Sony has today announced that it has sold over 7 million PS4 units globally as of April 6, 2014, demonstrating the rapid growth of the PS4 platform.
Andrew House, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc in a statement said,”The response from the global gaming community for PS4 has been overwhelming and we are truly humbled that gamers are selecting PS4 as their next generation console of choice.”
The firm also said PS4 software sales hit over 20.5 million copies sold in retail stores worldwide and through digital downloads on PlayStation Store as of April 13, 2014. With approximately 120 titles available or coming in 2014, Sony says users will be immersed in their broad portfolio of breakthrough games, across all genres.
The PS4 system also aims to bring highly anticipated titles such as Destiny, The Elder Scrolls Online, Alien, NBA 2K15 , Watch_Dogs, #DRIVECLUB (SCE WWS), MLB 14: The Show and The Order 1886 and upcoming games such as N++, GALAK-Z: The Dimensional, Transistor , Secret Ponchos, The Witness, Octodad: Dadliest Catch and Daylight.
Founded four years ago by Judith Owigar, Linda Kamau, Marie Githinji, Angela Oduor, Gladys Kitony and Catherine Kiguru, AkiraChix, a girl geek group training girls in design and programming and mentorship to empower them to join technology last evening celebrated four years of existence and officially launched their own working space.
The AkiraChix space was acquired six months ago on the ground floor of Bishop Magua Centre, which also hosts iHub, Nailab and m:lab East Africa and has been used as a training center for girls in high schools and those from the neighboring areas to write code and design.
Speaking during the launch and four year celebration the girls said they wanted to change the way girls looked at technology. They wanted to women to know tech is for them too that’s why they launched to encourage more girls and kids(boys and girls) get drawn to technology at a young age.
“During the iHub launch, we realized that there was a big problem, we realized that there were few girls in the room, but that what was happening everywhere. We could talk to people and even do our research and realize that they were so few women in technology. Evenladies thought tech was a career for only men. So the six of us sat down one morning and started AkiraChix and we thought we would just be a forum, to collaborate and share our experiences and tell other girls that tech isn’t just a space for men,” said Judith Owigar AkiraChix’s president.
“Four years down the line, AkiraChix today has mentored and trained over 200 girls in Kenya in ICT and entrepreneurship through a one year program in a move to see them start their own businesses or find jobs and solve problems in their communities. The girls began their first training on a bus and in the second year had a partner give them a space for their training, there dream was to get their own space to train more girls in ICT.
Having and launching their own space is a milestone worth celebrating.
Recently the girls received a donation of 20 laptops from SIDA and Fujitsu to help them reach out to more girls in their High School Outreach Program which works with various girl’s schools in the city. AkiraChix aims to go to schools out of the city to reach to as many girls as possible. Apart from girls, AkiraChix also holds kids bootcamps to train them in various ICT related packages.
SIDA also funds AkiraChix programs and was the one that helped them carry out their third training program and secure their own space for their activities. The SIDA grant will also help them expand beyond Nairobi. AkiraChix has been working with Kenya’s ministry of education to have their ICT training program accredited and is working on replicating the model for the training program across the country, and eventually across the continent. The team also launched a paid version of their training program.
Canonical has today announced the availability of its Ubuntu 14.04 LTS desktop OS release, with a five-year support and free security updates.
“The 14.04 LTS release offers a solid, intuitive experience which is easy to manage,” Jane Silber, CEO at Canonical said in a statement. “It is a viable and affordable alternative for those organisations considering a switch from Microsoft, and specifically those replacing XP or Windows 7 as they come to the end of life.”
With full support and five years of free security updates, Ubuntu says its the most stable and secure release firms will ever receive. The firm also added that the UK OS secutiry arm’s CESG found it to be the most secure desktop or mobile operating system due to its security features and timely security updates.
Ubuntu 14.04 LTS includes full-disk encryption, added AppArmor profiles and policy, as well as AppArmor improvements for interprocess communications between confined applications and has a seamless migration path for organisations upgrading from the previous 12.04 LTS. With an improved Unity UI, and good for both desktops and laptops with multi-touch trackpads and touchscreens, the release has business tools such as remote delivery of applications, compatibility with Windows file formats, browser-based cloud solutions and the Microsoft Office-compatible LibreOffice suite. The 14.04 LTS release also signals continued development toward Canonical’s vision for true convergence across desktop, phone and tablet.
According to Stéphane Dumond, Chef Information and Security Officer at the French Gendarmerie, “Our project to replace Windows XP with Ubuntu on over 70,000 desktops is returning significant benefits; already we’ve lowered the total cost of ownership by a ratio of 40 per cent, eliminated licence costs and radically reduced technical problems. Ubuntu’s LTS releases, like 14.04, offer levels of stability, security, cost savings and ease of management that would appeal to any CIO looking at desktop deployments.”
Ubuntu’s dedicated Chinese operating system, Ubuntu Kylin was also released today.
“In migrating to Ubuntu desktop, we’ve saved over $360,000 in year one of our high school deployment,” says Charlie Reisinger, Technology Director at Penn Manor School District. “I trust Ubuntu to power our student laptops because it is a fantastic playground for education and provides our students the freedom to pursue their personal learning passions. Over the past three years, we have migrated to Ubuntu across our entire district; it is our primary OS for 5,200 students. Ubuntu is proving cost effective, secure and easy to use, and we’re looking forward to upgrading to the latest 14.04 LTS release.”
The Ubuntu 14.04 LTS can be downloaded here while the Ubuntu 14.04 Kylin can be found here here. Sold across the world and pre-loaded on hardware from partners including Dell, HP and Lenovo.
Now avaialable in 13 countries including Botswana, Kenya, Uganda, Mauritius, and Egypt, Orange Money has announced today that it has hit over 10 million customers, celebrating with a bonus to the 10 millionth customer of Orange Money in Dakar, Senegal.
Ms Kanny G., who had gone to an Orange Money outlet to open an account, was surprised to learn that she had won a smartphone with an Orange Money credit of 100,000 FCFA (152 euros).
“Orange Money is a revolution in terms of customer experience, and the appeal of this service is the best proof that we made the right choice when we decided to offer mobile payment services in 2008. I am very proud to be in Dakar today to meet our 10 millionth Orange Money customer. While making a strong contribution to economic and social development, mobile financial services also represent a major growth engine in Africa and the Middle East as well as in Europe for Orange,” said Stéphane Richard.
Though not close to Safaricom’s M-PESA over 17 million users, Orange Money’s growth is worth celebrating. The service is now available in 13 countries: Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt (under the name Mobicash), Guinea, Jordan, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Niger, Senegal and Uganda. In 2013, more than 2.2 billion euros in transactions were conducted through Orange Money. The ten million mark has just been hit, and in some countries, such as Côte d’Ivoire, more than 40% of all Orange customers have an Orange Money account.
According to the firm, the success of the Orange Money service is closely linked to that fact that it meets strong expectations by people in Africa and the Middle East. It adapts to lifestyles in countries where only a minority of inhabitants have bank accounts yet the majority have a mobile phone. It makes life easier for users every day by giving them a way to keep their money safe or by saving time on all of their transactions.
