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African Mobile Market Defies 2008 Global Downturn with 25% Growth Says New Research from Blycroft Publishing
African nations pledge to bridge the digital divide
Countries from across the African continent will join together in national pavilions to address the overarching theme of bridging the digital divide at ITU Telecom World 2009 (Geneva, 5-9 October). Pavilions representing Burundi, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and the Africa Lusophone countries will unite a broad range of organisations from the non-profit, private and R&D sectors with the common goal of reasserting their commitment to ICT and digital development.
In Abuja, Nigeria, ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun I. Toure yesterday joined with pan-regional industry stakeholders at the African Telecom Development Summit 2009 to discuss how to sustain the gains of telecom development in Africa over the past ten years. "It has been an extraordinary decade for Africa," said Dr Toure in his keynote address at the Summit. "Just ten years ago, virtually nobody in Africa had a mobile phone; today mobile cellular subscription teledensity has reached 32.6 per cent, and more than 30 million people in sub-Saharan Africa access the Internet. What is needed now is a major push forward in broadband access."
ITU Telecom World 2009 will be a major milestone in addressing the issue of broadband access, and is seen as an important industry event for the developing world, providing an opportunity to benchmark local ICT sectors in terms of policy, regulation, and infrastructure development. It also enables the showcasing of local ICT, and represents an invaluable opportunity to attract inward investment and seek opportunities to engage with ICT companies from the developed world.
The event will welcome some 30 Heads of State and Heads of Government, including President Al Hadji Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh of the Republic of the Gambia, President Bingu Wa Mutharika of Malawi, President Paul Kagame of the Republic of Rwanda, and President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete of the United Republic of Tanzania. African top government officials attending include Prime Minister Mr Pakalitha Bethuel Mosisili of the Kingdom of Lesotho, and Deputy Prime Minister Mr Emile Bongeli Yeikelo of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. "The presence of these and other world leaders at ITU Telecom World 2009 will provide a tremendous boost to ICT development, and send out the right message to industry leaders about the importance of ICT infrastructure to ongoing socio-economic development," said Dr Toure.
Other African participants who will be present at ITU Telecom World 2009 include high-level representatives from government and industry. Mr Nkubito Bakuramutsa, deputy CEO of the Rwanda Development Board for IT, has seen strong ICT development in Rwanda, which is echoed across neighbouring African nations, and is attending ITU Telecom World 2009 with a view to harnessing this trend and further fuelling development. "IT has been identified as a strategic industry for Rwanda's development," he said. "ITU Telecom World 2009 is a wide and open network that brings together all the players in the ICT sector. Attendance at this event is the best way to learn about new developments and future plans."
Away from ITU Telecom World 2009's exhibition floor, African nations will also be playing an important role in the event's Forum, with top-level speakers participating from Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda, and much of the focus expected to revolve around the need for ICT infrastructure development, enlightened regulatory frameworks, and structured cybersecurity programmes.
Professor John Sydney Nkoma, Director General of the Tanzania Communications Regulator Authority (TCRA), said, "Driving towards success, Tanzania has created an environment that is very attractive to investors - built upon innovative policies, and a strong legal and regulatory framework. Now that this framework is in place, we are better equipped to face further challenges and opportunities that will come with the growth of new technologies beyond voice and SMS. TCRA is well placed to address future regulatory challenges and looks forward to discussing these at ITU Telecom World 2009."
