Stockholm Challenge Award for Africa

Please excuse the wide distribution. I thought this list
should hear of this award program.

Andy

------------------------------------

Dear ARISE Network Member,

I am contacting you as an expert on developing projects in Africa
and/or IT for development projects based in Africa. We, the City of
Stockholm, Sweden, and the Stockholm Challenge Award, are looking for
innovative, high-qualified projects in Africa who use IT to benefit
people and society.

Stockholm Challenge is an international awards programme for
pioneering projects using IT in innovative ways, in areas such as
environment, education, health, culture, e-government and
e-business. The focus is on how IT can benefit to people and society -
technology itself is not the issue. The Stockholm Challenge was
initiated in 1994 by the City of Stockholm, and is run in conjunction
with the European Commission. In 2002 nearly 600 projects from 78
countries entered the Stockholm Challenge. The aim is to diminish the
digital divide and to create an information society for all.

African projects have for many years been underrepresented in
Stockholm Challenge although I know there are projects going on in
Africa in this field. Would it be possible for you to nominate
projects to the Stockholm Challenge and/or disseminate the information
on Stockholm Challenge in your networks?

The competition is open to private, public and academic
contestants. Projects compete in six categories, in areas where IT has
great influence on people's lives, culture, education, environment,
health, e-government and e-business.

The Stockholm Challenge jury, a group of senior international experts,
evaluate the on the basis of four basic criteria; innovation, user
need, transferability and accessibility. Every project is also
evaluated in relation to its own economic, social and cultural
context. This enables projects from both developed and developing
countries to compete on equal terms. Stockholm Challenge rewards
projects that are of great importance to local progress, and of such
innovative and pioneering structure that it should serve as a model
for regions, cities and countries.

We believes it is important to high-light and reward best practices,
in order to give projects, from all parts of the world, increased
credibility and legitimacy. To be recognised by an international jury
is very valuable for the projects, and especially for projects in less
developed and developing countries. The winning and finalist projects
in the Stockholm Challenge Award will also inspire and become role
models for other projects in their own region. This is especially
relevant for regions in Africa!

For the projects, the Stockholm Challenge, is also a unique
international platform where they can showcase their best practice
solutions and network with other innovative projects from all over the
world.

Read more about Stockholm Challenge at our website
www.challenge.stockholm.se


I hope you will be able to guide us to projects, organisations or
persons in Africa working on this field!

Looking forward to hear from you and thank you very in advance!

Yours sincerely,

Pernilla Nylander
Project Manager & Marketing
Stockholm Challenge Award

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