Africa Digital Week 2011 Conference-To set Africa Digital Agenda
By Peterking Quaye ,Accra,Ghana – In a quest to enhance the image of the African continent as far digital media is concerned and how it can influence the society in the 21st century.
Ghana will host in July 2011, the premier Africa Digital Week. On discussion will be the experiences of African governments, private and non-governmental institutions in using new and emerging digital technologies (social media, mobiles and internet-enabled technologies) to interact and provide services to the consumers and citizens; and also promote the strategic understanding of the role of digital technologies in achieving the millennium development goals and good governance in Africa and other developing countries; as well as educate participants on how to harness these new technologies (especially social media and mobiles) to achieve organisational or institutional objectives.
Africa Digital Week 2011 is themed – “My Dream for A Digital Africa”. The objective of Africa Digital Week is to explore how new and emerging technologies can contribute to socio-economic development and good governance in Africa. It will be a place for discourse and debate on novel approaches to building a better Africa through new and emerging technologies.
In an exclusive interview with Dr. Richard Boateng ,Executive Director of AIDIP and PearlRichards Foundation in Accra he explained that Africa Digital Week 2011 will encourage open minds, critical thinking, self-examination, creativity, and sharing ideas and encouraged Africans to be part of this event saying “l invite you to join us, and look forward to welcoming you. We believe your invaluable experience and insight will add to what is an invaluable discourse for Africa and other developing regions. We have no doubt it will be challenging and thought-provoking, as well as an entertaining experience”.
The conference is under the auspices of the Ministry of Communication, Ghana and is being organized by African Institute for Development Informatics and Policy (AIDIP), Ghana; PearlRichards Foundation, Ghana and African E-governance Academy (AfegA) (an OSIWA and UNDP Initiative), Ghana. The week will have one conference, two workshops and a three-day exhibition. The Africa Digital Week is the first of its kind to be organised on the continent of Africa. The week-long event seeks to explore how modern technologies are being or could be harnessed for development in resource-poor contexts especially in Africa.
The event according to the organizers with feature 1 conference ,a dialogue session ,2 workshops and a corporate product launch . Set for the plush Alisa Hotel in the heart , Accra in Ghana, from 26 to 29 July, 2011. Delegates for this years’conference are expected from Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Malawi, Ethiopia, and Liberia among other African countries as well Europe ,Asia and United States .
The event lined up for the week are a VIVA World Exhibition and Corporate Product Launch , ECOWAS Youth and Graduates Conference , AfegA E-Governance Workshop, Africa Digital Business Workshop, Policy Dialogue on ICT and Governance, A policy dialogue for policymakers, academics and civic society to explore electronic governance policies in Africa, especially in the advent of social media and mobile technologies. It will begin with an online policy engagement from 1-15th July (at www.africadigitalweek.com) and conclude with a panel discussion during the conference. And launch of a book for the African Child – Book Title: The African Woman, A Role Model for the Girl Child.
Please visit the conference website to read more: www.africadigitalweek.com.
DIGITAL WEEK EVENTS
This event will launch and donate a handbook of profiles of African women for the African Girl Child in junior and senior high schools. The objective is to inspire and empower girls into positions of leadership and achievement.
PAPER SUBMISSIONS
Submissions are welcome from students, practitioners, researchers, academics and doctoral/research candidates. Submissions information – http://www.africadigitalweek.com/submissions.html
