Tanzania’s Nitafutie is a voice and SMS-based Craiglist with hopes to help users to buy and sell quickly using their feature-phones via voice and SMS.
Co-founded by Sophie Gustav Mitdemhut , Nitafutie emerged the winner at the Dar es Salaam Startup Weekend and has now ben nominated to compete at the Global Startup Battle in the commerce category.
The StartUp Battle brings together thousands of entrepreneurs from hundreds of cities to battle for innovation to win mentorship, introductions, and everything else they need to launch their startup. The $500k in prizes battle for innovation aims to give the startups bigger prizes, more exposure, and incredible opportunities.
Global Startup Battle is a global initiative organized by Startup Weekend after the Global Entrepreneurship Week. The participating teams will go on to compete against each other in a massive online video contest for amazing prizes designed to help their startup succeed. The teams will compete in one of the themed brackets hosted by Coca Cola, AWS, .CO, and Google for Entrepreneurs. The top 2 teams from every city will battle in Google’s Championship Bracket, while all teams will be invited to compete in any or all of the other themed brackets they qualify for!
You can vote here for Nitafutie to win.
South Africa based Vodacom Group has said it will buy more local shares into Vodacom Tanzania to 82.2% from its current 65% for about $250 million.
The cash will give it an additional 17.2% stake in the company after buying 49% of Cavalry Holdings, a firm which owns 35% of Vodacom Tanzania. The $250 million will be in form of cash and existing debt facilities.
Launched in the country in 1999, Vodacom Tanzania has over 10 million customers and says Tanzania is its best investment in sub-Saharan Africa. Vodacom also has a operations in Nigeria, Mozambique, Lesotho and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
MTN Mobile Money users will now be able to make transactions everywhere that Visa is accepted as a result of a partnership agreement between both companies. Under the agreement, MTN customers’ devices will be able to pay using their MTN Mobile Money account in stores with Visa’s Points Of Sale (POS).
“In addition, customers will be able to make online payments at all Visa merchants and withdraw money from their MTN Mobile Money account at any Visa ATM,” MTN Group said in a statement.
Speaking on the deal, Pieter Verkade, MTN Group Chief Commercial Officer said the network’s subscribers would have access to Visa’s network.
He said: “The partnership between MTN and Visa will provide MTN Mobile Money customers with access to the entire Visa network, which includes merchants, online vendors and ATMs, to enable a “mobile” payment experience.”
The company added that its Mobile Money customers in Ghana will be first to experience the innovative new mobile payment solution when it’s launched in that country before the end of the year.
After Ghana, he said the service will then progressively be rolled out across the MTN footprint.
Vish Sowani, Visa’s Head of Global Mobile Network Operator Partnerships, Innovation & Strategic Partnerships Group said the company is delighted with the partnership with MTN.
“We are delighted to launch this exciting new service with MTN. This is significant as we look to extend the benefits of electronic payments to mobile money services in Africa. Visa recognises that mobile technology is the single most significant driver of financial inclusion and improving access to financial services is a critical building block to help more people improve their lives.
“We look forward to building on this broad based partnership with MTN to bring further innovative payment related products to their customers in the future,” said Sowani.
MTN Mobile Money enables users to do national and international money transfers, make utility and other service payments, purchase airtime, access insurance and financial products and make retail payments.
Microsoft Kenya and the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) have entered into an agreement that will see the two organizations work together in a bid to fight piracy in the country.
Microsoft has also declared amnesty to enable those using unlicensed software to acquire genuine software. The amnesty will run until 15th January 2014 after which the two organizations will conduct a joint raid and arrest everyone using counterfeit software.
KECOBO Executive Director Dr. Marisella Ouma said the partnership will enable them work together to activate continuous programmes and campaigns for educating the public on the risks and penalties associated with infringement of software copyrights and trademarks.
“We want to educate Kenyans on the benefits of genuine software to businesses in terms of reliability and security as well as other associated risks for businesses and consumers when using counterfeit software,” she said.
The three year deal will see Microsoft support KECOBO to acquire the necessary skills and tools to assist in the fight against piracy and help to reduce software piracy as well as spur economic growth in Kenya.
The two organizations will also invest in training of journalists, software reseller channels and government procurement managers in order to create awareness around the effects and dangers of pirated or counterfeit software.
“Microsoft has an offer of between 10 percent to 15 percent on Windows 8, Office 2013 and Office 365 which runs until December 31st, 2013,” said Kunle Awosika, Microsoft Kenya Country Manager.
The move comes in a time when International Data Corporation (IDC) has released its 2013 research of cyber security and software piracy globally which depicts that a third of all PC software globally have pirated software.
The study also estimates direct business losses as a result of use of counterfeit software will hit $114 Billion this year and places potential losses from data breach at $350 Billion.
Nigeria’s online television channel, iBaka TV has expressed its readiness to debut plug and play internet TV in Nigeria. In an exclusive chat, Ola Ajibola, the company’s head of creative and digital marketing said discussions are currently underway with the company’s foreign partners.
