11/17/2008 - Senegal: Linking up through technology
Seven women and thirteen men from Anglophone and Francophone Africa and the Caribbean met during the last days of September in Gorée Island, Senegal. They have many things in common, but one in particular is their ability to make innovative connections between gender, agriculture and ICTs. This ability has led them to be finalists of the Gender, Agricultural and Rural Development in the Information Society (GenARDIS) small grants fund...
(www.apc.org)

11/12/2008 - East Africa prepares for global IGF
Representatives from Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda have gathered in Nairobi to discuss common issues regarding internet governance, in preparation for next month's global Internet Governance Forum (IGF).
(http://computerworld.co.ke)

11/01/2008 - South Africa: Where to now with universal access?
In recent weeks the CEOs of two national development agencies in South Africa, the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) and Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA), were fired or suspended for incompetence or misconduct. These incidents raise serious questions about the integrity and intent of the people entrusted with guiding development efforts in the country, writes SANGONeT Director David Barnard.
(www.sangonet.org.za)

11/01/2008 - Mobile(ising) Africa
Three hundred and eighty people gathered from all over the world in Johannesburg recently to discuss how mobile phones might be used for social and political purposes in developing countries. The topic clearly touched a nerve, writes Russell Southwood.
(http://www.balancingact-africa.com/)

11/01/2008 - South Africa: Nothing new with Neotel
Businesses are complaining that South Africa's second national operator is not promising much - at least right now.
(http://mybroadband.co.za)

10/30/2008 - Broadband "glut" predicted in Africa
Industry pundits argue that it's unlikely that all the fibre-optic cables planned for Africa are going to succeed. And, perhaps for the first time, projections of a "capacity glut" are being made.

10/30/2008 - Nepad e-schools on the blink
The e-schools satellite learning programme, run by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad), has linked less than 100 schools in Africa to the internet. That's after promising to connect some 600,000 schools on the continent in 2003.

(http://mybroadband.co.za/news/General/5398.html)

09/30/2008 - TIGA awards for ICT and government delivery
The Economic Commission for Africa and the the Canadian Fund for Africa have launched the Second Technology in Government in Africa (TIGA) Awards. The awards aim to recognise the work of African governments in the effective use of ICTs for public service delivery.
(http://www.uneca.org/tiga)

09/16/2008 - Google edges into Africa
Google is helping develop a system to bring high-speed internet connections to three billion people in developing countries in Africa and elsewhere. The 03b Networks system aims to use satellites to provide broadband services at the same speeds as those on offer in rich countries.
(www.bbc.co.uk)

09/16/2008 - South Africa: Citizen journalism under the spotlight
More than 700 journalists from over 40 African countries were expected to attend the 12th Highway Africa conference in Grahamstown, South Africa. The conference is the world's biggest gathering for African journalists and took place on 8 - 10 September. This year's theme was citizen journalism.
(http://highwayafrica.wordpress.com/)

09/08/2008 - SAT-3 reinforces market monopolies in Africa - Study
An APC study examining the impact the SAT-3 fibre optic submarine cable has had on telecommunications in four African countries has found that the potential of the cable has not been properly exploited. Instead, ownership of the cable by telecoms incumbents in the countries researched has reinforced their market positions.
(www.apc.org)

09/02/2008 - South Africa: Court rules on free networks
A landmark ruling set to shake up the telecommunications sector has been issued by a South African high court. The ruling effectively ends the incumbent Telkom’s lingering monopoly by decreeing that technology company Altech has the right to build its own network.
(http://www.businessday.co.za/weekender/weekender.aspx?Page=BD4P145080)

09/02/2008 - South Africa: FOSS activists take on electoral commission
The head of South Africa’s government open source working group, the chief technical officer of the State IT Agency and the Shuttleworth Foundation have laid a complaint with the Human Rights Commission against the Independent Electoral Commission for excluding non-Internet Explorer users from it website.
(www.tectonic.co.za)

08/18/2008 - South Africa: Space for WiMax on the cards
The South African government wants some of the scarce radio frequency spectrum that will be freed up through the country's impending move from analogue to digital terrestrial television to be made available to telecommunications operators wanting to provide wireless broadband services.
(http://mybroadband.co.za)

08/05/2008 - South Africa: Courts could liberalise telecoms
Pundits in South Africa are holding their breath ahead of a ruling that may mean the immediate liberalisation of the telecoms industry - and give value added network service providers the same rights as telecoms giants Telkom, Neotel and the country's cellular operators.

08/05/2008 - South Africa: Privatisation needs regulation, says expert
Privatisation without regulation does not necessarily improve service delivery, and may even decrease access to ICTs for the poor. This is the view of US-based academic and ICT policy analyst Robert Horwitz, who was speaking at a one-week research workshop held in Johannesburg in July 2008. Horwitz is no newcomer to South Africa, or to the politics behind antennas, cables and wires.
(www.apc.org)

08/05/2008 - APC: Another take on piracy needed
As new copyright laws attempt to keep pace with the shifting landscape of digital cultural production, legal restrictions on media use and distribution are being championed by heavyweights in the global media industry. This has led to the web of restrictions on media consumption becoming denser. APC hopes to re-shape the discourse surrounding piracy by providing a thoroughly researched, credible alternative to the industry’s data.
(www.apc.org)

07/29/2008 - South Africa: Mozilla funds translation team
South Africa’s award-winning multilingual software developer, Translate.org.za, has been awarded a grant by the Mozilla Corporation to extend its translation tools.
(www.tectonic.co.za)

07/10/2008 - Privacy protection: New APC partnership launched
A new online privacy and data protection consultancy firm called 80/20 Thinking is partnering with APC to support initiatives in developing countries that are working towards strengthening democratic processes and civil liberties.
(www.apc.org)

07/07/2008 - SOUTH AFRICA: Internet providers lose out on licences
Technology companies hoping to win a licence to build their own voice and data networks have been snubbed by the regulatory authority - they will still be forced to lease their bandwidth from the incumbent telecoms operators.
(http://mybroadband.co.za/)

07/07/2008 - SOUTH AFRICA: Internet back in big business
South Africa’s lack of internet and broadband penetration has, for a long time, held local online ventures at bay. But this is changing and larger companies are starting to invest in websites and e-commerce ventures again.
(http://mybroadband.co.za/)

07/02/2008 - SOUTH AFRICA: Industry furious after blunder over Telkom
Telkom SA has avoided a punishing R3,7 billion fine for anticompetitive behaviour after a high court ruled that the Competition Commission cannot refer a complaint against the operator to the Competition Tribunal.
(http://mybroadband.co.za)

07/02/2008 - SOUTH AFRICA: Amazon Dot Gone
According to the most recent shipping guidelines on Amazon.com, South Africa is now the only country in Africa not able to receive standard or expedited shipping. It seems rampant theft has everything to do with it.
(http://mybroadband.co.za)

06/13/2008 - Breeding toxins from dead PCs
The dumping of the developed world's electronic trash, or e-waste, is in direct contravention of international legislation and is causing serious health problems for inhabitants of the shanty towns that have sprung up amid the smouldering dumps in Lagos and Accra. The Guardian's Richard Wray reports.
(http://www.guardian.co.uk)

06/13/2008 - e-WASTE: First round to the environment at the IEC
A majority in the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has rejected a move to put more flame-retardant chemicals in electronics. But environmentalists caution that one battle has not won the war on environmentally hazardous technology.

