From 1st to 2nd September 2004, the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) organised a conference on Electronic Publishing and Dissemination in Dakar, Senegal. The conference was attended by over sixty participants from Africa as well as Europe, Latin America, United States of America and the Middle East.

Those who attended were among others

• Information and communication professionals (archivists, librarians, documentalists etc.)

• Information and communication technologists

• Electronic publishing professionals

• Researchers, experts, publishers, distributors, consultants

The conference session were organised around various themes within the field of electronic publishing and dissemination. This initial conference was highly appreciated hence a suggestion by many to organise such conferences on regular basis.

The Executive Secretary of CODESRIA, Professor Adebayo Olukoshi in his closing speech mentioned an ambition to hold conferences around the theme of Information and Communication Technologies on a regular basis.

In total 24 papers were presented in both English and French, with a follow up of a general report.