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| AMECEA ICT Policy/Guideline Handbook, Published by AMECEA Social Communications Department |
According to Fr. Chrisantus Ndaga, the Head of the Social Communication Department at the AMECEA Secretariat, the Office with fulltime employees will be officially launched on Saturday 6th February 2016. In order to enhance internet and Wi-Fi connectivity, the Secretariat has invested in procurement of equipment, the setting up of servers and creating a centralized internal link to all the offices. With the installation of the servers, the Secretariat will be able to create a web that will host digitized documents of important events of AMECEA so that they can be accessible online.
Fr. Ndaga said that this project is designed to serve the AMECEA Secretariat by inter-connecting the Departments with the Central Administration office, promote effective networking with AMECEA institutions enhance communication with National Conferences offices.
He further said, “The ICT project is part of the implementation of the resolutions passed by the Bishops during the 17th AMECEA Plenary that was held in Kenya, 2011 and reiterated during the 18th AMECEA Plenary Assembly, held in Lilongwe, Malawi, 2014.” During the AMECEA Executive Board Meeting of May 2015, the Bishops approved the proposed plan and advised that in this age of new media, it is imperative for the AMECEA Secretariat to explore the effective use of ICT for the evangelization.
It is envisaged that the established of an ICT Office will enable the operators at the Secretariat to provide quality services to the Bishops, Institutions and all networks within and outside the AMECEA Region.
“For a long time, rather than enjoying good ICT services, the AMECEA Secretariat staff had been facing poor services issues which could only be resolved by an ICT expert,” he said adding that “despite of these challenges, we were hopeful that one day a permanent solution will be found.”
In order to emphasize the importance of this ICT Office, Fr. Ndaga said that it will be an effective tool that will promote positive interaction among member Episcopal Conferences; sharing of pastoral initiatives, provide education in social matters and as platform for evangelization.
This project, Fr. Ndaga said, aims at promoting the online presence of the Church through the usage of ICT and creating a medium for effective collaboration among member Conferences in the AMECEA region. It will also help the staff of AMECEA Secretariat to be more effective and efficient in the management and dissemination of information within the region.
He further said that it is within the vision of AMECEA Secretariat that the installation of ICT equipment will promote information sharing and research online; the provision of technical support and capacity building support of the AMECEA staff; the building of a network of communication with National Episcopal Conferences in the region; the promotion of online interaction and outreach to young people through Social Media and also online sharing of faith and building of online SCCs.
“Apart from concentrating to AMECEA secretariat,” Fr Ndaga said, “it is the wish of AMECEA Secretariat that this initiative should trickle down to the National Conferences level and eventually to the Diocesan level.” The AMECEA Social Communications Department, he said, will work closely with National Conferences to assess the ICT situation of the National Secretariat then work together with them in improving the ICT systems.
He said that the first phase of this project is for a period of three years and it will be implemented in partnership with Healey Foundation, a US based Charity organization. “Because of the complexity of the project, the Social Communication Department is planning to engage some other partners for support for other activities linked to the use of new media for evangelization,” Fr. Ndaga said.
Source: AMECEA Social Communications