Fellow Ugandans,

As a creative consultant, it is not often that I get to work on a project that both pays me and also contributes to the development and well-being of Uganda. I would like to introduce you to such a project.

I met Pratheepan “Deep” Gulasekaram in DC at the Clinton Global Diaspora Forum. He, along with a crew of determined colleagues put their skills together in the wake of the Asian tsunami and built a fully functioning hospital in Sri Lanka. They successfully negotiated a public-private partnership with the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health to complete and ensure the long-term success of the newly constructed Matara Children’s Hospital.

After the completion and hand over of the project that was recognized by Bill Clinton and George Bush Sr., they have set out to build a children’s hospital in Uganda. “Project Heart: Uganda” has already broken ground. The walls and roof are already up and completion is in sight.

After a long talk with Deep last month, I agreed to assist their efforts to connect to members of the East African Diaspora that would bring value to their initiative. Not because they are my clients, but because it is a much needed initiative that will bring value to Uganda’s medical system. Additionally, I wanted to share this project with you as a plea for all of us to help support this initiative to make sure it is successfully launched with as much of our buy-in as possible. After all, it will be our family members that will benefit in the long run. The above video of one such child who was helped by these very same doctors to repair her heart

Here is a project that is reaching out directly for us to be part of its success and the re-invention of Uganda’s medical services & facilities. For once, it is not another aid project that FAILS to request to partner with us. It is a project that we all know could save the life of one of our family members.

On Sept. 24th, “Project Heart: Uganda” is having a fund-raising event in Los Angeles. If you are in California and are interested in meeting Deep and his inspiring colleagues, I am sure they won’t fail to inspire you with the vision that they have for the hospital.

Here are some things you can do to help this project:

I look forward to seeing us all rise to the occasion for this initiative. Even if all you do is  donate $1.00 (though I secretly hope it is more than that, nearly $3 billion in remittances is sent to East Africa annually-let’s put some of it towards a sustainability initiative). If you’d like more information, I’d be happy to put you in touch with Deep and his team. A new web site with more information is in the works that will keep all of you updated on the project.

Why You Should Vote for Africa, Tech & Women SXSW Panel

I decided to write this blog post as a way to help prospective voters and supporters to understand the thinking and passion behind our Africa, Tech & Women: The New Faces of Development SXSW panel submission.  We believe this panel will help to change the conversation on Africa, about whom most people have a limited negative perception; its women, who are often depicted as helpless, uneducated and unproductive; and dispel the myth that there isn’t much technological development taking place in Africa.

When TMS Ruge and I embarked upon this SXSW journey together, we decided we would create a panel building upon his successful SXSW 2009 presentation, Africa 3.0.  We knew that with the 2012 panel, we wanted to add a new dimension and feature multiple voices.  After a lot of research and brainstorming, we discovered that the African Union declared 2010-2020: The African Woman Decade and decided it would be a source of inspiration for us.  Additionally, we’re both very passionate about gender rights issues, publicizing the greatness of Africa and its Diaspora and are tech enthusiasts — and as such, we decided on the title: Africa, Tech & Women.

The subtitle: The New Faces of Development came about after lots of trial and error.  We finally agreed to it, given that it encompasses the areas we want to cover and from a new perspective: (1) Economic, (2) Technological, (3) Philanthropic, and (4) Community.

We then decided we should showcase the different ways in which a cross-section of African women based in the Diaspora and on the continent are impacting Africa’s development through technology.  We were able to identify three incredible African women who leverage use technology in very significant ways to affect change on the continent and beyond.  They also helped us to flesh out the panel topics, so that the description you read below is representative of what we all want to share, in the limited time available on a panel.  Additionally,

Africa, Tech & Women SXSW Panelists

1. Isis Nyong’o – InMobi (Kenya)

Isis joined InMobi in February 2011 to lead business expansion in Africa. With over nine years of business development, marketing and sales experience, Isis is responsible for the overall growth on the continent.  Isis joins InMobi from Google where she led the company’s business development efforts in Africa. She specialized in mobile partnerships and developed Google’s content strategy to bring more African content online. She brings extensive media and tech experience to InMobi and drove the launch of MTV Networks in Africa where she was responsible for commercial relationships including distribution and sales. She developed the marketing strategy for Kenya’s first online recruitment service, MyJobsEye and holds degrees from Stanford University and Harvard Business School where she was president of the Africa Business Club. Isis has been named by Forbes as one of The 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa, is one of the ‘Top 40 Women under 40″ in Kenya, and is frequently featured by the Africa media including, Al Jazeera, BBC, Nation Newspaper, NTV, Standard Newspaper and UP Magazine, among others.

2. Ebele Okobi-Harris – Yahoo! (USA)

Ebele Okobi-Harris is Director of Yahoo!’s Business and Human Rights Program, leading Yahoo!’s efforts to promote privacy and free expression on the Internet. Before joining Yahoo!, Ebele was a corporate securities and mergers & acquisitions attorney at Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York, Paris and London, an attorney fellow at Consumers Union (a consumer rights advocacy non-profit) in San Francisco, a director of Advisory Services at Catalyst (a non-profit with the mission of advancing women in business) in San Jose and Amsterdam and at Nike’s EMEA headquarters as an MDP focused on marketing and business development in Africa.

Ms. Okobi-Harris earned a BA in Psychology from the University of Southern California, a JD from Columbia Law School and an MBA Certificat des Études from Hautes Études Commerciales de Paris.

3. Milly Businge – Kikuube Village Council (Uganda)

Milly Businge is a respected village elder and mother of eight children in the small village of Kikuube. She serves as the Local Chairperson (LC1) of her village, representing a population of nearly 1000 residents. She has been unanimously re-elected to this position by the residents of Kikuube because her work representing them at the government level. She has often wanted to retire and refused to stand for the position during elections, but the villagers always rally and vote for her anyway. That’s the mark of a great leader.  Mrs. Businge was also recently officially ordained as a minister and serves as the pastor of the small but growing community church.

In November 2010, Mrs. Businge delivered the keynote speech during the “Villages in Action” conference that was hosted in Kikuube.  The conference was broadcast live over the internet and proved to be a very successful initiative — giving the poor an opportunity to be heard in the global conversation about the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

When she is not managing domestic disputes, land wrangles, and community health awareness campaigns in her community, she spends her time reading. She is also an enthusiastic user of mobile technologies as they help her connect with her constituency and connect globally to her son (TMS Ruge) in America.

4. Liz Ngonzi – New York University Heyman Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising (USA)

Born in Uganda and “raised” at the United Nations, Liz Ngonzi is an international educator, speaker and consultant, who has since 2009, been on Adjunct Faculty at New York University’s Heyman Center for Philanthropy & Fundraising – for which she has developed and taught courses on online and mobile fundraising, and where she is one of four noted social media experts.

Liz is a recognized authority on ICT for development, the African Diaspora market, hospitality / service management, women in business, and social entrepreneurship.  She’s a frequent conference speaker, including as a panelist during the Entrepreneurship@Cornell Celebration, in the spring of 2007; as a featured international speaker at the May 2011 Southern Africa Institute of Fundraising’s 10th Biennial Convention in South Africa; and as a panelist for New York University’s Philanthropy 3.0 Speaker Series: Mobile in Advocacy The Next Frontier.  In September, she will speak in the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 41^st Annual Legislative Conference and will chair the 2^nd Annual ICT Women Empowerment Africa Summit in South Africa.

A committed volunteer, Liz has held several board positions, including currently serving as a member of the President’s Council of Cornell Women (for which she is a Vice Chair of its Communications Committee); the Advisory Board to the Cornell University Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship; and the United Nations International School’s Council for Alumni Affairs.

Media outlets in which Liz has been featured, include: CBS’ The Early Show, Crain’s New York Business, New Jersey Jewish News, Successful Meetings Magazine, The New York Times, The Nonprofit Times and ZambiaBlogTalkRadio.

Liz founded and runs Amazing Taste, LLC., a values-led boutique consulting firm that connects NGOs with philanthropists and corporations, to achieve strategic objectives through fundraising events, marketing campaigns, along with educational activities.   Amazing Taste has worked with or advised domestic and international educational institutions, gender rights organizations, healthcare foundations, political campaigns, and youth development organizations.

Liz spent her 10-year corporate career in marketing, sales and business consulting at Digital Equipment Corporation, MICROS Systems, Inc. and Arthur Andersen, respectively.  She obtained her Master of Management in Hospitality degree from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems degree (with a concentration in Telecommunications Systems) from Syracuse University.  Additionally, she graduated from the United Nations International School.

5. TMS Ruge (moderator and “token male”) – Project Diaspora (USA)

TMS Ruge was born in Masindi, Uganda and grew up in Uganda, Kenya and the United States. Capitalizing on his understanding of different cultures and markets, Ruge has become a successful global social entrepreneur.

In 2007 he co-founded Project Diaspora — to motivate, engage and mobilize the African Diaspora to take an active role in Africa’s development. Following his passion to engage the continent, he has invested his time and money in a number of development initiatives including Uganda Medicinal Plants Grower’s ltd. – an indigenous farmers’ business specializing in the export of value-added medicinal plants, and Women of Kireka – a women’s jewelry making cooperative.