He said: “We are at the fore front of launching the first plug and play internet TV in Nigeria. Currently we are still doing underground work with our foreign partners.”
He also revealed that the company has carried out a rebranding of its platform and is showcasing some most sought after movies produced in the Nigerian movie industry popular called Nollywood.
“We just rebranded our site and showcased nollywood most sought after movies like Last Flight To Abuja, 2 Brides And A Baby, Lekki Wives; all of which have made remarkable landmarks,” he said.
The IBAKA TV is an online television channel from the heart of Africa that showcases African contents and entertainment in all its fullness and facet. On the platform, visitors can watch their favorite stars in the latest and historic Nollywood movies; they can also watch movies produced in other African countries including Ghana. There are movies in several Nigerian languages on the platform in addition to musical videos and comedy shows.
Among its users, IBAKA TV is generally a free alternative to IROKO TV as long as users have internet access with fast speed.
EcoCashSave will be giving their customers a ‘banky feeling’ as form the beginning of next year, the account holders will be able to borrow money just like ordinary bank account holders; this is part of what will be called EcoCashCredit form Econet.
Econet Wireless CEO, Douglas Mboweni, confirmed that a scheme is being developed whereby people can also borrow money from EcoCash. He said the borrowing will be done through partner banks, including Steward Bank.
The CEO further said that lending was a natural next step, adding that the idea was to lend for uses such school fees, right up to housing loans.
He also confirmed that the number of bank accounts held by Steward Bank on behalf of EcoCashSave now surpassed those held by all the banks put together.
“We have more than 900,000 account holders, compared to 850,000 for all the banks,” he said.
Africa-focussed fundraisers have brought in excess of £2billion in reported closings for the period January – September 2013, already exceeding 2012 full-year figures according to the latest figures based on data from Preqin, the alternative assets industry’s leading source of data and intelligence.
The report supplied exclusively to Private Equity Africa shows this year’s figures have been driven in part by strong closings reported by Ethos which announced its $800m fund closure at the beginning of 2013, Vital Capital which has brought in $350m for its maiden vehicle and Phatisa, which reported a $243 final close of its first fund. A number of other smaller funds have also reached final close.
The figures only cover final closures, and exclude interim closings from some of the industry’s largest funds, including Carlyle, which has already exceeded its original target, and will touch $700m by year-end, according to Private Equity Africa research. Figures also do not include Development Partners International, which has exceeded $400m in its first closing, and Amethis with a $290m first close during the year.
According to Adeola Dosunmu, Head of Research at Private Equity Africa, “This year’s fundraising figures bring great warmth to the continents fundraising environment and demonstrates that improved LP sentiment for Africa is slowly translating to solid commitments. Signs of this growing sentiment were shown earlier this year when the Emerging Private Equity Association (EMPEA) placed Sub-Saharan Africa in its top tier for emerging markets, displacing traditional BRIC markets.”
Gail Mwamba, Managing Editor of Private Equity Africa said “Improved LP sentiment has also underpinned the launch of Abraaj’s $800 million Africa-focused vehicle which is twice the size of its predecessor. Expectations are that 2014 will be an even more positive year, with expected final closes from groups such as Carlyle.”
The fundraising figures published today coincide with Private Equity Africa’s maiden fundraising forum; to be hosted in London today. The first of its kind for the industry, the event aims help first time managers execute a successful fundraising strategy for Africa-focused funds.
Miss Efua Falconer, MTN’s Corporate Communications Manager receiving the award for MTN
Apart from being the leading telecommunications newok in Ghana, MTN has added prestige to its name as it was pronounced as the Information Communication Technology (ICT) Company of the Year at the recently held Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) Awards ceremony.
The AGI Awards is a national event in Ghana that is designed to acknowledge industries that have distinguished themselves in their respective sectors as well as provide a platform to help define the highest standards of excellence in business.
Receiving the award on behalf of the organization, Miss Efua Falconer, the Corporate Communications Manager of MTN, thanked the organizers of the awards as well as the members of AGI for their recognition of MTN’s leading role in the ICT industry.
“MTN will continue in its quest to use the latest in ICT solutions in achieving its vision of leading the delivery of bold new digital world to its subscribers,” she said.
MTN is not new to winning awards; earlier this month the MTN Foundation received recognition by the Young Professionals and Youth Coalition Initiative for its support towards youth development and empowerment, transforming raw skills into productive ventures for increased socio-economic development in the country.
Some of the initaitives that have brough the foundation in the limelight include the MTN Hitmaker Reality Show, the MTN Soccer Academy Reality Show, the MTN Apps Challenge, among others.
Other corporate organizations that were recognized at the AGI Award include: Strategic Communications Africa for Best Business Promotion and Consultancy Sector; Polytank Ghana Limited for Rubber and Plastics Sector; Japan Motors Limited for Auto mobile and Transportation Sector, among others.
