DOCSLIB.ORG

ICPD/15 International Conference on Population and Development

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
ICPD/15 International Conference on Population and Development ICPD/15 International Conference on Population and Development Africa Regional Review Report ICPD and the MDGs: Working as One Fifteen-Year Review of the Implementation of the ICPD PoA in Africa – ICPD at 15 (1994 – 2009) MAIN REPORT United Nations Economic United Nations Population Fund African Union Commission Commission for Africa United Nations Economic Commission for Africa United Nations Population Fund African Union Commission Africa Regional Review Report ICPD and the MDGs: Working as One Fifteen-Year Review of the Implementation of the ICPD PoA in Africa – ICPD at 15 (1994 – 2009) MAIN REPORT ECA/ACGS/HSD/ICPD/RP/2009 ECA Addis Ababa October 2009 Table of contents Acronyms and abbreviations ..............................................................................v Foreword ..............................................................................................................vii Acknowledgements .............................................................................................ix Executive Summary ............................................................................................1 Part 1 Review Process ......................................................................................37 Part 2 Review Results .......................................................................................47 Section 1 Poverty, Population, Environment and Sustainable Development ..................49 Section 2 Gender Equality, Equity, and Empowerment of Women ...................................65 Section 3 The Family, its role, rights, composition and structure .....................................79 Section 4 Children and Youth ...................................................................................................85 Section 5 Reproductive Rights and Reproductive Health ..................................................97 Section 6 HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis and other Communicable Diseases ...........119 Section 7 Population Distribution, Urbanization and Internal Migration .......................131 Section 8 International Migration ............................................................................................143 Section 9 Crisis Situation and Emergency Preparedness ...................................................149 Section 10 Population and Development Data ......................................................................157 Section 11 Resource Mobilization, Partnerships and Coordination .................................165 Section 12 Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanisms .............................................................171 Section 13 Factors Affecting Implementation of the ICPD PoA and MDGs ..................177 Part 3 Recommendations and Way Forward .................................................183 References ............................................................................................................191 Annexes ................................................................................................................194 iii Acronyms and abbreviations ADB African Development Bank AIDS Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome ART Anti-retroviral Therapy ARH Adolescent Reproductive Health AU African Union CBO Community-Based Organization CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women CSO Civil Society Organization DHS Demographic and Health Survey DHIS District Health Information System DRC Democratic Republic of the Congo FBO Faith-Based Organization GDP Gross Domestic Product GBV Gender-Based Violence HIS Health Information System HIV Human Immuno-deficiency Virus ICPD International Conference on Population and Development IDMC Inter-departmental Disaster Management Committee IDPs Internally Displaced Persons IEC Information, Education and Communication IMR Infant Mortality Rate IOM International Organization for Migration MCH Maternal and Child Health MCP Multiple Concurrent sexual Partnerships MDG Millennium Development Goals v MMR Maternal Mortality Ratio NEP National Electrification Programme NGO Non-governmental Organization NHS National Health System NPA National Programme of Action NYC National Youth Commission NYS National Youth Service ODA Official Development Assistance PoA Programme of Action RDP Reconstruction and Development Programme SADHS South Africa Demographic and Health Survey STD Sexually-Transmitted Disease STIs Sexually-Transmitted Infections TB Tuberculosis TFR Total Fertility Rate UN United Nations UNCT United Nations Country Team UNDAF United Nations Development Assistance Framework UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNFPA United Nations Population Fund UNICEF United Nations Children Fund UNHCR United Nations High Commission for Refugees WHO World Health Organization YDN Youth Development Network vi Foreword The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo in 1994 adopt- ed a twenty-year Programme of Action (ICPD-PoA). The ICPD was preceded by the 1992 Dakar/ Ngor Declaration (DND) on Population, Family and Sustainable Development and both are mile- stones in advancing population and development in Africa. DND formed the basis of Africa’s com- mon position submitted to ICPD (1994) while ICPD-PoA provides a comprehensive framework on issues of interrelationship between population, sustained economic growth and sustainable de- velopment, and advances in education, economic status and empowerment of women. DND and ICPD-PoA have since guided the implementation of health, population, environment and related development policies in Africa. The implementation of the recommendations of ICPD-PoA is the “sovereign right of each country, in line with national laws and