Idlele 4 Conference Speakers

Dorothy is the Director-General of Ghana’s Advanced Information Technology Institute (the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT), which provides IT training and consulting and promotes context-appropriate R&D in information and communication technology. Her current work focuses on how best to accelerate development in Africa by helping countries to take fuller and more creative ownership of the development of ICT, and to tap into the opportunities that exist within the global innovation economy.

As a specialist in international development with more than 20 years experience, she has consulted to businesses and governments and has worked globally in the public sector and with civil society organizations, with increasing management and leadership responsibilities. She was the Chair of the E-Government Commission of WITFOR 2009 (the World IT Forum) and President of the IPv6 Forum-Ghana. She was also the Africa spokesperson and Eminent Expert for World Summit Awards-Ghana, and a member of the Champions Network of UNGAID (the UN Global Alliance for ICT for Development).

Jon "maddog" Hall is the Executive Director of Linux International (www.li.org), an association of computer users who wish to support and promote the Linux Operating System. During his career in commercial computing which started in 1969, Mr. Hall has been a programmer, systems designer, systems ... administrator, product manager, technical marketing manager and educator.

He has worked for such companies as Western Electric Corporation, Aetna Life and Casualty, Bell Laboratories, Digital Equipment Corporation, VA Linux Systems, and SGI. He currently works as an independent consultant, and is the CTO and Ambassador for VizzEco (www.Vizzeco.com) a Canadian firm that is involved with bringing environmentally friendly computing to emerging marketplaces.

Mr Hall has worked on many systems, both proprietary and open, having concentrated on Unix systems since 1980 and Linux systems since 1994, when he first met Linus Torvalds and correctly recognized the commercial importance of Linux and Free and Open Source Software.

He has taught at Hartford State Technical College, Merrimack College and Daniel Webster College.

Mr. Hall is the author of numerous magazine and newspaper articles, many presentations and one book, "Linux for Dummies".

Mr. Hall has consulted with the governments of China, Malaysia and Brazil as well as the United Nations and many local and state governments on the use of Free and Open Source Software.

Mr. Hall serves on the boards of several companies, and several non-profit organizations.

Mr. Hall has traveled the world speaking on the benefits of Open Source Software, and received his BS in Commerce and Engineering from Drexel University, and his MSCS from RPI in Troy, New York.

Nnenna Nwakanma holds a triple Bachelor (in the Social Sciences, History and Languages) and  Masters degrees in International Relations and Law. She has worked within International development organisations and institutions in Africa as an Information, Documentation and Relations Officer: The Home Health Education Service, The Helen Keller Foundation,  The African Development Bank and the Digital Solidarity Fund. Co-founder of different pan-African organizations, she is one of the major Civil Society Actors in the World Summit on the Information Society  and supports efforts within the  Africa Information Society Initiative.

At present she works as a Consultant to governments, Civil Society organizations, business entities and International Development Organizations on various domains of her expertise in African Development: Human Rights, Conflict Management, Gender Mainstreaming and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

Alhaji Abdul-Hakeem Ajijola is a partner of Consultancy Support Services, Ltd., http://consultancysupportservices.googlepages.com an ICT, Human Resources, Organization Development (OD), International Investor Advisory & Support Services firm.

This firm has designed & is currently implementing Virtual Libraries in several Higher Education Institution’s (HEI’s) in Nigeria; developing institutional Strategic ICT Master Plans; facilitating ICT & Management capacity building; providing advice & support to investors exploring opportunities in Africa.

He disengaged from the Federal Government of Nigeria, in mid 2006, as the first ever-Special Assistant (SA) Information Communication Technology (ICT) to the National Security Adviser (NSA) to the President & Commander-in-Chief, Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Before his national assignment, he founded & was the CEO of Digital Information Systems Company (DISC) Limited, 1988-2000, a pioneer ICT firm in Nigeria. From 1985-1988, he worked with the National Geographic Society (NGS) in Washington DC. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/. Being the patriot that he is, he decided to come back home & contribute to Innovation in Africa. He has served on several presidential, international & technical committees.

