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OpenIT@giz – Open Innovation for Development

OpenIT@giz supports its partners in Africa and Asia to provide advanced knowledge in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), Open Innovation and Open Source Software. The key objectives of the OpenIT@giz programs (formerly: it@inwent programms) are to strengthen IT sectors, foster open innovation for sustainable economic development, and use ICTs as enabling tools for poverty reduction.

Key themes of OpenIT@giz are Free and Open Source Software and its business models, the interaction of intellectual property rights and open innovation, the knowledge commons, open licences and collaborative innovation in Africa and Southeast Asia. Our main goal is to foster the freedom to innovate - in IT and beyond.

Open IT@giz focuses on providing advanced IT training and building regional peer-to-peer expert networks as part of Human Capacity Building of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. GIZ was formed on 1 January 2011. It brings together the long-standing expertise of 'InWEnt – Capacity Building International, Germany', the 'Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH' (German Technical Cooperation) and the 'Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst (DED) gGmbH' (German Development Service).

Strategy and Tools

OpenIT@giz strengthens key local actors and multipliers who develop, realize, and disseminate innovative and relevant ICT solutions for development. Our main partners are ICT businesses and educational institutions, software developers, small and medium enterprises (SME), cooperatives, and decision-makers. By contributing to establish local structures and to reinforce local capacities for technology development and application, we help empower sustainable, locally-driven social and economic development.

We support our local partners with diverse tools of capacity development and South-South/North-South networking. Our three strategic pillars are 1) to strengthen the capacities of IT sectors, 2) to foster key innovations in ICT for development, and 3) to use ICT as enabling tools for poverty reduction.

In all of our activities, we blend the three strategic pillars and select the appropriate tools in a holistic approach, according to the needs of our partners.

Strategic Pillars

Tools

Objectives

Strengthening capacities of the ICT sector




Fostering key ICT innovations




Using ICTs as enabling tools for poverty reduction

Capacity Building

One-year training program in Germany

Local IT training courses

Blended Learning courses

Knowledge sharing conferences and learning seminars

Consulting on business models and technologies

Institutional development

Support to local centers of excellence

Networking

Regional network stimulation

Regional and international networking
events

Facilitation of online cooperation

Match Making

ICT business opportunities

ICT trainer pools

Example: it@ab


Local software development

Innovative ICT solutions for economic and social development

Example: it@foss


Access to knowledge for non-ICT experts, e.g. cooperatives, SMEs, government bodies

ICT-enabled effective work and cooperation

Exampls: it@coops

Context of the OpenIT@giz Activities

In the efforts towards knowledge-driven empowerment and economic growth through ICT applications in the global South, GIZ (fomerly:InWEnt) contributes its particular competencies – capacity development and international dialogue - to strengthen local professionals. [More on the Context of OpenIT@giz (formerly: it@inwent) Activities]

OpenIT@giz Team

We are a core team of project managers at GIZ Bonn, Germany and Africa working with a range of training partners and other stakeholders. [More about our Team]

More about GIZ.

Open IT@giz is part of the Human Capacity Building Initiatives of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. [More about GIZ]


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