Internet Society – Sierra Leone

ISOC.SL CHAPTER was officially chartered by the Global Internet Society in April, 2007. It main principal purpose is to maintain and extend the development and availability of the Internet and its associated technologies and applications both as an end in itself, and as a means of enabling Sierra Leonean organizations, professionals, and individuals worldwide to more effectively collaborate, cooperate, and innovate in their respective fields and interests.

As an indication of these importance, a youth group was created. In addition with the administrative and financial support from ISOC-SL CHAPTER which is currently chaired by Mr. Evelyn Lewis the youth was able to engaged in the following activities for the past months

ü   ISOC-SL YOUTH was trained in public speaking skills. This was to ensure that it members are very confident and are fully equipped in the area of media campaign

ü  Participate in the historic landing of the fibre optic cable by his excellence the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone

ü  Engaged in series of talk show programmes to inform and educated in the awareness of the landing of the fibre optic cable and is importance it will have on organations, professions and the public.

ü  Engaged in visibility studies in 35 schools including primary, seconday and tertiary institution.

In respect of what we have done so far the youth of ISOC.SL are extending to do the following   with the continued support from ISOC.SL.

v  Provide research and educated materials relating to ICT for school and the public

v   Liaison with organation, government and the general public for co-ordination, allocation, and education in effecting the purpose of ISOC.SL.CHAPTER.

v   Ensure that children participate in the important of internet and its uses

In conclusion as government put importance in ICT by landing the fibre optic cable the youth of ISOC.SL.CHAPTER in the near future would like to extended the training and advocacy to school in the North, East and Southern provinces and ensure that  every citizen benefit from this programs.

IBRAHIM BARRY

YOUTH LEADER

ISOC SL

MEETING 7TH SEPTEMBER 2011

SIERRA LIGHT HOUSE HOTEL

The meeting was chaired by Mr. Evelyn Lewis who is the Chairperson of ISOC- Sierra Leone Chapter. He opened the meeting with a silent prayer, introduction of attendees and a review of the agenda.

The minutes of the previous meeting were reviewed and series of corrections were made by Mr. Dennis Sellu who made mention of the grammatical errors.

Mr. Lewis stated that the establishment of sub-groups would soon commence and that it would be made up of students from secondary and tertiary institutions. He explained how the government of Sierra Leone has been in partner with ISOC SL even offering office space. Mr. Lewis spoke about the progress made by ISOC SL which includes:

• The successful creation of radio Jingles
• The design of membership cards. (Samples of ID cards were showcased)
• T-shirts were also available for sale

Mrs. Lewis gave updates on the draft membership card, membership form and also the student groups especially the group from IPAM.

Adrian Labor another executive member of ISOC-SL expounded the success of ISOC-SL since its inception. He explained the purpose of the SLIX and gave an update on the status of the project with regard to the forthcoming fibre optic cable landing.

• He stated that they have been working diligently to have ISPs make connections to the SLIX.
• He lauded the efforts of Dr. Faulkner who provided strong support for the successful implementation of the SLIX at Fourah Bay College.
• He indicated that the exchange was one of the major projects that ISOC-SL undertook and explained how the internet traffic could be significantly improved if local traffic was made local. This means that if two people or entities are within the country accessing the internet through local Internet Service Providers (ISPs), their communication need not go out over a transponder. It can easily be routed through the SLIX.
• He mentioned that as the first Chairperson of ISOC SL, he undertook the creation of a National ICT policy. He stated that through the relentless efforts of all the executive members the policy was created.
• He applauded Mrs. Labor’s valuable assistancein completing an ISOC proposal just before the deadline.
• Emphasis was laid on the foundation being laid by ISOC-SL members and also the improvements that have taken place.

Mr. Julius Kamara- WARCIP-SL – member of ISOC-SL Elaborated on project development objectives of WARCIP-SL these are to:

• Provide high capacity international connectivity to mitigate the existing marginalization  of Sierra Leone
• Bridge the digital divide
• Increase the geographical reach of broadband networks
• Reduce communication cost in Sierra Leone
• Expedite broadband rollout, e-governance etc
• Expedite ICT development in the urban area

In his presentation, he highlighted theWARCIP-SL Project components as follows:

Component One: Supporting connectivity:

• Broadband VPM for key MDA’s
• Sierra Leone Internet exchange (SLIX) 200k
• Emergency national communications network
• Landing site related issues: ESMF,EIA, resettlement

Component Two: Supporting Open Access:

• Public private partnership(ppp)
• Revised telecoms law, related regular instruments
• Liberalization of the International gateway
• Institutions- Natcom, MoIC, Sierratel
• Technical assistance to national policy

Component Three: Supporting Implementation:

• Project Implementation Unit
• Monitoring & Evaluation
• AUDIT

Mr. Adel Suliman an executive member of ISOC-SL spoke on how important it is to be part of the ISOC membership which would hopefully increase the knowledge of ICT in Sierra Leone. He further explained about the SLIX and the top level .sl domain.