Subscription to Orange Money is free of charge. After opening their accounts, customers can do money transfers, allowing them to send and receive money by phone; use the service to pay for goods and services, whether to pay bills from partner companies (e.g. water, electricity or TV service) or to buy airtime; and have access to financial services enabling them to wire money to and from a bank account, pay wages, etc.
Orange recently launched Orange Money International Transfer for mobile-to-mobile money transfers between Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and Senegal, which has achieved a market share of 15% in a matter of months; partnered with Visa in Botswana, giving Orange Money subscribers easy access to new transaction options at Orange outlets, online and in licensed vending machines; partnered with Total on distribution and merchant payment in service stations for greater access to Orange Money.
This year, the firm says it wants to open additional corridors for international transfers, create services for customers with bank accounts, and the develop new interfaces for smartphones. Orange also wants to build up its distribution network, especially in the most remote regions, as proximity is a key success factor for Orange Money.
In preparation of the national Election Day in South Africa in May 7th, Google has launched a South African elections hub.
It is the latest out of the more than 40, Google has built around the world, and is meant to function as a one-stop site for voters to access election-related information, including party and candidate information, where to vote, real-time election news, search trends, and some of the most engaging elections-related YouTube videos from a wide range of political parties, media and civil society.
Google has worked with media, civil society organizations and political parties, enabling them to use technology to innovate during the elections, and allow voters and politicians to share, discuss, and make informed decisions.
Fortune Mgwili-Sibanda, Policy and Government Relations Manager at Google South Africa sai: “The internet is driving higher levels of engagement now than ever before, but there is still much that can be done. The run-up to this important election in South Africa is a great opportunity for both candidates and citizens to use the internet and Google’s innovative tools. Our elections tools directly support this mission. We want citizens to be empowered during the upcoming elections, so we’re organizing information to make it easy for voters to find everything they need to make an informed voting decision, all in one place.”
The Internet Exchange Point (IXP) that was launched in Swaziland last week by the African Union Commission (AUC) , will contribute to bringing efficiency in the routing of intra-country internet traffic and hence faster and more secure exchange of intra-country internet traffic.
Through the African Internet Exchange System (AXIS) project, the African Union Commission has so far extended capacity building support to facilitate the establishment of IXPs in 24 Member States including Swaziland. The capacity building support facilitated the setting up of the necessary structures and prepared network engineers with the technical skills to interconnect their networks to the IXP.
In addition to the capacity building support, the AU donated equipment and services to set up and launch the IXPs in Namibia, Burundi and Swaziland. The total cost of the support extended to realise each IXP is $63,000.
“It has been a long road travelled together with the African Union Commission towards what we are here about today – our national IXP. The African Union Commission has indeed proved to be a real mother to the nations on the African Continent by pioneering the African Internet Exchange System Project which has helped countries to establish their own IXPs” says Dumisani C. Ndlangamandla, Minister of Information, Communication and Technology.
“While the launch of the IXP is a welcome and laudable development towards our efforts to reduce cost and inefficiency associated with routing of the continent’s internet traffic through overseas carriers, we are still at the very early stage of harnessing the potential of IXPs in Africa. It is in this regard that the African Union Commission plans issue a request for proposals to select internet exchange points to be supported to grow into regional IXPs” says Moctar Yedaly, Head of Information Society Division, African Union Commission.
In 2010, two Nigerian brothers Andrew Eze who is now the CTO and President and his brother Paul Eze, the CEO co-founded Ngcareers.com while still on campus to help everyone get the jobs they deserve.
Andrew says Ngcareers started (like every other pioneer job site in Nigeria) as a blog listing daily vacancies that the owner could find. While in school 2009, Andrew just got interested in the possibilities of the internet and started a job blog to try and collate information on job openings so people can easily find them in one place. His brother, Paul joined him later on and they registered Ngcareers as a company in 2010. Ngcareers was first registered under the Corporate Affairs Commission in 2010 and was later incorporated in its present form in March 2013. At the the moment, the firm has over 23,000 jobs listed and is averaging 14,000 daily unique visits (around 400,000 monthly uniques).
The site didn’t just take off after launching but the two had to go through several frustrating moments and near acquisition just like any other startup.
“While it was gradually gaining reputation among jobseekers and some employers from 2010 Ngcareers really took off as a major job site in 2012 when we started giving it more attention after we were done with school and could afford more time. Late 2012 saw us involved in an acquisition offer from a major competitor. In 2013 after talks broke down we realised we could have a shot at redefining the job industry in Nigeria,” Andrew tells TechMoran.
They wanted to give career users choice ratehr than just post the jobs as a blog, so they incorporated Ngcareers and started building a proper startup company.
“The couple of years prior to 2013 actually served to let us understand how much more we could do by setting things up properly,” Andrew says.
Now with just 5 team members, the firm operates from its office in the highbrow Independence Layout in Enugu, Nigeria and has over 200,000 registered users and more than 2000 employers/recruiters who use the site to advertise jobs and attract candidates. The team says the limited financial resources available to them have forced them to think out of the box to grow the startup to this level without external funding. The team says their key has been creative problem solving, perserverance and willingness to try ideas.
The firm aims to have its cut from recruitment solutions (job advertising and candidate search), advertising and some value added services which they are testing.The firm is says its at a stage where it needs to focus on rigorous implementation of the revenue models. They have also talked to a couple of investors and are also engaging with a few angel investors to raise funding but they have a target customer base and product development timeline then start aggressively monetising.
There are hundreds of job sites in Nigeria, but just what makes them unique?
“One unique thing about Ngcareers as a job site is the fact that we give users access to find and engage on relevant career information (not just job vacancies only) to enhance their career decision making process. Briefly put we help users get access to jobs based on their interests and relevant work information to make better career choices,” Andrew says.
The firm also says it receives hundreds of company reviews submitted anonymously by past and present employees of organisations and employers in Nigeria to help jobseekers can make better informed decisions. They aims to make their platform a place jobseekers get answers to any career question they may have. No other job site gives users these options.
In the next one year, Ngcareers aims to make it easier to find work related information on a prospective organisation such as job openings they have at any time, what their relative pay for a job position is, their employment conditions, people you can reach out to that have worked or are working there among others. The site says it wants to democratise workplace information and job search in Nigeria.
Kenya Airways and South Africa’s only privately owned low fare airline have announced a bilateral code share agreement to seamlessly connect the carriers’ networks via OR Tambo International Airport.
Kenya Airways intends to place their code (KQ) on all South African domestic routes currently serviced by kulula which include Cape Town, Durban, George and East London while kulula.com intends to place their code (MN) on the multiple daily Kenya Airways services between Johannesburg and Nairobi.
“We are confident that our respective customers will benefit from the partnership by providing them with more convenient booking and travel options within South Africa. We are excited to be working with kulula and look forward to further expanding the relationship to include more travel options in the future,” said Gerard Clarke, Commercial Director at Kenya Airways.
Stuart Cochrane, Executive Manager Business Process for kulula.com says, “The code share agreement with Kenya Airways is an extension of the interline agreement we entered into in 2013 and is in line with kulula’s medium-to-long term strategy to grow our distribution footprint in Africa in a sustainable manner whilst at the same time providing more choice for our customers.”
The Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), has officially unveiled the Great Dams Race, an annual event seeking to create environmental awareness and raise funds to conserve the Seven Forks ecosystem.
