ACSIS membership grows to over 500 in 40 countries

ITREALMS:

The African Civil Society on the Information Society (ACSIS) has revealed that its membership has continued to gain momentum from over 170 to over 500 within the last one year, reports ITRealms.

Disclosing this in an end of year message, ACSIS president, Dr. Cisse Kane told ITRealms that 2017 was a pivotal year in the development of the pan-African organization with several acts of recognition and strategic positioning that will promote ACSIS participation in the reflection and actions for sustainable Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Africa.

Some of this achievements, he outlined to include “Obtaining consultative status at the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC), accreditation to the Economic and Social Council of the African Union (ECOSOC-AU).”

He also listed the acceptance of ACSIS to E-trade For All Initiative facilitated by (UNCTAD).

Today, he said, ACSIS is present in over 40 countries in Africa and in the Diaspora comprising France, Switzerland, United States of America (USA), Canada, the Netherlands, and Germany to name a few.

In addition, he revealed ACSIS now has over 500 member organizations, just as national ACSIS coordinations are being set up and “we regularly welcome new memberships and partnerships.”

Kane further commended the ACSIS executive board members and all members of ACSIS network, who have participated both physically and remotely and often at their own expense in numerous local, national and international meetings to promote sustainable ICTs in Africa.

“To raise the voice of our continent, by sharing with us valuable information, press articles on developments, activities of member organizations, etc. All this contributed greatly to making our network vibrant,” he said.

Nonye Dom/GEE

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ACSIS wants more inclusion, multilingualism @WSIS forum

ITRealms:

The African Civil Society on the Information Society (ACSIS) has called for more inclusion and multilingualism in the affairs and organization of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forums, reports ITRealms.

In his address to the forum which ended last weekend in Geneva, Switzerland, the President of ACSIS, Dr. Cisse Kane, appealed to the international community to support the WSIS Forum secretariat.

Welcoming the unique framework of the WSIS Forum, which he said, allows greater interaction between all actors in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector.

Dr. Kane also said this is essential in the present and future, given the centrality of ICTs in the lives and the necessity to link ICT with sustainable development goals.

He commended the remarkable work of the secretariat of the Forum, beckoning on all actors, including the private sector, to further support the WSIS Forum by providing it with sufficient resources to strengthen the inclusiveness and enhance its resonance.

According to him, some of these supports would include to:

1. Translate the entire website of the WSIS forum at least in all United Nations official languages;

2. Ensure that all sessions of the WSIS forum are interpreted in UN official languages ​

3. Translate all WSIS Forum programmes into all United Nations official languages

4. Provide a significant number of scholarships (at least 20 per continent) each year to enable the most deserving members of the civil society and academic sector to travel to Geneva and participate in the WSIS Forum

5. Provide the opportunity to supplement the governmental delegations participating in the WSIS Forum by some deserving members of the Civil Society and the Academic Sector.

Nonye Dom/GEE 

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Chad to host first-ever Pan African summit on digital economy, SDGs

ITRealms:

Plans have been advanced for the hosting of the first-ever Pan African summit on digital economy and sustainability development goals (SDGs) in Ndjamena, Chadian capital, reports ITRealms.

Confirming this to ITRealms at the weekend after a courtesy visit by the president, African Civil Society on the Information Society (ACSIS-SCASI) Dr. Cissé Kane to Chad President, Mr. Idriss Deby Itno, said that his office received a nod from Chad presidency for the event in 2017.

According to him, His Excellency Mr. Idriss Déby Itno, President of the Republic of Chad, and chairman of African Union (AU) on Friday, gave his agreement to hold the 1st Pan-African Summit on the Digital Economy and Sustainable Growth in N'djamena by first quarter of next year.

The audience during the visit includes Mr. Mahamat Allahou Taher, Chad Minister of Posts and New Information and Communication Technologies and Mr. Bedoumra Kordjé, Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic of Chad.

Dr. Kane also congratulated President Idriss Déby Itno for his vision and pan-African leadership and for having the bright idea of setting up the African Center for Information Technologies (CATI), recalling that he had proposed the organization of such a summit at the WSIS Forum 2016 in Geneva (Switzerland), which received the support of several African ministers, Ambassadors and personalities present in Geneva at the occasion.

ACSIS President pointed out that the Summit will respond to three major questions, namely on “How to make African countries benefit from resources generated by the ICT/telecom sector in Africa? What concrete financial mechanisms to put in place to get there? How to finance sustainable digital development in Africa?; How to make Africa moving from a consumer status to a real and sustainable actor of the digital economy status?;  What are the priorities for digital resources generated by Africa to be used as leverage for the development of Africa?”

Dr. Kane also emphasized that summit was inspired by four major repositories comprising the African Union 2063 Agenda; Addis Ababa Agenda of Action (2015); the WSIS recommendations, particularly the WSIS +10 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

ITRealms  further recollects that the Pan African organization, the Africa Civil Society on the Information Society (ACSIS) was formed in June 2003, during the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva, to promote open and inclusive information society in Africa.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Pix: ACSIS president, Dr. Cise Kane and Chad president, Idriss Deby during the visit.

ACSIS launches web presence @ www.acsis.scasi.org

ITRealms:

The Africa Civil Society on the Information Society (ACSIS) has announced the launch of its official web platform aimed at keeping members and the continent of Africa abreast of developments within the Information Society (IS), reports ITRealms.

ACSIS president, Dr. Cisse Kane disclosed this saying the platform would avail lots of African civil societies to be actively involved on the issues surrounding the Internet and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) community at the continental level.

President of the pan-African network also said that the new site would serve as an observatory to spur sharing of developmental information and monitor systems on everything that is happening in the ICTs ecosystem in Africa.

According to him, ACSIS focus would cover topics and developments on the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) processes, follow up as it may concern and affect 54-member states of Africa.

In addition, Mr. Kane said ACSIS is interested in the inventory and monitoring of WSIS activities, as well as defend Africa's interests in the field of ICT, creating and strengthening ACSIS-SCASI national coordination.

Equally, ACSIS Platform, he said would work to improve organization and communication of African ICT entities and resource persons including Africans in Diaspora; provide training for African ICT community and people, while structuring partnerships with all stakeholders, not limited to the governments, private sector, civil society, academia, local and regional authorities, international organizations, to name a few.

ACSIS Platform, he further said, would provide advocacy on current issues such as access, costs, linguistic diversity, local content, IANA transition, openness, unicity, interoperability, accountability, monitoring the implementation of the resolutions of the WSIS, electronic waste, human rights, cyber security, and privacy among others.

The pan African network president went on to state that their interest filters on best practices, information on ICT events, observatory of ICT in Africa, country-based profiling of the continent and national, sub-regional, regional, Internet Governance Forums (IGF). ACSIS thus offers its various partners a communication tool (events, initiatives, projects, etc.).

Hence, he said, the African Civil Society on the Information Society is the dedicated to promoting a sustainable information society open and inclusive. 

He pointed out that ACSIS was launched during the first phase of the WSIS by the will of the representatives of the African Civil Society that participated at the Geneva Summit process in 2003. This idea was confirmed with the support of the Economic Commission for United Nations Africa (ECA), the people and the republic of Tunisia during a meeting in April 2004 in Tunisia. The meeting also marked the official launch of ACSIS. 

Therefore, he said, ACSIS is a platform through which African civil society could influence policy and guidelines and ensure that strategies and programmes that promote ICT development, poverty reduction, appropriation of ICT for sustainable and equitable development, community participation in policy and strategy development and implementation, etc. meets expectations and needs of African people.

+Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) +ITRealms DSA  
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