A technology enthusiast, Ruge writes and speaks extensively on Africa’s current renaissance driven by technology, youth and the Diaspora. He is a frequent contributor to several online publications including CNN, PopTech, The Globe and Mail, and The Guardian, and the Project Diaspora blog. He is also the host of The Digital Continent Podcast, a weekly technology podcast for people who believe that Africa is full of innovation and opportunity. Ruge is also a founding board member of Hive Colab – an open, collaborative, community-owned, work environment for young Ugandan tech entrepreneurs to focus on projects..

Ruge also serves as an advisor for ?OpenAction.org – an online platform that allows development organizations to richly engage their online audience.

He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Design from the University of North Texas.

Description of the Proposed SXSW Africa, Tech Women: The New Faces of Development Panel:

This panel provides a rare glimpse into the multitude of ways African women are applying technology to advance Africa’s development. The panel aims to dispel the myths about African women as breeders and victims — incapable of participating in their own continent’s development, by: (1) showcasing contributions they are making in the technology field – through entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and community leadership; and (2) providing insights into how they are using technology to raise awareness about, mobilize campaigns against and address human rights violations.

The panel will specifically explore how African women are using technology to make an impact through: – Digital advocacy to protect people’s rights – Social media to help grassroots organizations engage new supporters worldwide – Mobile advertising to enable small businesses to access new markets – Internet connectivity to integrate the often unheard community voices into the global conversation on development

Throughout the discussion, panelists will provide anecdotes on how the resulting increased access to information, is altering the role of women in African society.

Questions our panel aims to answer are:

1. What is the role of women in Africa’s fast emerging digital landscape and what types of contributions are they making?
2. How is technology improving the everyday lives of women on the continent?
3. What is the negative impact of increased access to information, on the role of the African woman in her society?
4. What are the opportunities and connections technology is facilitating between women in the Diaspora and on the continent?
5. Given the increased adoption of mobile phones in Africa and the rise of its middle class, what opportunities exist for marketers interested in targeting African women?

Please help us to amplify the voices of African women in the global discussion on development.

Vote for Africa, Tech & Women: The New Faces of Development and tell your friends to do the same.

Thank you

Follow us on Twitter: Liz Ngonzi @LizNgonzi | Isis  Nyongy’o @Inyongyo | TMS Ruge @TMSruge

I spent this past week in Washington, DC attending Secretary Clinton’s Global Diaspora Forum. The UN foundation invited me to participate on a panel discussion the Global Diaspora’s role in tackling global problems.

The power of the Diaspora as change agents is not something new to us here at Project Diaspora. Since 2007, we’ve been singing that song from the perspective of the African Diaspora’s role in development of Africa. While the continent’s Diaspora was well-represented, I noticed a lack of Sub-Saharan Africa voices on the major planery panels. Semhar Araia, founder and executive director of Diaspora African Women’s Network (DAWN) and a member of Eritrea’s Diaspora, was one of the few voices I noticed.

I can possibly give the State Department a pass as this was the first conference of it’s kind. I am sure subsequent forums will include an equal representation from all regions. There was an underlying current of the need for collaboration among the Diaspora’s.

In his opening remarks, Thomas Debass, Director at the Global Partership Initiative in the Office of the Secretary of State, noted that “the tone of the conference is about partnership and less about pontification.”

The following are notes from the first day’s keynote speeches and plenary sessions. I zeroed in on interesting stats and quotes that I thought most relevant to this audience:

• We [ global diaspora ] are natural ambassodors
• 300 organizations represented
• Diaspora at State is a brand new office set up by Secretary Clinton

Maria Otero
Under-Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs

• Highest ranking Latina in the history of Department of State
• Raised with 8 siblings in La Paz, Bolivia
• Moved to Washington, DC when she was 12
• “Our hearts, our minds and our stomachs always remain in our home countries”
• Her siblings lived somewhere between Bolivian culture and new home in America. All her siblings got jobs that fulfilled that balance
• Has been fortunate to work in careers that have dealt with her home country
• Over 25% of American population is first generation immigrant
• US throughout has used used Diaspora to engage with their home countries
• This event today builds on our ties to our countries of origin. Seeks Diaspora to inform State Department on foreign diplomacy.
• “What State Dept calls diplomacy, we call a phone call to family and friends.”
• We know we are the link between the two and our voice matters
• Diaspora communities are first to respond and last to leave in any time of intervention
• Diplomacy under this pres and Sec of state is no longer limited to a phone call from government office
• From one immigrant to many, I greatly appreciate you being here
• All the issues that I work on I know are important to you

 

Hillary Clinton
Secretary of State of the United States

• Extend greeting to everyone that is visiting via internet
• One of great strengths of the US is its diversity
• More than 60 million Americans are first or second generation diaspora
• What would countries do without remittances from America. Remittances dwarf foreign aid
• Not possible for any government to deal with everything it has to deal with, that’s why we need ‘smart power.’ Building coalitions, people-to-people exchanges is the essence of smart power
• You are our peace corps, our usaid, opic all rolled into one
• In a crisis, first people to respond are those with family or friends where disaster strikes
• Many of you have stepped in where others were unwilling or unable to assist
• Irish Americans were instrumental in peace process in Ireland
• America has an obligation to try and promote peace around the world (with guns?-TMS)
• Particularly interested in women involved as peace makers
• There are some member of some communities who want nothing to do with their respective communities of origin
• GDF will instutionalize as a convener, catalyst, collaborator (work closely with diaspora to maximize impact
• We need to get into the basics of what it means to participate in the process of politics
• We need you to help to us (State dept) on what is best to be done to organize
• Too many people who pledge for democracy believe in one election, one time
• We want you to tell us what we should be doing

 

Partner Commitments to the International Diaspora Engagement Alliance (IDEA)

• IFAD
  • Diaspora investment in ag is end of conflict and beginning of development
  • 250 million leave outside countries of origin worldwide
  • We all have a profound connection to our friends and our families
  • 325 bil in remittances around the world, help in education, health, family
  • Role of diaspora goes beyond short-term relief
  • Investment in ag is best vehicle to development. Social and polical benefits
  • Diaspora willing to invest while foriegn firms run away
  • How can we better leverage Diaspora investments in agricuture
  • Diaspora save $400 bil every year, money is not the problem
  • Diaspora throughout the world will send over $1.3 trillion, goal is to encourage moving some of that money towards investments to foster growth and development
  • “Let us create a world where migration is a matter of choice, not a matter of necessity”

• Inter American Development Bank
  • Latin America will soon reach 100% mobile phone penetration, the highest in the world
  • It is impossible for any one institution to have everything

World Bank

• • African Diaspora is the 6^th region for Africa’s development
  • Africa in the last decade has done better than it has ever done, growing at about 5.7% per anum.
  • Africa’s sound policies rebounded after the global crisis because of sound policies
  • Any attempts to grow the continent needs to employ all economic regions
  • Data on physicians: 1 to 33,500 patients in Liberia
  • No way africa is going to achieve MDGs in childbirth without investment in this areas
  • 2 million in the US and other areas
  • Infrastrucre on the continent.
    • Domestic resources mobilization is almost saturated
    • $48 billion needed annually to build up Africa’s infrastructure

Haiti

• I would ask the remittances laws be changed to allow for more flow and less control at the top by remittance companies controlling remittance flows.

MVIA launches BOOM

• • World’s first global mobile-based bank account
  • Does not charge money transfer fees
  • First two global diaspora will be Mexico & Haiti
  • Will include large towns and cities as well as rural areas
  • Partnership with 25000 owner-operated money-transfer facilities
  • Bank over 1 million over next 5 years
  • Eliminating cash will increase security for many Mexicans who count on remittances
  • 30% of Haiti’s GDP is generated from remittances**
  • Zero transaction fees to Haiti for the 1^st year
  • More information at www.useBoom.com

 

The Hand Foundation

• Different views on various topics get in the way of organizing for development
• Human capital development is really critical in running our home countries

 

Western Union

• • Main business is to serve movement of money for diasporas
  • 10% of GDP for approximately 40 countries
  • 70% is functionally banked using technology
  • 70% of proposals came from USA for Diaspora Marketplace participants
  • Founding member of Diaspora Alliance
  • Announcing renewed partnership with USAID and will launch second DMP later this year
  • Celebrating 160^th birthday

The business card exchanges were fast and furious. Deciding which panel to attend and which to miss was a heart-breaking process, as I found the discussions both deep and engaging. It was unfortunate that so many panels were held concurrently, because it meant missing out on so much content. Here’s to wishing that the next forum provides a better avenue to accessing the panels & discussions that were missed online.

Tukeni with other people from Kenya, Ghana, Cameroon, Zimbabwe and Rwanda representing World Youth Allliance Africa at the International Solidarity Forum on Maternal Health in New York

Countries are a lot like persons. As a political science student, you learn to appreciate countries, their histories, their idiosyncrasies, their weakness, their strengths. And your textbooks are replete with personifications: France denounced the UK’s proposal in the European Union; Canada is seeking to be a member of the UN Security Council; Russia invaded Georgia; America prepares to occupy Iraq; China is the sleeping giant that has awoken. Even country leaders are immediately identified with their countries. A typical news headline reads something like: Obama meets with Harper to conclude the trade agreement. Queen Elizabeth of England and Nicholas Sarkozy of France landed in Copenhagen this morning. We all understand this. But when Goodluck Jonathan and Yahya Jammeh meet, a synthesis automatically occurs, they are stripped of their personal and national identities, the African blanket is tossed over them and the headline becomes “African leaders meet to discuss bla bla bla.” Of course, later on, the article will explain that they are from Nigeria and the Gambia but that regional identity has taken centre stage.

