Speakers at a discussion in Dhaka on September 17 asked Bangadesh’s government not to sign any agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in order to protect the country’s interests. APC-member VOICE demanded transparency and accountability on the part of the government.

The first regional workshop on capacity building in community wireless networking will take place between July 16 and 21 in the Huaral City of Peru. Organised by APC members, APC and partners, 29 people – ten of which are women – from Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela and Bolivia will meet with the objective of extending the community wireless connectivity model to the Andean zone. Their names have recently been announced.

“This is a technology that works, a proven technology, and what it needs is a bit more promotion,” said Ermanno Pietrosemoli just days after reaching a new wireless connection record of 382 kilometres. The president of Venezuelan APC member EsLaRed spoke with APCNews by conference call about this low-cost solution that is impacting the world’s rural communities.

Viva Network sees effective networking among Christian organisations as a stepping-stone to making a difference for the children of the world. Its focus on networking training, governance, and facilitation makes Viva Network a perfect example of the benefits of collaborative effort – just what the Harambee Small Grants Facility was founded to support.

Fifty-three percent of participants to wireless internet trainings in Africa have installed one or more wireless networks since the training. This is what a survey about the impact of the APC-led ‘Capacity Building for Community Wireless Connectivity in Africa’ project reveals.

Often, people working in prevention of HIV/Aids experience difficulties in gaining an overview of successes and failures of HIV/Aids programmes in the most affected countries. The key information about vulnerable segments of the population who are not yet enrolled in these programmes is generally absent. It is around these two reasons that Réseau Sida Afrique’s work revolves. APCNews asked some questions to Lydie Diaboungana of the secretariat of the network, located in Brazzaville, in the Congo. Chronicle of a tough fight with the help of ICTs.

The Information Training & Outreach Centre for Africa (ITOCA) is a capacity building organisation for librarians, information specialists, scientists, researchers and students of sub-Saharan Africa. Better said, it assists them in mastering information and communication technology. APCNews talked to Gracian Chimwaza, executive director of ITOCA, about the organisation’s latest project aimed at groups working on ‘soil health’. The goal? Help them locate and access information cost-effectively.

APC-member in South Africa, Ungana-Afrika, is in the middle of a rural connectivity initiative that targets legal advice centres. Communication capacity is being beefed-up in the rural area of South Africa. Ten advice centres are already on Ungana-Afrika’s eRiders roadmap. And they’re moving fast.

Following an APC coordinated meeting in London about wireless internet technology in Africa last December, John Dada and Alaa Ahmed Seif al-Islam gave interviews to the BBC World Service. Those of you not based in Africa may have missed the broadcasts. Here they are in mp3 files. Both were broadcasted on the BBC’s Focus on Africa Programme in December 2006.