Overview

As the rest of the developing world moves to the new economy driven by the Internet and technology, Somalia must build on the lessons they have learned throughout their efforts to climb to the top. The theme of SomNOG’s annual conference for this year has been purposefully selected to create awareness of the importance of digital transformation, inform policy-makers, and inspire action.
SomNOG4 is the 4th annual conference organized by the Somali Network Operators’ Group. The two-day event will bring together professionals from the ICT sector, policy-makers, Internet service providers, academics, and other stakeholders. The goal is to provide a platform to discuss current issues facing the ICT sector and explore development opportunities and ideas for growth.

Conference Theme

Digital Somalia: Laying the Foundations for the Next Economy

This year’s event will comprise of four segments in which the following sub-themes will be examined.

Sub-theme 1: Critical infrastructure for a digitally-transformed society

Sub-theme 2: Skills and human capital as the foundations for a digital economy

Sub-theme 3: Effective policy-making and the role of partnerships in building our digital economy

Sub-theme 4: Innovation and new service delivery models in the public and private sector

Call for Abstracts and Presentations

SomNOG invites qualified professionals, academics and researchers to contribute to this premier event. Interested contributors may send an email to the conference’s email address or submit online their abstracts and/or presentations. 20 presentations will be selected based on the innovativeness of the concepts and relevance to the theme of the conferece. Below are suggested topics under the four sub-themes for reference and should not be considered as a definitive, comprehensive list:

Sub-theme 1: Critical infrastructure for a digitally-transformed society

  • Network infrastructure development
  • ICT infrastructure financing
  • Internet access and service coverage
  • Challenges to infrastructure deployments faced by operators and service providers
  • Internet infrastructure developments in Somalia (fiber optic deployments, Internet upstream providers and landing stations, etc.)
  • Somali Internet traffic routes
  • The prospects of Internet infrastructure in Somalia
  • Internet security and the cost of going digital

Sub-theme 2: Skills and human capital as the foundations for a digital economy

  • Digital skill gaps and opportunities for development
  • Ideas for improving digital skills in the country
  • The role of the universities and professional communities in bridging the skill gaps
  • Human development indicators relevant to digital economy
  • Problem based learning and skill based learning at the Somali universities
  • The potential of digital literacy initiatives to drive the digital economy

Sub-theme 3: Effective policy-making and the role of partnerships in building our digital economy

  • Effective policy development and digital economy
  • PPP approaches to build the foundations for the digital economy
  • The telecommunications competitive landscape and opportunities for collaboration
  • Measuring the impact of the telecommunications act two years after its passing
  • Policy amendment proposals for nurturing the digital economy
  • Professional associations and unions

Sub-theme 4: Innovation and new service delivery models in the public and private sector

  • eGovernment ideas for public service delivery
  • Innovative digital business models relevant to the Somali context
  • Innovation in the public sector
  • Innovation in the private sector
  • Digital transformation case studies in the ICT, education, research, governance, retail and other sectors

 

Plenary Sessions

Each session will have a series of informative and inspiring presentations by professionals and experts in their respective domains. The sessions will be concluded with a plenary session and discussions among the participants.

As with previous conferences, the report of the proceedings of the conference will be published towards the end of 2019. The individual abstracts and presentations will be shared on the conference page.

About SomNOG

Somali Network Operators’ Group (SomNOG) is a forum for Somali networking and Internet technology professionals to develop technical competencies, share experiences and collaborate through training and research in networking and Internet technologies. SomNOG is a non-profit organization run by volunteers which aim to contribute to the growing eco-system of Internet service providers and consumers by building relevant technology expertise. Participation in SomNOG’s activities is open to anyone interested in sharing their experiences and technical knowledge or learning from others. SomNOG’s moto is “Towards a better Internet, through effective collaboration.”

Fourth Annual Event of the Somali Network Operators’ Group

SomNOG4, the fourth annual event of SomNOG will be held in Mogadishu between 19th – 25th October 2019. This year’s event will comprise of the following activities:

  1. SomNOG Workshops 19th – 22nd October

Annual technical capacity building program will consist of two concurrent workshops on Internet and network technologies. The hands-on workshops are intended to upskill the working professionals and graduates in ICT, Telecommunications, and related disciplines.

    2. Technical Sessions and Tutorials

Technical sessions and tutorials: 6 concurrently-organized tutorial sessions will be held to impart skills and knowhow on specific topics.

     3. SomNOG Annual Conference

The two-day event will bring together professionals from the ICT sector, policy-makers, Internet service providers, academics, and other stakeholders. The goal is to provide a platform to discuss current issues facing the ICT sector and explore development opportunities and ideas for growth.

Call for papers

If you want to get involved in, you can send your papers/presentatios by email at  papers@somnog.so or by filling the Call for paper application