Blown Away in Swaziland
SANGONeT, in conjunction with the Coordinating Council on NGOs in Swaziland (CANGO), hosted its second regional Thetha ICT Discussion Forum from 2-3 August 2006 in Mbabane, Swaziland.
Arriving in Swaziland the day before the event, my first observation was the brown and dry appearance of the local landscape. Although this is to be expected in the middle of winter, somehow it seemed Swaziland was really in need of some rain. Without knowing what was to follow, the next 72 hours would have devastating implications for the local economy.
By late afternoon of the 1st of August 2006 the wind picked up, followed by an incredible thunderstorm and lightning that lit up the valleys around the Mountain Inn. Heavy rain followed, as well as a gale strong wind that continued to blow for the next two days, causing widespread damage and destruction in many parts of Swaziland.
With powerlines uprooted, not only was the hotel without electricity, but we had to host an ICT event without power and connectivity. Although an inconvenience for all concerned, this situation had very little impact on the enthusiasm of the more than 60 participants, while speakers also adjusted their presentations very quickly to the challenging circumstances.
This experience highlighted the importance of basic infrastructure, the role it plays in our daily lives and how essential it is for ICTs to have a meaningful impact.
The keynote presentation was made by the Minister of Economic Planning and Development, as well as Acting Minister of Tourism, Communications and Environment, Absalom Dlamini, who announced that the National Information Communications Technology (ICT) Policy has been finalised and is ready for submission to Cabinet. He observed that the policy would serve as a roadmap for local ICT development, clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of different players while also mainstreaming gender in development and implementation of all related programmes.
In his opening remarks, Emmanuel Ndlangamandla, Executive Director of CANGO, stated that although NGOs play a critical role in development, they had not yet been able to exploit ICT to enhance their development work.
These two inputs provided the perfect platform for the rest of the discussions as they highlighted the challenges of transforming ICT policy into tangible benefits for the people of Swaziland, including the local NGO sector.
As with the previous event in Namibia, the aim of the Swaziland Thetha forum was to increase the use and awareness of ICTs in the local NGO sector. It was used to highlight local ICT policy issues, develop an understanding of the ICT capacity of local NGOs, introduce participants to various open source applications and solutions, and demonstrate the relevance of social networking tools such as wikis and blogs. The event also received coverage on local television and in the print media.
Although it is too early to confirm specific ICT trends among NGOs in Southern Africa, NGOs in Namibia and Swaziland share similar experiences in terms of the negative impact of high telecommunication and ICT costs on the general uptake of ICTs, the lack of involvement by NGOs in local ICT policy processes, the absence of local NGOs specialising in ICT issues and services, and the limited uptake and awareness of open source software (OSS) solutions and applications.
As in Namibia, the highlight of the first day was the “mass” blogging and wiki session. Facilitated by Denis Brandjes of GetOpenLab, participants were guided through a number of simple steps on how to set-up their own individual blogs. Within a few minutes, the number of blogs in Swaziland was significantly increased. Amazingly, no power and connectivity disruptions were experienced during this session, the only time that we really needed the technology given the practical requirements and focus of the session.
At the end of the first day, participants were treated to a candle light dinner (in the absence of electricity), with entertainment by local dancers, and an interesting presentation by Musa Ndlangamandla, Chief Editor of The Swazi Observer, which focussed on the role and impact of ICTs in the work of media houses.
Day two started with participants working in two groups, reflecting on the ICT challenges facing NGOs in Swaziland, potential interventions to enhance the ICT uptake and awareness of local NGOs, and specific expectations regarding future Thetha-related events in Swaziland.
The rest of the programme focused on the role and relevance of open source in support of the work of NGOs, exposing participants to both the theoretical understanding and practical applications.
Information on the Swaziland event and other regional Thetha forums is available on the Thetha website.
The third and fourth Southern African Thetha forums will be held from 4-5 October 2006 and 18-19 October 2006 in Gaborone, Botswana, and Maseru, Lesotho, respectively.
