[CS Bureau] SUMMARY REPORT OF THE YAOUNDE COLLOGUIUM : ICT FOR DEBELOPEMENT Stakes of WSIS

[NANA Delphine]

SUMMARY REPORT OF  THE YAOUNDE COLLOQUIUM

Under the theme “Information and Communication technologies (ICT) for Development: stakes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)” a colloquium organized by the Centre Feminine pour la Promotion du Développement (CEFEPROD), in special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC),
 
Under the tutelage of the Cameroon Minister of Posts and Telecommunications and the Embassy of the Republic of Tunisia in Cameroon,
 
With support from UNESCO,
 
Under the chairmanship of the honorable Paul Célestin NDEMBIYEMBE, lecturer at the University of Yaounde II (Ecole Supérieure des Sciences et Techniques de l’Information et de la Communication,), took place from June 08 to 09, 2005 at Hotel Hilton in Yaounde, Cameroon.
 
Participants included representatives from:
· The Government
· Regional and international organizations
· The private sector
· Universities
· Renowned higher institutes
· The civil society ( women’s associations, youths associations and syndicates)
· Delegates from Tunisia, Guinée Conakry and the Central African Republic)
 
The main goal of this colloquium was to make a summary of the 1st phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) that held from December 10 to 12, 2003 in Geneva, Switzerland, and prepare the 2nd phase which will take place from November 16 to 18, 2005 in Tunisia.
 
The inaugural ceremonies were characterized by four speakers:
 
1. The welcome speech delivered by Delphine NANA MEKOUNTE, General Coordinator of CEFEPROD, concomitantly Coordinator of the Central African Sub-region Civil Society under the African Civil Society for the Information Society  and Representative of the African Civil Society at the World Bureau of WSIS, included a run-down of the various activities of the colloquium.
 
2. The Representative of the ECA/CA ( Economic commission for  Africa of Central Africa ) Afriraised some questions for discussion which centered on ICTs and finding solutions to the different forms of stakes and development hazards. 
 
3. According to the Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Tunisia in Cameroon, the 2nd phase of the Summit to be hosted by Tunisia aims at meeting the needs of the international community and concretizing the obligations of the Millennium Declaration. 
 
4. Mr. Jean Pierre BIYITI BI ESSAM, Secretary General at the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, representing the Minister of State who was tending to other obligations out of Yaoundé, spoke of the Civil Society as everybody’s business. He went on to emphasize the determination of the Cameroonian government to build an information society aimed at prioritizing sustainable development ,thus enabling every individual to benefit from ICT services.
 
Concerning the main activities of the colloquium, Mr Mohamed Tijani BEN JEMAA, Vice President of the Information and Communication Commission of the World Federation of Engineers organizations (WFEO) and Member of the WSIS Civil Society Bureau, representing the « Science et Technologie » family, gave a detailed presentation of WSIS in which he underscored the under-participation of the private sector. 

Discussions on his paper were centered on participation at the WSIS Civil Society.

Recommendation: Encourage the civil society, especially the private sector towards a more active participation at the second phase of the Summit.

Mr. Tijani equally stated that the Information Society was the last opportunity for promoting the growth of LDCs and developing countries as well as for reducing poverty.
 
The second speaker, Mr. Olivier NANA NZEPA, Member of the United Nations Task Force on Internet Governance, Member of the Digital Divide Task Force of the Commonwealth, focusing on Africa’s participation at WSIS, followed in the footsteps of his predecessor to assert that Africa would be present at the second phase of the Summit not as a mere onlooker, but as a generator of new ideas. 
Recommendation: Participation of political decision-makers bearing in mind the obvious differences (demographic, socio-economic, cultural, political, etc.). They should equally assume responsibility for economic growth. 
Question: Will the final phase of the Summit of WSIS be shared among the various actors? Wouldn’t there be disagreement given the differences in terms of priorities? 
Answer: A more active participation of political authorities is necessary so that they are better acquainted with the vision and impulsion of the civil society and thus arbitrate when disagreement arises.
Recommendation: Involvement of the civil society in official delegations.
 
According to the third speaker, Mr. Norbert KUIPOU, Director of the ICT Observatory at the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, his paper on access to infrastructure defined infrastructure as an essential element for the information society. Referring to the plan of action of the Government, he called on the involvement of public authorities in ICTs. 
 
