Have you ever been in a dark room? If you have (and I suspect that you have been), then I’m very sure you will agree with me that any form of light – no matter how faint – shines through, including the little illumination from mobile phones. May I now request that you return with me to this room? Thank you. Can anyone see the light coming from my phone’s screen? I doubt it… I have only asked this to be able to explain an enduring truth: darkness is not necessarily an opportunity for the celebration of the lack of much-needed light, it is an opportunity for even the least of lights to find expression, or shine. And if the little lights can come together, they can probably produce great light – which will naturally overcome darkness. Keep this on your mind as we continue on the day’s journey… I invite you to tighten your seatbelts as I act as the pilot of this flight, “Face Lift for 2006”. Our final destination is your mind, and the mission is to stir that mind towards creative action for personal development, nation building, regional cooperation and global participation. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to “Face Lift for 2006”!

Those would be my opening words when I speak at Face Lift for 2006 being put together by the Youth Hotline Network, and with support from My Best Friend and My Father’s House. The networking event and concert holds:

At: Morims Plaza Hall, Opposite “A” Division, Akure, Nigeria
On: Friday, December 30, 2005
From: 12 noon prompt

I’ll be speaking (alongside Francis Adeshina, a young CEO and Brand Consultant) on the topic, “Where are You: Positioning You for Personal Development, Nation Building and Global Competitiveness“. As my last opportunity to raise the banner of a New Nigeria in 2005, I’ll be digging deep into the heart of the national question and the role of young people in this. Is Nigeria sick? Does my yesterday determine what my tomorrow will look like? What’s my business with Nigeria? Is it okay to compete against my classmate — or be jealous when my colleagues buy new cars? What can I do when darkness looms around? Have the leaders of the nation failed us? What about resource control? Who are the true leaders of the New Nigeria? Can you recite the second stanza of the national anthem?

Join us in Akure on the 30th, or online from the 31st of December to participate in this revolution. If you miss listening to the presentation, you can read it on this blog as soon as the physical presentation is over (but add a few minutes to that because I’ll need to locate a cybercafe that would allow me to use my laptop Where are You? Let me close with this, its from the same presentation:

You and I can make it happen. We can tell the world that the pyramids in Kano, the rubber from the East and cocoa from the South West have not disappeared forever! We can assure the world that if oil brought a boom (even though I often feel like spelling the oil boom is o-i-l-d-o-o-m), then they should hold their breath for what tourism and human capital will bring. Sooner than you think, no one will bother his or her head with another region’s resources below the soil, because there are resources above each state’s soil. You and I are Nigeria’s true resources! We are the resources that should be nurtured, managed and prepared as national treasures. That, my friend, is the true meaning of resource control. Forget the percentages, greed brought us there: the greed that makes me take resources from the Niger Delta, poison their waters, degrade their environment and bribe their elders with stained wealth… that is multinational greed! There is something called social responsibility and it’s beyond annual scholarships, its beyond nature-friendly adverts, it’s about appreciating the value of the land and not exploiting it with the support of the custodians of the people’s rights.

Merry Christmas — in arrears — and I wish you a Happy New Year — in advance.

The 2005 edition of the Nigerian Internet Convention, hosted by the Nigerian Internet Group, started when the compere, Don Pedro Agabi (ace ICT journalist and TV presenter) welcomed everyone and introduced the distinguished guests. The occupiers of the high tale included Dr. Gabriel Obi(former CPN boss), Mr. Chris Uwaje (”oracle of the industry”), Mrs. Osofisan (CPN President), Engr. Olawale Ige (former telecommunications minister), Engr. Iromantu (ex-NCC EVC), Alhaji Ladi Ogunneye (ex-NCS President), Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem (NIG President), Dr. Chris Nwannena (NCS President), and Engr. Lanre Ajayi (NIG Vice President).

