Northwoods Alchemy I: Give me a cell phone, or give me death! – Does Tomorrow belong to the c-Citizen?

It’s been a long time since Patrick Henry made his famous speech in Virginia calling for liberty or death, calling for democracy and independence for what is now the United States. And a lot has changed since then.

A lot more countries are nominally considered democracies, and at least some of them claim to be interested in providing services and opportunities for their citizens. Around the world citizens are demanding a lot more from their interactions with Government and community. And then there’s technology, which is changing everything we know about the way citizens and Governments interact every day.

At yesterday’s Pop!Tech session we started at the base, talking about the primary piece of technology touching most of the world, the technological touchstone in Emerging Markets today, the cellphone. While much of the discussion was familiar, I was struck by the increasing use of cellphones in the political process. And so I ask myself – is tomorrow’s cellphone tomorrow’s vote? Is Nokia or Celtel crucial to the future of good Government?

Think about the ways the humble cellphone is and can continue to change the way people – especially people in Emerging Markets – interact with the state…

On the one hand, you have the cellphone as a tool of the political opposition, a way to keep Government in line or in the case of the Phillipines, to change the state. You remember how texting helped citizens organize the “people power” movement in Manila, right? And there are lots of other uses… helping poll-watchers report in on election fraud in Liberia. As a way of reporting corruption. As a way of building the support and even protecting NGOs as they work in the field.

But there’s also another side of the democratic cellphone movement, one that provides real opportunities for Government itself – the citizen satisfaction side.

Many countries are today looking at how they can harness m-Government as a way of extending their reach and doing more.

As I discussed later with one of the presenters, entrepreneur-professor Nathan Eagle of MIT, just think of the time you could save if you could pay taxes, renew your driver’s license, or check on your benefits over your cellphone. Think of the long lines you could skip. Certainly that time has value, economic value, “development value”. Certainly Government should be interested. And then there are the benefits of avoiding the kind of petty corruption that plagues small business and just plain folks in most countries.

Moreover, there are also potentially significant economic opportunities that might be made available for local firms who already sell similar kinds of interfaces to cellphone companies themselves. Would tech entrepreneurs like to sell into the Government market? And improve the lives of their communities? You bet.

But as we heard yesterday, m-Government could do more than help people save time or help small tech businesses. It could use the cellphone to share public health messages, to help people remember when they need to take their medicines or to explain a new Government project directly to the people who need the information most.

And it could even go further… During the session we heard about a project in Brazil where local Government was sharing its budget proposal with the community – getting feedback, even letting people to vote on their priorities – from their homes or offices, using their cellphones.

In countries where the choices can be stark – do we focus on education for tomorrow or on health today? – there would no doubt be challenges. But in nearly all countries, where the predominant dynamic is one where Government is organized to act on people (as opposed to working with them), the ability to provide real-time, aggregated input could be revolutionary.

No question, there would be some losers… the people who sit at the window and make you wait in line to get service, who sometimes get “facilitation” payments to move faster, these people would see their livelihoods shrink. Taking real advantage of the new technology will require bravery on the part of most Governments. In a world where trust is in short supply, they will need to trust their people more. But think about the economic dynamism you could create with nothing more than the time saved. Maybe, just maybe, Governments might win some friends in the populace.

In the future, will the cellphone be the best way for opposition to reach out to new voters, rising above constraints like Government controlled media? Will it be the best way for Government to deliver personal services, to make real connections with citizens, building real support (and winning over people who might vote for those opposition types)? Who knows?

What seems increasingly clear is that as this decentralized model takes hold – especially in Emerging Markets – we could some day soon find ourselves in a world divided not just by location, class and ethnicity, but also in a new way with two new kinds of citizens: those “cellphone enfranchised” c-Citizens, who can every day more easily manipulate their Government using the airwaves, and those who can’t.

Northwoods Alchemy

If you are a regular – or occasional – reader of Andy’s Global View (www.amglobal.blogspot.com), you’ll know that one of my goals is to try to think over the horizon a bit, looking at technology and development issues in new ways, focusing on Emerging Markets.

Well I am happy to say that our world just got bigger. This week I will be attending the Pop!Tech (www.poptech.com) conference in Camden, Maine as a “guest blogger” –covering the conference as combination commentator and gadfly, and bringing our well known sense of “why not” to the north woods.

For those of you that have not heard about it, Pop!Tech is unlike other conferences – in fact it is in a class by itself. Described last year by the New York Times as “Davos for Cool People”, Pop!Tech is aimed at bringing together speakers from private companies, the NGO world, and the arts to consider “what’s next?” in the way we use technology and absorb new ideas. Presenters at Pop!Tech 2007 range from Jessica Flannery, the Founder of Kiva to Grammy Award Winner John Legend, and Robert Boroffice the head of Nigeria’s Space and Research Program. From the tech industry, we have the likes of Yahoo! and Nokia.

As part of my participation, I will be blogging extensively, covering sessions and interviewing speakers and participants. For this week the blog will take a slightly different form – more posts, more topics, perhaps more informal - so I’ve decided to give this series of dispatches a title all its own in honor of our surroundings: Northwoods Alchemy.

So get ready, get set. Stay tuned for some musings about what happens when some of the smartest and most creative people around come together to talk about technology and the future.

