FNB has launched its latest banking app that will now enable customers to send money across the border for South Africa to Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
FNB’s Zimbabwe Money Transfer service was first launched on Cellphone Banking last year in april so as to enable South African customers to send money to Zimbabwe. The capability to send money to Zimbabwe through Online Banking followed in November 2013 and the Mozambique money transfer on both of these platforms was launched in June 2014.
“The rollout of our services on the FNB Banking App has always been driven by customer demand,” says Giuseppe Virgillito, Head of Banking App, FNB Mobile and Connect.
“The Money Transfer service is an important addition to the FNB Banking App as there is a growing need for ease of payments between countries and with an increase in affordable smartphones, more customers will be using App banking for all their banking needs.”
To access this service, users will have to update their current App or download the FNB Banking App. The service is still available for those without smartphones, the service continues to be available via FNB Cellphone Banking and FNB Online Banking. Recipients do not need to be preregistered but must hold an identity document of the country where they are receiving the funds. Money can be collected at selected OK Ltd stores throughout Zimbabwe or at one of the 15 FNB branches in Mozambique.
“The value that FNB’s Money Transfer service adds to our customers’ lives is evident. Being able to send money instantly from your phone, desk or smart device makes this a truly convenient and affordable way to send money home in an emergency, as the sender does not need to take time off work or travel to a branch or agency,” says Leonora van der Plas, Head of Cross-border Remittances at FNB.
Impoverished communities in South Africa will soon be enjoying free WiFi, thanks to the partnership between Coca-Cola South Africa, bottling partner Coca-Cola Fortune and BT Global Services.
Coca-Cola is installing the refreshment-dispensing coolers while BT is providing design and support, connectivity and internet access, as well as business training.The pilot project has been launched in two key areas in Umtata in the Eastern Cape province and Nelspruit, in the Mpumalanga province.
“The initiative forms part of Coca-Cola’s commitment to building sustainable communities by empowering the members of these communities. We believe that by giving them access to free WiFi we will enable students and school children in the area to increase their knowledge through research while also giving entrepreneurs and small business owners in the community the opportunity to manage some of their business aspects online,” says David Visser, Chief Information Officer of Coca-Cola South Africa.
Oliver Fortuin, MD, BT Global Services, Sub Saharan Africa, said: “We are delighted to collaborate with Coca-Cola and be involved in a project that will give underserved communities much improved access to information and education opportunities. At BT, we have a vision for a Connected Society: to help improve society globally through the power of digital connections. As well as providing access, we want to help people use technology to apply their creativity and harness the possibilities of today’s connected world.”
The project provides WiFi connectivity for community members of Nelspruit and Umtata. The sites were strategically chosen for their accessibility, so as to maximise usage of technology by the locals. The first site is Sasol Integrated Energy Centre (SIEC) in Qunu, Umtata. This is a popular spot for locals and is in close proximity to a taxi rank, attracting large numbers of people. Furthermore SIEC is run by a predominantly women run co-operative which will benefit from the increased flow of people. The second site is located at Thokozane Fast Food situated in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga.
Both outlets are in the vicinity of shopping centres and schools, allowing members of the communities to combine their day-to-day activities with the opportunity to access the internet for business and educational purposes. Internet access is offered for free via WiFi, without any purchase requirement of any kind and is accessible for the duration of the time spent at the outlets.
Coca-Cola South Africa, Coca-Cola Fortune and BT Global Services aim to grow the project and install WiFi coolers in various parts of South Africa to help support and grow sustainable communities.
BuyRentKenya, Kenya’s leading online property classifieds site by revenue, ad volume and traffic and backed One Africa Media, has been nominated as the ‘SME of the Year’ Social Media Award at this year’s Social Media Awards and is set to win. (Vote for BuyRentKenya here.)
Launched in 2012, BuyRentKenya.com. was nominated at the 2013 CIO100 Annual Awards after just 6 months of existence and was early this year named among the top 50 most innovative Kenyan startups. The site sees nearly 200,000 visitors each month who include property buyers, sellers, renters, brokers and developers who visit for it’s up-to-date local real estate news, market trends, home styling, expert advice and useful guides on buying and selling apart from its listings.
TechMoran caught up with Jamie Pujara, the co-founder and CEO of BuyRentKenya and told us what inspires the company everyday and the principles that have driven BuyRentKenya’s growth into what it is today.
1.Who is my customer?
It’s important to always know who your target market is? The more specific you can be the better. It will help shape your business plan and your projections as well as your estimation on how large the market is.
2) Why do they need this product/business?
If you’re starting a new business you need to ask yourself why a consumer would subscribe to your service or buy your product. This can be because there are no alternatives in the market, or it can be something that you offer that resonates with a people’s emotions.
3) Does my product match this need?
You always need to keep asking yourself this. When you’re in the startup world it’s very easy to get sidetracked and to lose focus on what you have set out to do. Everything you introduce should focus back to this to make sure your product is aligned with your customers needs.
4) How long am I willing to keep going?
Probably one of the harder questions you must face. There’s a saying ‘Hope for the best and plan for the worst,’ which kind of sums this up nicely. Everyone is in different circumstances and it’s important you’re aware of what your limit is both financially and emotionally. Starting a business can be very stressful and it’s important to know not only how much you are prepared to give to it, but also at what point you’re prepared to say it didn’t work and move on..
5) Where do I see my company in 5 years time?
I’m a believer in positivity, set yourself goals and keep reminding yourself what they are. By being able to see yourself and company in 5 years time is a great motivator to get you through the dark days and a great indicator to see if you’re on track.
This year’s Intel University App Challenge took place on at University of Nairobi’s C4D lab. The challenge targets students from Kenyan universities, and this time the universities that were present include Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, University of Nairobi, Kenyatta University, Technical University of Kenya, United States International University (USIU), Multimedia University, Moi University and Maseno University.
Students who took are in the competition had the chance to learn to port and develop applications for devices running Android based on Intel® Architecture. The student also receive training on how to monetize their applications and in addition, top developers will get a chance to win awards and a marketing deal for their applications.
“A good number of university students in Kenya have already taken up Android application development. The Intel University App Challenge is not just a competition but also a training to show upcoming developers how to create applications with a rich user experience and how to effectively market these applications. We believe such skills enable young developers to become self-employed, before they even leave university,” said Intel East Africa’s Software and Services Lead, Agatha Gikunda.
The was a total of 65 groups that registered, from different universities with great ideas. Six groups made it to the finals. They include:-
Stimalight app – an app that will lias with the Kenya power and lighting company and will informs users of the areas that will be facing power shortage and at what particular time and duration. This app scooped firs position
My Scheduler – A productivity application that enables users to schedule SMSs,emails and set event reminders, it took second position
The Gaming app(Fish hunt)
The other apps that made it to the final list include
Pupil Quiz – A math tutoring app that will give students quizes and sampe quesions then mark them
Black Spotter – An app that warns drivers of balckspots in the places they will be traveling to
Sheng App – An app that helps users learn and translate the Sheng’ language
As a response to the rapid adoption of new technologies by governments and businesses in Africa, there’s an increasing shortage of suitably skilled practitioners, and several firms are doing something about it including Oracle Corporation.
