This is a long- term vision for building IT skills and capacity for Africa

The IT world is slowly shifting from the commercial Operating Systems to the open source. Germany has taken great steps and is now making sure that many countries, specially African, gain all the benefits for no cost.

We are 21 it@ab - Business related IT Consultancies (8 women & 13 men) coming from different countries of Africa, here at the InWEnt gGmbH Training Institute in Saarbrücken – Germany, since October 2004, dedicated and acquiring knowledge and expertise that will make us part of the Open Source Movement. As part of the it@ab Network we want to help develop our home countries towards building IT skills and capacity.

On our arrival in Germany, we were given Lap Tops as our working tools and build up our Linux Servers. It was not a good time for Microsoft Operating System since it was time to say goodbye to the commercial software . ”Listen that XP tone for the last time” that was the words of Hans Peter when we were rebooting our windows machines to start SUSE installation. The Junior Managers have dived to the Open Source Software where they are able to swim with no end.

We agree that the world needs to have a fair and competitive market for computer software so we carry projects designed for our countries needs. That makes the New African Generation, it@ab 2004/2005 pride for having the opportunity of creating and making new things with Open Source Software - where everyone is invited.

For more information about our IT-Specialist Programm, please visit our Programme Website: http://www.a-2-a.net

By:
Ms. Fausta Nguzo and Mr. Ricardo Taca
(Group Speaker of the it@ab Program 2004/2005)

Contact:
InWEnt gGmbH / Cologne
Frau Christiane Weber
ict@inwent.org

Contact:
Deutsche Telekom AG / Freiburg
Herr Markus Mayer
m.mayer@a-2-a.net