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African Economic Outlook 2009
Experts Meeting
Innovation in Information and Communication Technology in Africa
Paris, 15 December 2008
Innovation in ICT
Innovation in ICT is a vital component of an economy’s dynamism and competitiveness. While Africa lags behind in terms of fixed-line telephony, new technologies and business models are circumventing market inefficiencies and institutional bottlenecks. The number of applications is rising exponentially, with e-banking setting the pace and other services such as e-health, e-education, and e-government following closely. It is therefore only natural that the African Economic Outlook, after focusing in previous editions on energy supply, transport infrastructure and water and sanitation, should select ‘innovation in ICT’ as the thematic focus of its 9th edition, thereby completing its series on infrastructure.
This experts meeting is an important step in the production of the AEO 2009: it invites leading experts, policy makers and private-sector representatives from African and OECD countries to:
- Take stock of the progress achieved by the economies of the continent in deploying ICT for development;
- Assess the extent and sustainability of the sector’s contribution to Africa’s growth;
- Review best practices in public policies, regulation and financing;
- Provide recommendations for meeting future challenges.
Programme
08:30 - 09:00: Registration and welcome coffee
09:00 - 09:15: Opening remarks
09:15 - 11:00: Session I - Technologies for Telecommunications in Africa
11:00 - 11:30: Coffee break
11:30 - 13:00: Session II - ICT Applications for Development
13:00 - 14:30: Lunch
14:30 - 16:00: Session III - Public Policies for Consumer Welfare
16:00 - 16:30: Coffee break
16:30 - 18:00: Session IV - Financing
Full Programme
Participants List
Presentations
Opening Remarks
The African Development Bank's ICT Strategy 2008-2010, Ibrahima N'Diaye, African Development Bank
Session I - Technologies for Telecommunications in Africa
El Hadji Babacar Ba, TIGO Senegal
Abdelkrim Benamar, Alcatel-Lucent
Satellite for Telecommunications in Africa, Jean-François Fremaux, Eutelsat
Technologies for Mobile Communications in Africa: How to Connect the Unconnected, Patrick Puges, France Telecom Orange
Session II - ICT Applications for Development
Vodafone Money Transfer, Claire Alexandre, Vodafone
Convergent ICT Services for Economic and Social Development of African Rural Communities, Daniel Annerose, Manobi
From e-Gov to i-Gov - Improving e-Applications, Jorge Lopes, Cape Verde
Session III - Public Policies for Consumer Welfare
Solution To Ameliorate Coordination Between Public And Private Actors, Amah Vinyo Capo, Togo
Improving Public-Private Relations, Jean-Marie Noagbodji, C.A.F.E. Informatique et Télécommunications
Vsat in Africa, Jean-Marie Noagbodji, C.A.F.E. Informatique et Télécommunications
Regulation Vs Competition, Patrick Masambu, Uganda
Session IV - Financing
West Africa International Connectivity, Yann Burtin, World Bank
Are Government Sponsored Backbone Projects the Solution To Improved Broadband Access in Africa, Anders Engvall, Scanbi Invest
Martin Price, SEACOM
African Connectivity, John Sihra, Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System
Background reading
Does Digital Provide or Divide? The Impact of Cell Phones on Grain Markets in Niger, 2008, Jenny C. Aker, Tufts University & Center for Global Development
"Can you Hear me Now?" How Cell Phones are Transforming Markets in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2008, Jenny C. Aker, Tufts University & Center for Global Development
Les Stratégies technologiques des opérateurs de télécommunications en Afrique, 2008, Mathurin Bako, Autorité nationale de régulation des télécommunications, Burkina Faso
Managing the Risk of Mobile Banking Technologies, 2008, Bankable Frontier Associates
Mobile Telephony and the Entrepreneur - An African Perspective, 2008, Ken Banks, kiwanja.net
Mobile Finance - Indigenous, Ingenius, or Both?, 2008, Ken Banks, kiwanja.net
Mobile Phones and the Digital Divide, 2008, Ken Banks, kiwanja.net
Making the Message Count, 2007, Ken Banks, kiwanja.net
Africa, Market Round-Up, 2008, Joss Gillet, Wireless Intelligence
Quaterly World Review, Q2, 2008, Joss Gillet, Wireless Intelligence
La Mangue...l'or vert du Mali, 2008, International Institute for Communication and Development
The Impact of Mobile Phone Usage Coverage Expansion on Market Participation: Panel Data Evidence from Uganda, 2008, Megum Muto, Japan International Cooperation Agency Research Institute
Separate Fiber Backbones - A Doubtful Business Case, 2007, Scanbi-Invest
Mobile Leaning for Mathematics - Project in South Africa, 2008, Riita Vänskä, Nokia & Lucky Masilela, Nokia Siemens Network
The African Economic Outlook
The African Economic Outlook (AEO) is a unique instrument combining the expertise of the African Development Bank, the OECD Development Centre and the UN Economic Commission for Africa, to understand the economic and social developments of African countries. The AEO provides comprehensive and comparable data and analysis of 48 African economies. The ninth edition will be released in May 2009 at the Annual Meeting of the Governors of the African Development Bank in Dakar.
The analysis and data are placed in their social and political contexts. Moreover, the volume’s common analytical framework allows readers to compare individual countries’ economic prospects. An overview summarises the AEO’s main findings and places African economies in a global economic perspective. Each year, the AEO also provides an in-depth analysis of a topic critical for Africa’s development prospects.
Practical information
OECD Conference Centre (directions to the OECD, hotels in the vicinity, etc)
For further information, please contact Thomas Dannequin (+33 1 45 24 93 69) or Yvette Chanvoedou (+33 1 45 24 96 06).
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