The firm has announced an initiative designed to enrich and increase the skills capacity of IT practitioners in Africa.
According to Oracle, the dramatic advancement of technology over the past five years has resulted in a gap in IT competencies and skills availability. Organizations in Africa are adopting new technologies at a rate which is outstripping the availability of appropriately qualified staff.
“Today IT holds the promise to promote social inclusion, combat corruption, expand the digital economy and enable stronger links between citizens and governments, businesses and customers, NGOs and the communities they serve,” said Alfonso Di Ianni, Senior Vice President, Oracle East Central Europe, Middle East and Africa. “They can do this and at the same time dramatically reduce costs and improve efficiency. However for technology to support such transformation, organizations must have ready access to people capable of setting up and maintaining these systems.”
Consisting of four elements – employee readiness, ecosystem readiness, workforce readiness and youth readiness, Oracle is reaching out to governments, the private sector and non-profit organizations to implement a long term skills strategy that will help fulfill demand for relevant IT skills.
“Using the materials and manpower from Oracle University, Oracle Academy, Oracle Partner Enablement, Oracle Sales Consulting and the Public Sector Center of Excellence, Oracle will, in partnership with the organization or community, create programs addressing their skills need,” said Orfhlaith Ni Chorcora, Senior Director, Business Development at Oracle. “Two such partnerships are already underway with the Lagos State government in Nigeria and Equity Group Foundation in Kenya to jointly drive successful initiatives tailored to the local needs.
Nigerian Online Mobile Media Company, Smileandtalk, has announced the release of a new African Mobile Game through their subsidiary, Smileandgame.
Titled “Chike the Problem Child: Target Practice at the Fish Market”, the game aims to catapult at the market goers complete with African sounds and imagery. Gamers get points every time they hit the target. The game is visually appealing with great African Music. The game is introduced for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users.
Speaking on this new app release, Emeka Onodugo, Founder at Smile and Talk said “We are very excited to bring a game to the App store that portrays African sounds and imagery. It is important that the next generation of developers and creators see many examples of African Games in order to inspire them to reach for the stars.”
Based in Nigeria and USA, Smile and Talk’s three primary products are Smileandtalk.com -an African Entertainment TV, Smileandmobile.com -a directory for African Tech Startups and Smileandgame.com an African Gaming company.
The game, built for iPhone, iPad or iPod touch has an engaging and easy-to-use interface, an animated African graphics, plays African music and fun sound effects, has simple touch screen and promotes hand-eye coordination.
IfooAfrica.com, a Nigerian audio based online platform wants to bring back the African art form of storytelling by allowing registered users to share their originally created audio story with others.
“IfooAfrica aims to create an online community of African storytellers told in their own individual and unique voices,” says the team. “We believe that even though our histories and journeys might be different, our stories are very similar. The platform intends to be both educative and entertaining while fostering stronger African unity via voice.”
Stories could include dramas, folktales, comedy, fiction, spoken word, poetry, narratives among others.
Set to launch in Nigeria October 1, IfooAfrica will be launched in other countries gradually and will run a monthly Upload, Share and Cash Out competition so allow users share their stories and earn prizes.
The competition which will take 12 months will see storytellers upload their originally created short audio story which ought to be 10 minutes or less, share with the IfooAfrica community who will listen and vote. According to the team, any story that has the highest number of votes at the end of the month will be awarded N25, 000. Listeners will also participate in the Listen, Comment and Win competition.
Nigeria’s Chioma Chukwuka-Akpotha, Kate Henshaw and Uti Nwachukwu have already recorded their first story on the site under Sexual Harassment.
Former Kalahari.com CEO, Gary Novitzkas has launched Juniva.com, a specialist health, wellness and fitness e-tailer that provides trusted advice and curated product selections to moms, fitness enthusiasts and athletes. Our diverse product line includes vitamins, supplements, sports nutrition and weight management brands.
“With offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg, we are ready to serve our customers and are set on creating a tailored customer experience,” says the firm.”For single orders, delivery takes place within 3—5 days, but for repeat orders, we have two delivery runs per month; on the 15th and 30th. All deliveries, irrespective of parcel size or dimensions, will cost R50 – unless otherwise specified.”
The firm also delivers to rural areas via the Post Office and allows buyers to track their orders to the time they are deliveredto their doorsteps.The firm says it aims to leverage technology and global eCommerce and industry experts to provide education, convenience and high quality, hand-selected products to its customers.
At the moment, Juniva says it has an inventory of over 1500 productsranging from health supplements, vitamins, sports nutrition and weight management brands among others and also educates its buyers before they pay for an order especially when they are ordering health and fitness related products.
Buyers have a choice to pay for their orders via credit card, EFT, bank deposit or with a Juniva Gift Voucher or store credit. Juniva plans to launch across the continent in a short period of time. HealthCart is it’s major competition in South Africa.
Mobily Ventures, a new venture capital unit of Etihad Etisalat launched late August recently invested into “Easy Taxi”, a taxi hailing application for smart phones, which users can book a taxi to come to their location available on iPhone, Android, BlackBerry and Windows iPhone and Anghami, a mobile application that provides millions of Arabic and Western songs to listen to and download for free.
Apart from Easy Taxi Saudi Arabia, and Anghami, Mobily Ventures will focus on Early-Stage and Growth-Stage startups in e-commerce & retail innovation, mobile financial services & payment, digital advertising, digital content & entertainment as well as IT & cloud services and will zero down on the MENA region..
According to Engineer Khalid Bin Omar Al Kaf, CEO of Mobily, “Mobily Ventures will further strengthen our company’s position in the ICT sector through the adoption of innovative products and services from the startups and at the same time foster entrepreneurship in the Kingdom and the wider Arab world”. Dr. Karl-Michael Henneking, Chief Corporate Strategy and M&A Officer of Mobily adds to this, “We not only gain valuable insight and understanding of market trends through equity investments in young high-tech companies, but also can build technological and economical synergies with the business units of Mobily”.
Though it’s invested in Rocket Internet’s Easy Taxi, Mobily has no relationship with the internet builder and is part of Etisalat Group, the largest operator group in the Middle East and Africa, operating in 18 countries across the region, with a coverage area that reaches more than two billion people. With operations in the United Arab Emirates and Mobily in Saudi Arabia, Etisalat Group is covering the most attractive markets in GCC in terms of mobile & internet usage. With Egypt and Morocco, Etisalat is present in two further attractive MENA countries.
In a bid to reduce infant and maternal mortality rate in Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, has partnered with Grameen Foundation and VAS2nets Technologies Ltd to unveil two innovative mobile health services dubbed Mobile Midwife and Dial-a-Doctor.
Mobile Midwife is a tailored mobile service designed to provide vital healthcare and nutrition information. The Dial-a-Doctor service, on the other hand, provides real-time help to pregnant women, nursing mothers and mothers with children under five years of age.The Airtel Mobile Midwife and Dial-a-Doctor services also offer unhindered access to adequate healthcare services and medical advisories to the target group.