The race is scheduled to take place on Saturday June 14, 2014 along the scenic backdrop of Masinga Dam and Mwea National Reserve. Unlike other annual races, this race offers a unique mix of marine and rugged savannah terrain for professional and amateur runners and provides an exceptional fun weekend for families.
The Seven Forks is home to five hydropower stations, which generate over 50 percent of the country’s electric power.
Masinga Dam is the largest in the Seven Forks cascade, located about 2 hours away from Nairobi (150 kilometers), off the Thika-Garissa road. Other dams in the cascade (Kamburu, Gitaru, Kindaruma and Kiambere) are located within reach and participants have the opportunity to visit and experience their unrivalled beauty.
The race offers a 21-kilometer half marathon as well as a 10-kilometer race. The event will kick off early Saturday morning culminating in an evening of lively entertainment. Participants will have the opportunity to tour a power plant, engage in boat rides and fishing in Masinga dam.
KenGen Managing Director and Chief Executive Albert Mugo said: “Our aim is to not only ensure Kenya’s energy security, but to also encourage organizations, the public and local communities to actively participate in environmental conservation for a sustainable future.”
He urged Kenyans to enroll in large numbers for the race as a way of contributing to the protection of the environment for present and future generations.
To enroll, participants will pay Ksh12,000,($138) while corporate teams of up to ten participants each will pay Ksh120,000 ($1380). Community members will pay Ksh200($2). Winners in the 21-kilometer individual male and female category will be awarded a cash prize of Ksh50,000 ($575) and a trophy, while second and third runners-up will receive cash prizes worth Ksh25,000 ($288) and Ksh15,000 ($173) respectively. Corporate teams category winners will receive Ksh120,000($1380) which will be donated to a community project.
KenGen Foundation Managing Trustee, Mike Njeru said proceeds from the race will be used in supporting various environmental initiatives including the Green Schools Initiative challenge – an afforestation project targeting primary and secondary schools.
Yet another festive Easter season has arrived, one of the biggest holidays of the year and Jumia wants to help you relive your childhood with games, shopping and fun.
This year, Jumia is offering you everything you need for the festivities in one store for the most memorable Easter moments that you and your family deserve; an exciting ‘Find Your Easter Egg’ treasure hunt is also planned to create some lucky winners amongst Jumia’s customers this Easter.
Throughout Easter, customers can go on Jumia.com and participate locating the Easter bunnies hidden on their website. They will have to find all the bunnies to win different gifts like shopping vouchers and tickets to the biggest Easter concerts in Lagos and Calabar.
Co-CEO Jumia Nigeria Jeremy Doutte stated: “Easter is a huge celebration in Nigeria and we are always glad to bring Nigerians the best offers online, as well as helping to bring families closer with the traditions that come with the season.”
Jumia’s top Easter picks
Unlike the Easter egg hunt that is all about who has the fastest fingers; finding the perfect Easter gift has just gotten easier with Jumia’s Easter store.
You can get your loved ones, colleagues and family a nice Easter basket treat with Golden Egg from Eileen; the Easter basket comes with all the premium groceries and goodies for Easter. You can also get a friend a nice bottle of red wine to pair with a special Easter meal with friends and family. You can purchase a Nikon camera to capture those memorable Easter moments or get that television with up to 60% off to lean back and enjoy with your family. Finally, you can treat yourself and your loved ones to an exciting concert for the weekend with tickets to the biggest Easter show in Lagos ‘Ay Live’.
All of these gifts and many more can be delivered to you just in time for the Easter holidays. Shop Jumia Here for all your Easter gifts.
Kenya Airways has partnered with MTN Cameroon to allow passengers in the country and MTN Cameroon customers to buy tickets via mobile money to save money and time and also advance the use of mobile money in the country.
MTN Mobile money was introduced by MTN Group in South Africa and MTN Cameroon’s parent company. The deal will allow Kenya Airways customers in Cameroon who use use MTN Mobile Money, to buy tickets online via their mobile phones minus going to a physical travel agency.
Apart from Kenya Airways, Brussels Airlines is also using MTN Cameroon’s Mobile Money to allow customers buy tickets via their phones. According to Kenya Airways, the first customers to purchase tickets via mobile money will be given a 5% discount for a month.
Kenya Airways has similar partnerships across the continent, allowing customers to buy via mobile money and loyalty points.
Oju Africa have launched their Afro Emoticons in SA and currently have over 12000 downloads of the free app from Google Play in just 4 days, of which the majority of those downloads have originated from the United States.
Created in 2012 and forms part of the premier Mobile Lifestyle Brand company Mi-Group International Ltd, the company has unveiled a full range of 65 Afro Emoticons. Their intention was launching the Emoticons at the global brand launch, however decided to launch 15 of them early following discussions surrounding #EmojiEthnicityUpdate and subsequent trends on Twitter.
Designed to be used across all Android platforms, the Oju’s will be released shortly on IOS and other platforms.
“Oju is an African innovation, an African character that we have no doubt will become an iconic character across the globe. Africa does not have its own Mickey Mouse or Hello Kitty until now with Oju,” remarked Alpesh Patel, CEO Oju Africa and Group CEO of Mi-Group International Ltd.
“Oju is a licensed African character which will be licensed out via Emoticons in the digital space, and via a traditional character in industries such as FMCG, Entertainment and Fashion. In fact, the launch here this evening will be followed by Oju Africa’s attendance at the prestigious Licensing Expo 2014 held in Las Vegas, USA from June 17-19th 2014. Making us one of the few African manufacturers to be present at the Expo.”
Yet for a continent synonymous with smiling faces, these unique Emoticons are bound to make those wide smiles become wider, as a portion of all licencing fees generated will be donated to the Mi-Oju Children’s Foundation which was officially launched at the event in association with Mi-Fone Board Advisor, and globally celebrated bestselling leadership author – Robin Sharma.
To download the free set of Afro Emoticons one simply needs to visit Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=oju.emoticon.app
The Ol Pejeta Wildlife Sanctuary has a new reason to love technology; they will soon employ the ‘Aerial ranger’ to help them fight poaching in Kenya as well as reduce costs of conducting wildlife census.
The Sanctuary has received legal approval to launch a Ksh3.2 million drone to fight poaching in the 90,000-acre facility.
According to the sanctuary’s spokesperson Elodie Sampere the ‘Aerial ranger’ will be launched in June.
“It has been quite a journey to get to this point and has taken the leading experts in drone technology-Airware Incorporated, countless development hours. The aerial ranger’s software and hardware were developed from scratch. Tests were conducted and we are upbeat, we now have the right drone strong enough to withstand challenging operating conditions,” she said.
On conducting census, the spokesperson said that they hired a light aircraft at Sh18,920 per hour for 13 hours, with the data collected being subjected to a large degree of human error.
“You will simply click a spot on a ‘Google Earth’ style map, and select the ‘fly here’ or ‘point camera here’ option. In the same menu is a ‘return home’ button, which, when clicked, will send the drone back to its launch point without any further instruction. When it has reached its landing spot, it deploys its parachute and floats elegantly to the ground. The beautiful simplicity of the operating system, coupled with sophisticated mission capabilities, was a high priority,” she said.
