Kenya is set to install a CCTV surveillance system on its border with Somali in a move to curb insecuity and terrorism suchas the magnitude of Westgate siege, Interior and Coordination of National Government, Cabinet Secretary, Joseph Ole lenku has said.

Speaking to CNN’s Nima Elbagir on Monday, Ole Lenku admitted that the incredibly porous, 800Kilometres Kenya-Somali border was a major ‘panya’ route for terrorists especially the Al Shabaab drawn from Somalia and hence the planned technological measures to keep them out of Kenya.

“The border is a major security concern as the points of entry are far too many. We are working on a surveillance system to show what is happening in the entire borderline. We are also putting up a command and control system that provides CCTV surveillance for the cities and also the border,” Ole Lenku told Nima during the interview.

However, the somali border CCTV surveillance might be a miss.

When asked about the network that was behind the Westgate attack and how much it was regional network, Ole Lenku explained, “There are a number of theories that are being put together. There’s the Entebbe theory telling how there is a movement that came to Kenya, went to Entebbe and then came back.”

“Forensic investigations are underway to ascertain reports that the Al Shabaab network that attacked Westage originally landed in Entebbe and then came over the border from Uganda.”

Ole Lenku also blamed corrupt security officers as a major setback to security adding that integrity will be a major consideration when recruiting new police officers going forward.

“People are noticing that there’s a new requirement for service in terms of integrity and that those who will not meet that threshold will not be allowed into their service,” he said adding on that the vetting process for police officer which began last week, will see a number of corrupt officers removed from the system.

The vetting exercise for police officers is being carried out because corruption has been a loophole and an avenue for insecurity according to Ole Lenku.

Asked what he would have done differently, Ole Lenku said, “We have a number of lessons learned from this Westgate attack. One of it is to synchronise the activities of our intelligence, our military and our police: a common standard operating procedure for the forces of the country is being worked on.”

“We are strengthening our response to disaster, and we got a lot of support from well-wishers, some specific country like Israel, Germany, the US and British have come in,” he said.

A leading online private education institution in South –Eastern Europe , DOBA Faculty of applied business and social studies, has today introduced its online Master’s degree Programme for the African market.

This course will be a Master’s Degree in International Business Management which cost $4.695 per year.

Director  of the Faculty, Ms Jasna DOninko Baloh said: “Online learning is an alternative for those who are unable to attend face to face lectures due to their career or family commitments, such as full-time employed people who want to advance their career, young adults with active lifestyles and young mothers with limited free time.”

Targeting people between the age of 19 and 25, the applied Business and Social Studies holds the honor of being  the first and only higher education institution in South-Eastern Europe to receive the UNIQUE international certification for quality in e-learning which is awarded by the European Foundation for Quality in e-Learning.

In the programme students are monitored and guided by a tutor, who is available to you seven days a week. Ms Baloh added: “our students have numerous opportunities for networking and strengthening both business and private connections in European Union and Africa through this programme and active participation in the alumni club.”

DOBA faculty also said that they plan to extend their services in Ghana in future; however, it is still thei first time in the African market.  They said that they had considered their first stop to be in Kenya because, according to them, it has a high level of people who have done their bachelors degree and have plans to continue with their Master’s degree.

The faculty is planning to give a presentation of the courses; it will happen on November 21^st at 6pm (EAT) at the Nairobi’s Hilton hotel.

Kenyan industry leaders believe that mobile content will lead to blossoming commerce revenue, says MEF in their first report of a three-country African Growth Market Study on mobile content and commerce.

In this report, the main avenue that is bringing growth to this sector is mobile money and m-banking. Mobile banking creates revenue which stands at 53 percent followed by social networks which is at 37 percent and mobile commerce 30 percent.

Mobile payments have been the greatest opportunity for market growth that has captured 87 percent with mobile advertising following closely and the rising adoption of the use of the Smartphone in businesses rather than the downloading of content which has significantly declined,says report.

As the opportunities seen so endless the main challenges that are bound to delay the progress is the high charges as well as network issues.

The industry respondents believed that plans to educate and reassure consumers and whilst rising smartphone adoption.

Rimma Perelmuter, MEF CEO said: “This report provides an industry-wide snapshot on mobile activity and opportunities in Kenya today as part of our regional roadmap of activities, following the launch of our dedicated MEF Africa office in association with Vodacom in late 2012. Kenya is a market of great interest to our members and as the study clearly demonstrates a showcase for success, particularly in mobile money.”

The survey was conducted in association with KPMG and supported by Nation Media Group.

Morocco’s Inwi, a mobile telecoms company has partnered with Gemaltor a digital security firm to delpoy Facebook for every phone to its over 12 million subscribers.

