High Employee Engagement (EE) is desirable as it fosters productivity and innovation in an organization. A 2014 publication by Emergence Growth in partnership with Aon Hewitt reveals that in 2012 and 2013, EE in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) was the highest globally – higher than the global average as well as North America and Asia Pacific. At the regional level, East Africa had the highest EE at 75 out of 100 (2013) followed by West Africa with 68 and Southern Africa at 66. Africa’s second largest economy, South Africa scored 73. Read more here…
Sub-Saharan Africa leads the world in Employee Engagement
WhatsApp’s Active User-base globally hits 600 million
Global messaging app Whatsapp has announced that it has reached another landmark with its active user-base hitting 600 million this month. The milestone implies that Whatsapp got over 100 million new users in a span of four months.
The news, which was released by Jan Koum the CEO and co-founder of Whatsapp, was sent through his twitter page. He ensured that people understood he meant active users and not registered ones.
Four months ago, the instant messaging subscription service via the official Whatsapp blog jubilated for reaching an impressive half a billion active global users asserting that they were “merely getting started.”
“Failing to mention Facebook’s acquisition of Whatsapp, which took place on February 19, 2014, would not complete the milestone. The transaction is Facebook’s greatest acquisition to date,” stated Whatsapp’s Wikipedia page.
Kenya launches cashless payment of parking fees
The county government of Nairobi has launched the pilot project for paying cashless parking fees within Nairobi’s CBD.
According to Danson Muchemi, Jambopays’ CEO, the five-day exercise will ensure that motorists use their mobile phones to pay their parking or through agents situated strategically on the street.
“Motorists will need to sign up by visiting the county government’s website www.epayments.nairobi.go.ke or by dialing *217#. Additionally, they will need to create an electronic wallet where they will be topping up with money to pay for parking using the available Android application on the phones,” Muchemi advised.
Muchemi also said that payments could be made via M-pesa, Yu-cash, Orange money and Airtel money as this would reduce time wastage at payment points throughout Kenya as well as reducing corruption within the sector and tripling of revenue that will subsequently enhance service delivery to Nairobi motorists.
“This cashless payment will help curb a lot of corruption as there is a report available for county officers once each transaction is made,” Muchemi stated.
IDC, ITIDA to help Egyptian ICT firms penetrate high growth markets
A partnership dunned ‘Africa Together’ between the International Data Corporation (IDC) and Egypt’s Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) has been formed with the purpose of helping ICT firms in the country penetrate high-growth markets across the African continent.
According to statistics, ICT usage and penetration is still low despite the continent experiencing economic growth especially when it is compared to the rest of the world.
IDC’s latest forecasts show IT spending across Africa (excluding South Africa) reaching $26.4 billion by 2018, expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.03% — close to double the worldwide figure of 3.81%. So the unparalleled potential of the region is clear to see.
“The considerable demand that exists across the wider African continent for skills and knowledge transfer makes it an extremely appealing prospect for Egyptian ICT companies, as does the ability to introduce innovative, cost-effective, and relevant IT solutions to these markets,” says Jyoti Lalchandani, IDC’s group vice president and regional managing director for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa.
“To this end, the ‘Africa Together’ initiative exploits the natural synergies that exist between IDC’s unrivalled market insights and ITIDA’s quest to increase the global competitiveness of Egypt’s ICT industry. Working together, we will identify the key growth markets and segments across Africa that will provide the greatest opportunities for Egyptian companies.”
As part of the ‘Africa Together’ program, IDC will match the capabilities of Egyptian ICT companies with the needs of African channel and end-user companies with the match-making process culminating in two three-day events to be held in Lagos and Nairobi towards the end of 2014, where IDC will bring Egyptian ICT players face to face with leading end-user organizations and channels from the West and East Africa regions to discuss the potential for future cooperation and partnerships.
In a further effort to assist Egyptian ICT companies in expanding their exports and market reach into the rest of Africa, IDC will host an exclusive CIO Forum in Cairo early next year. IDC fly in 50 hugely influential CIOs from across Africa to interact directly with more than 100 Egyptian ICT leaders.
The result will be the country’s foremost gathering of CIOs and senior IT executives, with though-provoking and actionable insights delivered through a series of compelling presentations and case studies that will facilitate a deeper understanding of global ICT best practices and the latest trends shaping international markets.
Another key facet of ‘Africa Together’ is IDC’s Industry Technology Advantage Program (ITAP), which will empower ITIDA with comprehensive data and trend analysis of ICT markets across the entire world. Bundled with unstinting access to IDC’s expert analysts and strategic workshops, this valuable information tool will support ITIDA’s mission to promote trade in international markets and become a strategic advisor to both local and international companies.
“IDC’s wealth of data covers all domains of ICT, including software, infrastructure, services, and telecommunications,” says Lalchandani. “We can provide in-depth insights into markets throughout the Middle East and Africa, as well as Europe, Asia-Pacific, and North/South America, enabling ITIDA policy and program makers to develop data-driven strategies and initiatives tailored to the unique strengths of Egyptian ICT companies.”
“The signed agreements with IDC come in line with ITIDA’s endeavors to boost the exports of local IT firms, help them expand beyond Egypt and tap into the business opportunities in the targeted countries in Africa,” says Hussein El-Gueretly, ITIDA’s CEO. “Along with ‘Africa Together’ Initiative, hosting the CIO Forum in Cairo in collaboration with IDC will be a unique opportunity for ITIDA to rebrand Egypt an IT hub in the region and a rewarding experience and an excellent venue for CIOs to exchange information on current topics as well as create opportunities for cooperation with senior decision makers and business leaders from across the region”.
Kenyans in diaspora to access government services online
The Kenyan government will soon launch an online platform that will make it possible for citizens living abroad access government services.
