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WEEKLY PUBLICATION DEADLINE: 12 pm GMT Sunday.  URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT ISSUE NO 96 KENYAN CYBER CAFE OWNERS GET TOGETHER TO LOBBY GOVERNMENT
Its formation may be the start of a trend: the new connectivity private sector in Africa organising to advocate its interests to governments and their telcos. The Kenyan ISP association, TESPOK has successfully created a local internet exchange through this process. The only missing piece in this jigsaw is currently that there are no internet user consumer groups demanding better bandwidth, a shorter time to get a phone connected and lower costs. However if the animated debates on these issues amongst individual users is anything to go by, their formation cannot be far off. Ishmael Tinega, convener of the Cyber Cafe Owners meetings describes what they are trying to achieve. Internet use at home is for many users a nightmare. To start with most people in Kenya are not necessarily computer literate. This means that to talk of internet usage, you are talking of a secondary need to many people (as strange as this may sound). This is especially so for the rural elites. These folks first need to learn how to handle and probably maintain a computer before starting to make use of it in the learning world. But even if computer literacy were widespread, the issue of internet cost in Kenya still remains an unresolved issue to date. For most homes therefore, to think of spending say US$400 a year, on the internet alone, is not a viable option. Kenyans are still looking for a cheap and viable way of using computers and the internet. So what is CCO doing to address these issues? The procedures followed to connect cyber cafes and the service offered by the ISPs still need to be improved in Kenya, even though we can say that they are better today than a year or two ago. However the CCO and ISPs both need to dedicate time and money to educate the masses. Many cyber cafes are currently putting a lot of effort into this task. They work hard at their relationship with their customers and offer computer familiarisation and training. The Cyber cafes are becoming an important source of employment for a large number of Kenyans. These employees help in literally teaching the customers on how to use the computer. Only recently after cafes mushroomed in the Kenyan towns have the customers started to gain knowledge of internet use. Cafes guide their customers how to use the computer and search the web more comprehensively. Before this time most people used the internet service for receiving & sending e-mail. Today, CCO members participate in educating their customers on how to use the PC to access crucial information available on the web, how to use CD-ROMS and DVDs and generally how to do business on the web. The cafes that spend more resources to attend to the needs of customers are usually the ones that get packed out. So what are the challenges facing CCO? The Association of Cyber-cafe owners in Kenya hopes to cooperate with all the stakeholders other partners to bring about efficient service in the Cyber business, reduce hacking, maintain security and discourage cyber piracy. It is imperative that this organization will need a lot of support and cooperation from all the stakeholders be it the business community, the government, or the ordinary customer. There is no currently policy in place to guide owners in the internet business in Kenya. Neither does one common syllabus exist to guide those who teach computer and internet courses in schools and colleges. This highly lucrative and technical area has been left to the masses and at times quacks, to control it. The CCO intend to lobby the government to provide a policy to govern the usage and teaching of Computer lessons especially in schools and to enourage internet business in Kenya. In today’s world of technology one wonders whether there is any time left for bickering. We need to act and bring knowledge to the people. The Internet business in Kenya is still very much underutilised. However, this little used service may die before it ever gets to grow, unless more effort is put to make computer usage more accessible to the people of Kenya. The reasons for less use of Computers in the country range from bureaucracy, illiteracy, poverty, to mention but a few. Sadly also a lack of professionalism in our business sector also plays its part. Kenyans however, being a humble and curious society, find the internet fun. They wish to learn, play and spend on things that bring happiness to them through the internet. However, as long as Internet services remain costly to the consumers, many Kenyans continue to think that Internet is a preserve of the rich and intellectuals. The Association of Cyber Cafe Owners (CCO) intends to bridge the gap between the two divides. Ishmael Tinega is a lawyer with special interests in IT Law He is currently the convener of the Cyber Cafe Owners Meetings in Nairobi, Kenya. He can be contacted on studyhelps@kenya.com or cell phone number 254733758758
The CTO is offering The Commonwealth Government and Business Guide to Information and Communication Technology 2001/2002 as free CD-ROM to our readers. It is a unique annual resource of information about ICT in the Commonwealth designed specifically for use by government ministers, regulators, utility heads and leaders of the communications industry throughout the world. To obtain your free CD-ROM, send your name and address to Isabel Stewart, CTO (i.stewart@cto.int)
