IST-Africa Background
Supported by the European Commission (EC) and African Union Commission (AUC), and Co-Funded under FP7 (Contract 288691), IST-Africa is a strategic collaboration between IIMC (Ireland) and Ministries and National Councils responsible for Information Society, ICT and/or STI (Science, Technology & Innovation) Adoption, Policy and Research in 18 African Countries.
Founded by IIMC in 2002, IST-Africa has developed on a phased basis, gradually introducing new Partner Countries which are often at different stages of Information Society/ICT adoption, policy and research development.
- Phase 1: South Africa, Tanzania, Mozambique
- Phase 2: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Uganda
- Phase 3: Burundi, Kenya, Mauritius, Cameroon, Senegal, Egypt
- Phase 4: Tunisia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Swaziland, Malawi
IST-Africa supports development of the Information Society and Knowledge Economy in Africa through
- International Research Cooperation, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- Knowledge Sharing and Skills Transfer between IST-Africa Partners
- Supporting Implementation of 8th Africa-EU Strategic Partnership (Science, Information Society, Space) including Hosting JEG8 Meetings
IST-Africa also directly supports the goals of the African Ministerial Council on Science and Technology (AMCOST) and the Consolidated Plan of Action for the African Regional Action Plan on the Knowledge Economy (ARAPKE).
IST-Africa Activities
IST-Africa is based on a Train the Trainer philosophy and Structured Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing between Partner Countries, to support Capacity Building and Generational Leapfrogging.
IST-Africa organises Participatory Training Workshops in Partner Countries focused on Living Labs (supporting Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship) and opportunities for International Research Cooperation including FP7 and Horizon 2020
Hosted by IST-Africa Partner Countries since 2006, the annual IST-Africa Conference showcases African Information Society/ICT Adoption, Policy and Research Developments and Success Stories.
IST-Africa publishes Research Reports on Partner Country Information Society/ICT Policies, Initiatives and Research Priorities, and Bi-lateral and Multi-lateral Cooperation.