Cheers,

Andrew

P.S. Even if you can’t make it to Pop!Tech tune in live by visiting: http://www.poptech.com/live

Incremental or not, what Africa needs is Entrepreneurial Infrastructure

By Andrew Mack

In his piece last month about “incremental infrastructure”, Ethan Zuckerman makes a number of excellent points about the recent development of infrastructure in Africa. Using his example of the entrepreneur who put up cell towers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he rightly observes that there are opportunities to think beyond the traditional, top-down structures of infrastructural development.

He cites the logistical and budgetary problems of many nations as they seek to build out not just the famous “last mile”, but in cases like DRC, many of the basic earlier miles that need to be in place if a country wants to be connected – by road, by power grid, or by wireless. And, while he doesn’t dwell on one of the real reasons for this failure – Government disorganization or outright corruption – he hints at it as a driving force which creates both the space and the need for other approaches.

However, while the idea of incremental infrastructure is interesting, I would argue that at least to some extent, Ethan’s argument misses the larger point. It is not incremental infrastructure so much as “entrepreneurial infrastructure” that Africa needs and has shown it wants.

By focusing on the example of cell towers in DRC, Ethan may have chosen the one item best suited for incremental infrastructure. But consider roads... if a community – or a firm – decides to build an incremental piece of road, and who pays? Who maintains the road? Who sets the safety standards (as road accidents are an epidemic in many African countries today)? And what if the road doesn’t connect in to a larger grid? Clearly, while cellphones may not need coordination to function, most other pieces of infrastructure – roads, energy, etc. – do. And they need standards.

Moreover, there are issues of economy of scale and policy. Consider the case of neighboring Uganda. In Uganda, cellphone licenses were bid out, encouraging competition, and cellphone use has grown from some 5,000 lines in 1998 to more than 2.6 MILLION today. The major carriers have invested – and made – millions, and I would argue, have done more for Uganda’s development than most of the major donors over the last decade. A licensing regime that favored incremental providers might have brought service to a few villages, but today, CelTel is the largest taxpayer in the country, serving the entire nation and recently, offering no-roaming service across the sub-region – in Kenya, Tanzania, and recently also in DRC. An incremental approach would not have been able to provide this service, pure and simple.

What we need to do is re-orient our thinking, I believe. Rather than focusing on the challenges – and there are many – we need to step out of our past frame and see the markets as what they are: big and underserved. What we need is not so much small (incremental) infrastructure as infrastructure that is constructed by people with an entrepreneurial mindset. If the Government of Kenya is prepared to invest in wiring classrooms and has both the scale and technical savvy to pull it off, that’s great. If the private sector can do it better, then the Government should act as facilitator. In some instances, a public-private approach will be the best.

Without question, Ethan makes a good point about the effectiveness of many large projects in Africa, especially famous dam projects and the like. Still, this is not unique either to Africa, or to energy. Corruption and a lack of oversight will ruin a project, whether it’s managed by a poor African Government or Halliburton. Especially in infrastructure, the key is getting value for money. Everybody – Governments, the private sector, and consumers themselves – all need to think entrepreneurially.

In the end, while small may be beautiful in many things, I wouldn’t want my own water system in Washington, DC any more than my friends in Lamu would want their own. What they want is a water system that works. Based on my observations from more than 20 years work on the continent, I would argue that a focus on the incremental could – while providing solutions in some areas – actually hurt efforts to build a more complete and more robust African infrastructure with the policies and investments to make it sustainable.

While there will always be underserved areas where other options might not be possible, incremental infrastructure would be a poor substitute for the kind of top shelf, state of the art infrastructure Africans are looking for, the kind of infrastructure that could help them compete in the global economy.

Andrew Mack is the Founder and Principal of AMGlobal Consulting, and a former World Bank official. He can be reached at: contact@amglobal.com

In a world of .com and .org, why not .Africa?

During the march ICANN meetings in Lisbon I happened in on an interesting presentation. Around the hall sat a group of Africa’s true Internet leaders – entrepreneurs, Government representatives and NGO heads. They were intently listening to a plan aimed at creating a special domain for the continent –.africa. And as I listened and learned more, I came to believe that .africa is an idea whose time has come.

While we here in the United States and Europe are typically focused on the more widely known, content-based, “generic” top-level domains – .com for companies (like www.yahoo.com), .org for NGOs, or .edu for universities to name a few – in recent years there has been significant growth in the number of options “after the dot”.

Many country-specific domains (or ccTLDs as they are called) have become popular in larger markets like Germany (.de) and the UK (.uk). In South Africa, a large number of companies have chosen .za addresses to emphasize their connection to the country and the local economy. In fact, nearly every country or similar geographic entity, large or small, has its own ccTLD – from Russia to Christmas Island.

So I suppose it was only a matter of time until someone decided to focus on the opposite trend – the coming together of countries for economic and political integration. It was in this context that new pan-European (.eu) and pan-Asian (.asia) domains were launched, with an eye toward companies and organizations that wish to work with those entire continents. The domains are organized on a non-profit basis, with an aim of enhancing regional identity and regional dynamism on the net. And it is in a similar vein that .africa is being proposed.

However, in Africa I would argue that the idea is even more important.

Why .africa? There are a number of reasons. First and foremost, there is the increasing trend of economic and political integration. What started more than 50 years ago as a dream of leaders like Nkrumah, Senghor and Kenyatta is now becoming more possible than ever, in part because of the web. Cross-border communications are simpler. E-commerce and e-banking is now possible. And at least in theory, the chance to work together, share knowledge and avoid misunderstandings is at our fingertips through the Internet. If we are serious about real political and economic integration, we will need to use technology like never before, and .africa could play a big role.