HYPERIA ADDS POPs IN ABUJA AND PORT HARCOURT To meet growing demand, Hyperia, one of Nigeria’s ISPs, has embarked on a major upgrade of its network This involves the upgrade of it’s internet bandwidth through the addition of 10 E1 lines to increase its number of access lines, thus making it easier for dialup subscribers Hyperia has also recently installed two new Points-of-Presence (POPs) in Abuja and Port-Harcourt and plans are already establishinmg more POPs around the country to bring its services closer to subscribers nationwide. With the adoption of this strategy Hyperia plans to take over the burgeoning market for Internet users in Nigeria. The company is also implementing a tariff plan with a range to accommodate both those on a minimal budget and those with heavy budgets. (source: This Day (Lagos) via http://www.allafrica.com ICT LAB OPENED TO TEACH LINUX IN NIGER La Francophonie, the Ministry of Planning and the Association of National Linux Users of Niger, have set up an ICT laboratory - LABTIC for conducting training and promoting open source software. The LABTIC currently has 5 computers, two servers, LCD projector and other routers. The premises was provided by the Ministry, including Internet connection and office furniture. This is the seventh lab after Madagascar, Cameroon, Gabon, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo and Burkina Faso. For further details contact Pierre Ouedraogo (pierre.ouedraogo@francophonie.org) http://intif.francophonie.org NAMITECH SELLS DEBIT CARDS TO COMMERCIAL BANK OF ETHIOPIA The Financial Services division of NamITech, the end-to-end secure transactions IT security company in the JSE Securities listed Nampak group - has announced its first debit card manufacturing deal in Ethiopia. Seen as part of the company’s ongoing drive into Africa, NamITech Financial Services is to manufacture 50 000 personalised debit cards for the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia. "While this cannot be viewed as a large deal in comparison to our local contracts - where we are always one of the preferred card suppliers to SA financial and banking industry - we do view this contract as a significant breakthrough," said Chris Steyn, managing director of NamITech Financial Services. He said the Ethiopia contract - which was landed via NCR (Ethiopia) - follows hot on the heels of a contract to supply Banco Internacional de Mozambique with 100 000 debit cards. "One of our main advantages in the marketplace is that we are able to deliver cards in single batches of up to 300 000." TANZANIA’S SIMUNET/TTCL PUTS SHINYANGA ONLINE Simunet/TTCL opened a 2Mbps POP in Shinyanga. The next places it plans to connect are Songea (Ruvuma) and Mtwara by the end of March 2002. It has further roll-out plans for Lindi, Kigoma, Rukwa, Pemba and Kagera by June 2002. UN INITIATIVE TO HELP DEVELOPING COUNTRIES BOOST IT INFRASTRUCTURE Bolivia, Tanzania and Mozambique have captured the first three of 12 spots in a United Nations program aimed at upgrading and building the IT infrastructure in countries that are lagging behind the rest of the world in those areas. (source: http://click.idg.email-publisher.com/maaagUpaaQ7i6a9n2s7b/ ) NIGERIA’S EMIS PLANS ROLL-OUT IN THREE MORE STATES EMIS, a national fixed wireless operator has said at the that it would be in three additional states within the next months. The chairman of the company and one-time Minister of Finance, Kalu Idika Kalu told This Day in Lagos that as part of the expansion plans of the company, it intends in the next three months to be in at least two of the three states. He disclosed that EMIS has taken delivery of TBMX system worth about $8 million. Commenting on the frequency dispute with MTN Nigeria Communications Limited, Kalu said that all area of disagreement with MTN has been resolved amicably and that the company is actually looking for new ways in which it can cooperate with MTN.He also said that when the problem occurred, the Ministry of Communications responded swiftly. Competition in the fixed wireless category of the telecoms industry is however expected to be much more tougher as the NCC is expected to licenced more operators soon. The NCC also said on the Initial Consultation Document published on its website that "The NCC wants to see strong competition in this market in order to deliver choice and maximise benefits to consumers. By allocating licences, the NCC is working to promote the emergence of a competitive market to the benefit of all." According to the NCC, "The Government’s overall aim is to secure for the long-term benefit of consumers and the national economy, the timely and economically advantageous development of Fixed Data Wireless Access and Broadband Fixed Wireless Access services in Nigeria." NCC admitted that even though work is going on towards a successful licencing process, however there is much that needs to be taken forward both within Government and on the part of potential bidders who will need to prepare their business cases and bid strategies. (source: this Day (Lagos) via http://www.allafrica.com)
ECONET WANTS TO BE EUROPEAN PLAYER Zimbabwean telecommunications group Econet Wireless this week said it plans to become the dominant telecoms player in Africa in the next five years and is vying for a stake in Europe’s data and satellite sector. Chief executive Strive Masiyiwa said the decision to position Econet in Africa and Europe is in line with the group’s vision to provide telecoms solutions to the world. "The recent wave of privatisations across Africa has provided a golden opportunity for Econet to expand beyond its established markets," Masiyiwa said. He said the Zimbabwean company’s entry into new markets would continue to be based on partnerships with international players and local investors. "In Africa, we anticipate that voice will continue to provide the main source of telecommunications revenue for all players as most markets are still largely untapped or underdeveloped," he said. "Econet also expects an increase in demand for data and satellite services from the corporate market." To capitalise on this, Masiyiwa said Econet planned to position itself as the dominant telecoms bridge between Africa and Europe and that this would be achieved by building voice, Internet and satellite infrastructure between the continents as well as building local mobile and terrestrial infrastructure across Africa. "Broadly, Econet’s strategy is to expand its share of African international traffic, build infrastructure to carry corporate data traffic, give Econet a European presence through our UK-based satellite port, and build an Internet server to offer Internet