Synopsis: Information Policy Group (IPG), South Africa

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER

The Information Policy Group (IPG) was formed as a private initiative in July 1994, on the vision of three South African networking professionals, in Johannesburg. The group will endeavour to assist all structures of the South African society (government, business, education and NGOs) in formulating and implementing a networking and information policy. The group realises that it needs to operate with a view to the entire sub-continent and hopes that with the addition of discussion partners from the region, this can be achieved.

Southern Africa is currently characterised by far-reaching political changes, while technological advances are being made. The introduction of cellular telephony and Internet connections in South Africa are heralding the information highway, while the country also has a need for 500 new schools per year, some of which have little hope of even the most rudimentary tools (such as textbooks), let alone computer equipment. As there is little convergence currently between the possible available technologies and their socially responsible use, the IPG might be able to contribute, both by fostering contacts among interested parties in Southern Africa (and the outside world), and by discussing such needs, hopes, and policies. The group views itself as a pool of resource people who offer their advice to the new government(s) as well as elsewhere.

As a loose grouping, the IPG currently exists on an e-mail mailing list, and has an operational gopher site that keeps its archives.

To join the mailing list, send e-mail to: info-policy-request@proxima.alt.za, giving the word 'subscribe' as the subject line. The contents of your message will be ignored.

To browse our gopher entries, make a gopher connection to gopher.proxima.alt.za (port 70), or telnet to that same address and log in as 'gopher'. No password is required.

Newsgroups: bit.listserv.devel-l
Message-ID: <199409211431.HAA08434@igc.apc.org>
Date: Wed, 21 Sep 1994 07:31:26 -0700
From: Friedrich Ebert Foundation 
Subject: S. Africa: Info Policy Group

Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar