The main objectives of the 2007 conference and exhibition are as follow:

Awareness-raising

The rationale and choices made by CSOs in relation to their ICT applications are influenced by their awareness and perceptions of available technologies and the need for such tools.

The 2007 conference will focus on the ICT challenges facing the CSO sector, highlighting and promoting practical benefits, opportunities and lessons learned to date. It will provide both CSOs that are ICT-enabled, as well as those organisations that are considering introducing ICT solutions to their work, with an important opportunity to discuss critical issues of common concern and learn from one another’s experiences.

A number of specific interventions will ensure that participants are exposed to important ICT developments of direct relevance to the CSO sector:

• SANGONeT will present the results of its research study on the “State of ICTs in the South African NGO Sector” at the conference. The study focuses on how South African CSOs have grasped the significance of the Internet as a tool to strengthen and promote their work.
• SANGONeT will announce the winners of the “South African NGO Web Awards 2007”. Starting in April 2007, SANGONeT will run a competition to identify the best South African NGO websites. For more information about the competition, click here.
• An ICT Exhibition will run concurrently with the conference. The exhibition provides CSOs and ICT service providers with an opportunity to showcase their ICT products and the latest technological developments to a large captive audience. For many ICT companies this will most probably be their first direct exposure to the CSO sector.
  
• The new and expanded SANGOTeCH service will be launched at the conference.

All these interventions, as well as the conference as a whole, will hopefully result in greater awareness and adoption of ICT, thereby maximising the activities of CSOs and contributing to strengthening the sector as a whole.

Skills Transfer

The conference will bring together a large number of Southern African CSOs to discuss and debate a wide range of ICT issues in plenary and break-away sessions, and to participate in technology demonstrations and practical training sessions which will cover a range of topics to enhance the ICT skills of participants.

The varied and comprehensive programme will cater for all needs and interests, from basic introductory training sessions to the discussion of cutting edge developments.

The objective is to expose participants to a wide range of ICT policy and practical issues, and to empower them with information and skills to strengthen their understanding of the role and relevance of ICTs in support of their work, as well as their participation in ICT-related policy and advocacy processes. In this regard, the conference serves as a platform to engage with ICT policy issues from a development perspective and cultivate a culture of activism in relation to digital divide issues.

Networking

The conference programme, exhibition and two social functions (gala dinner and farewell reception) will provide participants with much opportunity for networking and information-sharing.

The SANGONeT conference is a unique event on the civil society calendar and every effort will be made to ensure that it is a memorable experience for all participants.

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