Overview of Programme Activities
For current updates of activities, as well as details of past planning and programme processes, please check our lines of activity:
Please also see our latest newsletters here. For more news on activities, also see the blog on the frontpage.
Follows a yearly overview (as of End 2009):
At the end of 2009, ict@innovation looks back on two years of programme implementation. During the first year, the different programme components were planned in detail, partnerships were explored and new partners, staff members and consultants came on board. In 2009, the first programme component on African FOSS Business started into its implementation phase. Four regional training of trainers were successfully conducted and national trainings are due to commence in 2010. Further achievements have been made in international networking with FOSS stakeholders in Europe and in Asia as well as in planning the mentored internship programme and activities to promote FOSS certification.
Pillar A. Training on African FOSS Business Models for ICT-based SME
October 2009
Fourth Regional Training of Trainers
The fourth and final training of trainers for 2009 was held in Maputo, Mozambique at theUEM, Centre of Informatics. The training attracted close to 23 participants from the SADC's Business and IT sectors. The event was organized in partnership with UEM's Centre of Informatics. Mr. Mabila, the Centre's Director was present to offically open this last regional training. In addition to recieving the advanced FOSS Business Models training, the participants were also given an opportunity to visit the University Incubation Centre, CENFOSS and some of its clients, including the first bank to migrate to FOSS in Mozambique.
*National trainings on African FOSS Business for FOSS entrepreneurs and ICT small/medium enterprises are due to commence in 2010
September 2009
Third Regional Training of Trainers
The third regional training of trainers was held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This training attracted nineteen (19) experts from both Business and IT. The invited participants were also given an opportunity to visit and see practical business venutures in Tanzania. Zalongwe Technologies was one of such business visit held in Tanzania.The company is owned by a training participant, Dr Lunga. After this visit to the company, the training team requested that Zalongwe Technologies be added in the course as a case study.
August 2009
Second Regional Training of Trainers
The second regional training of trainers took place at the East African Centre Open Source Software (EACOSS) in Kampala, Uganda. This training attracted 19 Business and IT specialist from across the East African region. ICT@innovation hosted this training in partnership with EACOSS. The course was officially opened by the FOSSFA executive Secretary, Mr James Wire on the 31st of August 2009. The two week training focused on the six (6) modules developed for ict@innovation by the 3C Group in Kenya. This training also included visits to local FOSS businesses in Uganda. Aim of the business visits was to give the participants a practical open source business experience and demonstrate working African solutions. In Uganda, ict@innovation and its participants also visited I-Network and Linux Solution.
July 2009
First Regional Training of Trainers
The first regional training of trainers took place at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. The training brought together over 18 experts from universities, training institutions and the private sector in South Africa, Malawi and Zambia. This workshop was organized and conducted by the InWEnt South Africa and co hosted at Wits. The invited delegates were taken through the six (6) module FOSS Business Models course by the training; consortium from AITI-KACE and UNU-MERIT.
March 2009
Co-editors finalise training materials
The final list of the co-editors was drawn and finalized by the end of January 2009.This paved the way for the 3 C Group (Content Creation Community) Workshop that was held at Strathmore University,Nairobi,Kenya. In a workshop the training materials and didactical approach for training on African FOSS Business where finalised.
The 3C Group Workshop-10-12 March 2009
The workshop was attended by 21 participants from over seven different nations from Africa.The management also used this opportunity to conduct outreach activities for the programme. This was a vital task as the next programme steps require cooperation of the different stakeholders in the ICT (FOSS) community-training institutions. In his brief speech delivered to the editors Eng Rege, Kenya’s ICT Parliamentary Committee member, showed Kenya's government support to ict@innovation and also toward FOSS in general. For more information see www.strathmore.edu/News.php?NewsID=50 Following the workshop, the organisation of the regional trainings commenced. Open Calls where launched to recruit participants for four regional trainings.
December 2008
Call for co-editors to develop a knowledge resource on African FOSS business models
The call received a number of very qualified applications, and the editor team is currently forming. A workshop bringing together all editors to jointly work on case studies of African FOSS business models and further training materials is planned to take place in February 2009.
October 2008
New team to implement the African FOSS Business training programme
Following a tendering process, a consortium of the UNU Merit and the AITI-KACE was appointed to:
* develop training materials and processes for the African FOSS Business training course
* work with a group of co-editors on a new knowledge resource on African FOSS business models
* organize and conduct regional trainings of trainers on African FOSS business (in 2009)
* guide and supervise national trainings on African FOSS business for ICT SME staff and entrepreneurs (in 2010)
March 2008
Pillar A planning workshop
In connection to the Idlelo 3 conference, ict@innovation hosted a workshop inviting FOSS entrepreneurs and other people with expertise in the field of FOSS and business from different African countries to discuss the plans for the ict@innovation pillar A. The workshop outcomes, as well as the plans for the training programme on African FOSS Business are published in our wiki.
Pillar B. Spreading FOSS Certification
... Broad Roadmap ...
