[governance] [APC Forum] Press release: Connect Africa Summit -- Civil society calls for new governance to make internet accessible to Africans

[Renate Bloem]

Karen,

 

I am so very, very pleased to hear about your CS initiative. I had pleaded at the recent GAID Steering Committee and Dr. Touré’s  Briefing in New York that the Kigali Summit should hear loud and clear such a message.

Thanks

Renate

-----------------------------------------

 

Renate Bloem
President of the Conference of NGOs (CONGO)
11, Avenue de la Paix
CH-1202 Geneva
Tel: +41 22 301 1000
Fax: +41 22 301 2000
E-mail:  <mailto:rbloem at ngocongo.org> rbloem at ngocongo.org
Website:  <http://www.ngocongo.org/> www.ngocongo.org 

The Conference of NGOs (CONGO) is an international, membership association that facilitates the participation of NGOs in United Nations debates and decisions. Founded in 1948, CONGO's major objective is to ensure the presence of NGOs in exchanges among the world's governments and United Nations agencies on issues of global concern.  For more information see our website at  <http://www.ngocongo.org/> www.ngocongo.org

  _____  

De : karen banks [mailto:karenb at gn.apc.org] 
Envoyé : lundi, 29. octobre 2007 19:24
À : plenary at wsis-cs.org; governance at lists.cpsr.org; Building Communication Opportunities
Objet : [governance] [APC Forum] Press release: Connect Africa Summit -- Civil society calls for new governance to make internet accessible to Africans

 

Dear all

A joint statement  follows

== recommending 12 improvements  to stimulate the development of internet and ICT infrastructure ni Africa == 

issued on behalf of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), the Open Society Institute for West Africa (OSIWA), Collaboration for ICT Policy in Eastern and Southern Africa (CIPESA), the Kenyan ICT Action Network (KICTANet), the African Internet Service Providers Associations (AfrISPA), and the Rwanda Research and Education Network (RERN) 

at the civil society pre-event to the ITU-GAID Connect Africa summit in Kigali, Rwanda, 29/10/07.

Please join APC and partners at the following workshops on the theme of 'access' at the IGF in Rio.

Regulatory Frameworks for improving access  [ WS 3 (ACC) ]
Monday Nov 12th, 1310-1500 
http://info.intgovforum.org/yoppy.php?poj=36

and

Access: the local challenge [ WS 7 (ACC) ]
Monday Nov 12th, 1730:1900
http://info.intgovforum.org/yoppy.php?poj=68

and review the IGF programme for other workshops on access on Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th november.

karen
====

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE DISSEMINATION

Civil society calls for new governance to make internet accessible to Africans

KIGALI, Rwanda, 29 October 2007 ­ Convened by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) on the 28th of October 2007, civil society groups have called for new forms of corporate governance to develop the ICT infrastructure in Africa. These new forms should "ensure the interests of all stakeholders, but above all, the interest of African consumers and citizens", the statement insists.

The Kigali statement by African civil society delegates, academicians, researchers, consumer interest groups, and internet service providers is made in light of the Connect Africa Summit taking place in that same city on the 29th and 30th of October 2007.

Gathered to discuss the issue of connectivity to international, regional and national information and communication technology (ICT) networks in Africa, the participants recognised that private investment and public private partnerships play a key role in the deployment of infrastructure in Africa.

The African civil society welcomes the continued investment but asserts that it needs to be further encouraged through the implementation of a stable policy environment that protects the public interest.

The statement recommends twelve improvements to stimulate the development of internet and ICT infrastructure. Among  them, it calls for governments to support the harmonisation of policy and regulation to develop and implement cross border connectivity. This means giving equal priority to the deployment of national backhaul networks and international access networks.

The Kigali participants mention the importance of the Universal Access principle and specify that "such access can only be sustainable if it is not only supply driven, but more demand driven and responsive to the expressed needs of target communities." Civil society therefore upholds that governments need to ensure the participation of all relevant groups
from civil society, communities and the private sector in defining and implementing ICT infrastructure.

The statement encourages governments to commit to supporting the development of national data, citizen-centred services and applications by themselves becoming key providers of content and implementing initiatives that attract organisations engaged in content and application development that improve access to education and healthcare.

The joint statement was issued on behalf of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), the Open Society Institute for West Africa (OSIWA), Collaboration for ICT Policy in Eastern and Southern Africa (CIPESA), the Kenyan ICT Action Network (KICTANet), the African Internet Service Providers Associations (AfrISPA), and the Rwanda Research and Education Network (RERN).

The Association for Progressive Communications is an international network of civil society organisations dedicated to empowering and supporting groups and individuals through the strategic use of information and communication technologies, especially internet-technologies founded in 1990.
http://www.apc.org <http://www.apc.org/> 

Read the full Statement from participants in the “Civil Society Workshop on Open Access to ICT infrastructure in Africa”:
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=5262405

- 30 -

For more information and media inquiries, please contact:
Anriette Esterhuysen, APC executive director, anriette at apc.org
Tel: +27 834 563 224
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