Engr. Olawale Ige delivered the opening remarks, in his capacity as chairman of the day. Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwen (host of the day) delivered the welcome address, hitting hard on the fact that not empowering young people would be equal to mortgaging the future — producing idle, hopeless, desperate, unemployed and devil-friendly young people. He spoke on the need to address, arrest and redress the problem of youth restiveness, through the potentials of ICTs. “What are the sources of inspiration of today’s generation?”, he asked. While expressing the apologies of the invited ministers (whose absence were quoted as related to “flight-phobia”), he challenged the distinguished speakers for the day to help give direction to today’s youth. He stated that he is “fired by a sense of urgency to address youth restiveness”. He hinted that most young criminals are products of a “misdirected expression of self preservation within a state that has failed them”, and that there is almost no motivation for graduates who keep “roaming the streets for years after graduation — unemployed due to lack of jobs, or unemployable”. He concluded by challenging stakeholders (including the Nigeria Computer Society) to ensure that their curriculum encourages the need to equip students with computers and internet access. He also called for the establishment of resource centers across higher institutions, Information Technology laboratories across secondary schools, a National Youth Attachment for Skill Acquisiton (NYASA), and a pico-credit scheme (of as little as fifty thousand naira) that can help create 200,000 jobs per quarter.

The first goodwill message was delivered by Dr. Chris Nwannena, who spoke on NCS’ approach to youth restiveness which included the empowerment of the student body, NACOSS. He praised the increasing maturity of the students at IT events, while speaking on the recognitrion of talents through the students’ software exhibition and competition. The next goodwill message came from Dr. (Mrs) Osofisan, who expressed delight at the theme for the year’s event and stated that “one day, all of us will leave the stage and it is in iur own interest to ensure that we bring those who will take over from us properly”. She stated that even though CPN can not register young people (students particularly) as professionals, the organisation is already in talks with universities in order to give students the best they can get in Information Technology. She also touched on CPN’s role as guards of the Nigerian professionals such that local content (ensuring that “local” talents are not sidelined) is assured in the industry. The President of NACOSS, Olusegun Olutayo, delivered the next goodwill message and thanked the NIG for pitching its tent with young people — and he also hinted on the twin problems of curriculum relevance and capacity building. The media (represented by the compere) attempted to announce an intervention — through a nation-wide ICT Penetration Assessment — but were cautioned by the CPN to get approval before the project’s take-off.

Presentations for the day started with Engr. Iromantu’s “Human Capacity Building”. He spoke about utilising ICTs in education; to help improve curriculum, animate knowledge delivery and improve learning efficiency. Dr. Gabriel Obi continued with his presentation on “Security”, before which he warned that students must note that tertiary intitutions prepare you to fish, and not catch cat fish — hinting on the need to improve one’s self. He defined security in terms of systems and noted that the new paradigm for securing systems is survivability (survivability recognition, resistance, recovery and adaptation) — which IT has borrowed from immunology and biology. Attack sophistication is on the rise because there are tools that can help even novices engage in massive attacks on systems. He ended his presentation by throwing the challenge to young people: security specialists are needed (job/career opportunities) — with specialisation including forensics, cryptography/cryptoanalysis, information security analyst, red team member, information systems’ auditor, recovery specialts, administrator and virus professional. Vintage Chris Uwaje was next, and he spoke on the need for Nigerian youths to become globally competitive. He spoke on the need for young people to chose to strategically focus — with an example of choosing an area of expertise within the IT landscape and focusing on that within 24 months. He also spoke on the need for proper mentorship, hinting that young Nigerians must learn the ropes of Information Technology from the elders. He challenged young Nigerians to take leadership in the “positive summersault” that Nigeria very much needs! He stressed on the need to follow the path described by innovation, planning, design, building and maintenance.

