African Youth and Internet Governance Issues

Youth and Internet Governance Issues Panel at IGF Ghana. L to R: @kajsaha, @gamelmag, @AmmaBaffoe @gkahuma and @MacJordan.

The first Internet Governance Forum (IGF) held in Ghana took place last Friday, 11th March 2011 at the Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT. IGF Ghana is a multi-stakeholder platform encompassing civil society, business, government, academia and the technical community to discuss issues regarding the governance of the Internet in Ghana. Under the theme "Internet as a catalyst for change: access, development, freedoms and innovation", the forum is a prelude to regional and global IGFs scheduled to take place in Lagos and Nairobi respectively later in the year. I was privileged to be part of deliberations on Youth and Internet Governance Issues together with some GhanaBlogging colleagues
at the forum. This post sums my views on some of the key discussions points.

How do young people view themselves as Internet users?

Young people can play a variety of roles as Internet users: developers, designers, researchers, content builders (bloggers, writers, etc), technical people, policy makers, activists, community coordinators, marketers and end-consumers. Though some of these roles overlap, it is very important for each Internet user to identify the role(s) she wants to play (or can play effectively) for best results. Many young people who're passionate about technology tend to be involved in almost all the outlined activities, thus reducing the impact they could have made in one field or the other.

The youth and social networks

In the advent of social media and web 2.0, social networking platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and foursquare have become the fulcra around which the internet activities of today's youth revolve. Social networks have become crucial to connect, engage, share, learn, relax, publicise and achieve results. Because of social networks, national boundaries are literally melting down as different cultures fast zoom towards convergence. Therefore the lure of being part of the bigger global picture seems to leave no space for localized or nationalized social networking sites as even Facebook, twitter and co, have opened their platforms to run different kinds of applications that serve local needs. One crucial point of concern is privacy and safety issues. Young Internet users are aware of potential security breaches associated with social media, but often overlook them as they are more focused on the numerous advantages that these platforms have to offer. Security goes side-by-side with connections, so social network users must go about their activities with great circumspection. They should take time to investigate the backgrounds of suspicious characters and promptly change their passwords with the slightest indication of an attack.

What is the role of mobile operators in Internet governance matters?

Mobile operators, as key stakeholders in the Internet sector, must actively collaborate with government, regulatory agencies and consumers to debate and implement policy e.g. SIM registration and number portability. This is very crucial in our part of the world as many Internet users access the web through mobile devices. In addition, telcos must strive to:

• Improve accessibility by making their services available throughout the country and not just in major cities
  
• Improve quality especially speed when it comes to their mobile broadband packages
  
• Improve pricing by reducing both cost of connection and cost of data packages
  
• Develop exciting applications that encourage young people to use the Internet constructively
  
• Open up their platforms for young innovative developers to build apps on top
  

How can youth participation in Internet governance issues be increased?

Firstly, the youth must be educated about Internet governance issues and sensitized on their crucial role in Internet governance. Also, since the youth form the bulk of Internet users, they must be well-represented on all relevant bodies pertaining to the use of Internet in Ghana and Africa. Thirdly, the youth must forge common positions on key Internet governance matters through continuous engagement through identifiable youth groups and within larger groups e.g. Internet Society of Ghana.

Outstanding issues

The discussion left a few questions that are worth contemplating on: Is there life after social networks? Do you have a right to be forgotten? What are government's next steps with regards to engaging the youth in Internet governance?

Overall, the youth panel is a great start to getting young people involved in the internet governance process. It was a wonderful learning opportunity for me. Also, check out Kajsa's report for more info.

There were other sessions/workshops on Internet Governance for Development (IG4D), Critical Internet Resources, emerging Issues, Access and Diversity, Security Openness and Privacy, and Multi-stakeholder approach to Internet Governance. IGF Ghana is collaboration between the West African IGF Consortium, Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT, Internet Society Ghana Chapter, GhNOG, GISPA and GARNET. The event was supported by National Communications Authority (NCA), the Ministry of Communications and hosted by National Information Technology Agency.

Increasing Female Participation in Science and Technology in Africa

This post is part of the monthly group blogging series of GhanaBlogging Group for the month of March.