* Identification of partners and staff to implement the FOSS certification programme component
* Regional trainings of trainers in 2009
* National trainings in 2010
January 2010
Call for Cerfication Manager.
FOSSFA and InWEnt announce the vacancy for the "FOSS Certification Manager for ict@innovation". The Pillar B Manager will be responsible for supervising the implementation of all programme component activities and coordinating with the FOSSFA secretariat and executive in order to: Plan and implement the ict@innovation programme activities on FOSS certification and achieve the ict@innovation Pillar B programme targets;
Work toward a long term strategy for spreading FOSS certification throughout Africa; In collaboration with global certification entities, and in consultation with FOSSFA members and project partners, compile and make available the needed training materials for key FOSS certificates. See here.
December 2008
FOSS Certification strategy development
Based on the outcomes of the research and particularly the planning workshop, ict@innovation develops a detailed plan for the FOSS Certification component, that is currently under discussion with the programme partners / steering committee as well as prospective implementing partners.
October 2008
FOSS Certification planning workshop
The planning workshop for the FOSS Certification component of ict@innovation was held from 15 - 17 October 2008 in Johannesburg. 21 participants from different African countries brought their expertise in FOSS training and certification to the table. Together, we discussed needs and visions to get to a common understanding of how the ict@innovation FOSS certification programme could both ideally and realistically be designed, so that it meets local requirements and will make a positive impact.
August/September 2008
Research on FOSS certification requirements and experiences
ict@innovation conducted a survey on FOSS certification demands and requirements in different African countries, organized a open discussion forum on FOSS certification on the ict@innovation website, and engaged in conversations with a variety of African stakeholders in FOSS certification. This background research served as a basis and preparation for the planning workshop.
Pillar C. Innovative local FOSS Applications for social and economic development
ict@innovation is planning to offer mentored internships for software developers seeking to improve their FOSS skills and create innovative applications. This internship programme is currently being designed and
will kick-start in 2010.
Pillar D. Enabling Regional networking and international exchange
Networking and exchange is a a crosscutting component of the ict@innovation programme. The direct programme activities promote exchanges, like participatory planning workshops or the formation of editing teams for course materials, for instance. It is part of the concept for regional and national trainings to be conducted in 2009/2010 to help create communities of practice in the respective topic areas.
September 2009
Celebrating Software Freedom Day
InWEnt connected its international partners in Asia and Africa via chat for this years Sofware Freedom Day. Here IOSN and FOSSFA met to exchange ideas on future collaboration and knowledge exchange.
June 2009
FOSSFA Study Tour to Germany
In June 2009 five FOSSFA delegates visited Berlin for a week of meetings and events on the topic of Open Source. The LinuxTag, Europe's leading Open Source event was attended by the delegation and enriched James Lunghabo's presentation on the situation of FOSS in Africa. The LinuxTag trade fair provided the opportunity to meet with a number of stakeholders from Germany and Europe and to share information on FOSSFA's activities and ict@innovation. Highlights included meeting the heads of the Open Source Business Foundation, Lisog e.V., LiVe Linux Association as well as the organisers of the LinuxTag – Germany's leading Open Source organisations. Further international networking activities included the attendance of OSCON and the networking with Asian Institutions for Software Freedom Day.
August 2008
Launch of ict@innovation web portal
The ict@innovation portal is built to engage an interested community of people associated with and contributing to the ict@innovation programme. The portal is to support participatory writing, discussion, and decision making processes. It aims to promote community building through group functionalities, and listing of individual profiles. Its group functionalities are to host all the regional and national training groups to share materials, discuss contents, and work collaboratively.
Overall Programme Activities
March 2008
Launch of the ict@innovation programme
The ict@innovation programme was launched at the Idlelo 3 conference in Dakar/Senegal. ict@innovation co-organized two Idlelo conference tracks, one on "Human Capacities, Capabilities and Consequences" and one on "Business Models and Community Development". The partnership agreement between InWEnt and FOSSFA was signed at the Idlelo 3 conference
April 2008 ff
Joining of further partners
Partners such as the OSISA (Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa) joined ict@innovation. > Overview of ict@innovation partners.
May 2008
Constitution of the advisory board
The ict@innovation advisory board includes experts on FOSS business inAfrica who provide guidance on strategic programme decisions.
August 2008
Appointment of African programme coordination office
George G Nyambuya was appointed effective 18 August 2008 as ict@innovation programme coordinator. George is based at the InWEnt South Africa office in Pretoria, and belongs organizationally also to the FOSSFA secretariat.
October 2008
First steering committee meeting
The ict@innovation Steering Committee Meeting was held on the 13-15 October 2008 in Johannesburg. The main programme partners met and mapped the way forward for the project.
November 2008
Meeting with FOSSFA executives
The ict@innovation Africa coordinator had the opportunity to meet with the FOSSFA executive team during the I-Week at AITI-KACE in Accra/Ghana. Here, ict@innovation also met with the newly appointed FOSSFA secretariat coordinator, whom the programme looks forward to closely liase with.