development priorities”. The ICPD- PoA also calls on the regional institutions, including the United Nations system, to play an active role in the implementation of the Programme of Action. In Africa, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) is mandated by the General Assembly of the United Nations to follow up on the implementation of the Dakar-Ngor Declaration and Programme of Action of ICPD. In collaboration with UNFPA, and in close consultation with African governments, the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Population Commission (APC) and the African Development Bank (AfDB), ECA implemented this mandate by carrying out ICPD reviews at five-year intervals in 1999 and 2004. The 1999 review identified some key priority areas for action, with emphasis on education and literacy; reproductive health care and unmet need for contraception; maternal mortality reduction; and HIV/AIDS. In this regard the 1999 Report stressed the need for addressing general health, education, income generation and employment, reducing infant and maternal mortality, and HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections. Issues such as the family, refugees, the role of the aged in society, political and social instability, interre- lationship between the role of the NGOs, private sector and civil society, information, education, communication materials and advocacy strategies were those that needed adequate attention. The ICPD review in 2004 demonstrated that countries had made significant progress in adopting and implementing a reproductive health approach; strengthening efforts to improve gender equal- ity, equity and women’s empowerment; addressing adolescent reproductive health; forging new partnerships with civil society and the private sector and promoting integration of population dy- namics and trends into development planning and policymaking. However, the outcomes showed that major challenges to the full implementation of the Cairo agenda still remained. vii This year, as we mark the fifteenth anniversary of the adoption of ICPD, ECA and its partners (AU and UNFPA) undertook a fifteen-year review of the implementation of DND and ICPD-PoA in Africa in the context of the MDGs. The review work included collecting data from Member States, and analyzing it to develop this publication; ICPD and the MDGs: Working as one. The report reveals the tremendous work done thus far by the African Union, UN Agencies and Member States to formulate policies, develop appropriate legal frameworks and adopt relevant in- ternational instruments to achieve the objectives of ICPD-PoA and the MDGs. Many countries have set up new institutions, strengthened existing ones and designed national and sectoral programmes and plans to address the various dimensions of population. However, several countries are yet to give explicit consideration to population planning and design a specific action plan or programme to address policy implementation. Overall, the review notes the wide gap existing in most African countries between population-related policies and actual implementation. Barely five years to the end of the ICPD and MDG programme cycles (2014 and 2015 respectively), the prognosis for achieving the ICPD objectives and MDG targets points to the need for greater commitment and effort. While national conditions may vary, the outcome of this review suggests that significant difference could be made through renewed focus by all countries on population and development issues, based on a human rights approach. This would be in the areas of health and reproductive health, education, skills development and productive employment, human resources and institutional capacity and finance, with emphasis on domestic resource mobilization. All stake- holders in Africa and partners have a role to play in scaling
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Exploratory Study on the Coverage of Rural Development News on Ethiopian Radio
    Exploratory Study on the Coverage of Rural Development News on Ethiopian Radio: Case Study of 8 PM (Evening) News By Mulatu Alemayehu A Thesis Submitted to The Faculty of Journalism and Communication Addis Ababa University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Journalism Addis Ababa August 2007 Addis Ababa University Faculty of Journalism and Communication Exploratory study on the Coverage of Development News in Ethiopian Radio: The Case of Evening (8:00 Pm) news By Mulatu Alemayehu Approved by the Board of Examiners ___________________ ________________________ Adviser __________________ ______________________ Adviser __________________ ______________________ Examiner __________________ ______________________ Examiner Acknowledgements My major thanks go to my advisors. It is my pleasure to express my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to my external advisor, Dr Kristin Skare Orgeret for her frequent and regular contact to make my work better. With out her constructive and valuable support, this paper would not have been finished. I also thank the internal advisor, Dr Vaidyanathan Natarajan. I sincerely thank to all my friends and families who support me morally and financially either directly or indirectly, from a piece of paper to a lab top and encouraging me all time. Particularly, I want to say thank you to Abay, Abel, Antony, Azeb, Aski, Ashu, Dave, Denni, Ephi, Zewge, Gojj, Hiwi, Prof, Tsega, Teddy, and others. I am also grateful to thank Ato Demake Deboch who helps me to analyze the data by
    [Show full text]
  • Flag Politics in Ethiopia and the Ethio-American Diaspora
