Elly Okutoyi, Author at TechMoran

Kenyan Company Launches an Online Cross-Network Airtime Purchasing Solution

On October 3, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

Kenyans will now be able purchase airtime from any mobile service provider in the country in a single payment platform, after a local company launched an online service to make this possible. The service was launched by AJA Limited, and all a…

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Top Innovators to win 100,000 Euros in Siemens Stiftung Competition

On October 1, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

Over 100,000 Euros is up for grabs for Africa’s top innovators who participated Siemens Stiftung’s “empowering people award”, with the award ceremony slated to take place in Nairobi Kenya come October 30, 2013. Run by the Siemens Stiftung Foundation, the award aims…

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Faselty: Taking Blood Donation Online

On September 30, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

Technology has played an integral role in shaping the medical field over the years. From providing information about every disease or injury to providing access to volumes of medical literature to doctors and cutting edge surgery equipment far more accurate than any…

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Samsung GALAXY Note 3 Launched in South Africa

On September 27, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy Note 3 in the South African market, the third version of the original Galaxy Note that was launched back in 2011. Speaking at the launch event held in Cape Town South Africa, Craige Fleischer, Director of Mobile…

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Savannah Fund-Backed biNu Awarded by the United Nations

On September 26, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

biNu, a startup that transforms feature phones into smartphone-like devices, has received an innovation award from United Nations for bringing better quality life to people across the globe. The innovation, dubbed ‘MY World Innovation Award’, was granted to the startup in what…

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Twitter Alerts: A New Way to get Credible Information During Disasters

On September 26, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

Twitter has announced the launch of Twitter Alerts, a new feature aimed at helping its users get important information from credible organizations during emergencies, natural disasters or moments when other communications services are not accessible. This could not come at a better…

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Report: 250 Million People to Browse Adult Content via Mobile by 2017

On September 25, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

A new report released by technology research company, Juniper Research, has predicted the number of people accessing adult content via mobile and tablet devices will hit half a billion people by 2017, representing a 30 percent increase from the current figures. In…

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BlackBerry to be Acquired by Fairfax For $4.7 Billion

On September 24, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

Troubled Canadian Smartphone maker, BlackBerry®, is set to be acquired by Fairfax Financial for $4.7 billion a deal that will see the company go private. BlackBerry® Limited announced in an official statement that it had “signed a letter of intent agreement under…

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Mobile Money Proves Useful Once Again in Kenya’s Attack

On September 23, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

Mobile money has once again proven useful in mobilizing funds when disaster strikes in Kenya, with Safaricom’s M-Pesa aiding in collecting over Kshs32 Million barely 24 hours after launch. In a funds collection drive dubbed #WeAreOne, Safaricom once again launched a PayBill…

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Mobile money users to hit 400m by 2018

On September 20, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

A new report released by Juniper Research has projected that mobile money users in the world will stand at nearly 400 million people by 2018, up from the current 150 million users. In a report dubbed “Mobile Money Transfer & Remittances: Domestic…

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Kshs1 million up for grabs in Safaricom’s AppsStar Challenge 2013

On September 18, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

Safaricom has officially announced the launch of the AppStar Challenge 2013 in partnership with Vodafone, a competition that will see the overall winner walk away with Kshs1 million ($12,000). AppStar Challenge is an annual developer contest conducted by Vodafone across several countries…

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Declining Mobile Phone Prices to Boost Nigeria’s App Market by 15%

On September 18, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

Nigeria is set to experience a 15 percent growth in its app market in the next few years, thanks to declining mobile phone prices in the country something that is now enabling more people to afford low cost Smartphones. Commenting on the…

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iLabAfrica unveils Digital Security Academy

On September 17, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

@iLabAfrica has announced the launch of a digital security academy Kenya, in a bid to support capacity development that will see data and information protection in the East African country enhanced and help in the fight against the rising cases of CyberCrime….