For all the Samsung Smartphone lovers, word is out that Samsung is the verge of creating the successor of the Galaxy S4 smartphone and they are not wasting time as the launch is expected to come pretty soon.
Suspected to go by the name Galaxy S5, according to some report from the South Korean news, the smartphone should be out either in February or March, which is frankly a very short time compared to the the traditional time Samsung took in succeeding the other flagship phones.
This ‘s5’(suspected name of the phone) production time is anticipated to be in January next year and will come in two forms, the metal chassis or a cheaper plastic one.
Some of the suspected specifications include; a slightly curved screen, a 16 mega-pixel camera and 3G of RAM. However, it is also expected to come with a huge 64-bit, 8-core processor, a sizeable battery, coming in with 4,000 mAh which more than double that supplied with Apple’s iPhone 5s.
A new study by Mckinsey & Company has revealed that iGDP (Internet gross domestic product) has topped US$2.5 billion in Egypt.
The company went ahead to report that, “Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt and Morocco have the most diversified iGDP profiles in our sample,” greatly leaving a gaping hole in East Africa.
“Egypt stands out in terms of private investment and public expenditure in per capita terms, although there is room to increase both as a percentage of GDP,” the company added.
Private consumption of the internet took a huge chunk of the iGDP at 63 percent, while public consumption was at 18 percent only. Private investments in IT took 23 percent.
A huge number of Egyptians spend their time on social media sites, accessing emails and reading articles and publications, the study also revealed.
The study matches global standards on iGDP, with more governments and private companies embracing heavy use of ICT in their processes. Here is a chart showing Egypt’s internet growth in 2012:
Roshan Telecom from Afghanistan could be planning to enter into the East Africa market especially in Uganda a new report has said.
PCTechMag is convinced that the Middle East Company that serves slightly over 6 million people could be planning to enter the ever competitive East Africa market.
The hint was revealed when a promotion surfaced on social media and SMS, where users are encouraged to suggest names for a new telecom operator and win prizes.
The new promotional site also gives clues that Roshan is opening up due to the fact that most entrants to the competition suggested the name Roshan.
During a research conducted by World Wide Worx, a South African research firm, and Cisco, it was said that Nigeria and Kenya businesses would greatly benefit from cloud technology. The research shows that 80 percent of Nigerian business will be using cloud services by the year 2014 compared to Kenya at 72 percent and South Africa at 66 percent.
For most companies, adopting to cloud technologies is not an option. Their employees are already using public cloud services whether or not approved by company. This could be dangerous for any organization whether small or large, but here are ways to get ahead of the game:
1. Get clear policy of cloud storage
Document storage for most small and medium companies has been something that has been overlooked. Most employees use cloud services such as Dropbox which could have been opened as a personal accounts by individual employees. Companies regardless of how small they are need to address the virtual document storage as soon as they can. Services like Dropbox which are public cloud can be used but measures to have private cloud should also be looked into.
2. Streamline Document sharing
Handling company documents can also be a bone of contention. For those using Google services such as Gmail, document sharing can become quite easy. But with the great services like Google Drive, companies can forget to structure their policies on use of such services. Let it be clear that company documents can only be shared using official company emails and accounts, to be able to track company documents.
3. Address BYOD (bring your own device) policies
Like it or not, employees will use their personal gadgets to access emails and documents when they are away from the office. As the head of your company you need to know what type of devices your employees are using to access company documents and communication. Offer them protection in terms of antivirus for their devices rather than trying to abolish the system. You can invite IT experts to give valuable talk on how to secure one’s devices.
Convergence Partners, an investment management firm focused on the telecommunications, media and technology sector in Africa, today announced the launch of the Convergence Partners Communications Infrastructure Fund (CPCIF).
This is the only infrastructure fund globally that is dedicated entirely to the ICT sector in Africa. With a first close of $145 million under management, it is one of the largest African based infrastructure funds ever raised.
Convergence Partners has invested in a number of landmark African transactions, including SEACOM, which brought cost effective broadband services to East Africa.
CPCIF, which has a targeted final close of $250 million and aims to invest in communications infrastructure & related services and technologies across sub-Saharan Africa. With a strong focus on East Africa, the organization intends to set up an East African office in this market next year.
The fund reached its first close with capital commitments from; Convergence Partners (as sponsors), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Dutch Development Bank (FMO), the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and the CDC Group (CDC).
“As specialist ICT investors and innovators, Convergence Partners is dedicated to accelerating investment capital, digital access and ICT infrastructure development on the continent,” says Andile Ngcaba, Chairman of Convergence Partners. “As a result, we focus strongly on initiatives that increase the availability of communications, broadband services and new technology offerings to African people. The launch of this Fund will enable us to achieve these objectives on a greater scale.”
Convergence Partners’ founders are seasoned pan-African private equity professionals, experienced in developing value-add investments that deliver shareholder returns whilst underpinning continental transformation. The Fund is committed to facilitating regional ICT infrastructure and integration, ultimately fostering the advancement of a sustainable and more prosperous Africa.
