Southern Africa Office Strategy
The W3C and Southern Africa
September 2007
Meraka Institute, Pretoria, SA
Quentin Williams and Martin Pistorius
Our Vision
To be the leading example of an innovative
WWW standards champion in the African
context that has significant influence in
Southern Africa and in the W3C.
Our Mission Statement
African ICT companies and stakeholders need to be active in global fora like the W3C to benefit from and influence innovations in technology leading to the next generation of the World Wide Web. This is a requirement for making an impact on the global stage, addressing the tremendous needs that exist and fully realising the vast business opportunities that ICT has started to bring in Africa.
The W3C Southern Africa office aims to bring to fore the needs and innovations of Southern Africa within the WWW domain, by regularly engaging and interacting with local stakeholders. We will act as a relay between the W3C and local stakeholders and ensure that the region has the full opportunity to influence and participate in the international community. Similarly, we will convey international W3C standards, policies & recommendations to local stakeholders and assist them with adoption and insight into future trends and market changes.
In more detail Our Goals are therefore
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To take the needs, voices, opinions and innovations of the sub-Saharan African region to the international community, to ensure that local requirements are put on the international agenda and that Africa has the opportunity to influence international policies, standards and technology development.
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To build a local community of practice consisting of a network of stakeholders (industry, academia, government, public sector, media) interested in or working on Web technologies, and to allow them to directly liaise with the many prominent and international member organisations in the W3C. Thus building international cooperation and participation while also encouraging the worldwide recognition and stature of local companies and institutions.
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Similarly to convey international W3C standards, policies & recommendations to local stakeholders and assist them with adoption and insight into future trends and market changes.
Strategy: Objectives Phase 1
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Establish Local network of stakeholders
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Gather information about which W3C areas are relevant for the Southern African region
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Start regularly participating in W3C Working groups
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Recruit 1-2 permanent staff for Office
Establish Local network
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Through extensive survey populate list of possible stakeholders:
- Internet Search on South African companies within targeted industry sectors
- Utilise World Wide Worx report on the Map of RSA ICT sector
- Have a W3C presence at and attend relevant conferences, workshops and seminars. Engage with potential stakeholders.
- Utilise previous Meraka partnerships
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Build a database with information of all potential stakeholders
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Start engaging with list of potentials:
- Send email and start a mailing list
- Send regular news-items and newsletters on mailing list
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Find representative in each organisation and have one-on-one meetings with each of the more interested organisations. Inform them about W3C, what our regional activities are, How the office can assist the organisation etc. Get commitment from each organisation
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Keep the regular newsletter and mailing list active
Find locally relevant W3C areas
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Using database make a list of the most popular areas within which the regional stakeholders are active in, and correlate with W3C activities
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Start engaging mailing list in regards to these areas (sending out information about the areas, asking questions about their interest in it, etc.)
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Hold a workshop with the interested and committed stakeholders:
- Get their view on what are the more relevant W3C areas
- Work through these areas to find out what are the regional needs, current work and innovation
- Find out how best to engage with W3C in these areas.
- Report back on workshop to W3C
Participate on W3C working groups
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Through the mailing list and contact database find representatives from organisations who are interested in the activities of the W3C working groups.
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Assist them with information about how the working groups operate, their current progress and activities; and how relevant it is for the local organisation's work.
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With them find the best way of participation and giving our inputs through to the working groups.
Participate on W3C working groups
The only way to influence activities of the W3C is through their working groups. In the African context the following ways can ensure participation on W3C working groups:
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Work with representatives of organisations and assist them with participation on working groups.
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The above might be too costly for Southern African organisations as it may require international travel and tele-conferences. Therefore the Office can act as the single reference point and representative on W3C working groups for the region. For example we can have a local workshop to work through a specific issue. The Office can then take the feedback from this workshop to the W3C working group (WG), with 1 representative sitting in on the WG meetings. Hence, Instead of having multiple memberships and travel for all of the interested organisations in the region; the office then acts as the single point of reference through which interested organisations can work.
Recruitment
Recruit 1-2 permanent staff to fulfil duties of W3C Southern Africa Office.
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The main responsibility will be to increase awareness of the W3C office within the region and to maintain the profile of the W3C office. The role comprises operational management of the office staff and structure; as well as engagement with local stakeholders and W3C partners.
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They should demonstrate technical understanding of the World Wide Web and related standards; Excellent communication skills particularly in dealing with industry, government and academia to promote W3C and its activities; and Ability to build and maintain productive working relationships with clients, colleagues and collaborators;
SWOT Analysis – p1
Strengths:
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Support of DST, Meraka and W3C
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Regional technical expertise and leadership in Mobile Web technologies, Web Accessibility, Multimedia content, Connectivity and Semantic Web research
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Previous Meraka experience in establishing partnerships with industry, government and academia
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Vendor Neutrality of Meraka
Weaknesses:
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Lack of permanent staff to focus on Office activities
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Limited time and resources of current staff and structure
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No current involvement in W3C working groups
SWOT Analysis – p2
Opportunities:
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New interest in and investment in Mobile Technologies and the Current growth of Mobile Web services
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Need for Information availability and sharing, but limited Internet access in Southern Africa
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Aim of Southern African governments to be an innovation and technical leader in ICT on the global stage
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Current need on global stage to increase industry market in Africa and to find out about African needs, conditions and requirements
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Need in region for ICT collaboration, partnerships, development and adoption to increase socio-economic development
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Localised and affordable ICT Business opportunities currently growing in Africa
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Current expansion of W3C into new regions of the world creates opportunity to change established W3C structure and for us to provide an example of how the partnership can successfully work in a developing world context
SWOT Analysis – p3
Threats:
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Lack of interest and participation from government, industry and academia
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Difficulty to persuade possible stakeholders as to the benefit of a regional W3C office
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Limited concrete achievements during initial phase
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Cost, resources and time involved in membership, travel and communication (teleconferencing, meetings, etc.)
