2012 Africa-EU Cooperation Forum on ICT

28-29 November, 2012. Lisbon, Portugal. The “2012 Africa-EU Cooperation Forum on ICT” (an event designed to anyone with an interest in Euro-African collaborative project on ICT) is organised by the EuroAfrica-P8 EU/FP7 funded project in the framework of the EuroAfrica-ICT Initiative and with the support of the National Science Foundation (FCT) of Portugal.

This major event is the fifth of a series of lconferences organised by the EuroAfrica-ICT Initiative under the aegis of the European and the African Union Commissions (EC & AUC):

Presentation by
Harry De Backer, EC

Organised in the framework of the Africa-EU Strategic Partnership (JAES) and hosted by the Government of Portugal through the Ministry of Education and Science (MEC), this 5th Forum edition aiming at strengthening and supporting the development of cooperation on ICT research and ICT4D between Africa and Europe.

Use of ICTs alongside the value chain

PAEPARD made a presentation on Knowledge Management using ICT in agricultural and rural development in Africa.

• Millions of farmers want customized information, most do not get it 
• Customized = up-to-date, relevant and supplied in a timely manner 
• Most farmers expect free services, which needs to change 
• Using value chain information requires a learning process for farmers and that takes time 
• Doubts about the appropriate methodology for researching the impact of ICT on agricultural development

Related:

The Transformational Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Africa. This new flagship report – eTransform Africa – produced by the World Bank and the African Development Bank, with the support of the African Union, identifies best practice in the use of ICTs in key sectors of the African economy.

Under the theme "Transformation-Ready", the growing contribution of ICTs to Agriculture, Climate Change Adaptation, Education, Financial Services, Government Services and Health is explored. In addition, the report highlights the role of ICTs in enhancing African regional trade and integration as well as the need to build a competitive ICT industry to boost innovation, job creation and the export potential of African companies. Summary(PDF)

BY SECTOR

Agriculture: Summary I Full Report

The study on the Agriculture sector contains case study analysis of the use of RFID tags for tracking livestock in Botswana, and ICT sensor networks used in water management for irrigation in Egypt. These examples show how ICT can help address some of the challenges facing agriculture and food security in Africa.
Climate Change :Summary I Full Report

The study on the use of ICTs in adapting to Climate Change includes country case studies of Malawi, Senegal and Uganda. Africa is especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change because its climate is likely to be more severely affected than other regions, because its major economic sectors are climate sensitive and because low levels of general economic development and other stress factors, such as conflict and disease, constrain adaptive capacity
Education: Summary I Full Report
Financial Services:Summary I Full Report
Health: Summary I Full Report
ICT Competitiveness :Summary I Full Report
Modernizing Government :Summary I Full Report
Regional Trade and Integration: Summary I Full Report