Saturday, January 24, 2009

PRESIDENT OBAMA AND DIGITAL DIVIDE!

Technologically the Bush administration was not completely up to level. Obama staffers have found old computers, outdated software and general inefficiency with regard to technology. The use of social media has been virtually non existent and many old and arcane government rules still stand in the way of Obama’s highly technical team.

Obama Administration will embrace technology in unprecedented ways. He seem to be backed up by web savvy technologists, President Obama’s new media team looks poised and ready to fulfill President Obama’s vision of open-source democracy and furthering the use of technology embracing the full use of multimedia technology in the real sense of multimedia and social networking to reach the grass-root democrats and non democrats alike.

Obama will be the first truly tech savvy chief executive the world has had. President-elect Barack Obama made use of text messages, e-mails and social networking sites to get elected. What role will these technologies play once he takes office! This will force Obama to plans for a digital White House!

His administration’s use of Google’s YouTube during both the campaign and after winning the election leverages Internet video to reach a generation of Americans and global citizens who no longer tune in to AM radio on a regular basis. President Obama vowed to continue video recording his message and publishing them via YouTube and other video sites. Today for the first time ever an official White House blog came online. You can sign up for email updates from the president. Through the blog, Mr. Obama is the first U.S. president to have an RSS feed!

During the campaign President Obama relied heavily on Facebook, Myspace and Twitter to build support, communicate with constituents and develop a core audience. By far, Mr. Obama has more followers on Twitter than anyone else (168,000). His fan page on Facebook has more than 4 million fans.

This is an exciting thing for the generation of digital natives that help put him into office. It should also see the improvement in technology policy over the next four years. Curriculum at all level will enjoy the use of multimedia within Obama’s administration! The new administration has been leveraging web technologies to meet most of his priorities. He and his staff suffered through a number of surprising headaches.

For example, many phone lines had been disconnected. Dialing numbers inside the building often resulted in a busy signal. Software installed on PCs left in the building was outdated. And worst of all, the folks so keen on their Facebooks and Twitters found that government regulations drastically curtail how they can communicate.

“It is kind of like going from an Xbox to an Atari,” Obama spokesman Bill Burton said of his new digs. Several staffers arrived to find that they had no computers or phones assigned to them.
Others struggled with too many computers, each for specific tasks
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Cell phone manufacturers have long since recognised the consumer trend in next generation technology for mobile phones and have had to respond to the trend of ‘mobile convergence’ with key functions merging to introduce user-optimised applications. Next generation technologies began with the focus on camera phones which have now become standard with all hand sets however with fierce competition in the market; manufacturers are pushing the boundaries in pixilation advancement and high definition clarity.

The focus then turned to additional functions for example incorporating GPS. The mix of functions now available on phones will see 2009’s crop of mobiles sporting razor-sharp displays, lightning – fast processing speeds and built-in video conferencing capabilities. One of the most remarkable additional features of the 2009 phones that were introduced at the 3GSM conference was a Projector Phone; a touch screen projector phone that requires no external video source, projects images of different sizes and can be used for watching movies on the go or project them onto a wall – a device only slightly larger than the average sized hand-set. It really is apparent that consumer demands for additional features on their phones is forcing mobile manufacturers to raise the bar on advances set in the last round thus constantly pushing the limits of technological advancement.


Tuesday, January 13, 2009

OBAMA, AFRICA, AND PEACE

A Focus on peacemaking in Africa

Sudan, Somalia, Congo, Chad, and northern Uganda are part of a region of east and central Africa that is battered by chronic conflict, with millions dead and even more displaced over the last couple decades. It is the deadliest zone of conflict in the world since World War II. Congo and Sudan alone account for nearly 8 million deaths due to the legacy of war in the past two decades.

As part of its fundamental rethink of Africa policy, the Obama administration will need to shift U.S. policy from simply managing the symptoms of Africa’s biggest wars—in the form of billions of dollars in humanitarian aid and peace observation missions that are often unable to effectively protect civilians—to ending these conflicts. The existing model of conflict resolution in Africa has focused on one conflict at a time, treating Africa’s wars as if they occur in isolation. Extreme examples of this include dealing with Sudan’s north-south war while setting the issue of Darfur and eastern Sudan to the side; focusing on the situation in Somalia without effectively addressing the standoff between Ethiopia and Eritrea that fuels the conflict; and negotiating in northern Uganda without involving or sanctioning Sudan’s ruling party, which has long supported the Lord’s Resistance Army as a proxy force. Most of Africa’s wars are complex and regional in nature, and they cannot be addressed by a bureaucratic process that encourages stove-piping rather than coordination and synthesis.

