Free and Open Source Software: an African Regional perspective

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Free and Open Source Software an African
Regional perspective
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
(ECA)
www.uneca.org/aisi
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AISI

• Launched in May 1996 at the 22nd meeting of
  Conference of African Ministers of Finance and
  Economic Development
• Adopted by the OAU Heads of State summit in July
  1996 in Yaounde, Cameroon
• An action framework developed as Africas common
  vision to bridge the digital divide

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Background

• Africas needs to enter into the information age
  as a developer and not only as a consumer.
• Spend less money in buying proprietary software
• Less dependent on outside software producers and
  developers
• Security issues
• Right to make our own choice
• Free and open market, competition

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Business opportunities

• A lot of goods and services are exchanged in the
  open source community
• Advertising for other services and products in an
  open source software
• Debugging and enhancement
• Selling support and accessories
• Prestige Contributing to open source projects
  promotes skills and creates a sense of personal
  pride

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Current status

• In many African countries there are FOSS
  initiatives mushrooming spontaneously or with
  bodies such as AAUL and FOSSFA
• Hundreds of applications running using Open
  Source Software in African countries
• South Africa (http//www.oss.gov.za/docs/OSS_Stra
  tegy_v3.pdf) approved by CM on 12/06/03 have
  developed policies on use of OSS

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Towards OSS development in Africa

• The OIF, ECA, UNESCO, UNCTAD and UNDP are
  supporting countries in their FOSS development
  efforts
• UNESCO has a series of applications on OSS,
  including OSIDAMS and ISIS
• AAUL (http//aaul.logiciels-libres.org) sponsored
  by OIF
• ECA advocates policy actions training

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ECAs COMMITTEE ON INFORMATION FOR DEVELOPMENT
(CODI 3)

• PASSED ON 14/05/03 A RESOLUTION ON OSS
• Adoption of legislative and regulatory measures
  on OSS in countries
• Rejection of legislations promoting excessive
  monopolistic positions detrimental to innovation,
  development and self-sufficiency
• Adoption of the level of free software use as
  indicator of good governance and sustainable
  development in national cooperation policies in
  Africa

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CODI Resolution (ctd)

• Registering FOSS as an immaterial common heritage
  of mankind
• Promotion of FOSS in learning institutions
• Sensitization and mobilization of African public
  opinion
• Pan-African Day of Free and Open Source Software
• Financing/assistance to innovative projects for
  the construction and emergence of national free
  software industries

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• African Association of Software Users (AAUL)
• The first African Meeting of Free and Open Source
  Software (RALL 2004), in Ouagadougou

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ADF IV 11-15 Oct. 2004

• Attended by over 1,000 African Policymakers,
  including
• Ministers of Public Service and Administration
• Ministers of Finance and Economic Development
• Head of Civil Service of African countries
• Members of Parliament
• A Focus Group on ICTs and governance was setup
  and provided input to ADF deliberations on
• E-Government
• Role of FOSS on e-government
• Meeting of ePol-NET partners and Exhibition on
  ICT4D have also taken place

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ADF IV ctd...

• . . . Governments need to adopt legislative and
  regulatory measures on free and open source
  software use in African public administrations in
  order to reduce the dependence on restrictive and
  expensive proprietary software.
• They should also support research and development
  institutions and bodies in their effort to
  develop appropriate e-government systems and
  applications for Africa.

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ECAs Information Technology Centre for Africa
(ITCA) to show values of ICTs

• Training on networking technology
• Awareness raising for policy makers
• Development of touch screen applications on local
  governance, HIV-AIDS and preparation of resources
  (data base of African Experts, discussion lists,
  etc.)
• Deployment of permanent and mobile exhibitions
  on ICT applications
• Discussions with LPI for certification on LINUX

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Let us work together and give Africa the
opportunity to make its choices according to its
interests.
Thank you
For more information www.uneca.org/aisi