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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Well stated, Rebecca!<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Let’s hope we can admit this truth
& pull up our socks for once.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Regards,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>.za Domain Name Authority<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Tel: +27 11 275 0082<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>
africann-bounces@afrinic.net [mailto:africann-bounces@afrinic.net] <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Anne-Rachel Inné<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Tuesday, May 05, 2009 5:38
PM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> africann@afrinic.net<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> [AfrICANN-discuss] <st1:place
w:st="on">Africa</st1:place> should just stop whining!</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<h1><st1:place w:st="on"><b><font size=6 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:24.0pt'>Africa</span></font></b></st1:place> should just stop
whining!<o:p></o:p></h1>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><a
href="http://www.computerworld.co.ke/articles/2009/05/04/africa-should-just-stop-whining">http://www.computerworld.co.ke/articles/2009/05/04/africa-should-just-stop-whining</a><br>
By <a href="http://www.computerworld.co.ke/users/rebecca-wanjiku"
title="View user profile.">Rebecca Wanjiku</a><br>
4 May, 2009 <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>It is
considered automatic that <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place> lags behind
all other continents in technology adoption. So, whenever there is an
international meeting African representatives find a story to tell; the digital
divide.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>It has
become so bad that leaders just fail to do the right things and just blame it
on the digital divide. The government heads fail to adopt technology and blame
it on the digital divide.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Some <st1:place
w:st="on">Africa</st1:place> representatives attend meetings and instead of
striking collaborative deals to benefit their countries; they are busy shopping
or just filling numbers in the meeting rooms. And when you ask, they blame it
on the digital divide.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>I recall
there was this guy who represented his country at the Internet Corporation for
Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) meetings for three years, and during the
time, he did not share any outcome or notes from the meeting with technology
forums.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>It was
embarrassing that at one point, a senior government officer attended one of the
technology related meetings and had no clue that hi country was represented
within ICANN.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The
representative had just been attending meetings and not even sharing with the
tech community or government officers on the recommendations and outcomes of
such meetings.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>What
would you call that? The digital divide? <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>There is
no doubt that there exists a gap between developing countries and developed
countries within ICANN.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>This gap
is specifically manifested when it comes to <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place>
delegates, they hardly contribute meaningfully to the public forums. ICANN
deals with the names and numbers, the technical aspects but <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place>
is still grappling with elementary issues such as access and policy issues.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>For
instance; when the business group is discussing issues of e-commerce and the
amount of information that should be availed online or whether the security
agents should be given such information, how does someone with no e-commerce in
their country contribute to the debate?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>But does
that mean that <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place> has no place in
international technology meetings? Why then does <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place>
fail to take advantage of some of the opportunities? <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>At a
recent technology conference, Maua Daftari,<st1:country-region w:st="on">Tanzania</st1:country-region>'s
Deputy Minister in charge of science and technology expressed her fear that if
the Conficker worm hits <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place>, it might wipe
out the few steps made.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>What was
confusing was that I did not hear her say what <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Tanzania</st1:place></st1:country-region> is doing to promote use of
open source technology, if the the reliance on Microsoft products poses the
danger she was quoting.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>In some
cases, innovative youth ventures have been stifled by uninformed officers
heading important government heads.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>I recall
last year, I had an interview with Laban Mwangi, one of <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Kenya</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s most
progressive and innovative techie. He shared his frustrations in trying to
convince mobile phone companies in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Kenya</st1:place></st1:country-region> to adopt his point of sale
gadget by selling to him airtime in wholesale, which he can then sell to
traders in remote areas through his gadget. The idea was shared with the power
and lighting company among other important service providers. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>With the
gadget, Mwangi wanted people to sell airtime from any company, pay water and
electricity bills among other services. His attempts did not bear much fruit
then.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>You can
imagine my shock when I entered one of the corner shops in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:City> earlier this year and found that they
use Mwangi's concept.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>So,
Mwangi failed to get them to adopt his technology but do not be shocked if a
few years down the line, you hear that one company has been awarded a huge
contract to supply what Mwangi would have supplied at a fraction. If we adopted
that technology last year; we would have been far by now.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>So, it is
clear that <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place>'s appreciation of young
techie minds is lacking, technocrats have specialized in attending meetings and
their technology vision is blurred and most of all; we have mastered the art of
whining.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>We should
just get the solutions and stop that digital divide song, how come <st1:place
w:st="on">Africa</st1:place> does not talk of the digital divide when it comes
to military hardware and other state-of-the art warfare gadgets?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>How comes
African militaries have one of the highest budgets and are quick to adopt
latest technology? Does that mean there is no digital divide in military terms?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>I think <st1:place
w:st="on">Africa</st1:place> should just stop whining and act!<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Internal
Virus Database is out of date.<br>
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com<br>
Version: 8.5.285 / Virus Database: 270.12.6/2084 - Release Date: 04/28/09
06:15:00</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
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