I’m not trying to stir up unnecessary controversy and I understand that if Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Malawi are represented at an event, there is no reason one can’t say that it is an African event. But when you invite one speaker from the DRC and one speaker from Nigeria to talk about those countries, is that enough reason to call the event, “Current Issues in Africa”? I mean, where do you draw the line? Will people not show up if it was called “Current Events in Nigeria and the DRC”? Have people become so obsessed with this concept of Africa that they cannot accommodate country identities? Will we ever be content with learning about countries without wanting to draw comparisons to other parts of the region to justify our generalizations and theories?

This is not an exclusive attack against Western institutions. Even so-called Africans are guilty of it too. The young boy telling his friends that “in Africa, we eat Kenke every day” when the only country he’s been to is Ghana sounds just as ridiculous. And the young woman who starts an initiative in Malawi but says on her website that she’s empowering girls in Africa is just as guilty as the young boy in my class who proudly announces that he’s been to England, Argentina and Africa.

Think of it this way: imagine that your name was Chioma but every time you did something, whether you won something or broke something, people would say “Amaka’s daughter did it”, or “one of Amaka’s daughters did it”. Imagine that people always knew you in relation to Amaka and everything you said became an affirmation of Amaka’s qualities or a pointer to how Amaka’s daughters acted, were known to act or were supposed to act. No one knew about your individual struggles or that none of your sisters could sing they way you did, or it wasn’t your mother’s idea to study medicine. No one knew why your father had called you “Chioma”. It was never about you. Imagine that you lived in the diaspora and were called “African girl” by your peers and everything you did was tied to this larger region called Africa, everything you wrote became African literature, everything you asserted became an African point of view, never mind that you knew next to nothing about South Africa or what somebody from Burkina Faso was called.

To be sure, I’m not saying that I don’t subscribe to collective identities at different times and there are no gains to be had from celebrating collective histories or promoting collective efforts. But collective identities need to give people enough reason to subscribe to them. Yes, it makes sense that when I’m in Nigeria, I am Igbo; and when I’m in Ghana, I am Nigerian; and when I’m in Kenya, I am West African; and when I am in America, I am technically African. But notice how an American remains an American when he travels to Kenya. A Canadian doesn’t suddenly become North American in Algeria.

Certain countries have been able, because of the key role they’ve played in world politics, to make a name for themselves. But as others try to ascend, as others struggle, fall, rise, win, lose within the system; as others seek to define and redefine themselves, they keep getting thrown under the group carpet. As my pan-Africanist vision grows, I keep wanting to relate to several parts of the continent, to draw comparisons between their pre-colonial, colonial and post-independence struggles, or economic indicators or popular mobilization strategies. But I also realize that every country has its own idiosyncrasies, and even so, every country is itself a plural society. And I wonder: as far as politics and economics and everyday banter go, why aren’t we content with saying we come from Djibouti or that we went to an Eritrean restaurant. If our concern is that people won’t know where or what we are talking about, isn’t talking about it the best way to create awareness? As Pan-Africanism and globalization and the internet make the world an even smaller village, will we ever be content with learning or talking about one country and appreciating it in its own right or will we continue sweeping beautiful countries under the African carpet?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Project Diaspora Presents VIA: VILLAGES IN ACTION CONFERENCE sponsored by Business Fights Poverty and Orange Uganda.

Project Diaspora is dedicated to change perceptions about the poor by building a platform whereby the voices of the poor can be heard. On November 27, 2010, the first conference will be held in a village outside Masindi, Uganda. The goal of this one-day conference is to showcase the grassroots efforts driving economic development and improving the welfare of the community – all with little or no assistance from international aid organizations.

In September 2010, international organizations, heads of state, celebrities and specialists gathered to review progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). As you may know, the MDGs were set in 2000 to achieve eight anti-poverty goals by 2015. In the midst of the coverage of these grand events, the actual “poor,” (the object of these goals) were not invited to these elite events.

The keynote speech will be delivered by the village’s LC1 chairwoman, Milly Businge. Mrs. Businge represents this village of 270 homesteads and just over 1000 people. Her keynote will revolve around the development springing up due to the shift from subsistence farming to commercial farming of sugar cane. Kikuube’s first hardware shop was opened by an enterprising young woman who identified an opportunity and now has a thriving business.

Most of the presenters and panelists will be from the village itself, mixed in with local subject-specific experts and practitioners from the technology, education and community health fields of practice here in Uganda.

The conference is title sponsored by Business Fights Poverty and Orange Uganda. Business Fights Poverty, a network that connects practitioners and experts around the world to push the boundaries of how business can fight poverty, is facilitating the day’s events. Orange Uganda, provider of Uganda’s largest 3G network, will power the live video stream.

This ground-breaking conference brings together over 500 members of the Kikuube community, community leaders, development practitioners, who will interact with a global audience connected to the conference through Twitter, Facebook, the live video stream and live blogs. Anyone in the world with a broadband connection can watch the live stream on the Business Fights Poverty homepage; the Villages in Action homepage. Follow the conference on Twitter using the #via2010 hashtag, and on the Project Diaspora Facebook page.

About Project Diaspora
Project Diaspora (PD) is a USA-based organisation established in September 2007 with a simple mission—to promote African Diaspora engagement in sustainable economic activities within Africa. PD actively seeks to mobilize, engage, and motivate members of the African Diaspora to participate in Africa’s economic, social, and cultural renaissance. Looking beyond the $40 billion in annual remittances to the continent, the strongest resources the African Diaspora possess are its vast wealth of knowledge, technical expertise and professional network. Africa’s Diaspora is well positioned to become a major developmental force. In light of their cultural and personal ties to their home communities there is no other single group that is better equipped to generate positive, sustained change across the continent.

About Business Fights Poverty
Business Fights Poverty in a free-to-join global community of professionals passionate about fighting world poverty through good business.  Business Fights Poverty connects over 10,000 people from 150 countries through its online network (www.businessfightspoverty.org), its communities on Twitter (@FightPoverty), Facebook and LinkedIn, and through physical events.  Community members come from a diverse range of business, government and civil society backgrounds to share experience and good practice – collectively pushing the boundaries of how business can fight poverty.  We believe that we can achieve more together – by harnessing our collective intelligence and energy – than we can alone.

About Orange Uganda
Orange is the key brand of France Telecom, one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators. With more than 131 million customers, the Orange brand covers internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the Group operates. At the end of 2009, France Telecom had sales of 44.8 billion euros (33.7 billion euros for the first nine months of 2010). At 30 September 2010, the Group had a total customer base of 203 million customers in 32 countries. These include 144.5 million mobile customers and 13.3 million broadband internet (ADSL, FTTH) customers worldwide. Orange is one of the main European operators for mobile and broadband internet services and, under the brand Orange Business Services, is one of the world leaders in providing telecommunication services to multinational companies.

With its industrial project, “conquest 2015″, Orange is simultaneously addressing its employees, customers and shareholders, as well as the society in which the company operates, through a concrete set of action plans. These commitments are expressed through a new vision of human resources for employees; through the deployment of a network infrastructure upon which the Group will build its future growth; through the Group’s ambition to offer a superior customer experience thanks in particular to improved quality of service; and through the acceleration of international development

France Telecom (NYSE:FTE) is listed on Euronext Paris (compartment A) and on the New York Stock Exchange.

For more information (on the internet and on your mobile): www.orange.com, www.orange-business.com, www.orange-innovation.tv

Contact:
TMS Ruge
Co founder – Project Diaspora
Teddy@projectdiaspora.org
+256 792 134 655

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The idea of TEDxPoor was born out of a Twitter discussion during UN week in September. The ongoing review of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) left a lot to be desired. For starters, the voices of those that could best benefit from this conversation were left unheard. Too often entire conferences and summits are held on the subject of “the poor” All too often they are discussed as faceless, voiceless individuals who never get an opportunity to participate in the global discussion about them. The discussions on Twitter were that something was decidedly missing from the dialog. Laura Seay, assistant professor of political science at Morehouse College, attended several of the conferences that week and had this to say:

“While there is a lot of discussion of the need to capture human capital in developing countries, we didn’t hear from anyone who had actually lived the experience of escaping poverty. We didn’t learn how families survive on $1 a day from people who have no choice but to make it work.”

In the spirit of the moment and the discussion, I offered to take the microphone to these so-called “poor,” so the world could get a chance to hear their voices and opinions; many of whom have never heard of the MDGs.

TEDx’s online registration application has been offline nearly the whole time. This has provided ample time for me to rethink this whole idea and wether or not a TEDx-branded event in the village was what I was trying to accomplish. Leveraging the TEDx brand absolutely has its advantages. The TED Talks video library is probably the most inspiring online catalog of moving images. The TED conferences have made strides to include voices from the African perspective into its talks. Various African visionaries have shared their inspiring ideas; George Ayitteh, Andrew Mwenda, William Kamkwamba, Chimamanda Adichie, Ory Okolloh and Ngozi Okonjo-Ideal to name but a few. A TED conference was held in Arusha, Tanzania in 2007. I also had the opportunity to speak at TEDxKigali this summer. The TED community even announced a partnership with Nokia to bring bundled TED talks to Africa on Nokia N8 all-in-one phones. These are all great and welcome initiatives, but I am sure you know what I am about to say. We’ve seen this model before. Many times. Successful initiatives imported onto the continent, turning us ever more into consumers and passengers as opposed to mechanics and drivers; spectators to the shaping of our own collective destinies.

