Guiding Principles/Objectives

Programmes

ECA is a key pioneer in the area of ICT for development and is an implementing agency for the African Information Society Initiative (AISI) - an action framework for promoting Africa’s digital capacity adopted by Resolution 812 (XXXI) by the Conference of Ministers of Planning and Economic Development in 1996 and endorsed by African Heads of State in the same year. AISI's major activities and objectives include the development of national e-strategies, and building Africa's information and communication infrastructure and capacity of all major stakeholders – http://www.uneca.org/aisi. Driven by critical development imperatives, AISI focuses on priority strategies, programmes and projects, serves as a mechanism for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of which seven among the eight are reflected in the AISI framework document.

Areas of Application:

See the “Programmes” section.

ECA's major programmatic areas are described as follows:

► Policy Formulation and Implementation
(http://www.uneca.org/aisi/nici/): ECA has been assisting some 28 African countries in developing national and sectoral ICT strategies for accelerating their socio-economic development, through the National Information and Communication Infrastructure (NICI) Plans. Support is also being given to Regional Economic Communities to facilitate the harmonization of national strategies and regulatory frameworks at the sub-regional levels as countries deregulate and liberalize their telecommunication markets (Regional Information and Communication Infrastructure (RICI) Plans). Benchmarking is an important aspect of the policy process and through SCAN ICT the Commission is developing indicators for measuring the impact of the Information Society.

► Information and Knowledge Development and Management with building capacities of African policy makers, civil society, private sector and institutions through workshops, exhibition and training on the establishment and utilisation of information by the Information Technology Centre for Africa (ITCA). Activities regarding content development are being pursued, as well as research on the Information Society including activities such as VarsityNet that supports the R & D capacity of African Higher Education Institutions.

►Partnership and Networking Information Society activities have been supported through the broad framework of the  ‘The Partnership for ICTs in Africa’ (PICTA) mechanism, with the Finnish Government, Industry Canada, the European Commission, GTZ (Germany), the Swiss International Development Agency (SDC), IDRC, The Ford Foundation, The Open Society Initiatives for West and Southern Africa, and other multilateral agencies. Another partnership mechanism is the Global e-Policy Resource Network (ePol-Net), the Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) and African Stakeholders Network of the UN ICT Task Force, which constitutes the eighth MDG.

►Outreach and Communication entails a series of activities to promote AISI goals, involving all societal actors by creating greater awareness on the information society within the AISI framework and for developing strategies for greater access to the Information Society by various groups including, women, youth, the poor and the disadvantaged. There are a series of information outputs that are produced to promote and create awareness including the award-winning AISI Radio Series – Dialogue on Digital Dividends in Africa, iConnect Africa, Briefing Papers the PICTA Bulletin and web resources.

Participation in Multi-donor Programmes:

See the “Programmes” section.

Africa

n/a

► Ms. Karima Bounemra Ben Soltane, Chief of Division, DISD, kbounemra@uneca.org
► ecainfo@uneca.org