While speaking at the commissioning of the Kenyans Diaspora Expo to be held in New York, Mr. Zachary Muburi the director, diaspora and consular affairs directorate said that it will also be easy to access documents by the end of this year.
The Daily Nation reports that the platform is expected be a one-stop point for all government services, much like the Huduma Centre.
“There are a number of things that the diaspora wants the government to do for them — things like access to passports, national IDs, KRA PIN numbers and certificates and certificates of good conduct, among other vital documents.
“We are putting in place structures to ensure easier accessibility of these services. This is being done through the soon-to-be-launched diaspora Web portal,” he noted.
MTN launches high quality Android Smartphones in Nigeria
MTN has launched two high quality Android smartphones in Nigeria. The affordable smartphones include MTN Sm@rt S720i and MTN Sm@rt Mini S620.
According to MTN Nigeria, the development was part of its plan to build a digital world and set up its leadership place within the telecommunications sector.
Kola Oyeyemi, the General Manager of Consumer Marketing, MTN stated: “The smartphones go for as low as N8, 000, which is a strategic plan to offer Nigerians the chance to own a high quality Android phone at the most affordable price. Generally, we are committed to the complete satisfaction of Nigerians and our customers as we continuously.”
According to Oyeyemi, the new low-priced MTN Sm@rt Mini S620 smartphone consists of 3.5″ screen, which runs on Android 4.2 OS with preloaded applications including Jumia, Music+, BBM, Facebook and Whatsapp in addition to free MTN SIM card. The smartphone also has a 4-Gigabyte in-built memory up scalable to 32 Gigabyte, a processor speed of 1GHz and a dual SIM slot.
“For customers who need higher processing screen and wider display screen, the MTN Sm@rt S720i provides a 1.3GHz processor and 4.0″ display. With the smartphones’ launch, Nigerians will get the chance to chat with family and friends using various instant messaging and communication platforms including Badoo, Whatsapp, BBM, Facebook Messenger, LinkedIn, Skype and Tango as well as enjoy a million games and apps,” explained Oyeyemi.
Speaking at the launch, Oyeyemi stated that the smartphone is a long-awaited revolution within the Nigerian market as well as a game changer. It is among the different ways the company can take the lead in the delivery of a new digital world whilst making efforts to eradicate substandard phones within Nigeria.
Safaricom, Airtel to take on 175 yuMobile employees
A total of 175 employees from the exiting yuM
obile will be absorbed by rivals Safaricom and Airtel as part of the buyout by the two telecoms that is expected to be sealed this week.
According to the Business Daily, 150 out of the 197 yuMobile employees will be taken to Safaricom while Airtel will take 25.22 employees will however not be absorbed and will instead be paid to retire.
Early this year, employees from yuMobile filed a case in court seeking to stop sale of the telecom until their fate is known.
“The transaction is now almost coming into a conclusion. No deal has been signed yet but we expect this to be done either on Monday or Tuesday,” said a source privy to the negotiations.
On Friday, Safaricom announced plans to pay a sum of Sh6.9 billion to YU Mobile for the company’s assets, including frequency spectrum, transmission towers and IT equipment an effort seen as a step towards accommodating their growing subscriber base.
Rival Airtel on the other hand will pay Sh4 billion for yuMobile’s subscribers and the operating licence, meaning Airtel will have two Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) licences.
The three companies parties will notify the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) after the agreement.
“The authority is in agreement with your request to take over ‘Essar Numbering Ranges’ in order for the migrating Essar’s subscribers to retain their numbers,” Francis Wangusi, the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) director-general said in an approval letter to Airtel.
Epson Launches New Innovation Business Projectors
Epson has announced six new 3LCD projectors across two new series that introduce new innovations never before seen in business projection.
The four models in the EB-1985WU series – including Epson’s first WUXGA (Widescreen Ultra Extended Graphics Array – 1920×1200 resolution) projector under 5kg, and the first with Miracast – bring high resolution and high brightness to get the best out of business presentations.
The two-strong EB-1430Wi series contains two ultra-short-throw interactive meeting room systems – including one with finger-touch, Epson’s latest innovation in interactive projection.
Mukesh Bector , Regional Sales Manager, Epson Kenya, said: “Since Epson’s introduction of finger-touch technology earlier this year, teachers and students have been able to have been able to collaborate using either their fingers or the interactive pens to underline or write onto any image, slide, graph and even video. Finger-touch is great for collaboration and brain-storming sessions, so we brought it to boardrooms and meeting rooms in an ultra-short throw projector. High-resolution business projectors that are able to match the resolution output by most laptops have been demanded by the market for some time, so we’re pleased to offer the 1985WU series, which pairs WUXGA resolution with high brightness.”
All six projectors are built around Epson’s own 3LCD technology, which ensures equally high White and Colour Light Output for bright images and vivid colours.
- The EB-1985WU series (EB-1985WU, EB-1980WU, EB-1975W and EB-1970W) are well-connected business projectors that reach WUXGA resolution and 4,800 lumens, creating more detailed and brighter presentations, even in daylight. As well as two HDMI ports, Wi-Fi and wired LAN, and built-in 16W speakers, all models are compatible with Epson’s iProjection app and also include Miracast and WiDi for wirelessly streaming content from a tablet or smart phone.
- The EB-1985WU series is available from August, with a guidance price of about Ksh. 230,000 exclusive of value added tax. .
- The EB-1430Wi series (EB-1430Wi and EB-1420Wi) bring ultra-short throw projection to meeting rooms, as well as dual pen interactivity. The new whiteboard sharing mode allows meeting participants to view and annotate whiteboard content from a range of smart devices, without the need for any special application. Multi-location image annotation makes it even easier to collaborate during meetings between different offices.
Both include EasyMP software for network monitoring, network projection and multi-PC projection, as well as Epson’s iProjection app1 for touchscreen devices to easily share and display content. With 3,300 lumens brightness and WXGA resolution, both the EB-1430Wi and EB-1420Wi have two HDMI inputs, built-in 16W speakers and two interactive pens.