Expectations: 
· Connect villages to ICTs
· Establish community access points
· Connect schools and universities as well as public services
 
Recommendations: 
· Expand the communication network.
· Ensure and improve connection in order to bridge the digital gap between cities and villages.
 
The fourth speaker, Professor BOYOMO ASSALA, lecturer at the Advanced School of Mass Communication (ASMAC), dwelling on access to content, presented a sociological approach based on content and criticism. According to him, criticism is necessary for a better progress of discussions on ICTs. This is why he raised the issue of the link between old and new technologies.
 
Question: Do convergences of content pose a problem to access? Is convergence primarily technical?
Answer: Professionally speaking, we realize that the media does not make full use of the internet. What we have here is just an already existing media outlet. There is also the problem of usage and evaluation. The community radio closes doors while the Internet is the gateway to the world.
Recommendation: 
· Update the role of the media in development.
· Socialize individuals.
· Share experiences
 
The fifth speaker, Mr. NOAH Jean Marie, Inspector of Telecommunications, Officer at the Cadre à l’Agence de Régulation des Telecommunications du Cameroon (ART), whose paper centered on Internet Governance, admitted the urgency of defining the rules of internet governance within the African framework, and highlighted the stakes of AFRINIC.
Recommendations:
Pessimism aside, it is necessary to rearrange the stakes of the colloquium as awareness on the issue increases. This can be summed up as follows:
· We need to consider our stakes, the first being our very existence. Secondly, others depend on us to adhere to some standpoints.
· It is equally and especially necessary to make policies that would support the training of trainers and qualified technical staff to ensure a good usage of ICTs.
· Training and information on techniques for acquiring financing are equally necessary.
· 
Mme Faïza AZOUZ, representing the Ministère des Technologies de la Communication, concomitantly Member of the Union Nationale de la Femme Tunisienne, Member of the Economic and Social Council, President of the Femmes et Familles Emigrées, in her paper on “Dimension Genre dans la Société de l’Information” (The Gender issue in the information society), she centered on the issue of gender and ethics as the fundamental role in the promotion of ICTs and in the preservation of ICT ethics.
This was followed by a heated debate centered around the place of the woman in the global society vis à vis ICTs.
Recommendations:
· Strengthening solidarity among African women through active partnership and sharing of successful experiences.
· Promoting women’s success stories
· Organizing educational fieldtrips to countries where the integration of the gender issue was a success.
Mr. MOLUH NJILIE Roland, Expert, TICAD ICT for Development at PNUD believes that, like all development processes, evolution towards the information society and towards knowledge requires the development of a range of mechanisms to allow the mobilization of resources for the implementation of priority actions which have already been adopted. In this particular case, financial resources could come from the private sector, development aid, multilateral development banks as well as from specific theme funds.  

Recommendations: 
· Strengthen training and information on techniques for acquiring funding
· Establish a framework of cooperation between political authorities and the civil society
· Update sensitization on ICTs
 
Mr. TCHETMI Thomas, Coordinator of the Association PRESSE JEUNE raised the issue of youths and development in ICTs. He underlined the high degree of interest shown by youths to ICTs, and equally exposed the deviant usage of ICTs as well as the low impact on the problem of unemployment. Here, discussions focused on ways and means to control content.
Recommendations: 
· Stress the importance of training youths on ICTs.
· Modify the contents offered and be equipped with a method of control ( for example: strengthening and effectiveness of AFRINIC) 
 
The last speaker, Mr. Boubacar BARRY, Executive Secretary of ENTIS, concomitantly WSIS Focal Point and National Coordinator of ACSIS in Guinée Conakry, presented the Network of the African Civil Society for the Information Society  starting from its origin and then its achievements to present day. He noted that ACSIS texts (Status and By-laws) were in the process of being adopted.

After this presentation, the chairperson gave a run down of activities, followed by the General Coordinator of CEFEPROD, Mme Delphine NANA, who, in a laudatory speech, thanked one and all and declared the activities of the Yaoundé colloquium closed. 
 
A more detailed report including all speeches and papers shall be communicated in the nearest future.
General Rapporteur                                                                   Assistant
Dominique MVOGO                                          Annette Joséphine NONO
 
 
Contact: CEFEPROD BP 8376 YAOUNDE
              Tél : (237) 231 13 17/ 999 86 16
              Email; delynana2002 at yahoo.fr
              Site Web: www.cefeprod.org 
 

		
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