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MAAC - The Mozambique Acacia Advisory Committee See Workshop session. Contacts for ICT Projects in Mozambique May 2002 A. Mozambique Acacia Advisory Committee Recipient: Office of the Vice Rector of University Eduardo Mondlane Contact: Eng. Venancio Massingue, Executive Secretary or Sra. Isabel Matos, Administrator Web: www.mozambique.mz/informat/index.htm e email: maacs@nambu.uem.mz or imatos@nambu.uem.mz Tel/fax: 258-1-491557 This project supports the continued activities of the Secretariat in the Office of the Vice Rector for the Mozambique Acacia Advisory Committee (MAAC) which help facilitates the implementation of the Acacia National Strategy. The Secretariat has three broad areas of responsibility: stimulating public awareness of ICT and development issues; assisting in the identification of research, and helping the monitoring and coordination of project activities; and informing and servicing the MAAC. The MAAC is an active multistakeholder committee (government, academics, private sector, civil society, project coordinators, etc.) which meets about twice a year and coordinates inputs to important national and international ICT events. Partnership Issues: The Secretariat has helped organize workshops for other donors such as UNESCO and ASDI, in some cases together with CIUEM. OSISA has placed a Lithuanian student in the MAACS to help with training and business related activities. B. National ICT Policy Implementation Strategy (To end in June 2002, the Implementation Strategy part of project recently completed with main current activity being the training of President on the Decision Support System created through this project.) Counterpart: Office of the Prime Minister Contact: Dr. Salomão Manhiça, Project Coordinator Web: www.infopol.gov.mz e email: CPInfo@info.gov.mz Tel/fax: 258-1-309398 This project developed an implementation strategy for the National Information Policy (NIP), developed under another IDRC project, which was approved by the Council of Ministers in December 2001. The strategy aims to identify priority areas as well as projects and an implementation for the short and long term. In October 2001, the Policy Commission Secretariat organised a major conference to attract global and regional partners around the implementation of the ICT Strategy. Its expected that the Implemetation Strategy will go to the Council of Ministers for approval in June 2002. Partnership Issues: The World Bank used the ICT Policy Secretariat to channel its Millenium Bug financial support. UNDP/Markle chose Mozambique as one of its initial three focal countries for the Global Digital Opportunities Initiative. They are financing an advisory team which is working with the Policy Secretariat to refine the Implementation Strategy and propose a marketing and communication strategy for it. After the October 2001 workshop several donors came forward, principally the Italians in the field of e-governance and DFID (the Imfundo Program), looking to do something in the field of distance education. As well, the World Bank Gateway program approved a Mozambican proposal. C. Implementation of Lead ICT Policy Initiatives For contact info see the following: Component 1 - D ; Component 2 - G, Component 3 - A Component 1: The Youth and ICT for Development Program consists of two parts: a Youth and ICT for Development demonstration project to be undertaken by the Evolucao pela Communicao e Informatica (EPCI) ICT project of the Emilia Dausse Secondary School in Inhambane Province. Seven micro projects have been identified where students can use their latent capacity, enthusiasm and energy to apply ICT skills to real life uses. The students are trained in computer use and internet research and carry out identified activities realated to seven themes: translation, accounting, traditional habits, small scale livestock, media, training of partners, and environment. Component 2: The Telecentres Networking and Services Development Project is aimed at consolidating current and planned telecentre initiatives led by Eduardo Mondlane University Informatics Centre (CIUEM) into a coherent, and technically well-supported, public access system in anticipation of tapping this resource to further the objectives of the national ICT Policy Implementation Strategy; and Component 3 The National ICT Human Resources Development Tertiary Level Project entails an intensive participatory planning process which will map out an overarching strategy to develop the national ICT human resources base in the form of a new ICT institute named MICTI. MICTI aims, through ICT applications and ICT research foci, to serve broader governance, social services delivery and economic development needs of the country. The research and learning activities will be twinned with a job incubator program. The long term goal is to place both the Institute and the job incubation into a science park environment. D. Pilot Telecentres in Manhiça and Namaacha Recipient: Centro de Informatica de Universidade de Eduardo Mondlane (CIUEM) Contact: Sra. Polly Gaster, Project Coordinator Website: www.telecentros.org.mz and email: polly@nambu.uem.mz Tel: 258-1-492601 This project was designed to assess a Mozambican developed telecentre model (which couples financial sustainability and social goals) in two small communities Manhica and Namaacha about one hour from the capital, Maputo. The project covered the preparation of premises, buying and installing equipment and managing the telecentre over a 4-year period. The telecentre staff were recruited locally and trained by CIUEM. A local Supervisory Committee was created and they are helping to define the future ownership of the telecentres which are in their last year of receiving funds from IDRC. Partnership Issues: UNESCO has/is funding workshops which focus on training of staff or community members, discussing the future of the telecentres and developing local content development. Kellogg's Foundation is financing three more telecentres. E. Women's Information, Education and Networking via the Internet Recipient: Forum Mulher Contact: Sra. Cidia Monteiro, Executive Director or Sra. Benilde Nhalivilo, Information Officer Web: www.forumulher.org.mz and email: forum@zebra.uem.mz Tel/fax: 258-1-493437 This is a small project which addresses the use of ICTs (namely a website) as a mechanism to collect, store and facilitate wider