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CEO Weekends: Taxation in Kenya’s Telecoms Sector Amongst the Highest in the World

On September 13, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

Kenya has now been termed as a country with one of the highest taxes in the telecommunications sector, with Safaricom CEO, Bob Collymore revealing that Kshs28 in every Kshs100 spent by a customer goes to the government as tax. Speaking yesterday at…

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CEO Weekends: We did not Order 53 Gold-Plated iPhones, says Nigerian Government

On September 13, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

Just two days after it emerged that the Nigerian Government had ordered 53 Gold-Plated iPhones, the country’s presidency has come out to deny the allegations terming them as “part of attempts by political opponents to discredit the Jonathan administration”. This was said…

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New Technology Aids Kenya to Strike 70 Year’s Worth of Underground Water

On September 11, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

Scientists have used a new satellite imaging technology that has enabled them to discover fresh underground water in the Northern part of Kenya that could sustain the country’s water needs for over 70 years. According to ITV News, the scientists used a…

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First Ever Google Cloud Developer Challenge now Open

On September 11, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

Developers from across the world have officially been invited to take part in the first ever Google Cloud Developer Challenge for a chance to win up to $20,000 by building locally relevant web applications that solve real world problems. This competition will give…

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High Cross-Border Mobile Charges Hindering East Africa Integration, says ICT Secretary

On September 11, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

Kenya’s ICT Cabinet Secretary, Fred Matiang’i, has urged telecom companies to lower cross-border call and data rates, saying that the current high charges are hampering the East Africa integration and business opportunities. Kenya has one of the highest roaming charges, something that…

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Nissan’s New Smartwatch: Possible Solution to Road Carnage?

On September 10, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

Vehicle manufacturer Nissan Motor Company Limited has created a smartwatch that will enable drivers to monitor vehicle performance, as well as their own concentration levels, heart rate, temperature and other biometrics. Dubbed the Nissan Nismo, the smartwatch connects to the vehicle on-board…

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Southern Africa Governments Aiming to Create 3.2 Million Jobs Through Broadband

On September 9, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

Several sub-Saharan countries have come together to agree on common ways through which they can create an additional 3.2 million jobs by 2020, through accelerated roll out of mobile broadband. This was through a joint meeting of several government heads including ministers…

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Technology curbs tax evasion in Tanzania

On September 9, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

Since the implementation of the electronic revenue collection system dubbed Max-Malipo, Tanzania has seen an increase in the compliance levels among tax payers by 27 percent, helping the country fight tax evasion problem it has been grappling with for many decades. This…

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Africa is Microsoft’s Second Largest Investment after China, says Executive

On September 9, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

Microsoft has revealed that Africa is its second largest investment after China, saying that the continent has continued to attract the software giant’s top leadership attention over the years. This was said by Microsoft South Africa’s Managing Director Mteto Nyati in an…

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CEO Weekends: Mobile Learning Growth Rate Highest in Africa, Report

On September 6, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

Africa has emerged the continent with the highest Mobile Learning growth rate in the world, with a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38.9 percent, according to a report dubbed “The 2012-2017 Africa Mobile Learning Market” published by Ambient Insight. The…

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CEO Weekends: County Governments Frustrating Spread of Internet in Counties

On September 6, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

County governments have been accused of slowing down the spread of internet in their areas due to the high fees they are imposing on broadband service providers seeking to widen their coverage networks. This was said by Kenya’s ICT secretary Fred Matiang’i while…

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DEMO Africa Announces 2013 Top 40 Startups

On September 5, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

Africa’s technology startup launchpad, DEMO Africa, has finally announced the list of top 40 startups out of the 300 applications received from over 24 African countries. South Africa has a total of 12 startups in the final 40, followed by Kenya with…

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East Africa ICT Leaders Convene in Nairobi for the Kenya IT Week

On September 5, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

Stakeholders in ICT industry convened yesterday in Nairobi Kenya for the 3rd IT Leaders East Africa Summit, marking the second day of the Kenya IT week currently running at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The leaders came together to discuss pertinent issues facing…

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Procurement of Kenya Primary School Laptops in Progress

On September 3, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

The Kenyan President has revealed that the procurement process for the primary school laptop project has officially started, marking the first significant step towards realizing the promise his government made to the Kenyan people. Speaking in Mombasa, President Uhuru Kenyatta said that…

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The East Africa Outsourcing Summit takes place in Nairobi Kenya

On September 3, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

The 2nd annual East Africa Outsourcing Summit officially took place in Nairobi Kenya today, with several Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) experts from across the East Africa region in attendance. The summit comes at a time when it is reported that the global…

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CEO Weekends: DEMO Africa Receives $20,000 Sponsorship From Intel

On August 30, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

DEMO Africa, the continent’s first launch pad for technology startups, has received a sponsorship deal worth $20,000 from Software and chip development giant, Intel, as a boost for this year’s conference to be held in Nairobi come October. Expressing his gratitude for…

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App-enabled Smartwatch: Next Big Thing?

On August 29, 2013 by Elly Okutoyi

A new report released by Juniper research has shown that app-enabled smart watches will experience an explosive growth by 2018, something that will see the global shipments rise to over 36 million units from the current 1 million units. In the report…

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