Abstract:
In 2007, a group of international academics in the fields of Information
Technology, Philosophy and Politics came together to form an academic
network. This network is known as the African Network on Information Ethics
(ANIE). ANIE identified a gap in the academic representation of the African
Continent on the global stage, specifically pertaining to Information Ethics, and
therefore started organising events to stimulate research on Information Ethics
in Africa. The aim of this article is to give an overview of the activities that took
place from 2007 to 2012 which include international conferences, workshops
and publications. The methodology includes the study of conference and
workshop presentations by internationally acclaimed academics; analysis of the
ANIE website, the outcomes and reports from workshops and conferences
organised on the topic of Information Ethics in Africa and the minutes of
meetings related to Information Ethics in Africa. The methodology secondly
comprises of a chronological layout of activities related to Information Ethics
in Africa since the Information Ethics Conference in 2007 up to the formal
establishment of the African Centre of Excellence for Information Ethics
(ACEIE) in May 2012. The result of this international collaboration has led to a
partnership with the South African National Department of Communications,
the United Nations Education, Scientific and Culture Organisation (UNESCO)
and various universities across Africa. Finally, this collaboration contributed to
the establishment of ACEIE.
