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"We Paved the Way"
THE INNOVATION ISSUE
June 2016 Newsletter
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#YearOfTheWomen 2016: Women Breaking the Glass Ceiling"
Exclusive Commentary for The Hill: Would internet transition have an impact on current US election?
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Almaz Ayana smashed the world record by 14 seconds to win gold in the women's 10, 000m.
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As most are toggling between the ongoing Rio World Olympics 2016 and US election, we call upon women who continue to excel in what they do best and land a spot in history, such as Simone Biles, the first American women gymnast to win four gold medals in a SINGLE Olympics or the Ethiopian Almaz Ayana to win the women's 10,000 meters setting a new World and Olympic record, as well as Africa's first Gold Medal. Amazing!
Despite our individual politics however, it would certainly be partial, if I don't acknowledge as well as congratulate US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's precedence setting nomination by one of a major national political parties in one of world's most powerful Democracies.
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Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton First Woman Nominated by a major US, Party for Presidency
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Mrs. Clinton was in public service for most of her career and it is through being a senator, Secretary of State and then a presidential nominee, and with no short cuts I might add like her male counterparts. She is quite a leader, breaking barriers for others including men that were her colleagues or otherwise, and finally broke the marble glass ceiling in US political area for the highest office at the White House; a candidate for the Presidency of the US. It even begs the question as to why the US never had such a choice in the past! Mrs. Clinton serves as an example and role model for many women around the world that have faced great challenges.
Public Policy manipulated to serving the few
Politics and religion is personal people have said for long and I agree. What I do not agree is when public policy positions are manipulated to serve the few. I am a policy person and my work can attest for itself. I have fought for many policies over corporate governance in private organizations in the US and policies to bridging the gap in technology for Africa as well as on behalf of the global International Community at the Global Internet Governing body, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Currently, I find myself in the midst of the politics of internet between ICANN and US Congress. I have campaigned and continued to campaign that the US congress not to allow the ICANN to be privatized to the interest of the very few. In fact, I am the first person on record to have marched to US Congress office back in February 2013 and raised the issue of ICANN's accountability by demonstrating the example of how ICANN has mishandled our .africa gTLD application in its own house, and they are not ready to govern themselves. After winning in Independent Accountability Process (IRP) in 2013 against ICANN, we are now forced to file a lawsuit at the US Court in Los Angeles California against ICANN, for what I believe has been a sham process and we have won various injunctions.
US Congressional Parties split over Internet Governance
Ever since then, myself and my organization as a deeply affected party have actively been engaged with Congress and I have expressed my views in various public commentaries toward the illegitimacy of this transition moving forward without congressional approval. I have advocated that there is "No Legal Basis for IANA Transition". My recent letter to Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) certainly has helped in identifying the majority of the key issues that the Congress is now forming its opinion on and it has vindicated me. We now see an activated campaign against this transition by various senators supporting it, highlighting the same issues. A legislation process is in progress to block this transition as part of the Republican policy. Mrs. Hillary Clinton on the other hand as a representative of the Democratic party has advanced the voice of the current Obama administration by announcing her support towards the transition, should she be elected to office. Now, such predicament in policy split affect everyone's choices at times. Even before such open statements were made by the respective parties, I rightfully predicted in my public commentary to The Hill, re: "November 2016 Elections will determine fate of Internet Privatization; Fixing what is not broken" and rightfully so, we will be waiting for this outcome.
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#DCAPavingTheWay
We Know We Rallied Africa - Thank You For Listening!
It might have taken a long time but the world is finally awakening to the great innovations that are emerging from Africa and changing the rest of the world. Africa and its innovations seem to be what everyone is speaking about. In a recent
2016 WEF Africa forum
in Kigali Rwanda, themed
"Fourth Industrial Revolution", DotConnectAfrica Group was represented by its members in Africa, confirmed that our pioneering initiatives and
voices have been heard
.
DCA Trust has led many successful campaigns in Africa in the past years and most significantly on the empowerment of women and youth. We know we are the first to initiate and advance the caused of women and youth in technology and we have positively seen many follow us along. It is good, one cant feed a village alone!