The Mobile Midwife service comes in two variants – Pre-natal services and new born/mother services. Both services are aimed at improving antenatal seeking behaviour of pregnant women and access to validated health and nutrition information.
On the other hand, the Dial-a-Doctor service offers subscribers firsthand opportunity to speak to a doctor by dialling 67777. Users are billed N30 per minute when connected to a doctor.
To subscribe and register for the Mobile Midwife pre-natal services, customers are expected to dial 1561. Upon registration, subscribers receive calls from the service, once a week, with information which is tailored to their stage of pregnancy. They can also call in and speak to experienced medical personnel at any time.
For new born/mother services, customers are required to dial 1561 to listen to the voice prompt and register for the service. Upon registration, subscribers will receive information, at frequent intervals, via IVR, throughout the first year of the child’s life.
The Mobile Midwife subscription service is billed at N30 per week. Subscribers are notified every day for the last 2 days before expiration of their subscription. Customers registered for the service can also dial 1561 to speak directly with a doctor at N50 per minute at any time and on any day of the week.
Commenting on the innovative proposition, the Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Maurice Newa, said Airtel is intensely interested in the health and general wellbeing of pregnant women and infants as this is consistent with its corporate vision of becoming the most loved brand in the daily lives of Nigerians.
According to him, Airtel is committed in its quest of touching lives and enriching Nigerians, noting that the company is deeply interested in reducing infant and maternal mortality across the country.
The Mobile Midwife service was made possible by a grant provided by the GSMA Connected Women Programme to Grameen Foundation with technical support provided by VAS2Nets Technologies Ltd.
Claire Sibthorpe, Director of the GSMA Connected Women Programme, said: “The GSMA Connected Women Programme seeks to accelerate the growth of the female digital economy by working with partners to bring significant socio-economic benefits to women consumers and employees. One way this can be achieved is by delivering life-enhancing mobile services for women and the Mobile Midwife service is a great example of this. It will create social impact by providing medically-proven, locally relevant health information to pregnant women and nursing mothers in Nigeria.”
The C.E.O. of VAS2Nets Technologies Ltd, Mr. Ayo Stuffman also emphasizes on the need to prevent majority of death by the intelligence of mobile health care solutions through the recent incredible growth in technology trend. “Getting behavioural change information into the hands of vulnerable women and providing access to medical and emotional advice for men and women can help build the Nigeria we want. Dial-A-Doctor and Mobile Midwife is timely and will help a great deal,” he said.
Mobile Midwife was first developed in Ghana through a collaboration between Grameen Foundation and the Ghana Health Service.
“Our experience has shown that providing information to pregnant women and mothers of infants that is tailored to their stage of pregnancy or the child’s development reduces birth complications and improves health outcomes for mother and child. We are pleased to work with Airtel Nigeria and VAS2nets to launch this service in Nigeria,” said Hillary Miller-Wise, Grameen Foundation’s regional CEO for Africa.
According to a recent World Health Organization (WHO) report, Nigeria is classified as one of the 10 countries of the world that contribute about 60 percent of the world’s maternal mortality burden.
But with the introduction of Airtel mobile health service which provides reliable and up-to-date information for the target group, the telco aims to support the government’s efforts in addressing birth complications, also reducing infant mortality and maternal mortality in Nigeria.
Dimension Data MEA and Multichoice have partnered to launch WirelessCo to build and operate an open access carrier-grade WiFi network.
Owned by Dimension Data (51%) and Multichoice (49%) respectively, WirelessCo will be headquartered in Johannesburg and will combine the WiFi network assets of Dimension Data-owned WiFi provider AlwaysOn, together with the WiFi assets of MWEB WiFi. The AlwaysOn retail consumer business will continue to operate as a separate entity. Employees of MWEB WiFi, as well as AlwaysOn employees who manage the AlwaysOn network will be employed by WirelessCo.
According to Derek Wilcocks, CEO, Dimension Data Middle East and Africa,“A ubiquitous WiFi network for South Africa, built by WirelessCo will be a step forward to a “WiFi first” service as a viable and cost effective alternative to traditional data communication in a mobile environment, enabling more South Africans with affordable internet access. This company is committed to making the necessary investments to ensure WiFi is available everywhere and to everyone, driving digital inclusion for all of the country”.
Founded in 1983, Dimension Data plc is an ICT services and solutions provider that uses its technology expertise, global service delivery capability, and entrepreneurial spirit to accelerate the business ambitions of its clients. Dimension Data is a member of the NTT Group.
Francois Theron, CEO MWEB Group says: “More and more businesses across almost all industry sectors are looking to extend or entrench their value proposition through digital strategies. We are excited to have the opportunity to build a platform that can connect these businesses to their customers.”
Microsoft 4Afrika is set to give a grant to seven new African startups in a move to help the startups scale cross borders and influence the next generation of developers and entrepreneurs in Africa.
Apart from the financial backing, Microsoft will also provide technical support and one-on-one mentorship to help these startups develop their businesses.
Set to be announced on September 30 in Nairobi, the startups will be part of Microsoft 4Afrika Advisory Council meeting which brings together a selection of Africa’s top leaders from various industries to discuss issues such as youth unemployment, innovation and entrepreneurship. This will be the second round of innovation grants awarded after five startups were selected in February this year.
The 4Afrika Initiative focuses on three critical areas of development for the continent – World-class skills, Access and Innovation.
Each of these focuses on different aspects that will help empower African youth, entrepreneurs, developers and business and civic leaders to turn great ideas into a reality that can help their community, their country, the continent, and beyond.
In October 2013, Microsoft unveiled the Advisory Council for the 4Afrika initiative tasked with guiding strategic investments undertaken by the Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative across the continent as well as ensuring 4Afrika is closely aligned to broad African development goals.
The startups in the first round of Microsoft 4Africa held in February 2014 included Africa 118, a mobile directory that allows one to call the hotline to request a business’s location via text. n Uganda, access.mobile LLC a healthcare and agricultural training and support startup that helps businesses integrate technology and expand their reach via mobile devices, Kyatbu, a textbook subscription service for low-cost tablets, Save & Buy, a mobile and web app that helps users create a savings plan for specific products and Gamsole, a Windows mobile game production startup based in Nigeria.
Often, finding emergency numbers may take especially long, MySidekick, a new shopping application in South Africa has launched an Emergency feature that helps you quickly find numbers for emergency services!
The new feature will allow users to access contacts for ambulances, police stations, poison line, AA and many more by simply launching MySidekick and clicking on the emergency icon to find the numbers for the emergency service they require.
MySidekick has also added two additional safety featuresto help you locate ATMs and Petrol Stations closest to you to help you save time and money and most importantly lives.
Whether you’ve run out of fuel, are stuck in an emergency situation or simply looking for your nearest ATM to buy the hottest specials advertised on MySidekick, your pocket-superhero has got you covered!
The app is specifically important as in South Africa, it is estimated that 900 000 vehicle accidents were reported to the South African Police Service in 2008. Of these 900 000 accidents, 150 000 people were injured and 60 000 hospitalised.