One of the central themes of the month of March every year is the celebration of International Women's Day (IWD). The year 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of this global celebration. In Ghana, an awards ceremony and a mountain-climbing challenge were some of the events held last Tuesday, 8th March, to mark the day. Commentaries and reflections on the positive (prominent leadership roles in politics and business) and negative (gender violence and maternal mortality) situations of our women folk have been pouring in like torrents of rain in a tropical rainforest. In the spirit of the times, this post seeks to propose some solutions to the low female participation in science and technology in Africa.

Identify the cultural barriers and remove them

Traditional African society discourages girls and young women from scientific careers through deliberate and non-deliberate means. Firstly, societal norms encourage young girls to study "reading subjects" to the detriment of "calculation subjects" in high school. Secondly, girls tend to have more domestic responsibilities than boys, and therefore less study time. Thus prevailing culture is a great disincentive to female participation in science and technology. We must consciously remove these barriers in order to see more female participation in the sciences

Identify the psychological barriers and remove them

A number of psychological problems also stand in the girls' way. One of the most notable ones is the morbid fear of mathematics. Now, mathematics is at the root of all sciences, and it is unimaginable to execute any scientific study without control over math. This puts our young girls in a tight corner. Another obvious one is the lack of self-confidence in young girls. Confidence inspires rigorous critical thinking, creativity, experimentation and problem-solving, essential skills required for scientific and technological excellence. Special strategies must be developed to exorcise fear of mathematics and lack of confidence in African girls.

Highlight achievements of successful female scientists

There are many hidden successful African women scientists and technologists who have excelled in their chosen fields. Some of them are:

• Dr Wangari Muta Maatha- Noble laureate and leader of the Green Belt Movement
• Prof Marian Ewurama Addy- Professor of Biochemistry and President of Anglican University of Technology, Ghana
• Prof (Mrs) Afua Hesse-Professor of Paediatric Surgery and President of Medical Women's International Association (MWIA)
• Silvian Wanjiku Gitau-Mobile Health Software Developer and Google Anita Borg Scholarship Winner

The achievements of these trailblazers must be widely publicized so as to empower aspiring female scientists and give them credible examples to look up to. If these African women can make it, the young girl growing up somewhere in Bawku can make it too!

Scrap affirmative action and quota system

I disagree with attempts to "level the playing field" through the practice of admitting females into science and technology programmes, in high schools and universities, at lower grades than males. Quota systems help to increase female numbers in the sciences, only for them to be intimidated by the achievements of their male colleagues. Some of them even drop out such "overwhelming" courses. Girls should be supported to boost their performances first and then recruited into academic programmes solely based on merit. This arrangement will boost their confidence and make them more competitive in male-dominated environments, since they see themselves as equals and capable to excel.

It is crucial for national development to increase female participation in science and technology. In my opinion, removal of psycho-cultural barriers, identification of role models and merit-based admission systems are some of the methods to close the gender gap in the sciences. Do you agree or disagree with these points? What are some of the problems that hinder full participation of women in science and technology in Africa? What solutions do you think will help to take these problems away? Share your thoughts!

Python African Tour Ghana (Day1)

Picture Credit: @Nnenna

Python African Tour (PAT) Ghana started yesterday, 18th January, at African University College of Communications, Adabraka. The week-long Python programming workshop attracted a handful of students, developers and tech entrepreneurs in Ghana.

Day 1 commenced behind schedule with a brief welcome address by Mr Kwabena Mantey of African University College of Communications. Mr Mantey stressed in his delivery that technology plays a key role in communication and AUCC's mission; that is why the university is supportive of initiatives aimed at improving technology in Africa. Next, Gameli Adzaho of the PAT Ghana team explained what PAT was all about and how Ghana is excited to be the fourth stop of the continental tour. Day 1's training was handled by the Hutspace team composed of Emmanuel Okyere and Kweku Danso. They took participants, mainly programming newbies, through:

1. What is programming?
2. Computer languages-interpreted versus compiled
3. Intro to Python-General overview of features
4. Installation of Python interpreter on windows machines
5. Python versus Java
6. Playing with Python in interaction mode
7. Different types of errors
8. Value, expression, variables, functions
9. Making a simple function to evaluate the area of a circle

Attendees were engaged throughout the day and were enthusiastic about attending subsequent days of training.

Python African Tour Ghana runs from 18th January to 22nd January, from 9 am to 5 pm. It has been put together by the Python African Tour (Ghana) team supported by Hutspace, Ghana Google Technology User Group (Ghana GTUG) and Fedora Linux Project. The tour is generously sponsored by Google, BECATEC, Ageliaco and Python Software Foundation/Python Sprints.