06/09/2008 - KENYA: Competition could lower mobile costs in Kenya
Kenyan mobile-phone users are hoping the market entry of a new provider, Econet Wireless, will offer competition and lower the prices of phone calls. The current GSM [Global System for Mobile Communications] service providers, Safaricom and Celtel, are demonstrating duopolistic tendencies, with each refusing to lower cross-network call charges. Calls within the networks remain relatively cheap compared to calls from one network to the other.
(http://computerworld.co.ke)

05/19/2008 - Global call to back free and open standards
The Digital Standards Organization (Digistan) and its supporters are calling on governments around the globe to use only free and open standards. The organisation, which was set up to defend and promote open digital standards, plans to adopt the Hague Declaration on May 21. Organisations and individuals supporting the effort are also being asked to sign the declaration.
(http://www.tectonic.co.za)

05/05/2008 - APC supports call against more chemicals in PCs
APC is supporting environmentalists’ calls for South Africa to oppose moves to increase the use of fire retardant chemicals in electronics. More chemicals could increase the difficulty and danger in recycling electronic waste, or e-waste, and may pose serious health risks to consumers.
(www.apc.org)

04/24/2008 - KENYA: Infrastructure merchants get go ahead
Faced with rising infrastructure costs, the Kenyan government is set to issue licences to companies dedicated to building telecom infrastructure. The move is expected to lower the infrastructure costs for telecom operators - especially new entrants.
(http://computerworld.co.ke)

04/21/2008 - Microsoft's latest anti-hack tactic
Microsoft has released an "update" that checks if your version of Windows is licensed. If not, your system will be disabled. Activists say the anti-piracy download dressed up as an update is nothing less than spyware.
(http://www.techarp.com)

04/10/2008 - ZIMBABWE: Election results still on ice
Calls are mounting for Zimbabwe's electoral commission to release the full results of the country's recent election. Will they confirm what everyone already knows, or thinks they know? As vote tallies were posted overnight on the doors of individual polling stations more than a week ago, campaign workers for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change reported them to party officials by cellphone text message. But it takes more than that to hold dictators accountable, it seems.

04/08/2008 - SENEGAL - Idlelo: 'Patents threaten African software development'
The South African minister of public service and administration says that software patents posed a considerable threat to the growth of the African software sector. Speaking at the opening of the Idlelo 3 free software conference held in Dakar recently, Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi also alluded to Microsoft, saying some of its software decisions were “unfortunate”.

04/07/2008 - KENYA: What could have been done better?
The ethnic violence in the wake of Kenya's disputed elections has caused actors in the ICT industry to ask what they could have done better. The violence has claimed the lives of over 500 people and displaced over 250,000 across the country. Michael Ouma reports on a KITCATNet online discussion on the issue.

04/07/2008 - 'Tow the line' APC tells Telkom
APC has called on South Africa's regulator to take immediate action to counter the anti-competitive behaviour of Telkom, the country's fixed-line operator. “Telkom’s sole control of submarine fibre-optic cables such as the SAT3/WASC/SAFE undersea cable, the landing station at Melkbosstrand, as well as the land-based fibre optic cables has resulted in anti-competitive practices and consequent exploding telecommunication costs,” it said in a statement.

04/06/2008 - Nokia launches recycling initiative in East Africa
Nokia has launched a recycling initiative in East Africa that offers consumers a structured way to dispose of old mobile phones and accessories. The move comes amid fears that cast-off mobile phones are posing an increasing risk of hazardous toxic chemicals in the developing world.

03/14/2008 - Kenya gets consumer protection
The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), the telecommunications industry regulator in that country, has stepped up consumer protection following the creation of a Consumer Affairs Division.
(http://hana.ru.ac.za)

03/10/2008 - NIGERIA: Duties to tackle e-waste
Nigeria is to introduce import duties to stem the influx of substandard and unserviceable computers, electrical and electronic appliances posing health and environmental hazards in the country. "They are bringing them in droves because they are classified as educational materials which attract zero duty," said Information Minister John Odey.

03/05/2008 - EGYPT: Renewed calls for release of blogger
One year ago, Egyptian blogger Karim Amer was sentenced to four years' imprisonment for publishing on the internet material critical of Islam and President Hosni Mubarak. Amnesty International has reiterated calls for Karim Amer's immediate and unconditional release.

03/05/2008 - ZIMBABWE: Booting through sunlight
In the absence of a reliable supply of other energy sources, the Zimbawean government has launched a programme to promote the use of solar energy as an alternative source of energy for computers in schools.

03/04/2008 - SOUTH AFRICA: Shuttleworth launches telecoms advocacy focus
Improving access to telecommunications in South Africa is as much a policy challenge and it is a technical challenge. This is according to The Shuttleworth Foundation’s Steve Song who was speaking at the launch of the foundation’s four new focus areas, one of them being telecoms. Song said there are three key areas of telecommunications focus for the foundation: the democratisation of telecommunications, connected cities and policy issues.

02/19/2008 - Kigali protocol pushed through
The NEPAD e-Africa Commission says the protocol on the policy and regulatory framework for the NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network, known as the Kigali protocol, is now in force. That's after Malawi became the seventh country to put pen to paper.

02/18/2008 - UGANDA: ICT sector set for strong growth
The restructuring of the ICT sector in Uganda is having a dramatic impact. The sector accounted for 9% of the country's GDP for 2007, and a surge in employment.
(http://www.newvision.co.ug)

02/15/2008 - Bloggers take on Kenyan crisis
The post-elections crisis in Kenya has resulted in what is being called a "media blackout". As some bloggers report, the censorship has spread to the internet, with some cyber-activists apparently being shut down. But now a new blogsite, Ushahidi.com, has been set up to document and protest the violence.

01/21/2008 - KENYA: Nokia tackles e-waste
Leading mobile phone handset maker, Nokia, has announced it will set up waste dumping centres across East Africa to reprocess old mobile phone waste, including batteries.
(http://ewasteguide.info)

01/03/2008 - Convergence of views on access at international internet forum
Access is the single most important element in any attempt to put in place a governance of the internet. That's according to APC, who issued a statement at the second Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
(www.apc.org)

01/03/2008 - KENYA: e-Waste study and network launched
A baseline study into e-waste in Kenya has been launched at a meeting held in Nairobi recently. The meeting, on November 21 at the Jacaranda Hotel, was organised by the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANeT), and attended by over 30 representatives of business, government, the non-profit sector and the media. An e-waste network was also set up at the meeting.

01/01/2008 - Kigali: Summit settles on key objectives
The Connect Africa Summit that has ended in Kigali, Rwanda, settled on five major goals. African ICT ministers also shortlisted several regional projects to be supported by Connect Africa.