At the same time, for investors – whether Africans or others interested in investing in Africa – there is power in the idea of having an African address. The way I see it, Google.africa would be more than a website. It would be a statement of intent, of the desire to build a real Africa-oriented business on the continent. And since realistically it would be impossible for all but the largest corporations to have websites covering all of the 50-plus African ccTLDs (many of which are still in development anyway), .africa could provide an Africa-oriented web presence perfect for firms with regional or continental growth aspirations. A .africa address could provide a one-stop entry point for vendors interested in selling to and working with the African market.

Finally, .africa would be run as a non-profit with a strong focus on building an African Internet community, and I can see tremendous benefits for Africans – both on the continent and especially in the diaspora. A .africa domain could be a meeting place aimed at promoting trade and skills development, a place to build cultural connection and help preserve traditions, and a way to bring Africans together wherever they live around the world. It could provide a safe place to discuss and ultimately tackle crucial issues of gender, ethnicity and development. And, looking at early evidence from the .eu experience, it seems unlikely that a new .africa domain would significantly reduce demand for African ccTLDs – in fact, .africa could help the ccTLDs over the long run by bringing more eyes to the “African Internet.”

According to Sophia Bekele, an Ethiopian/US IT business executive and initiator of the project, already the program is moving fast. The UN Economic Commission for Africa has come out supporting the initiative, as have a number of Governments. Three large registries – companies that might “host” a .africa domain – have come forward to express interest in bidding on the contract to provide finance and service. The initiative is likely to be voted on by the ICANN Board (that would need to approve the new designation) within six months, and you can show your support by sending email to support.dotafrica@gmail.com, or participating at an online discussion at http://dotafrica.blogspot.com/.

Some will no doubt say that this is a pipe dream, or worse, a waste of Africa’s time. They will argue that the Internet doesn’t matter on the continent since infrastructure and access are limited. But I would argue just the opposite. ICT is growing in Africa like few places on earth, even with the infrastructural and political challenges the continent faces. And the future is coming, ready or not, and a big part of that future – especially if we have any hopes for regional integration – will be taking place on the web.

Within the year we could see the start of a new Internet era in Africa, the .africa era. Now is the time.

Guest Columnist: Downloading the Future: IP In the Digital Age

By Jeremy M. Goldberg with Andrew Mack

Earlier this summer I spoke to a group of young telecom professionals from around the world at the United States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI), in a meeting here in Washington, DC. I couldn’t have walked into a room with a better collection of today’s emerging telecom and technology stars, from the Philippines and India to Singapore, Nigeria and Sri Lanka. They work in TV, radio, and Government and have been a part of true telecoms revolutions in their respective markets.

My topic was “Intellectual Property in the Digital Age.” And if this sounds like weighty stuff, well I guess it is. When I first went into this process I was thinking that this was an abstract, almost academic talk. But through the discussion, what I realized was just how much it could mean to Emerging Markets like the ones my group represented.

Now, let me say off the bat that I am not a complete authority on IP law. This was actually the first time presenting to this kind of audience. Naturally, I was eager to engage in conversation and debate with these professionals, because I am more convinced than ever that IP must be protected if Emerging Markets are to develop their own knowledge-based industries like software development. But, I didn’t always think of IP in this way.

Flashback to 1999….

Like many of you reading this blog, I was in college in 1999, the year Napster was born. I definitely remember when I met Napster in a college dorm room in Amherst, Massachusetts. “Really, an unlimited library of music at your fingertips? How could I pass this up?” I didn’t. The chance to have access to that much cool music was enough to make any poor college student salivate. After all, who wouldn’t want to OWN all those tracks? And so I built a top-notch collection: Coltrane, Dylan, Mingus… As fate would have it, my computer crashed at the end of the semester. My “borrowed” music emporium was lost.

Fast-forward to 2007….

Since college I’ve traveled a bit more, and visited places where people live on $1 a day, where everyday life can be a struggle. In these cities and countries I have met with young entrepreneurs who write, produce and market their music, art, film and books. I met and heard people with things to say and beautiful music to offer, people who might some day be the Coltrane, Dylan or Mingus of a place like Sierra Leone – if they get the recognition. I have heard their voices and I want the world to hear them, too. I now see a closer connection between their work, their genius, and my respect for Intellectual Property. Needless to say, I now pay $0.99 for my music on iTunes.

So, back to the USTTI presentation. After introducing myself, I asked the group, “What is copyright infringement?” Hands shot up without hesitation and a gentleman from the Philippines said, “Harry Potter came out in the United States July 11^th, but it was being sold on the street in Manila on July 10^th.” A perfect example. Unfortunately, far too many people around the world don’t see a problem with ripping a copy of Harry Potter, and posting it online for millions to download. Of course, it’s hard to argue that this will put JK Rowling out of business, but our little group in Washington did understand. They realized that it’s about more than one song. They realized that safeguarding development means protecting what they produce in the digital marketplace. In a very real sense, what’s at stake is the digital future of their country.

Similar to what I’ve found during my interactions and work with African and US youth, these rising professionals are not legacy-focused. Many of them are using social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace to interact and share ideas with friends in country and around the world. Many of them are blogging and creating new material and content on topics ranging from politics to sports to technology. Like me, they believe in the power of all things digital and are seeking out new digital platforms to build broader audiences.

And, while there are many new avenues to promote and gather information, but this also creates new challenges. From broadcasters to content providers, to technology pioneers and Government, it’s increasingly difficult to protect IP. Even if you aren’t a policy maker or broadcaster this does affect you. After all, at the end of the day we’re all consumers and quality matters.