The second day of the NIC started with introduction of guests and speakers by Mr. Alao (NIGOL MD) who then invited the compere (Don Pedro) to take charge of activities. After reminding participants of the activities of the first day, he invited ‘Gbenga Sesan (sounds funny addressing myself that way, unh) for the first presentation. The presentation, titled, WANTED: Heroes challenged young people to take advantage of ICTs to improve the quality of their lives; and more importantly, ensure that their career path is properly planned in order to avoid becoming subjects of an uncertain system. He ended by stating that, “If heroes would only come by natural selection (birth, background, connection), then you can as well give up. Heroes are made – having compared their yesterday with the tomorrow they desire, heroes strive today even when all others are busy waiting for help. He also listed some ICT opportunities that are boundless for today’s youth: online resources (MIT OCW – http://ocw.mit.edu), research opportunities (Google IT!), communication (Skype and its VOIP relatives), mentorship (PA’s may not allow you, eMail will), networking (like minds on mailing lists and among student /youth groups), relevant information (fresh, relevant and tailored), content push (start a blog, set up a website), and career guide (relevant biographies, dedicated guides). After the presentation, the compere announced that the presentation will be available on the NIG website.

The next presentation was delivered by Olusegun Olutayo (NACOSS President), who spoke about the activities of the student association while stating that young people have a lot to offer. He hinted on the need to keep young people’s hands busy and ended with the challenge of reviewing the curriculum used in computer science education. Destiny Amana was next, and he spoke on “How to Make Money Online”. In his eye-opening presentation, he defined the internet and eBusiness, and spoke about the “Dot.com” bubble. He spoke about the need for young people to follow up on their creative ideas, and that the steep entrance curve of registration and start-up cost need not keep them from implementation. He stated that with eBusiness , size does not matter, start-up cost is minimal, location does not matter, market is open to all and in all countries, business is open and accessible 24 hours, low overheads, better customer relations, opens the market to other businesses, brings you up to speed with competitors, helps clients make more informed business decisions, and ethical cost cutting is possible. He listed a few ideas that could be followed up on in the area of eBusiness: tourism, hospitality, trade knowledge, and more. After the presentations, the President of NIG introduced the NIG board of trustees and hinted on the proceedings of the AGM and elections later in the day. He also did a great job at summarising the presentations of the morning, hinting that everyone needs a PhD to succeed — Prayers, Hardwork and Discipline! He also dropped a new word for the participants: “digizen”, as citizens of the digital society (since “citizen” comes from occupiers of cities). Mr. Chima (Linkserve founder) also added his voice to the NIG President’s by advising young people to work hard, while also stating that he will be glad to mentor young people who are interested in ICT ventures.

The NIG AGM commenced after a brief break that was mostly utilised for networking and campaigns (coming from individuals seeking elective offices within the NIG). The NIG President delivered his report, in which he highlighted the activities of the NIG for the year and spoke extensively on the need for the Nigerian Internet Registration Association (NIRA) establishment process to be sped up. He also lent his voice to the need for the establishment of student chapters of the group, and elections followed. The new President of the Nigerian Internet Group is Engr. Lanre Ajayi, CEO of PINET and former Vice President of NIG. The new Vice President is Mrs Ufoma Daro, PR Head, Linkserve. The meeting ended on a great note, and various post-meeting discussions revealed that a lot of the NIG’s attention will be focused on youth in the coming year — which is a welcome development. Who knows, the Nigerian Youth ICT4D Network (spanning all levels of education and disciplines for young Nigerians with interest in ICTs) may just be hosted by the NIG!

The Nigerian Internet Convention’s theme for the year comes as a strong follow-up on the need for young people to remain active partners (not spectators) in the Information Society. Free copies of the book, “Global Process, Local Reality” will be given to the first 100 youth at the meeting venue! Please see the invitation, below:

SPECIAL INVITATION AS DISTINGUISHED GUEST AT THE 3RD NIGERIA INTERNET CONVENTION / AGM 2005 @ GOLDEN GATE PARADISE 25B GLOVER ROAD, IKOYI, LAGOS, DECEMBER 16-17, 2005

Greetings. Please permit us to invite you as distinguished guests at the 3rd Nigeria Internet Convention / AGM 2005, a bi-annual event organized by the Nigeria Internet Group (NIG) billed for December 16-17, 2005 at the Golden Gate Paradise, 25B Glover Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.

