ICT Policy Training and Campaigns in Africa

Introduction

Organised by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), and hosted by the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) with the support of Article 19, the Addis Workshop on ICT Policy and Civil Society sparked the formation of a network of ICT policy mobilizers dedicated to building an inclusive information society in Africa.

The workshop took place November 6-8, 2002, at the UN ECA headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Over 80 representatives from non-governmental organizations, human rights organisations, media groups, women's organisations, development groups and researchers from 24 countries throughout Africa gathered to discuss the role of African civil society in ICT policy-making and to outline a plan of action to move forward in mobilizing other organisations on these issues.

ICT Policy Training and Campaigns in Africa

The APC has received support from the Commonwealth Telecommunication’s Organisation to develop a weeklong training course on ICT policy for civil society. The objective of the course is to build the capacity of civil society organisations to understand policy on ICT issues and engage in ICT policy processes. The five-day course will cover:

Introductions: What is ICT policy? Why it matters
Civil society organisations & ICT policy; the role of information and communication in many sectors
The Digital Divide; ICT and development
What is advocacy?
Social exclusion in the Information Age
Gender and ICTs
Universality: available, accessible, affordable
Setting goals for advocacy
Internet: basic concepts, history, market structure
Internet: economics, standards and governance
What is policy & regulation? Telecommunications regulation, lack of regulation for IT
Steps for running an advocacy campaign
ICT policy: global, regional, national
Intellectual property, open source and indigenous knowledge
Content, media and language issues
Skills, resources and networks for ICT advocacy
Security, privacy, civil liberties in the Information Age
The Right to Communicate
Designing an advocacy campaign
Conclusion: Civil Society and an inclusive information society

For additional information, visit http://africa.rights.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=heb1.

Additional Resources

Africa Civil Society Caucus on WSIS
The Africa Civil Society Caucus on WSIS website, http://www.wsis-cs.org/africa, has been created to share and disseminate information around the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) and especially of direct relevance to Africa civil society organizations. On the site you will find the latest news and information including a list of civil society organizations active on the caucus. Should you wish to join, please add your details on the form provided. There are also mailing lists with information on how to join current debates on the process and to contribute your inputs.

APC: FAQ about Conducting a National WSIS Process
APC has published a guide called 'FAQ about Conducting a National WSIS Process' outlining the steps to take and key components in organising a national consultation around information and communications technology (ICT) policy, in this case specifically the debates raised by the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). As stated in the guide's introduction: "The WSIS process, including the preparation before and the follow up after the Summit in December, is a great learning opportunity for civil society organisations (CSOs) that are new to the ICT policy process. By engaging in the issues outlined at the WSIS, CSOs can begin to articulate positions and gain valuable experience in lobbying that can be taken back to their home countries. They can also develop positions, lobby and develop the understanding necessary to participate in other international fora related to ICT policies, such as the World Trade Organisation and ICANN (the body that manages Internet names and numbers)".

WSIS Gender Caucus Sourcebook
The WSIS Gender Caucus Sourcebook is a guide to creating a national gender programme in preparation for WSIS. The Sourcebook provides a background on WSIS, and outlines strategies for organising effective national gender programmes.

Contact

For additional information, send email to ictpolicy@wougnet.org.

Last update: October-18, 2007