Roundtable in association with:




Connecting Rural Africa Agenda

ICT infrastructure is developing fast in many parts of Africa, but there is still some way to go before its full benefits are realised by the majority of citizens. This debate will examine how African countries can best harness the potential of ICT and how best to address the many challenges that remain in its application.
An interesting development worth discussion is the digital dividend emerging in South Africa from the sophisticated IT infrastructure put in place for the World Cup next year. Part of this has been to create a World Class Telecommunication Infrastructure for the event, linking all the host cities through mobile, wireless and fixed lines as well as wide bandwidth broadband. This has been done and other developing countries can learn much from this development.

The Government is now looking to maximise the legacy created by this development with its Fibre to the Home policy, which is looking to connect rural areas and small towns with an extensive fibre network that will in turn lead to the liberalisation of the network.

This development in communications infrastructure, as well as the increase in bandwidth, creates opportunities across the whole telecommunications spectrum, including a rise in the demand for more sophisticated mobile devices, mobile TV, health, government, learning and banking services.

Increased capacity brings benefits for economic growth in rural Africa, increasing business opportunities for the outsourcing of international operations – call centres, business and payment processing etc. Meanwhile mobile banking is now becoming the principle method of banking for remote rural communities involving opportunity for both banks and telcos. Effective communications infrastructure also encourages inward investment to parts of Africa previously disadvantaged in terms of this economic growth.

Throughout development of any sort, regulation is important but discussion is needed on how best to empower the policy-making process to capture, address and reflect the many dynamic changes taking place in the communications sector. The balance is always needed in protecting the consumer and enabling the private sector to do business.

Key questions that need to be addressed include the following:

• How can both the public and private sectors take advantage of the broadband, satellite and mobile development in African countries?

• Looking at the South African market, how should we maximise the digital dividend emerging from the new infrastructure put in place for the World Cup 2010?

• Is fibre to the home a realistic goal in African countries?

• How can all development stay future-focused, allowing for innovative solutions, but remain affordable, practicable and appropriate?

• Does the right regulatory environment exist for PPPs to thrive and make the progress needed to connect Africa?

• How can telecommunications, particularly mobile, contribute to sustainable economic growth in a market which is increasingly without regulatory borders. Indeed, are we in a state of natural deregulation, in which the market regulates itself through good competition, putting the consumer in the driving seat?

• What is the role of the regulator and how will he best achieve technological convergence and technological neutrality?

• While the public sector should take responsibility for the overall aims and objectives in terms of policy, it is essential that the private sector needs to be consulted. How can the balance between protecting the consumer and competition, economic viability, progress and delivering attractive services be maintained?

• Internet access needs to be widely available and affordable if true knowledge economies are to emerge in Africa. How can this progress be speeded up, particularly in rural areas and areas not necessarily connected by fibre?

Private Sector Panel

 

Paul Gainham - Service provider Marketing Director EMEA - Juniper

Ilan Weichelbaum - CEO - Sky 2 Net

Nir Korman - VP Sales, Africa – Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd

IDT – Delegate TBC

WIOCC – Delegate TBC

 

 

Public Sector Panel

 

Paris Mashile – Chairman – ICASA

Benjamin Aggrey Ntim – Former Minister of Communications >Ghana

Adrian Vermooten – Head of Mobile Banking – ABSA

Hemmanth Singh - CEO: Beyond Banking - Standard Bank

David Hartshorn - Secretary General, USA - Global VSAT Forum

Dhadho Godhana – Minister – Ministry of Communications Kenya

Etienne Sinatambou - Speaker - National Assembly – Mauritius Government

Leon Perlman – Chairman - Wireless Application Service Providers

Michelle Williams - Deputy, Director general - Ministry of public service & Administration South Africa

 

Awaiting confirmation from:

 

Ghana - Ministry of Communications

South African - Ministry of Communications

MACRA

 

Audience – Public Sector

 

Alan Samuels – Head, Business Development - Standard Bank

Abby Wakama – CEO - ITNewsAfrica.com

Adeyemi Adeyemi - Social Workers Association Nigeria

Clive Pillay - Executive Director - Banking Ombudsman SA

James Kariuki - eLearning Consultant - University of Western Cape

Jenny King – MD - eSchools Network

Joe Botha – Chairman – Amobia

Khaled Fourati - Senior Program Officer ICT4D Acacia program – IDRC

Quentin Williams - Representative South Africa - World Wide Web Consortium

Seaparo Phala – CIO - Department of Arts & Culture South Africa

Segakweng Tsiane - Permanent Secretary - Ministry of Home Affairs Botswana

Sonette Meerman - Business development egov – SITA

William Hearmon – Chairman - CDMA Forum

Hossam Ragheb - Director of Government Services Development Program - Department of State Administration Egypt

