Speakers confirmed for Innovation Dinner

Discussions will also highlight innovations in broadband technology as well as NEPAD's impact on the growth of ICT. The invitation-only forum for senior executives to engage on the issues facing the sector aims to host thought leaders from government, telecommunications, technology, content, and academia to discuss opportunities, challenges and potential solutions.

Keynote speakers:

Dr. Edmund Katiti: Dr. Edmund Katiti is the head of the NEPAD e-Africa Commission, which he joined in November 2005. He coordinates the development of policy and regulatory frameworks for NEPAD ICT infrastructure programmes and projects. He is currently overseeing implementation of the ministerial protocol on the policy and regulatory framework under which the NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Network covering 23 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa will be developed.

Dr Angus Hay: Dr. Angus Hay (PrEng, CEng, MIET, FSAIEE) is the chief technology officer of Neotel. He was born and educated in Johannesburg, South Africa, and has a BSc(Eng)Elec (1987) and a PhD in digital transmission (1998) from the University of the Witwatersrand. Dr Hay joined Neotel at its inception in 2006, and is currently responsible for Neotel's technology choices, network architecture, strategic planning, and industry partnerships.

Konstantinos Tzingakis: Konstantinos Tzingakis is the head of innovations and partnering at Ericsson sub-Saharan Africa. His key focus during his time at Ericsson has been the design of innovative telecommunications solutions across multiple areas including the health, education, commerce, agricultural and energy sectors.

Manoj Bhoola: With a background in computer science and marketing, Manoj has been in the IT industry for over 25 years. He joined HP's Technology Solutions Group in 2009, as the country manager for HP Enterprise Servers and Storage. Before joining HP, Manoj held a series of management positions in multinational corporations such as Microsoft South Africa, Tongaat Hulett Sugar, WordPerfect and Novell.

Vitalis Ozianyi: Vitalis Ozianyi is a senior ICT analyst in Frost & Sullivan's African office. His expertise lies in infrastructure development and telecommunications in sub-Saharan Africa. This includes the markets for fixed and mobile broadband, converged networks and access technologies such as fibre, WiMax and CDMA.

For more information on the Innovation Dinner Series, go to www.itnewsafrica.com/innovationdinner.