12/02/2007 - African ministers punt open source (again)
Several African ministers met to review progress on their collective public service work in Windhoek recently. The meeting was chaired by the open source foundation, FOSSFA. How soon can we expect results?
(www.tectonic.co.za)

12/01/2007 - Kigali: Why are people being left out?
The Connect Africa summit, held in Kigali in Rwanda, came under fire from civil society activists who said it was not inclusive. In a statement issue in the run-up to the summit, prominent global and regional ICT organisations called for a return to the multi-stakeholder values that drove other global processes such as WSIS.
(www.apc.org)

11/26/2007 - Kenya: e-waste gets on the agenda
Stakeholders in Kenya say the government should act fast to develop policy guidelines for handling e-waste in the country. That's after the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANeT) organised a multi-stakeholder workshop in Nairobi to begin to address the problem. The workshop follows a survey of mobile phone repairers in Kenya, conducted by the NGO Practical Action.
(http://www.bdafrica.com)

11/12/2007 - Nigeria: Battle of the school desktop takes a new turn
It seems that Microsoft may not get its way in Nigeria after all: a new report says that the Nigerian government is sticking to its original open source plan for schools. That's after a deal to install a Linux operating system on 17 000 PCs was overturned in favour of installing Windows XP.
(www.yahoo.com)

11/05/2007 - ICANN chair elected
A New Zealand lawyer, Peter Thrush, has been elected unanimously as the new Chairman of the Board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
(http://www.icann.org)

11/02/2007 - Nigeria: Do governments have a policy on Microsoft?
Mandriva, which produces a Linux-based operating system, has blasted Microsoft in an open letter accusing the software giant of hijacking a deal with the Nigerian government to supply computers to schools. It raises the question: Should African governments have a policy on dealing with Microsoft, or an open source policy?
(www.tectonic.co.za)

10/29/2007 - Connect Africa live online
The two-day Connect Africa Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, could be followed live on the official summit website.

10/29/2007 - Kigali: Major financing for broadband
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the African Development Bank have agreed to collaborate on interconnecting all African capitals and major cities with ICT broadband infrastructure. As part of this collaboration, the institutions say they will actively mobilise partners and financing to close the broadband gap.
(www.itu.int)

10/20/2007 - Connect Africa: Sidebar civil society workshop
The Association for Progressive Communications (APC), in collaboration with its partners, will be convening a civil society workshop on Sunday 28 October 2007 in Kigali, Rwanda, to accompany the Connect Africa Summit, taking place on the 29-30 October.

10/18/2007 - South Africa: Bandwidth prices to drop (hopefully)
The cost of broadband internet access in South Africa is set to drop significantly with the adoption of the Broadband Infraco Bill. Infraco will be made up of state-owned telecommunications assets, with an additional capital investment of some R975-million. Amongst other things, the country's second national operator, Neotel, will benefit from Infraco's infrastructure, helping it to pose a credible challenge to the Telkom monopoly.
(www.iol.co.za)

10/11/2007 - South Africa: Regulator slams media, industry
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has blasted the country's media for inaccurate reporting on the regulator's activities and debating issues out of context. “With the power to be read comes the obligation to be accurate,” ICASA councillor Tracy Cohen told a conference in Johannesburg.

10/10/2007 - ICANN trials domain names in 11 languages
Internet domain names group ICANN is about to trial non-Latin language domain names in what it says is one of the biggest changes ever to the net. However, it seems Africa is going to have to wait its turn.

10/08/2007 - Connect Africa: Mobilising development
NGOs in Africa are gearing up for the Connect Africa Summit to be held in Kigali, Rwanda, from 29-30 October. The International Telecommunication Union, which is organising the event, says it is looking for an ICT Marshall Plan for the continent.

10/06/2007 - South Africa: Free at last!
The South African government has spelled out its long-awaited open source strategy. The strategy has five key components, and, apparently, a clear roadmap for deliverables.
(http://hana.ru.ac.za)

09/29/2007 - How privatization pillaged South Africa's economy
A damning paper published in a United States academic journal has suggested that the South African economy was literally sucked dry by the sale of 30% of Telkom South Africa to the Thintana Communications consortium, made up of SBC and Telekom Malaysia. It says that the shareholders' agreement signed by the South African government placed both companies above the country's laws. The paper has been written by APC's policy manager Willie Currie, and Robert Horwitz, a member of the department of communication at the University of California in San Diego. Currie was a former councilor at the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA). According to Slashdot.org the paper says SBC played a major role in the failure of South Africa's telecoms policy to develop a competitive telephone service. Under SBC's control, it says, Telkom not only failed to meet its roll-out obligations but behaved as a tax on industry and a drag on economic growth.

Temporary link to paper:
Another Instance Where Privatization Trumped Liberalization:
The Politics of Telecommunications Reform in South Africa – A Ten Year Retrospective

Talkshop: Death of a dinosaur?
How bad is the state of play with Telkom SA?
Send us your views: chakula at apc.org [replace 'at' with @]

Related links:
The Great Telkom Sell-off
Telkom bleeds top brass
Telkom's monopoly will go, insists minister
Telecoms Action Group


(http://www.busrep.co.za)

09/24/2007 - South Africa: Urgent bid to quash publications bill
Major media institutions in South Africa have launched an urgent campaign to prevent the proposed Film and Publications Amendment Bill from coming into effect. If the amendments are accepted by parliament, print and broadcast media will be subjected to the dictates of the Film and Publications board - a move that could mean greater censorship of the country's media. Submissions opposing the bill need to be submitted by October 6th.

Related links: South Africa: New publications bill won't work Zimbabwe pushes ahead with interceptions bill Global campaign against internet repression Egypt: Arrest of bloggers condemned Activists condemn curbs on internet

(www.iol.co.za)

09/17/2007 - African journalists stand firm in Grahamstown
African journalists will no longer accept being taken for granted by those in power. This was the underlying mood of many of the 600-plus African journalists who attended the Highway Africa conference in Grahamstown, South Africa.
(http://www.theherald.co.za)

09/17/2007 - Egypt: Editors sententenced for defaming Mubarak
An Egyptian court has sentenced four outspoken newspaper editors to one year in prison with labour for defaming President Hosni Mubarak and his politician son Gamal. The court also ordered Ibrahim Issa, Adel Hammouda, Wael el-Ebrashi and Abdel-Halim Qandil to pay fines of 20 000 Egyptian pounds each.
(www.mg.co.za)

09/05/2007 - South Africa: Editors show cards over publications bill
South Africa's controversial Film and Publications Bill has been brought back into the spotlight after the South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) and the government agreed to allow a joint legal team to discuss all of Sanef’s reservations on the draft bill, writes Thom McLachlan in Business Day.
(http://www.journalism.co.za)

09/04/2007 - It's a wrap: lessons from WITFOR 2007
The three-day conference on World Information Technology Forum (WITFOR) 2007, hosted by Ethiopia between 22-24 August 2007, ended on a successful note, with numerous lessons learned, writes Vanguard's Chris Uwaje.
(http://www.vanguardngr.com)

09/03/2007 - Ethiopia: World Information Technology Forum 2007
The World Information Technology Forum (WITFOR) 2007 has wrapped up in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. The conference, organised by the Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and other Ethiopian agencies, brought together over 1 000 participants from 66 countries on the theme 'ICT for Development and Prosperity'. The event is a follow up to World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).
(www.witfor2007.org)

09/03/2007 - South Africa: The Great Telkom Sell-off
Telkom SA has said it wants to sell its 50% investment in Vodacom, valued at R75-billion, to the UK's Vodafone. Its fixed-line network is, at the same time, being eyed by Vodacom's rival in South Africa, MTN.
(http://mybroadband.co.za)

08/21/2007 - Zimbabwe: The price of snooping
Internet service providers in Zimbabwe say they can't afford the costly surveillance equipment needed to implement the country's new Interception of Communications Act - and if they don't buy it, the could face up to three years in jail. The interception equipment is said to cost in the region of US$1-million.
(www.kubatana.net)

08/19/2007 - Speak no evil: Kenya's new Media Bill
Kenyan reporters taped their mouths in a silent protest against amendments to a new Media Bill they say would suppress press freedom by forcing them to reveal confidential sources. Opposition parties in Kenya say the new bill is a mechanism for the enforcement of silence and censorship of information, public debate and open market ideas - essential to a democratic and free society. IRIN covered the recent 'silent' protest in Nairobi.
(http://www.irinnews.org/)

