PCC Courier profiles Justin Chapman

Pasadena City College Courier profiled CCLP project fellow Justin Chapman and his new book about Africa, Saturnalia: Traveling from Cape Town to Kampala in Search of an African Utopia…….

Adam Clayton Powell III honored at Africa’s largest journalism conference

Senior fellow Adam Clayton Powell III, who leads CCLP's new initiative on mobile phones as a platform for public service, was named a Highway Africa Fellow at the 2014 Highway Africa Conference at Rhodes University's School of Journalism and Media Studies in Grahamstown, South Africa. The 2014 Highway Africa Fellows, left to right: Joe Alfers, Mathatha Tsedu, Cheriff Moumina Sy, CCLP senior fellow Adam Clayton Powell III, Elizabeth Barratt, Jovial Rantao, and Amina Frense. In addition to being the only American to receive the award, Powell also holds the record for attendance; he has presented at 17 of the 18……

CCLP cell phone initiative discussed at Africa conference

GRAHAMSTOWN, South Africa – A CCLP initiative to define minimum capabilities of cell phone handsets for health care, public safety and other public services was a focus of discussion at a forum here at Rhodes University on Sunday. "What a good question!" said Daudi Khamadi Were, Innovation Coordinator at Making All Voices Count, part of Kenya's global Ushahidi group. Were said that cell phone service for illiterate users should be a key issue. "Mobiles need to be voice-enabled for those who cannot type as fast," agreed Bomasanto Ndulovu, Strategic Executive Director for South Africa's capital city, Tshwane (still known as……

U.S. in Africa: Playing Catchup to China

WASHINGTON – On the eve of the historic US-Africa Summit here, America's number one objective on the African continent is to start closing the gap with China. That was the message from all three speakers at Monday's CCLP Communication Leadership lunch just a few blocks from the State Department. "There is no place in Africa where you do not see China," said Ron Nixon, who has covered several African countries for the New York Times. "They are in every aspect of business. The U.S. is far behind." Left to right: Ron Nixon, NY Times; Joan Mower, BBG; and Mwamoyo Hamza,……

Cell phones used as medical instruments in Africa, Asia; US may change regulatory policy

Cell phones are being used as medical instruments in underdeveloped nations, extending highly cost-effective health care to underserved villages and rural areas. A team led by Daniel Fletcher, a Bioengineering Professor at the University of California at Berkeley has developed inexpensive conversions of cell phones into medical instruments, using clip-on lenses that cost one dollar or less. Fletcher's team has on-the-ground tests in Cameroon screening for parasitic worm infections and in Thailand screening for retinal diseases. "By attaching a simple set of lenses to a Nokia phone borrowed from my sister," wrote Fletcher, "we were able to image blood cells,……

US initiative for 50,000 African leaders detailed at CCLP forum

WASHINGTON – 50,000 young African leaders have responded to a new Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). The YALI program was the focus of Monday's CCLP lunch forum here, featuring the people who will be managing the program. Left: Britta Bjornlund, Branch Chief, Study of the U.S. Branch Bureau of Educational and Cultural Program U.S. Department of State. Right: Joyce Warner, Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff, IREX. 500 of the leaders will be told next week that have been selected to come to Washington this summer, according to Joyce Warner, Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff of IREX,……

Africa: A Continent of Opportunity

Huffington Post: Senior Fellow Dan Glickman reflects on his conference that focused on Africa-U.S. relations and the successful growth of Africa overall…….

Millions of Africans use cell phones for health news and information

WASHINGTON – Millions of Africans now receive critical health information on their cell phones, according to speakers at a CCLP forum here yesterday, with the Voice of America alone reaching tens of millions of Africans a week. "VOA's African Health Network is a multimedia initiative in thirteen languages that reaches 50 million people a week," said Nancy Coviello, the AHN's Project Manager. "Literally no one else is doing this – not the BBC, Deutsche Welle, not anyone that we can find."……

African mobile technology services developed for news and empowerment: Universal access

"No Internet needed." Those three words are seen more and more often promoting new mobile phone applications in Africa, where the newest apps are more likely than not to be free, to run on cheap low-end phones, and to function even without Internet access. In Africa, you can also use your cell phone to listen to "radio" programs from sources ranging from broadcasters to public service providers – and again without Internet access…….