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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=812015606-14092007><FONT face=Arial
size=4>Dear Nnenna,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=812015606-14092007><FONT face=Arial
size=4></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=812015606-14092007><FONT face=Arial
size=4>Thanks for this very, very interesting information full of hope, which
also bring in an environment friendly aspect to the debate of
technology!</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=812015606-14092007><FONT face=Arial
size=4></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=812015606-14092007><FONT face=Arial
size=4>Yours</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=812015606-14092007><FONT face=Arial
size=4>Kicki </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=4></FONT> </DIV><!-- Converted from text/rtf format -->
<P align=left><SPAN lang=sv><FONT face=Arial size=4>Kicki
Nordström<BR>Synskadades Riksförbund (SRF)</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=sv><FONT
face=Arial size=4>World Blind Union (WBU)<BR>122 88 Enskede<BR>Sweden<BR>Tel:
+46 (0)8 399 000<BR>Fax: +46 (0)8 725 99 20<BR>Cell: +46 (0)70 766 18
19<BR>E-mail: <A
href="mailto:kicki.nordstrom@srfriks.org">kicki.nordstrom@srfriks.org</A>
</FONT></SPAN></P><SPAN lang=sv>
<P><FONT size=4><FONT face=Arial>kicki.nordstrom@telia.com (private)</FONT>
</FONT></P></SPAN>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=4></FONT> </DIV><FONT face=Arial
size=4></FONT><BR>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=sv dir=ltr align=left>
<HR tabIndex=-1>
<FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>Från:</B> Nnenna [mailto:nne75@yahoo.com]
<BR><B>Skickat:</B> den 13 september 2007 18:18<BR><B>Till:</B>
governance@lists.cpsr.org<BR><B>Ämne:</B> [governance] Africa, ICT and
electricity - things are happening<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>Hi Folks<BR><BR>I am reading through the thread here and I am
smiling. The issues being raised here, we have raised them a million
times. But I still believe that experience is the best teacher.
Analysts can say what they want, but living in the situation is worth a million
analyses.<BR><BR>Two weeks ago, I was in 5 town in Burkina Faso to do an
evaluation of the pilot projects that the Digital Solidarity Fund is
supporting.<BR><BR>In truth, electricity alone is not the only problem.
But problems are not the only things that I saw. I also saw hope, optimism
and a strong will power to rise beyond problems.<BR><BR>There are options -
Satelite is one of them. Solar power is one of them. Community
access points too. In a far away village called Ouahigouya - the DSF
has provided a Satellite Internet connection. In that center alone, the
Internet is being offered to the public. They have video conferencing
equipment and telemedicine is a reality. I was surprised that the
cybercafé ran on Open Source Software and that local people are well adapted to
it.<BR><BR>In that same town, I slept in a hotel that was using solar panels for
power. <BR><BR>I am not speaking about what can happen. I am saying
what has already happened.<BR><BR>Cheers<BR><BR>Nnenna<BR><BR><B><I>Lee McKnight
<LMcKnigh@syr.edu></I></B> wrote:
<BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(16,16,255) 2px solid">Bertrand,
David,<BR><BR>Not to be a naive utopian, but there are a wide variety of
technological and business model alternatives being explored within Africa and
elsewhere, and yeah by the usual suspect major multinationals, as well as
start-ups and non-profits like One Laptop Per Child.<BR><BR>So assuming cel
phones/mobile Internet devices will have the same constraints for Internet
access for long in Africa or anywhere else is probably not safe; paying for
and powering infrastructure, ah there's the rub. But still alternatives are
emegring.<BR><BR>Lee<BR><BR>Prof. Lee W. McKnight<BR>School of Information
Studies<BR>Syracuse University<BR>+1-315-443-6891office<BR>+1-315-278-4392
mobile<BR><BR>>>> bdelachapelle@gmail.com 9/12/2007 4:11 AM
>>><BR>(Sorry, I hit the send button inadvertently on the previous
post before it<BR>was finished)<BR><BR>Hi David,<BR><BR>You mentionned this
quote :<BR>"Most Ghanaians do not have access to the internet, in spite of
the<BR>proliferation of ICT in the country, due to cost. Many more Ghanaians
have<BR>access to mobile telephony than they have access to the
internet."<BR><BR>And said :<BR><BR>Reading this, it means the future of
internet access in much of Africa could<BR>be via handheld devices (mobile
phones, smart phones...), and so planning on<BR>governance issues probably
should be done with this in mind.<BR><BR>This development of mobile telephony