Western academics wax poetic about their research methodologies and theories into how or if we (the poor) can achieve the MDGs, even going so far as to engage in intellectual sparring over each other’s development methodologies. Why is our development the rightful occupation of Western academics and armchair development pundits, and the rich and famous? I think they all really miss the point. Albert Einstein once said, “if we knew what we were doing, it wouldn’t be called research.” I am not an academic, nor do I think that I was ever cut out for such a vocation. I am happy being drunk with can-do idealism that things can work much better for those affected, that things could be much simpler; one does not need 15 years or (50 years for that matter) of research figuring out how. Let’s just do it already.

This is a call to action for the creation of a completely new platform. A departure from the norm. Let’s build our own podium; where the world can meet us, the faceless “poor.” While we may not consider ourselves poor, the world, does. I include myself because this is my community, my village, my family. This is a chance for us to contribute our not only our voices to the discussion, but to also showcase what we are already doing to advance our own communities. I think too often the world forgets that there are real people behind the stats, research goals and projections; people with opinions, ideas and smarts. As Seay said, people who, against the odds, thrive earning $1 per day. I think it is time for us to share our ideas on what, (if anything) we can do to participate in our own economic emancipation. Above all, there has to be some value in sharing how we survive averaging $1 per day. If you can do that, are you really poor or an efficient minimalist? While the label of “poor” is generally attached to the those living under the $1 per day economic threshold, is it necessarily a bad thing if you can feed, house, clothe and educate you children?  Is it easy to do? Not in the least. Could we stand to rise above that in pursuit of a better quality of life? Absolutely! The state of Poor is relative.

I’ve espoused many times the need for us Africans to politely take over the reigns of our own development. No longer do we need the steadying hand the West has had on our shoulders for half a century. The journey to equilibrium requires that we experience both failure and success to appreciate what balance is. Eventually, we must become the architects of our own development. We must become our own advocates.

Introducing the first Villages in Action Conference
Twenty minutes outside the small town of Masindi, Uganda is a village called Kikuube. There are over 260 homesteads with a population just over 1000. The local council member representing the village is none other than my Mum, whom I am sure you have met. In talking to her about this conference, I was surprised that she—as a village leader—had never heard of the MDGs. Yet she goes about her day fulfilling tasks meant to improve the welfare of her community; from educating her community about the use of bed nets, to regular home inspections enforcing sanitation codes, to empowering women with micro-loan programs. What does it say about the MDGs when the very people that are supposed to be beneficiaries don’t even know about them?

On Saturday, November 27, the microphone will be mounted stage center in this little quaint village. We welcome the world to join us in a frank discussion on the state of poor. We’ll discuss the MDGs and what our role is in achieving them by 2015 (and what we were already doing). Let’s talk about how we survive. How big a role does commercial farming and the various small-scale entrepreneurial activities contribute to our development. I want to challenge the notion that the sustainability of our communities depends on intervention from the West and that we are willing to take up the responsibility of developing and managing ourselves. I’d like the world instead to come to my village (and hopefully soon enough, to other villages) to see how we “manage.” Not in the sense of “poverty tourism,” but in a genuine exercise of actually listening to and engaging with us.

“How can I help,” you ask?
Good question. With such a short throw window, we’ll need all the help we can get. From volunteers, to sponsors, to live tweeters and bloggers. The word needs to get out about this conference, so if you can space a few column inches about this new platform, please do support us with a paragraph or two. A live stream of the summit would be fantastic, so we’ll obviously need tech assistance pulling that off from a remote village. This is not entirely impossible with the right partners in place. So if this is your field, please do get in touch. If you would like to lend us some financial assistance instead, you can do do so at various levels below. We’ll give as much credit as deserved to everyone who contributes to pulling this off. So thanks in advance and do check back in the coming days as more details are released. As expected, we welcome as much Diaspora participation as possible!

The Adwuma Mbomu Project Team (“AM”), which operates under the auspices of Project Diaspora (PD), as a partnership with PD’s West Africa Partner & business incubator, LoftyInc Allied Partners Limited (LAPL), is pleased to announce the following:

1. The University of Lagos, Nigeria one of Nigeria’s premier institutions has agreed to host and co-sponsor the conference to showcase emerging innovative businesses incubated using indigenous bottom of the pyramid methodologies. A memorandum of understanding to facilitate this agreement will be signed in the coming weeks,
2. The AM Team in agreement with UNILAG, as well as Global Partners (including the Monterey Institute of International Studies, California) have agreed to tentatively postpone the event to 2011 to accommodate logistics as well as sync the conference with the incubation calendar of LAPL scheduled to begin at its brand new facility taking off in January, 2011.
3. A local conference organizing team will be in place before the end of 2010 to coordinate logistics, sponsors and related matters towards the successful launch of this event.

Project Diaspora and its partners look forward to engaging sponsors, facilitators and potential attendees in the coming months. All inquiries related to the conference may be directed to teddy@ projectdiaspora.org or aiec@ loftyincltd.biz

Signed

The AM Team

In June 2010, I had the pleasure of presenting at Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media (GFEM)’s first Conversation. My task was to comment on the state of/ future of media, technology, and access to information on the continent. A fairly sizable task to accomplish in a 10-minute presentation.

The best part about the opportunity was that not only was I able to talk about the state of technology on the continent, but I was able to actually demonstrate it. I was fortunate enough to be in Kampala and have access the Appfrica Labs/Hive Colab working spaces. There was adequate bandwidth for me to do the presentation over Skype using screen share.

In June 2010, I had the pleasure of presenting at Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media (GFEM)’s first Conversation. My task was to comment on the state of/ future of media, technology, and access to information on the continent. A fairly sizable task to accomplish in a 10-minute presentation.

The best part about the opportunity was that not only was I able to talk about the state of technology on the continent, but I was able to actually demonstrate it. I was fortunate enough to be in Kampala and have access the Appfrica Labs/Hive Colab working spaces.  There was adequate bandwidth for me to do the presentation over Skype using screen share.

DiasporaCamp DC '10

On July 25, 2009, about 80 young Africans and people interested in Africa congregated in Washington, DC for BarCamp Diaspora ’09 to exchange ideas on entrepreneurship, innovation and development under the theme “Investing our talent where it counts. Through a breakout session at the event about healthcare in Ghana, a healthcare-focused NGO called REACH-Ghana was formed. Many attendees also have partnered to work on ongoing projects as a result. On July 24, 2010 at the Kenney Auditorium, School of Advanced International Studies – Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC, the conversations continue again, bringing together the African Diaspora to exchange ideas on doing business in Africa.

DiasporaCamp is a BarCamp with a focus on African Diaspora, primarily African affairs and issues. A BarCamp is an ad-hoc gathering where attendees meet for discussions, demos and networking. Unlike a typical conference, at a BarCamp everyone is both a speaker and a participant. The content is provided by all attendees based on their interests, unified under the theme. Though discussions will center on financial innovations and access to capital, there will be breakout sessions on various topics as organized by attendees.

DiasporaCamp DC ’10 is a FREE event for anyone who is interested in using their skills, talent, and resources to benefit Africa. African entrepreneurs and people with an active interest in African affairs are encouraged to attend. The focus will be on access to capital to fuel these entrepreneurial ventures, business ideas and projects. Panelists and speakers will include Joseph Obi of USAID, Dr. Philip Auerswald of George Mason University, Nii Simmonds of Nubiah Cheetah and Magogodi Makhene of Zenzele Circle.

DiasporaCamp DC 2010 is sponsored by the GhanaThink Foundation, and African Studies at the School of Advanced International Studies – Johns Hopkins University. It will run from 8am – 6pm at the Kenney Auditorium, School of Advanced International Studies – Johns Hopkins University at 1740 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC.

Register/RSVP today on the DiasporaCamp DC ’10 Eventbrite page or at DiasporaCamp.org. You may also contact us for sponsorship opportunities. You may participate online at the conference website if you are not close to the Washington DC area. If you are interested in organizing a breakout session, let us know, especially if you have special needs.

African Union to host ‘Building and maintaining peace and security through sports’ workshop in Addis Ababa on Africa Day (May 25th 2010)

Event: ‘Building and Maintaining Peace and Security through Sports’ Workshop
Date: 25th May 2010
Venue: African Union Headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Time: From 10.00am

Among those Attending the event will be:

The event is the latest in a series of fora across Africa to promote the African Union Year of Peace and Security. The workshop will provide information and share experiences on the role of sports in peace and security, as well as explore the opportunities presented by the Year of Peace and Security to further enhance the use of sports in peace-building both in 2010 and beyond.

The workshop will be held alongside other events including the Peace and Security Operations Division exhibition, Photo exhibition and the official flagging-off ceremony of the “Peace Journey”: an expedition across Africa aimed at creating awareness and spreading the message of peace amongst African citizens.

The Year of Peace and Security peaks on Peace Day, 21 September 2010, a day focussed on promoting non-violence and humanitarian assistance across Africa. All Year of Peace and Security activities build up to and follow on from Peace Day.

More about The African Union Year of Peace and Security
On 31 August 2009, the Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU), meeting in Tripoli, on the occasion of the Special Session on the Consideration and Resolution of Conflicts in Africa, declared 2010 to be the Year of Peace and Security on the continent; proclaiming in paragraph 9 of the Tripoli Declaration:

“We are determined to deal once and for all with the scourge of conflicts and violence on our continent, acknowledging our shortcomings and errors, committing our resources and our best people, and missing no opportunity to push forward the agenda of conflict prevention, peacemaking, peacekeeping and post-conflict reconstruction. We, as leaders, simply cannot bequeath the burden of conflicts to the next generation of Africans”.