access, bandwidth and content via satellite," he said. Econet, Zimbabwe’s largest mobile phone operator, has since its formation in 1993 expanded from its original Harare base and now encompasses all aspects of the provision of telecoms services. The group’s international operations are managed by United Kingdom-registered but Johannesburg-based Econet Wireless Limited, which intends to seek a listing on a foreign stock exchange by the end of 2002. Currently, the group has operations in Botswana, Lesotho, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, South Africa, the UK and Zimbabwe and is pursuing several expansion plans. Its business interests include the core areas of mobile, fixed, Internet and satellite services. Econet comprises Econet Wireless, providing cellular communication services; Ecoweb International, a specialist Internet company; Econet Telecom, which is investing in fixed-line services, and Econet Satellite, providing international carrier services out of the UK. In Nigeria, Econet Wireless Nigeria is now the largest mobile network operator based on subscriber numbers and also commands the largest market share barely five months after the network was launched ahead of rival MTN Nigeria. "Our assessment of the Nigerian opportunity showed that majority Nigerian ownership, combined with Econet’s innovative management, was the best and today it is believed that this was fundamental to the company’s successful bid which culminated in the awarding of a licence last February," Masiyiwa said. He said in Zimbabwe, Econet Wireless anticipated continued growth during 2002 and the company had adopted a prudent approach towards network expansion. "We plan to expand and upgrade the network while taking care to minimise exposure to foreign debt," he said. Econet Wireless is also the consortium leader of the Mountain Kingdom Consortium in Lesotho, which owns 70 percent of Lesotho’s fixed-line network and is currently building the country’s second mobile network to be launched shortly. "Lesotho will benefit from Econet’s business model, which makes innovative use of cellular technology in fixed-line telephony. Econet also plans to roll out its unique payphone service that operates via Internet cafes in Lesotho," Masiyiwa said. (source: Financial Gazette via http://www.allafrica.com) IN BRIEF - Electronic payments company, Prism Holdings, has signed a strategic commercial agreement with the worlds leading provider of smart card-based solutions, NYSE-listed SchlumbergerSema. - Bermuda-based Conexys Corporation Limited today announced a further R 50 million investment in its local subsidiary, Conexys SA, following the successful penetration of its iComMand™ online messaging platform into the local market.
Reaching the Agents of Change The Big Change is the e-mail newsletter of venture capital, deal-making, and business strategy in the convergent economy. Our team of experts provide regular insights into technology and business trends and strategies. For your convenience, The Big Change compiles a weekly digest of links to news, research, advice, case studies and dealflow trends from around the world. Subscribe at no cost by sending a blank e-mail to:
WORLD LINKS’ SAMUEL ESHUN ON CONNECTING GHANA’S SCHOOLS Samuel Eshun is the National Co-ordinator of the WorLD - Ghana who the World Links Development Programme in the country. He is also the entrepreneur behind Ghanacityguide.com. How did the World Links initiative come about? It was initiated by the World Bank in 12 countries. It is all about deploying technology in education but emphasising how it will enhance learning and teaching. Do you provide the equipment? In most cases we provide the necessary equipment. The model is 10 PCs per school with internet connections. The teachers have to use the technology in their teaching and we run workshops for them on how to integrate it into their teaching. What other partners have got involved? We were able to get support from the private sector and foundations, including Microsoft, Cisco, 3Com and the Schools Online Foundation. How many schools have you wired up? Overall we’ve put equipment into 31 schools but for the first 14 the equipment package was not as good as for the subsequent schools. The areas covered include Accra, Kumasi, Cape Coast and Takeradi. These have all gone into secondary schools that have 15-20 year olds. In total there are around 400 secondary schools in the country. We have also trained 300 teachers. How does it contribute to learning and teaching? Most schools hardly have enough reference books and those that they do are mainly out-of-date. They have no access to education materials and teaching plans. There are few visual aids for teachers, for example biology diagrams. The technology with its internet access helps share and communicate knowledge in the classroom and access to a worldwide knowledge base enriches students’ work and their understanding of other cultures. In a different context, World Links has networked Palestinian and Israeli schools and this may contribute in some small way to mutual understanding. We encourage teachers and pupils to work with their counterparts from other parts of the world. How does this work in practice? There are four schools working together on pollution with other schools in Russia, the USA, Australia and Romania. The facilitator is one of the teachers who comes up with activities to be done by the students. For example they measure and record pollution levels and compare them. Through this process they learn a number of skills including typing, the use of e-mail and web discussion and how to build a web site to show the results. Who takes on the running costs once the machines are in the schools? The schools take on the recurring costs of running the machines and the internet access. We make a commitment to train the teachers. Can the machines be accessed out of school hours? The machines are available after school hours but people have to be taught before they can use them. Students tend to use them to complete their homework but they are supervised by a teacher.