The floor was opened for member comments, questions and suggestions. Some were.

• Implementing a method wherein Sierra Leone would own it own yahoo address
• Encouragement to students at the institutions to study ICT
• The growth and funding of ISOC-SL was a major issue of concern raised by members
• Members also mentioned about involving more Sierra Leoneans in the WARCIP-SL project

Mr. Lewis informed members of his impending visit to Benin to meet with other organizations. The ISOC committee leaders were introduced and interested members were encouraged to sign up in any committee of their choice. Mr. Lewis also initiated a brilliant idea of preparing a newsletter articles written by members would be publishedthere was interaction among members and non members. There were lots of student in attendance most were from colleges offering ICT.

A head count for the meeting was an impressive 60 people in attendance.

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF ISOC SIERRA LEONE CHAPTER ON 28^TH SEPTEMBER 2011

At the British Council, Tower Hill

Executive Members Present:

Mr. Evelyn Lewis – Chairperson

Mr. Daniel Chaytor – Vice Chair

Mr. Adrian Labor

Mr. Adel Suliman

Mr. Sallieu Mansaray

Ms. Michaela Mackay

Mrs. Roselynn Lewis

Dr. Abdulai Dumbuya

There were about 50 members in attendance.

The meeting started at about 6:10pm.

Mr. Evelyn Lewis opened the meeting with a request for silent prayers, introduction of attendees

Mr. Lewis indicated that there and a review of the agenda.

1. A.      ICT Exhibition

Was to be an ICT Exhibition. He stated that all administrative positions needed to be filled before the date of the exhibition. Members were encouraged to suggest a suitable date for the exhibition. He indicated that the event was to be a very big event. Most people suggested early December.

1. B.      Updates on the ISOC SL Groups

                 I.            Student and Youth Group

Mr. Ibrahim Barry, the Student Group leader stated that the newly formed group met at SBTS Group and set up an executive committee of six members to support their efforts. They intend to embark on a series of awareness campaigns, starting with 25 primary schools, 10 secondary schools and 5 tertiary institutions. In order to sharpen their skills they have requested Public Speaking and Leadership training of Mrs. Roselynn Lewis.  The ISOC SL youths are encouraged to attend the next meeting this Saturday at SBTS Group.

               II.            National ICT Policy

Mr. Sallieu Mansaray informed members that the National ICT Policy which was drafted in 2009 and passed by Parliament, was now due for review.  He urged ISOC SL members to take part in the review process.

             III.            Marketing Group

Mr. Lawrence Spencer-Coker said the group is working on the first radio jingle. They are planning a television campaign on SLBC and a press release. He stated that the Students and Youth group should work with his group on planned activities.

             IV.            Cable Landing and ECOWAN

Mr. Evelyn Lewis said that the Fibre Optic Cable landing will be on the 10^th October 2011. He stated that he and Mr. Daniel Chaytor met on the ECOWAN project, a $30 million project. He said that they explored prospects for ISOC SL members and businesses within that project.

               V.            ICT Advisory Council

Mr. Lewis mentioned that at the ICT Advisory Council meeting, the prospect of jobs for Sierra Leoneans was discussed.  He indicated that the National ICT Policy needs to be implemented to the fullest extent and the possibility of ICT jobs is high. He further stated that some of the implementation of the National ICT Policy will be undertaken by ISOC SL.

             VI.            Conference

Mr. Chukuemeka Chikize informed attendees that a Development and Transformation Conference for Sierra Leone is planned in mid-December.  He stated that since ICT should be central to the future of Sierra Leone, ISOC SL needs to play a role in the conference.

1. C.      Honorary Membership

Mr. Evelyn Lewis stated that there are people who have made significant contributions to ISOC SL. As a result, ISOC SL intends to reward them with Honorary membership. Such members could optionally make a donation to the organization.

1. D.      Fundraising from Corporate Members

To raise funds for ISOC SL, Mr. Lewis proposed a paid Corporate membership. He suggested that corporate members could donate $1,000 USD. Mr. Adel Suliman donated Le 10 million on behalf of Afcom SL and SBTS Group also donated Le 10 million.

Mr. Adrian Labor mentioned that ISOC SL would benefit from an amount of $25,000 USD from the WARCIP SL project.  He also said that the Students and Youth Group could benefit from periodic ISOC Community grants to the tune of $2,000 USD.

1. E.       Presentation on ICT Financing

The Guest Speaker, Mr. Ahonkhai Christopher of the West African Venture Fund presented an Equity Financing option to the attendees. The Fund, which is financed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) contains about $40 million USD for SMEs and small enterprises in Sierra Leone and Liberia. He said the amount was for 5 years at a rate of 13.5%.

He said that the plan works by buying the lower share of the business and financing it for 3 to 5 years. The Fund also helps with technical assistance. After the business grows and succeeds, the major shareholders can buy back the shares from the Fund. The amount of assistance rendered ranges from $100,000 to $500,000 USD. The fund supports start-ups as well as existing businesses as long as they have a good structure and solid business plan. He stated that there are three criteria for supporting businesses. They are:

1. It must be environmentally friendly
2. It must have a Return on Investment (ROI)
3. It must have a social impact

Mr. Christopher said that interested people could apply by visiting the office on 19 Walpole Street. He said they would review business plans and work with applicants to fill the application form. He explained that decisions on the applications take about 3 to 6 months.

1. F.       Any other Business

Mr. Michael Hauser, Economic Advisor at the US Embassy said that ISOC SL members have come together at a critically important time. He said the time was crucial because of the fibre optic cable landing and the need to educate the public on ICT. He offered the assistance of the embassy, if required.

Mr. Evelyn Lewis expressed his appreciation to all the members who attended. He said that the attendance was very good. He hoped that these forums would continue and the plans made by ISOC SL will succeed. He encouraged all Group leaders to work on their various assignments and report on activities or delegate it if they planned to be absent.

He mentioned that in Kenya, there were mobile ICT Buses to market ICT. He hoped that in future ISOC SL might also benefit from a bus to market ICT.

Mr. Lewis also revealed that there was a need for website Content management. He said there was a need to address critical issues like youth employment. He suggested that ISOC SL could conduct free training sessions on website content management for young people in the future.

1. G.     Adjournment

The meeting ended at 7:15pm. The meeting was adjourned to the 26th of October.

Guys,

If you think about it, in the next several years, hundreds of millions of dollars will be spent on ICT in Sierra Leone and the Mano  River Union, what are you doing to be the next  .com jillionaire?  I want you all to create like the Great Bill Gates of the United States!!! Find your place in the chain.

Whilst some of you might be startup companies or ideas, it still does not preclude you from joining the bandwagon.  Some of you are strong to participate in the value chain opportunities of funds being spent on ICT or cross-cutting ICT enabled services from education, mining, agriculture, e-government, you name it.

Think about it, $31 million for the International Fiber cable, another $30million from the IDB for the 667km of fiber cable for the ECOWAN Project to connect Sierra Leone to the rest of the region and many others with the telcos investing millions as well.  Where are those Sierra Leonean entrepreneurs, and where are those jobs?

Here is the website of West African Venture fund. Take advantage of the opportunities!!

http://www.wavfonline.com/home.htm

http://www.uvcmc.com/wavf.htm

Hello Friends,

I know some or most of you on the ground will have received your text invite or the like by now for our next meet-up.

Due to popular demand, we are having another GR8 ISOC meet-up, this time right in the middle of town at the British Council this Wednesday evening September 28, 6-8 PM.

Ok all you professionals, no more excuse to get to the west this time due to construction traffic etc.,We have been pretty good on time, and my sincere thanks to all of you who have made that possible.

We have another exciting week to see about how people currently finance ICT projects in Sierra Leone. We have a rep from West African Ventures who will give us their take.  If you know more about this, please send email to membership@isoc.sl.  I will send the meeting agenda on Wednesday.

To the 62 of you that showed up last meet-up, Bravo!!

Please confirm your attendance online, or send your comments in absentia if you can’t make it, trust we will try to read some of your comments as time permits.

Come and meet some dynamic folks who have just arrived with loads of experience and vision to share.

C. U. There!!!!

Evelyn Lewis

ISOC meeting Agenda Wednesday September 28, 2011-6-8 PM

British Council, Tower Hill

1.      Silent Prayers

2.      Introduction

3.      General member update: ICT Exhibition date selection

4.      Brief updates  on accomplishments from all group leads and the new Student and Youth Group

5.      Honorary memberships

6.      Fundraising- paid corporate membership

7.      Presentation on ICT Financing – Question and Answer

8.      Networking

ISOC.SL organized the first SLIX Management Meeting on Friday 19th June. The meeting on the Sierra Leone Internet Exchange (SLIX) was put in place as SLIX was now in a position to move to the next phase of formal registration of SLIX. Adrian Labor, made a presentation on the concept of Sierra Leone Internet Exchange (SLIX), and also gave an update on it’s present state. Sallia Fawundu then went through draft joining prerequisites & joining procedures. ISOC.SL Chairman, Conrad Coyanda-Parkzes, presented Draft SLIX Organizational requirements & Draft Technical requirements. ISOC.SL, Aministrative Secretary, Michala Mackay, eloquently went through the organizational structure and legal structure that SLIX would have.