combined with a successful acquisition strategy. Revenues for the interim period include three month’s contribution from ABSA Internet Access, Amvia and Telkom Ericsson (Namibia) as well as one month’s contribution from recent acquisition Storm Telecom. “We’ve successfully combined earnings-enhancing acquisitions with excellent results from our existing core businesses,” says CEO Douglas Reed. “All our mature business units are showing strong organic growth, with the monthly contracted annuity base increasing to R170 million at the end of the period.” Reed says the integration of the various acquisitions has proceeded according to plan and the 2008 fiscal year will see a full 12-month contribution from prior acquisitions such as Orion Telecom. “The second half of our fiscal year always shows greater growth than the first half,” notes Reed, “because of the seasonal downturn over the December and early January holiday period. We are also starting to see strong performance in our Vox consumer offering and an increase in voice traffic in our corporate voice business”. “Vox Telecom is now well established as the leading independent telecommunications provider in South Africa,” says Executive Chairman Tony van Marken. “We have established a strong foundation to grow our voice and data businesses across all market segments. We are completing the integration of our recent acquisitions and are seeing market share gains in voice and data. As evidence of our progress we now provide essential telecommunications services to over 18,000 corporate customers and 160,000 consumers.” Vox Telecom has an established voice and data network and interconnects with all the major operators including Vodacom, MTN, Cell C, Telkom, Neotel and the leading VANS, and believes the South African market is poised for further growth in both the corporate and consumer segments. “We have long been an established player in the data market, but we are now making our presence felt in the voice sector,” says Reed. “We see voice as a massive growth opportunity for Vox Telecom and believe our investment in this market segment is starting to pay off.” Vodacom announces BEE partnersVodacom announced the preferred strategic partners for the Vodacom South Africa BEE transaction Alan Knott-Craig, CEO of Vodacom Group, today announced the preferred strategic partners for the Vodacom South Africa BEE transaction. Based on the partner selection process undertaken, Vodacom has selected Royal Bafokeng Holdings and Thebe Investment Corporation as the two preferred strategic partners to participate in this broad-based BEE transaction. Royal Bafokeng Holdings is the primary investment vehicle of the Royal Bafokeng Nation, a 300 000 strong broad-based black community situated in the North West Province. Royal Bafokeng Holdings is responsible for the management and development of the commercial assets of the Royal Bafokeng Nation, for the sustainable benefit of the community. Thebe is one of the pioneers of broad-based BEE in South Africa. Its main shareholder the Batho Batho Trust is a community based organisation established to promote the social and economic development of black people and women. Thebe aims to develop and invest in businesses for the long term benefit of the community, fulfilling social objectives using economic means. The BEE transaction will comprise the following three participant groupings: - all Vodacom South African staff - 25% - broad-based black South African public and Vodacom black business partners - 30% - broad-based strategic partners - 45%. It is anticipated that an announcement regarding the terms of the BEE transaction and the offer to the black public and business partners will be made at the end of June 2008, with the black public offer opening shortly thereafter. (Source: MyBroadband) In brief:- Wireless holding group Millicom International Cellular has reported first quarter results for the three months ended 31 March 2008 which show a 42% increase in revenues to USD801 million compared to the same period of 2007 (and excluding discontinued operations). The biggest growth in subscribers came from Honduras, Ghana and Tanzania. ARPU was USD12.7 in the first quarter compared to USD13.9 in the previous three months. - Zain has posted first quarter net profits of KD73.3m ($270.5m), up 10% on the same period last year. The telecoms operator, which is present in 22 countries in the Middle East and Africa region, also expanded its customer base by 54% year-on-year, to reach 45.7 million active users by the end of March.
