Sangonet to host conference

Johannesburg, 02 Jul 2007

The Southern African NGO Network (Sangonet) will host its third annual ICTs for Civil Society Conference and Exhibition from 17 to18 July at the Wanderers Club, in Illovo, Johannesburg.

The objective of the conference is to expose civil society participants to a wide range of ICT issues, and to empower them with information and skills to strengthen their understanding of the role and relevance of ICT in support of their work, says David Barnard, Sangonet's executive director.

The conference also aims to encourage NGOs to participate in ICT-related policy and advocacy processes.

Expected participants include representatives from NGOs, international funding agencies, the private sector, parastatals and government. The theme of the 2007 event is: "Applications for the Development Sector".

The state of ICT

One of the highlights of the conference will be the release of the "State of ICTs in the South African NGO Sector" research report on the first day of the conference, says Barnard. World Wide Worx conducted the research on behalf of Sangonet.

"We hope the findings will inspire ICT companies to take a more active interest in the NGO sector as a market for their products and services, as well as assist funding agencies in making informed decisions about ICT investments in the NGO sector."

While many local NGOs are already active users of ICT, more work needs to be done to build the capacity of the sector, he adds.

The introduction and integration of ICT represents huge opportunities, as well as challenges, in the process of transforming and strengthening the NGO sector, he says.

"Without a significant change in the status of the current ICT situation in the sector, the potential impact of ICT on the work of South African NGOs will continue to be limited."