The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), the telecommunications industry regulator, is set to host the upcoming 2nd Annual Connecting Rural Communities Africa conference organised by the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO).
The Conference will be held in Nairobi from 21st to 24th August 2007 at the Grand Regency Hotel.
Dubbed 'Connecting Rural Africa Forum 2007', this international forum will bring together African government officials, senior figures from African regulatory authorities and international ICT experts who are leading the private sector connectivity drive to discuss and analyze best practices, share case studies and debate crucial topics such as:
-Optimal regulation strategies to promote rural connectivity
-Creating the right environment to attract foreign investment
-How to best harness and utilise ICT to deliver socio-economic benefits to rural communities
-Analyse current projects which seek to bridge the digital divide
-The opportunity to advance rural connectivity through mobile, internet and satellite and enhance access to key services, content and applications.
It also aims at providing a forum to discuss regulatory strategies, research findings, business models, available technologies and public-private partnerships that could enhance rural connectivity.
"The Second Annual Connecting Rural Communities 2007 Forum will enable governments, regulatory agencies and operating companies to focus on the central challenge for Africa?s ICT evolution: bridging the urban-rural gap. It will be an excellent networking opportunity for the public and private sector to build relationships and make new business contacts. I hope you will be able to participate at the conference, use the opportunity to meet other senior ICT stakeholders and return back to your office empowered by the knowledge that will be shared at the event." Said Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, CEO, CTO.
The theme of the 2007 conference- Bridging the digital divide through sustainable ICT connectivity- couldn't have been more appropriate. Based on the success of last year's event which included a high-ranking speakers representing 10 different nations, the duration of this event has been increased. The forum will run for three days and will be preceded by a meeting of the 'Commonwealth Connect programme'.
This year will have an additional focus day devoted to telemedicine ,e-governance, mobile based banking and improving the accessibility of education.
There will also be a workshop day, which will allow smaller groups to focus on specific issues in an informal and interactive format.
Highway Africa News Agency
