African
Virtual University:
distance
learning network initiated by the World Bank. Electronic
distribution provides
wider access to research information wherever and whenever it
is needed.
Bridges.org,
non-profit organization combining ICT initiatives with
ICT policy to help span the digital divide.
Commonwealth
Telecommunications Organisation (CTO): CTO is a
partnership between governments, businesses and organizations,
which works to support and facilitate economic and social
development and to extend the provision and use of
telecommunications and other ICT services to developing
countries
Halfway
Project, Afrispa: to tackle the problem of high
cost of international Internet connectivity in Africa, Afrispa
is proposing a project to promote traffic aggregation in
Africa through the establishment of national and regional
Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), and to create 'Digital
Arteries' within and out of Africa, to connect the continent
to the rest of the world.
Information
and Communications Technologies in Support of Sustainable
Human Development (ICT/SHD) (Pilot Project in South
Africa)
International
Development Research Centre (IDRC), a public
corporation created by the Canadian government to help
communities in the developing world find solutions to social,
economic and environmental problems through research
Internet
Training Centre for Developing Countries,
International Telecommunication Union: to provide students in
developing countries with access to affordable and
relevant training using both face-to-face and
distance-based training methods
Netaid:
programme to help poor populations in achieving a cleaner and safer
environment, helping to prevent and overcome diseases, and providing them
with essential services, support and education.
New
Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)
Satellife:
as many health professionals in developing
countries do not have access to information, SATELLIFE has the
objective of connecting professionals in remote areas to critical
information resources, providing training for health workers,
and current public health content to practitioners.
The
Southern Africa Development Community (SADC):
established in April 1980 by the Governments of the nine Southern
African countries Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi,
Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, for
cooperation in pursuit of economic and social development in Southern
Africa.
-
Telecommunications
Regulators Association of Southern Africa: The origins and
objectives of TRASA can be traced to the foundation of the
SADC. Since regional governments recognize the benefits of
harmonization, TRASA's principal goal is to increase
communication and coordination between the region's
regulatory authorities. Additionally, TRASA seeks to
encourage investment in the telecommunication sector by
supporting creation of a common enabling environment, i.e. regulation and taxation, for the SADC region.
UN Economic Commission
for Africa (UNECA): ECA
is the regional arm of the United Nations, mandated to support
the economic and social development of its 53 member States,
foster regional integration, and promote international
cooperation for Africa’s development
- UNECA, African
Information Society Initiative (AISI): AISI is
regarded as a guiding framework for information and
communication initiative in Africa and aims at using
information and communication technology to accelerate
economic and social development in Africa. In 1995 UNECA
appointed a High-Level Working Group on Information and
Communication Technologies in Africa consisting of eleven
experts on information technology in the continent. The
Working Group issued a document entitled
"Africa's Information Society Initiative (AISI): An
Action Framework to Build Africa's Information and
Communication Infrastructure"
-
Economic
Commission for Africa, Meeting on Development Information, E/ECA/DISD/CODI.2/18,
2001
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Other
ICT-related initiatives
UNESCO
Intergovernmental Informatics Programme
(IIP): to develop human resources through informatics to
ensure that these are mastered and implemented in the context of
comprehensive, sustainable development. Five topics were
established as priority fields of action of the IIP,
comprising training in informatics, software development,
networks, R&D and national policies.
USAID -
Leland Initiative: The Leland Initiative is a
five-year U.S. Government effort to extend full Internet
connectivity to 20 or more African countries. The Leland
Initiative builds on existing capacity with the ultimate aim
of facilitating Internet access throughout each country.
Volunteers
in Technical Assistance (VITA),
VITAsat:
Low Cost Communication and Information Services for
Remote Areas: VITA, a not-for-profit organization with
extensive field experience, has developed VITA-Connect, a unique
communication and information service, to meet the needs of humanitarian,
development and environmental organizations and the communities they
serve. VITA-Connect is based on VITAsat, a low cost, high
reliability Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellite based communication
network. VITAsat is a data-only communications network through which
participating organizations in remote locations can access e-mail and a
broad range of targeted information and training services. Full
VITA-Connect service is expected to be available in early 2002.
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