"How can African IT-businesses make money with Free and Open Source Software?" This is one of the questions that will be discussed at the regional Training of Trainers course on "Advanced African business Models with Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)". The two-week course will run from 31st August - 11th September 2009.

The protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa commonly referred to as the African protocol on women’s rights or the Maputo protocol was premised on the international and regional human rights framework and was adopted by the African Union (AU) in 2003. The protocol is different from CEDAW because it was drafted by African women and seeks to address issues that are specific to African women. Uganda is one of the countries that signed but has not yet ratified the protocol.

Advocacy for the ratification of the protocol has been spearheaded by Akina Mama wa Afrika which is part of a continental coalition - Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR). AMwA has partnered with a national taskforce made up of women/rights based organisations that has been lobbying and doing advocacy work for the ratification of the Protocol in Uganda. They include UWONET FOWODE, NAWOU, ACORD, UMWA, ICON, ECCA, CEDOVIP, FIDA, WORUDET, ACFODE, WOUGNET, UWOPA, MoGLSD, Raising Voices, Department of Women and Gender Studies among others.

Following the expiry of the previous 2003–2008 policy, UCC has been developing a new RCDF policy for 2009-2014. A stakeholders' workshop was organized on 30^th July 2009 to discuss the draft policy for RCDF II at Imperial Royale Hotel, Kampala. The second phase of the rural communications development policy (RCDP-II), while continuing to address the broad underlying issues of underserved areas, will particularly focus on three aspects that are key for the development of Uganda as an information society.

Sister 2 Sister Talk: Taking a Walk within the Corridors of Power

This was the focus of Day 3 on 10 July 2009  of the 3^rd Women in Political Party Structures Training organized by Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE) under the Theme: “Dancing to the Tunes of Democracy: Preparing for Effective Engagement in Politics”, held in Kampala, Uganda. 

Hon. Njoki Ndungu, a distinguished feminist activist and former Member of Parliament from Kenya left the Sisters of the “Women’s Republic” elated and with a new outlook on what women leaders can achieve through simple strategies.  For many centuries, men have kept women out of the inner sanctums of power where things are happening, deals are closed and life changing decisions are made, including those about women! The sisters’ eyes were opened to manipulative tools like “divide and rule”, being kept poor and discriminated against.