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| Name | Gemma Brice (Ken) Lohento |
| Institution | PANOS West Africa |
| Nationality | Beninese |
| Country of Residence | Senegal |
| Nominated by | Karen Banks
APC |
| Endorsed by ACSIS | ACSIS - (African Civil Society for the Information Society) |
| Nationality | Beninese |
| Country of Residence | Senegal |
| Gender | Male |
| Short Bio relevant to Internet Governance | Ken LOHENTO, 33, Beninese, holds a Master of Research Degree in Information and Communication (Paris X University - France). He works for the Panos Institute West Africa (PIWA www.panos-ao.org), based in Senegal, where he coordinates (among others) a project called CIPACO www.cipaco.org. The CIPACO (Center for International ICT Policies for Central and West Africa) aims at strengthening stakeholders' capacities in West and Central Africa, for meaningful participation in ICT policy decision-making processes, notably at the international level. At PIWA, he manages websites, organizes workshops, e-debates and coordinates reports on issues such as the regulation of convergence, media and ICTs, Internet Governance, Intellectual Property Rights in the information society, Internet Exchange Points, African participation in WSIS, Universal Access, etc. He actively contributed in the various phases on the WSIS process, first on a voluntary basis and now as coordinator of the CIPACO project. He participated in the following WSIS meetings : Geneva summit in 2003, African regional preparatory meeting in Accra 2005, 3rd WSIS 2 Prepcom in Geneva (as WGIG intern), WSIS Tunis Summit in Tunisia. He is member of the WSIS Internet Governance Caucus, the WSIS Civil Society Plenary Caucus, the African Civil Society WSIS Caucus.
He has worked as consultant for various institutions in the area of ICT4D (UNDP-Benin, AIF (International Francophone Agency), UNESCO-Paris (Community Multimedia Centers project), Association for Progressive Communication (APC), etc.). He also has collaborated on a voluntary basis for many African civil society initiatives (Iafric www.iafric.net, Oridev http://www.oridev.org Africa_net
www.reseauafricanet.org, African Civil Society for the Information Society (ACSIS), etc., some of which he initiated. He also participated in various international initiatives, such as the Global Community Network Partnership (GCNP http://www.vecam.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=9), the World Forum on Community Networking http://lecarrefour.org, the ANAIS network, Africanti www.africanti.org. He wrote several reports or articles on knowledge mediation in rural areas, ICT policies in Benin and French speaking countries, Multistakeholder partnerships in Africa, Civil society involvement in ICT policies in Africa, ICT uses, etc. For more information, see his website here www.iafric.net/benin.
He is native of a French speaking country and has very good knowledge of English (written and spoken). |
| Why the (self)nominee is a good choice for the IGF | Due to my work experience in relation to ICT4D in general and Internet governance in particular (on voluntary or contractual basis with various local and international institutions), I have the necessary skills and motivations to serve in the MAG. I also think that it's crucial for the development of knowledge societies and economies that, at the global level, effective mechanisms to face key public policy issues in relation to IG are analyzed and put in place. And it's also of a vital importance that the issues dealt with, as well as the mechanisms put in place to handle them, serve the interest of the regions and communities that are most underprivileged today. With my background and interest, I hope to contribute to achieving these objectives.
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| Capacity to serve on MAG | I am willing to serve on the MAG (Ken Lohento) |
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