InWEnt is very pleased to collaborate with FOSSFA on this most timely initiative. The World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis has shown again that innovative approaches to technologies can have an impact on poverty reduction and the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In this context, Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) plays an important role. InWEnt therefore supports a number of initiatives in this field in Asia (it@foss) and in Africa, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Notably, since 2001we have trained IT specialists of seven SADC countries, inter alia on the use of FOSS. They are part of the Southern African Knowledge Network on “Information Technology in African Business” (it@ab) supported by InWEnt.

Now, we have committed ourselves to bring the expertise of this network it@ab to Idlelo2 and to support the conference, because we believe that only by connecting the African private sector and policy makers we will be able to make progress in stimulating a local FOSS software industry in Africa. InWEnt is also looking forward to exploring further synergies and cooperation with the other key players of Idlelo2.

Mr Derek Lakudzala, vice chairman of the it@ab network explains: “it@ab would like to associate itself with Idlelo2 partly to expose the expertise already available in the region and to the regions’ user community through the it@ab network and partly to exchange knowledge and information on possible collaboration to use innovations such as FOSS as a tool to fight poverty in Africa. The time to move from mere talk to concrete results, products and services using FOSS is now. Idlelo2 affords stakeholders that rare opportunity to meet some of the regions own experts on the one hand and key decision and policy makers on the other hand. The it@ab network expects that the conference will also offer opportunities for business contacts. With the investment already put into development of Africa’s own human resource expertise in the area of FOSS, we expect to establish new synergies and win-win relationships with other key players in the it-field.”

For more information on InWEnt visit the InWEnt website www.inwent.org