Google Summer of Code - OpenMRS

Computer science students, need a summer job?
Have you ever imagined that writing code could save lives?
Why not apply to OpenMRS for the Google Summer of Code 2007?

* Help develop free, open source software
* Gain experience by working alongside experienced open source
developers
* Earn a summer-long stipend so that you can focus on your work
* Make a difference in the world by helping in the fight against
HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria...

This summer, students around the world have the opportunity to
participate in an exciting collaboration between OpenMRS
(http://openmrs.org) and Google, Inc. to further develop an open-source
medical record system that improves the care of patients with HIV/AIDS,
TB, and Malaria. The Google Summer of Code 2007 program provides
promising student software developers an opportunity to help these
vulnerable populations by spending their summer vacation writing new
code that will be used in countries throughout the developing world.

During this twelve week program, successful applicants will work
directly with assigned mentors to complete their choice of a variety of
focused development tasks laid out by the OpenMRS collaborative.
Interested? Visit http://soc2007.openmrs.org or
http://code.google.com/soc for more information. Applications are now
being accepted, the deadline for all submissions is March 24th, 2007.

Invitation to IET Nigeria Younger Members' Young Expert Forum 23 -24 March 2007

Date & Time: 23rd & 24th March,2007 10.00 daily
Venue: Top Rank Hotel, 1 Hill View, Plot C 20, Independence Layout, Enugu Nigeria
Cost: Free of Charge

Theme: Youths and The Challenges of the Knowledge Economy

The IET Nigeria Younger Members Networks (www.ietnymn.org) hereby invite you to her Young Expert Forum.

The Young Expert Forum (YEF) is a quarterly program of The IET Nigeria Younger Members Network designed to build the capacities of her members in the fields of science, engineering and technology in line with the scope of The IET. The Forum also focuses on a technical matter of national and/or international interest, discuss this and make contributions to such processes. A general meeting of The IET Nigeria Younger Members Networks usually follows the YEF.

The event which is open to all, particularly welcomes friends, colleagues and allies in the field of engineering, information and communication technology, power, engineering management, science and physics.

Subsequent YEF will be organised in other regions of Nigeria .

Theme: Youths and The Challenges of the Knowledge Economy

Long before the turn of the millennium, it was very clear that its dynamics will be very different from those men are used to. The norms and theories upon which the old millennium thrived have now given way to new ones. Land, Labour and Capital are no longer the dominant factors of production but have been replaced with KNOWLEDGE and TECHNOLOGY.

As has been witnessed in the short span of this millennium, it is only those that are adequately prepared and empowered with the right technology that are able to cope and hold their heads in the knowledge economy. Ensuring that everyone, especially the youth, is adequately empowered to compete favorably in this new and still emerging economy is a challenge for everyone.

The 3rd Young Expert Forum will make the participants better equipped to face the challenges of this KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY noting in particular the opportunities and trends in technology.

Join the KNOWLEDGE NETWORK as it explores the challenges of the KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY!

Expected Participants:
IET Nigerian Younger Members made up of students, recent graduates and young professionals under the age of 30.
Non or Intending members
Anyone in the field of science, engineering and technology

Participation is Free but confirmation is necessary. Kindly confirm your
participation to 'Gbenga at mailto:gadeyemo@theiet.org or Tele: 234 805 747 0562 (SMS only)

We look forward to your participation.

The African E-Gov Forum 2007 - Utilising ICT for more efficient, effective and inclusive governance

Below is the notice of a very important event holding in Ghana later this month.

http://www.events.cto.int/default.aspx?event=EGovAfrica07

Hosted by the Ministry of Communications, the Government of the Republic of Ghana
La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, Accra, Ghana,
Tuesday 27th March 2007 – Thursday 29th March 2007

IF YOU ARE LEADING THE DEVELOPMENT OF E-GOV IN AFRICA, YOU NEED TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS CRUCIAL EVENT.PLEASE CONTACT MATTHEW DAWES ON 0044 20 8834 1575 OR m.dawes@cto.int

The African E-Gov Forum 2007 is the latest event to be organised by the International Events Department of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation. Following huge successes in 2006 and already in 2007, in countries such as India, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Great Britain, Jamaica, Mauritius and Nigeria, this crucial forum is drawing near and we would like you to participate.

Therefore, if you are involved in the development of ICT’s in Africa, and in particular your work is focused on the development of digitised government and the benefits that it will bring, please contact Matthew Dawes who is leading the development of this vital forum on 0044 20 8834 1575 or by email m.dawes@cto.int

With the lead and support of the Ghanaian Ministry of Communications, it is expected that this forward looking event will fit perfectly with Ghana’s 50th anniversary celebrations of independence. As you can see from the list below, the speaker line-up already boasts some of the continent’s leading ICT specialists.

