2. Chapter Four
Ethiopia information policy and Data
Rights
• Ethiopia information policy
• Ethiopian Copyright Act
• Policy Paper
• Ethiopian Initiatives
• Ethiopian Legislation
04/12/14 2
3. Ethiopia information policy
• On National Information policy, Ethiopian Science and
Technology Commission conducted a study to assess the
situation and problems of information and related activities
in Ethiopia in 1990.
• The study found that African Countries with Ethiopia
inclusive, though, are becoming increasingly aware of the
fact that information is an indispensable factor in the
development and rational use of a country's total resources,
both natural and human; are faced with the problems of
inaccessibility and poor handling of information.
04/12/14 3
4. Ethiopia information policy
• In the same period, that information and
documentation activities in a number of sectors are
quite unsatisfactory.
• Even most African countries do not have proper
mechanism for keeping track of the published and
unpublished information of interest to their
researchers, planners and decision makers.
• The result also indicated that at that time no African
country had formulated a national information
policy that is in operation.
04/12/14 4
5. Ethiopia information policy
• Several African countries, including Ethiopia, lacked
resources that could enable them obtain information from
external sources on a systematic basis, skilled information
personnel and financial assistance. Hence, the lack of
national information policy in most countries.
• But is the situation today in Ethiopia?
• It is gratifying to note that there is a legal deposit law in
place.
04/12/14 5
6. Ethiopia information policy
• The policy grants the National Archive and Library (NALE)
of Ethiopia in Part Two of proclamation 179/1999, section 8
(2) & (14), empowered NALE as an agency in the Ministry
of Tourism and Culture to:
• “Operate as a national repository center of printed matter,
gray literature, non-printed documents, manuscripts
historical, archives and records, tradition and oral history
audio recording, video recordings, audio-video recordings
and other documentary heritage; endeavor, by making use
of state-of-the art technology, to preserve them for study
and research purposes”.
04/12/14 6
7. Ethiopia information policy
• It is to “serve as a repository center for
publication of international and national
organizations as well as research institutions”
respectively.
The policy has multiplying effect on the agency
and librarians in the country in terms of
obligation by the citizens and the organization
and dissemination of the countries heritage to
provide ample development economically,
politically, educationally, etc.
04/12/14 7
8. Ethiopian Copyright Act & Policy
Paper
• Copyright or Intellectual property Rights
• One of the most complex legal and ethical issues facing information
creators, disseminators, organizers and users is the issue of copyright
and intellectual property.
• Intellectual property includes a variety of products, including patents,
trade marks, and publications (print, electronic and audiovisual).
• Of course, a major issue in the field of library and information science
is the copyright of publications.
• Central to this extend the creator or publisher of information can
control the copying and use of that information by others.
9. Ethiopian Copyright Act & Policy Paper cont’
• This has been further complicated with the development of the
internet, which is changing our notion of "publication".
• Does something become a publication once it is available on the
internet?
• The basic idea is that by rewarding individuals for their creative
efforts, the society benefits.
10. Ethiopian Copyright Act & Policy Paper cont”
• This benefit cannot be assumed in each and every case, and from a
constitutional perspective, information policies must consider a
balance between the interests of those who deserve to profit from their
ideas and creations and the rights of individuals to have access to and
use information.
• This balance can be very difficult to obtain, especially given the
political power of the for - profit- sector.
• Sometimes, it seems as though the current attitude is that the
copyright law is primarily to protect the economic interests of
publishers and producers.
11. Ethiopian Copyright Act & Policy Paper cont’
• This tension has created considerable controversy.
• Librarians find themselves in the center of this controversy
because they depend on authors and producers of information
to maintain the reservoir of knowledge that is so critical to
library functions.
• Also have a strong conviction that information access, either
physical or electronic, should be available at minimum or no
cost to the user.
• Hence, librarians favor very generous copying privilege , and
producers favor restricted ones.
12. Ethiopian Copyright Act & Policy Paper cont’
• Eg, the constitutional objective of promoting developments in the
useful arts and sciences and rewarding creators for their original ideas
is codified in federal law through the US copyright Act.
• The act does not deal with the ideas themselves but with ideas once
they are "fixed" in some form, which may be fixed in a variety of
formats, including print, DVD, or a record in an electronic database.
• Generally, copyright ownership resides with the author of the work,
unless it is turned over to another individual or organization such as a
publisher.
13. Ethiopian Copyright Act & Policy Paper cont’
• The copyright Act protects eight categories of works:
• - Literacy works
• - Musical works, including any accompanying works
• - Dramatic works, including any accompanying music
• - Pantomimes and choreographic works
• - Pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works
• - Motion pictures and other audiovisual works
• - Sound recordings
• - Architectural works (17 US.C.Section 102@ 1988 & Supp V.
1993).
14. Ethiopian Copyright Act & Policy Paper cont’
• Education Legislation
• Various library and education related legislation and policy
statements have a considerable effect on the information
infrastructure; including libraries.
• Aiming at the most notable items are the "no children left Behind"
initiatives through the Elementary Education Act, and the Higher
Education Act of 1965/1994/2001.
• The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was created to
Supplement state and local support to improve the quality of
education for elementary and secondary school, both public and
private.