During the AU Summit held in Addis Ababa in January 2010, all 53 African Heads of State and Government reaffirmed their commitment to the Tripoli Declaration and the objectives of the Year of Peace and Security in Africa.
The overarching message for The Year of Peace and Security in Africa is Make Peace Happen.

The EAC is kicking off the 3rd installment of the Investment Conference, to be held in Kampala, Uganda. The last edition, which I had the pleasure to attend in Kigali was quite interesting. This year’s installment is timely, especially as EAC marches towards common markets this July.

We are steadily moving towards a fully integrated economic community where goods, capital, labour and services will move freely without borders, and it is important to highlight to the world the abundant potential that East Africa offers today.

The inaugural East African Community Investment Conference was hosted by Rwanda in 2008 and brought together more than 1,000 participants under the theme, Leveraging the East African Market Through Trade and Investment.

The 2^nd Annual Conference, hosted by Kenya last year, hosted 2,000 participants under the theme, Invest in the EAC; Where Global Challenges Are Opportunities. Both conferences attracted local, regional and global investors and business leaders who rightly identified the vast potential that the East African region provides.

The East African Community is made up of approximately 130 million people. The East African Community has a Gross Domestic Product of more than US$60 billion. With the establishment of a fully-fledged Customs Union, and the July launch of the East African Common Market, we can confidently announce that East Africa has opened up as One Market, One Destination, FOR BUSINESS.

If you are interesting in doing business in Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, or Tanzania in the near future and tapping into a collective $60 billion market, I’d highly suggest you make haste and register to attend. Better yet, how about buying up one of those sponsor spots for some serious visibility, you high rollers you!

Lastly, is it just me or is it a little bit creepy and unsettling that the EAC Conference’s bank account information is published on the web. Ignorance or just just begging for trouble?

This just in, my talk submitted for SXSW Interactive 2010, Africa 3.0: A Look at the Future of a Connected Africa, has been accepted. If you were looking for a good reason to attend the interactive portion of the festival, a fan of ICT in Africa, or you are already going to be down in Austin—like you really need a reason to be in Austin, TX—be sure to schedule an hour to come see my talk. Here’s a heart-felt warm thank you to everyone who voted or promoted the talk all the way into selection. I am looking at you, my engaging Twitter followers. Thanks for the love and support.

Below is a little synopsis on the talk:

2010 is the year that Africa will finally connect to the global undersea cable network powering today’s broadband internet traffic. How can Africa use the arrival of this high speed super highway to it’s advantage? What impact will broadband communications have on Africa’s development? Are we looking at Africa 3.0?

Check back regularly for updates once scheduling has been released. I also want to thank Hugh Forrest and his fabulous staff at SXSWi for granting me this opportunity! I truly take it as an honor to be among the selected out of 2300 proposed talks!

Background to the Summit
Uganda Government through Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) has been executing several programs that have been essential and critical in National development. These programs have been designed in line with the national strategies like the Competitiveness Investment Climate Strategy (CICS) which has mapped out the main activities and listed the expected outcomes. Under these programs, UIA focused on pro-active investment promotion and facilitation as a core activity. Under the promotion and facilitation part, the Diaspora investment stands out as a main component which needed more attention. UIA has effectively undertaken its pro-active role to inform the Diaspora about investment and trade opportunities that exist at home.

The Ugandan Diaspora, at different levels, occasionally met with UIA and Government officials promoting investment packages at their meetings or conventions on the opportunities that exist in the country and the region as a whole. Issues of the general policy, regulatory frameworks as well initiatives that the Uganda Government has in place to make home the best investment destination are discussed. These issues are manifested by the theme “Home is the Best” for all Diaspora Conferences held in Uganda since 2004. The last Conference was held in Gulu and Kampala. A decision was then made to have a Diaspora Conference in December of every year.

It is a common practice that many Ugandans in the Diaspora trek home to cerebrate the Christmas festivals with the families. Therefore this year’s Conference code named “Home is the Best Summit -3” will be held in Lira on 23rd December 2009, Kampala on 29th to 30th December 2009, and Mbale on 4th January 2010. Home is the Best Summit – 3 because it will be the third Conference to organise under such a theme.

Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) is coordinating Government Departments/Institutions and the Private Sector to realize this Diaspora Investment Summit.

Summit Objectives
The “Home is the Best” Forum which has become an annual event is intended to embrace all Ugandans in the Diaspora .The Summit will also allows the Diaspora to actively express ideas on the development and review processes of policy and regulatory frame work regarding the business environment. Members of the Diaspora also get the opportunity to reflect on their business investment achievements at home.

Summit Structure
The Summit structure will include presentations, discussion panels and may be live broadcasting that will discuss trade & investment opportunities and challenges in different areas of the country. There will be side events that will include Exhibitions and Fashion Shows, Entertainment, Cultural Activities, Youths Activities and Diners, and Cocktails. This years Summit will pay special attention to Agriculture-Agro-possessing especially Value Addition to our abundant natural resources, ICT especially Business Process Outsourcing & Multimedia, Education Finance ,Health care and Tourism and other areas.

The out of Kampala meets (Lira and Mbale) give the Diaspora participants a chance to see the countryside and the numerous latent investment and trading opportunities outside the capital.

Participation in the Summit
Approximately 300 to 450 Diaspora members and their families who make the annual Christmas holiday pilgrimage to Uganda are expected to attend this year’s Summit. Last year’s (2008) events hosted in Gulu and Kampala had more that 250 participants. There will be strong presence of Ugandan Business Community, Government Officials, NGO’S and limited general public.

Summit Outcome
The Forum usually comprises as an exhibition of the solutions to the Diaspora needs, discussions on challenges, and new opportunities. Financial institutions, the construction & building industry, trading houses and the private sector as whole present their branded packages to the Ugandan Diaspora who usually lack information and knowledge about the home economic and investment climate.

Finally the Summit agenda will recommend the practical actions, time lines and tools that will lead to improved measures for better environment and embark on initiatives that will promote more Diaspora-led investments in the country.

Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) and the Private Sector in Uganda is organising yet another Diaspora Investment Summit, under the theme “HOME IS THE BEST 3”. Three business summits are scheduled to take place in Lira, Kampala (Hotel Africana) and Mbale on 23rd December 2009, 29th to 30th December 2009, and 4th January 2010 respectively.

The “Home is the Best” Forum has become an annual event that embraces all Ugandans in the Diaspora into active participation in the development and review processes of policy and regulatory frame work regarding the business environment. Members also get the opportunity to reflect on their business investment achievements at home. .

The Forum usually comprises an exhibition of the solutions to the Diaspora needs, discussions on challenges, and new opportunities. Financial institutions, the construction & building industry, trading houses and the private sector as a whole present their branded packages to the Ugandan Diaspora who usually lack information and knowledge about the home’s economic and investment climate.

Approximately 300 to 450 Diaspora members and their families, who make the annual Christmas holiday pilgrimage to Uganda, attend the Summit. Last year’s (2008) events were hosted in Gulu and Kampala. The out of Kampala meets give the participants a chance to see the countryside and the numerous latent investment and trading opportunities outside the capital.

This year’s summit will pay special attention to Investment and Trade opportunities in ICT especially Business Process Outsourcing and Multimedia, Value Addition to our abundant natural resources (Agriculture-Agro-possessing), Tourism, Health care, Education Bio-Technology etc.

There will be number of side events that will include i) Exhibitions and Fashion Shows where Ugandans at home and in the Diaspora with display their products and services, ii) Entertainment & Cultural Activities where participants will discuss the effects of modernisation on the culture, there will be training sessions on valued cultural norms including gender issues, iii) Youths and Children Activities which will include games and sports iv) Dinners, and Cocktails.

For further Information, please contact:

Mr. John Musajjakawa
Senior Investment Promotion Officer
Uganda Investment Authority
Twed Plaza, 2nd Floor, Plot 22B Lumumba Avenue
Tel: 0414-301161, Fax: 0414-342903
Email: musajja@ugandainvest.com or info@ugandainvest.com

Mrs. Doris Mitti Kimuli
Deputy Director, Communications & Public Relations
Uganda Investment Authority
Twed Plaza, 2nd Floor, Plot 22B Lumumba Avenue
Tel: 0414-301101, Fax: 0414-342903
E-mail: dmitti@ugandainvest.com, info@ugandainvest.com
Website: www.ugandainvest.com

The BarCampUK team

Yesterday I got a chance to talk to the team behind the upcoming BarCampAfricaUK [ SOLD OUT ]. BarCampAfricaUK is just another town hall meeting spurred by social media conversations and the subjects of ICT, development and Africa. The gathering is the next step in the long process of getting to the center of many issues around development in Africa. Ethel D. Cofie hopes that this gathering, like the many before, becomes a launching platform of collaborative ideas that will go beyond passing conversation and into reality.

Technology allows for an environment where multiple developmental goals can be achieved more efficiently.

Development in Africa is one of those subjects that you can discuss ad nauseum because it’s simply that complicated and there are so many solutions to so many problems. It’s a wonder that no one can agree on what is the most important thing to tackle first. The truth is all of it is important.