You may be thinking, “So what? I’m still going to sign into a File Sharing P2P, because film and recording studios are raking in the dough…”, but hear me out. Now, maybe it was the fact that I was reading “The Wizard of Menlo Park” (about Thomas Edison) at the time of the presentation, but in our session in Washington I truly felt for the attendees. I heard their stories of how hard they work to hatch new content, and how they receive little compensation and recognition for their work. They want to be digital entrepreneurs and yet so many of them felt almost duped, since the laws that could protect their IP are simply not in place or enforced.

And so I thought… WWTED (What Would Thomas Edison Do?) What would Edison do if he were alive and living in Bangalore or Abuja? My guess is that as a creator, he’d be the first one banging the drum for IP protection, building partnerships in the public and private sectors for copyright and trademark laws. Imagine the world without light bulbs, or cell phones.

So, yes, this is what I think it takes… building a network of pioneers of different ages, and from many sectors who can raise awareness, influence policy-makers and encourage creativity and innovation in Emerging Markets. This means collaboration between business, Government and consumers. Not just those in tech, but the young people who are filmmakers in Cameroon and artists in Uganda whose livelihood depends on selling original works that have taken months and years to complete.

It all comes back to Edison; is there an African Edison? Of course there is and I bet his light-bulb is glowing. But, without assurance that his work will be protected, his inventions may never get the attention they deserve, or the finance to go to scale. Without IP protection he’ll never be able to reap the benefits of his creation, and he’ll remain in the lab. Without IP protection, you and I miss will out.

IP protection made Edison’s vision a reality, and we’re all the richer for his brilliance. Without IP protection, we might all still be stuck in the dark.

Really want to help Africa? Let’s build an Africa TechCorps

By Andrew Mack

All over Africa, there is a significant realization that tech is the wave of the future. African Government Ministers are traveling around the world – from San Francisco to the UAE to Bangladesh – pitching opportunities for new investors and building deals. Technology has also quickly become a major item on the development agenda, thanks in large part to Africa's new tech champions and a blooming tech sector.

This, of course, is not completely new news. Initiatives to get urban and rural African cities on the grid have been going for over a decade – things like USAID’s Leland Program spring to mind, but there are many others. However, in today’s Emerging Markets ICT world, especially in Africa, two things are different:

The first difference is Leadership. African leaders, including Presidents like Kagame, Kufuor and Johnson-Sirleaf, are more ICT-focused than their predecessors, offering high-level support to projects and policies that will really (not just rhetorically) help the spread of ICT. Countries from Senegal to South Africa are increasingly getting serious about protecting intellectual property, lowering burdens on ICT businesses and promoting investment – and Africa’s economies are benefiting.

Moreover, Africa’s leaders are investing in their e-futures. One need only look at the growing number of large World Bank-supported eGovernment projects planned for Kenya, Ghana, Rwanda, Tanzania and other Sub-Saharan countries. From paying taxes and registering land, to getting passports and driver’s licenses, Governments’ are seeing ICT as crucial to their ability to offer service.

African leaders are even adopting the language of ICT, building Government around the needs of what they hope will become a new class of “eCitizens”. And to make this a reality, they are implementing institutional reforms. As just one example, according to Ghana’s Science and Sports Papa Owusu Ankomah, that country will introduce universal ICT education into the basic educational system in September 2007. And, as we saw at the March Sub-Saharan Africa ICT conference in San Francisco, Ghana is far from alone in its focus on ICT. Quite a change from even a few years ago.

The second difference is the increasingly active private sector, and its willingness to work with Government and civil society on all manner of partnerships. Some of these efforts are primarily philanthropic. A good example is the NEPAD e-Schools Initiative, which works with more than a dozen countries and major tech firms like Intel, Oracle, HP, Cisco, and Microsoft. The initiative aims to equip African youth with in-classroom technology and ICT skills to participate in today’s information society. It’s an approach that is innovative in the way that it brings together multiple companies and countries and is a long-term commitment.

And there are other examples – risk taking by private sector actors large and small that recognize the opportunity presented by technology in the re-building in places like Liberia or Northern Uganda. These are tough environments, and you can’t just come with your container of goods and try to sell. So businesses are working with Government, with donors and with communities and local entrepreneurs like never before.

However, today it’s simply not enough to raise the flag for enlightened Governments and innovative companies. Why? Because tech today is reaching only a small fraction of the people that it should. Specifically, tech is reaching only a small fraction of the youth and young adults that need it most, the citizen-consumers that are the heart and soul of tech-centered innovation and commerce in the “more developed world”.

What will it take for ICT in Africa to REALLY catch on?

The answer is as simple as YouTube, the same as anywhere in the world – DEMAND, specifically demand from networks of fearless, innovative tech-friendly young Africans. And what will it take to bring African youth and young adults more into the global chat room? Why not start by building bridges – and programs – to work between young techies in Africa and the US?

There are already good models that can be leveraged and groups with much to teach us. Perhaps the largest is GeekCorps (www.geekcorps.com), with more than 3,500 technical experts in developing nations around the world. Another group is Kabissa (www.kabissa.org), an international NGO that trains African NGOs on the use of ICT. In addition, there’s the International Education Resource Network or iEARN (www.iearn.org), an organization that enables teachers and young people to use the Internet and other new technologies to enhance learning.

