IAALD Africa launched in Nairobi

In a small ceremony today, IAALD Africa members attending the 2006 conference elected an interim executive committee to take the plans of the association forward. The 90 African members attending the week-long conference elected officers to the Chapter and charged them to set out activities and plans, define appropriate follow up steps to issues discussed at the conference, and generally establish the Chapter.

The Executive Commmittee members are: Justin Chisenga (FAO, President), Joseph Kiplang'at (Moi University, Vice-President), Dady Demby (CORAF, Vice President), Gracian Chimwaza (ITOCA, Secretary), Hilda Munyua (Kenya, Treasurer), Rosaline Njike (Cameroon, Member), Elvira Timba (Mozambique, Member), Dickson Baguma (Uganda, Member), and Mamoun Mohamed (Sudan, Member).

The conference attracted some 250 participants from around the world; they participated in several pre- and parallel workshops as well as the conference proper. Recommendations included calls for African researchers and journals to embrace open access; greater attention to ICT and information 'investment' policies and plans; further capacity strengthening to extend access to information; and exploration of innovative means to share knowledge among researchers and others. Reports and presentations will soon be available on the conference web site.

Tags: agricultural information africa iaald