University of Nairobi with the support of Microsoft and ICT Authority, has today released a baseline survey on cloud computing and its impact in Kenya.

The project was make stakeholders in Kenya understand the status of cloud computing and its supporting technologies with and intention of learning more about the future of the technology in Kenya.

According to the report, there is was relatively low awareness of cloud computing policy framework in Kenya by respondents and that government would also need to fast track the enactment of key policies addressing cyber security, data protection and privacy in order to increase confidence in the adoption of cloud services in the country.

Kunle Awosika, Microsoft Country Manager noted that an increasing number of companies and government organizations are turning to cloud services to increase the productivity of their workforce.

“We are seeing widespread adoption of cloud-based email services and productivity tools like Office 365, which enable “always-on” access to emails and files from virtually anywhere. Businesses are also running CRM, HR, accounting and custom enterprise applications in the cloud. Cloud computing can benefit governments in three areas:  increasing national competitiveness, enhancing citizen services and driving down costs,” he said.

Cloud computing is just a few years old in Kenya yet it has taken over many organizations. The report says that the private cloud (39 percent) has become more popular than the public cloud (22 percent). 57 percent of the research respondents indicated they adopted cloud technology in either 2010 or 2011.

The Kenyan Market is ready for cloud technology but most of them lack the technical skills, have misunderstandings or even do not know what cloud is all about, this covers about 90 percent.

The research was unveiled by Ministry of ICT Principal Secretary Joseph Tiampati represented by Brown Otunga Deputy Principal Secretary who said the government would champion the adoption of cloud computing by organizations.

“By adopting the cloud, the government would set pace for a better uptake by the private sector. By providing services through the cloud, the it is likely to improve overall quality of service delivery”, said Tiampati,

Cloud computing has the potential to catalyze job growth and spur sustained economic growth, in part by facilitating a knowledge economy. With immediate, affordable access to high-power computing resources, businesses, including small and midsize companies (SMBs/SMEs), can bring to market innovative products faster and more cheaply than ever before. The software economy will particularly benefit because developers everywhere can participate in the global IT market, regardless of the local technology industry infrastructure.

Some of these challenges faced in cloud technology growth call for industry action, some require government action, and many will involve the active collaboration of consumers, industry and government. Partly, it’s about removing unnecessary regulatory obstacles to cloud deployment and uptake. But, mostly, it’s about building confidence in the cloud.

“We see opportunities for government to help move cloud computing forward in three areas: Infrastructure and Skills, Regulatory Environment and Government Leadership”, concluded Awosika.

Zimbabwe’s Cimas Medical Aid Society has given the University Of Zimbabwe Collage Of Health Sciences, Optometry equipment, worth $120,000, for the very first Optometry Training Unit in Zimbabwe.

This unit was officially opened by Olivia Muchena, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology; and will provide optometry services to members of the public.

Health and Child Welfare Minister David Parirenyatwa said: “Zim-Asset envisages utilizing and strengthening Public-Private Partnerships.”

Dr Muchena also praised Cimas for its partnership with the university,saying that when people were talking about  Public-Private Partnerships they normally thought of big industries entering into such partnerships.

“We urge people in service industries to bring about the reality of Public-Private Partnerships in the manner that Cimas has done,” she said, adding that the new optometry unit that Cimas had made possible would make a big difference to ordinary people.

Cimas Medical  Aid Society chairman Mordecai Mahlangu said Cimas had provided the funding because it believed the establishment of an Optometry Training Unit was worthwhile.

“It seemed especially commendable to us that the unit would not only provide training for those wishing to become optometrists but offer optometry services to the Zimbabwean nation . It is our fervent hope and wish that as the unit begins to produce qualified optometrists there will be scope for their deployment in hospitals around the country, making optometry services more readily available to more people,” he said.

He added that although the Department of Ophthalmology had said even part-funding would go a long way towards achieving the department’s vision for an optometry training unit, the Cimas board and management had decided to give the project maximum support by providing the  full amount of $120 000 required for the unit’s equipment and installation.

University of Zimbabwe vice-chancellor Professor Levi Nyangura, in a speech read on his behalf by pro‑vice-chancellor Dr Takaruza Munyanyiwa, said the university cherished its partnership with Cimas, which had also contributed to the training of health personnel through undergraduate scholarships and specialist training fellowships at post-graduate level.

Dean of the College of Health Sciences Professor  Midion Chidzonga added that Cimas had sponsored one of the university’s students to study haematology in South Africa. The student was back now and on the college’s staff.

The chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology, Professor Rangarirai Masanganise, said the optometry equipment provided by Cimas was the best anyone could have obtained.

