About the Programme
The focus of this programme is on building capacity and
community
development in Information and
Communication Policy (ICT) and Internet governance (IG). The 2009-2011 programme was designed for regional and sub-regional institutions in ACP countries (Africa, Caribbean and the Pacific).
With the collaboration of seven ACP partner
institutions, the two-year project trained key beneficiaries and institutions who are dealing
with Internet Governance and ICT policy issues at the national, regional, and global levels. The capacity development programme trained over 500 officials and specialist from 60 ACP countries. The 2009-2011 programme was financed by
the EU @CP-ICT Programme, 9th European Development Fund (EDF), while a number of other international, regional and sub-regional institutions cooperated through sharing their expertise, networking, supporting the workshops and trainees, and collaborating in many other different ways. These institutions include the African Union Commission, UNECA, NEPAD, SPC, PICISOC, CTU, ICANN, and ITU.
The project, which started in 2009 and ran till September 2011, included:
- Online training
courses, each lasting 12 weeks, in Internet Governance and ICT strategy.
- Advanced courses, in Infrastructure and Critical Internet Resources, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), Internet Security, and Privacy and Personal Data Protection, lasting 8 weeks.
- A 'train the trainers' programme for 15
trainers from ACP countries.
- A research phase to
promote intra-ACP
knowledge sharing and an active learning network.
- Ten face-to-face workshops for decision-makers
and ICT officials from ACP countries.
- Awareness building and knowledge
sharing on ICT policy and IG, using a range of media including posters, comic
books and multimedia; particular focus will be on awareness building
among youth, women, people with disabilities and others who are not
sufficiently represented in IG/ICT policy forums.
- Policy immersion fellowships aimed at
providing practical experience in policy-shaping and policy-making. A
number of participants are selected for short-term internships at
international organisations and for participation in international
ICT/IG meetings.
Key outcomes of the project
included:
- a community of IG and ICT policy-makers throughout
all ACP
countries, working together to develop good practice in ICT policy
regulations and promote greater stakeholder awareness of IG and ICT
issues;
- a group of next generation ICT/IG policy-makers who
have
built their skills and confidence through the training of trainers
component and are ready to facilitate the continued development of this
area.
The project builds on DiploFoundation's expertise in the field of Internet governance capacity building, and
over ten years working in online learning and community building.
Coupled with the national and regional ICT policy expertise of the ACP
project partners and relevant experts, the project's aim was to bring together
a wealth of IG and ICT knowledge. Participants have been – and still are – active
contributors in this project through their research work and the
sharing of experiences and expertise through online and face-to-face
discussions.