    Flag Politics in Ethiopia and the Ethio-American Diaspora Goshu Wolde Tefera1 African and African-American Studies Syracuse University [email protected] A. Peter Castro PhD Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs Syracuse University [email protected] Abstract Flags hold “rich symbolic and political connotations,” yet the examination of their use has been “relatively neglected in research on nationalism” (Eriksen, 2007, p. 1-2). Our study explores the transnational politics of Ethiopia’s national flag, exploring its manifestation within the Ethio- American community in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, where the largest Ethiopian diaspora population in the United States resides. We also examine the historical roots of Ethiopian flag politics within Ethiopia’s historical political economy. The country’s well-known imperial flag, containing the emblem of the Lion of Judah against green, yellow, and red stripes, emerged by the late 19th century as Ethiopia defended itself against colonial intrusion. The flying of the flag, an essentially invented tradition, was originally used to reinforce the legitimacy of Ethiopia’s imperial elite. Ultimately, however, flags—all flags—became associated with deep patriotic meaning. The tricolor stripes of the imperial of the flag became an important Pan-African and anti-colonial symbol after the country’s resistance to Italian occupation during the first part of the twentieth century. Later, a plain tricolor flag of green, yellow, and red, without the Lion of Judah, was used by the Derg—the collective of military and police forces that deposed Emperor Haile Selassie in 1974, imposing socialist rule under the leadership of Mengistu Haile Mariam, until 1991.
    [Show full text]
  • The Forgotten Victims: Enforced Disappearance in Africa
    2021 THE FORGOTTEN VICTIMS: ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCE IN AFRICA The Struggle of Victims of Enforced Disappearance to obtain Justice, Truth and Reparations © Reuters/Alamy Stock Photo Algerian mothers of disappeared people attend a sit-in outside the government human rights office in Algiers to demand the return of their loved ones or information about their fate. WHO WE ARE REDRESS is an international human rights organisation that delivers justice and reparation for survivors of torture, challenges impunity for perpetrators, and advocates for legal and policy reforms to combat torture. Our cases respond to torture as an individual crime in domestic and international law, as a civil wrong with individual responsibility, and as a human rights violation with state responsibility. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS REDRESS would like to express its gratitude for the contribution of various individuals and organizations to this report. In particular, we would like to thank the law firm Linklaters for providing invaluable pro bono support on research, drafting and editing of the report. Additionally, we thank international experts Gabriela Citroni, Houria Es-Slami and the late Christof Heyns for their kind review of early drafts of this report. We further thank our partners, Lawyers for Justice in Libya, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, the African Center for Justice and Peace Studies, and the MENA Rights Group, for their important input in exploring the scope of enforced disappearances in Libya, Zimbabwe, Sudan and Algeria. We are grateful for the support of the African Commis- sion on Human and Peoples’ Rights in co-organising various working meetings and events that informed some of the views contained in this report, as well as for the collaboration of regional and international experts on the subject.
    [Show full text]
  • ETHIOPIA’S Public Disclosure Authorized GREATRUN the Growth Acceleration and How to Pace It 2014 Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized
    99399 ETHIOPIA’S Public Disclosure Authorized GREATRUN The Growth Acceleration and How to Pace It 2014 Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized 2004 Public Disclosure Authorized ETHIOPIA’S GREAT RUN THE GROWTH ACCELERATION AND HOW TO PACE IT February, 2016 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................................... vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .............................................................................................................................. ix EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................. xi PART A: EXPLAINING GROWTH ...................................................................................................................1 THE GROWTH ACCELERATION ...................................................................................................................3 1.1 Recent Economic Growth in Perspective ............................................................................................................3 1.2 Rapid Growth in the Context of Development Progress .....................................................................................3 1.3 Proximate Growth Determinants ........................................................................................................................6 ECONOMIC STRATEGY — ‘THE ETHIOPIAN WAY’ ...............................................................................13
    [Show full text]
  • The S Elective Adoption
    the London School o f E c o n o m ic s a n d Political Science ■ D e v e l o p m e n t a n d D estabilization The Selective Adoption ofICTs in Et h io p ia Iginio G a g lia r d o n e D e p a r t m e n t o f M e d ia a n d C ommunications A thesis submitted to the London School of Economics and Political Science for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy July 2010 UMI Number: U615B27 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U615B27 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 1HB3K «*MNUrwf*glPi MM D e c la r a t io n I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the PhD degree of the London School of Economics and Political Science is solely my own work other than where I have clearly indicated that it is the work of others (in which case the extent of any work carried out jointly by me and any other person is clearly identified in it).