Related articles:
ICT policy ready
Telecoms costs prohibitive for NGOs
2006 Regional Thetha Forums - Reaching Far and Wide into the Region
Arriving in Swaziland the day before the event, my first observation was the brown and dry appearance of the local landscape. Although this is to be expected in the middle of winter, somehow it seemed Swaziland was really in need of some rain. Without knowing what was to follow, the next 72 hours would have devastating implications for the local economy.
By late afternoon of the 1st of August 2006 the wind picked up, followed by an incredible thunderstorm and lightning that lit up the valleys around the Mountain Inn. Heavy rain followed, as well as a gale strong wind that continued to blow for the next two days, causing widespread damage and destruction in many parts of Swaziland.
With powerlines uprooted, not only was the hotel without electricity, but we had to host an ICT event without power and connectivity. Although an inconvenience for all concerned, this situation had very little impact on the enthusiasm of the more than 60 participants, while speakers also adjusted their presentations very quickly to the challenging circumstances.
This experience highlighted the importance of basic infrastructure, the role it plays in our daily lives and how essential it is for ICTs to have a meaningful impact.
The keynote presentation was made by the Minister of Economic Planning and Development, as well as Acting Minister of Tourism, Communications and Environment, Absalom Dlamini, who announced that the National Information Communications Technology (ICT) Policy has been finalised and is ready for submission to Cabinet. He observed that the policy would serve as a roadmap for local ICT development, clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of different players while also mainstreaming gender in development and implementation of all related programmes.
In his opening remarks, Emmanuel Ndlangamandla, Executive Director of CANGO, stated that although NGOs play a critical role in development, they had not yet been able to exploit ICT to enhance their development work.
These two inputs provided the perfect platform for the rest of the discussions as they highlighted the challenges of transforming ICT policy into tangible benefits for the people of Swaziland, including the local NGO sector.
As with the previous event in Namibia, the aim of the Swaziland Thetha forum was to increase the use and awareness of ICTs in the local NGO sector. It was used to highlight local ICT policy issues, develop an understanding of the ICT capacity of local NGOs, introduce participants to various open source applications and solutions, and demonstrate the relevance of social networking tools such as wikis and blogs. The event also received coverage on local television and in the print media.
Although it is too early to confirm specific ICT trends among NGOs in Southern Africa, NGOs in Namibia and Swaziland share similar experiences in terms of the negative impact of high telecommunication and ICT costs on the general uptake of ICTs, the lack of involvement by NGOs in local ICT policy processes, the absence of local NGOs specialising in ICT issues and services, and the limited uptake and awareness of open source software (OSS) solutions and applications.
As in Namibia, the highlight of the first day was the “mass” blogging and wiki session. Facilitated by Denis Brandjes of GetOpenLab, participants were guided through a number of simple steps on how to set-up their own individual blogs. Within a few minutes, the number of blogs in Swaziland was significantly increased. Amazingly, no power and connectivity disruptions were experienced during this session, the only time that we really needed the technology given the practical requirements and focus of the session.
At the end of the first day, participants were treated to a candle light dinner (in the absence of electricity), with entertainment by local dancers, and an interesting presentation by Musa Ndlangamandla, Chief Editor of The Swazi Observer, which focussed on the role and impact of ICTs in the work of media houses.
Day two started with participants working in two groups, reflecting on the ICT challenges facing NGOs in Swaziland, potential interventions to enhance the ICT uptake and awareness of local NGOs, and specific expectations regarding future Thetha-related events in Swaziland.
The rest of the programme focused on the role and relevance of open source in support of the work of NGOs, exposing participants to both the theoretical understanding and practical applications.
Information on the Swaziland event and other regional Thetha forums is available on the Thetha website.
The third and fourth Southern African Thetha forums will be held from 4-5 October 2006 and 18-19 October 2006 in Gaborone, Botswana, and Maseru, Lesotho, respectively.
Related articles:
ICT policy ready
Telecoms costs prohibitive for NGOs
2006 Regional Thetha Forums - Reaching Far and Wide into the Region
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