in africa and the relatively slower<BR>penetration of other modes of Internet
access is an important element<BR>because the business models for both are
very different.<BR><BR>At the moment, mobile telephony can be very profitable
even in poor<BR>countries because a brief phone call can save a day trip to
another village<BR>or town. Therefore, even if the cost per minute is high,
the replacement<BR>cost is even higher. But this will mean that the priority
of business actors<BR>will be on mobile phone networks rather than on general
Internet access with<BR>cheap monthly fees. Using market forces to develop
connectivity is certainly<BR>positive and is going to work, but one can wonder
if it will be enough to<BR>bring the normal Internet Access, and particularly
broadband (the second<BR>dimension of the digital divide).<BR><BR>If mobile
telephony becomes the main communication channel, will that not<BR>mean that
Internet access will remain much rarer and more expensive in
these<BR>countries ?<BR><BR>I wonder if the Access session in the Rio IGF will
address this point.<BR><BR>Best<BR><BR>Bertrand<BR><BR><BR><BR>On 9/12/07,
David Goldstein <GOLDSTEIN_DAVID @yahoo.com.au="">wrote:<BR>><BR>> Hi
all,<BR>><BR>> I've just finished reading an article in The Economist -
Electricity in<BR>> Africa: The dark continent. See<BR>>
http://economist.com/world/africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9660077.<BR>><BR>>
This had me thinking back to a discussion here recently on ICT in
Africa.<BR>> The article notes "Africa accounts for over a sixth of the
world's<BR>> population, but<BR>> generates only 4% of global
electricity. Three-quarters of that is used<BR>> by South Africa, Egypt and
the other countries along the north African<BR>> littoral."<BR>><BR>>
Other points made are "Only 6% of Congolese have access to electricity
and<BR>> more power will be needed to get at the country's trove of
minerals. ...<BR>> Aggreko, a company based in Scotland, is the world's
biggest supplier<BR>> of temporary electricity in the shape of back-up
generators. It meets<BR>> up to 50% of Uganda's power needs, and 10% of
those of Kenya and<BR>> Tanzania. It believes that the global power
shortfall in the next<BR>> decade will be much greater than predicted,
perhaps over 500,000MW. The<BR>> ensuing competition for energy, it argues,
will see the world split<BR>> between those countries whose economies grow
faster than their power<BR>> consumption and those, including most of
Africa, whose power<BR>> consumption grows faster than their
economies."<BR>><BR>> There are obviously huge issues in just providing
power to much of Africa<BR>> before the vast majority of the population can
even be connected to the<BR>> internet. And then with a global shortfall of
power, where does that leave<BR>> the ongoing development of
ICT?<BR>><BR>> For those interested in ICT in Africa, I was sent a link
to an article on<BR>> Ghana (thanks Kwasi) - Ghana's internet growth slowed
by high cost. See<BR>>
http://myjoyonline.com/features/200709/8441.asp.<BR>><BR>> The article
starts, "Most Ghanaians do not have access to the internet, in<BR>> spite
of the<BR>> proliferation of ICT in the<BR>> country, due to cost. Many
more Ghanaians have access to mobile telephony<BR>> than they have access
to the internet."<BR>><BR>> Reading this, it means the future of
internet access in much of Africa<BR>> could be via handheld devices
(mobile phones, smart phones...), and so<BR>> planning on governance issues
probably should be done with this in mind. But<BR>> then, a handheld device
of any sort still needs electricity to work. Even if<BR>> the device can be
powered by some form of wind-up mechanism, for example,<BR>> the
infrastructure still needs to b developed, and powered.<BR>><BR>>
Anyway, something to think about.<BR>><BR>> Cheers<BR>>
David<BR>><BR>> ---------<BR>> David Goldstein<BR>> address: 4/3
Abbott Street<BR>> COOGEE NSW 2034<BR>> AUSTRALIA<BR>> email:
Goldstein_David @yahoo.com.au<BR>> phone: +61 418 228 605 (mobile); +61 2
9665 5773 (home)<BR>><BR>> "Every time you use fossil fuels, you're
adding to the problem. Every time<BR>> you forgo fossil fuels, you're being
part of the solution" - Dr Tim Flannery<BR>><BR>><BR>><BR>--
<BR>____________________<BR>Bertrand de La Chapelle<BR><BR>Tel : +33 (0)6 11
88 33 32<BR><BR>"Le plus beau métier des hommes, c'est d'unir les hommes"
Antoine de Saint<BR>Exupéry<BR>("there is no better mission for humans than
uniting
humans")<BR>____________________________________________________________<BR>You
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information and functions,
see:<BR>http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance<BR></GOLDSTEIN_DAVID></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>
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