OpenIT@giz – Open Innovation for Development
Author: Balthas Seibold
, Date: 2003/10/14
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).
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
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Tools
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Objectives
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Strengthening capacities of the ICT sector
Fostering key ICT innovations
Using ICTs as enabling tools for poverty reduction
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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
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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
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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]
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]
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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