"Pertinent role played by African women should not be ignored. Men in Africa are ahead of the women but the same men are globally behind everyone else", President H.E Paul Kagame of Rwanda
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WEF Africa Panel led by Paul Kagame, President of the Rwanda, Graça Machel, Founder, Graça Machel Trust (GMT)
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"The industrial revolution should have the face of women. We cannot continue to leave women behind. And to those who thought talking about women was a humanitarian issue? It was far from that. Talking about women was purely about common sense" - Graca Machel, Founder, Foundation for Community Development (FDC) who is co-chair of the forum.
DotConnectAfrica is very proud that most of the PanAfrica initiatives we pioneered in Africa such as Miss.Africa for Women education and empowerment particularly in ICT and STEM has now gotten attention of Africa leadership and mainstreamed in the African Agenda. We agree and believes in the power and untapped potential of Africa and we have made strides in ensuring that this potential is uncovered.
" Miss.Africa, Generation.Africa and the .Africa gTLD - We know we rallied Africa", CEO, DCA Group, Sophia Bekele
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Great strides are being made throughout the continent in generating technology rather than sitting back and adopting technology from the west.
The shift from technology adoption to technology generation may be credited to renewed investor interest in Africa, enabling environments and the presence of grants and funds to support the dissemination of technological information, to facilitate training and to finance ideas
.
A good example
is the Miss.Africa Seed Fund that seeks to empower girls and women in ICT.
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| Kenya: 2015 Inaugural Grand Prize Seed Fund Winner eMobilis Kenya with part of the 25 women who will benefit from fully funded training. |
Another Miss.Africa Seed Fund recipient from Madagascar Aina Anjary Fenomamy recently held a successful workshop to encourage girls to code with the assistance of Miss.africa fund.
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Madagascar: Django Girls empowered by Miss.Africa fund
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The Founder, sent the following message to DCA:
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Founder, Aina Anjary Fenomamy PyLadies Madagascar
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"On behalf of Pyladies Antananarivo and Django Girls Antananarivo Team, we would like to thank DotConnectAfrica Team for their support.
*
"Without the Miss.Africa Initiative, we didn't have the courage to achieve this first workshop....Let me personally tell you that the prize gave me partly the boldness, and the courage to discuss with my CEO and ask for advice and help concerning the workshop initiatives."
That is DCA Trust is proud to announce the second round of the Miss.Africa Seed Fund 2016-2017. A move that we hope will allow more girls to be empowered to study ICT, gain an interest in the field and develop innovations that will shake the world.
Apply here
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New gTLD AFRICA Litigation: Defendant
ZACR Dismissed
as a Party
Read more....
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Dot Registry, LLC submits Amicus curiae brief in support of Appellee DotConnectAfrica Trust
Read More
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DCA global advisory member and ICA Representative Phil Corwin Speak At Heritage Foundation Event
On ICANN With
Ted Cruz
Read more....
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Interview with Michael Macharia, Founder and Group CEO at
SevenSeas
Technologies
Read More...
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#WomenInBusiness
Twitter Chat with
Bus. Exec. &
Philanthropist
Sophia Bekele
Read More
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Mobile tech: Apps and innovation
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It might have taken a long time but the world is finally awakening to the great innovations that are emerging from Africa and changing the rest of the world. Africa and its innovations seem to be what everyone is speaking of. From the Ugandan laundry cleaning app, Yoza to M-Pesa an app that the world can't seem to get enough of, it is certain that Africa is at the brink of a technology revolution.
Every few days, news abound of a new technology in Africa that seeks to change how Africans operate. These technologies are not only making life easier but also improving the standards of living and in some cases, challenging and changing policies.
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Kenya ranked third in Innovation in Africa in the Global Innovation Index
Read More...
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m-Pesa, Andela and beyond: Africa ramps up
its startup movement
Read More
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Other interesting developments include the new emojis for Amharic speakers in celebration of
World Emoji Day, July 17 marks the official release of the first dictionary between Emoji and Amharic. Until now, however, there has been no easy way for Amharic speakers to find the emojis they need. An international team worked together via Telegram to create the bot, these are some of the benefits of the mobile innovation
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EmojiWorldBot tool |
in Africa: Inclusiveness, globalization and preservation of local content creatively.
In the wake of this great technological advancements in Africa, we must be keen to ensure that women are not left behind and that there are favorable policies that continue to propel technological improvements.
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