Accidents occur for many reasons and often due to human error. This only emphasises the need to be prepared and equipped for any situation. The app aims to be of great help during emergency situations which find everyone unprepared and at times confused. This will help minimise stress during these times.
Apart from the emergency services, MySidekick collects info on all the hottest specials and promotions throughout South Africa to give you a detailed kick-start every morning. As a personal shopping assistant, MySidekick helps users save time and money when browsing for their favourite items, specials, sales and vouchers from major retailers in their areas.
The app also has a database of some of SA’s most respected retailers and is adding new retailers to help users easily search and find stores, contact details and map directions to their favourite retailers and malls.
SAMSUNG, LG, HTC , HUAWEI, NOKIA, TECNO, APPLE et’al have hit the ceiling on what new feature they can offer the current mobile device seeker.
We are back to 2007 again. Where these device manufacturer were competing on the same axis, Build better camera with more mega pixels against bigger memory. When you get to this point you can only compete on the basis of price alone and frankly the cheaper one will win. Read Xiaomi, Techno , Ideos and now Samsung galaxy mini.
We are now competing on the axis of screen size and performance and while I can easily tell the upgrade in features of Samsung S5 from the S4 most consumers can’t because they are more functional /performance than visual upgrades. Customer buy based on what they can see or feel. There is value in seeing.
courtesy of onbile
Back in 2007 the industry was stuck in the same loop until Apple changed the competitive scale. While all manufactures were competing on the same axis (better camera against bigger memory), Apple built their own axis, think 3D Cartesian plane , the third axis being the touch technology.They offered a device with inferior camera and memory but with a new experience and it hit the market hard, its like what people had been waiting for.
photo courtesy of engadget
2014, Someone should create a new axis otherwise Xiaomi and other cheap devices manufacturers will be eating their lunch.
PS wearables isn’t the axis.
This post was first published on my bubblews account . Thought it wise to share it here.
LG electronics has appointed Tae-Ick Son as Managing Director for Kenya and as East and Central Africa business lead in a bid to drive growth in the region.
Previously, Mr. Son was heading LG’s sales and marketing team based in South Korea and the firm is banking on sales and marketing experience to drive its local growth.
Though LG has made a name for itself in the home and entertainment consumer section. It’s mobile phones haven’t been as a hit as it’s other electronics. Son might know a thing or two at pushing LG’s products into every home even as Samsung, Phillips and others push their home appliances and air conditioners into the market.
Mr. Son experience within LG spans over nineteen years having held various positions including ten years in charge of business and strategy of the Middle East and Africa market. He replaces Josep Kim who has been at the helm for three years.
“I would like to recognize the significant contribution by the outgoing Managing Director, Josep Kim. We wish him every success in the future as he takes up another role within the company,” said Mr. Kevin Cha, LG Middle East and Africa Region President.
“We are delighted that Mr. Son has agreed to lead LG electronics East and Central Africa business through the company’s next phase of growth,” he added.
“Mr. Son brings to the role a wealth of experience across all aspects of the multi-functional electronics industry.”
Mr. Son said he was very proud to be taking up the role; he further added that LG electronics is well positioned to expand with new products for this market and has over the years demonstrated a commitment to innovation. One of his key commitments is to focus on brand localization in the region.
“I believe that the LG brand is one of the strongest in the global market place. Across every product category, LG is trusted for quality and reliability. I look forward to leading the East and Central Africa business,” said Son.
LG Electronics recently launched the LG G3, which you probably haven’t heard of and a wearable wristband, dubbed KizON, which helps parents keep track of their children whereabouts through GPS and Wi-Fi. The wearable device designed exclusively for pre-school and primary school children provides real-time location information allowing parents to monitor their children on a compatible smartphone.
The firm also announced the launch of appliances with revolutionary HomeChat™ messaging service. The interactive new feature employs Natural Language Processing (NLP) and LINE, the popular mobile messenger app with over 300 million users, to let homeowners communicate, control, monitor and share content with LG’s latest smart appliances.
This reshuffle aims to help LG become a household name in East Africa and beyond.
Elsewhere, LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics are fighting after LG Electronics executives alleged vandalised Samsung’s washers and also allegedly pocketed Samsung’s confidential air-conditioner business plan an industry fair in Berlin, Germany earlier this month.
After an Investor Summit hosted by venture capital community VC4Africa September 24th, at the DEMO Africa 2014 in Lagos, Nigeria, angel investor networks from across Africa are pondering how to work together in a pan-African Business Angel Network.
The investors discussed “The Future of Angel Investing in Africa” with a focus on early stage SME investing in Africa. The various angel networks including the Lagos Angel Network, Ghana Angel Investors Network, Cairo Angels, Angel Africa List, the Africa Angels Network and others thibk working together wil help boost the African tech ecosystem.
According to VC4Africa’s CEO and Founder Ben White, “This is the next step in making sure the leading innovators from across the continent are going to get the backing they need to achieve scale. At the same time, we see angel networks emerging across the continent. Now is the time to bring them together in a shared conversation about how best to move forward.”
This unity of angel investors is not new.
In other parts of the world (Europe, United States, Asia, and other regions) angel investors are already working together and include groups such as the European Business Angel Network (EBAN) whose VP attended DEMO Africa representing 20,000 angel investors across Europe.
Baybars Altuntas, Vice President of EBAN said, “the majority of EBAN members want to learn more about African startups and the ecosystem here. For us, this is a new source of investment pipeline. But to fully engage European angel investors we seek our counterparts across Africa. This is key for co-investing into opportunities on the ground. The European Business Angel Network could support an African Business Angel Network with incubation.”
In November the next big event of the European Business Angel Network will be held in Helsinki, Finland. Angels from different parts of the world will come together at this event. VC4Africa, EBAN and Lagos Angel Network will now jointly invite a delegation of angel investors from African countries to join this event, for a first meeting to develop a roadmap for the way forward.
Tomi Davies of Lagos Angel Network explained, “DEMO Africa has shown that Africa has serious entrepreneurs who can contribute value globally. As the Lagos Angel Network here in Nigeria we now have an opportunity to engage with our colleagues across Africa and in Europe. This is an open invitation to those interested to get involved.”
Speakers and panelists at the VC4Africa Investor Summit at DEMO Africa included Chika Nwobi (440.NG, L5Lab), Tomi Davies (Lagos Angels Network), Leonard Stiegeler (Ringier), Dipo Adebo (Angel investor), Dehab Ghebreab (US State Department), Collins Onuegbu (Lagos Angels Network), Kresten Buch (88MPH), Viktor Okigbo (IDEA Nigeria), Dr. Inderpal Mumick (Kirusa), Tope Ajao (Leadpath), Ben White (VC4Africa) and others.
The summit was attended by both both local and international, who included angel investors, impact investors, venture capital funds, and corporate venture capital actors; all focused on early stage SME investing in Africa.
DEMO Africa 2014 was a huge success according to several of the entrepreneurs who attended and pitched at the conference. Saisai from Zimbabwe was named the winner of the SWELL Innovation award with Irofit and VOTO taking the first and second runners up positions respectively.