    [Show full text]
  • Full Content Book for 30 Years.Docx 2
    INTRODUCTION The Peace and Development Center [PDC] is a non-for-profit and non-governmental organization registered in Ethiopia, governed by its mission, values, goals and objectives to institute a civic leadership. This commitment is embodied in both collective and comprehensive policies that value the importance of peaceful dialogue, purposeful management, and resolutions using collective and inclusive participation of its leadership. This includes, but is not limited to, institutionalization of mediation steered by “elders” rooted in grassroots leadership deeply concerned about its role as concerned citizens of traditional and contemporary Ethiopia. These concepts are honored practices that represent Ethiopia, an independent sovereign nation. PDC is recognized as the first contemporary Ethiopian civic organization initiated by vested “elder groups” with roots in the body politics, cultural, social, economic, secular and faith-based ethos of Ethiopia. Today, PDC marks and celebrates a solemn occasion of its 25th Silver Jubilee since its inception in 1989 in Diaspora. There are several traditional elder-based institutions and practices throughout Ethiopian history. Many of which can be described as sui generis, bringing the traditional Ethiopian ethos and spirit of reconciliation, community solidarity congenial for dialogue, harmony, tolerance and coexistence. PDC’s founders are concerned citizens and leaders who responded to the call for “Peace, Stability and Sustainable Development” in Ethiopia. In so doing, PDC has evolved from special experience and expertise in assembling and establishing civic coalitions and grassroots organizations made of multidisciplinary, multicultural and interfaith-based membership inside and outside Ethiopia. It has remained faithful to its indigenous and international contacts and strategy to enhance peaceful resolutions and mediation.
    [Show full text]
  • Us Strategy in Africa
    U.S. STRATEGY IN AFRICA 1 U.S. STRATEGY IN AFRICA U.S. STRATEGY IN AFRICA Edited by Maya KANDEL Director, U.S. program at IRSEM December 2014 To quote this study Kandel M. (dir.), December 2014, “U.S. Strategy in Africa”, Études de l’IRSEM N°36. Legal deposit ISSN : 2268-3194 ISBN : 978-2-11-151002-9 2 U.S. STRATEGY IN AFRICA RECENTLY PUBLISHED 35- Approche globale et Union européenne : le cas de la corne de l’Afrique Général de division (2S) Maurice de LANGLOIS (dir.) 34- Opinion publique et armées à l’épreuve de la guerre en Afghanistan Barbara JANKOWSKI 33- La puissance russe au Moyen-Orient : Retour ou déclin inéluctable ? Clément THERME 32- Les stratégies du smart power américain : Redéfinir le leadership dans un monde post- américain Maya KANDEL et Maud QUESSARD-SALVAING (dir.) 31- L’action extérieure de l’Europe à l’épreuve de l’Égypte et de l’Afrique Chantal LAVALLEE 30- Accès aux espaces communs et grandes stratégies : vers un nouveau jeu mondial Frédéric RAMEL 29- États-Unis : quelle transition stratégique ? La politique de défense sous Obama entre dynamiques internes et évolutions internationales Maya KANDEL (dir.) 28- La Turquie au Moyen-Orient : l’apprentissage de la puissance Gilles RIAUX (dir.) 27- Réflexions sur la crise libyenne Pierre RAZOUX (dir.) 26- Francophonie et profondeur stratégique Niagalé BAGAYOKO et Frédéric RAMEL (dir.) 25- Les défis stratégiques africains : exploration des racines de la conflictualité en Afrique centrale Amandine GNANGUENON (dir.) 24- Les défis stratégiques africains : exploration des racines de la conflictualité en Afrique de l’Est Amandine GNANGUENON (dir.) 3 U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Awra Amba, a Utopia Between Myth and Reality Robert Joumard
    Awra Amba, a utopia between myth and reality Robert Joumard To cite this version: Robert Joumard. Awra Amba, a utopia between myth and reality. [Research Report] University Gustave Eiffel. 2021, pp.162. hal-03199059v2 HAL Id: hal-03199059 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03199059v2 Submitted on 5 May 2021 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Robert JOUMARD Awra Amba, a utopia between myth and reality May 2021 Awra Amba, a utopia between myth and reality Robert Joumard is emeritus senior scientist, University Gustave Eiffel, France. Contact: [email protected] Summary This is mainly a review of the 30 available research works on the Ethiopian utopian community of Awra Amba, complemented by the analysis of information provided by the community itself. It al- lows us to present the seeds and then the tormented historical evolution of this community founded in 1972 by a small group of illiterate peasants around one of them. Then, we present the main fea- tures of its culture, its values, the mechanisms implemented in order to respect them and the degree to which these values are respected: its well known gender equality, solidarity, golden rule (honesty, refusal of addictions, mutual respect, children’s rights), democracy, and eventually the value of work.