BarCampAfricaUK

The take away from this discussion was that while a concentration on ICT in Africa’s development is essential, the sector shouldn’t be viewed as the answer to all of Africa’s ills. Technology is going to be an enabler for all the development sectors, allowing for more efficient environment. We also have to broaden the definition of technology; careful not to simply limit it to telecommunications. Technology can enable better infrastructure, more efficient agricultural methods and educational systems.

Joining me on the call were Ethel D. Cofie (@etheldcofie), Tony Burkson (@TonyStark1), Conrad Taylor (@ConradTaylor, and Richard Tandoh. A live stream will be available during the event if you are not one of the lucky 200 participants at the sold out event. We’ll publish a link to that stream when it becomes available.

PD Podcast: BarCampAfricaUK [ Audio | 45:44 | MP3 ] [ Music: Disco Science by Mirwais ]
PD talks to the organizers of BarCampAfricaUK

UPDATE:

Looks like the event went off superbly. If you were unable to attend last week, the team has put together a wiki space full of content from the BarCamp. You can also peruse numerous articles written about the event here and here.

This weekend Cameroon will host the country’s first BarCamp in Douala on November 7, 2009 at Le Meridien Hotel. Be sure to check out their blog and Twitter streams for live updates on the nearly sold out event. Corporate support has really shown up big to help support the event with the likes of Google, Microsoft, Open Solutions Cameroun, Africa 2.0, Africa Startup Challenge and Limbe Labs as a sampling of some of the major sponsors.

The event is heavily tech-centered, judging by the caliber of sponsors. Considering it is a “unconference” format, I am pretty sure anything goes and those lucky enough to attend will get a full plate of exciting presentations.

I managed to catch up with Jean-Francis Ahanda, the main organizer behind this gathering, for a short Q & A over Skype. Ironically, due to bandwidth limitations, we were limited to an interview over IM. Even more ironic is the connection kept dropping out, so it took quite a few tries just to get the questions below answered.

BarCampCameroon is lining up to be very tech-centered, even though your internet speeds are still very much in need of an upgrade, how is the tech sector innovating with this limitation?
I think innovation is good but of course could be better if we had better infrastructure, better formation in school and of course one of the purpose of the barcamp is push inovation by sharing experience and ideas.

What motivated you to organize this BarCamp in Cameroon and tell me how this event came about?
The first motivation was the lack of tech events in Cameroon , the second was to put Cameroonian web community in the same room to share ideas, experiences, create connections between projects. I would like to add that this was not my idea alone. It was a group decision to make a BarCamp happen. To name just a few: Jeremy Brown and Bill Zimmerman from Limbelabs, Joel Nlepe from Africa 2.0, Fritz Ekwoge from http://kerawa.com  and Leslie Tita from Ringo.

I see we are suffering from connection issues, is that due to lack of power or bad internet connection. Can you describe your typical internet connection setup and costs associated with being online? It’s true that we have some power issues. Now regarding the internet access I think Cameroon made a lot of progress in last 18 months, we have multiple internet providers and due to that, cost has fallen. One of the major internet providers, RINGO is actually a major sponsor for barcamp and will provide us high speed internet acces during the event. In my case i’m using a WIMAX connection , the monthly cost is less than 30 USD for 256K. The’re also some providers that are using CDMA or DSL. We need more competion to bring the cost down and push providers to improve the quality of the service.

True, competition is always good in such a young market. What would you say is the percentage of the population able to afford a personal internet connection? Computer are much cheaper than a few year ago but i’m don’t think we will see the same numbers as for mobile phone users for sure.

In that case, do you see much of a future need for desktop computing in the country if the mobile is the lowest common technology accesible to the masses? Are we looking at yet another case of leap-frogging as smart phones get smarter, more powerful and cheaper? We will still need desktops, anyway most of computers that are sold here are secondhand coming from Europe or the US, this the only way to get cheap one. I don’t think the smartphone is an option especially because [they] can be more expensive than most of the computer sold here. And smartphone would mean 3G or HSPA or even LTE which is something we can’t dream about here for the moment as we are still hopping to have nationwide EDGE.

WOW! So truly Cameroon is just now getting its foot in the connectivity pool. What other kinds of technology sectors are beginning to emerge in Cameroon. Clearly telecommunications can’t be the only growing sector? We have innovation in every sector, [for example] Customs are now using GPS to track container in transit as an example of innovation. For me ICT innovation is the one driving the others sectors such as education.

So in terms of the BarCamp itself, what do you hope to be the knock on effect of so many sponsors and presenters gathering for the first time in Cameroon’s tech history? It’s going to be the biggest tech event ever in Cameroon and also in central africa ! we have more than 200 attendees, and around 20 journalist. All operators (mobile, fixed, internet) are represented. This is for me the birth certificate of the web community in Cameroon.

Of course you know I am going to ask if there’s a vibrant Cameroon Diaspora involved in your event this weekend? Is there a vocal Diapora in the Cameroon tech sector at all? Oh Yeah! The diaspora has taken an active part in the organization of this first edtion, we even have guys coming from the US and France.

Will you have enough bandwidth for a live-stream of some kind? Is there a Twitter hashtag for the event? “Internet Independence for Cameroon” is a Must Attend!

Will you have enough bandwidth for a live-stream of some kind? Is there a Twitter hashtag for the event? Yes our internet provider and sponsor will provide WIFI connection with full bandwith for the event. The hashtag we have been using so far is #barcampcameroon.

If you happen to be in London in October, make sure it’s on the 8th and 9th. The Project Diaspora team is gate-crashing the 2nd Africa Gathering event. If you have been procrastinating and haven’t bought your tickets yet, make sure to hit up the registration page and do so now, like right now. The last event in April sold out weeks before opening day.

The growing speaker list has a number of luminaries that have either appeared or soon will be appearing here on PD including; Ken Banks of Kiwanja.net & FrontlineSMS, Benjamin Lyon and the team at CreditSMS,  and Jon Gosier at Appfrica Labs (#afriPARTY anyone?) all have speaking slots. Molly Mattessich from Africa Rural Connect will also be making an appearance.

Yours truly will be presenting on Friday, October 8th. I’ll be giving a talk on customer service in Africa and the impact it will have on the continent’s future.

Last but not least, our very own Siena Anstis has been tapped for official Africa Gathering rappoteur duties. Fresh off her stint at UNESCO’s 35th General Conference, Siena will live-blog, tweet and file interviews on the Africa Gathering, PD, and THIS Magazine Canada blogs. Check back here for links to the articles as they are published.

Of course you can follow all three of our tweet streams (@tmsruge | @tracy1314 | @sienaanstis) during the event should you not be able to attend (lame!) in person. Until then though, you might want to also follow the team behind AFrica Gathering (@africagathering | @mjamme | @chiefmoamba).

All For Africa Promo Video from allforafrica on Vimeo.

Just got word that on Thursday, the 24 of September from 7 – 11 pm, L’Altruist in New York is having a trés chic benefit event for All For Africa. If you are in the area next Thursday and already booked, do yourself a favor and cancel your plans and head straight to Cain Luxe. The event gala kicks off at 7pm with a dance performance, and music by DJ Moma and friends.

The highlight of the evening is not the hors d’oeuvres, or the music or the dancing, but the opportunity to support a great cause. All For Africa’s mission is attacking poverty in Africa through their Palm Out Poverty initiative:

The Palm Out Poverty (POP) campaign is groundbreaking in its simplicity but even more so in its’ sustainability. The plan is straightforward: to plant one million oil palm trees on approximately 17,000 acres of land in West  Africa.  Once mature, these trees will yield approximately 300,000 barrels of crude palm oil each year for the next 30 years.

Book your $20 ticket through Eventbrite or pay $30 at the door. If you are unable to attend you can still buy a tree to support the cause.

Palm Out Poverty is essentially pledging to provide a 30-year lifeline to the same failed aid strategy of the last 30 years. Now that’s some great foresight. And, I am failing to understand why William H. Clinton didn’t address that minor detail in support of this initiative. It seems to me that the only “businessy” arrangement here is the sustainability of POP over the next 3 decades. Then again I could be wrong. Anyone else see what’s wrong with this picture?

Diaspora and the Cloud – Cloud Intelligence Symposium at Ars Electronica from TMS Ruge on Vimeo.

No longer is Africa’s rich cultural heritage, development and identity championed and hijacked by those from outside and treated as a footnote to human history.

Social Media tools are allowing Africa’s Neo Diaspora an opportunity to tell their stories, share their culture, collaborate, and engage in Africa’s development.

For the first time, Africa is contributing it’s collective intelligence to the collective human cloud of knowledge.

Africa’s story is increasingly being told by Africans.

This past week I was in Linz, Austria for Ars Electronica Festival. The theme of this year’s festival was ‘Human Nature.’ As such the Cloud Intelligence Symposium explored mankind’s collective human intelligence and it’s migration to the cloud the subsequent benefits and consequences of this impending migration. More in-depth primers on ‘Cloud Intelligence’ and ‘cloud computing’ can be perused here.

Along with other far more accomplished luminaries and thinkers than myself, we spent a day exploring various aspects of human nature and mankind’s collective intelligence through the use of tools that deliver location independent collaborative solutions and services. In particular, we wanted to explore the use of social media as the new platform for collaboration, integration and communication from various perspectives that ranged from the cloud and Environmentalism the the effects of the cloud and scientific study.

If you were to look at the list of speakers, you will no doubt agree that I was there mainly to learn from their extensive knowledge and perspectives. And learn I did.