US-based WorldPay,which offers payment processing, risk and alternative payments, and ZNAP™, the mobile business platform and making plans to enable multi-channel commerce for new and existing businesses. The joint offering has already been deployed by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) at Twickenham Stadium.

ZNAP is a mobile app that allows customers to shop, pay, and receive special offers and loyalty rewards through their smart device. By integrating WorldPay’s payment gateway into ZNAP, customers can choose their preferred method of payment from a portfolio of more than 200 alternative payment methods, as well as traditional credit and debit cards.

Highly scalable and adaptable, the solution requires no additional infrastructure or hardware, allowing businesses to quickly and simply create a new sales channel with minimal expense.

Kevin Dallas, Chief Product and Marketing Officer, WorldPay e-commerce said: “By partnering with ZNAP we can offer businesses a highly competitive multi-channel service. Our unrivalled alternative payment portfolio means that businesses using ZNAP can instantly gain access to hundreds of payment options to offer customers their preferred payment method. Payments made through the ZNAP platform are routed through WorldPay.”

Hooman Mazaheri, European CEO of ZNAP said: “We want to transform payments from a simple transaction into new sales opportunities for businesses and a compelling purchasing experience for consumers. For consumers it’s about helping them discover and buy the best products at the best prices simply and securely, and be rewarded for their custom. For businesses it’s about better engagement with new and existing customers to drive sales through the delivery of meaningful information and offers.”

Jonathan Harris, Finance Director, Twickenham Experience Limited said: “As an international venue, we need to offer fans excellent customer service, regardless of where they’ve travelled from. With ZNAP and WorldPay’s offering, we can now speed up shopping times, reduce queues and deliver special offers and loyalty rewards to our customers via their preferred payment method.”

Swiss based provider of mobile broadband Internet in sub-Saharan Africa, YooMee Africa Group  has launched its operations in Côte d’Ivoire after successfully launching in Cameroon.

Now live in Abidjan, the firm is launching its latest global technology TD-LTE to individuals and businesses to give them faster Internet experience with more stability and better reliability.

According to Mr. Dov Bar-Gera, CEO of YooMee Africa Ltd., “I am very proud that the authorities of Côte d’Ivoire have issued to YooMee the necessary permissions and spectrum to build the first LTE network in the country. With this network, West Africa is leapfrogging into a new era of the Internet.”

YooMee services will have 3 product groups: a USB Key and Mobile WiFi, both dedicated for the mobile usage, and the desktop YooMee Box for the office or for home usage.  Device prices will varyfrom US$ 100 up to US$ 160.

The LTE allows Internet communication with data transmission speeds beyond 10 Mbit/s. YooMee relied on the proven expertise of Alcatel-Lucent, a global provider of LTE equipment.

LTE technology frees the mind of those who want to stay connected while traveling. Whether browsing the Internet, watching videos or listening to live-stream music, LTE provides a great connection speed regardless of where the user is located; at home, in the office, or outdoors.

Mr. Peter Ziegelwanger, Group CTO of YooMee Africa, added, “Our local team deployed the first base of the network in only 100 days. We are all very proud of such achievement.In the coming days, the quality of Internet in Abidjan will be comparable to the great capitals of the world.”

Customers can easily add credit to their YooMee account, thanks to a multitude of partner outlets available to the public throughout the city.

Several types of contracts, or packages, are available, depending on the needs of the customer. The attractive offers start at only US$ 30 for a volume of 8.5GB of data usage. Other offers are available to individuals or businesses, seeking larger volumes of up to 100GB of data usage.

The YooMee Africa Group continues its expansion and plans to soon enter other countries in the region.

There is a new SIM swop scam that is going on in South Africa, it is trying to get that personal banking details of MTN customers, MTN Africa warns those who resid in South Africa.

They are sending emails to victims, this is how the email may look:

“Dear Client,

“We have discovered a suspected SIM swap attempt on your no. The swap will be processed within the next hour. If you did not initiate this SIM swap, please Cancel here.”

The “cancel” link redirects the user to a site that requests his or her banking details. Once supplied, the criminals can then use the information to make fraudulent transactions from the banking account.

Customers should note that MTN does not send any SIM swop warnings to its customers via e-mail. In addition, customers should not respond to any such e-mails but report them to 083 123 STOP (7867).

As an additional safeguard to its customers, MTN will be blocking the site on its network.

Watch out for Apple’s first wearable technology device that could well be a wrist-worn virtual doctor rather than just a second screen for the iPhone.