Using Gemalto’s LinqUs Facebook-for-SIM mobile application users will have access to all Facebook’s core functions and services such as friend requests, status updates, notifications and news feed, via a user-friendly interface on the handset. No data subscription is required and, with the addition of Facebook Messenger, people can now directly chat with their friends or send private messages anytime and anywhere.

According to Inwi’s CEO Frédéric Debord, “Inwi’s business philosophy is to deliver truly innovative services within easy reach to enhance our customers’ experience,” said . With Gemalto’s LinqUs Facebook for SIM application we can further build on this strategy, bridge the gap for users with all types of mobile phone and respond to Morocco’s growing love affair with social media.”

“Innovation is deeply embedded in inwi’s DNA, and reflected not just in the company’s commercial success, but also a string of industry awards,” said Thierry Mesnard, Senior Vice President of Telecommunications at Gemalto Africa. “Gemalto is fully committed to providing services that harness the power of social networking, and helping inwi realize its bold vision for the future of mobile services in Morocco.”

Qualcomm has launched its Android-based Qualcomm Toq (‘talk’) smartwatch in a move that will disrupt the smartwatch industry even when Qualcom is not any giant inthe consumer electronics industry.

Toq allows users to receive or reject calls via a Bluetooth® wireless technology, view text messages and meeting alerts, and selectively receive notifications from their smartphone or AllJoyn-enabled devices directly from their wrist.

Set to be available December 2, 2013, Toq is an Android OS based smartwatch, runs on a Qualcomm processor, has Qualcomm Mirasol™ display technology ad lasts for multiple days of battery life and is visibility even in bright sunlight. It comes with accessories such as headphones and allows for wireless charging.

According to Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, chairman and chief executive officer of Qualcomm, the $349.99 Toq smartwatch showcases key Qualcomm innovations, such as Mirasol always on low power display, AllJoyn interactions and WiPower LE wireless charging, that will define the emerging wearable category.

The Toq displays information at a glance with no on/off switch like a normalk watch,  can receive notifications and content like a smartphone.

Some of the technologies the Toq has been build on include;
• Mirasol display technology – for an always on, always visible reflective display even in bright sunlight;
• Qualcomm WiPower™ LE technology – enables a hassle-free, true “drop and go” wireless charging experience,
• Stereo Bluetooth audio experience – first truly wireless stereo headphones that sit outside the ear canal for all day comfort and wearability.

Four schools and eight teachers from across sub-Saharan Africa have been nominated amongst the world’s best as part of Microsoft’s 2014 class of Mentor Schools and the Inaugural Class of Expert Educators.

The schools include the Government Secondary School Jabi in Nigeria, the Agha Khan Academy in Kenya, Gayaza High School in Uganda and SARM State Secondary School in Mauritius. The four were chosen from over 250 global applicants in 80 countries to participate in the one year programme which recognise visionary educators using technology to improve student outcomes and equip them with 21^st century skills.

According to Djam Bakhshandegi, Director of Corporate Citizenship and Partners in Learning, West East, Central Africa & Indian Ocean Islands,“At Microsoft, we strongly believe in the role that well-prepared educators play in helping today’s youth overcome the emerging opportunity divide and guiding them toward the education, skills and opportunities they need to prosper in the hyper-connected era.”

Microsoft believes that investing in education of youth in Africa will improve the potential for economic growth and development as nearly one in three people in sub-Saharan Africa are between the ages of 10 and 24 and would double by 2050, according to the World’s Youth 2013 Data Sheet.

Teachers had to be creative to be selected. Microsoft in the early years picked teachers who were using interactive whiteboards as a teaching tool but at the moment the firm is using 1:1 interactive, online education programs through mobile devices.

Representing Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Senegal and Mauritius, the eight teachers that were awarded Expert Educator status will attend the Microsoft in Education Global Forum in Barcelona, Spain, in March next year. Winners will be able to collaborate with other leaders and ultimately create a vision for their school community. They will also give their feedback to Microsoft on innovation in education,  provide insights on new products and tools, and help the firm understand how technology works – or doesn’t work – in real-life classrooms.

This is nott he first time Microsoft is doing this.

The firm has been offering educator and school programmes for 10 years via its education initiative, Partners in Learning, (Global YouthSpark initiative,  Imagine Cup, DigiGirlz, and DreamSpark) which helps teachers and schools around the world improve students’ experiences and skills through technology. In sub-Saharan Africa over 13 million students have benefitted from the programme to date.

The company has also signed an agreement with the University of the People to offer 1, 000 free scholarships to Africans as part of the 4Afrika Initiative.

“At Microsoft we are deeply committed to doing whatever it takes to effect a holistic transformation of learning. This isn’t transformation for the sake of change. Rather, it’s about making a real impact on educational outcomes and offering young people – regardless of circumstance — a chance at a promising future.”