- The EB-1430Wi adds finger-touch interactivity. Finger-touch is all about instant interactivity using natural gestures, and it’s perfect for quickly emphasizing a point. A precise technology that’s simple to set-up and easy to use, finger-touch complements the use of interactive pens. It works by using a laser curtain over the projected image that detects interruption by one or more fingers.
The EB-1430Wi series is available from July, with a guidance price of about KSh. 300,000 exclusive of VAT.
Mobicash promises to revolutionise Online Shopping with a new app
Mobicash is developing a platform it says will enable every smartphone user to shop, bank and pay online at their convenience. The company pledges to make the life of every smartphone holder easy with its new technology.
According to Mobicash, users need to download the application to access the services, such as nclude online payment and shopping, gifts, pay bills, mobi-save account among others.
“What the user needs is to download the application, open account with mobicash and then start a new world of convenience of doing all businesses and shopping online wherever you are,” said the Executive Director Mobicash Pascal Nyagahene,
Mobicash is merging the banks’ electronic banking platforms with Telecom’s mobile money platform systems which gives it a competitive advantage in terms of providing a convenient electronic payment platform to users.
The MobiCash platform supports additional mobile payment functions such as bill or loan payment, ticketing, bank account integration, fidelity scheme integration, and microfinance.
How it works
You will not need a bank account as every phone serves, as a bank or stored value account identified by its phone number.
MobiCash can be set up so that receiving a transfer automatically enrolls new users. Users can easily load accounts online or with agents, transfer funds to others, make online purchases, pay retailers and withdraw funds using their phone.
CNN seeks To Explore Innovation Ideas using Smart Business Feature
CNN International has launched the Smart Business – a new weekly feature segment set to profile the trailblazers using innovative new approaches and the latest technology to create new business opportunities.
Beginning on the third of next month, Smart Business will air on the network during the recently-launched The Business View with Nina Dos Santos and World Business Today so that it reaches EMEA and Asia primetime audiences.
Each week the segment will feature a different company or industry personality who has broken the mould in the world of business to thrive in a digitized and connected world.
By watching Smart Business, viewers will learn first-hand about a wide range of workplace innovations on topics as diverse as digital advertising, supply chains, business intelligence and technical literacy to name a few.
The first Smart Business segments will include: Seattle-based pioneer Blab, which is using technology to predict what conversations will happen on social media; co-working space The Factory, Berlin’s first major start-up hub; and UK company Decoded, whose coding courses help employees unlock the digital world. Each report will explain how the company or individual harnessed opportunities through digital innovation, illustrate the change to the wider marketplace, and in the process solve age-old problems of doing business.
Online, a dedicated microsite will supplement Smart Business video content with in-depth stories, Q&As and opinion pieces as well as info-graphics and data visualization.
“Smart Business will give viewers the inside track on what happens when industry leaders use technology and a fresh approach to develop brand new business opportunities,” said Mike McCarthy, Senior Vice President, Programming, at CNN International. Covering innovative thinking from all around the world, Smart Business is the perfect complement to CNN’s business programming. From utilizing technology and taking a different look at workplace challenges, Smart Business gives executives and decision makers another reason to tune in to CNN.”
Movitel steps up accessibility of telecom services in rural Mozambique
Vietnamese leading telecommunications firm Viettel is supporting an initiative to popularize telecom services in under-served and rural areas within Mozambique. This initiative considers telecom provision as a commodity, which must be accessible in spite of financial capacity or geographical location.
According to Nguyen Thai Khang, who is the Head of ICT division at ICTNews, Viettel has invested in a service support, network and introduction of social programs to enable the accessibility of telecom services to citizens in rural areas as part of making their lives better.
“Viettel aims at sustaining social development. It benefits both the company and customers by bringing to every Mozambique citizen mobile phones as well as broadband internet to each family,” added Khang.
Khang also noted that after the initiative was implemented two years ago, Movitel, the joint venture between Viettel and Mozambique’s SPI Company, addressed difficulties incurred because of limited transportation infrastructure. Additionally, it developed a diversified distribution channel consisting of 12,600 agents and points of sales, 153 shops and almost 4,000 direct sales staffs to deliver door-to-door services in each village.
“Almost 600, 000 people in at least five rural districts have been covered and served with telecom services for the first time in life. Tariff plans have been adjusted to be flexible and affordable for various groups,” stated Khang.
Movitel is largely contributing to altering the information communication landscape within Mozambique thanks to its firm network infrastructure. It now accounts 50 percent of the mobile phone network infrastructure and 70 percent of the country’s fiber optical cable infrastructure, which puts Mozambique among the leading three nations in terms of fiber optical cabling infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa.
GamesOutlast.com, Home Of Casual Gaming Launched
The gaming market has just grown larger thanks to the launch of GamesOutlast.com. This online platform is looking to become one of the best sources of casual games that will run on the GameZBoost gaming platform, a South African based company.
The GameZBoost platform runs some of the top global publishers gaming sites, these include RTL Netherlands, NBC Universal and Sony Pictures Entertainment.
One thing users need to know about GameOutlast.com is that it is looking for male audience, primarily between the ages of 15 to 45. The desktop browser gaming market is a large market and currently spans across the globe and has an active monthly audience of over 500 million active users, with this sector of the gaming market generating revenues in excess of $6.6Bn per annum.
The GamesOutlast.com site offers the following core features and gaming content to their users:
• 600 games, including titles from leading game studios, such as BigPoint & R2 Games
• Full integration with the micro payments platform, which includes avatar pimping, purchasing of in-game power-ups, sending of virtual gifts and many other transactive elements
• Integration with Facebook Connect, allowing for quick and easy user registration
• Tournaments
• Challenges and Contests
• Avatar Creation
• Friends, Messaging and Virtual Gifts
• Game Search Functionality
• Live High Score Leader boards
• Players Favourite Games
• Social Sharing
The GamesOutlast.com site will offer regular tournaments that will allow users to pit themselves against other users and determine who the true top gamers are within the GamesOutlast.com gaming community.