distribution of printed information pertaining to gender issues (especially the issue of violence against women) to a network of 50 gender related NGOs within Mozambique and thus to their membership of community women. Training for some member NGO personnel on email is also provided. Partnership Issues: DANIDA in its new project (May 2002) with Forum Mulher will continue to support the website hosting costs, will provide some equipment, and will fund training of community women in three IDRC funded telecentres (Namaacha, Manhiça and Inhambane). F. Management of Natural Resources and Wireless Communication Recipient: IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Contact: Dra. Izilda Nhantumbo, Country Director, ou Abel Otacala, Program Officer Email: otacala.uicn@sortmoz.com Tel: 258-1-490599 or 499547 Fax: 490812 The objective of this project is to investigate how ICTs can be used in some remote and rugged geographic areas of Mozambique to facilitate the information and data flow from distant mobile/roving scouts in their community camps to provincial capitals and Maputo. More detailed information pertaining to natural resources use (forestry, fisheries, indigenous plants, tourism, and land use management) should be utilized for solid decision making by Ministry officials on natural resource management at the community level. As IUCN is involved in policy decisions at the sub-regional and international levels in matters affecting cross-boarder movement and management of natural resources, they will be directly involved in the project in developing the information instruments for data gathering and in the training of various Ministry staff. Partnership Issues: This project was developed in collaboration with Ford Foundation (FF). The general agreement was that FF would pay for connectivity (email accounts, equipment etc.) for exchange of information and communication from the provincial level up to national and international level and IDRC would test technology that went to levels lower than provincial capitals, ie. from the districts outward. G. Project for the Evolution ot Communication and Information Recipient: Escola Secundária Emília Daússe, Inhambane Contact: Sr. Momed Cadir, Project Coordinator Web: Being developed and email: cpepci@teledata.mz Tel/fax: 258-023-21138 This project intends to strengthen the use of ICTs in teacher training as well as in governance. The host organisation of this project, a Secondary School in Inhambane has established a research centre that provides training and technical expertise to other government institutions, namely provincial education authorities and the Governor's office, as well as other routine telecentre type services. Starting in 2002, a new pilot activity will provide students with ICT skills some practical job experience working with local government, NGOs and businesses on specific ICT and development activities. Partnership Issues: Late last year Ireland gave them two computers and printers, a data show and digital camera (just about $10,000 USD worth). The Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology changed their intended recipient of two computers to EPCI. That equipment is to be used for involving the province in discussions on the new Technology Policy but can also be used by the Centre for other activities. After the year of discussion, they will become EPCI property. The Centre also expects to receive four refurbished computers from the EU. H. Schoolnet Mozambique Recipient: Phase 1 was with CIUEM, Phase II will be with the Ministry of Education Contacte: Kauxique Maganlal, Project Coordinator Web: www.mozambique.mz/schoolnet and e-mail: Kauxique.Maganlal@mined.gov.mz Tel: 258-1-490677 This project started in 1997 and aimed to introduce computer literacy into 10 secondary schools, explore the integration of ICTs in the teaching process, encourage schools to become more centres of information sharing and communication, provide training opportunities on, and promote the use of e‑mail and Internet access as well as the exchange of experience within Southern Africa region. For its new phase, finalized in April 2002, the project has moved to the Ministry of Education and will revitalize the Schoolnet Moz network started by CIUEM. A business plan that deals with the key issues of maintenance, sustainability, training and expansion will be elaborated. Partnership Issues: For Phase I of the project, IDRC and WorldLinks were the main donors. The Government of Netherlands, UNESCO and ICEIDA (Iceland International Development Assistance) also providing funding. For phase II, after the Policy Implementation Symposium in October, TV Cabo agreed to provide two years free cable internet connection in a variety of education institutions in Maputo. Thirteen Schoolnet schools will be beneficiaries. As well, MINED allocated $200,000 for new computer equipment for the program along with its other contributions. A British NGO named Southern Africa Resource Centre also just contributed 100 refurbished computers and other education materials. I. Programa para a Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento duma Cultura de Paz através dos ICTs Recipiente: Conselho Cristão de Moçambique Contacte: Sr. Boaventura Zita, Project Coordinator Web: http://swan.isl.co.mz/ccm e email: com-ccmhq@isl.co.mz Tel: 258-1-422836 Fax: 421968 **Note: This project is funded by PBR but was initially designed for Acacia and is considered locally as part of the Acacia projects. Some of its outputs should be relevant to Acacia. The project recently started and will investigate and disseminate Mozambican community experience with various traditional beliefs and practises that help foster a culture of peace which national identity depends upon. Linkages with other African efforts to use ICTs to diseminate grassroots experiences will also be researched. Local information officers will be hired and trained in at least three locations (north, central and south) and an electronic network will be established to support awareness and dissemination activities. Partnership Issues: Some initial computer literacy and communications training for staff as well as a computer and printer were funded by the World Association for Christian Communication. This year, CCM has approached WAAC to fund the equipment for another connectivity/research point in northern Mozambique. |
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