08/19/2007 - South Africa: Govt says no to refurbished PCs
Industry insiders say the South African government - at least at the national level - is saying no to refurbished PCs for education. While it's unclear if this is a policy decision, Digital Links International, a UK-based refurbisher that recently set up a branch in Johannesburg, says it's striking out with the government. It argues that there's life left in the top brands it refurbishes - and research suggests it may have a point.
(www.bday.co.za)

08/17/2007 - Kenya: Telecoms ownership rule relaxed
The Kenyan government has relaxed its original demand for 30% local ownership of the country's licensed telecommunications service providers. Zachary Ochieng reports.
(http://hana.ru.ac.za)

08/16/2007 - Kenya: Bill likely to be reconsidered
Commentators say it's "nearly a given" that Kenya's controversial Media Bill will be returned to parliament. This follows objections to a clause in the bill requiring journalists to reveal their sources in court. Meanwhile, reports say the national broadcaster, the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), didn't participate in a demonstration against the Bill organised by journalists yesterday.

The Standard newspaper says journalists from Kenya’s public broadcaster “shunned” a public protest against the country’s controversial Media Bill, and “only sent a cameraman to cover the demonstration.” (Pic: The Standard) Also see: IRIN report on the demonstration

(http://www.eastandard.net)

08/14/2007 - Kenya: 'How to develop a civilized nation'
Kenya's government has criticised a call by concerned journalists in that country to stage a peaceful demonstration against a clause in the new Media Bill. Kenya's ICT permanent secretary, Bitange Ndemo, says there's no reason for "mob psychology", and that the government has made it clear that the "issue shall be looked at".

08/13/2007 - Kenya: Silent demonstration against Media Bill
Kenyan journalists are staging a 'Silent Demo' to protest a clause in the country's new Media Bill. The clause forces journalists to reveal their sources in court.

08/10/2007 - It's official: Mugabe sorts the mail
Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe has signed off on the controversial Interception of Communications Bill, which establishes a government communications surveillance agency and authorizes the government to intercept communications across the telephone, the internet, and other electronic communication devices.

Related links: Advocacy drive around new bill Zimbabwe: Intercepting the interception (A Q&A with Brenda Burrell from the Kubatana Trust of Zimbabwe and the NGO Network Alliance Project)

(http://jurist.law.pitt.edu)

08/09/2007 - South Africa, DRC: IFJ calls for state action
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has reacted with concern at the continued detention of two journalists in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as well as to an attack on an exiled Zimbabwean news editor in South Africa.
(http://www.ifjafrique.org/)

08/04/2007 - Kenya: Media freedoms defended
The media in Kenya has objected to a clause in the country's new Media Bill, writes David Ohito. As the bill currently stands, the courts can force journalists to name their sources.
(http://www.eastandard.net)

07/30/2007 - States clamp down on internet
State restrictions on the use of the internet have spread to more than 20 countries that use catch-all and contradictory rules to help keep people off line, and stifle feared political opposition. That's according to a report by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
(www.iol.co.za)

07/20/2007 - Forging ahead in Uganda
The Ugandan government has pledged that all of the country's seventy nine districts will be online by the year 2010. David Muwanga got the story.
(http://hana.ru.ac.za)

07/20/2007 - ICT policy: Exorcising the past
The demons of the past will remain the evils that will continue cursing the development of ICTs in Africa, if not exorcised. This was the sentiment held by the delegates attending a session on ICT policy in Africa at a recent SANGONeT conference in Johannesburg.
(www.sagnonet.org.za)

07/10/2007 - South Africa: Thought police target new media
Lawyers say changes made to South Africa's Film and Publications Act have placed onerous obligations on new media. Once the law takes effect, any internet or mobile content that contains representations of sexual conduct, advocacy of hatred, incitement to violence or propaganda promoting war - including descriptions - must be submitted for classification. ITWeb's Leon Engelbrecht has the story.
(www.itweb.co.za)

07/09/2007 - South Africa: Bill on public research needs comment
The deadline for comment on the new Draft Bill on Intellectual Property Rights from Publicly Financed Research has been extended to 18 July 2007. Critics say early indications are that the bill is about government control over the commercialisation of research.

07/04/2007 - Zimbabwe pushes ahead with interception bill
The controversial Interception of Communications Bill has been put before Zimbabwe's House of Assembly for a second time - causing heated debate between opposition and government legislators. The government insists the bill is crucial to guard against threats to the country's national security.
(http://allafrica.com)

07/02/2007 - EASSy breaks fresh ground
The East African Submarine Cable System (EASSy) has concluded interconnection agreements with three cable systems to carry traffic between Africa, Europe and Asia. It has also included the Comoros in its planned fibre network, to which 29 African entities are party. CIPESA's Wairagala Wakabi has the story.
(www.fibreforafrica.net)

07/02/2007 - South Africa: 'Child porn' film banned from fest
An award-winning Brazilian film focusing on misogyny and child abuse - due to be screened at the Durban International Film Festival - was banned by the Film and Publications Board, which ruled that it contained scenes that amounted to "child pornography". The Mail & Guardian's Niren Tolsi got the story.
(www.mg.co.za)

06/14/2007 - Kenya: Regulators tread a well-worn path
African regulators and industry players in the ICT sector say that sound ICT regulation is key to Africa's development agenda and that ICTs should be regarded as catalysts for overall development. From this is appears that nothing new emerged from a two-day FTRA-2007 forum held in Nairobi last week. Remmy Nweke has the story.
(http://hana.ru.ac.za)

06/14/2007 - South Africa: Have a heart, minister tells editors
South Africa's deputy president has told editors from across the world that the government is embarrassed at the high cost of telephony in the country. Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka was speaking at the 60th World Newspaper Congress held in Cape Town recently. She also asked the editors to help in the country's PR department, if they had a heart.
(www.wan-press.org)

06/01/2007 - Ministers give EASSy another go
ICT ministers from about 20 African countries have been invited to Malawi for a special meeting that is expected to iron out controversies surrounding the EASSy fibre optic submarine cable.
(http://hana.ru.ac.za)

06/01/2007 - Developing countries look for compromise at WIPO
The developing countries that in 2004 proposed an agenda for reform of the World Intellectual Property Organization toward stronger consideration of developing country needs are exploring a compromise in advance of the next WIPO meeting on the issue, according to government sources.
(http://www.ip-watch.org/)

05/29/2007 - South Africa: E-waste on screen
Electronic waste is receiving some attention from ICT vendors and waste activists in South Africa. A recent conference organised by the country's IT association (ITA), and the non-profit organisation SANGONeT, showed that local government, as well as big business, is starting to take the e-waste challenge in Africa seriously.
(www.ita.org.za)

05/28/2007 - Telkom SA's monopoly will go, insists minister
South Africa's communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri has slammed media reports that a four-year period to unbundle the local loop extends Telkom's monopoly. This follows criticism after her budget speech before parliament last week.
(www.itweb.co.za)

05/27/2007 - Catalyst: Uganda takes ICT seriously
The Uganda government is taking steps to strategize ICT as a priority sector. The country's ICT minister, Ham Mukasa Mulira, says that an important step was the creation of the country's first ICT ministry. He also says that Uganda's ICT environment did not take into account the "multi sectoral, cross-cutting and catalytic nature of ICT[s]".
(http://www.pambazuka.org/)

05/19/2007 - Who will make the information society happen?
A new watchdog report monitoring promises made by governments and the United Nations to ensure that
information technology is used to benefit millions of people, will be launched in Geneva on May 22.

