Second SANGONeT "ICTs for Civil Society" Conference and Exhibition

Author(s): Camilo Villa
Publication date: Thursday 02 March 2006

Less than two weeks to go before the 2006 SANGONeT Conference and our programme is developing into the decisive platform for civil society discussion on ICT and development issues.
The programme is built around objectives that educate, inspire and interrogate. It offers a mixed range of topics that will appeal to a wide range of individuals with varying levels of exposure to ICT and development issues.
Telecommunications and the Information Society - the event's contextual framework will be guided by an opening plenary that draws attention to the changing telecommunications environment in South Africa, while the closing plenary will reflect on the evolving Information Society in South Africa and the broader Southern African region.
Connectivity Options - at the basic level, we shed light on ICT trends such as Internet connectivity and broadband options - providing guidance on appropriate solutions for the non-profit environment.
Open Source - for the technologically enabled, day two of the conference will be entirely dedicated to delving deeper into the topical theme of open source, including the emergent and contentious issue of non-copyrighted open content.

Internet and Social Change - for development activists, we have created a track that deals with how the Internet influences social change, including online communications strategies that advance a civil society agenda. Building on the themes
he delivered at last year's event, this track will be led by international non-profit online specialist, Michael Gilbert. In addition, he is developing a session with a focus on specialised ICT tools for senior management in the NGO sector.
Some of the confirmed speakers include:
* Tebogo Klaas, President, SMME Forum
* Paris Mashile, Chairperson, ICASA
* Norman Munzhelele, Chairperson, ICT Empowerment Charter Steering Committee
* Michael Gilbert, Founder and Director, Gilbert Center
* Hilton Theunissen, tuXlab Project Manager, Shuttleworth Foundation
* Dwayne Bailey, Director, Translate.org.za
* Alan Levin, Chairperson, Internet Society of South Africa
* Heather Ford, Director, Creative Commons South Africa
* Nhlanhla Mabaso, Open Source Centre Manager, Meraka Institute
* Anna Badimo, Director, Linuxchix
* Prof John van Zyl, Managing Director, ABC Ulwazi
* Edward Viltz, President and CEO, Public Interest Registry
View the full programme on the conference website.
SANGONeT's conference is aimed at senior staff, communication and information officers and technical employees in the NGO sector, as well as individuals who work with these organisations, including international funding agencies, the private sector, parastatals and government.
An important aspect of the event is the ICT and NGO exhibitions that will run concurrently. Exhibition space is still available.
Registration Fees:
* NGO Delegates - R1 200
* Other Delegates - R2 300
NGOs that register more than one delegate will receive a 50% discount on the registration fees of additional delegates.
For more information about registration, exhibition opportunities and logistical arrangements, please contact the Conference Secretariat:
Anelja de Bok, Go Girl Events
Tel: (011) 781-8611 / E-mail: anelja@gogirlevents.co.za
For detailed information about the South African NGO sector, please refer to the SANGONeT NGO portal - 

Related links:

http://www.sangonet.org.za