In a note to investors seen by Apple Insider, Barclays analyst Blayne Curtis says the iWatch will be able to monitor the wearer’s exposure to potentially harmful UV light and therefore know when it’s time to reapply sunscreen or cover up completely. In February, Silicon Labs, a Texas-based tech company, became the first to successfully build a single-chip digital UV index sensor, and Curtis believes that they could well be integrated into the Apple iWatch.

“These chips measure UV exposure to aid those with elevated risk of sunburn or just a general concern about excessive sun exposure, and we believe they may be … appealing to OEMs looking to differentiate in a crowded market,” Curtis wrote.

Adding weight to these claims is the fact that the sensors are multipurpose. They can also track other health and vital signs and, since the beginning of 2014, the reports, leaks, and whispers surrounding the iWatch have been focused on health and well being rather than push notifications and being able to dictate emails.

It started in earnest in January with a report in The New York Times that senior Apple executives had met with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to discuss regulatory hurdles to launching a health-focused device.

Since then, sources in China have claimed that the iWatch will be able to monitor both heartrate and blood-oxygen levels and that Apple was even toying with the idea of applying optoelectronics in order to read the wearer’s blood glucose levels.

Meanwhile, in February, a story in the San Francisco Chronicle claimed that Apple was looking to create a device that can predict a medical emergency and that a team, headed by Tomlinson Holman, was “exploring ways to predict heart attacks by studying the sound blood makes at it flows through arteries.”

The iWatch is tipped to launch in September 2014, by which time the Moto 360 and LG G Watch, the first smartwatches running Google’s new wearable device-focused version of Android, will already be on sale.

Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) has now been licensed to issue MasterCard debit, credit and prepaid cards in Kenya. This partnership is on a mission to increase the adoption of electronic payments in the country, especially in the retail banking sector.

“MasterCard’s vision for East Africa and the rest of Africa is a world beyond cash and we can only achieve this by working with industry partners that have a similar goal. As our nation moves towards being a cashless society, we are proud to work with GTBank as they move towards retail banking and whose retail focus will further the adoption of electronic payment systems in Kenya’s fast-growing retail sector,” said James Wainaina, Vice President and Area Business Head, MasterCard East Africa.

The West African bank’s recent entry into Kenya has seen it increase its portfolio from corporate focused banking to retail banking. The expansion of GTBank’s footprint into East Africa is a significant move that will see the conversion of existing retail payment products to those of MasterCard.

Adekunle Sonola, Managing Director, GTBank East Africa said: “As we move towards fully establishing a strong retail banking sector, we are pleased to collaborate with MasterCard, which is already working with industry stakeholders to develop market relevant payment products and solutions. Our newly established operations in East Africa will allow us to provide our customers with financial products that meet their evolving banking needs. As a bank that is passionate about innovation, we are pleased to work with MasterCard, an organization that is a leader in this area.”

The collaboration comes at a time when MasterCard is working in partnership with governments and financial institutions in Kenya and across the continent to broaden usage and acceptance of electronic payments, thus promoting their benefits relative to cash transactions of convenience, security and reliability.

As of now cardholders will enjoy access to over 36.9 million MasterCard Point of Sale terminals in over 210 countries and territories where MasterCard is accepted.

SEACOM and Akamai Technologies will be walking together in a bid to make the African internet experience a much smoother ride; the two signed a partnership agreement. SEACOM has deployed Akamai content clusters and caching nodes on its Pan-African IP network footprint.

The nodes will accelerate and optimize HTTP content, rich media, downloadable files, video, music, software updates and other Web content requested by operators and Internet Service Providers connected to SEACOM’s IP network.

 “Akamai’s Accelerated Network Partnership with SEACOM is an important part of Akamai’s continued platform expansion strategy in Africa to improve reliability and performance for internet users across the continent,” said Sabine Sitterli, Senior Director Network Business Development, Akamai EMEA.

Robert Marston, SEACOM Global Head of Product commented, saying: “Bringing content directly onto the African continent ensures SEACOM provides the best and most comprehensive IP Transit offering to our customers. The benefit for African Internet users is that they will enjoy an Internet experience that is truly world class as they access the services and content they depend on every day.”

South Africans will no longer have Windows XP  as Microsoft South Africa has officially cut the XP wires as of yesterday. There will no longer be any updates, or free and paid support for the PC operating system.

The software which was released in 2001 and gained popularity in the business and regular realm has seen the OS being supported with free updates beyond the normal 10 year period (5 years mainstream support plus another 5 years extended support) for operating system software.

The company says that after more than 13 years, technology has progressed to such an extent that Windows XP is no longer the most practical OS choice to make for either corporate or home users.

Those users who are running Windows XP after 8 April 2014 should consider their businesses or home networks much more susceptible to viruses, malware, and hackers.