Ol Pejeta sanctuary was also voted the best managed wildlife conservancy in the world in 2013
Telkom Kenya Orange’s parent company needs $345 million capital injection to get back on track. This comes after reports that France telecom owner of the telecom was planning to leave Kenya which was however dismissed by CEO Mickael Ghossien.
The company apparently needs the capital to fund its development with the year’s capital expenditure being $29 million. France Telecom acquired a 51 percent stake in Telekom Kenya at $311 million in 2008 giving it control of the firm formerly owned by the government.
The French owned telecommunications company had earlier announced an auction of 70 percent the company with plans to exit the Kenyan market largely dominated by Safaricom having the company earn low revenue from the industry.
With its operation getting weaker by year, the telcos revenue dropped to $112 million in 2013 from 202’s $117 million. This comes after Yu mobile exited the Kenyan market claiming unfair competition therefore minute revenues.
Kenswitch Ltd a platform shared by over 20 commercial banks in Kenya facilitating the delivery of electronic banking services 24/7 has launched a system that will allow users transfer cash between banks registered on its network.
The development of the system was based on agency banking model which will allow customers make real time deposits into accounts, and will allow transfer of funds as little as sh50 to a maximum of sh 1 million from one bank account to another or top up of prepaid credit cards through the mobile phone.
“We are waging war against cash and cheques. We want to get rid of paper from the economy and are giving customers a choice whether to look at existing players, or use a cost effective platform that will guarantee transfer of funds between four and six seconds,” said Kenswitch managing director, George Wainaina.
Transfer tariff range from as low as sh5 to as much as sh200 depending on the amount transferred in a case where the customer is transferring between sh1,000 and 9,999 will pay sh20 while one seeking to transact more than 500,000 will pay sh200 the maximum limit.
In case the financial institution is not available at the time of transfer, the funds will be reversed. The service is in place for banks seeking easier channels for loan repayments as well as counties in automation of their revenue collection. This also targets the business sector because many small and medium enterprises continue to rely on banking instruments like cheques and electronic funds transfers.
The Domestic Interbank Transfer Service (Dits) is accessible through the existing infrastructure of registered banks and deposit-taking institutions like ATMs, online banking platforms, mobile banking applications and agent banking.
Launched May last year, KarTag wants to be Egypt’s most reliable, trustworthy and social carpooling mobile app to help solve traffic jams in Egypt and even save the users time and money.
Founded by Hayk Hakobyan, Said Gamal, Ahmed Saad, Khaled Mohamed,KarTag is a free ride-sharing app that aims to help usesrs access affordable and reliable transport, affordably. The app promises to reduce environmental pollution, traffic and parking problems in Cairo and other Middle East cities.
Initially launched on Android and iOS, the carpooling app aims to solve the matter of trust as possible by riding on top of existing cultural values and behavioral patterns.
“Egyptians are very social and love talking and interacting while being in a car,” the founder say on their site. “Using KarTag, a user can carpool – or kartag as we call it – with his/her Facebook friends and Facebook friends’ friends. In either case, a user is either carpooling with a real-life friend or has a real-life friend in common with the fellow carpooler.”
The team aims to leverage communities and groups and is taking its services to national universities such as AUC, GUC, Heliopolis University and sience and technology parks such as Smart Village and among malls such as CityStars. It also allows to carpool from and to big populated areas such as Mohandesseen.
Launched in May 2013, the app has over 1000 downloads on the Google PlayStore and close the same number on the App Store. The app now serves TEDxAUC, Kites, Heliopolis University, Sharemyfare, 2o Uses, Diwan bookstores and Wasalny and also gets serves users on its its Facebook community who want to use to make money from their own cars.KarTag’s competition includes PieRide, and NerkabSawa among others.
KarTag aims to make its money from white label versions of its app to corporations, MNCs, organizations according to the number of the size of the firm or the number of employees. The founders also customize the app for the huge corporations as they want.
Mr De Jesus presenting Mr Chakasikwa (left) and Mr Dumisani with their World Cup tickets
Press Release:Telecel Zimbabwe today has presented four of its subscribers who entered the Go to Brazil Bhora promotion with tickets to the 2014 FIFA World Cup that will be taking place in Brazil from June 12 to July 13.
The mobile network operator is covering all expenses for the trip, including air tickets, visa application costs and bed-and-breakfast accommodation in a three-star hotel. The prize also includes some spending money.
The lucky subscribers who won the all-expenses trips to the World Cup are Sophia Muchechetere, Dumisani Dumisani, Victor Chakasikwa and Loyed Chakanyuka.
Twelve other subscribers were presented with cash prizes of $500 each. The winners of the cash prizes were Barnabas Chitsomba, Joseph Makina, Kudakwashe Hondo, Moja Lusaka, Sasha Mandaza, Leonard Nyabonde, Leslie John, Deggeden Dewah, Ponayi Morris Sithole, Precious Bhasera, Wegner Marange, and Zamir Magid.
The guest of honour at the presentation of prizes, Mr Mauricio De Jesus, vice-consul at the Brazilian embassy, thanked Telecel for giving its subscribers an opportunity to be part of the 2014 World Cup that would be held in his country.
“We are here at the request of our ambassador and Telecel to help Telecel celebrate this prestigious moment as the company is helping us promote the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
“We are working very hard as Brazilians to make sure that everything will be in order in time for the World Cup kick-off for all foreign nationals, including Zimbabweans,” he said.
“We would like to thank Telecel for the initiative to launch this promotion as we see it as a tourism package that is giving us an opportunity to showcase what we have in Brazil,” Mr De Jesus added.
Telecel Zimbabwe launched the Go to Brazil Bhora promotion last month. It runs until August 8.
Other prizes which will be drawn at a later stage include four more all-expenses paid trips to the soccer World Cup, World Cup jerseys, Sony handsets, airtime, weekly cash prizes of $500 and monthly prizes of $10 000.
There are two ways of participating in the promotion. The first is by sending a free text message with the letter “B” to 33330. This option is open to pre-paid subscribers only.
After sending the message, subscribers receive points every time they recharge their phones with airtime. The more airtime loaded for calls, the more points earned, which will increase the chances of winning prizes.
Twenty points are awarded for newly activated Telecel prepaid lines as well as for reactivated lines. A one dollar recharge earns 10 points. Two dollars earns 30 points. A five dollar recharge earns 100 points, while a $10 recharge earns 250 points and $20 earns 600 points.
The second way of participating in the promotion, which is open to both pre-paid and post-paid subscribers, is by sending a blank text message to 33566. Every time subscribers do this, they will receive three questions related to football for them to answer at a cost of 25 cents.
A correct answer earns the subscriber 10 points, while five points are awarded for incorrect answers.
Four of the total eight World Cup tickets go to subscribers who have earned points through recharging their phones with airtime while the other four go to subscribers who have earned points through answering questions.
Verve cardholders in over 100 merchants in Nigeria has a reason to smile after the payment cards firm announced the launch of Verve Rewards.
Verve Rewards is a loyalty programme aimed at rewarding Verve card holders every time they make purchases, online or in-store, with their Verve cards. The users will either earn Instant Discounts or Cash Back of around 1% to 17.5% depending on the specific merchant.
