- Some 500 participants are expected to take part in Connect Africa Leaders’ Summit in the Rwandan capital Kigali on 29 and 30 October, United Nations confirmed.
The summit’s main goal is to bring connectivity to Africa and promote “Connect Africa”, a new partnership that seeks to expand the information, communication and technology infrastructure of the continent, especially broadband internet, to attract investment needed for employment and economic growth.
The groundbreaking summit sessions are designed for television to encourage interactive participation, with the renowned Al Jazeera International anchor, Stephen Cole moderating key sessions.
The event will enable leaders, including heads of state, ministers, senior executives of global and African IT companies, civil society and heads of international and regional development banks to share ideas and strategies on internet connectivity in Africa.
The patrons of the initiative, Presidents of Rwandan and Ghana, Paul Kagame and John Kufuor and other important dignitaries are expected to grace the watershed programme.
Industry leaders, including Cisco, GSM Association, Ericsson, Huawei, British Telecom, Qualcomm, NTT DoCoMo, Neustar, Safaricom, Nokia-Siemens and Microsoft, are expected to attend and announce new initiatives to help bring connectivity to Africa.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.