KALAHARI.COM PARTNERS WITH VAN SCHAIK ON BOOKS Van Schaik Bookstores launched VS Online in March last year, to sell prescribed text books to most South African tertiary institutions. Van Schaik’s Bookstore MD Chris Wolf says that while his company recognised the importance of harnessing the Internet as an additional delivery channel, it soon realised that the business models of retailing and e-tailing are fundamentally different. "In the traditional retail environment, your business model is based on customers coming to you, whereas in e-tail, the product goes directly to the customer," he says. "This means that, when retailers go online, your business needs to be re-engineered to deliver on customer service promises. "It made sense for us to partner with Kalahari because Kalahari has established itself as SA’s destination of choice for consumers looking for books on the Internet. Through its debit-based payment option made available through icanonline, Kalahari also offers convenient payment mechanisms for students who generally don’t have credit cards." (source: http://www/itweb.co.za) RWANDA LAUNCHES ICT DEVELOPMENT PLAN - SEE IT ONLINE The President of the Republic of Rwanda, H.E. Paul Kagame has launched the first phase of the ICT-led Integrated Socio-Economic Development Policy and Plan 2001-2005. Four five-year plans have been drawn-up to enable Rwanda achieve this objective, under the direction of the Rwanda Information Technology Authority (RITA). For further details: http://www.rwanda1.com/government/newsupdate.htm OR http://www.uneca.org/aisi/rwandaictplan.htm AFRICA OLINE LAUNCHES ANT-VIRUS SOFTWARE Africa Online last week launched an anti-virus software that will guard electronic data virus infection. CarrierScam, the product of a joint venture between African Online and software solutions provider, Symantec, will safeguard internet data through elimination of virus transmission via e-mail and surfing. A senior manager at African Online, James Ochola, said software installed in individual computers was until yesterday the only protection against virus attacks. Ochola said the software, launched in Kenya, will soon be introduced to all customers in the region free of charge. (source: East African Standard via http://www.allafrica.com) OPEN ARCHIVES INITIATIVE A article on the Open Archive Initiative’s impact on developing country academics is now published in Ariadne. The title is ‘Open Archiving Opportunities for Developing Countries: towards equitable distribution of global knowledge@, by Leslie Chan and Barbara Kirsop. The URL is: www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue30/oai-chan/
JAVA GROWS INTO INTEGRATION PLATFORM FOR WALL STREET APPS Wall Street firms are beginning to roll out platforms based on the Java programming language in order to tie disparate applications together to be shared across the Web with their clients. (source: http://click.idg.email-publisher.com/maaagUpaaQ7i7a9n2s7b/ ) MICROSOFT TAKES A BREAK TO CLEAN ITS CODE Divisions to halt code-writing while review is conducted. (source: http://click.idg.email-publisher.com/maaagUpaaQ7jba9n2s7b/ ) FREE FIREWALL UTILITIES Create a line of defense against Internet attacks without paying money. What’s your excuse now? (source: http://click.idg.email-publisher.com/maaagRjaaQ6Aha9tMcOb/ ) LINUX USERS READY TO TOAST WINE Technology that will allow Microsoft apps on non-Microsoft platforms is almost ready for prime time. (source: http://click.idg.email-publisher.com/maaagRgaaQ6xra9n2s7b/ ) WIRELESS LAN WORRIES MOUNT Increased security concerns are prompting enterprises to closely scrutinize wireless LAN deployments. Experts say security flaws are a potential threat to networked systems within the nation’s infrastructure. (source: http://click.idg.email-publisher.com/maaagRgaaQ6xya9n2s7b/ )
* Mike Wright of South Africa’s First Tuesday writing in its e-publication Tuesday Revolution admits that "last year was pretty awful. The tech industry was feeling the effects of the dotcom hangover and September 11 didn’t help one bit". But he remains optimistic for 2002. His predictions? E-learning is going to attract investment and spend. Everyone loves a new way to learn that will only prove its value in 5 years time. This means it doesn’t have to have a measurable return in 6 monthsÉ Mobile is going to continue to be in the news and in the money. The number of users is too attractive to ignore. Simple applications will be the order of the day - ring tones and SMS are the killer