Within my capacity of understanding, I shared a bit of knowledge on how the African diaspora is using modern communication tools—web 2.0 tools—like blogs, Twitter, and social networks as a platform for spurring development in Africa. Social Media tools are allowing Africa’s Neo Diaspora an opportunity to tell their stories, share their culture, collaborate, and engage in Africa’s development. No longer is Africa’s rich cultural heritage, development and identity championed and hijacked by those from outside and treated as a footnote to human history. For the first time, Africa is contributing it’s intelligence to the collective human cloud of knowledge. Africa’s story is increasingly being told by Africans. A look at the growing number of Africans that are connected to the internet, albeit nascent by global standards, paints a promising picture that soon a large part of the 900,000,000 Africans on the continent will be online. Until that happens however, a lion’s share of Africa’s cloud participation will be led by it’s very connected and vocal diaspora.

I published my slides to Slideshare if you’d like to take a look at the slide decks.

Update:
There was a round table discussion after the afternoon speakers had finished their individual talks.
A photo gallery of all the shots I took while in Linz is also available here:

Dr. Adebayo Discusses the partnership between Kennesaw State University and 2nd Kenyan Diaspora International Conference & Investment Forum

Akanmu G. Adebayo, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Institute for Global Initiatives
Kennesaw State University
Interviewed by Benin Brown

Benin: Can you tell us a little bit about the background of the KSU Institute for Global Initiatives?

Adebayo: The Institue for Global Initiatives was established to be Kennesaw State University‘s office to coordinate all of the university’s global learning initiatives. The institute was established in 2003 by merging a number of autonomous global learning units. So it was created with the idea of creating an international programs one stop shop for faculty and students where they can go for any international program related issues. So the Institute for Global Initiatives is the coordinator of both grants and programs that promote international learning amongst students and faculty alike.

Additionally, it has become the place where several regional centers are all housed. Those regional centers help KSU coordinate degree programs/to bring services to university that help to promote univesity’s involvement in those regions of the world. i.e. the center for African & African Diaspora Studies where we coordinate programs for Africa and the African Diaspora.

Also, we have the Center for Hispanic Studies where we coordinate programs about Hispanics in the US and also about Spain and Latin America. And last year we added the Confucious Institute, which is fully funded by Chinese Government, as place where Chinese culture and language will be learned by members of the KSU community. In nutshell the institute helps KSU and surrounding commuyntity become more aware of whats happening around the world.

Benin: Very true, Atlanta has been the international city of the South. One of the interesting things about Kennesaw State University is that although it is situated in Kennesaw, Ga; which is a suburb of Metro Atlanta it is not in actually located within the city limits of Atlanta. So my question is how was KSU able to do what it did, in terms of becoming an international city, outside of inner city limits of Atlanta?

Adebayo: You hit the nail on the head about location. In Business School we hear the adage that talks about location being a key element in marketing. Such is the case with KSU. The location is good because Kennesaw is a suburb of Atlanta, but also because it is within a short distance to the interstate, so you can get there very easily. And we have also heard from some of our students who are from the greater Atlanta metropolitan area that they like the campus because they consider it to be more convenient and safe than the Atlanta city limits. So what this means is that some of our students are provincial in their thinking and this gives us the opportunity to make an impact by bringing the world to Kennesaw.

In addition to location Kennesaw has foresight of a strong administration. They have taken internationalization as a top priority for the university. This is part of the reason that we have over 1500 international students from 140 countries and are able to send over 500 students per year abroad. In these harsh economic times, this is quite significant.

Benin: Why do you think that the first Kenya Diaspora Investment Forum was so successful?

Adebayo: In the 1990′s Kenya was the top country for sending intl students to KSU. And this is one of the reasons that the first conference was so successful-KSU’s large Kenyan student community. Interestingly, at that time, we were not doing any recruiting in Kenya. But I think that what happened is that the first group of Kenyan students to arrive were treated so well that those students told their brothers, sisters, and other members of their families-who upon hearing became students at KSU also. And these initial students increased our interest in KE.

Another reason is that each year at KSU we choose one country to highlight through lectures, cultural shows, classes, and etc. We had selected the 2006-2007 school year to be the Year of Kenya. The entire year we continued to feature activities about Kenya and soon enough the entire community became accustomed to the fact that every Thurs there was something special going on that focused on Kenya.

Additionally, the level of participation from the Kenya community all over the US was tremendous. And the Atlanta Kenyan Professionals Association (AKPA) worked with us to help plan the conference. Likewise, the majority of the attendees attended because they had been invited by friends or family.

Benin: So how do you explain affinity on the part of Kenyans for KSU ?

Adebayo: Well in the academic world we know that you get international students through many ways-recruitment, public awareness, and etc. But nothing is as assured as having students from the country that you want to recruit. That person becomes your biggest exposure to that particular market that they represent. Word of mouth even from just one student is very powerful. And we treat our students very well. Even as far back in the 90′s we’d already established an international center and today we now have an office of international student retention. So KSU does not leave anything to chance. We were very intent on creating programs to take care of students welfare. KSU is one of few Atlanta univeristys that makes health care insurance available and mandatory for its intl students. The Institute Global Initiatives continues to promote the academic welfar of its students.

Benin: What can you say about this years focus on ICT?

Adebayo: Well this year with the 2nd Diaspora conference on Kenya, we chose to focus on building the knowledge community. And this is because we’d like to have some impact on the way in which policies are determind in Kenya. Having a positive impact on the processes of economic development in Kenya is something that is important to us.

The focus on ICT is very timely. Kenya is just completing its fiber optic program, which will allow millions in KE affordable access to the internet. Kenya’s strategy is to be Africa’s main ICT center outside of South Africa.

What it also means is that we are able to dicuss these things and propose ideas about what needs to be done from a policy standpoint; we are able to propose ideas in a way that means we arent just talking about general business in Kenya. But we also view this as an awareness opportunity to expose American business people to Kenya as well. And what we are saying is that as a result of new technological developments there are new business opportunities that represent amazing potential for business people and investors.

You see…I often hear many of my counterparts in America referencing the potential for call center operators in Kenya, but the opportunity is so much larger than call centers. In fact, one could say that centers are just the tip of the iceberg. One of the areas that we see really huge potential in KE is in software development and distribution. You see, Kenya can derive revenue from sources outside of tourism. And again, with the economic climate that we are facing right now it is very important that this happens.

Benin: What do you think is the impact of Kenya’s Diaspora population on business in Kenya?

Adebayo: The Diaspora population increases the awareness of Kenya abroad. And with President Obama’s roots in Kenya, he has also done a lot to increase global awareness of Kenya. I think that the Diaspora community also provides Kenya with a unique opportunity to look beyond tourism. Because although tourism is great and there is nothing wrong with it, it does allow many opportunities to corrupt the local environment through pollution. Finally, the diaspora community also contributes to Kenya’s economic development as a source of funding.

Benin: I see and how does the partnership between KSU and The Kenya Diaspora Forum work?

KSU donates the entire venue to the forum which includes world class rooms, facilities, conference equipment and a safe environment. The Computer Science department takes the lead in helping with the presentation & etc. Likewise, KSU benefits because it allows the school to increase its awareness in Kenya to potential students

Benin: Is there anything else that you’d like to add?

Adebayo: We are looking forward to the conference and are very excited about the investment opportunities that will be discussed there, as well as the busines people that will be able to take part in this event. We are also excited because we have the chance to meet Kenyans who are planning to go back to Kenya for retirement because we know that we might be able to make an impact on what businesses they might be able to pursue once back in Kenya.

For more information on the upcoming conference, readers are encouraged to visit the official site-kenyaopen4business.com.

Not too long ago we covered the fact that the first ever WherecampAfrica was being held in Nairobi. Well, I neglected to follow up and there are some cool things that have come out of that event.

Firstly…. WHERECAMP KAMPALA!!!

WhereCamp Africa: Kampala is tentatively planned for Friday October 30th at the same venue as the Africa GIS 2009 conference. (I had to look it up, GIS= Geographic Information System) The event will occur on the final day of the conference and should allow plenty of opportunity for traditional GIS folks to interact with local developers.

A little about the GIS Conference:

AFRICAGIS is the premier conference and exhibition focusing on geo-information technologies and applications in Africa. The principal objective of AFRICAGIS is to provide a platform for geo-information professionals from Africa to learn about geo-information technology and its applications. It provides a forum for geo-information professionals to meet, interact, and be updated on new developments, products and emerging trends and issues.

There is more information coming, so stay tuned and well let you know about all the WhereCamp developments.

And if that is not enough mapping fun for you…. also in the works:
WhereCampAfrica Bamako!
In the planning stages for April 2010 during the 2nd annual African Geospatial week. During which the annual CGIAR-CSI (The Consultative Group for International Agriculture Research- Consortium for Spatial Information) meeting will take place. Keep your eyes peeled!

Along with all the camps the team at WhereCampAfrica in conjunction with Open Street Map and Development Seed is also planning a potential Open Source Mapping Project in East Africa: AfricaGIS Participatory Mapping Project.

From their Prospectus

The opportunity is immediately available to leapfrog the African mapping community into the latest accessible practices of the GeoWeb, utilizing open data, open standards and open source software for application and systems development.
This project aims to catalyze a dormant but otherwise very motivated African geo community through local, community based, but scalable participatory mapping

With four ambitious phases, this project works hard to get the participatory part right:
We have already told you about phase 1:
WhereKampala – An informal un-conference focused on mapping and spatial technology where participants set the agenda.

