Since 2001, development advocates worldwide have advanced the need for the use of Information and Communication Technologies as a social development stimulant and catalyst to bridge the emerging digital divide.

With the advent of the World Summit on the Information Society process which began in 2001, developing countries have viewed this as a key selling point in the Information and communication Technologies for development (ICT4D) campaign.

Our view is that the African regional meeting of the World Telecom Development Conference provides Africa’s youths with opportunities to showcase what they are doing with ICTs while pressing forward through advocacy their position/input on issues that affect telecoms growth in the region. It will also be a time for Africa’s youth to network and establish strong links and contacts with their respective Communications bodies geared towards ensuring that youths in each African Country is involved and participates in the telecoms for development campaign.

Since the main conference and all its pre-conference meetings will hold in Abuja, Nigeria, we, as Nigeria’s youths are ready to facilitate the Youth Pre-conference while supporting in the preparation work for the main conference - WTDC Africa 2005.

The WTDC regional conference will also serve as an opportunity to show first class welcome to our African brothers and sisters while promoting Nigeria within the region.

WTDC AFRICAN YOUTH PRE-CONFERENCE 2005

The pre-conference will see one hundred (100) African youths gather in Abuja, Nigeria for three (3) days to deliberate on youth participation, involvement and input to the WTDC process.

The pre-conference will see its outcomes fed into the main conference as part of African youth input to the WTDC process. Registration and final selection of participants will be best done with a panel inaugurated and a website set up for collation of data for registration.

We will develop the website for the pre-conference and will keep its content up-to-date while we ask for support to pay domain name and hosting fees. We have also drafted a proposed list of areas that will serve as topics of discussion and deliberation by youth participants that will be present at the pre-conference. These include;

1. ICT and Medicine
2. ICT and Finance
3. ICT and Agriculture
4. ICT and Language
5. Youth Access to ICTs
6. Youth ICT Projects Exhibition
7. Youth -Development Partners parley
8. Youth and Telecoms funding
9. Bridging the Digital Divide between Rural & Urban Youths
10. Using Local Content to aid Grassroots’ ICT penetration
11. Comparative analysis of ICT policies in African countries
12. ICT Youth Awards
13. Impact of Youth on Telecommunication development

Theme for the Youth Pre-conference: Youth & Telecommunications: Partners for development

Date is July 1-3, 2005 (participants arrive on the evening of the 1st of July and depart on the morning of the 5th of July, 2005).

Agenda word | PDF

Youth ARPM Registration Form word | PDF