Online fundraising project kicks off in South AfricaThe worldwide growth in Internet use and fundraising by NGOs has been phenomenal. Funds raised online have increased from $250 million in 2000 to more than $5 billion in 2006. Some predict that online fundraising will continue to increase at a rate of 30% percent each year. To highlight the growing impact and value of online fundraising, 13 million Americans made donations online after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Although online fundraising for and in support of NGOs is still in its infancy in South Africa, a number of factors will contribute to accelerate growth in this field in the next few years. These include the growing number of South Africans with access to Internet, reduction in Internet costs, more NGOs with their own dedicated websites and appreciating the value of online applications, a growing middle class and a significant expatriate community with an interest in supporting good causes back home. One of SANGONeT’s strategic objectives is to promote the benefits of the Internet to NGOs in South Africa, including how this medium can strengthen and complement their fundraising efforts. As a result, SANGONeT and EasiGiving are pleased to announce a partnership in support of BackaBuddy (http://www.backabuddy.co.za), an online fundraising website which combines the power of sport and the reach of the Internet in support of NGOs in South Africa. Launched by EasiGiving in early 2008, BackaBuddy provides intuitive and accessible online fundraising functionality to help anyone interested in raising money for a cause or NGO they care about. Essentially, it is a community platform which enables people (“Charity Champions”) who are participating in sporting or other events to link their efforts to raising money for their favourite NGOs. No matter where they are in the world, South Africans can ensure that their charitable giving goes straight to helping NGOs back home. What’s more, they can support their friends who are taking part in sporting, commemorative or corporate events in South Africa by sponsoring their endeavours, so it’s a win-win - NGOs benefit and their friends have the satisfaction of knowing their efforts have been recognised! Any NGO seeking to participate in this unique fundraising system is now welcome to apply for a free listing on BackaBuddy. Once registered, the NGO can communicate its status to a broad audience, encouraging potential “Charity Champions” to participate in fundraising events such as running, cycling, swimming or even something as simple as a shave-athon! The Charity Champion creates a free page on BackaBuddy, and e-mails the information to a wide range of potential supporters - nominating a specific NGO as the beneficiary. They can then make their contributions by credit or debit card - quickly, simply and securely. BackaBuddy has been officially appointed as a charity collection and credit card payment portal for the Discovery 702 Walk The Talk, the biggest walking event in Africa. The event is due to take place on Sunday, 27 July 2008, and will attract over 30 000 walkers. Refer to the BackaBuddy site for information about how to support a charity or NGO through participation in this event. SANGONeT will provide potential donors with detailed information, through our Prodder NGO Directory (http://beta.prodder.org.za), about the NGOs profiled for support on BackaBuddy.” Organisations listed in Prodder will be encouraged to sign-up for BackaBuddy. When an organisation has signed up on the BackaBuddy site, and is already listed in Prodder, a BackaBuddy logo will be added to its Prodder page. Where an organisation has opted in to BackaBuddy from Prodder, there will be a Prodder logo on each organisation’s record (web page) with the words ‘View this Organisation’s Prodder entry’. We welcome feedback and suggestions about how to enhance the website, and encourage potential Charity Champions to open their own (free) pages on BackaBuddy and start fundraising for their favourite NGOs! MSN gains new Maghreb portalMicrosoft has launched a new French-language Maghreb portal for its MSN service, which will provide up-to-the-minute news and entertainment for its users in Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. The new portal's accessible at www.maghreb.msn.com The project is a joint venture with LINKdotNET, managing operators of MSN Arabia and a subsidiary of Orascom. The announcement was made by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Orascom board member Khaled Bichara at a press conference in Skhirat earlier today. The companies have stated that their co-operation forms a combination of the local media expertise of LINKdotNET with the global expertise and content relationships of Microsoft. At the conference Balmer commented that “With a large population of young people who are making the online world a bigger and bigger part of their daily lives… the Maghreb region is a very attractive market for Microsoft. By integrating MSN and Windows Live, MSN Maghreb will provide seamless access to compelling content and services and deliver a large and engaged audience for local advertisers” Orascom CEO Naguib Sawiris added: “The rapid growth of the Internet has created an extremely sophisticated market in the Maghreb region, one which expects new, creative and interactive online services. The market is primed for the kind of rich, interactive services that the MSN Maghreb portal offers and will became a daily part of how online users work, live and play.” Microsoft and LINKdotNET launched the first MSN regional portal, MSN Arabia, way back in October 2001. The site is now attracting two million page views a day as the region’s 2.7 million Hotmail subscribers log in to MSN. (Source: ITP)
