Graduation Ceremony and Presentation of Professional Development Certificates for the African Leadership in ICT (ALICT) Course – Golden Peacock, Lilongwe 2 December 2014.

Gift Kadzamira (right) receives the best achiever award at the 2014 ALICT graduation. From left to right, Mary Hooker the GESCI facilitator, Anthony Muyepa-DG NCST, Ronald Phiri

The Director General of the National Commission for Science and Technology in Malawi presided over the Graduation Ceremony and Presentation of Professional Development Certificates to successful candidates who completed the seven months African Leadership in ICT (ALICT) Course.

The event was held on    2 December 2014 at the Hotel Golden Peacock in Lilongwe.

The event was organised by the Global e-Schools and Communities Initiative (GESCI) founded by the UN ICT Task Force. GESCI in collaboration with the Africa Union Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland offered the blended learning programme for participants from 13 Eastern, Western and Southern  Africa countries.

A total of 248 graduates of mid to high-level public servants participated in the course. Out of this, 21 participants were from Malawi.

NCST Chief of Documentation and Information Services – Mr. H. Gausi receiving certificate

The programme helps to build visioning, strategic planning and policy making capacities to build and implement coherent policies for Knowledge society development.

The programme enhances capacities in ICT, Education and Science, Technology and Innovation as the key drivers of Knowledge Society development.

Course Vision

Work with future African leaders in ministries and organisations to advance knowledge society development across Africa.

Course Objectives

• Equips future African leaders with a commanding understanding of the key elements in the development of knowledge societies.
• Builds future leaders’ capacities to be agents of change in their ministries, organisations and regions for the development of knowledge societies.

Graduands of the 2014 ALICT programme pose for a group photo

Course Duration

• 7 months
• 10 hours a week (guideline)
• 50% online learning
• 50% offline self‐study (or as required to complete course work to a satisfactory standard)

Course Delivery
The course is delivered by a blended learning approach whereby participants learn both online and in face‐to‐face settings:

Through the ALICT virtual workspace participants access learning materials, engage in discussion, and complete group assignments with the support of e‐tutors.
Key elements of the course are delivered in face‐to‐face workshops: Orientation, Futures Thinking and the development of a Policy Coherence Roadmap.