Merchants participating in the rewards programme include Wakanow.com, Health Plus, Konga.com, Samsung Sims, Yellow Chilli, Tripican.com among others.
According to Charles Ifedi, Chief Executive Officer, Verve International:“It is a great pleasure to announce the introduction of our Verve Rewards scheme that will enable Verve card holders benefit from exclusive deals. Verve is the biggest payment card in Nigeria and Verve Rewards has been designed to ensure each of our 18 million customers across the country gets benefits every time they put their Verve card to use.”
An Instant Discount enables Verve card holders pay an amount less the total cost of items purchased. With Cash Back, Verve card holders receive a cash refund, which is a percentage of the amount purchased. These cash refunds are accumulated into a virtual Verve Rewards account which can be put to use on subsequent purchases.
Sim Shagaya, Founder & CEO, Konga, said:“We are proud to partner with Verve to offer our customers 1.5% Cashback when shopping at Konga.com. Our customers benefit from this program by accumulating cash refunds from Konga.com and other merchants, which can be spent at Konga.com in the future.”
The number one concern that organisations have about putting their sensitive data into the cloud is security. There are five core principles that provide confidence in cloud data ownership and security.
Risk-conscious organisations should be able to take advantage of all the benefits the cloud has to offer while still maintaining full service functionality and independently securing their cloud data.
“Cloud solutions have to be secure, and have to offer organisations control over their own data security,” says JJ Milner, the managing director of Global Micro. “While cloud providers should offer assurances and SLA’s, it is also important for their clients to be able to have control over and confidence about any security measures that are in place.”
Global Micro has determined five core principles that should shape any organisation’s approach to data ownership in the cloud.
Core Principle One – Persistently protect your information
Just like matter, data exists in three states: in transit, at rest and in use. In order for enterprise data to be secure, it has to be protected persistently in all three states. If the data is not encrypted in use (that is, while being processed by a cloud service provider), it is exposed and therefore, vulnerable. Current end user best practices, as defined by the Cloud Security Alliance, now also mandates encryption in use for data hosted and processed at a cloud service provider.
Core Principle Two – Control the keys, control the data
It is a simple fact that the person or entity that controls and manages the encryption keys has effective control over the data. The customer by definition is no longer in control of their data if it is the cloud service provider that holds the encryption keys.
With direct control of the encryption keys, businesses can:
Maintain their responsibility for compliance requirements for adequate data protection safeguards,
Address data residency and privacy regulations for data stored and processed in the cloud,
Respond directly to government and law enforcement subpoenas for cloud data, and
Implement and enforce best practices for securing and governing cloud data.
Core Principle Three – Encryption must be transparent to employees and simple to manage
For employees:
Encryption must operate automatically in the background and not require individual employees to do anything different. In other words, encryption should NOT require people to determine whether a specific email should be encrypted or to take additional steps to send or receive messages.
For IT and Security:
The encryption solution should integrate into your existing IT environment as well as into the target service such as Office 365 and interoperate with existing security, management and IT solutions such as anti-virus, email hygiene, archiving and identity federation.
100% of emails must automatically be encrypted with a validated encryption scheme – not deterministic word-level encryption.
Core Principle Four –Preserve application functionality
Encryption in use should not compromise the application’s functionality and critical server-side processes such as search, sort and index must continue to work.
Core Principle Five – It must be affordable and cost effective
Enterprises move to the cloud to gain cost efficiencies and flexibility. Encryption pricing must be affordable and preserve the value proposition of migrating to the cloud.
“By thinking through these principles and challenging your cloud provider to deliver the necessary solutions, while not hampering functionality, your organisation can take the next steps into the cloud with the confidence that your security is not being left to chance,” says Milner.
In the online-driven society of today, receiving something for free is generally understood to be part and parcel of the environment. Why then the debate over the sustainability and feasibility of providing free Wi-Fi services?
Using What’s-up for free, updating Facebook for free, calling on Skype for free and getting your latest music hit for free – in today’s Internet landscape getting something for free is normal …even expected. When you do need to pay for an on-line service, then it should be at a minimal fee … like watching Netflix. Even getting access to the Internet is expected to be free when using public Wi-Fi services.
Is there a debate because we intuitively feel we are getting “too much” for free and if you do not pay for it, somehow it will not be there tomorrow… a guilt trip of sorts? Is it because the industry has spotted a major consumer demand and doesn’t want to miss out on a money making opportunity? Is it because that we believe it is not possible to give something of good quality for free? Well I think it depends from your industry position in- and perspective on the Wi-Fi space.
According to the latest Wireless Broadband Alliance report there is a particular need for mobile operators to focus on public Wi-Fi as their cellular capacity is stretched by the explosion in data usage. Tier one MNOs expect 22% of the capacity they had in 2013 to come from public Wi-Fi and by 2018, 75% of their small cells will have integrated Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi offers lower cost higher capacity solutions to mobile operators, which is very attractive. What is less attractive is that Wi-Fi is expected to be free, so understandably mobile operators would be inclined to argue against free Wi-Fi.
The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) report confirms that retailers are increasingly using Wi-Fi services to promote and market products and services. Some envisage future retail outlets as showrooms for items that are then purchased online over a Wi-Fi connection, while in the store. For these retailers giving consumer access to free high-quality Wi-Fi services, is a “normal requirement” and is readily built in to the cost of building and operating retail experiences. From this perspective providing free Wi-Fi is the only logical option.
Then there is the data analytic fraternity with sophisticated software and models that can track your every move – where you have shopped, walked, your intended destination and even what you will be doing next. All of this information is gold in the hands of the clever marketing guru. Selling this type of data to marketers might be a far more lucrative prospect for Wi-Fi network operators than charging the user for Internet access.
With such diverse viewpoints and interests from various Wi-Fi providers it is no surprise that the WBA report notes business model uncertainty, as one of the key challenges to overcome for the mass deployment of Wi-Fi services.
What is also clear from these industry developments is that the focus is moving increasingly towards the business case uncertainties and less on technology concerns. Recent developments such as Next Generation Hotspots, Passpoint™ and seamless authentication technologies have all combined to facilitate growth in the Wi-Fi industry and eliminate concern over technical performances.
However the technology developments have also created a large field of specialist technologies and solutions, and the need for partnerships between trusted system integrators and industry leading products, is paramount to ensure future proof deployments.
In the Wi-Fi landscape of the future the quick plug-and-play Wi-Fi access point installation link with voucher systems to service a public venue simply might not suffice.
We can expect the debate around free Wi-Fi to continue and we will also see various models implemented in the near future; some with more success than others. What we know is that; “When something is for free…. then you are the product” – so think carefully about how you sell yourself next time you use a free Wi-Fi service.
In the past, your company may only have had to ensure the intranet, internet and email was operational, but now with a new and dynamic ICT world, you also have to cater for technologies such as: virtual private networks (VPNs), cloud computing, the running of comprehensive business systems, desktop applications, unified messaging and increased requirements for mobility.
Key to surviving this new world is an effective and comprehensive IT strategy, of which quality carrier-grade connectivity infrastructure solutions form the backbone. South Africa’s telco space however challenges the delivery of these solutions to the South African business.
Last mile infrastructure remains a problem in many areas of the country. There is a huge amount of international capacity that has landed on our shores, but delivering this to a business’ front door can often be a significant challenge and as a result organisations are not always benefiting as they should from the increased capacity available.