“Windows XP was a huge success for Microsoft, as a record number of users adopted this operating system for more than a decade. However, innovation and technological advancement always takes new steps, leaving behind previous innovations and the same has happened with Windows XP. The time has finally come for the OS veteran to pass the baton on to its successors, most notably Windows 8.1,” says Anthony Doherty, Windows and Surface Business Group Lead at Microsoft SA.

The risks of system failure and business disruption could also rise due to the End of Support, lack of supported software, as well as aging hardware running Windows XP.

Microsoft advices businesses as well as domestic users to upgrade their IT infrastructure and get a better and more modern platform like Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. The latter provides enterprise grade security, as it is six times more secure than Windows XP, and has been designed from the ground up to meet the challenges of today’s corporate environment. 

Infobip, a global provider of mobile messaging and payments has launched the first ever end-to-end business messaging solution in South Africa. This makes Infobip the only provider to enable companies – banks, brands, OTTs, social networks, aggregators and others – a direct SMS messaging communication with their end-users, with no intermediary system at any point in the interaction chain.

The robust solution consists of locally deployed, redundant messaging infrastructure: Internal Processing (IP) Core, and a proprietary A2P SMSC with direct access to SS7 network, ensuring that no third party stands between the critical enterprise traffic and the end users.

Furthermore, the solution provides companies with easy integration options, ranging from APIs to specialized integrated products like mGate. The latter is a mobile messaging gateway that connects with any enterprise core system to enable smooth, real time messaging and advanced management and reporting features.

Each part in the message delivery chain is our own product, from mGate and IP Core, to the very SMSC. Paired with a transactional, no CapEx, no OpEx business model that allows excellent commercial terms, this state-of-the-art solution is a crown of our 2-year long work in South Africa, and a great achievement of our technical teams, says Infobip CEO Silvio Kutic.

The architecture is supported by a strategic alliance with a licensed mobile network, Infobip’s dedicated local presence in South Africa, and agile technical support. It took Infobip two years to build this system that brings new levels of security, reliability and simplicity to South African enterprises of all types and sizes.

Infobip’s global messaging platform processes more than 1 BN monthly transactions, sustaining over 120 000 business accounts, and serving OTTs, brands, banks, social networks, aggregators, and other companies in need of highest-quality enterprise messaging solutions. Infobip’s technology is trusted by enterprises around the world, and used for the delivery of SMS notifications, loyalty programs, authentication solutions, anti-fraud alerts, one-time PINs and other mobile financial, marketing and security solutions.

SunnyMoney social enterprise has announced sales of over one million solar lights to families living without electricity in rural Africa; bringing clean, safe affordable lighting to over 6.4 million people. Their mission is to eradicate the kerosene lamp from Africa by 2020.

SunnyMoney has grown rapidly from selling less than 1000 solar lights per month in 2010 to an average of 50,000 each month today. In Kenya, 290,000 solar lights have been sold to date and is expecting to sell that many in 2014 alone.  Over 566,000 lights and mobile phone chargers have been sold in Tanzania. Sales in Zambia, Malawi and a pilot in Senegal have exceeded 144,000 units.

SunnyMoney Global Marketing Director Cindy Kerr said there is demand for affordable, accessible and trusted energy solutions for 110 million households in Africa currently living without electricity. 91 percent of Africa’s rural population and 85 percent of the population of Kenya do not have access to electricity and are therefore forced to use fossil fuels such as kerosene or paraffin for lighting.

“Families and communities off the grid ‘burn up’ to 25 percent of their monthly earnings.  Once a solar light is purchased, stopping kerosene saves up to Ksh900 monthly, improves children’s study time from one to three hours, and makes the home a safer and healthier environment with over four hours of bright light a night, “she said.

SolarAid impact research shows that household savings are spend on improved nutrition, school fees and business input. Kerosene makes homes unsafe – increasing the risk of serious burns and poisoning. The light from kerosene lamps is too dim to read or study; it hurts the eyes and is known to cause respiratory problems.

Research shows that kerosene lamps are significant sources of atmospheric black carbon and emit 20 times more than previous estimates, At least 270,000 tons of black carbon per year is estimated to be emitted from kerosene lamps worldwide. Portable pico-solar lights and mobile phone chargers are proving a popular investment for families.

According to SunnyMoney Global Chief Executive Officer Steve Andrews, innovative community-based approaches have been key to sparking the growth that is necessary for building a sustainable market solution.

“In the last year, we have worked closely with teachers who act as solar advocates to raise awareness, instill trust and create channels for solar lights to be purchased in rural villages. Once people see a neighbour’s light shining bright, demand grows. We then recruit and train local agents to stock and sell our range of home, small business lights and mobile phone chargers”.