The Speaker Faculty Includes:

· Hon. Prof. Mike Oquaye, Minister of Communications, Government of the Republic of Ghana

· Dr. Tomas Janowski, Head, UNU – IIST – EGOV, Research Fellow, Center for Electronic Governance, United Nations University International Institute for Software Technology

· Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, Chief Executive Officer, Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation

· Dr. Cheick Bocoum, Director of ICT, Government of Mali

· Dr. Abubakr Hamad, Director E-Government Programme, National Information Centre, Council of Ministers, Republic of Sudan

· Engr Ernest Ndukwe, EVC and CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission

· Mrs. Joana Portia Antwi-Danso, Lecturer, University of Education Winneba

These speakers and their peers, more and more of whom are confirming their participation, will focus on the core topics that form the wide ranging E-Gov brief. By delivering papers that will concentrate on case studies, best practice and bench marking projects, the knowledge sharing at this conference will be of an extremely high standard. This will be augmented with a large amount of time set aside for scheduled and informal discussion.

The CTO is an ICT developmental organisation, and therefore if you are a local Ghanaian business, an international organisation, such as Nokia who have already agreed to be an event sponsor, or a individual who is committed to the public sector, please contact the CTO because we want you to be involved in this seminal African E-Gov Forum.

Report of The IET Nigeria Younger Members Networks’ Young Expert Forum 15 – 16 December, 2006

Theme: Youth and Technology Entrepreneurship: Catalysts for Africa’s Development

The Young Expert Forum of The IET Nigeria Younger Members Network is a quarterly program designed to improve on the quarterly General Meeting of the oragnisation. The objectives are to continue to build the capacities of members in all the fields relevant to the IET and also focus on a technical matter of national and/or international interest, discuss it and make recommendations generated from such discussions to the appropriate quarters.

While welcoming participants to the forum, ‘Gbenga Adeyemo, Chair of The IET Nigeria Younger Members’ Networks, noted that recent attention being given to youths and issues about them by governments and other international organisations, especially that of The IET UK, have lent credence to the decision to focus on the vital issues of making youths entrepreneurs with the opportunities that new and emerging technologies provide. He lamented the poor state of African economy blaming this on a non-existent technology sector that can spin off profitable inventions. This, he hope a long term training and investment in African youths can redress noting that the YEF is a perfect pedestal to do that.

The first presentation titled Entrepreneurship in ICT/ The ICT Entrepreneur was made by Mr Jide Awe, the Managing Director of Jidaw Systems. Starting from the 'what' and 'why' of entrepreneurship, Mr Awe emphasised the need for African youths to take advantage of entrepreneurship opportunities that ICT provide. In his words, “ICT is an opportunity to enable Nigeria compete more effectively in an increasingly technology and knowledge driven world. A strong economy depends on educated, competent and creative users, business people, ICT professionals, ICT solution providers and ICT entrepreneurs.” Mr Awe’s presentation was followed by a moderated interactive discussion during which the participants asked Mr Awe to enlighten on practical steps to start making money on the internet. This Mr Awe responded to by enlightening the participants on how to make money online by using Google Adsense.

A major breakthrough during the session was Mr Awe’s decision to grant any IET Nigeria Younger Member a reduction in all the training courses offered by his company. Jidaw Systems is one of the leading IT training providers in Nigeria. This was well applauded by the participants.

In line with global trend and the need to have an input into the future of the Internet, the afternoon session featured a workshop on Internet Governance. The workshop coordinated by ‘Gbenga Adeyemo had Tope Soremi of Paradigm Initiative Nigeria and 'Gbenga Sesan, Vice-Chairman of UNECA’s Africa Technical Advisory Committee, as facilitators.

Tope Soremi kicked it off with his presentation titled "An Overview of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS)". This proved a useful session to precede 'Gbenga Sesan's presentation tiled "Internet Governance Demystified". It was interesting to note that many of the participants were completely unaware of the WSIS process which concluded just about a year ago. Tope's presentation outlining the beginning of the journey in Bamako, Mali to the Rural Youth Campaigns conducted throughout Nigeria really gave the participants the foundation needed to understand what Internet Governance is all about.

'Gbenga Sesan, in his presentation, made it clear that Internet Governance is not purely a technical subject but one that we all should be concerned about because of its significance and importance to our future. At the end of the two presentations, questions from the participants revealed that they now have some basic understanding of Internet Governance and demonstrated their enthusiasm to contribute to the process.

