Lishan Adam

From ApcAccess

Dr. Lishan Adam is an international consultant, researcher and educator with extensive experience with ICT applications in development and ICT policy and regulation. He holds a PhD in information science from the University of Sheffield. Dr. Adam is visiting Associate Professor on ICT policy and regulation at the Graduate School of Public and Development Management at the University of Wistwatersrand and a course Director at on telecommunications planning at the University of West Indies. He was Associate Professor of Information Science at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa (2003-2006). Mr. Adam is also an adjunct professor at the Unity University College in Ethiopia and has also been teaching courses on information use and users, information systems design and research methodologies at Faculty of Informatics at Addis Ababa University.

Early experience was gained at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in Addis Ababa, where he spent 14 years as programmer, network manager and regional advisor. He was one of the pioneer "bridge builders" who brought low cost connectivity to Africa in the early 1990s. From 1993-1996 he was project officer of capacity building for Electronic Communications in Africa (CABECA), where he helped to establish the first electronic communications nodes in 24 African countries. From 1996-2002 he was regional advisor on information technology policy and connectivity where he implemented the African Information Society Initiative and provided advice on ICT applications and development of national and sectoral policies and strategies to over 25 countries in Africa. He is a member of Research ICT Africa! (RIA) network and involved in assessment of the telecommunication sector performance and tele-access and studies on regional model of governance and ICT use by SMEs and government. He was also a member of the ICT and Global Governance Network – Social Science Research Council in 2003.