A Youth
Forum will be launched at the forthcoming ITU Telecom Africa 2001 to be hosted by the Government of the Republic of
South Africa at the Gallagher Estate in Midrand (Johannesburg) from 12 to 16 November 2001. This initiative is in line
with recommendations of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (Valletta, 1998), and received enthusiastic
support at a recent African ministerial meeting in South Africa.
Quality of life in the 21st century will, to a large extent, depend on the preparation of a diverse corps of leaders who can build strong nations. The fundamental purpose of the Youth Forum, therefore, is to spur growth in a global economy which places high value on technology leaders. In order to sustain and advance development in the new millennium, potential leaders in nations which can be described as the information and communication technology (ICT) "have-nots", must receive guidance and support to prepare themselves for the fast-paced ICT workplace. The Youth Forum comprises a number of elements:
Youth Forum Programme
Fellowship Programme
Pre-Fellowship Training
Sponsorship Programme
Youth Forum ProgrammeParticipants in the Youth Forum will not only visit the Africa 2001 Exhibition, but can also attend the Forum sessions of their choice, either at the Policy and Development Summit or at the Infrastructure and Applications Summit. Four sessions will be devoted specially to the Youth Forum, and will focus on three basic themes:
Technology
Regulation
Finance
Specific topics will include: the basics of technologies and their possible uses; the relationships between policy/regulation and market structure in African countries and elsewhere; the fundamentals of building a dynamic communications environment; the relationships between policy, regulation and the business world; how business is related to the world of communications; new applications and business concepts and how they are evolving in Africa.
Abstracts of papers from potential speakers on these topics were received in April and will be
reviewed at the preparatory meeting of the Youth Forum in Geneva on 6 June 2001.
ITU will initiate a Fellowship Programme to fund one young woman and one young man of university age from each of its Member States in Africa to attend the Africa 2001 event, within the scope of its on-going commitment to fellowship programmes. The candidates will be selected on the basis of a competition, which aims to broaden the talent pool of future leaders in the ICT sector. For each candidate, travel, accommodation and subsistence costs will be borne by ITU. The Fellowship Programme will assist some 104 fellows from Africa.
The countries listed below were invited to help identify and recommend suitable candidates to the ITU by 30 April 2001 to participate in the Africa 2001 Youth Forum Fellowship Programme.
Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cτte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon,Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Selection procedure and how
it works ITU invites national governments, through their official Member State administration, to assist in the initial screening process with the purpose of selecting candidates from each country to receive a fellowship to participate in the Youth Forum.
The ITU Member administration transmits this invitation to the national universities or institutions of higher education and invites them to submit candidatures.
The universities inform their students of this opportunity and the conditions of participation. Candidates must be nationals and must be attending national universities/institutes at the time their candidature is submitted. All sessions will be in English and French (with simultaneous interpretation), so candidates must be able to participate in one of these two languages. They must have completed two years of study by 30 June 2001. For this Forum, ITU seeks a mix of competencies and interests, and there is no preference for any special area of study.
Candidates may not be related to any member of the national selection committee.
Interested students fill in the nomination form and write a short essay (250-500 words) on the subject "Information and Communication Technology: Development Opportunities and the Role of Youth". The essay may be written in English, French, Arabic, Spanish or Portuguese.
The universities transmit the candidatures considered most appropriate to the ITU Member administration, together with a recommendation from the university or institute where the candidate is presently enrolled, stating the reason the candidate would benefit from attending the Forum, and that the candidate is allowed to be absent from the course for the duration of the Youth Forum award (12 to 16 November plus the travel period).
The ITU Member administration selects not more than two male and two female candidates and transmits their candidatures together with the university's recommendation to the ITU.
The Selection Panel, appointed by ITU and the African Telecommunication Union (ATU), makes a final selection of one male and one female candidate from each country.
ITU informs the Member administrations, by 30 June 2001, of the final selection made.
The decision of the Selection Panel is final, and no replacements will be considered.
By 7 September 2001, ITU provides the successful candidates with all the required information: authorization for departure, visa formalities, medical certificates and guidelines, as well as participants' obligations whilst attending the Youth Forum.
Successful candidates will need to submit a medical certificate and will be required to obtain a visa for entry into South Africa.
ITU will publish the successful essays and the curriculum vitae of their authors in paper form, on the Web and on CD-ROM.
Pre-Fellowship TrainingPre-fellowship training is planned in the country of origin where an opportunity exists for a placement within an ICT company or an operating agency which can offer such training no later than two weeks before Telecom Africa 2001.
ITU would welcome your organization as a partner in this worthwhile project if you were to join through the following sponsorship options:
Contribute to the fellowship fund to subsidize travel and accommodation expenses. Open to a single sponsor at USD 380 000 or to co-sponsorship in multiples of USD 40 000. Other contributions may be considered.
Offer students pre-fellowship internships in their home country to introduce them to your organization and to increase their interest in ICT.
Donate networking hardware/software equipment to complement their university IT laboratories.
Benefits of sponsorship
For a single sponsor, an opportunity for the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to deliver a keynote speech at the Forum Opening.
For co-sponsors, the name of their company will be mentioned in the Exhibition Catalogue (both on CD-ROM and in the printed version of the Exhibition Guide), on the ITU Telecom website and on panels in the exhibition halls. Other options can be discussed.
Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQ)What is the objective of the programme?
The programme's goal is to enable exceptionally talented university students (men and women) from all ITU African
Member States to join the ICT sector. The combination of their experiences at Africa 2001 and their academic excellence will stand them in good stead to constitute a corps of future leaders in the ICT field.
How will the Youth Forum be managed?
The Youth Forum will be managed by ITU in collaboration with its Member States in Africa, the ITU Regional Office, other international organizations, industry representatives, and university associations and universities. ITU headquarters in Geneva will provide centralized monitoring and information-gathering, as well as project implementation services for the programme as a whole.
Will mentoring be provided?
Mentoring support services will be provided to motivate participants and to ensure their healthy and safe participation in the programme.
Why is ITU making such an investment in young university students at this time?
There is an urgent need to improve the knowledge of ICT amongst the talented young people who will be Africa's future government and industry leaders, given the increasing importance of this sector in the global economy and its impact on existing regulatory structures. The programme therefore builds on ITU's long-term commitment to assist and support low-income and least developed countries (LIC and LDC) in their efforts to progressively improve the standard and scope of their telecommunication infrastructure and to bridge the digital divide.
How will the Youth Forum ensure that students stay connected?
The Forum will provide the students with the opportunity to form relationships with ITU Member States and the private sector so that they can stay connected to various ICT networks. Through these contacts, internships could be identified. Similarly, through discussions with other fellows, the students could engage in useful networking.
Will the Youth Forum experience be documented and evaluated?
ITU will document and assess the Youth Forum Programme, including the fellows' performance.
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For more information on the Youth Forum, please contact: Ms Sunny Bekele International Telecommunication Union |