List of teachers awarded Expert Educator status in sub-Saharan Africa

·        Ikechukwu Chukwu, Abuja, Nigeria

·        Veranique Obiakor, Abuja, Nigeria

·        Ayodele Odeogbola, Nigeria

·        David Muya, Kismumu, Kenya

·        Hannington Ochieng, Nairobi, Kenya

·        Papa Mamadou, Dakar, Senegal

·        Anil Saccaram, Mauritius

·        Chole Richard, Jinja, Uganda

In a bid to cut down cost, the government of Kenya has resorted to making changes to the rules governing the tender for the laptop project.

One notable thing is that there will not be any middle men involved; it has been restricted to laptop manufacturers only.

The government has also left room to negotiate prices with the shortlisted suppliers.

It will also take the responsibility of moving the laptops from the point of entry to schools, be it the sea port or the airport to the schools.

The announcement came as the government extended from November 14 to November 21. The tender for supply of the laptops was re-advertised on October 16th after the previous one was cancelled in August.

As of Thursday, only 58 firms had bought the bidding document compared to 126 in the initial tendering exercise.

“This process is a bit different from the initial one because we have opted for a very selective process that allows the government to negotiate with the shortlisted vendors to arrive at a reasonable price,” said Prof Kaimenyi, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Education.

The bid bond has been reduced to Ksh50 million from Ksh228 million and the performance bond to Ksh150 million from Ksh3 billion to increase participation.

The number of laptops to be bought had also gone down to 1.28 million from 1.38 million. 20,5337 laptops for teacher will be bought separately.

Some of the bidders include HP, Huawei, Samsung Electronics, Haier Technologies and ZTE Corporation who participated in the initial tendering process that was cancelled in August.

There are plans to spend Ksh17.4 billion annually for three years to buy the laptops, develop digital content, build teachers’ capacity and build computer laboratories for Class Four to Class Eight pupils.

Money has also been set aside to buy 20,637 printers and to distribute a similar number of projectors to each primary school. Some 150 trainers, mostly from secondary schools, have been selected for training.

The digital era is taking Africa by storm, Malawi, a country considered as the friendliest in the continent, has finally started selling and distributing Malawian music online for the first time; and are charging $1.59 per song while a whole album goes for $16.11.

All you have to do is go to  www.malawi-music.com and follow the procedure, the website is being run by Dingaani Whayo, and Dickie Chikago, a marketer and a software engineer respectively.

“This website is custom designed as it does not use free and open source platforms like that by Joomla or word press. It is flexible to all the changes that we will do if need be,” said Chikago.

The website will provide the songs in full length and of CD quality in mp3 format while albums will be zipped, in a single file with all mp3 files inclusive and details on how to unzip the files.

Whayo said the buying processing through the website will be supported by Google checkout cart also known as Google Wallet and that people can buy using VISA®, MasterCard®, American Express®, and Discover®.

He said it is the goal of Malawi-Music to provide Malawi music customers with a fast and convenient checkout process, so that they get to download the music they want legally and support the local music industry in Malawi.

There are currently 291 artists’ profiles, including the ones whose music is on sale.

Francis Madojemu, the head of Nigeria’s iBridgeHub and initiator of iCODE has called for a shift in the technology paradigm in Africa. According to him, the continent needs to understand how to speak the language of technology and not just remain consumers of products made elsewhere.

“Computer has got to speak to us, we also have to speak to the computer in order to accomplish things,” he said.

He added: “A lot of people know about Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. But unfortunately, they only know about the finished products and not how the products were developed.”

Madojemu’s organization through its iCODE initiative is introducing children to the basics of coding.

“We are just trying to introduce people to the behind-the-scenes of the technology that is running the world today so that they can apply it and use it to change the world,” he said.

On the reason they are focusing on the children, he said the goal is to invest in their future in order to fill the vacuum that current exists in Nigeria and the world.

“There is a huge need for people with such understanding in the world, talk less of Nigeria. Even the Computer Society of Nigeria (COSON) has revealed that we have the problem of lack of people who can code and understand how to build technology you can apply,” he said.

According to him, technology does not discriminate based on color or race as long as the right instruction is given.

He said: “When are we going to start having technology we can speak Yoruba to? Computer is not discriminatory; it doesn’t care if you are white or black, Yoruba or Igbo. If you give it what it needs it will give you back what you asked for.”

Johannesburg (Bryanston)-based Attix5, a global provider of data protection software and cloud solutions has appointed a new marketing manager in a move to increase hybrid cloud solutions on the continent.

The new appointment, Robert Kellerman, a B.Eng degree in Electrical and Electronic engineering and an Msc.Eng degree in RF engineering, brings on board over seven years marketing experience in state-of-the-art software technology and was part of a successful startup antenna design software company in 2008.

“We are very pleased to have Robert join the Attix5 team”, says CEO Michael Law. “His technical background, combined with his passion to engage with the target audience is the perfect fit. Attix5 has a mature product offering with many satisfied customers and the rest of the world needs to hear about us.”