With one million solar lights an estimated $235,000 is being saved by families every day and children are gaining 3 million extra hours of study time every night, helping Africa’s youth work towards a brighter future.

As SunnyMoney continues to grow in Kenya, Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania, sales of another million products and expansion to Uganda and Senegal are planned for 2014. Key drivers of the growth will be through both the Sunny Schools campaign and the recruitment of over 1000 independent agents who make money selling a range of solar lights and products.

MTN Group and Airtel will soon launch cross-border remittance services between Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso for the telecommunications operators’ Mobile Money customers on either side of the border.

MTN said that, so far, it has been quite a task to send money becasue it has been complicated by high fees, high usage of informal channels and a lack of proximity to withdraw money.

“MTN and Airtel already enjoy great adoption of Mobile Money services in their respective footprints, and connecting their operations through remittance services appears a logical next step,” MTN said. A sizeable number of people from Burkina Faso work in Côte d’Ivoire and send money back to their home country.

Airtel Africa group director of Airtel Money Chidi Okpala said this is the first time that two large providers of mobile money services are co-operating to offer a cross-border remittance service.

The government of Kenya is developing a national electronic monitoring and evaluation framework to update the public about the progress made in the implementation of the 2013- 2017 Medium Term Plan (MTP).

Ministry of Devolution and Planning Cabinet Secretary, Anne Waiguru, said the monitoring system will enable Kenyans track the development progress report in real time. In her speech read by planning Principle Secretary Eng. Peter Mangiti during the launch of dissemination forum for the Second MTP at the Siaya agricultural Training Centre, she said the platform will enhance a system of checks and balances in as far as implementation of the plan is concerned.

“The new approach will enable access to progress in real time and also hold project planners and implementers accountable to the public as the constitution requires” she said.

The Cabinet Secretary said the consultative forums which were rolled out across the country starting today were geared towards empowering and strengthening the capacity of the county governments on how to prepare and implement the Integrated County Strategic Plan (ICSP). She called on the need for consistency between the County and the National planning to ensure that they were aligned with the government expenditures.

Mangiti said the ministry of devolution and planning has under this plan outlined an implementation framework to guide the counties prepared their County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs) in line with thePublic Finance Management act (2012).

“The Ministry of devolution and planning will publish Annual Progress reports (APRs) on the implementation of the second MTP of Vision 2030 to promote efficiency and accountability in the process” he added.

Project Portfolio Office (PPO), an online project portfolio management (PPM) and collaboration application, has partnered with NSI Technology Africa (NSI), an Africa-wide technology advisory, solutions and services provider with a primary focus on the financial services industry.

This partnership will bring PPO increased exposure in eastern and southern Africa specifically, leveraging NSI’s extensive client base and experience to implement, optimise and support the use of the PPO project management application.

“With the competitive climate heating up, companies across the continent can greatly benefit from the enterprise-wide project portfolio management improvements offered by PPO,” said Guy Jelley, Project Portfolio Office CEO.

“NSI has a great African footprint and experience, and partnering with them allows PPO to build on the business relationships they’ve established with many of the largest finance organizations in the southern and eastern African regions, by offering them new tools and techniques for improving their productivity and performance.

This relationship also creates opportunities with new clients, in the financial services, infrastructure, and retail industries, which could benefit from streamlining project portfolio management,” he adds.

” One of the greatest things about the PPO solution is the ease with which projects can be up and running. We would love to see more of our clients gaining a competitive edge from being able to manage and deliver on what they need to quickly and more efficiently,” Lewis concludes.

JUMIA, Nigeria’s biggest and fastest growing retail store joins millions around the world to celebrate World Health Day. In celebrating the day Jumia has thrown its weight towards creating awareness about the importance of good health around its community.

This year, World Health day highlights some of the vector-borne diseases, which are spread by parasites like mosquitoes; causing more diseases to the human body than just malaria. Vector-borne diseases are very common in Nigeria and they have since resulted in high death rates in the population.

Managing director Human Resources Jumia Nigeria, Monica Rucki ‘Employees wellness goes beyond making sure the work environment is conducive, but also focusing on sanitation around the office environment. This and more we have made priority, because the environment tells a lot on the health of our employees also eliminating chances of contacting the vector-borne diseases’

It is important to create awareness as the fight is not only for the authorities or other charities. The more, we speak about it the more voices are heard passing the message around. When it comes to health we need collaborative effort from everyone, which is why we at Jumia are enlightening people to be aware and make necessary positive changes to the environment