We should build on these examples but we can go further, with broader reach and a broader focus on creating sustainable businesses. Imagine young African and American TechCorps members paired to work on technology projects, providing training aimed at youth, taught by youth, with an end goal of building not just friendships and skills but legitimate, lasting young business networks. Imagine some day soon – projects currently being outsourced to international firms could instead be “in-sourced” to TechCorps teams on the ground with support from the TechCorps network around the world.

Naturally taking this idea to “the next level” would involve investment. It would require close collaboration with the ICT development plans of participating countries. However, many parties – from donors, to Governments, to universities, the private sector and people themselves – are eager to make this happen. And think of the opportunities…

…TechCorps hubs in secondary cities like Gulu or Makeni that might start as a collaborative aid project, but morph from Peace Corps-type activity to legitimate corps (as in corporations) – creating an ongoing commercial relationship with Gulu TC members wherever they are in the world, something made possible by today’s technology.

… Partnerships with suppliers of hardware and software, bringing the latest technologies and training to young adults who will run the new e-gov programs and service the back offices of growing companies – after all, a country unfamiliar with the latest technology can hardly demand it.

… real business-focused training aimed at creating real businesses, directly addressing issues of project sustainability and employment that have stymied the growth of these markets and opportunities for years.

… a way for US young adults to get to know Africa and its future – today’s real Africa – in an organic way, giving future US business leaders a real, on-the-ground understanding of technology’s next frontier, something that today only European (and increasingly Chinese) companies have.

Is this a big idea? Perhaps. But it could be closer than you think. The projects are out there… Consider the ICT hubs program recently proposed by Uganda's State ICT Minister John Nsambu. With a budget of 1.2 billion Uganda shillings (just US $700k) for the establishment of 20 ICT hubs in 20 districts across Uganda, it would hardly be a big money maker for a consulting firm. However, it might be a great fit for a kind of Africa TechCorps with a focus on training and entrepreneurship aimed at BOP markets. If experience from around the world is any guide, much more than computer literacy education is possible and the personal connection is the key.

The future is rapidly approaching, one in which the Government is no longer the prime provider of jobs for young Africans entering the workforce. When Uganda Minister of Youth, James Kinobe met with a group from the Global Youth Partnership for Africa this past January he acknowledged as much: "Put away your hopes for jobs in the Government. Innovation and creativity is the reason for the gap between the rich and poor countries," said the Minister, and innovation will be the answer for Uganda as well. We couldn’t have said it better.

The best thing that we in the West can do regarding tech in Africa is not to approach it as a charity case, but approach it like a market. In a rapidly globalizing world, where personal networks and technology are the keys to prosperity, a TechCorps approach could help build the skills, networks, markets and experience, combining the best of both the development and business worlds.

Send us your thoughts.

-Written with Jeremy M. Goldberg

Africa's ICT Wave reaches San Francisco Bay

About three weeks ago, I sat in a conference hall in San Francisco and listened as President Paul Kagame of Rwanda addressed a group of African and US Government officials. Nothing particularly remarkable in that. Its part of the role of head of state, after all.

However, the location was more than symbolic. The event was at the Hilton, in the Financial District, in tech-rich northern California. And the audience was chock full of luminaries of the IT world, from Cisco, Oracle, Motorola, Microsoft and others. What is even more remarkable is that nearly everyone in the audience agreed.

They agreed on the power of IT to transform the continent, and on its ability to help countries “skip steps in development” by adding more dynamism to local business. Kagame himself referred cell phones as the “lifeline of microentrepreneurs”.

They agreed on the importance of increased investment in IT as a way of improving government. New technology, said Kagame, was no luxury, but a central focus of the country’s programs in delivering remote education, providing disease surveillance and avoiding drug shortages.

They agreed on the incredible demand for IT on the continent. An expert from Uganda’s Makerere University described how Uganda’s cell phone penetration had gone from 5,000 units 9 years ago to more than 2.6 million today. In fact, a cell provider that didn’t exist in Uganda a decade ago was the nation’s #1 taxpayer in 2006.

But unlike so many meetings, this private sector-government pow-wow went much further, and the implications are important for companies that want to do business on the continent and for Governments that wish to attract them.

• In San Francisco we heard a lot about cell phones, but more than ever before about data. The future, said Greg Wyler the founder of Terracom is in data. From new undersea cable systems, to cell towers placed up where the mountain gorillas live, there were examples everywhere of how Africa is expanding data. Throw out half of what you think about the African market. Get ready for an avalanche of demand for data. (Oh, and Africans are doing a good bit of the build-out).

• There was a wide acknowledgement that prices are coming down, and quickly. Handsets are being produced cheaply on the continent. Mobile data in Rwanda will soon be made available for the same price as in the US, with the ability to purchase service by the day, the week or even the month.

• A number of speakers talked about how it may not be so bad after all for African nations to be new kids on the IT block. With fewer legacy systems in place, African IT managers aren’t as burdened by commitment to last year’s technologies. They can take advantage of the most advanced (and often cheapest) systems now available, and these systems can be set up in many cases very quickly.

• Finally – and perhaps most importantly – everybody seemed to agree on the way forward. Nearly everyone in San Francisco, from ICT Ministers to the private sector to NGOs, stressed the need for African Governments to create a first-world regulatory environment, which creates the conditions to attract – and keep – investment. Government representatives spoke openly about their struggle to create the kinds of conditions to attract and keep investors, about the need to facilitate investment, provide strong IP protection, building linkages between Government, universities and the private sector. Private sector attendees reinforced how important is was to take customer service seriously, to put people on the ground, to treat Africa’s IT markets as the good long- (and short-) term bets that they have become.