According to Harry Hare the Executive Producer of DEMO Africa,“It is inspiring to see that, now, more attention is being accorded the pursuit of solutions to problems that are uniquely African. The continent has one of the most diverse and talented pool of young people and finally, we are seeing a real intent by authorities to utilize the massive power within these brains to bring positive change, especially through technology.”
Below is a list of those that made it to the launch.
Saisai from Zimbabwe has rightfully scooped the SWELL Innovation award with Irofit and VOTO taking the first and second runners up positions respectively at the just conluded DEMO 2014 startup conference taking place in Nigeria.
The start-up will receive an all-expense paid trip to Silicon Valley as part of the SWELL Innovation Tour, which includes the exclusive participation in SWELL’s intensive soft landing program in Silicon Valley. Mike Chen, SWELL’s Founder expressed his excitement to be holding the inaugural SWELL Innovation awards in Africa and partnering with DEMO Africa.
“I am confident that the SWELL Awards in Africa will represent an important element of the Global Startup Engagement platform to accelerate disruption and invoke corporate participation,” he said.
Harry Hare the Executive Producer of DEMO Africa commended the participants for showing such great enthusiasm towards finding the much needed solutions for Africa.
“It is inspiring to see that, now, more attention is being accorded the pursuit of solutions to problems that are uniquely African. The continent has one of the most diverse and talented pool of young people and finally, we are seeing a real intent by authorities to utilize the massive power within these brains to bring positive change, especially through technology.”
This week at DEMO Africa, besides the boom Camp and the Ampion Venture bus which graced this year’s event, serious minds came together through various organized meetings including the LIONS@frica Summit and the Pan African Angel Investors Summit which were held on Wednesday. VC4Africa’s CEO and Founder Ben White explained that the introduction of the new exclusive investor only event as part of the DEMO Africa is the next step in making sure the leading innovators from across the continent are going to get the backing they need to achieve scale.
“We have seen angel networks emerging across the continent and now is the time to bring them together in a shared conversation about how best to move forward.”
As far as we know, this is a huge PR ploy by DHL but if it launches drones to deliver medicine and every other urgent parcel so be it.
The firm has today announced it’s in a pilot phase to launch to launch the first time worldwide drone delivery service of medications and other highly time sensitive goods delivered to customers by an unmanned aircraft.
Dubbed the DHL parcel-copter, the pilot project will be a first in Europe and represents the only time in the country where a flight by an unmanned aircraft will be operated outside of the pilot’s field of vision in a real-life mission. By taking this step, DHL moves to the next phase of the parcel-copter research project that was launched in December 2013.
Since its maiden flight last December, the DHL parcelcopter has been modified to perform this specific type of mission. The research team optimized such aspects as flight duration, flight range and speed to address the special challenges posed by the wind and marine-weather conditions of the North Sea – Juist Island – where the parcelcopter delivers urgently needed goods at certain times of the day.
“Our DHL parcelcopter 2.0 is already one of the safest and most reliable flight systems in its class that meets the requirements needed to fulfill such a mission,” said Jürgen Gerdes, CEO of Deutsche Post DHL’s Post – eCommerce – Parcel Division.
“We are proud that this additional service can create added value for the residents of and visitors to the island of Juist and are pleased with the support we have received from the involved communities and agencies.”
First autonomous delivery flights by DHL parcelcopter
The technical innovations of the DHL parcelcopter include extended flight duration and range: The flight route to the island of Juist is roughly 12 kilometers. The flight will be completely automated for the first time. This means that a pilot does not have to take any action at all during any phase of the flight. For safety reasons and in compliance with the requirements set by the responsible agencies, the DHL parcelcopter will be constantly monitored during the flight by a mobile ground station in Norddeich so that manual action can be immediately taken in real time if a malfunction or emergency occurs. The ground station will also maintain constant contact with air traffic controllers.
To ensure that the DHL parcelcopter operates reliably, flies safely and always lands at the right location, an autopilot with automated takeoff and landing functions was developed. This system is robust and reliable, and has been extensively tested. At an altitude of 50 meters, the parcelcopter can travel up to 18 meters per second depending on wind speed.
It will primarily transport medications from the mainland to the island of Juist at certain times during the week and on weekends. This delivery option will focus on times when such alternatives as ferries and flights are not available.
The parcelcopter will take off from the harbor in Norddeich. It will land at a launch pad and landing field on the island of Juist reserved specifically for the parcelcopter. From there, a DHL courier will then deliver the goods to the recipient. To optimally secure the goods during transport, DHL Parcel developed a special air-transport container that is extremely lightweight as well as weather- and waterproof.
“With the DHL parcelcopter, an unmanned aircraft operating outside the controller’s field of vision will perform deliveries for the first time in a real-world mission. Without the extremely high level of willingness to innovate and to find solutions exhibited by the involved agencies, communities and the Wattenmeer administrative unit of Lower Saxony, such a project would not be possible,” Jürgen Gerdes emphasized.
Currently, there are no specific plans to use the DHL parcelcopter in normal parcel delivery operations. This phase of the research project will test and evaluate the possibilities of such delivery methods. To the extent that it is technically feasible and economically sensible, the use of parcelcopters to deliver urgently needed goods to thinly populated or remote areas or in emergencies is an interesting option for the future.
The audience comprising ofinvestors, IT buyers, IT consumers, Government officials and IT enthusiasts from across Africa at the ongoing Startup conference, DEMO Africa taking place in Nigeria has been treated to a host of start-ups keen to solve the myriad of challenges in Africa.
The event which begun on an amazing high note, saw the first batch of the forty DEMO Africa finalist launch their IT generated solutions with the hope of attracting the right eye to take their innovation to the next level. These included VOTO Mobile from Ghana, Chura from Kenya, Cube and Hutbay from Nigeria.
Welcoming the guests, Honorable Minister of Communication Technology Dr Omobola Johnson commented that Africa is no longer a continent plagued with disease, hunger and illiteracy. She emphasized that Africa is rising and it’s time to invest in Africa. “Aside from Asia, we are the fastest rising continent and we are very excited as a government about the prospects that we are seeing in our young .I would urge the demonstrators to believe that it is possible to be the next Alibaba.”
Harry Hare the Executive Producer of DEMO Africa commended the participants for showing such great enthusiasm towards finding the much needed solutions for Africa.
“It is inspiring to see that, now, more attention is being accorded the pursuit of solutions to problems that are uniquely African. The continent has one of the most diverse and talented pool of young people and finally, we are seeing a real intent by authorities to utilize the massive power within these brains to bring positive change, especially through technology.”
The DEMO Africa forum has seen serious minds put together through various organized forums including the LIONS@frica Summit and the Pan African Angel Investors forum held yesterday.
VC4Africa’s CEO and Founder Ben White explains: “Going into the third year of DEMO Africa, we are excited to introduce a new exclusive investor-only event as part of the DEMO Africa 2014 event. This is the next step in making sure the leading innovators from across the continent are going to get the backing they need to achieve scale. At the same time, we see angel networks emerging across the continent. Now is the time to bring them together in a shared conversation about how best to move forward.”