Latest Updates on Python African Tour Ghana

Python African Tour is just three days away from stopping in Accra, Ghana. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to learn about one of the most versatile modern programming languages, and what it can do in terms of science and development in Africa. Here are some quick updates relating to the Ghana leg of the tour.

AUCC and GTUC Will Jointly Host PAT Ghana
PAT Ghana will take place from 18th to 22nd January 2011. The schedule is as follows:

• Day 1: Introduction to Python


• Day 2: Introduction to Python (cont.)


• Day 3: Introduction to Web Development with Python (particularly with Django)


• Day 4: Python Sprint/Hackathon


• Day 5: Python Sprint/Hackathon (cont.)

African University College of Communications (Google Map) will host the workshops/tutorials while the Sprints/Hackathon will be held at Ghana Telecom University College (Google Map)

More Partners and Sponsors on Board
Fedora Linux Project has joined forces with the PAT Ghana team and other organisations/groups such as Ghana Google Technology User Group (Ghana GTUG) and Hutspace to run the training workshop.

PAT Ghana is sponsored by Google, BECATEC, Ageliaco and Python Software Foundation/ Python Sprints. Their kind donation is making this possible. Check out the sponsorship options available and contribute to this worthy cause.

Connect with PAT
You can email any inquiries to the PAT Ghana team via PATGhana@gmail.com or connect through their Facebook page or Twitter.

To participate in the workshop, register using the form available at the PAT website. Spread the word!

Python African Tour Official Press Release

Contact: PAT(Ghana) Organising Team
Email:patghana@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PYTHON AFRICAN TOUR COMES TO GHANA

Advancing Open Source Technologies for Development

Python African Tour (PAT) is an exciting African open source technology initiative aimed at promoting agile programming languages, mainly Python, among Africa's tech communities. The Tour, which has successfully been executed in Senegal, Nigeria and Morocco is run by a group of nomadic volunteer Python developers and evangelists, backed by the generous contributions of various organisations and individuals. With the support of Ashesi University College, Ghana Google Technology User Group (Ghana GTUG), local developers, entrepreneurs, bloggers and open source fans, the PAT train will make a stop in Accra Ghana from 18th to 22nd January, 2011 at the Ashesi University College Campus.

The tour was highly successful in the three countries where it has been held so far, and this has greatly increased interest in Python as a programming language to be reckoned with. The overall goal is to boost development in Africa through Python and allied technologies; this will be achieved by empowering young Ghanaian students, developers and entrepreneurs with quality skills to tackle local problems. It is also the objective of the Tour to inspire and build conversations among local developers, creating an ecosystem of cooperation, idea-sharing, collaboration and creativity.

Python African Tour takes a different approach from other tech-related conferences that have been held in Ghana due to its focus on hands-on Python training and skills transfer, an opportunity local developers have been yearning for. The training format adopted is particularly suited for people who have already started Python programming or at least know how to program in another language. The tentative agenda is as follows:

• Day 1: Introduction to Python

• Day 2: Introduction to Django Web Framework

• Day 3: Python for scientists (based on demand)

• Day 4: Python Sprint/Hackathon

• Day 5: Python Sprint/Hackathon

Such a well-orchestrated training regimen is focused on developing a problem-solving approach to programming among attendees. The experience and expertise of the international team of trainers drawn from the PAT, Ghana GTUG and Hutspace will guide the participants to come out more quality and useful apps, some of which would have business potential.

Ashesi University College, Python Software Foundation and Hutspace are proud sponsors of the tour. There are sponsorship opportunites available for workshop sponsorship, hackathon sponsorship and individual sponsorship. Contact the PAT team and get your organisation to be part of this exciting initiative.

To participate in the Python African Tour (PAT) Ghana workshop, please fill out the registration form at the PAT website now. If you are interested in sponsoring, supporting the training team or helping out in any way, please send an email to patghana@gmail.com.

See you there!

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Connect with Python African Tour:

http://www.pythonafricantour.com/countries/ghana

Register: http://www.pythonafricantour.com/countries/ghana/participate

Twitter(@patghana): http://twitter.com/patghana

Facebook: http://facebook.com/PythonGhana