The ITOCA team, comprises young members and brings together a combined force of 48 years working experience spanning from a wide diversity of organizations. These include among others renowned institutions like Africa Online; Cornell University, New York, USA; Africa University, Zimbabwe.

Strength

Over the past seven years we have established a core of liaison officers strategically positioned and representing key areas of our operations. These are based in Egypt for north Africa; Nigeria and Ghana for west Africa and francophone Africa; Uganda and Kenya for central and east Africa. Southern Africa is covered by officers based in Pretoria.

Our participation at national, regional, continental and global forums of professional organizations acquaint us with in-depth knowledge of those fields in which we operate and also share with participants our experience on the ground. Some of these organizations are:

The Association for Health Information and Libraries in Africa (AHILA)

International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA)

International Association of Agricultural Information Specialists (IAALD)

Standing Conference of Eastern, Central and Southern Africa Library & Information Associations (SCESCAL)

Library and Information Associations in South Africa (LIASA)

We give presentations and present scholarly papers at such gatherings in Africa, Europe and north America.

We have carried out several research and surveys on ICT usage, connectivity and availability across the African continent.In the processes, we have established a strong network of professors, scientists, academics at institutions of higher learning, research organizations, private enterprises and United Nations agencies operating at grass roots levels.

The past seven years has seen the team penetrating all the reaches of the African continent particularly those countries where ICT had not been vigorously exploited. Among these are islands of Sao Tome and Principe, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of Congo, Morocco, Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda, Nigeria, Mozambique, Angola, Zambia and many others.

The training of academics, students, scientists and researchers in the use of electronic media to access information is causing tremendous improvement in the quality of graduates at universities and colleges in agricultural, health and medical sciences.

It is our hope that this access to quality scholarship will make a substantial impact on the overall development of Africa. There is still a lot undone.

The team comprises:

Gracian Chimwaza – Executive Director

Vimbai Hungwe - Outreach and Training Officer

Christine Wamunyima. Kanyengo - Programme Officer

Sailas Nyareza - Assistant Programme Officer

Blessing Chataira– Assistant Programme Officer

Mercy Moyo - Secretary

Dr. Pamela Marinda - ITOCA East Africa Representative

Prof. Bamidele Fawole - ITOCA West Africa Representative

    Gracian Chimwaza

Began his career in the world of electronics engineering in 1987 and worked as a Computer Engineer for 3 years in Zimbabwe. By 1994, he found himself in the marketing and distribution of highly sophisticated industrial electronics on a regional scale in Southern Africa. His passion for marketing led him to pursue a career in the field , qualifying as a Chartered Marketer and graduating with a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Thames Valley University (UK) in 2000. He took charge of the sales and marketing division of Africa Online ( Africa’s leading ISP) from 1997 to 1999.

He, in March 1999 successfully pioneered Africa’s outreach and training in the use of TEEAL which has taken him to almost every part of the continent. His passion for the use of agricultural scientific knowledge via the electronic media, has seen him devoting his life, heart and soul to bridging the digital divide that separates Africa from the rest of the world. Gracian, current member of the HINARI-AGORA management team, has been an invited participant in international, regional and national-level policy meetings that address information capacity building in Africa.

    Vimbai Hungwe

A vibrant young man with 12 years experience in the field of Library and Information Science. He holds a BA in Media Studies, MSc in Library and Information Science and a host of other specialized courses. Vimbai is involved in planning, organizing and conducting of workshops as well as implementing outreach and support programmes for TEEAL, AGORA and HINARI. To date he has been involved in facilitation of many workshops in different countries.

His working years have seen him through the University of Zimbabwe Medical School Library, Zimtrade ( Zimbabwe’s export promotion body), Ministry of Agriculture’s Central Library and Africa University Library before joining ITOCA. He played a pivotal coordination role in the provision of agricultural information to Zimbabwe’s Agricultural Research Centres falling under the Ministry of Agriculture and has first hand experience on constraints faced by researchers in Africa.

At the Pan-African Africa University where he doubled as Agriculture and Health Science Librarian he helped set-up the agriculture and health collection and was heavily involved with the promotion and training of use of e-resources for research, learning and teaching.

    Sailas Nyareza

Sailas holds a BSc. in Library and Information Science (Hons) from the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) and is currently studying for a Masters Degree in Development Communication with the University of Pretoria. He first came into information capacity building work when he joined ITOCA in 2004 as an intern. He has been involved in the outreach and training for TEEAL, AGORA, HINARI and OARE programmes in the region. His research interests include knowledge management, ICT for development and training.

“I believe it is only through education and training of knowledge that is current amongst men that can cause the powers latent in the mind to be revealed and enable the individual and others to benefit therefrom.”

Prof. Bamidele Fawole

Fawole is the ITOCA Representative in West Africa. He has done outreach and training work for TEEAL program in West Africa for the past six years and has visited virtually all countries in the sub-region.

Fawole obtained his B. Sc. (Agric.) (Hons.) degree in 1972 from the University of Ibadan (UI), Nigeria. He proceeded to Cornell University , Ithaca, New York ,U. S. A. for postgraduate studies immediately after graduation from UI and he obtained the M. S. (Plant Pathology) and Ph. D. (Plant Nematology) degrees in 1975 and 1977, respectively. He is currently a Professor of Nematology in the Department of Crop Protection and Environmental Biology,University of Ibadan,Nigeria.

    Christine Wamunyima Kanyengo

Ms. Christine Wamunyima Kanyengo joined ITOCA in May 2007 as the HINAGOA (AGORA, HINARI, and OARE) Programmes Africa User Community Coordinator. She is a former librarian at the Medical Library, University of Zambia. She earned her B.A. in Library Studies and Public Administration from the University of Zambia and an MA in Library and Information Science from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

    Blessing Chataira

Eradication of poverty and suffering in the world is one of the vision and ambition that Blessing is working at through the provision of agricultural, health and environmental sciences information. She is a dedicated young lady who holds a Bachelor of Science Honors degree in Library and Information Science. Blessing is involved in the training and outreach of AGORA, HINARI and OARE programmes.