The dust in Mombasa, Kenya along Moi Avenue has not yet settled as Airtel Kenya has today officially unveiled its refurbished Mombasa customer care shop in a move to offer relevant products and mobile phone solutions to its customers in the city.
The grand re-opening of this shop comes with great rebates on various devices and customers will also get access to all of Aitel’s new range of products and offers.
Speaking at the event, Airtel Kenya Managing Director Shivan Bhargava said, “We are pleased to open our upgraded Mombasa shop which is one of our largest shops in Kenya. We would like to assure our customers that they will experience consistent quality of service and a wide range of choice of communication products including handsets and devices. We remain committed to providing the most innovative, reliable and consistent quality of service to our customers in the Coast Region, backed with our strong and reliable quality network.”
Mr. Shivan Bhargava expressed the firm’s appreciation to its customers for their immense support. He went on to explain that the company is committed to bridging the digital divide with the goal of delighting its customers wherever they are in Kenya. As part of service and delivery expansion, Airtel has also opened a new shop at the Mombasa Airport and plans to open another at Nyali by mid December 2013.
The ceremony was graced by the Mombasa Governor H.E. Ali Hassan Joho who expressed his appreciation of Airtel’s commitment to the improvement of service to the residents of the city of Mombasa.
The Governor urged more companies to emulate Airtel in offering better quality services to the residents of the city of Mombasa saying that his office is ready and willing to offer the necessary support to the companies with the objective of making life better for its residents.
Back in April, Israel’s Elbit Systems won a $40 million contract to supply Nigeria with the Wise Intelligence Technology (WiT[TM]) System, a cyber intelligence analysis and tracker.
The system collects data from multiple sources, databases and sensors, processes it and sends it to intelligence personnel for action. Set to be installed in Abuja , Nigeria, the operation is against Chapter four, section 37 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria and will be like the US’s infamous Prism project that has caused a public outcry in the country and globally.
Media reports are claiming Elbit Systems, are already in the country to start the two year project set in Abuja, that will help the Nigeria government spy on its citizens online activities, even against the suspension of the project by the National Assembly. The report also claim there are about 20 Nigerian intelligence officers receiving training in Israel on how to use the technology.
The WiT technology will be integrated with various data sources, including Elbit Systems’ Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) solution and Elbit Systems’ PC Surveillance Systems (PSS), an advance solution for covert intelligence gathering.
Announcing in April after winning the contract, Yehuda (Udi) Vered, General Manager of Elbit Systems Land and C4I, noted: “We are proud to be selected to supply this unique system, which is already field-proven, fully operational and customizable.”
Elbit Systems is suitable for armies and critical infrastructure sites.
Econet Wireless has joined ‘Wind for Prosperity, an initiative ran by Vesta, a Danish wind energy group, to build small wind power generators across Africa.
This programme was created to provide power to people living in the rural areas as well as small unreachable towns.
“Wind-for-Prosperity is exactly the kind of ambitious and bold initiative that needs pursuing if we are to combat energy poverty. I am a firm believer that we need to think differently and be more creative with technology in order to deliver sustainable sources of power to the millions of people across the world, living beyond the reach of the grid. I am particularly interested in the potential of affordable electricity to boost agricultural productivity and create jobs. I am therefore very pleased that our energy division, which works on renewable energy solutions for Africa, is part of the consortium of investors, who are partnering with Vestas, to create Wind-for-Prosperity, to bring solutions to remote communities in several African countries,” said Strive Masiyiwa, Founder and Chairman of Econet.
So this development main aim is to generate wind energy to electricity which means there will be sufficient electricity for communities lighting requirements, the pumping of water and also small cottage industries.
Wind for Prosperity, has already completed the first round of financing for its first project which will roll out 13 wind generators in Kenya supplying power to more than 250,000 people.
“This technology is remarkable and will enable us to meet the electricity needs of millions of people across Africa, in a cost-effective and highly flexible way. Econet is already an active player in providing power solutions, using solar power, and sees the use of wind as a natural and complimentary extension to its current work. We at Econet are committed to not only finding solutions for the problems facing people in Africa, but we are committed to renewable solutions,” continued Masiyiwa.
Mobile social network with over 14 million members Eskimi, has launched its app for Nokia Asha devices in a move to make the service available to many users.
Available for free at on the Nokia Store, the new application will also have an Eskimi Ask function to allow users to communicate to each other through questions just like on its other platforms.
Speaking about the launch, Mr. Vytas Paukstys, Eskimi CEO said,“Our new Nokia application is also a part of our strategy to offer affordable social media services to users in Africa. They will not only have more fun with the new NOKIA app, but will also save data costs. As part of the same strategy, ESKIMI has also recently partnered with MTN in Nigeria to launch a data bundle that allows users to browse Eskimi cheaper”
Coming with an improved instant chat experience and new friend matching functionality, the app aims at making it easier to connect with friends every day and also constantly find new friends to have fun said Mr. Povilas Skrebutenas, Head of Product from Eskimi.