05/18/2007 - Ghana: News laws for ICT industry
Ghana is bringing on board four laws to 'sanitise' the national ICT environment. The bills, which will affect electronic transactions and telecommunications, amongst other parts of the sector, are awaiting cabinet approval.
(http://www.pambazuka.org)

05/18/2007 - South Africa: No fear of Microsoft patent threats
Local open source developers and companies in South Africa do not seem particularly concerned by recent claims by Microsoft that FOSS infringes on no fewer than 235 of its patents.
(http://www.tectonic.co.za)

05/11/2007 - Rwanda: True regionalism needed for investment
Rwanda has emphasized the need for a harmonized regional ICT policy landscape in East Africa. President Paul Kagame told participants at a broadband workshop in Kigali that there is a need to attract "consistent investment" on a much larger scale than is achievable individually by countries.
(http://hana.ru.ac.za/)

05/09/2007 - ICANN extends deadline for appointments
ICANN, the internet governance body, has extended the deadline for applications to several key positions in its structures. Over fifty applications have already been received.
(http://nomcom.icann.org)

05/08/2007 - Zimbabwe: Police ban media freedom marches
Zimbabwean police recently banned journalists from holding peaceful street marches to commemorate World Press Freedom Day, while there were renewed calls to repeal harsh media laws and improve working conditions for journalists. Meanwhile, the International Press Initiative said although Zimbabwe was not the most dangerous country for journalists to work in, it was probably the most difficult.
(www.irinnews.org/)

04/20/2007 - South Africa: State shows the money
Cabinet has approved the establishment of the Broadband Infrastructure Company (Infraco), a state-owned enterprise that will provide electronic communications network services.
By leveraging state infrastructure, Infraco will offer nationwide connectivity for telecoms providers at low cost.
(www.itweb.co.za)

04/17/2007 - South Africa: Are things about to move?
What is amounting to something of a shake-up in South African telecoms is continuing, with media reports now suggesting that communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri may be removed from her post on the ruling party's national executive committee. Industry is reported to be optimistic.

(www.itweb.co.za)

04/15/2007 - South Africa: Telkom director resigns
Only a week after the resignation of Telkom's CEO, the company announced that non-executive director Lazarus Zim has resigned with immediate effect. The resignation follows Zim's
commitments to a black economic empowerment initiative.
(www.tectonic.co.za)

04/13/2007 - Vodacom's 'dodgy dealings' in Africa
Vodacom's corporate governance is coming under media scrutiny after it was revealed that the cellphone operator has apparently formed political partnerships in at least four countries in Africa. The Mail & Guardian reports that while the operator has defended its dealings in Mozambique, Lesotho, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, there is a lot left wanting.
(www.mg.co.za)

04/13/2007 - IGF: CSOs feel left out in the cold
Civil society organisations have condemned the recent composition of the Advisory Group for the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). Activists say not everyone is getting a say. This report by Remmy Nweke.
(http://hana.ru.ac.za)

04/11/2007 - ICANN looks to fill key positions
ICANN's Nominating Committee is looking to fill key positions in the organisation, including in its At-Large Advisory Committees (ALAC) from the African, Latin American, and Caribbean, Asian and Pacific regions. The committee, also known as NomCom, is responsible for the selection of all ICANN directors, except the president and those selected by ICANN's supporting organisations.
(http://nomcom.icann.org)

04/06/2007 - Telkom SA bleeds top brass
Telkom SA's CEO Papi Molotsane has left the operator after just 18 months; and under apparently less than amicable circumstances. He is the third senior executive to leave the operator in the past month. Telkom SA has come under heavy fire recently, both from the South African government and disgruntled consumers.
(www.tectonic.co.za)

04/05/2007 - 'Internet governance crucial' - Zambia
Zambia has decided to take internet governance seriously, and has formed a National Internet Governance Forum (NIGF). It says internet governance issues must be mainstreamed in its national ICT policy.
(http://hana.ru.ac.za)

04/05/2007 - Logging onto Libya and Cote d'Ivoire
Libya, Cote d'Ivoire and Russia are the latest countries to acquire top-level domain names. Internet users will soon be logging on .ly for Libya and .ci for Cote d'Ivoire, writes Remmy Nweke.
(http://hana.ru.ac.za)

04/05/2007 - ICANN opens door to Africa
The global internet governance organisation, ICANN, is opening its doors to internet users across the globe. Africa is one of the regions whose participation is being encouraged through regional mechanisms for input into the organisation's decision-making processes.
(www.icann.org)

03/30/2007 - Mozambique: A president in your pocket
Mozambiquan President Armando Guebuza has been made a shareholder in a subsidiary of Vodacom operating as the country’s second cellphone network. But Vodacom says this is normal, and that it is confident its partners support the principles of good governance.

03/27/2007 - Nigerian minister calls for ICT for 'every African'
A Nigerian minister has urged African leaders to increase access to ICTs — but his country's own scheme is floundering because of inadequate government support, writes Abiose Adelaja.
(http://www.scidev.net)

03/27/2007 - CTO: Local content is a must
The Commonwealth Telecom Organisation has urged African governments to invest, alongside the private sector, in the creation of suitable content that will facilitate Africa's development, rather than rely on foreign content.
(http://www.pambazuka.org)

03/20/2007 - Kenya sets up ICT parastatal
Kenya has set up a new parastatal to spearhead ICT development in the country. The Kenya Information and Communications Technology Board will be expected to promote investiment opportunities in Kenya, as part of a broader strategy that seeks to make the country the regional ICT hub by 2010.
(http://www.eastandard.net)

03/17/2007 - Egypt launches NEPAD e-schools initiative
The Egyptian Minister of Education has officially launched the NEPAD e-Schools initiative at Al-Haddain Secondary School in the El Behaira Governate. The project is a joint venture of the Egyptian government, HP, Oracle and the NEPAD e-Africa Commission. Egypt is the sixth country to launch the initiative after Uganda, Ghana, Lesotho, Kenya and Rwanda.
(www.pambazuka.org)

03/16/2007 - ICANN gears up online
The Lisbon meeting for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Number (ICANN) is being held between 26-30 March 2007. ICANN has launched its online participation website. It says the site will publish a rundown of each meeting complete with full details, including panellists, topics for discussions, links to resources and presentations, and links to webcasts and audiocasts.

