The International Conference on ICT for Africa

4th Annual International Conference on ICT for Africa
21 to 24 March 2012
Kampala, Uganda

The International Conference on ICT for Africa is an annual conference
that brings together
stakeholders of the educational and industrial sectors in Africa.

Digital technology has changed numerous activities in the world and continues
to do so. The digital revolution has already matured in developed countries
however, developing countries, especially in Africa, are yet to realize the
full potential of the benefits of technology. It is true that Africa has in
recent years made tremendous progress from being a technological desert to a
growing technological forest.

The adoption and diffusion of Information and Telecommunication Technology
(ICT) in Africa is growing as evidenced by the upsurge in mobile markets and
emerging innovative application in e-banking, e-business, telemedicine (e-
health), e-learning, e-government, e-democracy, e-agriculture, e-procurement
and more. As we entered the new millennium, Africa progressed from
technological desert to emergent sustainable growth in ICT. Within the first
decade of the millennium, several innovations emanated from African countries,
such as, The continent is also joining the league of ICT producing countries
and Africa is witnessing increased capacity for consumption. While the
problems being reported on the development of ICT in Africa might have not
completely disappeared, the current challenges are definitely different. For
example, the problem is no longer about access to modern ICT devices but the
continent is now being confronted with the effect of the adoption and
utilization of ICT. Electronic payments system is taking root on the continent
where public servants are paid salaries and pensioners receive their pension
directly to their accounts. Mobile commerce through mobile/cell phone
transactions without going through traditional banking systems has penetrated
both rural and urban centres of some African nations. East African countries
have embraced the M-Commerce.

Automated teller machines (ATM) have spread across the continent but this
technological adoption faces issues of security and identity theft.
Teledensity is no longer an issue but the effect of the telecom on the
environment is posing a serious threat. These concerns are now similar to the
issues in the western world. It is time that the concept of digital divide be
re-examined and the stock of innovation and technological advancement from
Africa for Africans be taken and reported. There are numerous cases of African
championed initiatives for Africa which are worth showcasing. From launching
of submarine fibre optics cable linking Africa to Europe to Financial
Switching backbone. Such success stories abound.

With this background, Africa is ready to position itself for the three
foremost interrelated technological advances namely; the mobile platform,
cloud computing and software as a service. All these will be examined in the
context of green computing or green ICT. As a follow-up to our previous three
conferences, this conference will bring together some of Africa’s leaders in
this area to discuss creation of culturally sensitive applications that are
applicable in the African context.

The deadline for abstracts/proposals is 30 September 2011.

Enquiries:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ^[1]
Web address: http://www.ictforafrica.org^[2]
Sponsored by: International Center for Information Technology and Development

References

1. ^{^} This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (www.creemaginet.com)
2. ^{^} http://www.ictforafrica.org (www.ictforafrica.org)