15. Ethiopian Copyright Act & Policy Paper cont’
• ESEA helped resolve the problem by providing monies for textbooks,
library resources, and other instructional materials.
• Since its enactment funds have been used for development, of
curriculum and instructional materials, staff training and development,
selection and purchase of instructional and library materials for pupil's
and teachers, setting of educational standards, demonstration of media
programs, support of special education programs for bilingual studies,
and support for the acquisition of materials in areas of social
problems.
16. Ethiopian Copyright Act & Policy Paper cont’
• The Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office (EIPO) is
an autonomous unit of the Ethiopian Science and
Technology Agency.
It was established in 2003 to provide legal protection
for intellectual property (IP) rights.
• It is headed by a Director-General. The EIPO
comprises five core business units and two support
units. It is based in Addis Ababa.
• The interrelationships which exist between and among
the followings: information communications,
information technology, information economics,
information privacy,04/12/14 16
17. Ethiopian Copyright Act & Policy
Paper
• information systems, information confidentiality, information science,
information networks, and information management have signaled the
need for a broader and more comprehensive approach to the problem
of intellectual property rights.
• Ethiopian Intellectual property (IP) rights has its activities that are
related to patents, designs, plant breeder rights, and copyright
protection but are not well understood by the public, which could be
attributed to lack of publicity.
• The available IP information has not been exploited due to inadequate
capacities at universities and at research and development
implementing institutions.
• With this background, promotion of uptake of new knowledge,
technology, soft ware, etc through the protection and use of
intellectual rights will be encouraged and supported.04/12/14 17
18. Policy Paper
• The Government of Ethiopia in 2005 in a policy draft
document on ICT acknowledges that the existing ICT legal
and regulatory framework in Ethiopia was either outdated or
inadequate to meet the challenges of a fast-growing national
and global ICT sector.
• It went further to emphasis dynamic developments in the
global and national ICT environment.
• That urgent reforms are needed in Ethiopia's legal and
regulatory regime to facilitate and guide the development of
ICT in the country.
• That appropriate policy and regulatory reforms are also
needed to ensure equitable, reliable, and affordable access to
ICT.
04/12/14 18
19. Ethiopian Initiatives
• In 2004, not long after the restructuring of Information
Technology (IT) sectors, the Ethiopian Telecommunications
Agency took the initiative to invite the Ethiopian
Information and Communication Technology Development
Authority (EICTDA) and the Ethiopian
Telecommunications Corporation (ETC) to discuss on
issues of cyberspace security and encryption policy.
• On this initiative, the three institutions agreed on the
importance of cyberspace security policy and formed a
joint technical committee, which followed up the process
of formulating information security policy and
standards.
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20. Ethiopian Initiatives
• The institutions have also reached at a common
understanding that EICTDA has more broader legal
framework and resources to lead the initiative.
• On the basis of this, EICTDA employed a consultant to
conduct a general assessment on how to go forward to
develop a national information security strategy and an
action plan.
• Currently, the Ethiopian ICT Development Authority is
working on the preparation of information security
standards, which is yet to be formulated in Ethiopia.
• Cyber Ethiopia is another organization that is pioneering
information gateway to all; on the World Wide Web.
04/12/14 20
21. Ethiopian Initiatives
• It was created in 1996. Cyber Ethiopia is a non-profit foundation
based in Geneva, Switzerland and run by young dedicated individuals
who believe that the adoption, adaptation and development of
Information and Communication Technologies can be an enabling
instrument and play a catalyst role in bringing development to the
country.
• Without any funding or commercial interest, Cyber Ethiopia is the
result of few individuals who devoted their time and know-how to set
some foundation for Ethiopians to participate in the Information
Society and stimulate awareness among decision makers and
Ethiopians at large about the critical role ICTs play in the global era.
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22. Ethiopian Initiatives
• Objectives of CyberEthiopia
• i. Be a reference on the World Wide Web for timely,
relevant and accurate information related to Ethiopia
[Information]
• ii. Develop and promote technologies that push
forward the use of the millenary Ethiopian characters
on the Internet [Technology]
• iii. foster dialogue, collaboration and knowledge
sharing among Ethiopians (both inside and outside the
country) in particular by offering appropriate e-
forums in local Ethiopian languages as it fits a
democratic, free and prosperous Ethiopia
[Communication]
04/12/14 22
23. Ethiopian Initiatives
• iv. Initiate an Ethiopian "cyber" culture by
encouraging information exchange and
content creation in local Ethiopian
languages [Cultural Heritage]
• v. Stimulate basic e-commerce of items
related to Ethiopia (Books, CDs, Arts &
Decorations) [E-Commerce]
04/12/14 23
24. Ethiopian Legislation on Data rights
• In Ethiopia, a number of proclamations
and supporting regulations have been
made that contain provisions for the
protection and management of the
environment, and which reflect the
principles of the constitution.
• But currently cyber security policy and
standards are inexistent.
04/12/14 24
25. Ethiopian Legislation on Data rights
• Information security law, ethics and relevant
legislation and regulation concerning the
management of information in an organization
is not yet developed.
• The Legal and Regulatory ICT Environment
requires an appropriate legal and regulatory
environment.
• This is both in terms of ICT as a sector or
industry and ICT as a tool and facilitator of
social and economic development of a
country. 25