The new administration needs to make an investment in competent, sustained conflict resolution, backed by focused leverage that transforms the logic of regional combatants from war to peace.

Source: Enough! http://www.enoughproject.org/publications/obama-africa-and-peace


Read also :

Peter Eichstaedt's page

Monday, January 12, 2009

GULU NORTHERN UGANDA TO BECOME A BOOM TOWN ?


NORBERT NORBERT

On December 27, the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) convened an investment conference in Gulu. It mainly targeted the Ugandan Diaspora.

This article is largely a reproduction of the speech I wrote for the conference. I got the title by turning around the title of a Time Magazine article lamenting Russia’s descent from doom to gloom.

After over two decades of war, Gulu is now wide open for business. You can see for yourself what the war of two decades has done. Hundreds of thousands displaced, hundreds of thousands dead, tens of thousands of our children abducted, social infrastructure destroyed or neglected. When there is an armed conflict business flees. Investors are conflict-shy. They do not want to be engulfed in violent conflict.


Conflict destroys infrastructure, debilitates the labour force and ruins markets. The Juba peace talks, which also piggybacked on the comprehensive peace agreement between the SPLA and the Khartoum Government, have yielded enormous dividends. Today, in this forum, you will be a witness to not only what war can do but to what peace can do.

Since 2006 we have moved aggressively to rebuild our homeland. We have not only tackled the hardware like infrastructure, health centres and schools but also the software. We have inculcated in our people an attitude of tolerance and forgiveness as a way to promote community healing and social harmony. This is very much work in progress. Our belief is that peace is not just about an end to violence. Peace means giving the people a stake in the economy.


People want jobs so that they can earn incomes, which in turn enable them to pay for the education of their children, take care of their health and own homes. In short, the definition of peace for us must include an improvement in the quality of life of our people. That is why private investment is critical. Government can provide security, infrastructure and an enabling environment but private businesses, domestic and foreign, have a vital role to stand in the gap. Our local government is business-friendly, that is why Gulu is attracting scores of businesses. Since 2006 seven additional banks have made Gulu their home. Others are on the way. I am emphasising banks because by their nature, banks are very conservative.


By coming to Gulu and setting up bases with such speed they are giving a vote of confidence in the local economy. They are giving a signal that the gloom has turned into a boom! With a strong financial sector, industrialists, property developers, hoteliers, computer companies, supermarkets, retailers and wholesalers, and other service providers are making Gulu a centre of their operations.


We have made it our business to promote Gulu as the fastest growing business hub in Uganda.

In 2007, I met Kenya Airways CEO, Titus Naikuni and invited him to start a Nairobi–Gulu route. He agreed. This project also has the support of the line minister. Unfortunately the post-election violence in Kenya stalled this initiative but we are kick-starting it again. The upgrading of Gulu airport into an international airport will make Gulu a tourism hub. The tarmacking of Gulu –Olwiyo road will give tourists easy access to Uganda’s largest game reserve – the Murchison Falls Game Park and an opportunity to see one of the world’s most spectacular water falls.

There is more to be done. We need to have adequate energy. The construction of the hydroelectric dam at Karuma as pledged by the central government will be a boost for industry. In addition a commitment to bring the long armed conflict to a final end will create the stability necessary for investment.

On our part we have to ensure that investors can have access to the land needed for their projects. Due to the conflict, there is anxiety over land access by investors. In addition, returning IDPs see potential investors as a threat to their land rights. It is our job to ensure harmony on the land question. We are building political consensus in order to guarantee the local people their land rights while giving an opportunity to access land for investment without antagonising the local population.


This is possible through the creation of communal land trusts, which can be key partners in ensuring accessibility of communal land to investors. We are determined to have open debate on the land question. What we detest is when our people are made to appear as if they are blindly hostile to investors. That is totally untrue. There are just some disagreements over procedure. And through proactive dialogue and openness on our part and the part of the potential investors, this matter will cease to be a bone of contention.

We have also launched the Gulu District Investment Promotion Committee. Through this unit, we aim to attract, retain and nurture investment into Gulu. So why are we so confident about Gulu’s investment potential? Uganda may be the pearl of Africa but Gulu is the pearl of Uganda! Gulu is the heart of Northern Uganda (potentially the breadbasket of Africa with 16 per cent of Uganda’s arable land), strategically located with road and rail networks, an airport, a fantastically balanced climate, which can be a catalyst for trade, agribusiness and tourism. Gulu is the best-run district in Uganda. As a result we have received many awards from the Ministry of Local Government. The Ministry of Health also ranks Gulu No.1 in health services delivery. We do not have the squabbles, which characterise many local governments, and we have tackled corruption head-on through the power of personal example by our political leadership. The fact that my office and the RDC (who was my rival in the last elections for the seat I occupy) can work together in harmony is a testimony of the political maturity of our local leadership. Gulu is Northern Uganda’s hospitality centre with many lifestyle choices. You can visit tourist sites, the game park, go hunting or visit our many local markets. Gulu, as the traditional headquarters of Northern Uganda has a large workforce of skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled labour.