03/16/2007 - APCNews: Tell us what you think!
APCNews is a monthly e-bulletin on ICTs for social justice and sustainable development produced by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC). In mid 2007, APC is launching a new APC.org website in English, Spanish and, for the first time, French and Portuguese. In line with this, APC wants to find out what readers think about its newsletter, and how it can be improved.
(www.apc.org)

03/13/2007 - Ministers share experiences on implementing ICT policies
Eight African ministers responsible for ICTs have wound up a three day ministerial conference held in Entebbe, Uganda. The ministers have been looking to improve co-operation, and share knowledge on how to use ICTs to support development within the regional contexts.
(http://www.pambazuka.org)

03/04/2007 - No more EASSy puns
The East African Submarine Cable System (EASSy) has been renamed The Nepad Broadband Infrastructure Network (NBIN). That's after Kenya opted out of the ambitious undersea fibre optic backbone system, says South African communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri. The move has caused some controversy.
(www.itweb.co.za)

02/28/2007 - Nigeria opens up to citizens
Civil society organisations have hailed the final approval of a freedom of information bill in Nigeria. The bill, if it becomes law, will guarantee Nigerian citizens the right to access government-held information. Nigeria is set to become just the fourth African country with a freedom of information law, following South Africa, Uganda, and Angola.
(http://www.justiceinitiative.org)

02/28/2007 - South Africa goes open source
The South African cabinet has approved a policy and strategy to implement Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) in government.
All new software developed for or by the government will be based on open standards and government will itself migrate current software to FOSS, a spokesperson said.
(www.iol.co.za)

02/05/2007 - South Africa: Showdown on interconnection fees
A fresh attempt to force down the cost of phone calls is being made by the industry regulator, with a move to slash the fees local operators charge to route calls from one network to another.
(www.bday.co.za)

02/05/2007 - It won't be long, says Kenya
The cost of international broadband in Kenya is set to drastically reduce within 18-months. That's according to the Kenyan government, which has confirmed that it is pursuing three different fibre optic cable projects simultaneously, to provide better and cheaper bandwidth to the country's consumers.
(www.allafrica.com)

02/05/2007 - South Africa: How long can Telkom hold out?
Consumer activism is on the rise in South Africa if a recent full-page advert slamming Telkom SA is anything to go by. The advert was placed by the Telecoms Action Group (TAG), and funded by consumers. It follows the controversial launch of a parody site, Hellkom, by another fed up South African.

01/29/2007 - Closing the gate on Bill
Microsoft was locked out of the World Social Forum (WSF), which ended in Nairobi, Kenya, recently. With over 300 computers provided for participants and the media, organizers of the WSF chose open source software products instead. Participants said it was one way of promoting the free software movement and fighting the software giant's "imperialistic tendencies".

01/16/2007 - E-waste gets attention in Africa
Electronic waste in Africa, and what to do about it, was a major talking point at a recent United Nations conference on hazardous waste in Africa held in Nairobi.
(www.allafrica.com)

01/15/2007 - EASSy sees double
The protracted wrangle between NEPAD's e-Africa Commission and a consortium of companies that initially conceived the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy) project now looks set to result in the construction of two competing submarine cables.
(http://www.monitor.co.ug/)

01/04/2007 - Policy monitor takes a break
The Africa Policy Monitor is taking a break for December and some of January. We'll be back online with new news, analyses, and the usual fare of useful information towards the end of January. Until then, thank you for supporting us.

01/03/2007 - South Africa 'undemocratic', says Kenya
Kenya has dismissed media reports that it has pulled out of EASSy. But it says it did not sign the project's protocol at a recent meeting in Cape Town because the South African government is being undemocratic.
(www.allafrica.com)

01/03/2007 - Opening up access for all
Open access, what it means, and how best to get communities connected came under the spotlight at a recent three-day workshop held in Johannesburg. The workshop, organised by APC and the UNDP, aimed to share project success stories and innovations, and explore ways of supporting policy and capacity development initiatives that promote access on the continent.

01/03/2007 - 'Access and capacity key issues for IGF'
As the first meeting for the Internet Governance Forum drew to a close in Athens, APC insisted that two issues be given priority: access to internet infrastructure and capacity building.
(www.apc.org)

01/03/2007 - Zambia joins EASSy
Zambia has become the twelfth country to sign the controversial protocol for the EASSy fibre optic cable. The EASSy project has been dogged with problems from the start and it's unclear if it will go ahead. Ten countries have yet to agree to the protocol's terms.
(http://www.fibreforafrica.net)

01/01/2007 - Internet governance up on the African agenda
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) have signed an MOU on increasing the awareness of internet governance issues and growing the use of the internet in Africa. "The Internet is all about sharing ideas and information - and this MOU is signed in that spirit," said Paul Twomey, ICANN's president and CEO.
(http://www.pambazuka.org)

11/03/2006 - 'Make up your mind' Shuttleworth tells govt
Software entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth has urged the South African government to decide on an ICT strategy for the country and deliver on it. For anyone who has heard him speak in the last year this is not exactly a new line of argument. Let's hope this time that someone is listening.
(www.tectonic.co.za)

11/03/2006 - Kenya gets second national operator
Kenyans have breathed a sigh of relief following the licensing of the second landline operator by the Communications Commission of Kenya, the industry regulator.
(www.tectonic.co.za)

11/03/2006 - It's a wrap for the IGF
Access, as many delegates at the inaugural meeting of the Internet Governance Forum in Athens pointed out this week, means infrastructure; it means copper wire, or fibre optics, it means servers and computers, routers and ethernet cable. It means money to buy the technology and fair deals for buying access. Catch up with what happen in Athens...
(http://news.bbc.co.uk)

10/24/2006 - 'We don't have the money' IGF says
The Internet Governance Forum has responded to a call by African CSOs for support to attend the forum's inaugural meeting in Athens. The IGF says it hopes that a successful first meeting will generate interest among potential donors.

10/17/2006 - IGF: Warning over 'broken' internet
The chair of the Internet Governance Forum, Nitin Desai, has warned that the internet could one day be broken up into separate networks around the world. Desai says the growing pressure from language groups that do not use Latin characters, and the security needs of governments and businesses, amongst other factors, could lead to the Balkanisation of the internet.
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/)

10/14/2006 - Survivor joins telecoms pledge drive
A South African Survivor contestant, Zayn Nabbi, has put down his R200 towards the Telecoms Action Group's (TAG) advert campaign this week. TAG plans to take out a full-page advert in a South African newspaper complaining about the lack of pace of change in the country's telecommunications environment. It has drummed up considerable support for its effort.
(www.tectonic.co.za)

10/11/2006 - IGF meeting 'vital' for civil society
Civil society organisations are gearing up for the inaugural meeting of the Internet Governance Forum in Athens. The meeting, which will be held from October 30 to November 2, is a "vitally important event" says Willie Currie, policy programme head for the Association for Progressive Communications (APC). "For the first time in a global policy forum, governments, civil society, the private sector and international organisations can address public policy issues concerning the internet on an equal footing," he said.
(www.apc.org)

10/06/2006 - South Africa: TAG ready to collect
The Telecoms Action Group has opened for donations for its consumer advocacy campaign to take out a full-page advert decrying the state of telecommunications in South Africa. The group has published its banking details on the Tag.org.za website.

(www.tectonic.co.za)

10/05/2006 - South Africa: NGOs push for FOSS in government
A petition calling for the South African government to adopt a proactive policy on open source software has been handed to the Minister for Public Service and Administration. The petition, co-ordinated by SANGONeT and the Internet Society of South Africa, has been signed by nearly 50 NGOs and other community groups.

10/05/2006 - Call for contributions: Gender and ICT policy
GenderIT.org, the online gender and ICT empowerment project, will be focussing on national ICT policy from a gender perspective in its next e-newsletter. It is calling for your thoughts, discussions, insights, research results and articles. If you have anything to share, please e-mail them at genderit@apcwomen.org.
(www.genderit.org)

10/03/2006 - 'Steps needed to ensure Africa's role in IGF'
African civil society organisations have asked the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) to help it participate in forum meetings. In an open letter to the IGF, organisations represented by the African Civil Society for the Information Society Network on ICT4D say they can't afford to be in Athens in October for the first meeting of the IGF. They say that their absence will jeopardize the IGF's commitment to meaningful participation in decisions affecting internet governance.

