Egypt joins Geneva negotiations on Global Plastics Treaty, calls for urgent agreement    Egypt delivers over 30 million health services through public hospitals in H1 2025    Madinet Masr in talks for three land plots in Riyadh as part of Saudi expansion    Egypt's PM tells Palestinian PM that Rafah crossing is working 24/7 for aid    Egypt, Japan discuss economic ties, preparations for TICAD conference    Real Estate Developers urge flexible land pricing, streamlined licensing, and dollar-based transactions    Egypt's Sisi pledges full state support for telecoms, tech investment    EGP inches down vs. USD at Sunday's trading close    EGX launches 1st phone app    Escalation in Gaza, West Bank as Israeli strikes continue amid mounting international criticism    Egypt recovers collection of ancient artefacts from Netherlands    Egypt, UNDP discuss outcomes of joint projects, future environmental cooperation    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    After Putin summit, Trump says peace deal is best way to end Ukraine war    Egypt, Namibia explore closer pharmaceutical cooperation    Jordan condemns Israeli PM remarks on 'Greater Israel'    Renowned Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim dies at 88    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt, Huawei explore healthcare digital transformation cooperation    Egypt's Sisi, Sudan's Idris discuss strategic ties, stability    Egypt's govt. issues licensing controls for used cooking oil activities    Egypt to inaugurate Grand Egyptian Museum on 1 November    Egypt's Sisi: Egypt is gateway for aid to Gaza, not displacement    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







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The unsung local heroes who are really changing Africa
Published in Bikya Masr on 22 - 04 - 2013

A revolution is occurring throughout African societies. While governments implement high-level, high-visibility ICT strategies, experts have recently identified far more radical, hidden changes occurring across the Continent. New technologies, when adopted, are adapted to local needs: a sort of under-the-radar innovation which is now pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
Mark Kaigwa, Kenyan ICT guru, digital strategist and keynote speaker at eLearning Africa, explains the situation in his own country: “it's the organic stuff, initiated by the community and on the fringes? this is what's really going to transform our country and the rest of the East African region, if not the whole Continent.”
Across the Continent, people are coming up with varied and innovative solutions. To a Kenyan, a mobile could be a portable bank machine – an efficient way to pay bills, take taxis or eat out, using the m-Pesa banking system. To a South African, the same device is a social networking tool, allowing free instant messaging, connections to chat rooms and file transfers – they are used, for example, by teens to download and share quality fiction from the FunDza Literary Trust. A tablet on a farm allows instant access to markets, agricultural advice and weather warnings; in a school, it is a cheap, scalable replacement for the traditional textbook.
With all this and more going on it is no wonder that the eyes of the world are on Africa, eager to find out what successful local solutions could be transplanted elsewhere. Prof Dr Johannes Cronje of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa, has been developing MOOCs which, though made for Africa, “have become very useful for people all over the world.” Although the initial concept comes from abroad, the MOOC has clearly found the most fertile conditions for growth in Africa: the latest lessons we are learning about the improvement of education worldwide are coming from examples of local endeavour in Africa.
Also speaking during one of the plenary sessions at the 8th eLearning Africa conference will be Prof Sugata Mitra of Newcastle University, who is expected to offer insight into the similarities and differences between Indian and African innovations. During the conference there will also be chances to learn about how community radio and broadcast television have collaborated to bring education to rural Zambia, and about how farmers in Ghana became hooked on the mobile phone.
Stories of individual entrepreneurship abound in Africa, and these developments clearly have an international importance. However, due to their scattered, localised nature, they very infrequently make the headlines. This is not the case, however, at eLearning Africa 2013: here over one and a half thousand professionals will gather to share their experiences, adaptations, successes and failures. The conference programme, now released online, showcases all that is local, innovative and daring. Here you can find full information on the plenaries, presentations and debates to be given at the conference, which is taking place in Windhoek, Namibia, from 29th-31st of May. The full programme can be viewed on the eLearning Africa website, at http://www.elearning-africa.com/programme_table.php
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