The tournaments will be expanded to include real world prizes, with users competing for not only the glory of holding the top slot on the leader boards, but being rewarded for their efforts with some great prizes and free credits.
Glo Mobile and Afripay Partner To Launch Mobile Money
Nigeria’s Glo Mobile has signed an agreement with Afripay Ltd to acquire a mobile money license from the Central Bank of Nigeria, in preparation for the commercial launch of Nigeria’s first Mobile Money Services.
This move will open Nigeria subscribers to mobile money accounts to store Electronic Value (EValue) of money easily on their mobile phones; using their mobile numbers as their account numbers.
Each subscriber with activated the Mobile Money service on their phones can also transfer money to any mobile number, initiate and complete transaction like payment of goods as well as buy airtime top-up for themselves and others!
The duo, Glo Mobile, a top telco in Nigeria and UBA, a leader in the country’s banking sector, aim at making the U-Mo product available in the remotest parts of the country, from the smallest villages and local markets to the largest towns in Nigeria.
To assess U-Mo service, as dubbed by the partners, the subscribers will have to register then dialing *866# for USSD or by downloading the menu through a link provided by Afripay for Java application, upon registration.
Existing Glo subscribers and new ones can perform various operations including: Deposit/Cash-In; Withdrawal/Cash-Out; Transfer from mobile to mobile; Buy Airtime credit for self or for others and Bill Payment. Others are Account maintenance including balance enquiries, last transactions and mini-statement. It will also enable customers to request for PIN change. Other lifestyle changing products and remittances will be introduced with time.
Agents have been trained in urban and rural areas to serve customers on behalf of UBA/Afri-Pay. Visit any Glo Mobile outlet, Glo Zones or UBA branches for details.
Internet Fraud affects growth of Online Business in Nigeria
Nigeria’s online letting agency, Tolet.com.ng has stated that online-related fraud has in most cases continued to threaten the growth of online business in Nigeria. The online letting agency based in Lagos, assists people look for apartment houses to rent.
According to Suleiman Balogun, the co-founder of Tolet.com.ng, the fraud has led to continued disbelief and mistrust concerning online business among the people thus slowing down the growth of the sector.
“It has been a huge challenge to prevent the occurrence of online fraud. For example, most citizens especially the elderly who are persuaded to use our services still show lots of disbelief. They are concerned still about the legitimacy and genuineness of online services hence they end up visiting our offices physically to identify and see the people behind the business before making up their mind to explore the services ,” Balogun further added.
While accepting that the perception is reducing gradually, Balogun also noted: “the online letting agency as a method of tackling the challenge has attempted to live up to the clients’ expectations. To deal with the situation, we make sure that we keep our promises to our customers since one bad experience from a customer can spread easily causing mistrust and discontent among other users.
“The company using its platform has significantly affected the letting space within Nigeria as it has assisted many Nigerians solve their accommodation needs in a convenient manner and in a short period.”
Tolet.com whose daily web traffic is over 25,000 has a team that continues to concentrate on offering transparency in apartment rental process in addition to facilitating easy access to accessible properties and basic information required to make the right decisions.
MTN scoops most awards in Digital Impact Awards Africa
CyberPlc, National Technology Authority Uganda (NITA-U), Global Networks and HiPipo have partnered on a project to award companies that employ people to do nothing but tweet and facebook. The companies also organized Digital Impact Awards Africa, which was the first-ever to be hosted in Kampala, Uganda on Thursday.
With its theme ‘Maximizing the digital dividend’, they gave companies that have flourished in making use of famous social media sites such as YouTube,Twitter, Google Plus and Facebook awards to show their relevance.
The categories of the awards included best website and radio on social media, corporate brand on social media and digital financial service, among others. MTN won five of the awards including the brand of the year award though most people did not agree that MTN’s ‘Egg hunt’ certainly beat Smart’s ‘Give us a name’ or Airtel’s ‘Uganda Cranes we believe’ for the best corporate digital campaign award.
MTN’s “Oh, the things you’ll learn (Gonya Zirya Ki?)”, which won the best commercial advert award, was applauded for its win after contesting against Airtel’s “Mr Money”, Orange’s “Tokota”, UTL’s “Everlasting airtime” and Riham’s “Whatsup” adverts. The advert is all about a sweet young girl finding an egg at a riverbank and setting out to hatch it assuming it is for a duck.
Other contestants who scooped awards include KCCA for government agency on social media, Galaxy for best radio award and NBS for the growing brand on social media award.
CEO Weekends: Sudatel posts H1 net profit of USD24m
Sudatel Telecom Group (STG) has announced an EBITDA of $75 million profit as preliminary results for the first half of 2014 , an increase of 17% year-on-year and reflecting an improved EBITDA margin of 32%, compared to 27% in H1 2013.
In a statement, the Khartoum-based company declared revenues of USD233 million, while net income increased 41% year-on-year to $24 million.
“STG is strategically considering smart investments in Sudan and West Africa operations to continue business improvements, and enhance position in all markets,” said STG board chairman, Abdelrahman Mohamed Dirar.
“Data, on both fixed and mobile platforms, is the strategic direction and focus for our future, utilising the good infrastructure that Sudatel owns,” he added.
56% of the total profits and 66%of the active subscribers came from the Sudanese business while in West Africa there was positive net income since establishment and this the company was because of a high level of efficiency in Mauritania, change of the marketing strategy in Senegal and stabilisation efforts in Guinea.
Meanwhile, the company has said it will sell shares in its Ghanaian mobile unit Expresso (Kasapa Telecom) during the second quarter of 2014.