09/29/2006 - Lack of consensus threatens EASSy cable
The 31 telecommunications companies involved in developing and implementing the East African fibre optic cable system (EASSy) have said that the 23-nation protocol to build the under-sea cable is unacceptable to them and could lead to them abandoning the project.
(www.tectonic.co.za)

09/25/2006 - South Africa: ICASA blamed for non-delivery to poor
Cellphone giant MTN claims it is battling to deliver on the social obligations set in its licensing conditions. MTN is obligated to give away 2,5-million SIM cards and 125 000 handsets to poor people, or to roll out internet access to 8 000 schools. And it is blaming the country's regulator, ICASA, for the delay in delivery.
(www.bday.co.za)

09/25/2006 - South Africa: Citizen ad campaign hots up
The Telecoms Action Group has launched the next phase of its campaign to protest against the anti-competitive practices of Telkom and the lack of momentum in the South African telecommunications sector. Its bank account is now open, and waiting for you to contribute.
(www.tectonic.co.za)

09/21/2006 - NGOs call for WIPO reform
Non-governmental organisations from across the globe have signed a statement urging the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to adopt a development agenda. WIPO is an international treaty-making body within the United Nations that aims to stardardize intellectual property laws across the globe. Led by Brazil and Argentina, the NGOs say WIPO is too focused on maximizing intellectual property rights.
(http://www.ipjustice.org)

09/21/2006 - 'Africa needs free software'
Patents and copyright laws are major stumbling blocks to breaking the market dominance of expensive, proprietary software, Meraka Institute's Bob Joliffe told Highway Africa delegates recently.
(www.tectonic.co.za)

09/20/2006 - Africa's software independence struggle
The Free Software and Open Source Foundation for Africa has spelled out how African governments can benefit directly from supporting the open source movement on the continent. In a media release marking Software Freedom Day it said open source means better security, developing local capacity, innovation and creativity, economic independence and sovereignity.
(www.fossfa.org)

09/11/2006 - South Africa: Citizen action ad gets up and going
South Africa's internet users have responded en force to a call for a national newspaper advert protesting the lack of momentum in telecoms in South Africa. Over 75% of the required R50 0000 has been pledged. Tectonic caught up with three of the biggest pledgers to find out why they are supporting the campaign.
(www.tectonic.co.za)

09/10/2006 - Business takes on regulators over satellite
The Global VSAT Forum (GVF) has launched a campaign that it says is aimed to prevent a "significant technical threat to...business" in Africa. Russell Southwood looks at how the GVF’s campaign highlights some of the simmering challenges between business and regulators on the continent.
(www.balancingact-africa.com)

09/05/2006 - South Africa: Telecoms ad gets strong support
South Africa's internet users have responded in force to a citizen's call for a national newspaper advert protesting the lack of momentum in the telecoms sector. After two-and-a-half days, it had recorded pledges totalling R56 600.
(www.tectonic.co.za)

09/05/2006 - South Africa: State must go open source
With government spending almost R3-billion per year on a single proprietary software vendor, the dominant position of proprietary software in the South African ICT market remains entrenched. SANGONeT and the Internet Society of South Africa support a change in government policy that will give meaning to its National Open Source Strategy. They have drafted a petition for endorsement by South African civil society organisations.


(www.sangonet.org.za)

08/28/2006 - South Africa: Irate users take on Telkom
Frustrated at slow or non-delivery of promised telecoms services, a group of dissatisfied telephone users plans to take out a full-page advert in a major Sunday newspaper in South Africa to protest against Telkom's abuse of its monopoly.
(www.bday.co.za)

08/28/2006 - Kenya: ICT Bill cracks down on computer crimes
The Kenyan government has finalised an ICT Bill that also addresses offences linked to computer crimes. Amongst other things, the Bill will make it a criminal offence to programme mobile phones using computers.
(www.allafrica.com)

08/27/2006 - UN agencies to push WSIS outcomes
Implementation of the outcomes of the recently concluded World Summit on the Information Society gathered momentum with the launch of the United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS). High level representatives of twenty-two UN agencies met recently in Geneva to facilitate the process.
(http://www.choike.org)

08/12/2006 - Collaboration the key to policy advocacy
A recent APC ICT policy workshop ended in London with a call for increased collaboration and networking to ensure the long-term sustainability of policy advocacy efforts. The workshop, attended by 18 participants from different countries across the globe, provided a unique opportunity for national, regional and global portal managers to learn from each other and share
their experiences.
(www.apc.org)

08/01/2006 - Bandwidth pricing should be transparent
Over 30 policy-makers, regulators and operators met in Johannesburg recently to discuss what will happen when the self-awarded monopolies of Africa’s SAT3 consortium members comes to an end in June 2007. This is the first time policy-makers and regulators have come together to address issues that affect more than one country, writes Russel Southwood.
(www.balancingact-africa.com)

08/01/2006 - African stakeholders prepare for IGF
Some forty stakeholders and professionals in the media and ICT sectors met recently in Saly, Senegal, to discuss ICT policies and African participation in internet governance. It was the first gathering in West and Central Africa to prepare African stakeholders for their participation in the Internet Governance Forum.
(www.cipaco.org)

07/21/2006 - Egypt: New media law opposed
Journalists and opposition leaders are opposing new media legislation approved by the Egyptian parliament. They say the legislation fails to protect editors and reporters from imprisonment for so-called press violations. This follows the arrest of an Egyptian blogger for publishing anti-government sentiments on the web.
(www.ipsnews.net)

07/21/2006 - Global campaign against internet repression
Amnesty International has launched a global campaign against internet repression. The campaign aims to claim back the web as a force for change in the face of an increasing willingness on the part of technology companies to aid censorship, the human rights group says.
(www.pambazuka.org)

07/11/2006 - Undersea cable project kicks off next month
After almost four years of bickering, work on the $230-million Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System project, popularly known as EASSy, begins next month.
(www.eastandard.net)

06/27/2006 - Egyptian blogger released
Egyptian authorities have released an award-winning blogger and activist, imprisoned over 45 days ago, on charges including insulting the country's president. Alaa Seif al-Islam, who was arrested at a pro-reform demonstration in May, drew the ire of the authorities for his provocative weblog, and taking part in banned street protests.
(http://news.independent.co.uk)

06/27/2006 - Rwanda selected for EASSy HQ
Rwanda has been selected to house the headquarters of the multi-million dollar Eastern Africa Submarine Cable Project (EASSy). The EASSy cable system is a 9900km project expected to run from Durban, South Africa to Djibout. It is supported by the African Development Bank, the World Bank and telecommunications operators, and has been dogged by controversy over issues of access and ownership.
(www.allafrica.com)

06/12/2006 - WIPO finds a way forward
Broadcasting rights came under the spotlight at a recent meeting of WIPO, the world intellectual property rights organisation. Member states say they've found a way of "updating" these rights, while dealing with new challenges presented by cablecasting, webcasting and simulcasting.
(www.wipo.int)

06/12/2006 - Egypt: Arrest of bloggers condemned
APC condemns the unjust detention of free speech bloggers and journalists in Egypt. Alaa Seif Al-Islam, a seasoned blogger and APC colleague, is one of four Egyptian online diarists being held in detention for criticising the current regime since May 7. In addition, APC has heard disturbing reports about violent actions taken by state security against several of the bloggers who were released from custody last week, only to be subsequently re-arrested. Authorities prevented human rights lawyers from visiting the bloggers who had been beaten and tortured on Thursday May 25.
(www.apc.org)

06/12/2006 - EASSy declaration signed by Africa ministers
It is all back on track for the East Africa Submarine System Project known as EASSy. Government ministers have now signed a joint declaration, commiting themselves to the project. And Kenya has pointed a finger at the media, which it feels stirred up trouble ahead of the meeting.
(http://hana.ru.ac.za/)

06/07/2006 - Africa crawls online (a little faster)
East African countries are leading the African continent in the growth of internet connections, with Tanzania recording a 150% rise in users in the past year, a new report says. Across Africa, internet penetration has now reached 4%, up from just 2.6% in 2005.