This year’s event has been organized in collaboration with the LIONS@FRICA partners (Microsoft, Nokia, US State Department, DEMO, USAID, African Development Bank, VC4Africa among others) and Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies.
A new startup dubbed Market Atlas, a financial terminal that uses big data, graph search, and real-time information sources to improve emerging market investment decisions aim to help hedge funds, private equity firms, and impact investors make better decisions in Africa.
Speaking to TechMoran, Justin Mahwikizi, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Market Atlas said, “We at Market Atlas saw a vision of an Africa with robust and deep markets serving domestic, intra-Africa, and foreign investors to help them meet their long term financial objectives.”
“After realizing of serious gaps in data coverage by the world’s leading data providers, we seized the opportunity to participate in making a market for African equity, commodity markets, fixed income, and foreign exchange markets through a differentiated and intuitive platform built by folks who have been part of trading desks at the biggest banks in the world,” he added.
According to the firm, 53.3% of senior investment professionals agree that ‘lack of information’ is the primary deterrent keeping them from considering African companies as investment opportunities. The firm aims to fill the information gap by capturing, analyzing, and vetting data on African companies. Stock market capitalization in Africa is worth around $1.05 trillion yet Africa only controls less than 3% of global GDP though it has 15% of the world’s population.
Using big data, graph search, and real-time data, Market Atlas aims to help hedge funds, private equity firms, and investors make better decisions in multiple African industries and indices.
“What inspired me to start Market Atlas is my upbringing in Africa that had me visit Rwanda, Tanzania, and Kenya. I saw how these places were similar and yet separated. I always wondered if there was a way to link and connect them through a standardized language that allowed them to collaborate and make many economic decisions at the individual level. I found that answer in the language of mathematics, the framework of technology, and the playing field of the financial markets for the whole Africa continent,” he concludes.
For our readers in Kenya, Lipa Na M-Pesa allows merchants, retailers and distributors to receive mobile money payments in a far more secure way.
Vodacom Tanzania, has also launched a similar service dubbed LIPA KWA M-PESA to help the same group settle payments by using M-PESA.
According to Kelvin Twissa, Vodacom Tanzania Head of Marketing and Communication, “Vodacom has been adding value to help streamline and improve the operations of the business community in Tanzania by introducing new products and services that will revolutionize the business community, and moving away from the old traditions of doing business”.
The new LIPA KWA M-PESA services is integrated to one’s M-PESA and bank account, it enables merchants and retailers to transact money instantly, as all transactions are done at the disposal of your fingertips. With the new system, signed up merchants have an enhanced limit of up to Tsh 50 Million in M-PESA unlike the standard M-PESA account which has a limit of TZS 5 million. Distributors can hold up to Tsh 2 Billion on their M-Pesa accounts.
With just a few clicks on one’s phone, one can conclude the business using the paperless and no Internet services required as it utilizes the Vodacom GSM network. Once you are registered you can perform all your transactions in a very secure way, the system allows you to view and receive SMS confirmation of every transaction.
Confirming to you – the Merchant and customer on the transaction that has just occurred. All settlements are done free into the merchant’s M-PESA account. As of now, more than 24,000 merchants and retailers across the country have already been informed and subscribed to the service.
Signing up into the service is simple; Merchants and retailers can visit the nearest Vodacom Shop for more information and how to register. Vodacom has set aside a dedicated M-Pesa desk in the call center. In case of any queries all retailers, merchants and customers can reach it 24/7 through dialing 15000 toll free.
Akon, Airtel Africa and Trace TV have unveiled competition dubbed “Airtel Trace Music Stars” to give opportunity to youth in Africa to compete with others over their mobile phones.
The competition will involve youth in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda Zambia, Madagascar, Malawi, Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Gabon and will identify, reward and help the best overall grand prize singer to sign a recording deal with Akon’s Kon Live and mentorship classes with Akon among others.
Airtel Kenya CEO Adil El Youssefi said, “Airtel is passionate about creating credible platforms that celebrate and reward young, talented people. Kenya has got talent and we are pleased to be able to showcase the wealth of talent that exists within our country. It was a fitting choice for us to partner with Trace Music Star to empower, reward and celebrate the youth.”
The grand finale will be held in March 2015. The partnership with TRACE Music Star will last three years. Other prizes up for grabs in the competition include – cash prizes and mobile phones. The overall winner will walk away with a prize of 30 000 Euros in cash, a recording deal with Universal music, mentorship by AKON and a 5 star trip to New York City.
“I am pleased to join Trace to develop innovative ways in which to identify and nurture dynamic music talent throughout the continent. The intersection between technology and artist development is elevated by the presence of this ground-breaking music competition concept,” stated Akon.
The six months competition is expected to begin in early October 2014; to participate, contestants will need to call in a short code number with their mobile phones, record their songs to stand a chance to become the next big music star in their country and possibly across Africa and the world. The platform also provides an option to rehearse on a phone karaoke that scores the performance.
Kenya’s mobile money service provider Tangaza Pesa is planning to introduce the thin SIM card even though the Equity bank is facing major challenges over the project. The reason behind this decision, the mobile money platform says, is the fact that its target market do ot want to buy new phones.
“This leaves us with no option but to use thin SIM card, which sits on a parent SIM,” Tangaza Pesa chief executive Oscar Ikinu said.
Not worring about the state at which Equity bank is in, Tangaza says that the law does not deny us access to the thin SIM card service.
Tangaza was licensed in May by the Communications Authority of Kenya to operate as MVNO on Airtel’s network alongside Equity’s Finserve and Zioncell.
It has begun its roll-out by recruiting money transfer agents countrywide. It has also been licensed by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) to provide cashless fare services to consumers.
On Monday, the Communication Authority and CBK gave the nod to Equity Bank to roll out mobile money services using the thin-SIM card technology on a one-year pilot basis.
During the period, no other operator will be allowed to use the technology to enable the regulator to study the technology’s security features.
This means that Tangaza Pesa will have to cool its heels for a year before it rolls out its thin SIM services. The Communications Authority has demanded that Equity Bank signs that it will compensate the regulator for any liabilities arising from fraudulent use of the thin SIM cards.
“This is important to ascertain that they are not hiding anything and they have taken security measures against any eventualities of fraud,” Communications Authority director-general Francis Wangusi told the Nation by phone.
The Federal government of Nigeria is looking to train about 29,600 unemployed youths on digital job opportunities across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The scheme, conceived by the Federal Ministry of Communication Technology, is to be implemented in collabo-ration with the state governments where 800 unemployed from each state shall be provided with digital empowerment.
At the 2014 National Council of Communication Technology (NCCT) meeting a decision was made that each state provide a suitable venue with 250 sitting capacity and nominate 800 unemployed youths for the workshop for training of prospective job seekers on digital job opportunities.
Special Adviser on Media to the Minister of Communication Technology, Omobola Johnson, Efem Nkanga, said of the scheme: “Already, the scheme has started in Bayelsa and it is expected that after the training of 800 youth in that state, other states will follow, depending on their readiness to provide the facilities needed to implement the project.”
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says that the current youth unemployment rate at over 25 percent.