    [Show full text]
  • Ascendance by Descendants? on Intergenerational Education Mobility in Latin America, by Christian Daude, March 2011
    OECD DEVELOPMENT CENTRE Working Paper No. 302 RECALIBRATING DEVELOPMENT CO-OPERATION: HOW CAN AFRICAN COUNTRIES BENEFIT FROM EMERGING PARTNERS? by Myriam Dahman Saidi and Christina Wolf Research area: African Economic Outlook CENTRE DE DEVELOPMENT DÉVELOPPEMENT CENTRE July 2011 Recalibrating Development Co-operation: How Can African Countries Benefit from Emerging Partners? DEV/DOC(2011)10 DEVELOPMENT CENTRE WORKING PAPERS This series of working papers is intended to disseminate the Development Centre’s research findings rapidly among specialists in the field concerned. These papers are generally available in the original English or French, with a summary in the other language. Comments on this paper would be welcome and should be sent to the OECD Development Centre, 2 rue André Pascal, 75775 PARIS CEDEX 16, France; or to [email protected]. Documents may be downloaded from: http://www.oecd.org/dev/wp or obtained via e-mail ([email protected]). THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED AND ARGUMENTS EMPLOYED IN THIS DOCUMENT ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE AUTHORS AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THOSE OF THE OECD OR OF THE GOVERNMENTS OF ITS MEMBER COUNTRIES ©OECD (2011) Applications for permission to reproduce or translate all or part of this document should be sent to [email protected] CENTRE DE DÉVELOPPEMENT DOCUMENTS DE TRAVAIL Cette série de documents de travail a pour but de diffuser rapidement auprès des spécialistes dans les domaines concernés les résultats des travaux de recherche du Centre de développement. Ces documents ne sont disponibles que dans leur langue originale, anglais ou français ; un résumé du document est rédigé dans l’autre langue.
