Working Paper on Digital Research Infrastructure (DRI) A paper by LINK's Dr. Luci Abrahams and Mark Burke that draws on a study into transformation of scientific knowledge production capabilities and practices by digitally enabling research communities and communication.
Digital Skillshare Project This two-year project, run by the LINK Centre in partnership with six other organisations and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is exploring dimensions of digital governance in order to identify opportunities for investment and new initiatives.
ITU Academy course: Communications Sector Reform and Regulation An online course, "Trends in Communications Sector Reform and Regulation for the Digital Economy", provided by LINK in its capacity as an ITU Academy Training Centre.
AJIC Issue 32 Articles on colourism among Kenyan Twitter users; mergers and acquisitions between online automobile-marketplace platforms; implementation of Ghana's Right to Information (RTI) Act; the centrality of cybersecurity to socioeconomic development policy; regulation of Zimbabwe's mobile money sector; and online teaching during the COVID-pandemic.
Unlocking Local Digital Economies through Tech Hubs: Lessons from Digital Mandhwane A LINK Public Policy Paper providing findings from research by Kgopotso Magoro, Luci Abrahams, Mark Burke, Neo Magoro, Moshe Masonta, Claire Milne and Risuna Shilenge.
Research Techniques for Computer Science, Information Systems and Cybersecurity A research methods book authored by LINK Research Associate Uche M. Mbanaso, LINK Director Lucienne Abrahams, and Kennedy Chinedu Okafor.
gloknos Symposium: The Right to Science and Africa Online symposium by the Cambridge-Harvard Right to Science Study Group at gloknos, with speakers from Harvard, Oxford, the UNESCO Chair of Cultural Rights (University of Copenhagen), and UNESCO's Inclusion, Rights and Intercultural Dialogue Section.
Working Paper: Digital Customs Transformation A paper by LINK's Luci Abrahams and Marke Burke and tralac's Trudy Hartzenberg, entitled "Digital Customs Transformation for Effective Trade Facilitation and Revenue Collection", prepared for the UJ SARChI Chair in Industrial Development.
Africa 2.0: Russell Southwood in Conversation with Luci Abrahams Video featuring Russell Southwood, author of Africa 2.0 – Inside a Continent’s Communications Revolution, in conversation with LINK Director Luci Abrahams.
Digital diplomacy: Pillay Article for defenceWeb "Digital Diplomacy: The Geo-Politics of ‘Tech’ and Emerging Technologies" -- an article for defenceWeb by LINK Research Associate Dr. Kiru Pillay.
Tribute to “Prof Barry” Dwolatzky, the Wits Gentle Software Giant LINK Director Lucienne Abrahams pays tribute to Wits Emeritus Professor Barry Dwolatzky, founder of the Joburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE) and the Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct, who passed away on 16 May 2023.
AJIC Issue 30 This issue of the LINK Centre journal includes articles on YouTube micro-celebrities, a word embedding trained on news data, machine-learning predictions of low academic performance, ICTs and women’s empowerment, and assessment of website quality.
SADC Digital Geopolitics: SAIIA Report Launch (30 Nov. 2022) South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) panel discussion, including LINK Sessional Lecturer Melody Musoni, to launch a policy report entitled "SADC Futures of Digital Geopolitics: Towards African Digital Sovereignty".
mAkE Consortium Meeting (24-25 Nov. 2022) A Cape Town meeting of the African European Maker Innovation Ecosystemn (mAkE) consortium, funded by EU Horizon 2020. LINK participates in the work of consortium member Open AIR (Open African Innovation Research).
Africa Makerspace Gathering (21-23 Nov. 2022) The annual continental meeting of African makerspaces, convened in Cape Town by the Africa Makerspace Network (AMN). LINK's Chris Armstrong is participating in the meeting on behalf of the Open African Innovation Research (Open AIR) network.
AJIC Issue 29 Issue 29 of the LINK Centre journal includes articles on digital vaccination records, permissionless blockchain systems, copyright flexibilities for combatting COVID, maker communities, and public-speaking anxiety.
Coded History: Memoir by Wits Emeritus Prof. Barry Dwolatzky Book published in Nov. 2022 by the Wits Director of Innovation Strategy, who led establishment of the Wits Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct and Joburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE).
