Since CTA held its first Web2.0 training event in Nairobi, Kenya in 2009, demand has simply exploded. Between 2009 and 2012, 1,684 people from around the ACP regions were trained. In 2012 alone, 695 people from 32 countries took part in 31 learning events, branded as “Web 2.0 and Social Media Learning Opportunities”, two of which were offered online through a partnership with UNITAR and FAO. This represents a 509% increase in participation on 2009!

The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Co-operation ACP-EU (CTA) is a joint international institution of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States and the European Union (EU). CTA operates under the framework of the Cotonou Agreement and is funded by the EU.

CTA's mission is to advance food and nutrition security, increase prosperity and sound natural resource management. We do this by providing access to information and knowledge, facilitating policy dialogue and strengthening the capacity of agricultural and rural development institutions and communities in ACP countries.

CTA now has an exciting opportunity for a young marketing professional!

The new booklet published by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA ACP-EU) features 20 young people and three organizations, that have been involved in the CTA youth project called ARDYIS (Agriculture Rural Development and Youth in the Information Society).

In addition to portraying authors and highlighting their perspectives on youth involvement in agriculture using ICTs, the document presents summaries of best essays submitted for the contest «Youth finding solutions to challenges in agriculture and rural development using ICTs!», organised in 2010; it also presents the results of the Youth in Agriculture Blog Competition (YoBloCo Awards) completed in 2012.

On the occasion of the 2012 Conference of the African Chapter of the International Association of Agricultural Information Specialists (IAALD) the ARDYIS project implemented by CTA will organize a series of activities, including the prize giving ceremony of the YoBloCo Awards and a workshop:

“Innovation works well for large companies, but it’s not so easy for a sole trader to gain recognition,” says Eric Mutta, a software designer whose latest app won him recognition in the Apps4Africa Climate Challenge. But it’s through youthful innovation that Africa will find long-term solutions to long-standing problems.

We are pleased to announce the names of the 15 finalists for the YoBloCo Awards – individual category, resulting from the voting process that took place from 5 to 31 December 2011. During this period, for the individual category, we received a total of 2214 votes, from 2080 people (voting for two blogs was possible) and more than 600 comments for the institutional category. This is a great outcome, and we would like to thank voters and everyone again for your support and your interest in this initiative.

Le concours de rédaction du CTA sur les jeunes, le développement rural et les TIC a été une expérience qui a mis aux prises des jeunes de divers pays d’Afrique, des Caraïbes et du Pacifique (ACP). Son intérêt est qu’il renseigne sur des expériences de beaucoup pays. Un membre du jury en l’occurrence Annie Chéneau - Loquay  par ailleurs directrice de recherche au CNRS et responsable de l’Observatoire Africa’NTI (projet de recherche sur les modes d'insertion, les usages et les impacts des technologies de la communication en Afrique) a décliné les enseignements qu’on peut tirer de ce concours.