Mr. Emmanuel Oluwatosin, Partner Manager, Nokia West and Central Africa, says: “It’s great to have Eskimi on board of Nokia store. Eskimi has taken Nigerian market by storm and we want our customers to have all the local and relevant content through the application store. Exclusively on the new Nokia app, new Eskimi users who will start to use the app, will get Eskimi coins as a gift from Nokia”..
Samsung Electronics East Africa and the Kenya@50 Secretariat will erect a LED Digital screen at KICC and digital billboards across the country to mark Kenya’s 50-year celebrations.
The billboard at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre will promote the monumental building as the regional premier meeting centre and will also showcase the county’s culture, the people and businesses.
According to Sports, Culture and Arts Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Hassan Wario, “Every sector in Kenya has a unique story to tell, and that fits into the country’s 50th anniversary. This is a great opportunity for citizens, private sector, investors, the tourism industry among others, to come together to make an indelible mark in the Kenyan story.”
The first in the region, Samsung says the billboards are based on its Digital Signage Display technology, that has made it the market leader in display technology providing LED-backlit panels that are renowned for their sharp text, rich colour and reliable performance.
The launch of the Digital billboards for Kenya@50 celebrations comes at a time when the country is gearing up for the digital migration switch set for mid-December, which will see Kenyan embracing the digital broadcasting technology for the Televisions sets.
“We’re extremely excited about the launch because as a brand, all our television sets are digitally complaint thus our customers will not miss the action during the celebrations. We believe that this partnership will go a long way in ensuring that the milestones of this great nation are beamed to the whole country,” said Samsung Electronics East Africa Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Robert Ngeru.
Apart from celebrating 50 years as a nation, the Kenya @50 steering committee has lined up a series of initiatives, which will involve social and economic activities across the country with long-term positive impact.
East Africa, prepare yourself for the LG OLED TV, as the company is planning to grow the premium TV segment market share by this top notch TV not minding that Africa is still obsessed by Smartphones and tablets.
Josep Kim, the LG East Africa Managing Director said though changes in consumer trends and the market landscape are extremely difficult to predict and can have major consequences on the electronics business, the company would attempt to stay ahead of the game by introducing an unbeatable range of premium products and by expanding the overall diversity of its TV lineup.
The 55 inch OLED TV was launched in the Kenyan market and costs about Ksh.1.2 million. The TV can only be found at HotPoint Appliances, Sarit Center, Nairobi.
“It’s possible to make OLED TVs considerably thinner and lighter than LCD TVs because OLED has a simple structure and requires no additional illuminant,” said the Managing Director. “If yield rates continue to rise, OLED TVs will quickly replace LCD TVs in living rooms around the world. OLED TVs are already better than LCD TVs in terms of picture quality and will soon be more cost effective to produce as well”.
So what’s so good about this TV
The Curved screen allows viewers to enjoy same quality of excellent picture quality in both 2D and 3D images at any angle.
With the aid of LG’s WRGB OLED technology, the 55EA9800 features infinite contrast ratio with deeper blacks and brighter whites than a conventional RGB display. The screen delivers incredible color accuracy regardless of ambient light or viewing angle.
The Curved OLED TV’s design of the 55EA9800 features the almost transparent Crystal Stand, is as thin as 0.17 inches and weighs only 17kg.
The LG’s forward-facing Clear Speakers are unremarkably incorporated into the Crystal Stand to deliver flawless audio with remarkable fidelity in the mid- to high-frequency ranges.
In the near future, local internet service providers will be required to host websites locally in Kenya if a proposal by the Communications Commission of Kenya.
CCK said that it is pushing to create a body that will ensure that local ISPs adhere to the proposed rule.
“In order to keep our local traffic within the country and make it easy for us to trace cyber criminals, we are proposing in future that all ISPs be compelled to have their clients websites hosted locally,” Francis Wangusi, CCK director said. He was speaking at the recent cyber security conference in Nairobi.
Tanzania already has a law on internet hosting by compelling government bodies to register a local domain and host it locally as well.
Most hosting companies opt to hire servers outside the country due to their cheap rate and also having experienced staff maintain the servers. This move will definitely see the cost of hosting websites with the local ISPs increase, giving undue favor to international hosting companies.
The Student Advantage service is meant to better the academic lives of students as it will enable them to communicate, collaborate and access assignments in a shared work space.
The platform will help synchronize on OneNote as well as access Office applications, this, the company said will help prepare the students with the skills required in the workforce.
Students will be able to enjoy this service from 1 December this year. It will be made available to any institution worldwide that licenses Office 365 ProPlus or Office Professional Plus for staff and faculty can provide access to Office 365 ProPlus for students at no additional cost.
Microsoft Office 365 Education, an always-up-to-date cloud productivity service, is currently used by 110 million students, faculty and staff around the world. Office 365 Education enables students to communicate and collaborate more efficiently, access assignments in shared workspaces, have notes synchronized in OneNote and have familiar Office applications such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel anywhere, across virtually any device.