People* Fixed-line operator Telkom has appointed the head of the PIC, Brian Molefe, alternate director to Mr AG Rhoda. Events* THIRD AFRICAN BANKING TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE 6-7 May 2008, Lagos, Nigeria The event is being hosted by AITEC Africa and will focus on "Competing in a Borderless World". This conference represents an opportunity for financial sector to assess latest technologies, both local and international, that will help increase productivity and profitability and improve clients' service. For further information visit http://www.aitecafrica.com/ * VoIP WORLD AFRICA 12-15 May 2008, Johannesburg, South Africa The world of VoIP is rapidly changing - costs are coming down; more applications are coming into play and new forms of revenue generation are being exploited. For further information visit the website
* ITU TELECOM AFRICA 2008 12 - 15 May, Cairo, Egypt, Cairo International Convention and Exhibition Centre (CICC) Comprising a high-calibre Exhibition, a Forum and a whole lot more, ITU TELECOM AFRICA 2008 will provide a major networking platform for Africa's top ICT names to come together to focus on the core issues relating to ICT expansion across the region. For further information visit http://www.itu.int/AFRICA2008/?050707 * ITU REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT FORUM 2008 "Bridging the ICT standardization gap in developing countries" for the African Region 26-28 May 2008, Accra, Ghana The Forums are intended for executives from National Regulatory Bodies, Telecommunication Operators and Service Providers in the regions who need to be kept abreast of the latest development in telecommunications and who need to be familiar with the future challenges ITU is facing and, therefore, be able to draw up strategies to achieve greater participation in ITU activities, in particular ITU Study Group activities. For further information visit http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/tech/indexDevelopmentForum.html * TELECOMS FRAUD AFRICA 2008 26-29 May 2008, Cape Town, South Africa IIR's Telecoms Fraud Africa conference 2008 brings you case studies, networking, advice and analysis from expects in detecting and managing telecoms fraud. With special attention to roaming frauds and internal frauds, operational issues and the impact of new technologies. For more information please visit, http://www.iir-events.com/IIR-Conf/page.aspx?id=11306 * E-LEARNING AFRICA 29-30 May 2008, Accra, Ghana eLearning Africa 2008 is a conference organised by ICWE GmbH and Hoffmann & Reif that focuses on ICT for development, education and training in Africa. The event establishes and links a Pan-African network of decision makers from governments and administrations with universities, schools, governmental and private training providers, industry, and important partners in development cooperation. For further information visit www.eLearning-Africa.com * SEMINAR ON E-GOVERNMENT FOR DEVELOPMENT: STRATEGIES AND POLICIES 13-27 June 2008, Washington DC, USA This intensive face-to-face seminar includes lectures, panel discussions, and interactive workshops presented by leading e-Government experts from USAID, USTTI Board member corporations, private sector firms, universities, NGOs, and multinational organizations. For additional information about the content of the course, how to apply, as well as funding, visit the USTTI website at http://ustti.org * FRAUD PREVENTION AND REVENUE ASSURANCE MEA 1-2 July 2008,Dubai UAE ViB events’ Fraud Prevention and Revenue Assurance MENA will bring together telecoms operators and industry experts to discuss the critical issues, which are faced by revenue assurance and fraud personnel today. For further information visit website http://www.revenueassurance.info/mena2008/index.html * UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL OF MOBILE TECHNOLOGY FOR SOCIAL IMPAC August 2008, Johannesburg, South Africa he fourth annual SANGONeT “ICTs for Civil Society” conference and exhibition will be held in August 2008 in Johannesburg. This year’s event will be co-hosted with MobileActive.org and branded as “MobileActive08”. For further information visit www.sangonet.org.za * CAPACITY AFRICA 2008 14-15 Oct 2008, Cape Town, South Africa This unique event features a business-driven agenda that will address the latest market developments and opportunities and equip delegates with strategic information to enable them to grow their businesses. Dedicated networking opportunities throughout the programme will provide you with the optimum opportunity to build profitable partnerships and execute business deals. For additional information visit http://www.capacitymedia.com/conferences-events.asp Jobs and Opportunities* Roaming Coordinator – Guinea The primary purpose of position is to perform all technical and administrative tasks related to launch and operation of International networks/countries to facilitate Cellcom to use roaming services both outbound and inbound. For further information contact advertising@balancingact-africa.com Contracts* LTC and Alcatel-Lucent - Libya Alcatel-Lucent will build a WiMax network in Libya costing 70 million dinars ($59.68 million) to bring wireless Internet to the north African country's towns and cities. Work will begin immediately with the aim of launching the services for an estimated 300,000 users by the start of 2009, the officials said at a signing ceremony in Tripoli. Years of sanctions left Libya with an outdated and undeveloped national infrastructure. Foreign governments and companies have been jostling for lucrative contracts there since the sanctions were lifted
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