Ashraf Abdelhafez - Health Programes Manager, eGovernment - Department of State Administration Egypt

Christopher Olusegun Popoola - Managing Director - Tourism Flagship Media

Oyemade Fredrick Macaulay - General Manager - Tourism Flagship Media

Sunday Fayose – President - Global Education Communication

Samuel Mungadze - Biznews

 

Audience – Private Sector

 

Mr Chaim Weinberger – Technical Marketing Director, Africa – Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd

Miss Sharon Maraton – Director of Sales, Africa – Gilat Satellite Ltd

Justin Lee – Juniper Guest

Albertus Marais – Juniper GuestConnecting Rural Africa

 

Private Sector Panel

 

Paul Gainham - Service provider Marketing Director EMEA - Juniper

Ilan Weichelbaum - CEO - Sky 2 Net

Nir Korman - VP Sales, Africa – Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd

IDT – Delegate TBC

WIOCC – Delegate TBC

 

 

Public Sector Panel

 

Paris Mashile – Chairman – ICASA

Benjamin Aggrey Ntim – Former Minister of Communications Ghana

Adrian Vermooten – Head of Mobile Banking – ABSA

Hemmanth Singh - CEO: Beyond Banking - Standard Bank

David Hartshorn - Secretary General, USA - Global VSAT Forum

Dhadho Godhana – Minister – Ministry of Communications Kenya

Etienne Sinatambou - Speaker - National Assembly – Mauritius Government

Leon Perlman – Chairman - Wireless Application Service Providers

Michelle Williams - Deputy, Director general - Ministry of public service & Administration South Africa

 

Awaiting confirmation from:

 

Ghana - Ministry of Communications

South African - Ministry of Communications

MACRA

 

Audience – Public Sector

 

Alan Samuels – Head, Business Development - Standard Bank

Abby Wakama – CEO - ITNewsAfrica.com

Adeyemi Adeyemi - Social Workers Association Nigeria

Clive Pillay - Executive Director - Banking Ombudsman SA

James Kariuki - eLearning Consultant - University of Western Cape

Jenny King – MD - eSchools Network

Joe Botha – Chairman – Amobia

Khaled Fourati - Senior Program Officer ICT4D Acacia program – IDRC

Quentin Williams - Representative South Africa - World Wide Web Consortium

Seaparo Phala – CIO - Department of Arts & Culture South Africa

Segakweng Tsiane - Permanent Secretary - Ministry of Home Affairs Botswana

Sonette Meerman - Business development egov – SITA

William Hearmon – Chairman - CDMA Forum

Hossam Ragheb - Director of Government Services Development Program - Department of State Administration Egypt

Ashraf Abdelhafez - Health Programes Manager, eGovernment - Department of State Administration Egypt

Christopher Olusegun Popoola - Managing Director - Tourism Flagship Media

Oyemade Fredrick Macaulay - General Manager - Tourism Flagship Media

Sunday Fayose – President - Global Education Communication

Samuel Mungadze - Biznews

 

Audience – Private Sector

 

Mr Chaim Weinberger – Technical Marketing Director, Africa – Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd

Miss Sharon Maraton – Director of Sales, Africa – Gilat Satellite Ltd

Justin Lee – Juniper Guest

Albertus Marais – Juniper GuestConnecting Rural Africa

 

Private Sector Panel

 

Paul Gainham - Service provider Marketing Director EMEA - Juniper

Ilan Weichelbaum - CEO - Sky 2 Net

Nir Korman - VP Sales, Africa – Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd

IDT – Delegate TBC

WIOCC – Delegate TBC

 

 

Public Sector Panel

 

Paris Mashile – Chairman – ICASA

Benjamin Aggrey Ntim – Former Minister of Communications Ghana

Adrian Vermooten – Head of Mobile Banking – ABSA

Hemmanth Singh - CEO: Beyond Banking - Standard Bank

David Hartshorn - Secretary General, USA - Global VSAT Forum

Dhadho Godhana – Minister – Ministry of Communications Kenya

Etienne Sinatambou - Speaker - National Assembly – Mauritius Government

Leon Perlman – Chairman - Wireless Application Service Providers

Michelle Williams - Deputy, Director general - Ministry of public service & Administration South Africa