Nkanga further said said that after the successful launch of the NaijaCloud initiative in Lagos last year by the Minister of Communication Technology, the minister had made the job-creation initiative a priority of the ministry.
The Lagos launch was done in partnership with the World Bank through the STEP-B project of the Federal Ministry of Education. “As part of the project, a Microwork for Workers workshop was held to educate and train participants on how to create a user profile and manage their accounts on the various Microwork & E-lancing platforms.
Immediate results have been recorded as over 10,000 Nigerians are now earning money on this platform. Nkanga noted that the Rockefeller Foundation was impressed by the ministry’s NaijaCloud initiative and is partnering with it in an attempt to deepen the effect of online job creation and leverage the success of the Lagos launch to hold a workshop in every state of the federation to enable unemployed youths to access online work called Microwork.
She explained that a nationwide campaign commenced in Bayelsa during the National Council on Communication Technology held in Bayelsa State in September 10th – 17th, 2014. The next workshop will be held in the second week of October.
The 2014 Ebola outbreak is affecting multiple countries in West Africa, according to the World Bank, there are currently only one to two doctors available for every 100,000 people in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Ebola treatment centers are unable to provide sufficient care due to a shortage of properly trained health care workers. In rural communities, it is difficult to monitor patients and there are currently limited prevention and education outreach efforts.
As an initial response, the GE Foundation is donating Ksh. 1.7 Billion to help launch a coalition led by Partners in Health and Last Mile Health to scale-up Ebola response efforts and rebuild rural primary health systems in Liberia. Partners in Health will also be working with Wellbody Alliance and other private sector partners on a broader response effort in Sierra Leone. The Coalition builds on over 40 years of collective experience.
Together, the Coalition will partner with the Liberian and Sierra Leonean Ministries of Health to execute the project in four rural counties/districts.
The Coalition will train, equip and support 500 health workers across 47 primary health centers and will establish two Ebola Treatment Centers at two District/County Hospitals. In addition, the Coalition will train and support 800 community health workers to carry out community-based education, prevention, surveillance and monitoring, and maintain essential health services in 500 villages. The Coalitionwill also provide technical assistance to Ministries of Health at national level to support transition from Ebola response to strengthen health systems for the future.
Jay Ireland, President & CEO GE Africa, said, “GE is proud to support the Coalition with Partners in Health to scale-up Ebola response efforts and rebuild rural primary health systems in West Africa. Fighting Ebola requires a comprehensive strategy – from Ebola treatment in hospitals to revitalizing primary health care and community-based services – that could transform how the world responds to epidemics and rebuilds public health systems.”
The online space has created employment opportunities as well as grown small companies into big entities and more are yet to be born out of it. Online marketing is gaining momentum in Kenya and there many start-ups which are making it big in this area, one of them is DukaLako.
Dukalako is an online market platform that facilitates buying and selling in Kenya. Their aim is to make it possible for a person to make online sales irrespective of which area in the country he/she is in not having to leave the comfort of their homes. With DukaLako personal details like phone numbers do not need to be shared with the seller or listed on a public website.
Movement of items between the two is by courier. The Buyer is not at risk because Dukalako ensures that the seller will only receive funds once the buyer has received their item.
TechMoran managed to get hold of the two founders of the online market platform, Clement Langat and Dennis Langat (Surprisingly they are not related in any way). Both of them are also Directors of the company with Clement in charge of operations and Dennis in charge of Marketing. Dukalako has employed 5 staff members to assist with Marketing, Web Development, Customer Service and Sales.
DukaLako does into get funding from any other source as they generate revenue from charging a small commission on each transaction and from advertising on our platform
Dennis Langat
About the founders
Clement Langat
Clement has been in Australia for the past 14 years where he had gone to further his studies
Prior to starting Dukalako he was running an IT Support company with Dennis in Perth Australia. He was employed in the IT and Accounting industry for several years in Perth Australia.
Dennis Langat
Dennis has also been in Australia for 14 years prior to coming to Kenya. He was running an IT Support business with Clement before starting Dukalako. Prior to this he was an Operations Manager with a leading company in the mining and resources sector.
The inspiration behind the DukaLako idea
Clement says that: “Four years ago while we were living in Australia, we asked ourselves why a platform like eBay had failed to penetrate the Kenyan market and indeed the rest of the developing world.”
The benefits of such a platform succeeding in Kenya became clearer as the major problem in Kenya is traffic congestion and a not so good road network.
“We resolved then to build a platform that would acknowledge and accommodate the uniqueness of the Kenyan online market,” added Clement.
So what solutions is DukaLako offering
Convenience
The buyer and seller can conduct all transactions from home without having to step outside. Pickup and delivery of the item is done by courier. The days of travelling from one town to another to purchase a spare part or a gadget will soon be long gone.
There are flexible ways of making payment, including Mpesa, Yucash, Airtel money and credit card.
Listing is free
Security and Safety
There is no need to meet strangers at public places, your home or anywhere else for that matter. Pickup and delivery is done by recognized couriers.
Private details like phone numbers do not need to be listed on a public website
The buyer’s money is not at risk because it will only be released to the seller once the buyer confirms that they have received their purchase.
Opportunities for small business
Listing is free so any business can set up its own shop within Dukalako, increasing its customer base from the people who would walk past the shop on any given day to the millions of Kenyans who access the internet daily.
In days to come retail businesses will be able to wholly exist and thrive online without need for a physical presence. This will enable them to save on costs like rent, utilities and staffing.
Music platform
Dukalako has made it possible for musicians to sell their songs in a transparent and straightforward manner.
Listing a song is free.
The musician sets the price of each song; they are able to set a price for the Kenyan market, and a price for the diaspora.
The musician can monitor how many songs they have sold at any anytime through their dashboard.
At this point in time, musicians get 80% of the sale price of each song. No one else in the country does this.
This how DukaLako works
The Seller lists their item on Dukalako for free.
Buyer comes to the website, identifies what they want and clicks to buy.
Buyer makes payment using their preferred option.
Once payment is received, instructions are sent to the seller to prepare the item for shipping. The courier is also dispatched to pick up the item. (For songs, the download link is sent to the buyer once payment is complete)
Courier delivers item to buyer (overnight).
Buyer checks the item they have received then notifies Dukalako to release the payment to seller.
Our most important customers are all Kenyans who have access to the internet and are time poor. They can sell what they no longer need hence freeing up their cash or make purchases easily. To them we provide convenience and security.
Our other important customers are musicians; we give them control, transparency and a fair return for their hard work.
Small retailers are also another group of important clients. We have given them the ability to expand their client base countrywide.
Achievements and Challenges
One of our biggest challenges this start-up has experienced is pricing the items online. The two agree that kenyans love to bargain so much that it forces then to quote a very high price so that when lowering it would not hurt their revenues.
“While our platform allows bargaining, it is still not ideal in an online environment. We have therefore had to go out and teach our sellers to start off by listing the lowest price possible for their item,” says Clement.
The other challenge they consider is the fact that they have to educate their sellers about having good quality photos and detailed descriptions of their products.