The Theme is “YOUTH RESTIVENESS: ICT TO THE RESCUE”. This will provide a forum for the Youth of this Country to be educated and empowered to be self-employed. It will also afford the stakeholders and the general public the opportunity to interact and discuss Information and Communications Technology. The 3rd Nigeria Internet Convention 2005 will also examine among others, Tele-education, ICT for Food Security and Poverty Alleviation, Enabling Infrastructure for e-business, e-Payment, Human Capacity Development, the cyber security of critical ICT infrastructures, Legal & Regulatory Framework etc.

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Engr. Ernest Ndukwe will deliver a short address on Internet Exchange Point “A LEAPFROGGING STRATEGY TO ESTABLISH AN INTERNET EXCHANGE POINT FOR NIGERIA”, while the Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) will be delivering a short address on “THE INTERNET GOVERNANCE: AS NIGERIA SEES IT”.

Please accept our highest appreciation.

Sincerely,

Emmanuel E. Ekuwem, PhD, MIEEE, NPOM
President, Nigeria Internet Group

 

I have always been a fan of December. During this month, I get to reveiew my plan for the year, improve on plans for the next year and more… but this December is special!

In 1999, when I discovered that I had a few semesters left in the university, I decided to conduct a self-audit (didn’t know about SWOT analysis then, but what I did was close to a SWOT analysis) in order to be sure of what the next few years would hold. I started drafting what became ‘Gbenga Sesan: Strategic Management Plan 2000-2005, and it has matured over the years to become a seven-stanza poem referred to as my Personal Mission Statement (of course, borrowing the phrase from none other than Steven R. Covey).

Last year, I had the cause to look at some of the things I planned to accomplish by 2005 and discovered that, somehow, I was ahead of the plan — and of course, behind in some areas too. This December (during a 3- to 5-day holiday at an undisclosed location with a few friends), I will be revisiting the full documentation of the 2000-2005 plan. I can already smile at some of the things I planned for post-2005 that are already in place. One of such was www.gbengasesan.com — I had hoped to save enough money to start the website this year.

On Sunday, February 22, 2002 (at 22:58), a gentleman by the name Tokunbo Kuti (of KekHost Inc.) wrote:

From: “Tokunboh Kuti” View Contact Details View Contact Details
To: gbengasesan@yahoo.com
CC: “Media/Sales/Technical Team”
Subject: Web Development Project
Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2002 22:58:17 -0500

Olatokunboh Kuti

The rest of the story is now history — being told by www.gbengasesan.com.

Beyond the website, I will also be looking at other areas that were touched by the plan — my dedication to God, my family (not my parents’) , my education (what next after this MSc), career (ahem) , book projects for 2006 (”Global Process, Local Reality is a fore-runner… watch out), and more… As the year comes to an end, I am beginning to put final touches to the next phase as defined by what I was tempted to call “Strategy 2015″ (borrowing from the Global Knowledge Partnership this time). This also explains why I’m pouring my energy into the task of lending my energy to raising the next generation of young Nigerians who will not only join the train but will take the delivery steps further. On the 20th of December, a number of youth leaders and I would meet in Lagos to discuss what I’ve always referred to as Peer Energy (from the acronym PNRG — Personal Development, Nation Building, Regional Cooperation and Global Participation), as showcased at www.gbengasesan.com/pnrg.htm.

Enjoy the holidays, but do not be like them that live life as it comes. Remember, the whole world will step aside for a (wo)man who has an idea of where (s)he is going!

The sixth day began in another city, Chennai (formerly known as Mandras), at the ISRO-MSSRF Village Resource Center (VRC) within the MSSRF Chennai office. Prof. Arunachalam welcomed participants and introduced his colleagues at the MSSRF office, and also informed delegates that video conferencing will be held with two VRCs (one of which is 60km from Chennai and 22km from Sri Lanka; and the other, 320 km from Chennai). Attempts were also made to reach another village and an expert, but the heavy rains caused system failure – even technology needs a conducive environment to be effective. After the introductions of Chennai staff, the Thankachimadam and Thiruvaiyaru VRC staff introduced themselves via the teleconference facilities. The knowledge worker from Thiruvaiyaru expressed his wish that participants would be with them physically but for the challenges (a natural disaster that led to the road to the village being severed), while hinting that a lot of interesting and historical monuments (temples, etc) dot the Thiruvaiyaru landscape.