Availability of fixed line infrastructure is another challenge. Up until more recently, the rollout of ADSL services was slow and copper theft still impacts this medium substantially. Fibre is, to a large degree limited to metro areas and have been met with a number of implementation challenges. Fibre connectivity solutions are great for business but the cost of delivering a fibre connection can still be prohibitively expensive for some organisations and can involve long lead times.
Mobile (3G and LTE) and fixed wireless (such as microwave) solutions are a viable alternative where fixed line infrastructure is not available, and in many cases are far quicker to deploy, however coverage is an issue in outer lying regions and these services are impacted by the amount of spectrum available to the carrier.
To overcome these challenges, IT decision makers need to consider a mixture of access mediums, to deliver ubiquitous connectivity where one medium alone is not feasible. In metropolitan areas where fibre does exist, a mixture of fibre and microwave might be a solution to avoid long delivery times, and also allows for flexibility should your network requirements change or your business moves premises. In areas where there is no fibre or ADSL infrastructure in the ground, wireless microwave links and even satellite solutions should still be considered to offer a viable alternative.
Satellite, as a business access solution, has become more advanced, is fairly cost effective and addresses the connectivity needs of remote regions of South Africa and into Africa where no other services are available.
As shown around the world, lack of upgrades and investments in telecommunications infrastructure hinders economic growth, and the government and private sector need to tackle it together. The solution is a combination of capital investment, an open and fair regulatory environment and the requirement for allowing a variety of mediums and technology to address telecommunications challenges in the country.
About Broadlink
Broadlink, a subsidiary of Wireless Business Solutions, is a South African telecoms provider making inroads into the South African telecoms market. Operating since 2007, Broadlink offers a suite of telecoms offerings including microwave (MetroNet), fibre, satellite, voice and internet services. Together with its partners, Broadlink operates wireless networks in seven of South Africa’s provinces with over 200 kilometres of optical fibre on the network. The company provides services to over 1800 companies including prestigious blue chip and top 200 companies, either directly, or through key channel partners consisting of well-known telecoms players and ISPs.
In February, Nova Lumos announced it would partner with MTN Nigeria and Cellcom Guinee to launch a new pay-as-you-go solar home system via mobile operator’s airtime after winning a seed grant from Mobile Enabled Community Services (MECS) Innovation Grant Fund.
The firm has kept its promise.
Today, the firm together with MTN has launched a next-generation alternative “mobile electricity” service to provide alternative electricity to MTN customers who are living in rural areas across Nigeria and are not connected to the electricity grid.
According to the firm, it will deploy a solar panel and an indoor unit that allows MTN customers to subscribe to alternative electricity on demand using their mobile phone. Nova-Lumos aims to help MTN customers ditch kerosene, candles and flashlights with its alternative that can power house lights, cellphones, fans, PCs or laptops, radios, TVs and other small electronic devices at home daily.
“By paying for usage only in small payments, the same way our customers purchase airtime and other mobile services, MTN and Nova-Lumos will offer an innovative and widely-accessible service for all MTN customers”, said Michael Ikpoki, MTN Nigeria CEO. “MTN is committed to investing in the future of mobile electricity to our customers across Nigeria”, he added.
The availability of the devices will be announced soon.
Buying online is sometimes a chilling experience, as buying from strangers is as risky as walking alone in the park in the middle of the night.
However, OLX Kenya, a free online classifieds site that connects Buyers with Sellers wants to eliminate this fears by taking its users safety and protection as crucial.
‘”As OLX is a market place, we always advice our users to observe the principles of buying and selling which apply across both online and offline market places,” announced the firm. “We urge our users to practice good judgment and keep the following tips in mind.”
The firm says buyers should buy locally so they can inspect the item, meet the seller, and pay at the time of pickup or delivery of the item. Buyers should also ensure that they meet sellers at a safe and public location and can be accompanied with a friend just in case.
“The best way to transact is to exchange the item and payment at the same time. Don’t send money before you see the item and you are satisfied that it meets your requirements, says the firm. “Ask for clear information on condition of the good and the price before you meet the seller. Use only those payment methods that you trust and are familiar with and get a verifiable telephone number of the seller. In case of electronic goods, cars, and bikes you should test the functioning of the product before purchase.”
The firm also adds that buyers of items such as cars or land ought to confirm ownership at the relevant authorities and do their research on comparative prices for the product and should not share their financial information such as bank details, pin, to anyone.
Image:themyndset.com
Always use the “Email Seller” to get in touch with the seller says the firm as this will help them notify you immediately if they are made aware of any fraudulent activities by the seller.
For sellers the marketplace says it’s preferable to take the full payment at the time of the delivery and also use a safe location to meet. On terms of payments, sellers ought to verify the buyer credentials if there is a request for a bulk order and should also verify buyers telephone numbers.
“Do not to accept cheques and ensure that your product meets the features you list in your ad post to avoid misunderstandings with buyer and remember not to share your financial information except the one required for payment,” says OLX Kenya.
If a users suspects someone to be a fraudulent buyer or seller, they should contact the firm at support@olx.com and if they fall victim of fraud, notify the Police immediately.
OLX does not mediate between the seller and the buyer and and any individual or website claiming to be from OLX offering to help with one’s transaction as an agent or broker is fraudulent. Users should not take up such offers. OLX main objective is to ensure its users are safe on its site.
Jason Eisen has been coming to East Africa since 2010 and has always enjoyed his trips, met great people and had fun but almost every time he came, he always had challenges getting transport to move around the region’s cities.
So together with Steve Kimani, a Kenyatta University computer science graduate and a friend whom he had met on one of his earlier trips to Kenya. They decided to build a platform to help solve Africa’s transport problem, not just taxi hailing.
“I was inspired to start MARAMOJA Transport upon seeing the way technology is applied in Kenya to solve real problems rather than just finding ways to optimize wardrobe combinations and other silliness in Western markets,” Eisen the CEO and founder MARAMOJA Transport tells TechMoran. “I thought the transport market here was really ready for innovation that could solve problems for transport consumers and providers alike.”
With MARAMOJA Transport Eisen says both the public and taxi providers stand to gain from a better vetted, better trained, professional and transparent taxi market. MARAMOJA is more than a taxi app, it’s a commitment to safer, quicker, and more professional transportation services for Nairobi and promises to work within the existing taxi culture, rather than against, it by helping users access the transport they need through the people they trust.
With over 25 drivers already as early adopters and more being signed in, MARAMOJA Transport already has a web app and is set to launch its Android app in a weeks time and an iOS app to follow. Launching in a somewhat saturated market, MaraMoja Transport is playing the taxi hailing game differently. A user simply allows his or her browser to share location information with MaraMoja’s site. Click the “Request ride” button at the bottom of your screen. Enter your destination and phone number,choose the vehicle type you want,and then click “Request ride” and review your trip details. Switch to other available drivers. Click “Confirm” and watch as your driver comes to you. A user receives an alert when his or her drivers arrives then they pay using credit card, mobile money, e-invoice, or cash.
