A leading U.S. charity revealed Wednesday a new initiative that it says will assist research and development workers in Africa to access and manage biotechnology to help reduce poverty and hunger. The Rockefeller Foundation says that its new African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) will serve as a platform where African scientists and development experts can access new materials and information on technologies owned by international private companies and later even transfer them into the hand of millions of poor African farmers.

This handbook provides NPO volunteer leaders and staff managers with all the information they need to achieve financial security and sustainability. Subjects covered include the role of the NPO in civil society, keys to sustainable funding today, funding sources in Southern Africa, planning for income and developing a funding plan.

This series on the SOUTHERN AFRICA INSTITUTE OF FUNDRAISING web site is based on the premise that Non-profit organisation (NPO) staff or volunteers have no right to ask outsiders to support their work if they have not first given themselves. "It’s a strange thing that when a new NPO gets off the ground it is usually the founders, whether they be committee members or volunteers, who put their hands deep in their pockets to keep the young programme going," it begins.

The Southern Africa Institute of Fundraising (SAIF) was established in 1986. It is a non-profit voluntary organisation which exists to promote and encourage high standards of ethics, practice and public service among people involved in fundraising in Southern Africa. Visit their web site to find out more.

While issues of access and the relative merits of satellites or solar power are being discussed internationally, a project in South Africa and Egypt is exploring what actually happens at the classroom level when ICTs are introduced. How do ICTs change the way teachers teach? How do pupils respond to ICTs-enhanced teaching?

Three new media facilities have been unveiled in Nigeria that aim to help journalists improve reporting of development aspects of science, health, environment and population. The facilities - a media resource and advocacy centre, a computer 'club house' and access to an online population database - are being officially inaugurated by Finjap Njinga, the director of the United Nations Information Centre, Lagos.

In Africa measles are often called the "disease of the wind". Every year, the virus moves swiftly through overcrowded schools and closely huddled shacks, killing almost half a million of African children. Now, efforts to stop this killer have received a significant boost from an unlikely source: the handheld computer, a.k.a. a Personal Digital Assistant or PDA.

The African Information Society Initiative (AISI) Radio Series is based on the Harnessing ICTs for Development programme of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). The Radio Series is aimed at creating greater awareness on the information society, serving as a tool for media practitioners, especially radio broadcasters to engage various groups in debating the role of ICTs in the development process. The series examine people's understanding of the role and impact of ICTs and raises questions on the issues of access and disparities in the African information society.

Equinet News is the electronic mailing list of the Network for Equity in Health in Southern Africa (EQUINET). The newsletter is designed to keep you informed about materials on the Internet on equity and health in southern Africa. You can use the links at the web page provided through the link provided to read the newsletter online, send feedback or subscribe to the newsletter.

So you thought Google was your best online buddy. Think Again. The link below lays out why a privacy organisation has nominated Google for corporate Big Brother of 2003 - and explains how Google gets to know so much about your daily online habits.

Reuters correspondent Shapi Shacinda, Agence France-Presse (AFP) correspondent and Zambia Independent Media Association (ZIMA) Chairperson Dickson Jere, BBC correspondent Penny Dale, "Post" newspaper assistant news editor Amos Malupenga and Radio Phoenix reporter Wendy Mpolokoso were prevented from entering the Lusaka Chikwa Magistrate's court to cover former president Frederick Chiluba's court appearance on charges of "theft by a public servant".

This innovative distance learning course on developing participatory leadership skills is intended for leaders, activists, and staff of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) involved in promoting human rights and equitable societies. The course is based on a conceptualization of leadership as horizontal, inclusive, and participatory. Leadership is approached as a process that leads to greater choices for all by fostering communication among individuals who learn from each other, create a shared vision, and reach a common goal forged by consensus.

The organising committee has the pleasure of inviting Library and Information Professionals to the sixteenth Standing Conference of Eastern, Central and Southern African Library and Information Professionals (SCECSAL XVI) to be hosted by the Uganda Library Association in Kampala. This is the second time in the history of SCECSAL that Uganda Library Association will host colleagues from the region and beyond.

The explosive growth of communications technologies has given potential
users a wide range of new tools to communicate. Yet beyond the familiar
numbers generated by the growth of mobiles, very little has emerged about
how these new users communicate. A recent survey from Gamos and the CTO
looks at patterns of behaviour for a range of users, particularly poorer
users and those in rural areas. Read the findings of the report on the Balancing Act website.

On 24 February 2003, Information and Broadcasting Services Deputy Minister Webster Chipili threatened Radio Icengelo, a Catholic-owned station in Kitwe, with closure, saying it risks losing its broadcast licence if it continues to be used as a mouthpiece for opposition political parties.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has welcomed the release from prison of Abdoulaye Tiémogo, an editor at the weekly Le Canard Déchaîné, which is based in Niger's capital, Niamey. Tiémogo, who was freed on Tuesday, February 18, after completing his eight-month prison sentence, was arrested on June 18, 2002, for allegedly defaming Prime Minister Hama Amadou in a series of unflattering opinion pieces.

The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) has written to President Kumba Yala of Guinea-Bissau expressing serious concern at the government's closure of Radio Bombolom. According to reports, on 13 February police shuttered Radio Bombolom's offices, forcing the broadcaster off the air. The Ministry of Information accused the station of 'broadcasting false information that could jeopardise national sovereignty and the stability of the country'.

The World Summit on the Information Society this year will be the first multilateral negotiations in which non-governmental organisations will participate on equal footing with governments and business. The NGOs claimed an important victory last Friday, at the conclusion of the two-week meeting of the WSIS preparatory committee (Prepcom) in Geneva. The delegates to the Prepcom decided that, alongside government and private sector representatives, civil society and international intergovernmental organisations will be the main actors involved in preparing for and participation in the December Summit, where the mandate is to establish policies to bridge the global digital divide.

Two Dutch journalists Raymond Bouuman and Pim Hauinkels were arrested on 26 February in the city of Bulawayo for filming a bread queue. The two work for the Dutch TV Journal ITL5. The two journalists were taken in for questioning by the police before being released after about an hour.

Renowned South African actor comedian and talk show host Desmond Dube’s comment on his comedy show, Dube on Monday, unleashed a storm of furry from South African Tsonga people. This happened three weeks ago when Dube likened Shangaan people to baboons. A voice over apology was aired at the end of the show after a flood of calls from concerned citizens to the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) condemning Dube’s annotations.