Dear Guest of honor,
Dr. Florens Turuka, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communication, Science and Technology and Tanzania Global Development Learning Centre (TGDLC) Board Chairman,
- Dear Mr. Nishanta and Mr. Li, Representative Delegates of the GDLN Asia Pacific Region,
- Colleagues of the GDLN Asia Pacific Region,
- Members of the GDLN and AADLC,
- Distinguished guests,
- Ladies and Gentlemen

I want first of all to thank God who has given us again this privilege to meet here in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania for the 10th Annual Regional Meeting of the Association in African Distance Learning Centres. I want also to thank you all sincerely, on behalf of AADLC and on my own behalf, for accepting to be with us this morning despite your busy agendas.

As you probably know, the AADLC has gained a place of choice within the group of most prestigious organizations in our continent, using ICT in the area of Education and training during this last 8 years of its existence.

With its 15 operational affiliates out of the more than 120 which compose the GDLN today, AADLC is incontestably, one of its more performant branch. The African network is still growing year after year with new DLCs joining and I want to take this opportunity to welcome again our colleagues from Cameroon DLC which just join the family.

In today’s world, particularly in the developing world, we are facing multiple challenges through the need for growth acceleration, poverty reduction strategies and good governance practices. In such environment, the acquisition of knowledge still remains, more than ever, the major key and the most reliable pathway.

For this reason, most of our countries dedicate today a very important part of their national budget to the Education and Training sector with an objective of all-inclusive education. Governments in Africa and the developing world have mostly multiplied initiatives in this area with the support of development partners such as the World Bank, Civil Society actors, national and international organizations.

However, despite the encouraging results and dedicated efforts to have a sufficient number of teachers and to build more and more physical schools up to most remote areas of our countries, it is still necessary to envisage alternative solutions to face an increasing education demand and need.

Distance Education remains one of the most fundamental tool which will enable us to meet this objective in a relatively short period of time and with synergy in actions that are being undertaken and in a cost-effective manner.

Technology will contribute in facilitating access to information and to get a democratization of the knowledge needed to better conduct development policies and actions in our developing and emerging countries.

We should all agree that this millennium symbolize the entrance of our society into the communication and information era, materialized by the actual context of globalization.

An important part of our future and common destiny is being played inside the information society, which from South to North, form East to West, is changing, not only our information, communication, production and consumption modes, but also, our reflection and creation modes, giving to our youth population new fantastic perspectives.

Our Association is trying everyday to contribute in facing, in an effective, efficient and sustainable way, all these challenges with colleagues of other GDLN Regions. Besides, this is one of the main reason of the join organizations of Regional Meetings of Africa and Asia Pacific this year in Africa, after the organization yesterday and the day before of the first GDLN Global Business Meeting also here in Dar Es Salaam with the participation of representatives from all GDLN regional entities.

Our Association has reached today a crucial phase of its development. It is facing today several challenges among which the question of the viability and sustainability of DLCs.

Therefore, we would like to share with all of you a certain number of thoughts, convictions, as stressing the problem of Capacity Development, we would also touch certainly to a fundamental human right, but also to a progress accelerator on the way to democracy, development and peace.

Indeed, injecting financial means in our economies won’t be enough to overcome development and poverty challenges. We need more conscious, open-minded Human Resources, always involved in Capacity Development programs to consolidate their knowledge, their experiences within themselves locally, among themselves on a south-south context but also with the rest of the world.

With it 8 candels, AADLC is in its development, consolidation and expansion phase. It has contributed so far to the development of capacities of about more than 300,000 people all over the continent from year 2000 to 2010 despite the different challenges and difficulties. With the support of governments in building in-country networks to extend the reach and impacts of sites in capital cities, much more and better results will be achieved.

This is a major challenge we need to face together. Indeed, we should create a large convergence on policies and national, sub-regional, regional and international strategies, enabling an effective and impactful reduction of the digital divide.

African policy makers are becoming more conscious on the nature of energetic measures to be adopted and implemented in every country, in sub-regions and in the continent as a whole, to avoid the marginalization of Africa, and on another way, to ensure its beneficial and successful maintaining into the Information Society.

The creation of AADLC should be taken as a response to better face this challenge and to better include its actions in the context of the needed continental synergy under the lead of the Africa Union.

It is in forums like these gatherings of the GDLN family here in Africa these last ten days where we come to participate in order to benefit from rich and diverse competencies and experiences, to continue with each of you the thoughts and the implementation of adapted and contextualized projects to our African ambitions.

In the same way, ELA Conferences organized in the continent since 2006 and with the 6th edition just being completed last week here in Dar Es Salaam, give us always the measure of what such events can offer in term of experience and sharing of opportunities.

Within AADLC and GDLN, we still have a long challenging way to go.

But, I am very optimistic and convinced we can face and overcome the different challenges if we stay and remain unified and if we continue to show this generosity in the sharing of experiences and best practices which is the main strength of our network.
We must show mutual confidence and trust among ourselves, rely on ourselves and on our “Africanity” which remains a key strength, an asset and a wealth for every African.

This mobilization is so important, as an Education and Training network is not only a group of institutions in which knowledge is transmitted but also a place where you get the consolidation of future dispositions to live together, in trust with others, a place where people of collective future learn to know each other.

With determination and commitment we will go home with solutions to our immediate problems and with promising perspectives for our future as organizations and institutions.

The Ambition of AADLC today is to be considered as the real arm of African governments and as a tool on their disposal to accelerate with a real synergy our continental policy in the field of Capacity Development using ICT.

I want now to conclude my address by expressing on behalf of my AADLC colleagues and on my own behalf, our gratitude and sincere thanks to the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania for the support being provided to the TGDLC and the AADLC. This commitment in Capacity Development activities and projects is being an example of best practices for all the rest of the continent.

My thanks are also conveyed to our partners, mainly the World Bank and also to our Asian colleagues who have shown through their visit to Africa the right way to the whole Network on how to make the “G” of GDLN real.

To my colleagues who have been always shown confidence on me to lead the destiny of our organization, please find here the expression of my gratitude, recognition, satisfaction and encouragements to continue in a loyal and fraternal collaboration.

Special thanks are expressed to particularly Mr Charles SENKONDO, Director of the TGDLC and General Secretary of the AADLC and to his all team for their warm welcome and hospitality and also for making everything possible to ensure the success of our meetings and to put Tanzania on the spot as the World Capital city for the use of ICT in Education for this year 2011.

Thanks for your attention.
Asanti sana.