Note to Correspondents

HEADQUARTERS ROUND TABLE TO DISCUSS BRIDGING DIGITAL DIVIDE IN AFRICA

A round-table discussion being held at the United Nations today will bring together leaders from technology corporations, foundations and non-profit organizations to consider how to effectively engage in service to Africa.  The event will take place in Conference Room 1 at Headquarters from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The goal of the round-table discussion, "The Digital Bridge to Africa", is to explore ways in which the combined knowledge, experiences and resources of the public and private sectors can be harnessed to effect positive and sustainable change in Africa.  Prominent individuals from the African Diaspora, African technologists and scientists who have pursued careers away from their homelands, are to form the backbone of a Digital Diaspora Network for Africa, a non-profit organization committed to bridging the digital divide in Africa to improve people’s lives with technology as the catalyst for change.

Speakers will include Akhtar A. Badshah, Executive Director of Digital Partners; Amir A. Dossal, Executive Director of the United Nations Fund for International Partnerships; Rebecca Enonchong, CEO and founder of AppsTech; Kanwal Rekhi, co-founder of the Indus Entrepreneurs; John Sarpong, CEO, Africast, LLC, and President, Southline Industries; and Pekka Tarjanne, Executive Coordinator of the ICT Task Force.  Journalists are welcome to attend and can find more information on the meeting, including the agenda, speakers and participants, at www.ddn-africa.org.

The inspiration for the Digital Diaspora Network is a similar organization, Indus Entrepreneurs, which successfully organized the Indian Diaspora into a powerful network in service to its members, as well as the social concerns of India.  Both networks are designed to be sources of finance, business contacts and skill transfer for their home regions.

Co-sponsoring today's round-table discussion is the United Nations Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) Task Force in partnership with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), Digital Partners Institute and Gruppo CERFE.  The United Nations Fund for International Partnerships is facilitating the initiative.

For more information, contact:  Sergei Kambalov, ICT Task Force,         (212) 963-4751; Enrica Murmura, (212) 963-5913; Akhtar Badshah, Executive Director

of the Digital Partners Institute, (425) 898-9739; or Ellen McGuffie, United Nations Department of Public Information, (212) 963-0499, e-mail: mcguffie@un.org.

More information about the hosts can be found on the following Web sites:

United Nations ICT Task Force -– www.unicttaskforce.org; UNIFEM -– www.unifem.undp.org; Digital Partners Institute -– www.digitalpartners.org; Gruppo CERFE –- www.gruppo-cerfe.org/English/home.htm; and Digital Diaspora Network for Africa – http://www.ddn-africa.org.

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