JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- The Community Information Network for Southern Africa (CINSA) is a project supporting community ICT initiatives in the SADC region. The aim is to build a sustainable network of community ICT projects in the 14 SADC member states - Angola, Botswana, Democratic
Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
CINSA supports community ICT initiatives, including telecentres, community multimedia centres, community radio stations, community information resource and access centres and the like. Its mandate is to serve those initiatives located within the SADC region through research, networking, facilitating training, service brokerage and more.
CINSA has set up three nodal points in the SADC region, one in Zambia (hosted by the e-Brain Forum) and one in Tanzania (hosted by TANGO), in addition to the secretariat (hosted by APC member, SANGONeT, which is also the project-implementing organisation) in South Africa. The regional nodes focus on information gathering from a regional perspective, and on strengthening the network by building local capacity. They are a catalyst for spearheading local community ICT network activities and supporting ICT advocacy campaigns in the region.
Thus CINSA has provided and facilitated both technical and ICT-related policy advocacy training to managers and people involved with the initiatives; continues to provide space for members to publicize and network themselves; provides specialized project management (sustainability consultancy, project ideas, proposals developments and providing websites) and other brokerage services (discounted fees from suppliers and service providers including energy / equipment suppliers, internet service providers as well as training providers.
In the future CINSA intends to produce CD-roms as a flagship project to provide network members without internet access with resources and information. offline. Another service envisaged is the facilitation of donated websites to members. CINSA’s future focus will be to transform or incubate ‘member projects’ into technology skills pools, community telecommunications providers and resource / training centres.
CINSA is currently funded by the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA), and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
CINSA
SANGONeT, APC member in South Africa, and CINSA's secretariat
Date: 04/28/2004
Location: JOHANNESBURG, South Africa
Contact: cinsa@sangonet.org.za
Category: Development Resources
Source: SANGONeT
SAHARA TO INVEST P2 MILLION TO OPEN ICT TO PUBLIC IN BOTSWANA
SAHARA Computers Managing Director Ashok Narayan who was speaking in an
interview to Monitor said that his company is investing P2m over a period
spanning two years to meet the needs of the fast-pacing IT market. He said
that as part of the company strategic plan to expand services, already
economic strides have been put in place to facilitate the opening of a new
office in Francistown by October this year.
SAHARA Computers, which has been operating in Botswana for the last five
years, has supplied 48 schools across the country with SAHARA branded
computers, accessories, printers, among other gadgets and was targeting the
rest of the schools.
SAHARA Computers intends to introduce modern products to the market at
competitive prices in the not so far future and has pledged to continue
working with the Ministry of Education in many areas, including computer
awareness and school curriculum related issues.
Narayan added: "We are expanding services to meet the demands of the market
at an affordable price. We are the number one IT distributor in South Africa
and we plan to set businesses in 14 other African countries".
"Our intention is to ensure that we offer computers at affordable prices and
make sure that every average Motswana has access to ICT services as this
will bring about efficiency in many spheres of life".
"We want to work with Microsoft to come up with affordable rates. We want to
make the use of ICT part of the lifestyle of the people in line with the
National Vision 2016". Currently, SAHARA Computers has offices in South
Africa employing 300people, Botswana (17) and Kenya (20). The company is the
sole distributor of some of the leading manufacturers of computer components
such as Intel, Samsung, Creative, SMC Networks products, Epson Lexmark,
Microsoft, Mastor, symantec, MSI, among others.
(SOURCE: Mmega)
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Have had no option than to join you ,provided you can employ me as one of your rf installer ,recently am working in Dizengoff [Nig]
Ltd.apapa-Nigeria [MOTOROLA COMUNICATION DEPERTMENT]incollaboration with Motorola south Africa.
Your reply is highly needed.
Thanks in anticipation.
Yours faithfully,
OTUNLA OLUSEGUN MOSES.
Your visionis in line with mine. If I should be your agent in GHANA I'm ready to contact the educational institutions to make ICT get to every student in school in Ghana and other African Countries.
Im an IT officer with Ghana Shippers' Counil and have been on the IT field for the past 12 years. I now want to burst out and reach others with ICT knowlegde and experience.
Should you want me to be an Agent contact me on 233-21 666915-7 / 233-27 7405248