SOURCE: http://www.wougnet.org [2]

E-CONFERENCE STATEMENT
======================

1.0 Introduction

The African Youth eConference on the World Summit on the Information
Society (WSIS) held online at www.yahoogrups.com/group/wsisyouthafrica [3]
between the 20th and 30th of November 2002. It was co-ordinated by Paradigm
Initiative Nigeria and ninety-six (96) young Africans from over 13
countries (from Western, Eastern, Central, Northern and Southern Africa)
participated in the eConference which sought to strengthen the role of
African Youths in the WSIS processes, and the eventual action plans that
will be drawn.

2.0 Preamble

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is an initiative of the
United Nations. It seeks to provide a framework for governments, non-
government organizations and associations, companies and others to address
the following question: What values and actions do we embrace to ensure
that the Information Society becomes a vehicle for democracy, justice,
equality, and respect for personal and social development?

The world's youth rose to this challenge (of building a truly democratic
and all-involving Information Society) with the establishment of a Youth
Caucus, formed at the first preparatory committee meeting of the WSIS held
in Geneva between July 1 and 5, 2002. The youth of Africa are actively
involved in this task of building a sustainable tomorrow, coming together
as an African Youth Caucus, which is the regional extension of the global
Youth Caucus.

3.0 Participants of the eConference:

3.1 Recognizing:

· that Africa has a lot to contribute to the Information Society,
and a lot to benefit from it too,

· that we have had much of discussions in Africa but need to move on
to acting out our recommendations

· that today's African youth is tomorrow's African leader, policy
maker, parent and responsible citizen,

· that Africa's youth are at a strategic position to see to Africa's
inclusion and active participation in the Information Society

· the various efforts taken by Africa's peoples towards bridging
Africa's inter- and intra-digital divide, including but not limited to:

· the Bamako 2002 African preparatory meeting to the WSIS, May 2002.

· the African Information Society Initiative (AISI).

· the UNESCO consultation with Civil Society conducted prior to the
African WSIS Bamako preparatory meeting, May 2002.

· the various country-level and sub-regional consultations seeking
to help Africa bridge the digital divide

· activities of socially responsible businesses that help bridge the
digital divide

· the "Half Way Proposition" of African ISPs that seeks to drive
down the cost of Internet access

3.2 Endorsing:

· ITU Africa 2001 Youth (Forum) Declaration, Johannesburg, November
2001.

· WSIS Youth Caucus Statement to PrepCom 1, Geneva, July 2002.

· The Bamako 2002 Declaration - African preparatory meeting to the
WSIS, May 2002.

3.3 Made the following recommendations:

1. EDUCATION & ILLITERACY

In Africa(and around the world), the challenge of cultivating an educated
society is an enormous task and the issue of ICTs for Education is a good
development to help facilitate the education of entire societies as well as
nations in Africa via it boundless and resourceful nature.

The creation of multimedia learning experience is vital to education and
illiteracy too. They help facilitate learning and motivate learning. The
creation of local content of educational material must also be encouraged.

The above-mentioned are issues that have to be addressed in Government
policies and provision of basic infrastructure, the active social
responsibility and participation of the private sector in terms of
resources, training and financing ICTs for education, the creation o! f
governing boards through the partnership of the government, private sector
and civil society towards educational development.

2. CONTENT & RURAL INCLUSION

With the help of Information and Communication Technologies, nations have
been "rebuilt" and "reprofiled". It has become imperative for nations,
organisations, governments and individuals to be reborn into a new
citizenship, as citizens of a global community. The results of such
citizenship have far reaching influence than a National passport
could give. However, while the stage is being set for opportunities, our
Africa seems to be relaxed and not assuming its role as a major contributor
to the new community.

Africa must strive to stamp her authority on the Internet, which is
presently dominated by "foreign" languages. Ensuring the availability of
online local content will help Africa's people to push their offers to the
same platform where they have pulled informatio! n. To ensure rural
inclusion, online content should be made available offline through the use
of compact discs, print media, community radios and other media that can
bring information to the rural areas.

3. GENDER & ICTS

Africa cannot afford to ignore the potential contributions of her women.
The Information Society must be gender-sensitive and African women must be
empowered and given the opportunity to express their knowledge and
expertise without undue discrimination. We believe that young women must be
encouraged to see beyond the false mystery of ICTs and pursue their desires
while using ICTs as tools to achieve such purposes.

