Workshop Background

Background of this workshop

In 2006 the European Commission - in consultation with all African countries - is preparing a massive investment programme named the “Euro-African pact to accelerate Africa’s development“. The programme will support the establishment of new intra-African network infrastructures and will provide a link to the European Research Network, GEANT.
The creation of new services, such as for eLearning, eHealth, and eGovernment, will be greatly enhanced. Many bottlenecks common today that are related to bandwidth, accessibility, and reliability of communications will gradually be overcome.
Through ICTs, the cost-efficiency of cooperation among African universities, schools, hospitals, and governments will also be boosted, which will aid in fostering the political, economic, and cultural integration of the entire Continent.
The bond between the new intra-African networks and the European R&D community will allow for cost- efficient R&D collaboration in which African needs and requirements can become a driving force.

It is against this background that the workshop "European-African R&D projects for bridging the digital divide" takes place on 24 May 2006 as part of the "eLearning Africa" conference.
The workshop intends to provide authentic information and experiences to the participants by stakeholders already engaged in Euro-African joint R&D projects.
The aim of the workshop is to create awareness on how European Commission „Information Society Technologies“ and R&D projects function and on the funding opportunities for African institutions and corporations.