This process, according to the firm will improve public safety and road safety overall and empowering transportation workers with access to their technology.Though the firm charges a small percentage on every client drivers get via their app and gives drivers a commission on each referral of a new client, Eisen maintains that they are a social enterprise as demonstrated by their commitments to safety and driver empowerment including their partnership with Musoni micro-finance to give loans to drivers to buy their own fleets.
“We want to solve real problems using tech. Tech is being used to solve real problems here and we believe we can do the same, support drivers and get more NGO’s to work with us to solve their problems,” Eisen says.
Open for taxis, motorcycle boda bodas and 4×4 land rovers for hire, the firm is already working with Wells Fargo security group to provide alarm response services for drivers and clients in case of emergency and are vetting drivers before recruiting them to use the system. Retuning clients are rated and though there is some degree of risk, they have the ability to track cars in case they are hijacked and their partnership with Wells Fargo for quick response gives them an upper-hand.
To solve the security risk, the firm says it will continue to innovate to curb crime and make lives safer for both drivers and clients.
Unlike their competitors, MARAMOJA Transport says the Mi-Fones they have given to their drivers are unlocked and the drivers can use them for anything. At the moment, accept credit cards, mobile money and cash and electronic invoicing for corporates. Eisen says accepting cash is right as many users in Africa have no credit cards while only Kenya has a strong mobile money user-base and won’t help their African expansion plans.
Eisen says they are working lean now, with small team him and his CTO Kimani is heading and though there are so various taxi hailing apps launching in the Kenyan market, he is not worried.
“Competition makes the sector more vibrant,” Eisen says. “We are responsive to the challenges faced in Nairobi. Unlike our competitors, we are built to solve local problems. Apart from taxis’ the app also plans to have holiday 4×4’s for hire especially for those who want to tour out of the city. We are finalizing some amazing partnerships, adding new drivers every day, and building out cool features to serve you better.”
“MARAMOJA transport is fundamentally different from other taxi apps. We help you access the transport you need through the people you already trust – and not just taxis – any type of transport. We are built from the ground up to solve problems facing Nairobians, Africans, on both sides of transportation transactions rather than just connecting the two sides at random and taking a cut. We are about reducing friction and building a transport ecosystem that works for all sides,” Eisen concludes.
MultiChoice Kenya’s subsidiary GOtv has launched GOcard, to help users connect their digital television sets to its services minus the need of a set top box decoder. The Go Card is the latest of the firm’s offerings which include satellite television, digital terrestrial television and the walker mobile tv and mobile phones.
Speaking during the launch, Felix Kyengo, General Manager GOtv Kenya said; “Our philosophy is to remain innovative in order to continue to deliver the best possible digital television to Kenyans and to keep them at the cutting edge of the move to digital television. GOtv delivers a selection of the best and exciting international channels as well as great African content in crystal clear picture and sound quality, making it the home of great entertainment.”
Available from all leading electronic retailers throughout Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu, the GOcard will retail for the special price of shs 3499 which will include two months GOtv Plus subscription and an external UHF GOtenna.
The GOcard, which is compatible with compliant DT2 integrated digital TVs, is installed by slotting into the TV and therefore requires no additional cabling or remotes. However to optimise reception of the GOtv service, it is recommended that an external UHF GOtenna is used.
Stéphanie Bizouerne, Neotion Head of Sales and Marketing said, “The launch of the GOcard reinforces Neotion’s leading position on cardless technology as we continue to penetrate new markets outside Europe and especially emerging ones such as Sub-Saharan Africa. GOtv is set to have the largest DVB-T2 network in Kenya, granting Neotion a wider geographical coverage.”
Unlike the set top box, the integrated GOcard solution will use the menu and channel navigation of the television, thus giving subscribers a totally different experience to what they have had in the past.
Azanuru has unveiled cloud solutions that are bound to expand the wings of business in Kenya; The software which includes the v-datacenter: An infrastructure as a service (IAAS) that provide businesses with their own secure virtual datacenter in the azanuru cloud. Businesses can build their own cloud server instances, storage volumes, routers, networks and firewall security groups to extend their existing physical data centers or to create a new virtual datacenter. They can also buy cloud resources that they need on a monthly basis and resizing based on their business needs.
The other one is the v-office: With this affordable and smart office solution, small and medium businesses can move their office to the azanuru cloud. The v-office provides businesses with secure VPN access to email, shared calendars, secure file sharing, text/audio/video chat and conferencing.
Additionally businesses will get extra cloud security with the included firewall, anti-virus and IDS/IPS system.
The v-office solution is especially ideal for businesses that would like to implement work from remote (home/travel) and also for businesses with multiple offices.
It is also ideal for companies looking to improve intra/inter office team communication and collaboration while saving costs on office landlines and mobile phones.
Garmin Southern Africa (Pty.) Ltd will be hosting a trade delegation in Accra, Ghana from the 12th to 16th May 2014. This trade delegation is meant to engage with prospective businesses partners in West Africa who have strong distribution and/or reselling capabilities and a proven track record of successfully furthering brands into their designated markets.
With global annual revenues of over $2.5 billion Garmin has realized that it is important to have the right mix of channel partners, products and tools available in each territory to provide product support.
The extensive ranges of products serve many industries including Marine, Outdoor, Automotive, Sports and Wellness. Garmin’s products or tools are suited to developing economies where infrastructure requirements are extensive and mapping out of new boundaries, roads, waypoints are key to the countries expansion.
Marine Echo range of fishfinders make use of GPS and sonar technology to map and view fish under water which is a great aid in subsistence fishing. Garmin Outdoor watches are great for hiking, where the handheld devices track waypoints.
GPS technology is used in sport and Garmin’s range of Fitness watches track personal data such as time, speed, distance, calories, cadence and when paired with a Heart Rate Monitor, tracks your heart rate. New to the market is Garmin’s range of rugged Action Cameras to record HD footage, Virb Elite comes with a built in GPS and can pair with a Heart Rate monitor to record Heart Rate, speed, distance and route.
In conjunction with PDSA Ghana, Garmin will be hosting discussions on West African business opportunities to resell, distribute and service our wide range of GPS products and solutions. To register for a meeting visit http://www.garmin.co.za/westafrica or email us directly on mike.clarke@garmin.com
The digital migration in Kenya is now becoming an unending soap opera where local television stations are being persuaded to take the migration licenses.
Indeed Kenya is leading in technology in East Africa but it will be a matter of time before the likes of Rwanda and Tanzania catch up, because this two neighbors are entering into their respective second phases in migrating from analogue to digital television platforms.
As of now, Kenya’s fate remain uncertain incapacitated by local media houses to be ‘handed’ a third digital television distribution license despite having been invited to tender for the second license but lost after failing to assemble a competent consortium to meet the set minimum requirements for the capital intensive investment.
This has resulted to a battle of wits as three media houses – Citizen, NTV and KTN – engaged the industry regulator CCK and the Government in a court battle that has for the third time left thousands of Kenyans without access to the three local channels on their decoders as the they seek to arm twist the public into sympathizing with their quest to be exempted from Government procurement processes and be handed a third license.
Opinion is divided as to when the transition from analogue to digital television broadcasting should take place with those in favor of digital migration decrying further delay in light of the approaching worldwide migration deadline set for June 2015 and those supporting the delay adamant about getting a distribution license and allowing Kenyans more time to purchase digital viewing devices.