“Students use Office every day for school work and activities that are most important to them. Office not only helps students stay organized and get their work done today but at the same time develops skills that will be required when they enter the work force,” Said Mark Chaban, Microsoft Education Lead, Middle East and Africa.
Chaban was speaking at a Higher Education forum organized by Microsoft and attended by dons from over 30 Private and Public Universities and the Ministry of Education.
The launch comes in the wake of a white paper released by International Data Corporation (IDC) which states that top candidates for current and future jobs will be measured by capabilities and competencies.
The study by Microsoft Corp provides insight into the skills students need for the top 60 high-growth, high-wage occupations that will account for 11.5 million new hires and 28 percent of job growth by 2020. Out of those skills, oral and written communication, detail orientation, and Microsoft Office proficiency top the list.
With technology and innovation booming, the global economy is changing and business needs are evolving. IDC research found that although a number of positions require technical skills, even more require knowledge and cognitive skills.
Zando co-founder and former Managing Director Peter Allerstorfer has joined Silvertree Capital, South African-based business builder and venture capital investor after earlier this year resigning from the online fashion retailer he helped found.
He will be joining former Zando co-founder and Managing Director Manuel Koser and ex-McKinsey colleague Paul Cook at Silvertree Capital, which has investments in several internet companies in South Africa and Nigeria.
“I am happy to have helped develop Zando into South Africa’s largest fashion e-commerce player. I am now ready to tackle new ventures with Silvertree Capital and we are looking to promote fresh and exciting business opportunities that have great prospects of growth” said Peter. “There is a lot we are working on at the moment and we should be announcing 1-2 more investments before the end of the year.”
Silvertree Capital has listed investments in a broad range of rapidly expanding internet businesses which involve healthcare, e-commerce and online feedback systems.
Before Silvertree Capital, Peter founded Zando in South Africa and served as Managing Director. He is also a founder and shareholder of Jumia in Nigeria. Peter started his career as an Intern for BMW, working in quality and strategy departments. After completing his Engineering Diploma at the Technische Universität Graz, he joined McKinsey & Company where he started off as a fellow intern and was later promoted to a Senior Associate where he was responsible for several projected in different industries and functional areas across the world.
By Nick Durrant, Bluegrass Digital Managing Director
It’s that time of year again, when the technology seers and trendspotters start pontificating on what they believe will be the transformative or shape-shifting technologies for the year ahead. Bluegrass Digital strives to keep a finger on the proverbial pulse, and with a dynamic and forward-thinking client base, we have some thoughts of our own on what we believe will drive the digital scene in the South African market in 2014.
Mobile Foundation
One of the fundamental elements to most of the emerging technology trends is the increasing dependence on (and popularity of) mobile devices. As smartphones, tablets and notebooks become cheaper and more prevalent, coupled with the declining cost of data, more and more people are using their mobile devices to go online and shop, make payments, use social media, and stay atop of their work commitments. In South Africa, where there is over 120% mobile penetration and more active SIM cards than there are people – mobile is becoming a focal point for retailers, marketers, advertisers and indeed most businesses who are looking to capture eyeballs (i.e. market share). Depending on your business or service, the emphasis on mobile will mean different things. For example, if you’re a marketer, you will need to look into mobile banner ads and Location Based Services (LBS). If you’re a restaurant or retailer, you may want to look into geo-tagging and creating a compelling mobi site. The first step, however, is to recognise the fundamental importance of mobile in being able to effectively reach and communicate with the South African consumer.
E-Commerce Explosion
Although e-commerce has been around for many years now, the take-up in South Africa has been fairly slow compared to the US and European markets. This is largely due to the high cost of bandwidth and relatively few retailers presenting a strong online offering. However, we believe that the local e-commerce industry is kicking into a higher gear now, with major retailers such as Woolworths ramping up their digital presence and pressuring others to follow suit. In addition, as bandwidth becomes more affordable and South Africans become more comfortable transacting both on PCs and on increasingly sophisticated mobile devices, many believe that local e-commerce is set to boom.
Indeed, former FNB CEO Michael Jordaan, renowned for driving innovation on the digital front, has commented that in the near future, e-commerce “…will just become the normal way of doing business”. And the numbers certainly support this sentiment, with one study pointing to a 12.95% a year growth in local e-commerce transactions, and local consultancy World Wide Worx finding that in 2013, South Africans were on course to spend as much as R4.2 billion online (excluding air tickets). According to Luke McKend, country director for Google South Africa, SA is forecasted to have 29.8 million Internet users by 2016, with a whopping 25% increase in online spend anticipated for 2013. On the global front, Goldman Sachs has predicted that e-commerce sales would reach $963billion by 2013 and grow at 19.4%. So this is certainly a space to watch closely, and retailers would be well advised to ensure that they have a clear-cut digital strategy in place.