Forum participants from Africa will also be addressing more intangible issues such as digital inclusion and accessibility. Forum sessions featuring speakers from African pavilion states include:
* Open Summit: ICTs for economic growth - HE Mr Tarek Kamel, Minister of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), Egypt
* CEO Roundtable: Globalization and localization - Mr Naguib Sawiris, Chairman & CEO, Orascom Telecom Holding, Egypt
* Regulatory Roundtable: Regulating in times of crisis - Dr Amr Badawi, Executive President, National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA), Egypt
* Broadband for all - Mr Patrick Masambu, Executive Director, Uganda Communications Commission, Uganda
* Connected health: innovative business models and clinical practice - Mr Lawrence Mulinda, Senior Systems Analyst, Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, Uganda
* Rethinking regulation in emerging markets - Mr Mahmoud El-Gowini, Senior Advisor to the Minister for Communications Policies, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), Egypt; Professor John Sydney Nkoma, Director General, Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA)
* Regulatory Roundtable: Setting a new agenda - Ms Alice Wanjira Munyua, Director, Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK)
* Interconnected and vulnerable: the weakest link in cybersecurity - Mr Basil Udotai, Managing Partner, Technology Advisers, ICT Lawyers & Consultants, Nigeria
Source: Public Agenda
EU discusses progress during rare Mugabe talks
By Reagan Mashavava (AFP)
HARARE — An EU delegation noted progress made in Zimbabwe during a rare visit on Saturday but sought further efforts to shore up a fragile unity deal during talks with President Robert Mugabe.
The meeting, aimed at easing diplomatic tensions, was the first between the veteran leader and the European bloc in seven years and focused on a troubled unity deal with Mugabe's former political rival Morgan Tsvangirai.
The controversial topic of targeted sanctions against Mugabe and his allies did not come up during the talks, after southern African leaders called on the West to drop penalties to speed up implementation of the unity deal.
"I think we should acknowledge that there is progress made here but there are still several problems outstanding and we discussed those with the president in a very open atmosphere," European Union Development Commissioner Karel de Gucht said.
"I have asked the president that we give impetus to the further implementation of the global political agreement (GPA)."
After lashing out at "bloody whites" for meddling in his country's affairs Friday, a jovial Mugabe welcomed the delegation with "open arms" saying his problem was with Britain and not the West at large.
"It (the meeting) went well. They were asking questions about the GPA and they thought it is not working, yet everything we were asked to do under the GPA we have done and timeously even," said Mugabe.
"We established good rapport, no animosity, it was quite a friendly meeting."
Mugabe expressed his disappointment at the ongoing travel restrictions and asset freezes against himself and his key allies, which he often blames for his country's woes.
"I was always disappointed that sanctions have been imposed upon the government. Sanctions are serving no humanitarian purpose, they are causing lots of suffering among the people right at the bottom."
Despite a call by the Southern African Development Community for the penalties to be dropped, the EU maintains mismanagement and poor human rights record and not sanctions were behind the country's problems.
The topic of dropping sanctions, however, did not crop up during the meeting.
"We didn't discuss that. This was not a negotiation time," said Swedish Development Minister Gunilla Carlsson.
"We discussed the implementation of the GPA. The implementation must be conducted in a good way. We have discussed accusations of human rights violations, the need for free media and some other things."
The EU is looking to normalise ties with Zimbabwe and is seeking proof that Mugabe is committed to making the necessary reforms in his country.
A year after Mugabe and Tsvangirai inked a unity accord, power struggles over key posts and claims of continued persecution of Tsvangirai's supporters have made Western states reluctant to provide direct aid.
The unity government, formed after disputed polls pushed Zimbabwe into a deep political and economic crisis, is struggling to rebuild the hyperinflation-ravaged economy and basic services that collapsed under Mugabe's three decades of rule.
The 85-year-old Mugabe told reporters after the meeting that his problem was with 10 Downing Street.
"Those who died, died of illness, conditions having deteriorated, it is those who have caused those conditions to deteriorate who must bear the blame. I think the British first and foremost." he said.
"I am a person the British don't like."
The EU and the United States imposed sanctions on Mugabe and his inner circle following a disputed presidential poll in 2002, which Western nations as well as independent local poll monitors described as flawed.
The EU team will meet Tsvangirai later on Saturday in Bulawayo ahead of a rally by his party on Sunday to celebrate the anniversary of the unity deal.