 

Awaiting confirmation from:

 

Ghana - Ministry of Communications

South African - Ministry of Communications

MACRA

 

Audience – Public Sector

 

Alan Samuels – Head, Business Development - Standard Bank

Abby Wakama – CEO - ITNewsAfrica.com

Adeyemi Adeyemi - Social Workers Association Nigeria

Clive Pillay - Executive Director - Banking Ombudsman SA

James Kariuki - eLearning Consultant - University of Western Cape

Jenny King – MD - eSchools Network

Joe Botha – Chairman – Amobia

Khaled Fourati - Senior Program Officer ICT4D Acacia program – IDRC

Quentin Williams - Representative South Africa - World Wide Web Consortium

Seaparo Phala – CIO - Department of Arts & Culture South Africa

Segakweng Tsiane - Permanent Secretary - Ministry of Home Affairs Botswana

Sonette Meerman - Business development egov – SITA

William Hearmon – Chairman - CDMA Forum

Hossam Ragheb - Director of Government Services Development Program - Department of State Administration Egypt

Ashraf Abdelhafez - Health Programes Manager, eGovernment - Department of State Administration Egypt

Christopher Olusegun Popoola - Managing Director - Tourism Flagship Media

Oyemade Fredrick Macaulay - General Manager - Tourism Flagship Media

Sunday Fayose – President - Global Education Communication

Samuel Mungadze - Biznews

 

Audience – Private Sector

 

Mr Chaim Weinberger – Technical Marketing Director, Africa – Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd

Miss Sharon Maraton – Director of Sales, Africa – Gilat Satellite Ltd

Justin Lee – Juniper Guest

Albertus Marais – Juniper GuestConnecting Rural Africa

 

Private Sector Panel

 

Paul Gainham - Service provider Marketing Director EMEA - Juniper

Ilan Weichelbaum - CEO - Sky 2 Net

Nir Korman - VP Sales, Africa – Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd

IDT – Delegate TBC

WIOCC – Delegate TBC

 

 

Public Sector Panel

 

Paris Mashile – Chairman – ICASA

Benjamin Aggrey Ntim – Former Minister of Communications Ghana

Adrian Vermooten – Head of Mobile Banking – ABSA

Hemmanth Singh - CEO: Beyond Banking - Standard Bank

David Hartshorn - Secretary General, USA - Global VSAT Forum

Dhadho Godhana – Minister – Ministry of Communications Kenya

Etienne Sinatambou - Speaker - National Assembly – Mauritius Government

Leon Perlman – Chairman - Wireless Application Service Providers

Michelle Williams - Deputy, Director general - Ministry of public service & Administration South Africa

 

Awaiting confirmation from:

 

Ghana - Ministry of Communications

South African - Ministry of Communications

MACRA

 

Audience – Public Sector

 

Alan Samuels – Head, Business Development - Standard Bank

Abby Wakama – CEO - ITNewsAfrica.com

Adeyemi Adeyemi - Social Workers Association Nigeria

Clive Pillay - Executive Director - Banking Ombudsman SA

James Kariuki - eLearning Consultant - University of Western Cape

Jenny King – MD - eSchools Network

Joe Botha – Chairman – Amobia

Khaled Fourati - Senior Program Officer ICT4D Acacia program – IDRC

Quentin Williams - Representative South Africa - World Wide Web Consortium

Seaparo Phala – CIO - Department of Arts & Culture South Africa

Segakweng Tsiane - Permanent Secretary - Ministry of Home Affairs Botswana

Sonette Meerman - Business development egov – SITA

William Hearmon – Chairman - CDMA Forum

Hossam Ragheb - Director of Government Services Development Program - Department of State Administration Egypt

Ashraf Abdelhafez - Health Programes Manager, eGovernment - Department of State Administration Egypt

Christopher Olusegun Popoola - Managing Director - Tourism Flagship Media

Oyemade Fredrick Macaulay - General Manager - Tourism Flagship Media

Sunday Fayose – President - Global Education Communication

Samuel Mungadze - Biznews

 

Audience – Private Sector

 

Mr Chaim Weinberger – Technical Marketing Director, Africa – Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd

Miss Sharon Maraton – Director of Sales, Africa – Gilat Satellite Ltd

Justin Lee – Juniper Guest

Albertus Marais – Juniper Guest