The second day of the forum had Dr Robinson I. Ehirobo, Managing Director, Havillah Trends, Lagos, as the main speaker. Dr Robinson’s presentation titled ‘Youths' Entrepreneurship: Advantages and Disadvantages” was a combination of lifeskills and details needed to be an entrepreneur in a technical field. Drawing from his own experience of transiting from the Vice-President of ABB Nigeria, a leading electrical company in Nigeria, to establishing his own flourishing company, Dr. Robinson advised the participants to build trust and goodwill in all the people and company they come across as this will prove very helpful when starting out as an entrepreneur. The discussion that followed Dr Robinson’s presentation turned out to be a mentorship session where participants shared their business ideas and were given guidance and relevant advice.

The afternoon session witnessed the general meeting of The IET Nigeria Younger Members Networks presided over by ‘Gbenga Adeyemo and other executives of the body present at the meeting. This meeting focused on membership recruitment and branch expansion across Nigeria.

The Young Expert Forum will be organised in other zones of Nigeria in 2007. Any enquiry on the Young Expert Forum should be sent to ‘Gbenga Adeyemo at gadeyemo@theiet.org or 234 805 747 0562.

Welcome address The Young Expert Forum held on December 15 & 16, 2006 at The Yaba College of Technology

As we are in the thick of planning our second Young Expert Forum in this present IET Year, whuch runs from October - September, I feel I should share my address and the report of the previous edition held on December 15 & 16, 2006 at the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos. The two documents are also available for download on our website, www.ietnymn.org.

Theme: Youth and Technology Entrepreneurship: Catalysts for Africa’s Development

Welcome address by ‘Gbenga Adeyemo, Chair of The IET Nigeria Younger Members’ Networks

All truths, they say, are parallel. Recent attention being given to youths and issues about them by governments and other international organisations have lent credence to our decision to focus on the vital issue of making youths entrepreneurs with the opportunities that new and emerging technologies provide at this quarter’s Young Expert Forum.

Our country in particular and indeed Africa in general has, for long, been an ardent consumer, trading in technologies that were invented outside her shores. To me, this has largely been responsible for the poor state of our economy. A cursory look into the depth of some successful nation’s economy will clearly reveal a virile and strong technological sector that constantly spring off inventions.

As a group made up of students, recent graduates and young professionals under the age of 30, The IET Nigeria Younger Members’ Networks is a perfect group to begin to redress this trend with long term training and investment in her members and the Young Expert Forum (YEF) is a perfect pedestal to do that.

The YEF is our quarterly program that has been repackaged by the present leadership of The IET Nigeria Younger Members to improve on our usual Quarterly General Meetings. The objectives are to continue to build the capacities of our members in all the fields relevant to The IET and also prove ourselves a serious and worthy member of the society we operate in by focusing on a technical matter of national and/or international interest, discussing it and making inputs generated from the YEF on the adopted matter of discussion to the appropriate quarter.

For the first YEF in 2006/2007 and the second of such, we have chosen the theme “Youth and Technology Entrepreneurship: Catalysts for African’s development” which aptly capture our mind as expressed above. We have also decided to focus on the global issue of Internet Governance as our subject of discussion. The Internet has revolutionised our lives and ‘has come to stay”. All effort that will ensure its continuous existence and ensure our continuous reaping of its benefits must be supported. Such effort definitely requires the inputs of youths and a group represented here today.

We have meticulously sourced for competent speakers to handle all what we seek to address at this forum and we are grateful to have all of them in our midst.

I am optimistic that the Young Expert Forum, as a process, has come to stay and out of it will spring up many ideas and positive effects. Other YEF are planned for other zones of the country in 2007. This will eventually culminate in our first, major, truly international event with speakers and participants from within and outside Nigeria. This, we believe, we can achieve. However, we solicit the support of everyone in every way in making this a reality. We are open to productive collaborations in this set objectives.

Ladies and gentlemen, with this picture painted in our hearts, I welcome you to the first quarter 2006/2007 IET Nigeria Younger Members’ Networks’ Young Expert Forum. Relax, enjoy yourself, learn all you can, task the speakers and, most especially, participate actively during the interactive discussions. I am very much optimistic you would have been imparted at the end of the day.

Let me use this medium to thank all my colleagues on my committee and that of the Yaba College of Technology Student Chapter, who have worked with me to make this forum a reality. Our labour will not go in vain. The task of developing ourselves, our nation and our world is what we have embarked upon and we will make a great success out of it.

Once again, I welcome you to The Young Expert Forum.

Thank you all.