The rest of the phases include:
Map Kibera – Mapping the Kibera slum area of Nairobi to raise awareness, catalyze a community and test open data licensing with major vendors and initiatives

Mapping Parties – Expand on mapping Kibera and hold mapping parties in and around East African capitols including Nairobi, Kampala, Lilongwe and Kigali.

Open Source Geo Workshop - Train in the use of Open Source Geo technologies, including PostGIS, GeoServer, GeoWebCache, GeoNetwork and Open Layers immediately before or After the AfricaGIS conference.

This all volunteer project is looking for funding to get off the ground… so contact them if you are interested in giving this important project a helping-hand.

Find Jubal Harpster:
via e-mail: jharpster@wherecampafrica.org
Jubal on Twitter

WherecampAfrica on Twitter

For those of you looking for more information on the first WhereCamp:
One of the main objectives of the original camp was to showcase the opportunities that rapidly changing Information and communication technologies offer. The hope was to really leverage the media to raise awareness especially in the area of agricultural production and productivity. Media represented at the event included BBC, IPS, UN IRIN, Nation TV and Newspaper as well as the Africa Science News Service. The complete list of media outlets that covered the event is impressive. WhereCampAfrica Coverage Report_June2009

Recently was contacted by their event manager and was impressed by what I saw on their site. This looks like a fun event, totally worth checking out! So all you folks in London, stop on by and then let us know what you think!

Afrika Art is a family event that celebrates the diversity of the African
Caribbean culture through its Arts, its Crafts and its Flavours. While
listening to live bands with warm African vibes, scheduled or open mic,
you can browse through the vibrant market to find a rich selection of
creative objects ranging from fashion to crafts.

Afrika Art is every first Saturday of the month from 12pm till 7pm in the Africa Centre, 38 King Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E.

For more info you can visit the afrodiva site or call 07949 652 757. The next Afrika Art will be
on Saturday 01st August.
Free Entry

Just found out today the the flood of African BarCamps has added another member! BarCamp Cameroon is in the planning stages so if you are interested in lending your support please let them know! Join the Google group:

BarCamp Cameroon Google Group

BarCamp Cameroon Official Event Page

BarCamp Cameroon Blog

Follow Barcamp Cameroon on Twitter!

Ato Ulzen-Appiah On BarCamps Ghana and Diaspora from Project Diaspora on Vimeo.

BarCamp Diapora is coming up fast. For those of you living in our near DC sign up and join the conversation! Admission is free… What a DEAL!

When: July 25
Where: Kenney Auditorium, School of Advanced International Studies – Johns Hopkins
University, 1740 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC
Why: Investing Our Talents Where it Counts!
Who: Organized by GhanaThink

I was fortunate enough to have a chance to talk to Ato not only about BarCamp Diaspora, the first Barcamp intended to bring together Ghanians living in the diaspora and people interested in Africa, but also what it took to put on GhanaThink’s first effort: BarCamp Ghana. Barcamp Diaspora is not about a keynote speech and big name speakers but instead about Ghanians who are doing interesting and innovative things worth discussion. It is for anyone who is interested in using their skills, talent, and resources to benefit Africa. Which pretty much means anyone who is interested and has something to contribute to the conversation is welcome.

If you are interested in attending, Registation is FREE and you can sign up at the Barcamp Diaspora EventBright page.

Remember these events are only as good as the participants who engage with them. If you are planning to attend be ready to organize a breakout session, and be a part of what will make this Barcamp the best one yet! What to expect as Barcamp Breakout Organizer

These great folks all contributed to making BarCamp Ghana a great success and setting the bar for the next team. Plus check out your BarCamp Diaspora organizers! Be sure and let them know about your ideas and be ready to have an experience you won’t forget!

BarCamp Ghana team
Henry Barnor, Nii Simmonds, Ato Ulzen-Appiah, Shirley Somuah, Henry Addo, Kwesi Smith, Ashifi Gogo, Emmanuel Akrong, Worlali Senyo, Eugene Kofi Tandoh

BarCamp Diaspora team
Ato Ulzen-Appiah, Henry Barnor, Reginald Amoa, Seyram Avle, Christine Yieleh Chireh, Kobina Aidoo, Kwabena Amporful, Julia Mensah, Emmanuel Mensah, Abena Sackey, Nana Yaw Kwadade, Denise Twum, Emmanuel Akrong

Esi Yankah, CEO of The Africa Mentor Network, Inc. contacted PD with information on an upcoming networking event for Ghana’s enterprising youth to be held this August. The event will offer selected youth a chance to showcase their “innovative ideas and exceptional resumes” in front of Ghana’s elite business executives.

If you haven’t heard, then you are pretty late! The Africa Mentor Network is here and it’s all about Africa Helping Africans. They are launching their organization with a big bang, something new, something unique, and something you would love to be part of. It’s all about the African youth and the corporate executives! The signature “Speed Networking Roundtable” is the premiere-networking event in Ghana bringing together top executives of companies in Ghana with the African youth. This event also launches The Africa Mentor Network. Many African youth have very innovative ideas and exceptional resumes and are looking for that one opportunity to put their best foot forward. They are looking to pitch their big ideas as well as sell their exceptional resumes directly to corporate executives they would never get to meet on a regular day or possibly in their lifetime. These executives are also highly regarded and admired as role models to the youth and to the Ghanaian community. This event will give the youth participant a face-to-face chance to impress these executives and also network with them. This could open a great door of opportunity for them. Participants could get hired instantly, win a second interview, have their ideas adopted and more importantly establish long-term relationships. Participants are only given 2.5 minutes per executive therefore careful preparation becomes critical.

The great thing about this event is that it is an equal opportunity event; once you carefully prepare and pitch your resume and ideas well you stand an equal chance as any other participants. This event will introduce the art of networking into the Ghanaian community and create an environment where all corporate executives who may be competitors can come together for a common purpose. The event is set for August 12th at the African Regent Hotel, one of Ghana’s first class hotels and an authentically branded symbol of Africa. Corporate executives interested in being a part of this event should email Esi Yankah.

Applications will be put out middle of July on www.africamentor.org and public announcements will be made for Ghana’s youth participants to apply to be a part of this experience. A limited number of applicants will be selected. Participants of this event officially become members of The Africa Mentor Network and can participate in all their other Mentoring and Networking programs they will be implementing, and also enjoy all the benefits and opportunities that come with being a member. The organization is currently seeking sponsorships and donations for this event and for this organizations initiative. This organizations signature event will be held twice a year and will be held in other African countries. Any company or organization interested in helping to launch“ The Speed Networking Roundtable” event in their country should contact them through email.

The Africa Mentor Network is a 501(c)3 tax exempt not-for-profit organization founded to serve all of Africa. This organization was made for Africa by Africans because Africans deserve to have their own voice too! It founded based on a simple idea of helping the African youth to help themselves through mentoring and networking. Everyone needs a mentor in his or her life. Africa has all the resources needed to help motivate and inspire the younger generation to create awareness for themselves and help them realize their full potentials and advance in their social, educational and economic opportunities.

Esi Yankah is the President of this initiative, a Ghanaian citizen and a final year graduate student. Miss Yankah works with a wonderful team made up of Ugochukwu Nwosu, Bernice Karikari- Apau and Jacquelyn Knight Jackson. Visit their website www.africamentor.org today and join them on facebook! You don’t want to miss this event. Please direct all correspondence toesiyankah@africamentor.org.

If you are looking to invest in Africa’s burgeoning travel, tourism and real estate industries, then mark your calendar for the African Travel Expo 2009 to be held in Toronto this September.

According to the press release, “the purpose of the show is to promote tourism and real estate in Africa by bringing together African-based businesses and tourism officials with Canadian and American consumers.”

The full press release follows:

MEDIA RELEASE
July 1, 2009

OUR MISSION IS TO PROMOTE THE CONTINENT OF AFRICA TO THE CANADIAN AND AMERICAN MARKET

Toronto, ON – The African Travel & Real Estate Expo will take place at the Sheraton Hotel in Toronto, Canada on September 1 to September 3, 2009 from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm each day. The Expo will feature exhibitors promoting travel, tourism and real estate products from Africa.

The three day expo expects over 100 exhibitors and 5,000 visitors. Exhibitors will include members from travel and tourism, real estate, government and corporate sectors. “The purpose of the show is to promote tourism and real estate in Africa by bringing together African-based businesses and tourism officials with Canadian and American consumers. Africa, to a large extent, has bucked the global slowdown and has shown growth in travel, branding opportunities, and investment” says Patience Chirisa, event organizer and president of African Travel Expo.

Sponsors for the show include South African Airways, Fedex, and CTV as well as many others. The Expo will effectively market to consumers by offering complimentary seminars on African travel and real estate products. A cocktail evening is planned for exhibitors, media, and government officials on the first night of the expo to promote networking opportunities. Admission to the expo is free and numerous prizes will be awarded including two round-trip tickets to South Africa.

Please visit our site: http://www.africantravelexpo.com

Special Discount
As of July 1, 2009 we are offering a 10% discount off the price of any registered booth. This special offer applies to anyone that reserves a booth using the promotional code provided on this announcement.

Promotional Code: MKIRK

For further information, please contact us:

phone: 1-905-912-5806
email: sales@africantravelexpo.com.
web: www.africantravelexpo.com