(http://www.nationmedia.com/eastafrican/current/)

06/07/2006 - South Africa: Icasa's mass exodus
Reports say South Africa's Independent Communications Authority is suffering a mass exodus of senior staff members. Employees and officials are apparently fed up with council interference in management operations and the regular flouting of the regulator’s policies and procedures.
(www.mg.co.za)

06/07/2006 - Kenya issues ultimatum
Kenya has demanded an implementation date for the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSYy). It has threatened to withdraw from the EASSy project and implement a parallel project, which would connect Mombasa to Djibouti at a cost of some US$60-million, if a date is not issued soon.
(www.allafrica.com)

05/18/2006 - Don't duplicate, governments told
African Union Information and Communication Technologies ministers are pushing for governments across the continent to abolish duplicate ICT focal ministries. They say this has stalled ICT development.

(www.cipaco.org)

05/12/2006 - Algeria stretches its vocal chords
The Algerian telecommunication regulator took the brave step of allowing 24 internet service providers an experimental licence in 2004. After the revision of its licensing framework, the first VoIP operator was granted authorisation to operate a year later in April 2005. Russell Southwood reports on how this legalisation has begun to transform the market.
(www.balancingact-africa.com)

05/12/2006 - South Africa: Research needs to engage policymakers
South African research journals have been urged to dramatically increase their visibility -- to policymakers, taxpayers who often fund the research, and readers across the developing world -- by creating open-access Internet editions as soon as possible.
(http://www.scidev.net/)

05/05/2006 - User wins after ISO formal approval
The International Standards Organisation has approved the standard file format to be used worldwide for the storage of files produced by office software. For the first time in the history of computing, software users will be guaranteed that they will be able to use their data in any compliant software package, both now and in the future. Open source advocates say its a victory for the user.
(www.openoffice.org)

05/05/2006 - South Africa: Telecoms Act criticised
A Competition Commission official has called for the amendment of South Africa's new Electronic Communications Act, even before it comes into effect, on the grounds that it would take competition regulation in the sector "a step backwards".
(www.bday.co.za)

05/05/2006 - Zimbabwe: Move to spy on citizens
Human rights activists in Zimbabwe acknowledge the ennui that seems now to characterise regional and international response to developments in Zimbabwe. But advocates should be concerned: authorities are proposing new legislation that will authorise it to spy on the private communications of its citizens.
(www.bday.co.za)

04/28/2006 - Call for participation in UN strategic council
The United Nations is calling for nominations for members of a strategic council for the newly-formed Global Alliance for ICT and Development. The alliance has been set up to ensure that ICTs are effectively integrated into global development activities. The fifty-member council will consist of stakeholders from the private, public and civil society sectors. Its first meeting will be held in Malaysia in June.
(http://www.un.org)

04/28/2006 - Do you want to help shape the internet?
ALAC, an advisory committee set up by ICANN, is calling for the participation of internet-related organisations or individuals in the committee. ICANN is the global body dealing with the administration of the internet. Part of ALAC's work is to advise ICANN on issues relating to the interests of individual internet users.

(http://alac.icann.org/)

04/21/2006 - UN Global Alliance goes online
The United Nations has approved the launch of a Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies and Development. The UN says one of the aims of the alliance is to ensure that ICTs are effectively integrated into development activities so that development targets, such as the Millennium Development Goals, are met. While the alliance looks to be inclusive, much of its work is expected to take place online.
(http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2006/dev2572.doc.htm )

04/21/2006 - Zimbabwe: Advocacy drive around new bill
Zimbabwe's civic and human rights website, Kubatana.net, has circulated the country's new draft Interception of Communications Bill. Although the bill hasn't yet been gazetted, it is being circulated to facilitated wide discussion around its contents and applications. Kubatana.net wants you to get involved.
(www.kubatana.net)

04/21/2006 - Nigeria moves on WSIS resolutions
The Nigerian government is to actively support the establishment of Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) around the country. It says this will encourage the proliferation of the internet among the Nigerian people. The move follows the World Summit on Information Society in Tunis last year, where industry players say the need for an IXP/Internet Gateway for Nigeria became clear.
(www.vanguardngr.com)

04/21/2006 - West Africa set for major tariff reductions?
With more people in the rural Africa getting access to telecommunications, indications are that calls within the West African Sub-region could be treated as local calls.
(www.vanguardngr.com)

04/21/2006 - Uganda: Whose domain are domains?
Uganda's Communications Commission is challenging the right of an internet entrepreneur to manage the country's domain names. Officials say the want to take over the administration of the registry in order to make domain names cheaper and to increase internet use in Uganda.
(www.allafrica.com)

04/14/2006 - 'Made in Nigeria' software gets thumbs up
Lobbying efforts by a software development group in Nigeria have resulted in an executive decision by the Nigerian government that only 'made in Nigeria' software will be installed in state institutions. But, as Shina Badaru reports, the Nigeria Software Development Initiative didn't manage to get a 100% tax imposed on foreign software sold in the country.
(http://www.techtimesnews.net)

04/14/2006 - Kenya: Media to organise after state raid
Sixteen senior editors from local media houses in Kenya have resolved to revamp the country's Editor's Guild. The editors met recently at a two-day retreat organised by lobby group KICTANeT. The say the guild will strengthen the media industry in the wake of the government raid on the Standard Group, and the general anti-media environment prevailing in the country.
(www.eastandard.net)

04/07/2006 - Who exactly can invest in EASSy?
An informal ‘open access task force’ – made up of African NGOs and small and medium sized ISPs – has been set up to lobby for the implementation of an open access model in internet infrastructure on the continent. The task force, which has been operating since the beginning of March, is currently mobilised to make the EASSy submarine cable ‘easy’, affordable and open. APCNews staff writer Frederick Noronha spoke to two civil society stakeholders.
(http://fibreforafrica.ne)

04/07/2006 - ICTs lay low in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe has once again been ranked last among southern African economies that are developing their information communication technologies. That's according to a World Economic Forum's Global Information Technology report released last week.
(http://www.fingaz.co.zw/)

03/28/2006 - Campaigners challenge EASSy assumptions
BBC News online reports how campaigners fear that the EASSy fibre optic cable, which is touted as a chance for cheaper access costs for Africa, could become a missed opportunity. While this position is slated by some in the telecommunications sector, the BBC also asks its readers in Africa what they think, and gets some interesting answers.
(http://www.bbc.co.uk)

03/16/2006 - Mauritius: E-waste slowly getting on the agenda
Mauritius has become the first country in Africa to ratify the agreement to establish the Africa Institute for the Environmentally Sound Management of Hazardous and other Wastes. The Institute will, amongst other things, encourage the implementation of policies dealing with the safe disposal of electronic waste in countries on the continent.
(http://www.baselpretoria.org.za)

03/15/2006 - Post-WSIS online forum launched