Teaching AI Ethics: Stellenbosch Data School Colloquium (10 Aug. 2022) Colloquium on "Teaching AI Ethics" by Prof. Bettina Berendt, Department of Computer Science, KU Leuven, Belgium.
Magoro Presentation (4 Aug. 2022): Building Resilient Digital Communities A Wits Tayarisha talk by LINK PhD candidate Kgopotso Ditshego Magoro, discussing her action research with the Community Computer Solar Lab and the Mamaila Community Network.
Wits Methods Seminar: How Do We Study the Digital World? (10 May 2022) A "Methods From/In the South" Seminar featuring presentations by Labohang Masango (Anthropology), Iginio Gagliardone (Media Studies), and Keith Breckenridge (WISER).
LINK–MICTSETA Research Chair The LINK-MICTSETA Research Chair, funded by South Africa's Media, Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority (MICTSETA), is supporting five Wits students.
Launch of South Africa's Cyber Security Digital Alliance (CSDA) A new South African industry body, the Cyber Security Digital Alliance (CSDA), held its inaugural launch event In December 2021 at the Carlton Centre in Johannesburg.
LINK Policy Brief: Spectrum Regulation, South Africa 2021 By Ewan Sutherland and Luci Abrahams, prepared in May 2021 for the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC): Macro-dynamics Working Group.
Digital Transformation and Cybersecurity in the BRICS Countries The video recording is available for this May 2021 webinar convened by Brazil's Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) Law School, with LINK Director Luci Abrahams among the speakers.
2021 JCSE-IITPSA ICT Skills Survey (Until 31 July) This important survey will help South African stakeholders better understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ICT skills needs.
Media Law Handbook for Southern Africa (2nd Edition) LINK Visiting Adjunct Prof. Justine Limpitlaw's guide to media law in Southern Africa is available in a revised second edition, published in 2021 by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.
Institutionalisation and Informal Innovation in SA Maker Communities Presentation by LINK Research Associate Dr. Chris Armstrong to the Feb. 2021 QUT "Remaking the Maker Movement" workshop, discussing research conducted under the auspices of the Open AIR network.
Limpitlaw Participates in Ethiopia's Media Law Reform LINK Honorary Adjunct Prof. Justine Limpitlaw is among the international experts contributing to the media law reform process in Ethiopia.
Tribute to Dr. Praneel Ruplal The LINK Centre's tribute to Praneel Haricharan Ruplal, who passed away in late 2020 after a distinguished professional and academic career that included Wits Master's and PhD degrees, short course teaching, and external examining for the MA ICTPR degree.
AJIC Issue 26 (Dec. 2020): Collaborative Innovation in African Settings This latest issue of the LINK Centre journal AJIC, the Thematic Issue: Collaborative Innovation in African Settings, has articles on AI, Indigenous data sovereignty, mobile tech start-ups, tech hubs, makerspaces, and social entrepreneurs.
Electronic Communications Law Digest (December 2020) The final 2020 digest of South African legal notices, regulatory processes, laws, regulations and position papers in the communications sector, by LINK Visiting Adjunct Professor Justine Limpitlaw.
Innovation Entanglement at Three SA Tech Hubs A Dec. 2020 article by LINK Director Dr. Luci Abrahams, published in Issue 26 of The African Journal of Information and Communication (AJIC), drawing on tech hubs research conducted for the Open African Innovation Research (Open AIR) network.
Internet Balloon Deployment Seeks to Address Kenya's Digital Divide An article by LINK Centre Visiting Adjunct Prof. Nixon Muganda, entitled "Kenya’s Internet Balloons Could Help to Bridge the Digital Divide" in The Conversation (16 July 2020).
SA Education's Mass Connectivity Imperative An op-ed by Wits Emeritus Professor Barry Dwolatzky and Mark Harris of Altron Nexus, entitled "SA Education: A National Reset Is Needed and Mass Internet Access Is the Only Way Forward", in Daily Maverick (2 July 2020).
Diagnosing and Mastering the Digital Economy: Experiences and Challenges A video presentation to World Bank staff and alumni by retired LINK Centre Visiting Associate Professor Nagy K. Hanna.
AJIC Issue 25 (published 30 June 2020) This issue of the LINK Centre's peer-reviewed open access journal, The African Journal of Information and Communication (AJIC), includes items on digital terrorism, SMS fraud, cybersecurity standards, machine learning, and mHealth.