The firm added that Intercel Guinea (Expresso) has entered agreements with Chinese equipment vendor ZTE to invest around EUR20 million ($26.7 million) in the expansion of its mobile network coverage and capacity.
Image:www.sudatel.sd
Tigo Ghana unveils new unified short code for products and services
Pre-paid and post-paid subscribers on Tigo Ghana can now access the all products through a unified short code, 555 as the company has unveiled the installation of a world-class IVR (Interactive Voice Response).
The code will make it easier for customers reduce the inconvenienceof customers memorizing different short codes for the various services and products not to mention enhanced customer experience.
Customers can either call 555 and follow the voice prompt or dial *555# and follow the instructions on their mobile screen and they will be guided to the various products and services including data and voice bundles, Tigo cash and the Call centre.
Speaking on the new innovation, the Chief Executive Officer of Tigo Ghana, Roshi Motman, said “The challenge in the past has been for customers to remember the various short codes for different products and services. In enhancing customer and user experience, it is essential that we look at simplicity and convenience and through this unified short code, customers will have access to a one-stop-shop for our range of products and services”.
Customers can listen to the voice prompt in English, Twi or Ga.
Rwanda Rolls Out Online Platform To Improve Government Services
To establish an integrated public service platform that will only offer Government to Business (G2B) and Government to Citizen (G2C) services in Rwanda, or which will be accessible via internet and mobile devices, the Rwandan Government and the Rwanda Online Platform Limited has began the first phase of implementation of the Rwanda Online platform.
The agreement between the Government of Rwanda and Rwanda Online Platform Limited, signed in April 2014, granted the concession to Rwanda Online Platform to Build and Operate the Platform for 25 years, after which it will be transferred back to the Government of Rwanda.
The agreement is set to bridge the gap of access to information, and improve public service delivery through the digitalization of services. In the agreement, Rwanda Online Platform has committed to deliver one hundred pre-selected services using a phased approach over a course of three years starting from August 20th, 2014.
The first phase of implementation is expected to end in April 2015 whereby ten services are expected to go live. Starting this month, Rwanda Online will begin to work with the six institutions in Phase 1 to gather requirements, build prototypes and engage institutions in testing and training activities, leading up to the go-live date in April.
Services to be automated in the first phase include: National ID card application, Application for birth certificate, Registration for theory test, Application for Visa Permits, Application for Criminal Clearance certificate (extrait du casierjudiciaire), Application for building permits, Transfer of land title, Application for ordinary passport, Issuance of trading license and Land registration.
“The Rwanda Online platform will be a single service delivery portal for all Government ministries and agencies, providing citizens and businesses with a streamlined and efficient experience with reduced operational costs. Rwanda online is a transformational project that demonstrates government’s continued efforts and commitment to better the lives of the citizens and increase productivity while enhancing service delivery,” Rosemary Mbabazi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth and ICT said.
Francis Gatare, Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Development Board said: “The Rwanda Online initiative is an excellent demonstration of how the return on investment made on ICT infrastructure continues to transform the lives of our citizens and make the Rwandan business environment even more attractive and competitive. We are looking forward to seeing the first ten services online, as a success story in public service delivery in Africa unfolds here within Rwanda. Even as all services shall be provided at a single point of access, accessible 24 hours/7 days via Internet and mobile devices, as we kick off the project for the next twenty-five years, we acknowledge the importance of a quick-win within the first phase of implementation.”
CEO WEEKENDS: MTN hosts second career fair in Ghana
Ghana’s leading telecommunications company MTN has ventured on a program dubbed ‘MTN Career Fair’ which attempts to empower the youth to face the challenges of an ever changing world. The Career Fair is the second to take place after the first, which happened in September 2013.
‘MTN Career Fair’ aims at assisting final year students in tertiary institutions and graduates to bridge the counseling and career guidance gap as well as help them in their search for employment.
Under the program, registered participants will get the chance to meet prospective employers and recruitment agencies for job interviews after and during the fair. Young school leavers and students will also get guidance on how to prepare for job interviews and how to write convincing CVs (Curriculum Vitaes).
Speaking at the second career Fair in Accra, Nod Ganson, the General Manager of Consumer Marketing MTN stated: “MTN was mindful of the various interventions by NGOs, public and private sectors as well as other major organizations to close the gap between the unemployed and employed.
“Therefore MTN’s responsibility was to complement these efforts in a sustainable way while psyching up the youth and exposing them to job creation opportunities.”
According to Ganson, the forum was initiated to help the youth think beyond finding a job and to consider the possibility of becoming one’s own manager by creating one’s own job rather than looking for non-existing jobs.
Ganson congratulated the speakers at the Fair for assisting to unlock and sharpen the special qualities of job seekers, graduates and students as they set out on a future filled with opportunities.
Some of the topics discussed at the Fair include Talent management and the art of job creation, establishing successful businesses through partnerships, what employers look for during job interviews and profiling adherence to best practice when loading on-line.
Others include professional training courses and their benefits as well as coaching and mentoring the youth in job creation.
CEO Weekends: Airtel, Tigo in mobile money interoperability deal
Airtel Tanzania customers can now send and receive money between Airtel and Tigo Tanzannia after former launched a cross border service that will enhance secure, fast and easy mode of money-transfer services between the companies’ mobile money wallets.
The service is the first of its kind and will benefit Tigo customers as well.
Commenting on the introduction, Airtel Tanzania Managing Director Sunil Colaso said, “This partnership with Tigo is a world first service allowing customers to transact directly to their e-wallet or respective recipient’s e-wallet. With off-net charges removed, it means lower cost and less hassle in withdrawing cash, therefore making the service more relevant to our customers’ needs. We are pleased to collaborate with other mobile operators in the market to ensure we continue to offer innovative and convenient services in Tanzania.”
