PC Tech Announces the Africa Internet and Mobile Entrepreneurs’ Conference 2010

Research studies have discussed the impact of the new media for business and development as including new business models, access to new resources, markets and opportunities for collaboration, and novel approaches to sustaining livelihoods. However, these opportunities depends on the ‘capability to function’ – thus the ability of the African entrepreneur to go beyond access to new media and use associated functions and services which empower them in their individual ventures and contribute to sustaining their livelihoods. This capability to function starts from educating and training in the use of new media, and hence, the objective of this conference.
PC Tech Communications, in collaboration with PearlRichards Foundation, Ghana is organizing a one day conference on the new Media and entrepreneurship in Africa. The conference titled, Africa Internet and Mobile Entrepreneurs’ Conference 2010 (AFRIEC 2010), seeks to showcase the innovative use of new media – internet and mobiles – by entrepreneurs to address the socio-economic and development challenges in Africa.

This year’s theme is “Building Africa through Internet Enterprises and mobile innovations.” The conference has three interrelated objectives, namely:

• To offer participants an opportunity to share, discuss and learn from individual career experiences and profiles of African Internet and Mobile entrepreneurs.
• To educate participants on how to use Internet and mobile resources and applications to support and promote their creative ventures.
• To educate policy makers on how they can harness the potential of the Internet and Mobile innovations for youth empowerment and job creation.

The conference will take place on 10th December 2010 at Hotel Africana in Kampala, Uganda. This conference will bring together a blend of academics, practitioners and policy makers in the area of ICT for sustainable development and innovative mobile solutions for Africa. AFRIEC 2010 will encourage open minds, critical thinking, self-examination, creativity, and sharing ideas.

We invite you to join us and look forward to welcoming you to Africa Internet and Mobile Entrepreneurs’ Conference 2010. We believe your invaluable experience and insight academics, practitioners and policy makers of Africa will add to what is an invaluable discourse for Africa. We have no doubt it will be a challenging and thought-provoking, as well as an entertaining, experience.

References:

1. Allen, E., Langowitz, N., Elam, A.E. and Dean, M. (2007). The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2007 Report on Women and Entrepreneurship Executive summary, Retrieved from www.gemconsortium.org [accessed 5th May, 2010].
2.  UNCTAD (2002) E-Commerce and Development Report 2002, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, New York.
3.  CGAP (2008). Banking on Mobiles: Why, How, for Whom? Focus Note, No.48. Consultative Group to Assist the Poor, Washington, D.C.
4.  Heeks, R. and Jagun, A. (2007). Mobile Phones and Development: The future in new hands? Id21 insights, Vol. 69, pp. 1-6.

CALL FOR PAPERS

The Africa Internet and Mobile Entrepreneurs’ Conference 2010 is seeks to showcase the innovative use of new media – internet and mobiles – by entrepreneurs to address the socio-economic and development challenges in Africa. This year’s theme is “Rebuilding Africa through Internet Enterprises and mobile innovations. The conference has three interrelated objectives, namely:

• To offer participants an opportunity to share, discuss and learn from individual career experiences and profiles of African Internet and Mobile entrepreneurs.
•  To educate participants on how to use Internet and mobile resources and applications to support and promote their creative ventures.
•  To educate policy makers on how they can harness the potential of the Internet and Mobile innovations for youth empowerment and job creation.

Contributions and submissions for this conference are welcome and should seek to answer or provide insights on ANY of the following:

1. In what ways does new media – the internet and allied technologies – empower the African entrepreneur?
2.  Are there new forms of business models which are borne from the connections between new media and traditional business enterprises owned by the African entrepreneur?
3.  What are the challenges of starting and sustaining an Internet or mobile enterprise?
4.  What is the role on government, NGOs, civic organizations, and public sector in harnessing the new media for development?
5.  Are there any exemplary case studies on the impact of new media on African businesses?
6.  As an African entrepreneur, what is your own story, what do the new media mean to you?
7.  In what ways have the social media networks – Youtube, facebook and blogs – supported your creative venture and enterprise?
8.  New forms of identity, expression and access to resources are offered by the new media, but how can it reach the rural African entrepreneur engaged in basic economic activities like basket weaving?
9.  How can we create new forms of engagements or networks of action to exploit the potential of new media for the rural African entrepreneur?
10.  What are the unintended consequences of the new media? 

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

There are two streams of submissions:

a) Academic Presentation – A 500 words abstract are requested from authors. The outline of the abstract is outlined in the attached template.

b) Concept or Company Presentation – A 500 words summary of a mobile/Internet concept or business is requested from authors. The outline of the summary is outlined in a template that is available on request.

Submissions should be sent to: editor@afriec.com, richard@pearlrichards.org or ed@pctechmagazine.com