[WSIS CS-Plenary] [APC Forum] Press release: Connect Africa Summit -- Civil society calls for new governance to make internet accessible to Africans

[karen banks]

Dear all

A joint statement  follows

== recommending 12 improvements  to stimulate the 
development of internet and ICT infrastructure ni Africa ==

issued on behalf of the Association for 
Progressive Communications (APC), the Open 
Society Institute for West Africa (OSIWA), 
Collaboration for ICT Policy in Eastern and 
Southern Africa (CIPESA), the Kenyan ICT Action 
Network (KICTANet), the African Internet Service 
Providers Associations (AfrISPA), and the Rwanda 
Research and Education Network (RERN)

at the civil society pre-event to the ITU-GAID 
Connect Africa summit in Kigali, Rwanda, 29/10/07.

Please join APC and partners at the following 
workshops on the theme of 'access' at the IGF in Rio.

Regulatory Frameworks for improving access  [ WS 3 (ACC) ]
Monday Nov 12th, 1310-1500
http://info.intgovforum.org/yoppy.php?poj=36

and

Access: the local challenge [ WS 7 (ACC) ]
Monday Nov 12th, 1730:1900
http://info.intgovforum.org/yoppy.php?poj=68

and review the IGF programme for other workshops 
on access on Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th november.

karen
====

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE DISSEMINATION

Civil society calls for new governance to make internet accessible to Africans

KIGALI, Rwanda, 29 October 2007 ­ Convened by the 
Association for Progressive Communications (APC) 
on the 28th of October 2007, civil society groups 
have called for new forms of corporate governance 
to develop the ICT infrastructure in Africa. 
These new forms should "ensure the interests of 
all stakeholders, but above all, the interest of 
African consumers and citizens", the statement insists.

The Kigali statement by African civil society 
delegates, academicians, researchers, consumer 
interest groups, and internet service providers 
is made in light of the Connect Africa Summit 
taking place in that same city on the 29th and 30th of October 2007.

Gathered to discuss the issue of connectivity to 
international, regional and national information 
and communication technology (ICT) networks in 
Africa, the participants recognised that private 
investment and public private partnerships play a 
key role in the deployment of infrastructure in Africa.

The African civil society welcomes the continued 
investment but asserts that it needs to be 
further encouraged through the implementation of 
a stable policy environment that protects the public interest.

The statement recommends twelve improvements to 
stimulate the development of internet and ICT 
infrastructure. Among  them, it calls for 
governments to support the harmonisation of 
policy and regulation to develop and implement 
cross border connectivity. This means giving 
equal priority to the deployment of national 
backhaul networks and international access networks.

The Kigali participants mention the importance of 
the Universal Access principle and specify that 
"such access can only be sustainable if it is not 
only supply driven, but more demand driven and 
responsive to the expressed needs of target 
communities." Civil society therefore upholds 
that governments need to ensure the participation of all relevant groups
from civil society, communities and the private 
sector in defining and implementing ICT infrastructure.

The statement encourages governments to commit to 
supporting the development of national data, 
citizen-centred services and applications by 
themselves becoming key providers of content and 
implementing initiatives that attract 
organisations engaged in content and application 
development that improve access to education and healthcare.

The joint statement was issued on behalf of the 
Association for Progressive Communications (APC), 
the Open Society Institute for West Africa 
(OSIWA), Collaboration for ICT Policy in Eastern 
and Southern Africa (CIPESA), the Kenyan ICT 
Action Network (KICTANet), the African Internet 
Service Providers Associations (AfrISPA), and the 
Rwanda Research and Education Network (RERN).

The Association for Progressive Communications is 
an international network of civil society 
organisations dedicated to empowering and 
supporting groups and individuals through the 
strategic use of information and communication 
technologies, especially internet-technologies founded in 1990.
http://www.apc.org

Read the full Statement from participants in the 
“Civil Society Workshop on Open Access to ICT infrastructure in Africa”:
http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=5262405

- 30 -

For more information and media inquiries, please contact:
Anriette Esterhuysen, APC executive director, anriette at apc.org
Tel: +27 834 563 224
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