In the end, as many at the conference noted, success will be no mystery. There’s no magic in setting up the infrastructure, there are plenty programs like the Nepad e-schools initiative that can help expand training. Both Government and the private sector know what they need to do. If even half of the promise of San Francisco becomes a reality, Africa’s IT future looks bright indeed. And the companies from Silicon Valley will be a part of it.

Guest Columnist: Can A Ball Change the world? Yes... it can

By: Jeremy M. Goldberg

Sports today are nearly everyone’s global obsession, but did you also know that they are also a new trend in international development? Donor agencies from Sweden and Norway along with the United Nations and sports outfitting companies like Nike and Adidas, have all joined the “Sports for Social Change” movement. Sadly, most donors – like most sports fans around the world – haven’t taken advantage of the excitement this new phenomenon is generating. However, this game is just beginning…

In addition to the millions of dollars we spend on bags of rice and cooking oil to throw at the world’s poorest communities, why not throw them millions in soccer balls and sports programs as well? In the service of economic development, why don’t we make a serious effort to harness the power of sports?

To make this point, allow me to introduce Jeremy’s Top 6 Reasons why donor agencies – and sporting types everywhere – should add “Sports for Social Change” to their development (and charitable) playbooks:

1. Sports are empowering: Most sports begin with chasing a ball “Sports for Social Change” projects encourage youth to also chase their dreams and PLAY, like in Rules of the Red Rubber Ball. Sports enable youth to think positively about their futures, and encourage teamwork as a way to accomplish big things. Whether as an individual and as a team member, sports are empowering.

2. Sports programs are pro-health: In addition to obvious fitness benefits, sports also increase psychological health. Research has shown that impoverished youth who play soccer feel they have an opportunity to rise above crime and delinquent behavior. Don’t just take my word for it – check out an increasing array of scientific evidence from groups like the International Platform for Sport and Development. Sports are good for body and spirit.

3. Sports programs are intuitive and fun: Young people around the world may not be able to discuss the intricacies of development economics, but give them a soccer ball and they know what to do. People can relate to sports, and through the platform of sports, they can be exposed easily, naturally to important messages that can make their lives better. After all, would most kids go voluntarily to a lecture on nutrition? Of course not. But if they got nutrition information was part of their team training and if messages were repeated during league games, well…

4. Sports make sense to funders: Many development schemes seem unusually complicated. Terms like “sustainable development” just don’t resonate with people outside the development biz. However, nearly everyone PARTICIPATES in sports. That makes it easy to understand how young girls in Africa are learning about HIV/AIDS prevention on the soccer pitch.

5. There are sports funders out there: From the Mia Hamm Foundation to the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program, sports come with the star-power and the financial resources that can take an initially small project to large scale. In fact, nearly every big-name sports star in the US or Europe has some sort of charitable presence these days. Moreover, there are big-name, big earning sports stars from the developing world who can – and are – willing to put in some of their money. For a sports star, what could be more natural?

6. Sports are unifying: Long term development depends on working together. Especially in the many communities rebounding from conflict, sports – limited, rule-based, for-the-fun-of-it competition – provides a new, positive alternative model to conflict and violence. Sports can bring old enemies together. Successful basketball programs for youth in South Africa and sports teams comprised of Palestinians and Israelis show that the language of sports is universal. As they say, there’s no I in team… and as it turns out, no I in development either.

So by now I am sure you are convinced. But if there are such clear benefits to Sports for Social Change, why have donor agencies been so slow to encourage and fund these programs?

Probably the most commonly expressed concern is how to effectively monitor and measure the impacts of these programs. Donors want to know “How does a community playing soccer stack up against a group that doesn’t?” Fortunately, there are new advances in programming that are addressing just these issues.

Last month in Nairobi, Care USA and Nike launched a public-private sports for development partnership, establishing a network for East African sport organizations to share and document the best practices of Sports for Social Change. The partnership will collect data to show in specific terms how and where sports help further the cause of development. As part of the plan, the partnership is using the proliferation of new media, the Internet marketplace and ePhilanthropy to support its work and share results.

And, at the grassroots level, monitoring and evaluation is, if anything, easier. Going to the field and talking with young people and communities about their sport experiences provides a wealth of information. As the Global Youth Partnership for Africa (GYPA) has seen in Uganda, youth will tell you that they are more likely to attend programs because sports are now a part of the curriculum. Improved attendance rates directly indicate a measure of success. Groups like GYPA, Grassroots Soccer and Playing for Peace are working together to add real-life stories to the broader data picture.

So there you have it. The game is on. Are you ready to get on the team?

Well, if you’re wondering where to start, the Internet is a good first stop. Check out the Homeless World Cup (HWC), which this year celebrates its 5^th anniversary of bringing together the world’s homeless for a week of soccer for social change. Look at the Afghan Youth Sports Exchange, which uses soccer as the vehicle for education and leadership development for young Afghani girls and women. The program received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at ESPN’s 2006 ESPY Awards. But, it doesn’t end there…

Thanks to new media tools like blogs and YouTube, sports for social change have gone beyond the old organization-to-organization setup, and can now be a real person-to-person experience. I can tell you firsthand that blogs helped us bring a team of young Ugandan men and women to the Homeless World Cup. In the six months leading up to the HWC, the Ugandan players and coaches posted diaries and streaming video on the Katalyst Consultancy blog, building a network of supporters that played (and continues to play) a significant role in the success of the Uganda program.