Ironically the same propagators of this delay continue to deny Kenyans access to the said channels despite their advocacy to allow for more time for acquisition of the type approved set top boxes. Isn’t it hypocritical to call for more time to acquire the devices while withdrawing the three channels from the same devices you want Kenyans to acquire?
Main steam Free to Air set top boxes and the digital enabled television sets currently do not have access to the three local channels after they were withdrawn from the digital television platforms which casts a shadow of doubt upon their sentiment indicating an intention to keep serving Kenyans in this period leading up to digital migration.
The conduct of the said channels can literally be interpreted to denying Kenyans access to information an act that goes against the true spirit of the constitution. It is a high time that Kenyans seek a tangible explanation as to why they continue being held hostage by partisan interests.
The advent of digital television will open a new world of exciting television channels as it will free the requisite spectrum for an array of local channels. Currently on analogue platform, the spectrum held by a single local station such as Citizen, NTV or KTN can comfortable host up to 20 channels on digital platform! Are they afraid of the resulting competition?
”In the United States, when a child is born, he/she is assigned a number. This is the social security number (SSN). That number follows the child till death. That number is unique and captures the child’s life history.”
Introduction
In Africa, there is no effective system of identifying citizens. In 2001 Nigeria has tried to introduce national ID project based on photo ID cards, without any identity system and failed (Later in 2010 they moved to Biometric National ID Card for better result & Succeeded). In Kenya, the results are the same indicating widespread difficulties to establish a concrete system of establishing true identities and creating documentation that proves someone is who they say they are. Even when birth certificates are introduced, they are not big deals. Today, many babies continue to be born without being proper documentation that officially registers their identity with the federal government causing “gaps” that could potentially have negative effects on the future ability to secure government benefits or provide proper identification documentation for employment, voting, or other areas.
Problems Because of not having Biometric National ID Card:
The primary purpose of a Biometric National ID card is to ensure credible identification of a citizen. However, it is important that every citizen understand the scope of use and importance of the National ID card system extends far beyond basic identification. Without a valid Biometric National ID card system it might become a huge dilemma for the government to plan and distribute social service programs. Possible problems that might rise due to not having Biometric National ID card includes:
Lack of Timely registration and monitoring of citizenship birth, marriages, deaths, aliens, and refugees and eliminating duplicate entries.
Service delivery mechanism might not function accurately to deliver social services such as education, health, rations, cross border immigration, and passport control due to improper distribution.
Identification & calculation errors of Employment-pension contributions, benefits, and insurance.
No authentic way for Law enforcement to ensure tracking of illegal activities and criminals (e.g. financial transactions, money laundering, etc.)
Fair electoral processes might not be possible due to inability to identify citizens.
Tax administration, management, and collection of every citizen might not be possible.
National population statistics (censuses, surveys, segregation, and monitoring trends for planning purposes) data might not be accurate enough to take viable decisions.
The Value of a Biometric National ID card System
Considering the technological advancements of modern identification platforms, leveraging the use of a biometric national ID card system where all the people will be registered and a national database built from it to help increase the utility of the initiative might be a far better idea. By using biometrics to establish a national identification database, governments can eliminate fraud along with multiple registrations and ensure 100% error free identifications. A biometric National ID system is going to be more effective in many ways, as people can just do fingerprints, finger veins or palm veins to identify themselves. This will not only save time but also establish a more secure and systematic authentication process. By integrating National ID database with various government agencies, other sectors will also get benefitted in numerous ways. Let’s take a look at some of the sectors which might get benefited if a biometric national ID card system is implemented:
Banking Sector
Forget checks and signatures. Under a biometric National ID card system, citizens will sign with their fingerprints and the national biometric database can be uploaded to all the major banks and governments so that positive identification has the ability to be applied to other financial service transactions and provide the means for the traditionally underserved to benefit from banking.. Loans can be disbursed with more efficiency since banks can more easily validate applicants based on their biometric credentials.
Law Enforcement
Law enforcement agencies can also directly benefit from establishing a biometric National ID card system. Law enforcement officers can instantly identify criminals inside of prisons or in the field with a single scan. The legal system will be more efficient and productive by ensuring justice is served for each and every individual. Jail or correctional facilities will be able to make sure the right person is going in or out of the prison so there is also a positive impact on public safety.
Healthcare
In healthcare, a biometric enabled national ID card can be useful in many ways including:
Preventing medical identity theft and fraud at the point of service ensuring a high level of patient safety
Eliminating the possibilities of generating duplicate medical records for a single individual
Quickly identifying patients in cases of disorientation, trauma, or unconsciousness
Border & Immigration Control
Biometric enabled National ID cards can stop illegal immigration problems as well. It is not practical to expect that by putting thousands of border guards a country can stop illegal immigration. Instead a biometric national id card can play an important role by ensuring no one without a valid national ID card gets a job, residence, or any other social services. Without access to employment, social services, or housing incentives for illegal immigrants is significantly diminished.
Conclusion
It is already too late to start any national ID project based on photos and cards. It is time Africa begins to explore the possibility of using biometrics to create a National ID card to help solve some of these problems. A biometric National ID system can be used to help more effectively identify citizens and stop the waste of photos & card ID systems. Countries like South-Africa, Nigeria, and Ghana have already adopted biometric technology in full or partial capacity to improve their National Identity Management System. Now it’s time for other African nations to explore the benefits of biometric National ID card solutions instead of tradition photo or card based National ID.
Author Bio
Mohammad Shahnewaz is a Senior Digital Marketing Specialist at M2SYS Technology and an occasional blogger. He likes to write on biometric identity management related topics and their after effects. Tweet @M2SHAON
Another first from JUMIA as it has emerged as the sole and exclusive retailers of Foreo products in Nigeria. Luna is a revolutionary facial cleansing and anti-aging device that promises to give you the type of skin.
Luna, the topmost hygienic beauty solution for skin has been described by Funmi Daniel, Head of Jumia Fashion as: “welcome relief for people looking to have flawless and envy-inducing skin. Looking dashing and elegant begins with the way you take care of your skin and Luna products helps take care of that and as such Jumia is excited to have them available to our customers”.
Rachael Nsofor, FOREO’s Head of Sales and Marketing – Middle East and Africa, said: “We are thrilled to be entering the online African market with FOREO’s iconic Luna range, now available exclusively at Jumia. Offering beautiful, radiant and healthier-looking skin, the Luna range’s innovative solutions will revolutionize daily skincare routines across Africa!”
The range of skincare products fits effortlessly into your daily routine and in a similar fashion, Jumia.com, the exclusive retailers of Luna products, will be on hand to have them delivered straight to your doorstep anywhere in Nigeria so that you will not have to break a sweat or rearrange your schedule to acquire these state of the art beauty products.
Jumia, being the gift that keeps on giving, is also offering customers a chance to win free Luna devices. Simply follow JumiaNigeria on Twitter and keep your eyes peeled for the #JumiaForeo contest where you could win the Luna range for free simply by answering Luna and hygiene related questions correctly. If Instagram is more your thing, simply follow JumiaFashion and take part in the No Makeup Selfie contest which will be on this week.
Sony has today announced that it has sold over 7 million PS4 units globally as of April 6, 2014, demonstrating the rapid growth of the PS4 platform.