apps.Linux will become an acceptable alternative in corporate server rooms (it already is - we just haven’t told the Board). And finally bandwidth in South Africa will still be an issue. It will cost less to get a T1 line into your New York loft than a 64 Kb line to your South African business park. Also in the predictions business is Jeff Jack, manager of technology marketing, connectivity services at Dimension Data who believes that South African businesses should prepare for VOIP. * More optimistic noises on the SA ICT market from CS Holdings CS Holdings chief financial officer Jarrett Pech who believes the downswing in the IT sector is starting to turn, and IT suppliers can look forward to an upturn in company IT spend during the latter half of this year and on into 2003. "Last year also saw many major IT companies take financial strain and several were forced to retrench thousands of employees," says Pech. "Thankfully, the restructuring costs they incurred are starting to pay off and many are now starting to show good profitability, which has an all-round positive effect on sentiment towards the IT sector. Additionally, many of those fragile IT companies that listed on the JSE during the 1997/98 listing frenzy have disappeared, and with them the negative sentiment that was created. Consequently, the market is left with a number of good value, niche players who have proven their ability to weather the storm." * David Madie of Metrocomia attended the World Economic Forum as one of 100 Global Leaders of Tomorrow. Web design company Metrocomia has companies in Uganda and Kenya and is expected to announce another African opening shortly. * Collette Herzenberg has been appointed Information Officer and Researcher on the Chapter 2ÊProject at IDASA. * Twenty-six CISCO graduates.
Twenty-six African women from 16 English-speaking African countries
graduated from the Cisco Internet Networking Academy in Addis
Ababa. The training programme, organised by ECA’s Information
Technology Centre for Africa (ITCA), is the first of its kind,
based on the established curriculum of the Cisco Networking Academy
Programme. A Cisco Academy was established at ITCA in the context
of the UN Secretary General’s Global Compact, which advocates
enhanced development partnerships between the UN system and the
private sector. The programme is a partnership initiative in
collaboration with leading Information Technology company, Cisco
Systems Inc. and InfoDev of the World Bank and supported by the
Government of Korea. For further info: http://www.uneca.org/eca_resources/Press_Releases/ * Dr Audrey Gadzekpo will launch the AfricaTalks.org series on Friday 15 February at at 7pm on Ghana’s Legon Campus with a a talk on the theme of Globalisation and the Media. The discussant will be David Ampofo of Channel Two. The chairman will be South Africa’s Ambassador to Ghana who is a strong advocate of the NEPAD initiative. If you would like to attend contact Amos Anyimadu <amos@mail.h-net.msu.edu> * Pictures of some of the participants at the Entrepreneurship and ICTs - The Art of Making Things Happen workshop in Accra on 22 January 2002 can be found under Digipix
Introduction to Telecommunications Policy and Regulation is a course presented by the LINK Centre School of Public and Development Management University of Witwatersrand Cape Town, 25 February-1 March 2002 Can’t wait for the second national operator? Walking the call charge tightrope between Telkom and ICASA? Want to see for yourself about Cell C? Hoping for a slice of universal access? Wondering just where telecommunications is going?Then this exciting Executive Course - Introduction to Telecommunications Policy and Regulation - to be presented in Cape Town by the LINK Centre at the School of Public and Development Management, University of Witwatersrand, from 25 February to 1 March 2002, is just what you need. For details e-mail: Charley Lewis, Lecturer, LINK Centre, University of the Witwatersrand (lewis.c@pdm.wits.ac.za) SCHOOLNET WORKSHOPS IN CAIRO (10-14 MARCH 2002) SchoolNet Africa (SNA) workshop, Cairo Egypt, 10-14 March. This event will focus on developing frameworks for SNA’s three key flagship projects: Champion Training, Online Curriculum and the Knowledge Warehouse. In addition, participants will decide on the implementation process for these programmes.For further details contact Shafika Issacs, Executive Director: shafika@schoolnetafrica.org.za www.schoolnetafrica.com
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