Last month, telcos agreed to adopt interoperability, a move that is expected to solve the challenges associated with financial exclusion.
Tanzania as a country has been pushing for fianancial inclusion and last year the country launched a national financial inclusion framework to focus on priorities such as payment platforms, infrastructure and consumer protection, with an overall goal of giving half of Tanzania’s population access to formal financial services by 2016.
Mr. Colaso added, “In addition, our Airtel Money Agents will be able to seamlessly assist our customers with ‘cash in and out’ transactions with ease without retrieving payment confirmation messages from customers’ mobile phones. We believe the interoperability service will enhance security for agents and customers across the country.”
Speaking on the experience, Airtel Money agent at Kinondoni – Karafuu street Pasco Woiso said, “We are happy with the service that Airtel has introduced. I have used it for the first time today and I am already pleased with my customers’ response. This is a fantastic service that eliminates our customers complaints while reducing the time spent on a single customer.”
CEO WEEKENDS: Kenyan Microfinance firm honored for spurring mobile money adoption
Kenyan microfinance firm Musoni has been honored with the ‘2014 Kenyan Frost & Sullivan Award for Technology Leadership.’
The award that is based on Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis of Kenya’s microfinance industry recognises Musoni’s efforts for spurring adoption of mobile money.
Musoni currently uses Safaricom’s M-Pesa platform to provide consumers with micro-loans and to accept repayments via mobile phones.
Musoni is presently providing micro-credit and hopes to extend its services to comprise of micro-insurance and micro-savings products, according to Craig Parker, the senior economic consultant at Frost & Sullivan,
Parker explained: “The delivery of insurance and savings using the mobile money platform will raise customer uptake since it is below three percent for micro-insurance products in Kenya. Micro-savings mobilization will increase customer profiles and assist them qualify for micro-insurance.”
Musoni works closely with international firms such as the USAID, KFW and Grameen Foundation, that, it says, helps it review the challenges the industry faces.
Musoni is cited as the first 100-percent mobile microfinance institution in the world.
CEO Weekends: Microsoft revamps Its OneNote For Android
Microsoft has launched a new version of OneNote for all Android devices.
OneNote-for-AndroidThe app, which is available for free, offers popular OneNote features such as support for handwriting and a new tablet UI that’s similar to the one used in OneNote for iPad.
It’s a major upgrade for users of large-format Android devices like the Galaxy Note phablets, or tablets like Google’s Nexus 7. The software company had seen how the previous OneNote for Android could not scale up elegantly and decided it was time for an upgrade.
Moreover, Microsoft also updated the version of OneNote that uses Windows 8.1′s “modern” user interface with support for printing, inserting files and ink highlighting. Users of Livescribe pens can also now set up their notebooks to automatically upload their content to OneNote as well.
It’s a part of Microsoft’s campaign to more broadly roll out its note taking app to more customers to compete with other companies like Evernote, which has made a name for itself by offering its apps on just about every platform imaginable.
The launch of OneNote for Android brings good tidings to people waiting for Microsoft to launch a version of Office for Android devices. A version of OneNote for iPad was released alongside its full Office suite for Apple’s tablets. This version of OneNote is available with a UI that looks like it would be at home with future Office apps is a positive sign that more Office apps may be coming soon.
CEO Weekends: Q&A: Kenya’s Bima247 Wants To Digitize Insurance Services
Insurance is the bedrock of a person’s well being and bima247, which was launched last month, is here to ensure that the insurance procedures are as easy as it could be. Techmoran got hold of Micheal Otieno, one of the big brains behind this online portal and this is what he had to say.
Q1. What was the inspiration behind the idea of Bima247?
Dr. Chris Odindo – who I have known for quite a while – had this idea of developing the next generation of insurance services by leveraging technology to significantly change how insurance is purchased in Kenya: away from its laborious paper-based methods to a simpler, much more convenient and faster one for consumers, and in the process increase insurance penetration, which most commentators agree is quite low in Kenya.
He then approached Nero Web Solutions, which is my company, and Yvonne Gitobu, a highly experienced broker having worked at a divisional director level at Eagle Insurance Brokers for a long time. He was then putting together a strong team to complement his own underwriting capability. My company then developed the software for what is now bima247.com. In terms of ownership, the software and insurance portal is owned by Cubic Media Systems and Logistics Limited which Chris set up, although my company is still on board as developers.
Q2. Will the future of Bima247 render some of the insurance agents jobless?
No on the contrary, this system can only be good for agents and brokers. It is actually a way for them to increase their revenue and reach. For examples, the system allows them to expand their distribution network being online for certain types of personal lines insurance like motor, domestic package and so on.
This is because their products will be online 24 hrs a day 365 days a year It reduces their costs too as our expert software underwrites, rates and accepts payments on their behalf in an instant. Our long term ambition is for this to be a standard industry platform used by insurance professionals much in the same way as you have software systems like SAGE for accounting.
Basically, what we have done is completely remove the need for a broker or agent to be physically present for some types of personal insurance transaction in Kenya. This then frees them up to spend more time on Corporate clients and more complex insurance lines such as large buildings, engineering and marine. In itself, this is a significant innovative change in how insurance is purchased in Kenya, and we are pleased not only to be leading this innovation but also to be the ones doing it really well.
What we believe is that the future of most businesses is to move their operations to the internet therefore the system will expand the capabilities of existing agents who are able to see the opportunity and get in at the ground floor. And even in the future, the system would be able to accommodate any new agents who want to run their operations efficiently and augment their physical operations by having an online and or mobile presence.
Q3. Do you have a preferred client or is it an open portal?
The software is designed for use by two broad targets. To this extent we are deeply ambitious. So: Any insurance organisation whether an insurance company, broker or agent can use the system as it is a ‘white-label’ product that can be integrated seamlessly into most if not all their existing core systems. Here again our ambition is for it to be the standard system used by insurance organisations for all online insurance transactions in Kenya.