Cliff founded Literacy Bridge in 2007 after conducting field research on whether a digital audio device might improve literacy and learning for people with the least opportunities. He worked with local nonprofits, universities, and government agencies in remote regions of Ghana to understand the challenges and opportunities in rural developing regions.

Prior to this, Cliff ran an open source software consulting business for clients throughout Europe, the Middle East and North America, specializing in intellectual property, business strategy, and community development. In the years prior to his consulting business, he worked as an industry standards representative for Microsoft, as the vice president for legal affairs for the Apache Software Foundation, and as a nuclear submarine officer for the US Navy. Cliff has served many other nonprofit organizations as an executive, board director, and U.S. foreign policy activist.

Dr Katim S. Touray is an independent development consultant based in Gambia. A follower of the early Internet, he is a well-known advocate for the network and its uses across a range of media and to a wide variety of audiences for over 15 years.

With a B.Agric, an MS, and PhD degrees in Soil Science (from the universities of Nigeria, Montana State and Wisconsin-Madison, respectively), Dr Touray was a researcher for the Ministry of Agriculture in The Gambia, and served as Chairman of the National Agricultural Development Agency (NADA). He has conducted consultancies on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the media, strategic planning, project evaluations, HIV/AIDS, and other subjects for non-governmental organizations, as well as government and UN agencies.

Dr Touray has significant experience as a producer and host of African music, educational, and public affairs talk shows on community radio in the US, and national radio in Gambia. He also served on the Board of Directors of a public access cable TV channel in the US. Dr. Touray has written articles about the Internet and ICT, and helped found the Consumer Protection Association of The Gambia (CPAG). Largely self-educated about the Internet and ICT in general, Dr. Touray has been an Internet user since the early 1990's, and an advocate for leveraging ICTs for development. He is also a free and open source software enthusiast, and serves on the Council of the Free Software and Open Source Foundation for Africa (FOSSFA).

Katim S.Touray was selected for the ICANN Board by the Nominating Committee. His current term, which started after the 2008 annual meeting, will end after the conclusion of ICANN's annual meeting in 2011.

Dr. Nii Narku Quaynor has been the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Network Computer Systems since 1991.Dr. Quaynor has played a very important role, not only to the NCS, but also to the entire telecommunications industry in West Africa by introducing value-added networks in the region through the introduction of the SWIFT, Internet and EDI networks. He was at Digital for 14 years and, in 1991, left as a Senior Engineering Manager.

Quaynor then returned to Ghana in a technology transfer experiment, which transformed him into a high-technology entrepreneur. After working as a UNDP consultant to the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, Nii established Network Computer Systems to provide technology solutions. NCS provides a range of services from equipment support to software for export and to building networks. NCS distinguished itself in building large private corporate networks. This expertise enabled NCS to also establish the first public networks for SWIFT, EDI and Internet in West Africa. Nii further took upon himself to assist several African countries strengthen their Internet networks. Notable among them were Togo, Gambia, Nigeria, Liberia, Swaziland and Ethiopia.

His concern that the associated human networks ought to be maintained led to a drive to mobilize Africans to build the relevant supporting institutions of the Internet in the region. He is the Chairman of AfriNIC, the Regional Internet Registry for Africa. Nii taught for the International Center for Theoretical Physics in Italy, China, Colombia, Sri Lanka and Mexico. He also established the Computer Science Department at the University of Cape-Coast in Ghana. Nii is currently the Executive Chairman of NCS, President of the Internet Society of Ghana, member of the Council of the University of Ghana, member of the Ghana Frequency Registration and Control Board, and a member of the Board of the Ghana News Agency.cc

Shahid Ahktar has a very broad experience in international development, information systems development, networking and capacity building, as well as in development communication, mass media and public awareness, to improve the availability and facilitate the use of new information and communication technologies for development (ICTD) planning and decision-making. He has worked in dozens of countries in Austral-Asia, the Americas and Europe and has lived for extended periods in Canada, Hong-Kong, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Lebanon, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore and Thailand.

