The third workshop part focused on concrete recommendations by the workshop participants for the ict@innovation FOSS Certification programme. The outcomes provide building blocks as an input to detailed programme planning and development.

Short-Term and Long-Term Perspectives

• The ideal vision of FOSS certification in Africa, and what would be feasible in the short term, within the duration of the remaining 2 years of the ict@innovation programme, diverged.

Reasons for past challenges with international FOSS certifications in Africa

Several attempts to promote FOSS certification in Africa have been made in the past. However, at this point they are not widely known nor available in African countries. We discussed the possible reasons for past failures (which we want to avoid in the ict@innovation approach).

Training and Certification Criteria

Question to the group:

Which criteria do we need to consider when designing the ict@innovation FOSS certification programme? What are the issues regarding these criteria? And how do existing FOSS training and certification schemes meet these criteria?

FOSS Certification Planning Workshop Overview

Date: 15 – 17 October 2008
Location: Sunnyside Park Hotel, Johannesburg
Number of Participants: 21 people, including facilitators
Countries: South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Ghana, Germany

Workshop Outline

The overall workshop objective was

== Strategic partners ==

FOSSFA, UWC, UNU Merit, it@ab, Meraka Institute, ...

== Training Partners (Participants) ==

* include business schools!
* several participants expressed interest in being a training partner

== Other Stakeholders to involve ==
e.g.

Summarized discussion points are added (> bullet points).

== Indicators ==

1. Number and relevance of captured business models, which are promising within African context
* You first need to establish your baselines against which to measure your success.

2. Numbers of modules of open, relevant and hands-on training material

3. Number of intermediaries with improved knowledge base and problem solving abilities

4.

The summarized discussion points are added to each activity (> bullet points).

== Pillar 1: African Business Models and Skills for ICT-based SMEs ==

== Performance Objective ==

ICT associations, their members, ICT-training institutions, universities as well as of other change agents of the ICT field know about regional best practices and compile examples of adapted business models and marketing-related skills in the field of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS).

* Steering InWEnt: Balthas Seibold, Petra Hagemann
* Steering FOSSFA: James Wire Lunghabo
* International Coordination: Andrea Goetzke, Geraldine de Bastion (newthinking communications)
* African Coordinator: George Nyambuya
* Advisory Board: Nnenna Nwakanma (FOSSFA), Thandikile Mbvundula (OSISA), Balthas Seibold (InWEnt), Petra Hagemann (InWEnt), John Maddog Hall (Linux Int.), Kim Tucker (Meraka Institute), Rishab Aiyer Ghosh (UNU-Merit) further African representatives TBD (from academia, business ...)
* Programme Coordinators and trainers Pillar A, B, C: TBD (Tendering Process)
* Strat

The topic of African FOSS Business Models was explored. What are good business models for FOSS in African countries? What are the experiences of participants?

In several articles, we summarize the outcomes of the FOSS business planning workshop discussions (as recalled afterwards). The text was initially in a wiki format, to provide an opportunity for the community to share comments, edits, additions and further thoughts and ideas.

The workshop outcomes were first published on the Wikieducator, before they were moved here to the ict@innovation portal.