Coordinators

iConnect Coordinators:

• Filifing Diakite; Mali
  
• Harry Hare; Tanzania
  
• Tovin Ngombe; Zambia
  
• Sylvestre Ouédraogo; Burkina Faso
  
• Davis Joseph Weddi; Uganda
  
• John Yarney; Ghana
  

Filifing Diakite

I was the first radio journalist to initiate ICT promotion in the media through a weekly radio magazine of 20 minutes. I have been doing this since 1999.

Being the iConnect coordinator in Mali, seemed logical for me in my career. I hope it inspires others journalists in my country to become a help in ICT promotion.

I'm very happy to be very well known nationally and internationally through ICT activities and AISI medias Award (first radio price 2004).

Background :

• Master in Law national High school of Administration in mali since 1995
• DESS : Diploma in Advanced, Specialized Studies in journalism in Democracy: Rights of press and good governance at the University of Montreal, CANADA on June 2000.

Harry Hare

I worked in the Kenya Government’s Public Trustee Department as as Senior Executive Officer before embarking on an IT Journalism Career, working as sub-editor of East African Computer News (1993-95) and then founding and becoming Editor in Chief of Micro Computer Guide which later was licensed by the International Data Group (IDG) to publish of PC World East Africa (1995-99).

Later I joined AITEC Kenya as Executive Director in 1999, also working as East African Editor of Computers & Telecommunications in Africa magazine. In 2002 I was appointed Regional Manager, in charge of East Africa based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. I have been involved with various ICT developments and ICT for Development activities in Tanzania including the establishment of the Tanzania Internet Exchange Point (TIXP), where I played a major role in lobbying and advocacy and the establishment of SWOPNet – Sharing with Other People Network, a network of ICT for development practitioners in Tanzania whose objectives are knowledge sharing, information exchange and networking. I am also the Exeutive Director of the Tanzania ICT Alliance (TICTA), a Private Sector Association of ICT Suppliers and Service Providers. TICTA is a member of the World IT Services Alliance (WITSA).

Tovin Ngombe

I am a Journalist specialised in reporting on Information Communications Technologies (ICTS) and developmental reporting. My main interest is to have a voice for the excluded people and to have their views known and appreciated by policy makers.

I belong to the Media Network and ICTs for Development (MIND). It is a Network of journalists specialised in reporting on ICTs for Development. I am also the content Manager for Coldreed Communications, a company specialised in web development and Networking.

I have been reporting on ICTs since 2001. However, economic constraints in most African countries hinder most journalists to report effectively on ICTs since it takes time to get good content about it and most people with information fail to share it with journalists. Hence my goal is to change this scenario for the development of third world countries.

Sylvestre Ouédraogo

I was born in 1966 in a small village in North of Burkina Faso. I am lecturer in economy at the University of Ouagadougou. I give courses in Food and Nutritional Policies; the Evaluation of the Projects of Development and Computer Sciences at the University. I am also an ICT4D expert, coordinator of Local Information and Exchange Networking and President of Yam Pukri. I am a writer too, my lastest book is titled "Computer and the Djembe, between dreams and Realities", Harmattan, 2003.

My passion is however sciences applied. I am interested indeed in all that is application of science for the benefit of the projects in the countries in the process of development. Thus I was a President of the Club Jeune Science of my college and later coordinator of Club UNESCO of Kadiogo until 1988 .

YAM PUKRI
After my doctorate in 1996, I started again to work in the associative field, but this time by creating an association which is called YAM PUKRI (www.yam-pukri.org) which in local language MOORE means Open your mind.

This association has as principal objectives training, popularization and the advise in new technologies (computer and Internet). To date, 6 centers of formation were create and we add up more than 3000 people trained since 1998.

YAM PUKRI association is a pioneer in the field of ICT's association in Burkina Faso. We have partnerships with several organizations in the world. One of our main partners is Terre des Hommes, Genève in the area of training young people in new technologies. Activities such as forums of exchange are also organized each year and makes it possible for young people to exchange with Suisses young people, Senegalese and Malagasy. YAM PUKRI took part in several international meetings in the field of new technologies.

Burkina-NTIC
In 2002, YAM PUKRI concluded an agreement on a partnership with IICD and within this framework, we created a Local Information and Exchange Networking (LIEN). This network realises several activities, such as a dynamic website which posts weekly news on ICT's and carries out a quarterly newspaper which reiterates the main part of the documents which are on the website.

The network called Burkina-NTIC (www.burkina-ntic.org) has as an ambition to be used as network of exchange for the organizations of the civil society in the field of the sharing of experiments and knowledge on ICT's. That is very important because the weakness of the knowledge in quality and quantity invites us to look for best way to work better. Networking is a good way for sharing.

I have different roles on ICT fields in Burkina Faso:

1. Teacher and lecturer of ICT (theory in practices) at university of Ouagadougou
2. Executive President of Yam Pukri
3. Information Networking Coordinator
4. Member of Internet Commission(government) and the advisor on governments CT policies
5. A published writer and research on ICT's

In 2003, I make few contribution to a books, one with IUED (Hight school in Geneva) and one with Panos London. (Copying with poverty, in Panos report N° 48, Completing the revolution, the challenge in rural Telephony in Africa, Panos Institute, London.(www.panos.org.uk).
I work now for 2 books on ICT with other autors.
So, you see, I have different roles and enjoy to work for ICT4D.

Davis Joseph Weddi

I work with The New Vision Newspaper Online as Website Editor (www.newvision.co.ug and www.enteruganda.com).

I am a member of the Uganda I-Network (For ICT4D Knowledge Sharing) and I am coordinator of the Media Node of I-Network which has 26 members (mostly Journalists covering ICTs4D).

I studied Global Journalism at Stockholm University (Sweden); Photojournalism at the International Institute for Journalism in Berlin (Germany); Business Writing with Reuters at Rhodes University Grahamstown (South Africa); Investigative Journalism at the Uganda Management Institute (Kampala Uganda); Journalism and Media Studies at the Uganda Institute for Business and Media studies (Kampala Uganda).

I am also now responsible for coordinating iConnect Feature Service assignments in Uganda.

John Yarney

I think that people want examples of ICT for development models that work, to follow. The iConnect project satisfies that need. I see my responsibilities as the iConnect coordinator for Ghana as a logical progression of my career - a merger between my last professional engagements - reporting on developmental issues and subsequently on ICT.

Background
John Yarney served as a staff reporter for the Public Agenda newspaper (a Ghanaian Newspaper that places emphasis on reporting developmental issues) until January 2002 when he left the staff to concentrate solely on ICT reporting.

He edited the Computer and Technology News (CTN) and now is a freelance, reporting on emerging ICT trends on the continent.

He has been the recipient of a number of awards, in 2001 he was one of recipients of the awards for excellence in environmental reporting; the Ghana 2001 Bio-diversity Reporting Awards, organized by Conservation International, the International Centre for Journalists and the International federation of Environmental Journalists. He consequently received the Ghana Journalists Association's Award for Arts reporting for the period 2001/2002.