Tuesday, May 04, 2004
A new era of leaders has begun
By Haru Mutasa in Cairo
They stood up, the future Internet Communication Technology (ICTs) leaders of Africa, garbed in their exquisite national dress beaming with pride.
One by one their faces lit up as they were briefed of their mission by leading figures at the sixth International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Telecom Africa conference in Cairo Egypt.
"You have to use your time wisely here and build a network of young Africans," they were advised by Egypt's Minister of Communication and Information Technology Dr Ahmed Nazif, "you will become the champions of ICT use in Africa. If Africa has any chance of developing at all it will be through its most important asset – it's young people."
On a continent where most people have never made a phone call in their lives, the tertiary level students were given the task of finding ways of bringing ICTs to the continent to improve access to information and much needed development.
"It is up to you to find ways to do this," said Nazif, "Why should Africa always wait for the West? Through ICTs we have the chance to not only be receivers of information but the senders as well. You all have ideas. Now put those ideas together and present them in a business model that works."
A mammoth task for anyone brave enough to accept the challenge, but the wheel is already turning and has been since the youth forum's inception three years ago in Johannesburg South Africa where a declaration was drawn up and adopted.
Using previous documents and action plans, a declaration will be drawn up and presented to delegates at the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunisia next year.
A young man from Mali leans forward and whispers to his colleague, "You think we can do this?" The girl smiles sheepishly, nods her head and replies, "Why not? We are here are we not, that has to mean something. It's a good sign."
With this determination perhaps one day the African Youth Forum will become more than just an experiment – but a vibrant tradition that will launch Africa into a new era of ICT development on the continent.
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By Haru Mutasa in Cairo
They stood up, the future Internet Communication Technology (ICTs) leaders of Africa, garbed in their exquisite national dress beaming with pride.
One by one their faces lit up as they were briefed of their mission by leading figures at the sixth International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Telecom Africa conference in Cairo Egypt.
"You have to use your time wisely here and build a network of young Africans," they were advised by Egypt's Minister of Communication and Information Technology Dr Ahmed Nazif, "you will become the champions of ICT use in Africa. If Africa has any chance of developing at all it will be through its most important asset – it's young people."
On a continent where most people have never made a phone call in their lives, the tertiary level students were given the task of finding ways of bringing ICTs to the continent to improve access to information and much needed development.
"It is up to you to find ways to do this," said Nazif, "Why should Africa always wait for the West? Through ICTs we have the chance to not only be receivers of information but the senders as well. You all have ideas. Now put those ideas together and present them in a business model that works."
A mammoth task for anyone brave enough to accept the challenge, but the wheel is already turning and has been since the youth forum's inception three years ago in Johannesburg South Africa where a declaration was drawn up and adopted.
Using previous documents and action plans, a declaration will be drawn up and presented to delegates at the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunisia next year.
A young man from Mali leans forward and whispers to his colleague, "You think we can do this?" The girl smiles sheepishly, nods her head and replies, "Why not? We are here are we not, that has to mean something. It's a good sign."
With this determination perhaps one day the African Youth Forum will become more than just an experiment – but a vibrant tradition that will launch Africa into a new era of ICT development on the continent.
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