He also described the programs the VRC is involved with, including the Microsoft Unlimited Potential, Open Knowledge activities, appropriate technology applications in agriculture, and more. He exhibited a plant that is used in jaundice conditions, chronicled as part of the traditional knowledge obtained from villagers and made public through community newspapers. From Thankachimadam, Nancy introduced the VRC staff (of which she is one), and told participants about their activities. Local knowledge is made available to the villagers along with capacity building programs, and the Microsoft Unlimited Potential program. Another VRC staff hinted that villagers’ needs are discovered during meetings, and this helps sharpen service delivery (especially training programs) of the center. The center tries to create a linkage between the fishing community and the government department by approaching the fishermen to enlighten them on available schemes. Apart from assisting the fishing community, they also address health problems (e.g. malaria) and keep a register of VRC users.

He stressed that they work with local organisations and government departments in their bid to meet village needs, such as the GPS-enabled fishing training for fishermen at the center, followed with practical demonstration on the sea for the fishermen. The center was also able to help the fishermen understand the way they can work with both GPS readings and other methods they have been used to before the training. The community newspaper is bimonthly, with static (education, fishing, health) and dynamic (seasonal) information. The participants from Uganda asked, “if the MSSRF funding is phased out, what strategies are in place to ensure sustainability of the center”? He responded that they try to generate income through different activities from the center (printing, etc) which can be used to run the center.

Participants took a break for coffee, after which Prof. Arunachalam gave a detailed description of the work that MSSRF foes with villages. He explained that the Village Resource Centre (VRC) serves as the hub that then makes information and other resources available to Village Knowledge Centers, which in turn get the utilizable information to the level of the Village Community Centers that work with the Self Help Groups, and others. He also hinted that their satellite access is made available for free, noting that their work is dedicated to the rural poor. Participants were introduced to the technical details of the satellite system that helps with data transfer. All centers are connected at a time, collecting all incoming videos using a 2 Mbps uplink capacity and 384kpbs for downlink – and the satellite in use is at an altitude of about 35,000km. The session held close to the satellite dish outside, but participants had to return to the video conference room when the rains came calling. Participants were introduced to the Multi-Commodity Exchange (MCE), which was established by government and collects daily market prices of selected goods. Data is then uploaded and made available to MSSRF at no cost (but others pay in form of subscriptions), and MSSRF then relays the information to villagers – so they can plan in advance without the fear of market price fluctuation. The MCE is similar in operation to the stock exchange, but doesn’t sell paper – it sells food items.

With the up-scaling of the exportation of farm produce, the art has become more sophisticated. For example, the farmer who is exporting flowers to Netherlands has to check the local price in the destination market, ensure that flowers are transferred under the right conditions and that goods are picked up at the right time. Consideration is also given after consideration of various target markets, considering distance, price (profit margin) and durability. Prof. Arunachalam explained that in order to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, precise care must be taken to invest in the poor – through such activities as the MCE information that will help them take advantage of the market. He insisted that ICT in itself is a tool, which is just one of the avenues through which development can be built. Technology helps overcome deficiencies, and all development should be people-centered – which explains the concept of working with communities. MSSRF technology solutions are deliberately designed with the people as partners in order to make the technology application appropriate. “People need to come before technology, in order for us to put the cart after the horse”, asserted Prof. Arunachalam.

