Workshop on ICTs in Legislative Processes

INTRODUCTION

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are playing critical role in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of legislative processes. Legislatures are using them to manage proceedings and records keeping, enhance communication process, improve tracking capacity, establish new deliberative platforms and promote better public accessibly.

ICTs also allow the Legislature to organize its own self-generated information in a more efficient way. By using the website; it gives visibility to its work, such that members of the public would always be in the know of what it is doing. It would also readily receive feedback from the public on its activities.

The world is being profoundly changed by ICTs. Part of this change is the way in which we do things. In more ICT-endowed countries, ICTs have provided the mechanism and framework of what is now variously called E-government, parliamentonline, virtual parliament, etc. In a number of countries, the activities of all branches of governments are conducted online. In Nigeria, there are two constrains. The first is the level of the ICT infrastructure in the country. This is already being addressed by various government efforts.

Various state governments have been developing and deploying various ICTs initiatives. Many of these have important issues that require legislation. Still more, their implementation require the Legislature to play its oversight role in ensuring that they are being implemented in accordance with legislative approval. All these require members of the Legislature to have an enhanced capacity to analyze legislative issues in relation to ICT deployment and use, and how they could convert these issues to legislative bills as well as monitor their implementation.

KEY OBJECTIVES OF THE WORKSHOP

Accordingly, this proposal is aimed at building the capacity of the Legislature to use ICTs in discharging its mandate. The specific objectives of the workshop are:

1. To introduce participants to the use of ICTs for legislative processes;

2. To introduce the participants to the use of internet as a source of legislative information;

3. To build the capacity of the Legislators to maintain official and personal websites relating to their duties as members of the Legislature

4. To identify legislative issues in the deployment and use of ICTs by State Governments

5. To introduce participants to how ICT initiatives can be analyzed

6. Examine the role of ICTs in development

TARGET PARTICIPANTS

The participants for the workshop shall be drawn from the following:

· Speakers of State House of Assembly

· Chairmen and Committee Members of Relevant Committees from State Houses of Assembly (Education, ICT, etc)

· Principal Officers of the State Houses of Assembly

· Special Advisers and Special Assistants to Governors on Information Technology/ICTs

SUB-THEMES:

  • Understanding ICTs and its uses in Legislative Processes
  • ICTs as Research Tools in Legislative Work
  • The Concept of e-parliament and its requirements
  • Developing Member’s Constituency Website
  • ICTs in Parliament: A Case Study of Malaysia
  • ICTs in Parliament: A Case Study of USA
  • ICTs in Parliament: the Prospects and Problems in Nigeria
  • Role of Parliament in advancing the Information Society
  • Legislative Issues in the Deployment of ICTs
  • Capacity in ICT Project Analysis

RESOURCE PERSONS

Resource persons are drawn from Malaysian, USA and Nigerian IT professionals, researchers and legislative experts. They include Dr. Omid N. Mazandarani (Malaysia), Yap Sing Nian (Malaysia), Brandon Chan Siew Hon. (Malaysia), Dr. Bashir Galadanaci (Nigeria), Y. Z. Ya’u (Nigeria) and Prof. Paul Lubeck (USA).

WORKSHOP ACTIVITIES

Participants will travel to Malaysia for a week. Two of the days will be taken by travel. Four days will be spent on the workshop including visits to relevant sites, agencies and legislative complex. The final day will be free to allow the participants to do site seeing and shopping.

WORKSHOP DATES: 22-29, MARCH, 2009

VENUE OF THE WORKSHOP

The workshop will take place at Conference Centre of the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, Cyberjaya, Kuala Lumpur, located within the ICT Super Corridor of Malaysia

ORGANIZERS

Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (www.limkokwing.edu.my and www.limkokwing.net): Established by advertising guru and communication maestro turned educationist extraordinaire Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Lim Kok Wing in 1992, Limkokwing University of Creative Technology is one of the Malaysian leading universities. With strong links with industry, Limkokwing’s mission is shaping the human hearts and minds to power global transformations. Limkokwing University is triggering a global change in education. It is advocating the replacement of old system with ones that adequately prepare young people to face new challenges unique to the world as it is today and as it will become tomorrow. A truly global university, today, Limkokwing University has campuses in seven countries, namely United Kingdom, Botswana, Indonesia, Cambodia, Lesotho, China and of course in Malaysia.

CITAD (www.citad.org and www.citad.interconnection.org): Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) was established in 2000 as a capacity building organization in the areas of ICTs, research, training and advocacy. Its overall aim is to provide guidelines informed by both research and practice on how ICTs could be properly deployed in the efforts to promote sustainable development and good governance. CITAD has consulted for a number of organizations including the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NIDTA), Kano State Government and is capacity building partner for many government agencies and schools. It has organized several ICT workshops such as two successful rounds of e-Education workshops in Kano (12-14, October 2005) and Bauchi (1-3, December 2005), ICT Entrepreneurship (2007) and ICT and Employability (2008)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION, CONTACT:

  1. Kano: CITAD, Flat 3, First Floor, White House, Zumunchi Stores Building, BUK Road, P. O. Box 10210, Kofar Kabuga, Kano, Nigeria (08056180208, 08054362931), citadev@gmail.com
  2. Abuja: CISLAC, No. 5, Muhathma Gandhi Street, Off Shehu Shagari Way, By Bullet Garden , Area 11, Garki, Abuja 08033844646)
  3. Dutse: CITAD Office, No. 22B, Hakimi Street, Gida Dubu, Yadi, Dutse, Jigawa State (08027523751, 08068078282), yzy@citad.org