Ordinary consumers can also use the system by going to bima247.com our online insurance portal. Any product purchased through that site is underwritten by Jubilee Insurance Kenya, with whom we have a separate agency agreement. Here too our ambition is for bima247.com to be the go-to-place for online insurance in Kenya.
Q4. Are you working on an app for smartphones or getting the USSD code service or will it be purely online based?
Currently, the system is online and we are also working on a smartphone app which persons can be able to download and install into their phones so as to access the service more effectively. Beyond that we have a number of exciting enhancements in the pipeline, which will continue to leverage technology in ways that make Kenyan insurance consumers’ lives even easier.
CEO Weekends: Lookingfor.co.zw Wants You To Enjoy Shopping With Them
Lookingfor.co.zw is celebrating its second month in the online buisness and is working to make you shopping experience as easy as it can possibly be. The online portal will be having new features to enhacne your shopping experience; they will be having features like
· Sharing Requests – When looking for that “special” thing, lookingfor is very quick to post about it online. That’s not actually a bad thing but sometimes the people closest to us don’t even know that we are searching for something.
“From today, LookingFor is integrating with Facebook. That means every time you post a request, your friends will see it straight up on your wall!,” they say in their blog.
· Shop fast, from 40 businesses…and counting!
“We know you may have posted about your request but it wasn’t successfully met by a business? Well, our sales wizards have been working nonstop behind the curtains to make sure next time, businesses respond faster to your searches.We are happy to announce that we have more than 40 businesses using LookingFor now! And we are busy adding more faster than we can count them,” says lookingfor.
For more about the shopping experience visit http://www.lookingfor.co.zw today.
CEO WEEKENDS: Huawei Launches Mobile Broadband Demo Truck Show in Uganda
Huawei has today launched a Mobile Broadband demo truck show at Serena Hotel in Uganda’s capital Kampala.
The demo, whose theme is ‘connected possibilities make it possible,’ will take five days and is set to display Huawei’s most recent converged communication solutions and philosophies.
“Our goal is to introduce new concepts and trends of ICT transformation, successful business operation transformation and infrastructure transformation with the most recent ICT convergence solutions displayed within the truck,” stated Radoslaw Kedzia, the MD of Huawei Uganda, “we plan to bring to our telecom operators the latest CT/IT transformation like SDP, VAS cloud platform and storage,”
Also peaking at the launch event, Uganda’s Minister for ICT Nyombi Thembo said, “I praise Huawei Technologies for their uninterrupted innovations in the ICT sector. As a government, well will proceed to support them in their efforts.”
In a statement, Huawei said that topics such as ICT transformation, in-depth Network Optimisation, convergent LTE Haul, software-defined mobile, and industry trends will be presented to the guests between 18th and 22th August.
“These most recent solutions are targeting telecom operators with the aim of assisting Ugandans become well connected,” said Huawei.
CEO Weekends: Shoptomydoor.com secures Access Bank and Visa partnerships to enhance e- retail services
Online retailer Shoptomydoor.com has partnered with Access Bank Plc and VISA to provide a payment platform exclusively to Visa cardholders.
Out of partnership, all Access Bank Visa cardholders can shop online at retailers in the U.S, U.K. and China, as well as enjoy exclusive shipping discounts directly to their doorsteps.
A statement issued by the bank says that the partnership is in line with the Central Bank of Nigeria ,CBN’s cashless initiative. This move is seen as part of Access Bank’s efforts at boosting electronic payments, e-commerce and fostering ease of transactions.
Executive Director, Personal Banking, Victor Etuokwu, said that the introduction of Shoptomydoor. com platform was a deliberate attempt by the bank to make financial services easy and accessible to its customers.
“This partnership offers Access Bank Visa Card holders various discount services which include free sign up on shoptomydoor.com portal, free 12 month premium account, continuous discount from selected online stores, 10 percent discount on low shipping cost till December 31, 2014. We believe that our customers will benefit immensely from this innovation, and the process is straightforward,” he stated.
Also Head, Card Products Justin Ijeh, said: “the Bank’s commitment to consistently provide innovative products is not just aimed at aligning with the Central Bank’s cashless policy, but also designed to make life easier for its customers.”
While the surge in e-commerce has given rise to concerns about online security, the bank has allayed customer fears by confirming that its cards are protected with top-notch security tools.
In addition to the in-built security mechanism, Access Bank’s VISA Cards are protected and verified by VISA features respectively. Access Bank has consistently position itself as a Bank of choice through its commitment to providing innovative banking solutions to its customers and growing entrepreneurs through partnership.
CEO WEEKENDS: Rwanda commences Digitisation of Government Services
Rwanda is taking a first-off initiative in making all government services accessible online, following the kick-off of the initial phase of implementing Rwanda Online platform Wednesday.
The objective of the initiative is to set up a public service platform that will provide the Rwandan citizenry with the option of accessing government services through the web.
Rwandan government signed an agreement with Rwanda Online Platform Limited in April 2014 granting the firm the right to run the platform for 25 years, after which the government will take back the rights.
The agreement is intended to bridge the gap of information access. It also seeks to improve service delivery via the digitized public services.
“It is expected that the first phase of implementation be complete by April 2015 where ten services are considered likely to be accessible online,” Rwanda’s government stated in a statement.
Services — including registration for driving license theory test, application for criminal clearance certificate, national ID card application, application for visa permits, application for birth certificates, issuance of trading licenses, transfer of land titles, ordinary passports and building permits — are set to be given priority for automation in the first phase.
Likewise, Rwanda Online will work together with six government institutions to collect requirements, engage institutions in training and testing activities, as well as create prototypes that will lead to the completion date in April.
“Rwanda Online platform will act as a window for citizens to access government services. It will be a single service delivery portal for every government agency and ministry thus providing businesses and citizens an efficient and streamlined experience with reduced operational costs,” stated Rosemary Mbabazi, who is Rwanda’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Youth and ICT.
