Open Source Software Africa

Africa can and should benefit a lot from Open Source Software (OSS). But are we doing that or we are still paying heavy licenses even on software that has a much better and stable counter part in the OSS community.  Where are missing it and what can we do to fix this?

Innovation is vital to competitiveness and economic growth. It is about bringing new ideas to the market place and finding new ways to do things which goes beyond invention, and encompasses the creative application of technologies, knowledge, processes and ideas to some useful purpose. Hence this most significant and timely meeting in the continent as the impact of free open source software (FOSS) in Africa remain of primary concern & focus for this event. This Conference examines the use of free and open source software (FOSS) as roots for Innovation and suggests a regional framework of action to be taken by governments and the international community in order to maintain a sustainable Information and Communication Technology 

Open Source Software has gained increasing popularity and utilisation in commercial and governmental organisations. The rise of free open source software has forced the software industry to both lower prices and invest more in product innovation, thus playing a vital role in transforming the industry. Businesses, however, are still struggling to incorporate free OSS into their overall strategy and perceiving the impact this has in the various elements constituting their commercial ventures. Furthermore, although many governments have official policies on the use of free OSS, little is understood as to the integration of free OSS into their information technology systems and where the responsibility for implementation and support lies. (Ernest Mamasela) 

Join and Follow in LinkedIn