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Improving Information and Communications in Africa- May 2006
Around 250 participants attended the International Association of Agricultural Information Specialists Africa Conference (IAALD-Africa) May 21 - 26 2006 in Nairobi, Kenya. The theme of the Conference was Managing Agricultural Information for Sustainable Food Security and Improved Livelihoods in Africa.
The main objectives of the conference were as follows:
- To showcase promising agricultural information activities and results in Africa.
- To exchange ideas and help develop the skills of African agricultural information specialists in information handling and management.
- To create a platform where agriculture information professionals, scientists and other stakeholders interested in African agricultural information can interact and learn from each other’s experiences.
- To establish and launch an African chapter or network of IAALD, in partnership with other interested groups.
The CGIAR Library & Information Managers hosted an informational meeting to promote the CGIAR Virtual library, a website which allows users to search both CGIAR and non-CGIAR publications and other resources through dozens of libraries and databases around the world.
Staff of the ILRI Infocentre set up and manned the CGIAR booth where CGIAR publications and posters were displayed.
Final recommendations from participants at the IAALD Meeting included a call for African researchers and journals to embrace open access; greater attention to be rendered to ICT and information 'investment' policies and plans; further capacity strengthening to extend access to information; and exploration of innovative means to share knowledge. Finally, the IAALD Africa Chapter was launched and an interim Executive Committee was elected to oversee the formation of the Chapter.
 CGIAR Booth at Conference
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