Robert is very excited about the opportunity to grow Attix5 into an internationally renowned name in the world of backup and recovery.

Although the company has been specializing in backup software since 1999, ever since focusing on secure hybrid cloud backup solutions, it has been a hidden gem. “I want to grow an honest brand which says: Who, what and why Attix5? in such a way that people will easily see the value in what we do and what our products and services have to offer”, says Robert. “These days people are blind to flashing banners ads, marketing hype and videos which do not engage with their intended audience.”

Attix5 Africa is a market leading developer and provider of data protection software and Cloud solutions, service and support to companies of all sizes, globally – including listed enterprises and Small-to-Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

Established in 1999,  the firm has grown exponentially through the years in terms of actual size, in market share and as a recognised brand, designed to support network growth.

A United Nation’s International Telecommunication Union (ITU) report has recently placed the country at 151 out of 157 in terms on internet connectivity making it one of the least countries with internet penetration.

Ethiopia has around 100 million people second only to Nigeria in terms of population but has a meager 1 – 2 percent internet penetration.

“A lot of African countries’ ICT sector officials complain that they are not getting sufficient budget for ICT projects,” said Andrew Rugege, the ITU’s regional director for Africa. “Private investors in the sector must be encouraged and this can help to prompt the African countries’ status into a better position.”

Even so, the need of internet and broadband access is there in the country. But legislation has been seen as somewhat a hindering factor.

Is this due to the country’s policies on internet freedoms?

Recently the country is planning to put up a legislation framework that will be able to monitor activities on the internet. The Information Network Security Agency (INSA) will look to investigate ‘suspicious’ networks, computers, websites, television, radio and social media that would negatively affect the well being of the country.

Such piece of legislation usually deters those who want to use the internet to voice their concerns. So even in the event that the country would see increase in its internet penetration rate, will the users feel free to indulge in its use?

Latest reports from Juniper Research predict that by 2018 the business of shipping the wearable smart glasses will have gone up to 10 million annually as it is currently at 87000 shipments annually.

Juniper is a leading hi-tech analyst and it further notes that as the retail price for Smart Glasses decline towards the end of the forecast period, the adoption level amongst consumers will significantly increase.

In their report, ‘Smart Glasses: Market Prospects 2013-2018’, they say that the device will only get such turn outs only if the devices incorporate intuitive and user-friendly functionalities.

The report also argues that consumers will be ones making most of the shipments of this devices and followed by other sectors beginning with the enterprise and the health sectors.

In the health sector, smart glasses are predicted to be very efficient in diagnostic reference, surgical assistance and monitoring can be applied. Long term growth will be achievable but regulatory approval and field trials will potentially impact timescales.

The enterprise sector on the other hand has a whole load possibility, starting from engineering to logistics applications.  Well, as for the App developers, they are still finding out custom enterprise use cases for developing apps for smart glasses.

However, the largest opportunity will be in the consumer sector with the rate of adoption largely dependent on the market availability of attractive hardware and apps. The report adds that app-enabled mobile smart wearable device hardware market will approach $19 billion by 2018.

The report says the market will be dominated by the most developed regions in North America, Far East & China and Western Europe.

Since its introduction, the device popularity has not gained momentum in Africa, as its market is still fascinated by smart phones;

SEACOM’s Cloud business unit, Pamoja  has invested in a fresh new look website to reflect its growth and its value proposition to the market.

The construction of the new corporate website was outsourced to an experienced services provider with the main requirement to showcase Pamoja’s range of new services and an updated business model.

Syncrony Internet Services was selected as the provider of choice, based on its extensive experience in the market, its understanding of the corporate online environment and its level of service. The current website is in the first phase of a multi-phase design which will see partner portals integrated with the Company’s corporate site.

“We had to ensure that the project would not impact on operations,” says Albie Bester, General Manager at Pamoja. “We had to focus on our core business and having Syncrony on board allowed us to do that.” Bester points out that the new site, integrated with social media, is also mobile device friendly and can be viewed from all major mobile platforms. The website will become the primary communications channel for interaction with resellers. They will have secure logins which will allow them to gain access to software and marketing material.

In 2011 SEACOM incorporated Pamoja as its Value Added Services business unit, and the strategic arm in leading its entry into content aggregation and associated Cloud computing services.

Pamoja’s Cloud services business model is built on the growing demand for IT-as-a-Service from small and medium enterprises (SME), coupled with the need for service providers to increase the value of their existing offerings and grow broadband revenue. Pamoja is building a SME Cloud services marketplace which it offers to channel partners and service providers to on-sell under their own brand (white-labelled) to their customer base.

With access to dedicated SEACOM bandwidth, Pamoja will be able to deliver Cloud services from any of its datacentres in Africa, thereby bringing the Cloud to Africa.

Via PR