CIPESA Launches Commentary and Discussion Series on Interna-
tional ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa
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The Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and South-
ern Africa (CIPESA) is launching a commentary and discussion se-
ries to spark thinking and dialogue on important issues in the
field.
These short informative pieces will give an overview of an in-
ternational ICT policy issue relevant to African stakeholders,
and stir discussion by presenting strong views and provocative
questions. Readers will be encouraged to respond to the points
raised, via e-mail or in the "comments" box under each commen-
tary on the CIPESA website (http://www.cipesa.org). Special
guest contributors will also be invited to share views in their
area of expertise.
Watch out for upcoming commentaries on institutions and issues
including WSIS, ICANN, WIPO, WTO, intellectual property rights,
ICT indicators, spam, cybercrime, and e-waste. Here are a few of
the questions to be posed in the coming weeks:
* Who are Africa's ICT stakeholders and why should they care
about international policy?
* The World Summit on Information Society: who should represent
Africa and is it worth going?
* ITU or ICANN: Who should represent Africa's interests in
Internet governance?
* Is open knowledge sharing good or bad for Africa?
* Will environmental regulations in Europe lead to dumped com-
puters in Africa?
* International ICT indicators and the Millennium Development
Goals in Africa: e-ready for what?
With wide readership and media exposure, this is the place to
speak your mind, share ideas and promote change! Please
mailto:cipesa@bridges.org if you are interested in collaborating
with us on a commentary.
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Contacts:
South Africa
Joy Olivier
P.O.Box 715
Cape Town 8000, South Africa
Tel.:+27-21-465-9313
mailto:joy@bridges.org
Uganda
Anthony Mugeere
Makerere University
Department of Sociology
P.O.Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda
Tel.: +256-77-506-015
mailto:anthony@bridges.org
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CIPESA is a programme of bridges.org. It is dedicated to in-
creasing the capacity of East and Southern African stakeholders
to participate in international ICT policy-making. It is one of
two programmes established under the Catalysing Access to Infor-
mation and Communications Technologies in Africa (CATIA) initia-
tive, funded by the UK Department for International Development.
Its sister programme, CIPACO (serving West and Central Africa)
has been launched by Panos West Africa. Working together, the
programmes will stimulate discussion, undertake research and
policy analysis, and disseminate findings concerning interna-
tional ICT issues. The aim is to enable African interests to be
more effectively represented in international policy fora, and
international policy decisions to be more effectively translated
into positive outcomes in Africa. For more information see
http://www.cipesa.org and http://www.cipaco.org.
Bridges.org is an international non-profit organisation based in
South Africa with a mission to promote the effective use of ICT
in developing countries to improve people's lives. One area of
focus is informing policy decisions that affect people's access
to and use of ICT. Bridges.org also conducts technology research
and provides social consulting services to ground level projects
using ICT, helping with project planning and evaluation and re-
laying lessons learned. It brings an entrepreneurial attitude to
its social mission, and is committed to working with, instead of
against, government agencies and the business community. For
more information please see http://www.bridges.org.