Fwd: Webinar Invitation : Realising the Benefits of the Digital Ecosystem in Rural South Africa: Policy, Regulation and Implementation issues

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Bill Tucker

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Sep 22, 2020, 2:14:25 PM9/22/20

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---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Shaun Pather <spa...@uwc.ac.za>
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2020, 19:48
Subject: Webinar Invitation : Realising the Benefits of the Digital Ecosystem in Rural South Africa: Policy, Regulation and Implementation issues
To: Bill Tucker <btu...@uwc.ac.za>, Carlos Rey-Moreno <car...@apc.org>, Masibulele Jay Siya <j...@zenzeleni.net>, Rolf Ellipsis Zenzeleni <ro...@ellipsis.co.za>, Shaun Pather <spa...@uwc.ac.za>, Sol Luca de Tena <s...@zenzeleni.net>

Dear All

Please diarise and circulate as widely as you can.

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UNIVERSITY OF THE WESTERN CAPE RESEARCH WEEK 2020 : WEBINAR INVITATION

Realising the Benefits of the Digital Ecosystem in Rural South Africa: Policy, Regulation and Implementation issues

Date: Friday 02 October 2020

Time: 10.30 – 12.00 (SAST, GMT + 2)

Registration: https://uwc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YYsD90dgRJSY51ZJwdCDeQ

[NOTE This registration link is for our Research Week session that will start at 10.00, with a talk on Artificial Intelligence, until 10.30. You may choose to either join from 10.00 or from 10.30 if you are only interested in THIS webinar on the rural digital ecosystem]

Despite 26 years of post-apartheid liberation, white papers, policies, legislation, projects and interventions the state of the digital divide in rural South Africa remains in a sad state of neglect. The promise of a better life facilitated by the benefits of a knowledge and information society is still very much far-fetched for the average rural citizen.

Join us for a morning of discussion and debate. In this webinar we build on our experiences rooted in research and advocacy in relation to Community Networks. We seek to move beyond the theory, and to examine the pragmatic perspectives of the problem of digital inequality. In particular we seek an outcome that will direct us towards a clear set of actions and responsibilities in the South African rural context. We note that this webinar takes place in the midst of several unfolding activities in the country. This includes the imminent ITA from the regulator for spectrum allocations for the Wireless open Access Network, and various continuing efforts in respect of SA Connect, among others.

The underling question we seek to probe with our panellists are: What are the Policy, Regulation and Implementation issues and how can we address them?

Our expert panellists are:

· Mr George Finger, Principal ICT Strategist, Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA)

· Professor Alison Gillwald, Executive Director Research ICT Africa and Adjunct Professor, UCT Graduate School of Development and Policy Practice

· Dr Carlos Rey-Moreno, Co-lead Local Networks, Policy and Strategy, Association of Professional Communications

· Ms Cassandra Gabriels, Managing Director, Gabriel and Associates

With moderation and facilitation by

· Professor Shaun Pather, Department of Information Systems, University of the Western Cape

See attached for further detail and background to the webinar.

Direct all queries to spa...@uwc.ac.za

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