adf ’99 Addis Ababa October 1999 Globalisation and the Information Age Role of the A frican I nformation S ociety I nitiative

theme of the 1999 Forum the Challenge to Africa of Globalisation and the Information Age ë unique opportunity to accelerate the African economic and social development ë cost of not doing it

A frican I nformation S ociety I nitiative

4 a sustainable Information Society in Africa by the year 2010 vision series of sector applications implementation process partnership

5 the 1999 major step the 1999 major step  adf ’99 is being implemented through p p advisory services to African countries p p joint workshops and technical seminars p p design of NICIs, p p pilot projects p p etc. ….

6 A I S I from Global Vision to National Implementation

7 advocacy and sensitization global visionnational action plans action framework NICIs implementation of the process measure its impact first 3 years coming 3 years start the process

8 national strategies NICIsnew thematic approach thematic approach partnership futuredirections impact evaluation

9 N ational N ational I nformation & I nformation & C ommunication C ommunication I nfrastructure I nfrastructure Plans â â comprehensive vision and integrated strategy to seize opportunities provided by the ICTs â â flexibility: a requirement national strategies

10 â â vary from country to country 4 4 leading organisations 4 4 stakeholders involved 4 4 areas of emphasis 4 4 implementation strategies â â NICI design and development process 4 4 in line with the national development agenda 4 4 sensitisation, need assessment, prioritisation, co-ordination, resource identification, etc. 4 4 involvement of all the stakeholders 4 4 core sector applications national strategies

11   exchange experiences and lessons learned â N ational â + up to date N ational I nformation & C ommunication I nfrastructure I nfrastructure Plans â â concrete NICI follow-up action plans 4 4 at the national, sub-regional & regional levels 4 4 for the Post-Forum Summit Dialogue 4 4 for ICT partners:   ECA, development agencies, private sector, international organisations, bi-laterals, etc... future directions: national strategies

12 future directions: new thematic approach â Africa & the information economy â Strengthening Africa’s information infrastructure â ICT for improved governance â Democratising access 4 themes >> position papers Start the dialog and define â â national priorities â â implementation plans > national, sub-regional, regional levels â â resources needed > partnership => sub-themes => adf ’99 sub-themes

13 Areas of special focus â the Gender Dimension â the participation of Youth â the role of the Media â the contribution of the Academic Sector â the involvement of the African Diaspora â the African Think Tank â the support of the Private sector to be considered â â from the design phase â â in the context of the sector applications

a stronger and more systematic partnership 4 4 more synergy among the stakeholders who â â design the country work programme â â implement the country work programme 4 4 financial participation of the country for the process to be sustainable future directions: partnership

15 future directions: impact evaluation â â measure the development of ICTs and the impact on development 4 4 at the national, sub-regional & regional levels â â define new indicators 4 4 quantitative 4 4 qualitative   assessment of AISI implementation

16 a sustainable Information Society in Africa by the year 2010 every man, woman, child, village, government office and business can access information and knowledge resources through computers and communications African information resources available reflect the needs of every sector

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