MSSRF intends to replicate the MCE in all the regions, if it works successfully in Pondicherry. This is in line with the Mission 2007 plan that will help give access to the 638,000 villages in India. Prof. Arunachalam also spoke about Noah Samara’s WorldSpace, which works with the three satellites which help cover the world (AfricaStrat, AsiaStrat, and AmericaStrat). India is covered by the AfricaStrat, and 5% of the transponder space of WorldSpace satellites is allocated to free work while 95% is used for commercial purposes. The WorldSpace technology is used in the Open Knowledge Network (OKN) project, which allows content (in Tamil) and metadata (in English) to be moved from India to London, and then uploaded to a satellite within the fraction of a second (using 2 Mbps speed) – and this is now made available to the WorldSpace radio. This helps OKN link communities with relevant local content. Prof. Arunachalam invited Dr. Bawani to speak about MSSRF’s intervention in Food Security.

She spoke about the Food Security research that has been done, and the 3 publications that serve as outcomes of the process. The publication reports on the state of different stats in respect of food security. She noted that food security is not only about production, but more about access to food – with purchasing power as a more important factor than production sustainability (which India has been able to adequately take care of after the Green Evolution). Another important component is food absorption (nutrition security), which is also closely linked with the others. The mapping exercise used reliable secondary-level data published by the government and other institutions to select indicators such as per capita food production, per capita consumption level, per capita income/food access, and more. Taking the indicators, states were ranked and the food security maps of rural (60% of India’s population) and urban India were created. At the village level, work has also been done to help with food access, such as Food Grain Bank mechanism which lends grains to farmers – and they pay back (with interest) when during the next harvesting season. The community also contributes to the bank, as the concept is not new to the community. Work is being done in 10 villages in Orissa and 2 in Tamil Nadu (in partnership with other NGOs), and capacity building is ensured to ascertain sustainability. Case studies on the villages are being prepared at the moment.

After her presentation, Madam Faradani was invited to speak about the Virtual Academy, especially how the fellowship program is run, explaining that fellows are flagship people who manage resource and knowledge centers as volunteers. She hinted that the National Virtual Academy has a huge network of organisations that work at the grassroots level, who nominate potential fellows. For the present session, there are 800 nominations of which only 150 people will be awarded fellowships. The fellowship particularly looks for village people, who will continue to be in the villages, and are respected in the community – having done excellent work and demonstrated leadership qualities. These guidelines are sent out to partners and its fulfilling for the foundation to know that a huge number of people and resources are available within rural communities. The fellowship program intends to cover as many states as possible, having moved from six to fifteen states within the past 2 years. Gender is also one strong consideration that the academy puts into its programs. She noted that retention is an issue with the village fellows since most people are attracted to the urban area. Much of the focus is within the 26 to 55 age range and a clause in the fellowship program says that fellows have to be available in the village for the next five years.

The fellows are from diverse educational backgrounds; and a sample of competencies for the 2004/5 applicants include accounts, agriculture, ICT, education, animal husbandry, child welfare, coordinating, disasters, environment, health, information & documentation, livelihood, micro finance, mobilization and water. Fellows are used as resource persons along their line of expertise, and through the Microsoft Unlimited Potential Program (MUPP), more than 3,000 villagers have been trained by trainers who were themselves trained by Microsoft employees in India who pay their own way and volunteer to teach within the train-the-trainer model. It was clarified that the fellowship is not in itself a reward for past work, but an induction into a committed relationship with development work in the village each fellow represents. Fellows are trained in numerous areas, which they find useful in relaying valuable information to their villagers – they literally become village knowledge dispensers.

The Mission 2007 project hopes to train one woman and one man to serve as knowledge workers in all the 638,000 villages, and this was acknowledged as an ambitious – but achievable – task. India has more than 600 districts, but 150 of them are considered hunger hotspots. MSSRF’s next challenge is to set up 150 knowledge centers in these areas, which were identified after Prof. MS Swaminatham visited the locations by road. The last meeting of the Mission 2007 partners had the president in attendance, and cabinet ministers. The President declared public support for the initiative, gave out fellowship certificates, and even chaired a session. The Minister in charge of Information Technology promised that his department will set up 100,000 centers, the Minister in charge of village leaders promised to ask all village leaders to provide free buildings and electricity for the knowledge centers, and the Finance Minister promised that if the Mission 2007 partners are able to establish 10,000 centers before February, the $1.5b needed for the project will be reflected in the budget to be drafted in March. After these amazing discussions, and a question on the trust that the government promises will be fulfilled, participants left for the lunch break.