    [Show full text]
  • May 27-28, 2016 College of Business and Economics, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
    May 27-28, 2016 College of Business and Economics, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia “Challenges and Opportunities for Good Governance and Leadership for Sustainable Development of African States" A collaborative, international, interdisciplinary conference hosted by the Center for African Development Policy Research at Western Michigan University, Addis Ababa University, and local and regional universities in Ethiopia 9th International Conference on African Development PROGRAM Friday, May 27 Registration 8:00-8:30 a.m. Opening Remarks: Professor Afework Kassu, State Minister of Science and Technology (subject to availability) 8:30-9:00 a.m. Welcoming Remarks Professor Sisay Asefa, Professor of Economics, WMU, and Conference Director Dr. Admasu Tsegaye, President of AAU Dr. Zenebe Beyene, Addis Ababa University, Master of Ceremony 9:00-10:00 a.m. Plenary Session I: Keynote Lectures Chairperson: Professor Sisay Asefa The Relevance of Philosophy Ethiopianism to Present Day Ethiopia, Professor Mammo Muchie, Tshewane University of Technology, South Africa China and Post-Millennium African Economic Development Strategy as a Non-Zero-Sum Game, Professor Milkias Paulos , Concordia University, Montreal, Canada Embracing the Ambiguity of Economic Development and its Implications for Good Governance, Professor Teshome Abebe, Eastern Illinois University, USA (A contribution in absentia) 10:00 – 10:20 a.m. Tea/coffee break Session I: Hall I 10:20 – 11:25 a.m. Good Governance and Corruption Chairperson: Professor K. Mathews, Addis Ababa University
    [Show full text]
  • Gambella Regional State in Ethiopia: Territory, Peoples and Identity Politics…………………….104
    University of Bradford eThesis This thesis is hosted in Bradford Scholars – The University of Bradford Open Access repository. Visit the repository for full metadata or to contact the repository team © University of Bradford. This work is licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence. LARGE-SCALE LAND ACQUISITIONS AND MINORITIES/INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ RIGHTS UNDER ETHNIC FEDERALISM IN ETHIOPIA O. M. OJULU PHD 2013 LARGE-SCALE LAND ACQUISITIONS AND MINORITIES/INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ RIGHTS UNDER ETHNIC FEDERALISM IN ETHIOPIA A Case Study of Gambella Regional State Ojot Miru OJULU Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Peace Studies University of Bradford 2013 Ojot Miru Ojulu Large-Scale Land Acquisitions and Minorities/Indigenous Peoples’ Rights under Ethnic Federalism in Ethiopia: A Case Study of Gambella Regional State Keywords: Large-scale land acquisitions, minorities, indigenous peoples, federalism, Ethiopia, Gambella Abstract The contemporary phenomenon of the global rush for farmland has generated intense debate from different actors. While the proponents embrace it as a ‘development opportunity’, the critics dub it ‘land grabbing’. Others use a neutral term: ‘large-scale land acquisitions’. Whatever terminology is used, one fact remains indisputable – since 2007 vast swathes of farmlands in developing countries have been sold or leased out to large-scale commercial farmers. Ethiopia is one of the leading countries in Africa in this regard and, as a matter of state policy, it promotes these investments in peripheral regions that are predominantly inhabited by pastoralists and other indigenous communities. So far, the focus of most of the studies on this phenomenon has been on its economic, food security and environmental aspects.
    [Show full text]
  • Electronic Geophysical Year: State of the Art and Results Egy-Africa: Addressing the Digital Divide for Science in Africa
    RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF EARTH SCIENCES, VOL. 11, ES1003, doi:10.2205/2009ES000377, 2009 proceedings of the international conference Electronic Geophysical Year: State of the Art and Results 3{6 June 2009 • Pereslavl-Zalessky, Russia eGY-Africa: Addressing the digital divide for science in Africa C. E. Barton,1 C. Amory-Mazaudier,2 B. Barry,3 V. Chukwuma,4 R. L. Cottrell,5 U. Kalim,6 A. Mebrahtu,7 M. Petitdidier,8 B. Rabiu,9 and C. Reeves10 Received 30 October 2009; accepted 6 November 2009; published 24 November 2009. KEYWORDS: eGY-Africa, digital divide, Internet services, cyber-infrastructure, science in Africa. Citation: Barton, C. E., C. Amory-Mazaudier, B. Barry, V. Chukwuma, R. L. Cottrell, U. Kalim, A. Mebrahtu, M. Petitdidier, B. Rabiu, and C. Reeves (2009), eGY-Africa: Addressing the digital divide for science in Africa, Russ. J. Earth. Sci., 11, ES1003, doi:10.2205/2009ES000377. Abstract institutions. As the world of science becomes increasingly Internet-dependent, so they become increasingly isolated. eGY-Africa is a bottom-up initiative by African scientists Adoption of information and communication technologies and their collaborators to try to reduce this Digital Divide and access to the Internet is expanding in Africa, but be- by a campaign of advocacy for better institutional facili- cause of the rapid growth elsewhere, a Digital Divide be- ties. Four approaches are being taken. The present status tween Africa and the rest of the world exists, and the gap of Internet services, problems, and plans are being mapped is growing. In many sub-Saharan African countries, educa- via a combination of direct measurement of Internet per- tion and research sector suffer some of the worst deficien- formance (the PingER Project) and a questionnaire-based cies in access to the Internet, despite progress in develop- survey.
    [Show full text]