For over six years, Shahid was the Chief Technical Adviser and Programme Coordinator, UNDP Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme (UNDP-APDIP). He also spent six years as the Head, Information, Communication and Outreach, and Asia Pacific Network Manager, Mountain Forum of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Recently, Shahid has advised the United Nations Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (UN-APCICT), Seoul, Korea, on the design and development of an Academy of ICT Essentials for Government Leaders. He has edited the Digital Review of Asia Pacific and reviewed Egypt’s ICT Strategy for the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) of the Government of Egypt.

With over 45 years of professional development experience and more than 30 personal publications, Shahid has completed numerous consultancy missions, grant negotiations and other assignments with national and international institutions. He has designed post-graduate and other training programmes, multi-media products and portals; organised workshops, meetings, conferences and media events internationally.

AN ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEER BY TRAINING, MR PEPRAH HAS OVER 30 YRS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE ICT INDUSTRY, BEGINING AS A DESIGN AND APPLICATIONS ENGINEER WITH THE SEMICONDUCTOR DIVISION OF TEXAS INSTRUMENTS (TI) IN DALLAS, TEXAS, USA FOR 15YEARS ; WITH AN MBA IN OPERATIONS RESEARCH AND MARKETING, HE MANAGED SEVERAL DIGITAL LOGIC DESIGN PROJECTS AT TI AND WAS A MEMBER OF THE TEAM THAT INTRODUCED THE FAMOUS DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSOR (DSP) CHIP THAT HAS BECOME AN INTEGRAL PART OF MOST TELECOM AND COMPUTING SYSTEMS.

AS THE DIRECTOR OF REGULATIONS AND LICENSING (NOW REGULATORY ADMINISTRATION) FOR THE PAST 7 YEARS, WITH THE NATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS AUTHORITY (NCA) OF GHANA, MR PEPRAH HAS CONTRIBUTED IMMENSELY TO THE LIBERALIZATION AND RAPID GROWTH OF THE ICT/TELECOM MARKET IN GHANA, WHICH NOW BOAST OF CLOSE TO 60% PENETRATION IN TOTAL ACCES LINES (FIXED AND MOBILE) WITH SEVERAL OF THE WORLD CLASS OPERATORS REPRESENTED. HE ALSO HAS OVERSIGHT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE FREQUENCY MANAGEMENT DIVISION OF THE NCA.

MR PEPRAH HAS EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE THROUGH ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN THE ITU-T SYSTEM, AND CURRENTLY IS PART OF THE EXPERT GROUP WORKING ON THE ‘ITU MARK’ PROJECT, AFTER GUIDING ITS SUCCESSFUL ACCEPTANCE AT THE ‘WTSA 2008’ LAST OCTOBER IN JOHANNESBURG.

MR PEPRAH IS CURRENTLY THE PROJECT LEADER FOR THE ANALOGUE TO DIGITAL TV MIGRATION AND THE INTRODUCTION OF MOBILE NUMBER PORTABILITY PROJECTS IN GHANA. HE IS ALSO CURRENTLY THE VICE CHAIRMAN FOR AFRICA, ON THE TELECOM STANDARDIZATION ADVISORY GROUP (TSAG) OF THE ITU, THE CHAIRMAN FOR NATIONAL DIGITAL MIGRATION TECHNICAL COMMITTEE AND THE CHAIRMAN FOR MOBILE NUMBER PORTABILITY STEERING COMMITTEE IN GHANA.

Ben has been involved with GNOME accessibility and GNOME evangelism for many years. After working at Red Hat for several years, Ben volunteered in South-Western Uganda working as an ICT Support Officer at a local government office. Most recently Ben has been involved with the GNOME community working on the Accessibility Team creating the next generation On Screen Keyboard for people with physical disabilities. Ben continues to be interested in issues surrounding ICT4D and Free and Open Source Software.