In June 2013, Nigeria will host the inaugural convention of the Africa Information and Communication Technologies Alliance (AfICTA). This extensive collaborative event is aimed at connecting decisive leaders throughout the continent and enabling them to combine their expertise and dynamism to fulfil the promise to push Africa into the digital age. This promise was initially outlined in the Geneva Convention 2003 and the Tunis Agenda 2005 of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) for an Information Society by 2015.
The event, themed “Fulfilling the Promise of the Digital Age in Africa,” is scheduled to take place at the Digital Bridge Institute, Oshodi, Lagos on June 26-28 2013. Among the member nations attending the summit are Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, the Gambia, Burundi, Somalia, Namibia and Rwanda. The initiative will centre on ICT leaders from private and public sectors, including Nigeria’s Ministry of Communication Technology, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA), Edo State Government, National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), and Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria, Edo State Government.
African governments are continuing to convene in order to review policies related to a digital economy in Africa, in which stakeholders can fully participate and help fine-tune. Once in place such policies would give way to many ICT advantages, including boosting broadband penetration, financial cooperation and the availability of information, adequate legislation and electronic education.
The 1st AfICTA Summit is set to set the pace for the realization of the AfICTA vision and mission. Through networking the AfICTA aims to offer member countries business alliances, extended trade, regional conferences, exhibitions and forums. The event’s organizers are also optimistic that the summit will inspire ideas for a global community that can make the most of the full range of benefits of information and communication technologies (ICT), helping to improve standards of living, and increase citizen’s economic stability.
One of the main aims of the 3-day convention is to raise awareness of ICT and improve digital literacy throughout Africa by 50 percent by the year 2020. It is also hoped that lasting partnerships will be formed between regional economic commissions en route to the attainment of WSIS 2015 goals.
Additional goals include:
- Developing effective local and continental ICT advocacy.
- Improving ICT literacy throughout African regions.
- Partnering with the African Union and other related organizations to realize global information society targets.
- Engaging ICT experts and professional’s discussions of ICT governance.
- Enhancing Africa’s competitiveness in the global ICT sector.
- Promoting dialogues between ICT stakeholders.
- Expediting ICT-enabled development throughout the African continent.
- Encouraging the utilization of innovative satellite, computing and mobile technologies with the aim of developing an African Information Society.
June 2013 African ICT Alliance Program of Events Highlights
Day 1: AfICTA 1st Anniversary celebration
ICANN Business Constituency Outreach
Awareness Road Show & Hands-on
Day 2: Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC)
Honoring of African ICT Champions @ Gala Dinner
Awareness Road Show & Hands-on
Day 3: Specialized Workshop on Procurement and Project Management
Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC)
Awareness Road Show & Hands-on
You can find out more about AfICTA and Africa’s ICT sector, or join the alliance by registering at AfICTA.org. There are numerous benefits of registration with AfICTA. They include, but are not limited to, participation in AfICTA conferences, grants for digital literacy and innovative initiatives, and opportunities for participation in continental conferences, exhibition and forums.