CEO Weekends:Uganda to benefit from new iWayAfrica managed service solution
Pan-African telecoms operator Gondwana International Networks (GIN) has revealed the launch of managed infrastructure and services solution for the SME market in Uganda by its iWayAfrica business. It is a joint product offering with managed services company SevenC Computing.
Winston Smith, General Manager, Terrestrial Services for GIN and iWayAfrica says that the partnership with SevenC Computing has already proven beneficial in several countries.
“We have seen great success in Namibia and Zimbabwe and anticipate tremendous growth in Uganda. There is great demand for level three managed services support in Africa, as cloud simply cannot deliver on its own,” he said.
SevenC Computing Managing Director, Darren Osbourn said: “As a well respected and reputable managed service provider, iWayAfrica has a substantial opportunity to successfully introduce a unique managed service solution in conjunction with SevenC.”
The iWay Africa solution for Uganda will focus on ensuring that all key IT processes are managed on a single strict service level agreement. He says these services include business email; data storage and collaboration; network security, bandwidth monitoring and reporting, offsite electronic data and email backups; offsite electronic data and email archives; and enhanced network monitoring and support.
Ken Mwai, the Managing Director for iWayAfrica Uganda says that the local SME market faces very common IT challenges such as limited budgets, lack of in-house IT skills and resources, as well as poor quality of service.
“We will be providing a much needed quality of service focused on the evolution, deployment and ongoing support of managed IT services.”
Customers in various sectors such as finance, insurance and travel industry, see these services as essential in allowing them to focus on their core business and allow iWay to manage their ICT infrastructure and communication requirements.
Mwai says that the advantage of deploying these managed infrastructure services is that there is no dependency on the customer being connected to the iWay network but only requires the customer a reliable Internet connection to be able to take advantage of these offerings.
“iWayAfrica is very excited about the launch of the managed service solution in Uganda. We have packaged an excellent combination of software and infrastructure as a service. This means that customers don’t procure hardware and as a result, have no upfront cost. This gives customers the best of the cloud with essential managed services on the ground,” concludes Mwai.
CEO Weekends:EntrepreneurCountry Opens in Nigeria to Enhance Digital Entrepreneurship
EntrepreneurCountry has landed in Nigeria. The entrepreneurial ecosystem with a 133,000 strong community from Europe, Africa, Asia and South America connects high-profile digital enablers/entrepreneurs with world leading corporate brands who need their products and service.
This global discovery platform allows entrepreneurs to be discovered by leading corporate organisations. It has over 400 partners, giving entrepreneurs access to leading investors and a platform for thought leadership.
It launched its first event at the Lagos Chamber of Commercer and Industry last month which was graced by a selection of high-profile guest speakers including Amit Pau, Director of EntrepreneurCountry, Beverly Okoye, Deputy Director at UK Trade and Investment Nigeria (UKTI), Bankole Oluwafemi, Co-Founder of Nigerian tech blog TechCabal, Victor Okigbo, Manager at IDEA Accelerator and award-winning journalist Tolu Ogunlesi.
This was followed by a formal David (entrepreneurs) and Goliath (investors) dinner with twelve C-suite attendees.
It is now launching in Nigeria with the support of a number of key partners including the UK Trade and Investment Nigeria, a gov¬ernment agency jointly funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for Business. Nkiru Asika, Regional Partner, will spearhead the platform’s efforts in the region.
Amit Pau, Director of EntrepreneurCountry commented: “Nigeria’s success in building digitally-enabled basic services lays the foundations for easily scalable advanced services such as e-commerce, mar¬ketplaces and social media.
“This is well reflected by the rise of e-commerce places such as Jumia, Konga, DealDey, Gidimall, Jobberman, Paga, iROKO, Kaymu, to name a few.”
Nkiru Asiak, CEO of Enterprise Creative, Regional Partner of Entrepreneur Country Global, said: “Entrepreneur Country offers entrepreneurs, investors and corporates in Nigeria, the opportunity to engage with each other and their global counterparts in our fast-growing online community.
“We further build this community through thought-leadership content, high-level events and a global discovery platform, through which small digital businesses can source funding, customers and strategic partnerships, while we work strategically with corporates to help them leverage digital innovation to enhance their own competitiveness.
“We are delighted to be Entrepreneur Country’s Regional Partner in Nigeria and look forward to working with the great talent within this country to help develop the digital ecosystem.”
Beverly Okoye, Deputy Director, UKTI, added: “Access to finance is of major importance, as well as understanding the business structures and knowledge partnerships in Nigeria. What EntrepreneurCountry does is to give digital entrepreneurs access to other entrepreneurs globally – enabling them to share, promote and learn from others with similar ambitions. We are delighted to see EntrepreneurCountry launch in Nigeria, and believe that it will play a major part in the growth of digital business here.”
CEO WEEKENDS: Nigeria enhances security using cost-effective surveillance cameras
Vivotek, a set of cost-effective and sophisticated network surveillance cameras, has been introduced in Nigeria by Trivest Technologies.
The camera is one of the world’s top surveillance network and monitoring solutions created to support businesses as well as prevent security risk, especially with the increasing Boko Haram sect activities, says Sam Fadiora, who is the exclusive distributor of Vivotek cameras systems within Nigeria.
According to Fadiora, since Vivotek’s network camera assisted in making FIFA World Cup a success, they could assist the Nigerian government in its drive to keep the citizens and nation safe.
“With the rise in crime rate and security threat from all corners of Nigeria, security technology still remains a most viable solution for the government to contain the monster.
“Trivest and Vivotek are ready to partner with businesses, individuals and governments in our collective effort to help security of property and lives in our national boundaries. Vivotek’s range of integrated network camera systems is a dependable investment any time,” added Fadiora.