Social Media: Google+ on the Up
Unsurprisingly, social media is set to gain an even stronger foothold in the digital realm, but we believe that 2014 will be the year in which local businesses of all sizes and sectors will fully embrace the medium as both a business strategy and communications tool. And given the numbers, this is a clear ‘no brainer’ for corporates, who have a fast growing and captive audience at their fingertips.
According to World Wide Worx’s recent social media study, Twitter has grown by 129% in the year to August 2013 – from 2.4 million to 5.5 million users in SA (South Africans post 54 million tweets a month, with 85% of these originating from mobile devices). There are now 9.4 million South Africans on Facebook, 2.7 million registered on LinkedIn, and 466 828 active Google+ users. While each of these networks are important for enterprises for various reasons, we believe that Google+ is set to become a major player in the Business to Business marketing space, providing tools and platforms that arguably make it more relevant and beneficial for the enterprise environment.
Indeed, 2014 might well be the year in which Google+ emerges as a critical business tool, so we encourage local enterprises to become comfortable with this platform and build a strong presence in the network.
While staying abreast of a rapidly evolving digital environment (with fast developing tools and technologies) may seem daunting, it is certainly worth the time and investment for businesses to ensure that they remain ahead of the curve.
You have probably noticed the copy cat game going on with the local television production. Some would say its lack of creativity others would say that it is an indication on what people want to see. Here are some of the top copy cat television productions in recent history.
1. Property Show vs N-Soko Property Show
The Property Show came first and took the nation by storm. Originally being screened on Zuku, the show was opted in by NTV and subsequently went to Kenya Television Network. To this response, NTV created its own property show, N-Soko Property Show to give its former show a competition. Both try and maintain their own identity but we can see what is happening here.
2. Hapa Kule News vs Offside News
For Hapa Kule enthusiasts, a new show is in the offing on NTV similarly feeding on fringe news in Kenya. Hapa Kule started on a slow note but now has gathered a huge following, reinstating liked sheng (corrupted Kiswahili) terms. We are yet to see if Offside will chip away any audience form Hapa Kule.
3. Wedding Show vs Samantha Bridal vs Weddings with Baileys
The Battle for the wedding scene is going down to the wire since a new entrant into the wedding shows scene. One name has to feature: Noni Gathoni. She has to be the pioneer in wedding shows, even though, Samantha Bridal took the glam away from Citizen’s Wedding Show. Noni is back to take her crown in a new show to be launched today on NTV: Weddings with Baileys.
4. Mali vs Lies that Bind
Both started as the premier soap opera in the Kenyan television space. One story was similar to both series: The family sole provider dies throwing family members into a mix of war on inheritance. The shows have since then drifted to take a life of their own.
So what is your thought? Coincidence, serious competition or lack of creativity?
Sim Shagaya, CEO of Konga.com, Nigeria’s major ecommerce platform, as described commerce and business as the force that could help in redeeming a society. He stated this in Lagos, Nigeria while delivering the keynote address at the maiden edition of SME National Conference organized by First Bank of Nigeria.
“Commerce is the most redemptive force for any society; it is not government or any agency, it is the SMEs,” Shagaya said.
He said at the initial stage of the company the company had to change its mandate from being a retailer to a company that also provides logistics due to the high level of distrust it met in the Nigerian market.
“Distrust in the system changed our mandate from being a retailer to a logistics company also,” he said.
Despite the current status of ecommerce in Nigeria, he said the sector is still in its early stage in Nigeria and his company is positioned for the future.
“Ecommerce is going to be like a utility – like water and electricity in the future, and most Nigerians will use the platform. Konga.com is building an engine for commerce in Nigeria.
“Success is not guaranteed but we are seeing some really good signs,” Shagaya said.
He identified several key factors that he said are vital to the success of SMEs in Nigeria.
He said: “Capital is important. You need funds which are seemingly scarce but at the same time like soil – even a small amount can make a difference.
“You also need to build processes and systems. Small businesses need to grow and there is no sentiment in business. As an SME, you must continually build the capacity of your workforce by enlisting them for regular training.”
At the SME National Conference, experts from the sector spoke to thousands of Nigerian SME operators on how they can improve their businesses and avail themselves of available opportunities, resources, funds and support that would facilitate growth and enhance expansion.
As opposed to the popular notion that mobile money is majorly for the unbanked, an expert as revealed that the widely accepted notion is not entirely true.
Explaining the report of a study carried out on Nigeria’s second largest social media platform, Eskimi, Vytas Paukstys, the chief executive officer of Eskimi said mobile money ought to be introduced from social media, especially to individuals that are already making transactions.
He said:”In the market, the understanding is still that you have to start mobile money roll-out from the unbanked. And this is wrong. Our research shows that you have to start from social media: urban, tech-savvy and already transacting customers.”
He added that it is difficult to start a technology business from people who only use technology for limited purposes.
He said: “You cannot start mobile money which is a technology business from people who never used technology except making calls.”
Currently, the focus in Nigeria and other African nations is to provide means of operating financial transactions to individuals who are unbanked hence most efforts are designed with the goal of targeting the unbanked.
