11 NOVEMBER 2003

It is a pleasure to represent USAID here today at the culmination of the first two years of the Hologram programme and the launch of the Knowledge Sharing Programme.

USAID has supported the local sphere of government in South Africa for 10 years now.  We believe that the programmes we support, which include Hologram and the KSP, showcase the important partnership that exists between our countries, South Africa and the United States of America.

The United States has long recognised the key role that strong municipalities play in the development of a country, and we believe that through Hologram we have been able to support a pioneering new approach to the sharing of knowledge in this sector.

The KSP will take this further still and continue to build the knowledge-sharing legacy that has now taken hold in local government.

As an international agency we are watching the development of South African local knowledge sharing with interest.  There are many opportunities for the unique approach that has developed here to be replicated internationally, not only in developing countries, but in the developed world as well.

Key to the success of the approach which has been developed is deepening the free flow of information.

It is a very democratic approach, one that recognises that knowledge is power, and that by sharing knowledge we strengthen and build organisations, institutions and governments.

The Hologram approach, which I have no doubt the KSP will build on, also ensures the most efficient use of the intellectual capital we have at our disposal.

We have seen research, knowledge and learning products recycled in a variety of ways making important work accessible to the widest range of people.

The digital divide notwithstanding, Hologram and the KSP also recognise the important role that new technology, including information technology, has to play in the rapid circulation of information and knowledge resources.

We believe that making new technology usable for local officials and councillors through e-newsletters, and an easy to use website, has also played an important part in the development of the local sphere of government.  It has helped to make information technology more accessible to a generation of people who may have been afraid to make use of it.

As the United States Agency for International Development we are proud to have supported a project that is widely regarded as being of a world-class standard.

We look forward to watching the ongoing development of the KSP, which we hope will broaden even further the extensive reach that Hologram has been able to attain.

USAID will continue to build and support our partnership with the people and government of South Africa through programmes such as this, and I look forward to attending and learning from Hologram and KSP events in the new year.