On achievements:
“Despite being active for barely one month, big music names have already listed with us like Khaligraph Jones, Rabbit aka Kaka Sungura, Size8, LJ Maasai and many more,” says Clement. “Members of the public and small retailers are excited by the opportunity we are offering and are signing in large numbers daily. We currently have over 10,000 listed items and several thousands of registered users.”
This online business conservatives estimated have projected their turn over at Ksh 30 Million in 2014. (Cool, huh?)
On market response and competition
The Kenyan online market is large and diverse and consequently there are other players out there with different business models that are working for them. To beat them, DukaLako’s focuses on the individual and small retailer within and outside Nairobi.
“Our ability to connect a buyer from Turkana with a spare part dealer in River Road Nairobi is what gives us that extra edge. So far our interactions with other market platforms have been cordial and supportive as we seek to learn from and support each other,” says Clement
He added that: “The market loves our platform and is evidenced by the signups we have been getting each day and the number of visits to our site. We are constantly getting feedback from the public on what they would like to see listed, and we have a team on the ground making sure those items get listed.”
Where DukaLako will be in two years
“We will be the market platform of choice in East Africa. In two years someone in Kampala will be able to transact with someone in Mombasa safely and with ease. Same goes for someone in Kigali transacting with someone in Juba,” says Clement
Founders’ Parting Shot
Clement:
I love my business because I can see it changing lives. Traders are able to expand their business without increasing their physical presence which is very cost effective. Kenyans are now able to sell items that have been lying unused in their homes for decades. Musicians can sell their music at home and abroad with maximum control of the whole process.
Life as an entrepreneur is not easy mentally or on the family, otherwise everyone would be one. The rewards are also very good once your project has taken off. It is very exciting watching something grow from zero to something significant to the economy.
Dennis
I love IT and I love the fact that what I do is helping the economy grow and also increasing efficiency and providing convenience to the masses.
I have always wanted to do something in Kenya/Africa and Dukalako has provided me that opportunity to make a difference. For me being away from family can be very challenging and I thank my family very much as they have always been a source of inspiration and support.
Having lived in the diaspora for several years I like the fact that Dukalako can now provide a platform for us to buy new and second hand items for our relatives and friends back home and the fact that Dukalako promises to deliver.
I would also like to encourage more and more people to try their hands on ICT as this is a growing sector and has enormous benefits especially for Africa.
Kenya’s Kejahunt, an online property listing platform that assists home seekers find that ideal house and roommate has launched a mobile friendly website compatible with various mobile operating systems to reach more users and help them hunt for or rent out their houses.
Available at m.kejahunt.com the site can be accessed by Opera mini, Opera classic, Chrome, Firefox and major browsers.
Speaking to TechMoran, Joshua Mutua, KejaHunt’s CTO said, “It has been 6 months since the launch of the platform which has seen an increase in listings and users daily. The platform uses geo-location technology to show the exact location of the house and sociograph to match up roommates using their social circles on social media.”
“Unlike mobile apps which users don’t even download, the mobile site will be easily accessible by users on any of their mobile phones whether Android, Windows, iOS or BlackBerry,” added Mutua.
KejaHunt targets the youth and the low and middle-income earners group who make up 48.4% of the total Kenyan population. The platform allows for easy house hunting online with one getting information on vacant houses in various locations in the country and if the need to cost-share arises one is able to search for a roommate .
Landlords and property owners can easily upload their vacant properties using this mobile website from the comfort of their mobile phones as the platform provides for a dashboard for the property owners to manage their listings and add new ones.
It’s huge competition includes One Africa Media’s BuyrentKenya and Rocket Internet’s Lamudi among others.
AMPION Venture Bus has launched a crowdfunding campaign in a move to support the most creative and innovative startups built on the 2014 African Venture Buses.
While the Indiegogo campaign , will also offer classic perks like T-Shirts for smaller donations, AMPION explores a new approach for donations of 99€ and above: supporters have the possibility to adopt one of the winning AMPION Venture Bus startups or a single African entrepreneur. Depending on the budget, donators may choose from different lengths of support.
Adopting a startup enables its transition from an innovative idea into a real business, which also contributes to African job creation and entrepreneurial ecosystem improvement. As patrons of the startups, donors will in the future also be mentioned on the website of the respective company.
Over 160 participants on this years’ Venture Buses will create 16+ startups tackling African needs and priorities. The AMPION Fellowship Program will nurture the most promising business ideas, and produce tangible results for the local economy.
By increasing the interactivity between the sponsors and the sponsored, AMPION increases the transparency of its Fellowship Program and gives supporters the possibility to keep track of the impact of their donation. This way, AMPION involves crowdfunding supporters in the whole process of capacity building provided by the Fellowship Program. Donors can witness first-hand the positive change they help to enable.
Four AMPION Venture Bus hackathons will travel through 16 countries in Africa this year to create innovative and sustainable startups for the African market and tackle local challenges while the AMPION Fellowship Program offers financing, mentorship and office space to the best startups in partnership with AfriLabs.
Just when we thought BlackBerry was off the shelves, the firm amazed everyone by its recent launch of the BlackBerry® Passport, a touch screen and new QWERTY touch-enabled smartphone.
John Chen, Executive Chairman and CEO at BlackBerry said, “The BlackBerry Passport was created to drive productivity and to break through the sea of rectangular-screen, all-touch devices.”
The BlackBerry Passport has Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 display and forged stainless steel for added strength, a large square screen for viewing and creating content, and a first touch-enabled keyboard with gestures that make typing, editing and navigating more efficient and accurate.
The firm says the BlackBerry Passport’s new QWERTY keyboard is almost four times more accurate than BlackBerry® 10 virtual keyboards – the error rate is on average 74% lower – so there are fewer typos to get in the way of what you’re trying to say.
The BlackBerry Passport along with Porsche Design P’9983 smartphone from BlackBerry®, are the first devices to launch on BlackBerry’s latest OS platform, BlackBerry® 10.3. They come preloaded with new productivity-enhancing features including BlackBerry® Blend and BlackBerry® Assistant, as well as the BlackBerry® World™ storefront and Amazon Appstore, offering access to the very best apps for work and play.
With BlackBerry Blend, users can sync info on their smartphone to their computer and tablet and as well get instant message notifications, read and respond to your work and personal email, BBM™ or text messages, and access your documents, calendar, contacts and media in real time on whatever device you are on.
Blend works across desktop operating systems, including Mac OS X 10.7 +, Windows® 7+ and Android™ tablets running Android 4.4+ via cellular, USB or Wi-Fi connections.
Key Features
Highlight features of the BlackBerry Passport include:
Screen – 4.5” square screen with a 1:1 aspect ratio, 1440×1440 pixel (453 dpi) HD display and Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3.
OS– BlackBerry 10.3
Battery Life – 3450 mAh battery WITH up to 30 hours of mixed use.
Dual app stores- BlackBerry World and the Amazon Appstore.
BlackBerry Assistant– Voice and text commands
Processor and Memory – Quad Core 2.2 GHZ Processor, 3 GB RAM, 13 MP OIS rear camera and 32 GB memory.