Resources required
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1 More permanent staff member to be Office manager
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Infrastructure (small office, telephone etc.) to support office manager
Success will be
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When we have an active and growing local Web community regularly participating in events held by the local office
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When we actively participate on W3C working groups and we regularly communicate with the local network of stakeholders
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When Southern African needs are included in W3C recommendations, specifications and standards
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When both the W3C and local regional organisations recognise the W3C Southern African office as an authority on Web related issues
Obstacles in region
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Lack of Cohesion; operating in isolation
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Lack of awareness
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Expense
- Non-Profit or government: 3900 EUR
- Profit with gross revenue 30.6m – 51m: 6500 EUR
- Gross revenue between 51m – 204m: 26 000 EUR
- Gross above 204m: 65 000 EUR
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Distance and travel makes participation difficult
Roles of a W3C office
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Recruit stake-holders in the region: introducing them to W3C, developing relationships with local technology or policy leaders, and guiding organizations through the steps for joining W3C.
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Provide support for existing W3C Members in the region.
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Provide feedback to W3C on regional issues.
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Promote the adoption of W3C Recommendations
Vendor Neutrality
A Contributing Member
Established network of Contacts
Why W3C membership?
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International consortium of leading companies
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Keep abreast of and influence the changing directions in the technology domain
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Competitive advantage and ensure continual growth
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International exposure and recognition
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We can contribute in the following areas
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Mobile Web; Mobile Internet Banking
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Innovative Information Delivery
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Semantic Web technologies
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Wireless Connectivity
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Geo-Informatics
New African specific ways of Web delivery
Potential Stakeholders
Below are just a sample of the possible industries and a few examples of organisations in each industry:
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Telecommunications: MTN, CellC, Telkom, NeoTel, Vodacom
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IT Infrastructure, Software: Dimension Data, Xenon, Microsoft SA, World Wide Worx
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Web Service delivery: Standard Bank, FNB, ABSA, Nedbank
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Academia: UNISA, University of Pretoria, Stellenbosch University, University of Cape Town, Witwatersrand University, University of Limpopo.
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Media: SABC, NASPERS, MultiChoice
How a local office can help:
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A different way of thinking in the developing world context
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Local Office must act as relay between W3C and local stakeholders
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Bringing stakeholders together to reach consensus, then take their needs, opinions, voices, innovation to the W3C through a single representative
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Similarly convey W3C standards, policies & recommendations to local stakeholders
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Act as reference point to establish, promote, grow and maintain local network
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Local office acts as the representative of a regional community, so that cost is limited and efficiency maximised.
Current W3C cost structure
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Each organisation has to become a member, pay membership fees and can then participate as a singular entity in working groups
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Expense
- Non-Profit or government: 3900 EUR
- Profit with gross revenue 30.6m – 51m: 6500 EUR
- Gross revenue between 51m – 204m: 26 000 EUR
- Gross above 204m: 65 000 EUR
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The above presents a unsuitable environment in a developing world context due to cost involved and obstacles presented earlier.
Suggested structure
A suggested structure in a developing world could be:
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The regional office acts as the representative for a community of organisations in the region. The offices pays a singular appropriate membership fee to the W3C
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The regional office can then ask organisations a small and affordable subscription fee to be part of the local network. This is not for profit but merely a sign to show commitment to the local community.
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The regional office can then hold local workshops and working groups to discuss relevant issues, activities and work of the W3C.
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The regional office as the representative can then take this information from these workshops and groups back to the W3C and influence activities in this manner, ensuring that regional opinions are included in the W3C international community.
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Any information from the W3C must then be fed back through the local network.
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If there are regional organisations who want to directly engage with W3C and who has a lot of activities associated to the work of the W3C they can then still become W3C members and operate within the W3C as before.
Mechanisms to help
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Personal contacts, build the network
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Regular local seminars, workshops and conferences
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Continuous participation on W3C working groups & forums
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Feedback through the network both from W3C and to W3C
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Use W3C experience, expertise to assist in local technology & policy development and standardisation
Structure of Southern Africa office
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Scope: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Swaziland, but to grow to all SADC countries
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Currently staffed by 2 permanent Meraka employees, housed in the IE4IL group: Quentin Williams, Martin Pistorius supported by manager, Hina Patel
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Immediate Future: Build a W3C office team to administer and perform all duties.
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Grow participation with W3C working groups starting with the Meraka Institute
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First Workshop held on 14 May 2007: Putting Africa on the Internet Map (example of things to come)
www.w3c.org.za
Meraka: Example as a Member
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IE4IL – Web Accessibility, OWL, Semantic Web ( Web Ontology Language), Multi-modal Interaction Activity, amongst others
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HLT – Semantic interpretation for Speech recognition, Speech synthesis mark-up language
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Mobiled – Mobile Web Initiative
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Remote Sensing – Geo-Informatics
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ICT Access – Web connectivity
Ensure that Office representative takes work from these groups to influence W3C
Back to the Southern African Office presentations