Sports work. And through today’s new technology every fan can get involved. The time has come to recognize Sports for Social Change as a legitimate development tool, and provide the funding to take this to scale. Starting with the donor community and reaching down to every one of us that laces up a pair of sneakers or picks up a bat or racket.

All it takes is a little funding and we will see. It’s time for all of us to get in the game. A ball can change the world…

On Africa's IT compass, all arrows point to Rwanda

By Jeremy M. Goldberg and Andrew Mack

Rwanda?!

There it was again, the same puzzled look – a combination of concern and disbelief –when I told a colleague that I’d been working in Rwanda. After all, what do we in the outside world know about Rwanda? A small country with a history of unspeakable violence, but a place of opportunity? A leader of Africa’s march into the 21^st century? Well my friends, its time to think again. For all its challenges, Rwanda is by nearly all accounts making tremendous strides, working to re-build into a modern, knowledge-based economy. In fact, a number of Rwanda-watchers these days, see the country on track to be the “Silicon Valley of the East-Central Africa.” But it certainly did not have to be this way. In a region where so much has gone wrong, what went right in Rwanda?

Everything started with people, and the Government’s decision to invest in people – especially techies. After the genocide in 1994, Rwanda needed to rebuild the country’s tech infrastructure, but had a shortage of trained local people to get the job done. To address the issue, in 1997 the Government opened the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST). Since then KIST has graduated thousands of Rwandan tech experts and is now recognized as a leader in the development of biogas technology and renewable energy.

Investments in the nation’s technical expertise was only one part of a larger blueprint that was to become the country’s game plan for development, Vision 2020. President Kagame was eager to move his country from an agricultural based economy to a creative and competitive economy. But he knew that for this to happen he’d need international investors. With a new openness to investment and a series of reforms to create a business-friendly climate found in few African nations – Rwanda was described as a top regional reformer in the recent World Bank “Doing Business” survey – it didn’t take long to attract telecommunications and software companies. Terracom brought wireless broadband internet to Kigali; Microsoft is bringing e-learning classrooms, and just this month, a partnership was announced with the One Laptop per Child program (the $100 laptop scheme).

In fact, Rwanda is saying the proof is in the fiber.

Fiber?! Yes, fiber. Rwanda has become one of the most wired countries in the region, and others are taking notice… As a testament to this expertise, last year African countries unanimously voted Rwanda the headquarters of the East Africa Submarine Cable Project (EASSy). This $280 million dollar project will serve Botswana, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, and Lesotho. A Rwandan will serve as the Chair of its Working Committee. In fact, if East Africa were an IT village, Rwanda might now be seen as one of the village elders.

Perhaps the most encouraging thing about this entire story is that the reasons for Rwanda’s success are no mystery. Rwanda’s IT-focused approaches work and can work elsewhere. If you don’t yet believe me, believe the Economist – they recently reported that Rwanda is well on its way to achieving several of the Millennium Development Goals. And, Rwanda is not the only example of IT turning around an emerging market country. I could easily wave the Mauritian flag. Mauritius, a small island nation in the Indian Ocean, is now an IT powerhouse attracting growing numbers of foreign investors. Would you believe its GDP in 2005 was over $6 billion? It’s true.

Why shouldn’t these new technologies be used to help modernize the government and infrastructure in Sierra Leone? Freetown is already looking to Rwanda as an example of the possibilities, with IT as one of the central objectives in their own “Vision 2025”. Could IT help trade for land-locked countries like Burundi and Uganda as they work to enhance exports through Tanzania and Kenya? The answer is of course yes. IT could help improve supply chain management, expedite port clearance delays, and increase the reliability of customs operations… All things that experts touched on at a recent World Bank mGovernment seminar.

In a region of where so much has gone wrong, Rwanda is an example of how much can go right! Investment in people, clarity of vision and a focus on technology have given the country new, entrepreneurial options for the future. Especially given the challenges of its past, we should recognize a country so focused on its potential, one that is looking over the horizon, beyond simple rebuilding. So, three cheers for Rwanda, the “Singapore of Central Africa” – a model for post-conflict nations on the continent and beyond.

Wimax – and the Path to Peace – in Uganda

Not long ago a friend of mine was sitting in an internet café in Gulu, Northern Uganda, busily typing away… and suddenly in mid-email, the server went down – the 3rd time in 2 weeks. And, while technology challenges are nothing new for those of us that work or live in places like Northern Uganda, it made me think about the future of Gulu and the region. Uganda is clearly at a crossroads. The costs of a return to war in the North are too high, and the opportunities – both human and commercial – are too great for rebuilding to fail. But can the North’s economy recover in time to avoid a return to conflict? If Government, donors and the private sector work together, I believe that the answer is a resounding YES – and that the use of new technology must be a key component of the recovery.

Today Northern Uganda is emerging from more than 20 years of conflict, battered, isolated and scarred. The war with the Lord’s Resistance Army left over 1 million men, women and children displaced, and tens of thousands dead. Healing will take time, as communities are rebuilt and trust re-established. Roads and other kinds of physical infrastructure will also take years to be rehabilitated, even with strong commitment from Government. But Uganda needs action now…

Happily, more and more each day it seems that technology is available to help previously left behind regions get on the grid quickly – new products and services that can be deployed in a fraction of the time it would take to rebuild traditional infrastructure. In recent years a whole host of technologies have been developed that could help war-recovering Africa “skip steps” in re-development, in much the same way that the cellphone revolution has brought personal communications to Nigeria, Senegal, Kenya and yes, southern Uganda.