The formation of gender caucuses is encouraged as it will help stimulate
the need for women's involvement at the highest level possible in the
emerging Information Society. An equipped generation of young women will
surely produce a new generation of mothers who train their kids with ICT
tools. Knowing that rural women are the most disadvantaged (but yet can
lead an effective revolution in the integration of ICTs into the society),
they have to cross the barrier of not just a new technology but also
traditions and culture which has a stronger hold in the rural areas.

4. HEALTH

Africa has lost enough people to various health problems that could have
been prevented if the right information was made available at the right
time - and to the right people. Politically motivated expenditure and
projects have to be stopped, as a first step to addressing relevant and
realistic needs. Priority must be given to access to quality health care
delivery systems, and it is necessary to address pressing health issues
using the very best of technology associated to he! alth.

HIV/AIDS awareness campaign has employed the use of ICTs and it has been
proven to be effective with evidence in declining prevalence rates in some
African countries. It is wise therefore to upgrade the awareness campaign
of preventive measures against other pressing health issues on the
continent like malaria, polio, etc. All attempts to introduce and sustain
the quality that will be achieved through the use of ICTs in health must be
evidently accessible in terms of location and cost.

5. BRAIN DRAIN

The issue of brain drain is very prevalent in developing worlds. This worm
that has eaten deep into the fabric of the African nations has to be
addressed. It is a menace that has left Africa behind in substantial
development with a lot of skilled Africans seeking refuge living outside
the continent.

Youths must be empowered in entrepreneurship with the availability of
relevant mentorship and we must embrace ICT in our educational system, as
it is a sure way or reaching the grassroots with globally competitive
information. We also cannot leave all the work to th! e government, we must
begin to think of what we can contribute to Africa and not only what we can
get from her. If Africa's people, private sector, civil society and
governments collaboratively create an enabling environment, the brain drain
phenomenon can be reversed, with Africa benefiting from the wealth of her
own!

6. WAR & ICTS

While we do not deny the existence of wars and unpeaceful practices in some
countries in Africa, we also acknowledge the role that proper information
can play in promoting peace. We believe that at the root of every rivalry
is some misunderstanding, which is traceable to information manipulation.
If the proper information is made available (using both old and new ICTs)
peaceful resolution will be an evident option in conflicts between nations,
individuals and groups.

African governments must embrace the potentials of ICTs in order to promote
peace and ensure that misinformation does not end in uprisings or
unpeaceful practices. From the email announcing the resolution of boundary
issues to the town crier's message of peace, both old and new media will
help Africa in its battle against wars and hope for peace.

7. ACCESS

One of the priorities of the WSIS is 'to promote the urgently needed access
of all the world's inhabitants to ICTs for development'. This involves the
provision of affordable and appropriate ICT infrastructure. ICTs have the
potential of increasing the rate and levels of human development in Africa
especially by interconnecting and the rest of the world into a unified
society but the uneven distribution of both the ICT tools and ICT skills
should be addressed. This uneven distribution is notable between developing
nations and the developed world as well within African nations; where the
digital divide is apparent between rural and urban areas, based on gender,
literacy levels and other factors.

In order to improve access to ICTs in Africa, inclusive ICT policies should
be developed in a participatory manner. Governments should subsidise access
for the poor and funding for infrastructure must be prioritised,
competition between service providers should be encouraged (in order to
increase options and lower costs), deliberate attention should be given to
rural/marginalised areas of Africa and gender-based barriers to access
should be addressed through policy and projects.

8. ETHICS & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

Issues of ethics and intellectual property cannot be ignored if development
of ICT is to take place in our part of the world. In an environment like
Africa, where systems are not in place to combat piracy, it is an uphill
struggle for creative minds to enjoy the fruits of their labour. All
stakeholders must ensure that the creative works produced by Africans -
young or old - are protected against piracy.

While protecting the right of the innovator, ethical balances must be
ensured in order not to create unpleasant bondage in the name of
protection.

Conclusion
As young people and true citizens of Africa, we commit to the emergence of
the Africa of our dreams one that we can be proud to call home. Based on
our discussions, we have decided to:

· continue deliberations on this statement in order to produce a
workable plan of action,

· identify, encourage and network existing youth-led initiatives
that tie into the objectives of the Information Society,

· partner with existing networks, organisations and agencies in
order to realise Information Society-specific objectives as it relates to
Africa,

· encourage national-level consultations between youth and
government to accelerate Africa's involvement in the WSIS, and

· hold our governments responsible (in such manners as are
appropriate) for their duties as the custodians of much of our nation's
resources.

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'Gbenga Sesan
Nigeria's Information Technology Youth Ambassador
www.gbengasesan.com [4]