Ict-innovationFOSSBusinessPlan

ict@innovation Pillar A - African FOSS Business Models

This is a draft scenario and plan for for the implementation of Pillar A – capacity building in African FOSS Business Models. It is written from the perspective of the coordinator implementing the Pillar A component of ict@innovation. The Implementation will encompass four major lines af action:

A) Managing and Coordinating the implementation of Pillar A, including coordinating the partners and beneficiaries, administration and networking activities,

B) Developing the hands-on training materials in close cooperation with important stakeholders and other course content providers,

C) Implementing the regional trainings and

D) Facilitating a Follow-Up process including national trainings.

All action will be geared towards achieving the following objective:

Objective of action

ICT associations, their members, ICT-training institutions, universities as well as of other change agents of the ICT field know about regional best practices and compile examples of adapted business models and marketing-related skills in the field of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). This enables them to spread practical key knowledge and skills to small and medium enterprises (SME) of the IT-field on how to create innovative local businesses with FOSS.

A preliminary set of indicators and discussion of them can be found in the wiki on Day_2:_Indicators_and_Risks.

Timeline and Project Phases

The Implementation of Pillar A will take place in three phases:

Phase 1 (2008) Coordination, Course Design and Creation of Training Materials

Phase 2 (2009) Train-the-Trainer via Regional Trainings

Phase 3 (2010) Roll-Out via National Trainings

Networking and Management Activities are an ongoing activity throughout all phases.

(Please click on the links for detailed information on how we so far have conceptualized the components of ict@innovation pillar A.)

Networking

Networking will take place on a national, regional, and international level.

• During Phase 1 the Content Creation Community will be set up – this network of (paid) experts will be in charge of designing the first set of courses and training materials.
• During Phase 2 a regional Community of Practice of FOSS business trainers will be installed, consisting of the Multipliers trained in the regional trainings. This community will be supported by the webportal. A continued knowledge exchange beyond the training phase is a main goal to be achieved within Pillar A.
• During Phase 3 national Communities of Practice of FOSS business persons will be fostered through the national trainings. Their networking will also be encouraged through the trainings (joint assignments, team work, twinning) and the Web portal.