[Icann-aswg] Re: Your contribution to the Africa Strategy document

Fri Sep 28 13:05:52 SAST 2012

Thanks George for your very interesting comments.
You raise the rght point.
I just want to inform that in Senegal, the monopole is still there.We
organised a workshop about IXP  these last 3 days with ISOC and AUC to
inform new authorities.
We hope that will help to change legal environment.
Best Regards,

2012/9/27 George Sadowsky <george.sadowsky at gmail.com>

> Dear Pierre,
>
> Thanks for send me this, and soliciting my comments on the results of the
> ASWG.  I'd like to make a number of points.
>
> I agree with the objectives of the ASWG.  While ICANN is not a development
> agency, what it does and how it does it clearly has an effect on
> development.  Our most important goal  -- without which no other makes any
> sense  -- is the continued security and stability of the Internet.  Within
> that goal, assistance efforts to developing regions is very important.
>  This linkage should be exploited by the program in bringing significant
> additional technical and policy assistance to Africa.
>
> While the working group is expected to complete its work by the Toronto
> meeting next month, I hope that there will be some continuation through an
> oversight/advisory group for the foreseeable future.  IMO, ICANN would
> benefit from some continuing assessment and opinion regarding the success
> of whatever efforts are put into place.  Changing circumstances imply that
> the program should evolve to best meet regional and national needs.
>
> I think that your identification of your main stakeholders is correct.
>  However, I'd push the interpretation a little further.  In terms of long
> run public interest, eery potential registrant of a domain name is a
> stakeholder in what we do and how well we do it.  In the long run, that
> will include the majority of Internet users, a very large stakeholder
> population indeed.
>
> Your research questions are relevant.  I would ground them in a larger
> setting of how the INternet and ICTs in general can be used to effectively
> further economic and social development in Africa, i.e. making the Internet
> and ICT the means, and the development goals the ends.  I suspect that you
> are implicitly doing this in your thinking, but doing it explicitly allows
> you to identify overall needs and how the various organizations that have
> the capacity to help can do so, or might be approached to do so.
>
> Your methodology and process seems straightforward, and I'd like to add a
> perspective.  I was struck by how useful our one hour meeting was in Dakar
> between the Board and Adiel and Mouhamet.  This was the first time in my
> ICANN experience that the Board listened to an informal presentation of
> regional needs by representatives of the region.  The discussion was direct
> and informative, and dispelled some of the inaccurate perceptions that were
> held by some.  I think that we need to have meetings like this periodically
> so that we stay informed of each others' option and that our decisions are
> made on the basis of hearing the real needs from the bottom up.
>
> Your draft strategy matrix and SWOT analysis are very detailed, and I
> simply cannot type fast enough to record all of my reactions.  I will say
> this:  The strategy matrix is the key to your program, and I hope there's a
> lot of discussion about (and that I am part of that discussion).  The SWOT
> analysis is most useful to those who do the analysis; reading it, I find
> myself nodding to almost all of it, but not getting excited about it  --
> whereas the strategy and proposed activities are things to get excited
> about.  I hope that there will be discussion around it in Toronto and
> elsewhere.
>
> There is one very important theme that I can sense that runs through the
> strategy. It is that this is a strategy designed from the bottom up, that
> reflects the real needs of the continent because it is written by people in
> the continent who are knowledgeable regarding their problems.  Some of you
> know that I was against the JAS effort almost from the beginning, and your
> strategy document made me realize why that it was for the most part a top
> down program,  with a domain name industry based for the most part in
> developed countries telling people in developing regions what would be good
> for them.
>
> I'm not opposed to the growth of registries in developing countries, but
> as I argued when I voted against the new gTLD resolution in part because of
> the inclusion of the JAS program, developing regions need a balanced mix of
> assistance, not just new gTLDs. The people who supported the JAS program
> were surely well-meaning, but they were naïve, even those who had been
> involved in development.  n contrast, the strategy that you are in the
> process of shaping will respond in that balanced way to needs, is likely to
> offer a number of ways in which sustainable progress will be made.  In the
> long run, I am sure that there will be gTLD registries in Africa, and they
> will rely on a more sustainable base of both infrastructure and more
> widespread knowledge.
>
> I enjoyed going through the facts and figures presentation.  Some of you
> may know that John Mack and I tried to convince our National Science
> Foundation to fund a project in 2004-5 to extend broadband Internet2-style
> networking to Senegal and Ghana so that we could build research and
> education networks in those countries linking universities and research
> organizations.  We were not able to convince them to approve the project,
> because one of the major costs was the SAT-3 circuit cost to Portugal,
> leaving insufficient funds for significant national build-outs.  At the
> time SAT-3 was a monopoly and charged very high pries.  I'm glad to see
> that the monopoly is broken and that there is now both significant
> competition in the submarine cable market as well as increasing interior
> penetration of capacity.
>
> I hope that the above comments and reflections will be of use to you.
>  There is a lot to be done.  Your timeline is good as far as it goes,but
> the real work starts later.  I wish you luck, and I hope to involve myself
> in ways that are helpful.
>
> Best regards,
>
> George
>
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> On Sep 13, 2012, at 7:13 AM, Dandjinou Pierre wrote:
>
> > Dear Mike and George,
> >
> > I hope this finds you well!
> >
> > As you know, the Icann Africa Strategy working group (ASWG) which was
> > set up after the meeting in Prague has convened in Mauritius to
> > brainstorm on best ways of delivering the draft strategy document
> > requested by the CEO of ICANN.
> >
> > The working group has now posted its working documents on the afrinic
> > website (www.afrinic.net) and have opened up a 15 days comment  period
> > to further engage with the community.
> >
> > The Working group values your interest and contributions to the
> > Internet development in Africa, and would like to acknowledge any
> > comments, recommendations you would like to share on the Icann Africa
> > strategy.
> >
> > Many thanks in advance and warmest regards
> >
> > Pierre Dandjinou
> > On behalf on the ASWG
> >
> > --
> > Pierre Dandjinou
> > Cotonou - 229 90 087784 / 66566610
> > Dakar 221 77 639 30 41
> > www.scg.bj
> > skype : sagbo1953
>
>
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> George Sadowsky                        Residence tel: +1.802.457.3370
> 119 Birch Way                           Google Voice: +1.202.370.7734
> Woodstock, VT  05091-8155  USA            GSM mobile: +1.202.415.1933
> george.sadowsky at gmail.com              http://www.georgesadowsky.org/
> SKYPE: sadowsky
>
>
>
>
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-- 
---------------------
Mme Ndéye Maimouna DIOP DIAGNE
Ingénieur Informatique
+221 776377001
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