Our very own Gulu University is a growing centre for human resources development. Gulu has a high growth rate that has boosted the confidence of new businesses coming to Gulu. All these make Gulu one of Uganda’s busiest urban centres. Gulu has the potential to become one of Uganda’s leading tourism destinations. For now event-led tourism is our focus.

Lastly, we will work to improve the investment and socio- economic environment in partnership with the national government, lower local governments and organised private businesses.


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Read more about Northern Uganda Crisis:


Uganda rebels keep peace on hold

Attack on Kony

Joseph Kony

Peter Eichstaedt's page


Thursday, January 8, 2009

What can Africa learn from Ghana's poll?

John Atta Mills has been sworn in as Ghana's new President.

The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has praised the presidential election in Ghana as a democratic achievement and an example to others.

This time last year, thousands of Kenyans were killed following chaos over disputed presidential results. In Zimbabwe, power sharing talks between President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai have all but collapsed.

What lessons can Ghana offer the rest of the continent? where does the electoral process go wrong? How should electoral disputes be resolved? What role should an incumbent play in the election process? Send us your views.

Source:http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?sortBy=1&forumID=5878&start=15&tstart=0&edition=2&ttl=20090108195449#paginator

Published: Tuesday, 6 January, 2009, 12:29 GMT 12:29 UK

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Africa hails Ghana election as democratic success

By Christian Akorlie

ACCRA, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Ghana's largely peaceful and credible presidential election was a rare example of a functioning democracy in Africa and should be a model for the continent, African leaders and voters said on Sunday.

Much attention in Africa and elsewhere was focused on the Ghanaian vote after a year of political crises, many of them violent, tarnished Africa's democratic credentials.

Opposition candidate John Atta Mills was declared the winner on Saturday after the closely fought election in the gold and cocoa exporter was settled by a run-off.

"John Atta Mills' victory and the conduct of the people of Ghana provides a rare example of democracy at work in Africa," Kenya's prime minister Raila Odinga said in a statement.

While some violence was reported, international observers say the vote was mostly peaceful, in contrast with many other African countries, where democracy was battered in 2008.

More than 1,000 people were killed in post-election violence in Kenya last year and in Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai have been deadlocked for months over a power-sharing agreement after disputed elections.

COUP

Mauritania's first freely elected leader was overthrown in a military coup in August and army officers in Guinea took power after the death of President Lansana Conte in December.

South Africa, is likely to go to the polls in March in what analysts expect will be its most tense vote since the end of apartheid in 1994, after a power struggle split the ruling African National Congress last year.

"(The Ghanaian election) bears testimony to the respect for democracy and good governance in Africa," South African President Kgalema Motlanthe said. "The people of Ghana ... have through the ballot paper showed their appreciation for democracy," he said in a statement.

Ghana's neighbour and fellow cocoa producer Ivory Coast again postponed presidential elections last year and analysts say they are unlikely to be held before the end of 2009 due to delays in disarmament and voter registration.

"In this country, elections are always held in chaos, and it's the strongest who wins," said taxi driver Alpha Kante in Abidjan. "If Ghanaians have voted for a new president without making a fuss, it's good, and we must try to do the same."

Nigeria, whose presidential election result was upheld last month after a legal challenge from defeated candidates, said the Ghanaian experience should be replicated in nearby countries.

"I hope and pray that the spirit with which the election has been fought and won will be nurtured and promoted not only in Ghana, but also in West Africa," said Musiliu Obanikoro, Nigeria's High Commissioner to Ghana.

Britain's Baroness Valerie Amos, who led an election monotoring group from the Commonwealth, which includes several African states, said the electoral process was generally credible, while ordinary Ghanaians also hailed the vote.#

"The election shows that Ghana is a shining example of democracy on a continent that is struggling to get recognition," said Richard Nunoo, a mechanic in the capital Accra. (Additonal reporting by Helen Nyambura-Mwaura in Nairobi; Ange Aboa in Abidjan and Nick Tattersall in Lagos; Writing by Daniel Magnowski; Editing by Giles Elgood)

Source:http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL4643959.html