This report however suggests that the strategy may not be effective in the promotion of mobile money in Nigeria.
Concerning the performance of various categories of users on Eskimi, he said “social media acquired and retained mobile money users are 9 times more active” than others.
A new research spearheaded by researchers from University of Cape Town has revealed that mobile users could stream video even with low bandwidth, extending the mobile video reach to many.
The new technology termed Adaptive Real-Time Internet Streaming Technology (Artist), uses algorithms that make video streaming on mobile phones unbroken even with low bandwidth access.
This would be a major shift in mobile use in Africa where most regions do not have high speed internet to support video streaming.
“Our aim was to find the balance between complete blockage due to congestion and acceptable picture/video quality in order to lessen the disruption to the viewing experience of the user,” says Emeritus Professor Gerhard de Jager.
This technology could also open doors to industries such as movie, television and video on demand services. ELearning could also benefit from easy video streaming.
It’s a calling spree this festive season to all MTN subscribers; the telecommunication company has announced that their users will make international calls to 200 international countries at subsidized rates.
Chief Marketing officer of MTN South Africa, Brian Gouldie said that the company is aware that inn this festive season their customers will want to communicate with their loved ones and the company is planning on giving the customers an affordable way to communicate.
“MTN contract customers will now only pay 75c for calls to the US, UK, France, Portugal, Germany, China, India and Nigeria. Customers can dial *111*2# for more information on MTN’s low rates to over 200 international destinations,” He said.
This time MTN subscribers will only have to worry about how to charge their phones because it recently initiated a promotion on its MTN Anytime contract packages, which offers customers more talk time with more inclusive minutes, more surf time with more data value and more text time with more SMSs for local cell phone usage to enable them to continue connecting and sharing at a more affordable rate.
“With the frugal times we are living in today, we believe it is important that we bring solutions to our customers, thereby addressing their needs for pocket-friendly value, on our world-class network,” said Gouldie.
The international calling promotion will be available to contract customers from 17 November 2013 to 31 January 2014.
This week, the African Development Bank Group in collaboration with the African Virtual University (AVU) have concluded that in effort to improve access to higher education in Africa many are pleased to learn that the deliberations on the integration of e-learning and open education into mainstream education programs are fruitful, concurred Stefan Muller, Lead Economist of the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) East Africa Regional Resource Center (EARC).
Themed “Integrating eLearning and Open Education to Increase Access to Quality Education and Training”, the conference brought together more than 100 participants including Ministries of Education and 22 universities from the Multinational AVU support project as well as the private sector.
The main objective of this first international conference organized by the African Virtual University and organized from 20 – 22 November 2013, was to discuss the future of e-learning in Africa and the role of Open Education Resources (OERs) including the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in the ICT learning revolution.
“The conference is very timely, it is taking place at a time of ICT revolution in Africa. It is critical for the Bank to ‘seize the moment’ and ensure that regional member countries harness ICT technologies that will result not only in increased access, but also facilitate quality and relevance of education,” said Ruth Charo, Principal Social Development Specialist, AfDB EARC.
She noted that OERs, including MOOCS, have the potential to enhance access to quality education but certification and accreditation for the OERs has to be looked into. In all countries, especially in Africa, certification as an evidence of one having acquired training is almost mandatory.
Microsoft East Africa’s service Solution Sales Lead, Hesham Ali
Kenya’s ICT Authority, COMESA secretariate, the Ministry of ICT and CCK today organized a cyber crime conference in Nairobi in the aim of fighting cyber crime.
Cyber crime is an area that governments all around the world cannot afford to ignore. Kenya is one of the country which cannot afford to ignore such an issue because according to the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of ICT, information and communication, Fred Matiangi, Kenya has lost 1.5 billion shillings due to cyber crimes through mobile money as well as internet.
Matiangi said that in working towards the success of the project, the government will look into regulating all communication platforms which includes telecommunication companies as well as cyber cafes. He also said that it was important to work together with companies like Cisco and similar companies to help in the research as well as police training on cyber crimes.
Present in the conference, Sindiso Ndema, COMESA Secretary General said that it was important to invest in the training of the police all over Africa on how to handle the crime.
Microsoft East Africa’s service Solution Sales Lead, Hesham Ali said that Microsoft, having experience in the field in other developed countries, they intend to help their customers to protect themselves from cyber security threats.
“95 percent of of cyber attacks are not investigated, according to a worldwide statistics, and 60 percent of the attacks in countries are not discovered, they do not know that they are being attacked. What we are trying to do is to raise awareness and support our customers on how to protect themselves against cyber insecurity and also to be able to respond if attack happens and also recover after an attack, ” he said.
Other sponsors of the event include CISCO, Microsoft, Orange and Enterasys.
The StartUp Battle brings together thousands of entrepreneurs from hundreds of cities to battle for innovation to win mentorship, introductions, and everything else they need to launch their startup. The $500k in prizes battle for innovation aims to give the startups bigger prizes, more exposure, and incredible opportunities.
