3 March 2000
The Minister for Communications is putting action into the African Renaissance by hosting a two-day roundtable discussion of Africa experts in the field of information communication technologies in Johannesburg starting from Friday 3 March 2000/2000. Communications is an enabling platform that will be used to take the African Renaissance forward.
The meeting of the African Advisory Group on ICT (AAG-ICT), comprising prominent personalities in academia and ICT practitioners, will be advising Dr Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri as the chairperson of the Ministerial oversight committee of the African Connection and projects.
Delegates at the workshop include Dr Henry Chasia (former deputy secretary general of the International Telecommunications Union ITU); Dr Raymond Akwule (professor of telecommunications and mass communications at George Mason University in Virginia, USA); Shola Taylor (a leading authority on telecommunications who has worked for a number of international satellite organisations); Jan Mutai (former MD of Kenya Post and telecommunications Corporation and currently the secretary general of the African Telecommunications Union); Dr Joseph Okpaku (president and CEO of Telecom Africa Corporation and a leading telecommunications consultant); Adolar Mapunda (MD of the Tanzania Telecommunications Corporation and former Director General of Tanzania Post and Telecommunication Corporation).
The roundtable is discussing the implementation of the African Telecommunication Union's strategic plan adopted in Lusaka, Zambia for the period 1998 - 2002.
A committee of ten Ministers of Communication drawn from the five regions in Africa - under the chairpersonship of South Africa - has been charged with overseeing the implementation of the African Connection project.
The AAG-ICT is expected to advise Minister Matsepe-Casaburri in respect of activities and projects that will maximise the possibilities offered by communications technologies and services to meet African priorities in health, education, rural development, poverty eradication and job creation.
A key outcome of the roundtable is to ensure that African governments prioritise information communications development in the continent as a lever for economic development.
The meeting will also discuss how South African can meet its own challenges and regional challenges in the information communications arena.
Issued by: Dept. of Communications
Contact: Connie Molusi Phone: 082 552 1939 Email:
mandy@doc.pwv.gov.za URL: http://docweb.pwv.gov.za