International Conference on ICT for Africa 2010

International Conference on ICT for Africa 2010
It is quite opportune that Africa has something to contribute to the information age. First, with innovations like mobile phones, we can say that Africa has not been left out. Africa is reported to be the world's single fastest-growing regional mobile market. Second, some researchers have noted that there tends to be mismatch between the realities for developing economies and assumptions of Western models of enterprise, thus as business practices evolve with their changing business environments, more research is needed to redefine existing knowledge to be consistent and applicable with the dynamic nature of the environment.

These developments draw attention to a number of questions. What role can we play in the information age? Is Africa going to be only consumers of the information age or can Africa join the producers of ICT knowledge, products and services? What could be emergent patterns of ICT knowledge transfer in development? Is there an opportunity for unique contribution from Africa in this information age?

If there is, then let us tell the story of what we have in this conference. With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), The National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) and The Louisiana Board of Regents, we are pleased to announce The International Conference on ICT for Africa 2010. The International Conference on ICT for Africa 2010 (ICIA 2010) is themed ‘ICT for Development – Contributions of the South’.
This conference will bring together a fine mix of practitioners and academicians in the area of ICTs for sustainable development. The conference will explore the contributions of Africa to the global ICT for development discourse and efforts. The objective is to highlight the synergy of collaboration between African countries and other developing countries, and between African countries and the developed countries towards development solutions. Discussions and panel debates will therefore question how ICTs become the process for South-to-South knowledge transfer and South-to-North knowledge transfer in both research and practice. Workshops will explore international grantseeking opportunities for ICT research and projects, elearning for African universities and new frontiers in telemedicine and tele-neonatology research and practice in Africa.