After lunch, participants returned to the video conferencing session, to meet with volunteers and knowledge workers from the Thankachimadam village. Nancy (center worker) started by requesting for more information about the participants, and sought feedback on thoughts about the work being done at the village. Every second Saturday, workers from different village knowledge centers meet to discuss their success stories and challenges. She also displayed the electronic board used by fishermen as a reliable source of information for potential fishing zones. Fishermen use tools empowered by Global Positioning Systems (GPS) in order to know what regions of the sea would be best for fishing. We returned (electronically, that is) to Thiruvaiyaru, where the knowledge workers spoke a bit more about what they do. At the moment, the center is providing training on irrigation management to the local community. He spoke about their relationship with VKCs, through which they make information available to the villages – using internet technology. He also spoke about one of their trainees (through the Microsoft Unlimited Potential Program), who has since been able to gain employment. The VRC serves as an entrepreneurship development center for women and farmers.

As soon as a knowledge worker began his input, there was power failure in Chennai, so we had to call off the teleconference session and then visited the Plant Tissue Culture and Bio-prospecting Laboratory, where the senior research fellow hinted that the laboratory focuses on endangered plants which may have unknown medical properties. After a possible discovery, the successful plants are introduced into the market. Plants are cultured through plant tissue cultivation, which helps multiply one plant into up to a thousand through the tissue cultivation process. They presently work with the mangrove plant which has medicinal properties. From there, participants moved to the Lichen Prospecting Laboratory, where work is done on the ecological and economic potentials of lichens, through a process that involves obtaining large scale qualitative data, culturing under appropriate conditions and more. A valuable observation has been made but it will soon be published after the discovery is properly documented and patented – ahead of social value for users.

After this, it was time for the Plant Molecular Biology Laboratory. The laboratory manager spoke about the development of salinity tolerant crop plants through transgenic approach. Drought tolerance is also one are where work has been done, with rice plant being the beneficiary in this case. And due to high pollution of land because of oil (for example) the laboratory is doing research on how to prevent the action of heavy metals on plants. Prof. Arunachalam resumed discussions with participants, and hinted that the philosophy of the center is that science and technology must be beneficial to the people in order for it to have real meaning. Policy, research and action must reflect this philosophy – hence the synergy between laboratory work, information and communication technologies, and more; towards the eradication of poverty and development as a holistic effort, and not piecemeal. He highlighted the different groups within the MSSRF family, which include Informatics, Biotechnology, Eco-technology, Gender, Media Resource Center, Gene Bank, and Food Security.

After coffee break, Thiruvaiyaru knowledge workers resumed discussions with participants during which various questions were met with appropriate answers. Sylvie (Congo Brazzaville) wanted to know how they get information for the community newspaper, and what kind of content it was responsible for pushing into the public space. The knowledge worker replied that information is sourced from various government departments and other sources (including traditional knowledge from the OKN project) in order to make such available to the communities. Claudia (Paraguay) congratulated the knowledge workers, and stated that Latin America has a lot to learn from India on all the work that has been done at the village. The session ended with a brief overview of what the last 2 days will look like, by Prof. Arunachalam. I will be leaving in the next few hours, but hope to stay in touch with the process, and will particularly be interested in follow-up discussions that will hold on the C3 Mailing list, as set up by MSSRF.

It has been a great experience, and while I may be able to say more than 67% of Veni, Vidi, vici; I am sure that my participation will translate into action, for Nigeria, and Africa – at the very list. My first task is to weave a fine thread of continuity between this experience and the ongoing projects that I am involved with. To GKP and MSSRF, I say Nandri!