Consider technologies like Wimax, an easy to deploy broadband wireless technology, that can cover large geographical areas – up to 50km – at fast speeds, up to 72mps. Wimax is perfect for peri-urban and more rural areas. It could help Government bring new services to the recovering North and facilitate trade. In June 2006, the roll-out of Uganda’s Wimax network began. Can Government, the donors and the private sector help finish the job and make a wired Northern Uganda a reality?

Think about new low-cost solutions like Motorola’s Motofone, a no frills cellphone designed just for the rural market. The unit is dust-proof, uses voice prompts to local languages, has extended battery life, and is affordable. Especially given the difficulty of travel and land-line communication, opening up a strong cell market in places like Northern Uganda would seem to make sense, lowering the costs of doing business, and helping provide security and reliability to potential investors. Can Uganda jump start this market?

Or, how about the highly anticipated $100 laptop that is already proposed for Emerging Markets like Brazil, Nigeria and Rwanda? Current plans call for the distribution up to 15 million of the devices in 2007, which feature full-color, a 500MHz processor, and wireless broadband capabilities. Will Government and the aid agencies help bring the tools of the wired world to Gulu?

Now, I know what you may be thinking. Technology is not the answer to all questions. Cellphones, and internet and email can’t guarantee that products get to market through rutted roads, and they can’t guarantee the peace. Still, it’s time to think outside of the box when looking at post-conflict reconstruction. Concerted, cooperative efforts in Northern Uganda – creatively using new technologies and approaches – can provide a model for peaceful re-development in parts of Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia and DR Congo that all face similar problems.

Uganda has a Government that has shown real leadership and won wide international praise in combating HIV/AIDS, and in economic reform. So, when rebuilding Northern Uganda, why not show similar leadership and farsightedness, focusing on giving Northern Uganda the modern tools that are used so well every day around Kampala to build business?

Three years from now (or even less) I could be in a transformed Gulu, where international and local investors work together seamlessly to get work done. I could be managing my investment from a distance, speaking with my staff from a Skype phone, or perhaps working with a young entrepreneur who learned how to surf the Internet on a $100 laptop.

In a race against time, technology is crucial. Wimax? Why not?

-- Written with Jeremy M. Goldberg

Consider the Caipirinha -- Brazil, IT, and the Danger of Over-regulation

Consider the caipirinha, the national drink of Brazil.

A simple mixture of lime, sugar and cachaça (a local sugar cane-based aguardiente), the caipirinha is a delight. Separately the pieces are too sweet, too bitter, or too sour to appeal. And yet together, when crushed up just right in a low ball glass and served over ice with the soft sway of bossa nova in the background, these three come together in a potent and highly pleasant mixture that can cure whatever ails you. Ah the caipirinha.

Now consider regulation of the Internet. Yes, regulation.

Fast becoming Brazil’s third favorite sport (hint: soccer is in the top 2), Brazil has in recent months become a leading voice calling for the implementation of the WSIS principles that have been developed to guide the future of the Internet. In theory these principles are designed to help bring more access to more people around the world, to create openness and diversity on the web. Laudable goals. However, in practice the WSIS process contains a kind of soup-to-nuts wish list representing the hopes and dreams of dozens of interest groups – many of whom can’t really be pursued at the same time.

Recently, as an example, following the WSIS principle of openness, the Brazilian Government has proposed a bill that would mandate the purchase of open source software for the entire Brazilian government, based on the idea that the Government needs access to a program’s source code. In a short period this law would serve to make it illegal for government agencies to buy Oracle, or Microsoft or any one of the most common products you might find in any typical Government office. Regardless of quality or cost. Only open source.

Ignoring the question of whether or not the Government would ever use the source code (history shows they are unlikely to) or whether they could get access to the code if they asked for it (in most cases, they likely could), the legislation could cause a whole host of other problems. Who would service these bold new products, no one has determined. How long it might take for the already busy Brazilian government sector to adapt and train for changes, niguem sabe. Who would finance the changeover or additional maintenance costs is unclear. But that, of course, is not the point. A good idea – openness – has seemingly been lost in a sea of rigid rules.

At the same time, based on another of the WSIS principles – security – the Brazilian Government has recently been considering a draft law that would make it a crime to send e-mail, post on a blog or join a chat room or download content anonymously. In theory designed to slow the spread of viruses and Trojans, the legislation is written so broadly from my reading that the kind of things we do every day – choose whether or not to show our names when communicating with the public – could be punishable by stiff fines and years of jail time. Does this make sense? Of course not. Don’t these actions appear to fly in the face of the rights to privacy contained in another one of the WSIS principles? Of course they do. Imagine if this were made a standard around the world, where the ability to comment anonymously could be a matter of life or death.

So in the end, Internet regulation in Brazil may indeed be a lot like drinking caipirinhas. Making the drink is simple enough. The first little bit always tastes sweet. Still, because they are so easy to make and so sweet on the tongue, nobody has just one. And herein lies the rub. Aspirin, water and rest can treat even the worst caipirinha hangovers. But the confusion caused by the current attempt to implement the WSIS principles through regulation could do much more long term damage to Brazil’s civil liberties and economic growth.

Brazil is an exciting, dynamic economy that is moving faster and faster to take a leading place on the web. It would be a shame to see over-reaching lawmakers leave the land of the caipirinha with a long term regulation hangover.