Econet Wireless has joined ‘Wind for Prosperity, an initiative ran by Vesta, a Danish wind energy group, to build small wind power generators across Africa.

This programme was created to provide power to people living in the rural areas as well as small unreachable towns.

“Wind-for-Prosperity is exactly the kind of ambitious and bold initiative that needs pursuing if we are to combat energy poverty. I am a firm believer that we need to think differently and be more creative with technology in order to deliver sustainable sources of power to the millions of people across the world, living beyond the reach of the grid. I am particularly interested in the potential of affordable electricity to boost agricultural productivity and create jobs. I am therefore very pleased that our energy division, which works on renewable energy solutions for Africa, is part of the consortium of investors, who are partnering with Vestas, to create Wind-for-Prosperity, to bring solutions to remote communities in several African countries,” said Strive Masiyiwa, Founder and Chairman of Econet.

So this development main aim is to generate wind energy to electricity which means there will be sufficient electricity for communities lighting requirements, the pumping of water and also small cottage industries.

Wind for Prosperity, has already completed the first round of financing for its first project which will roll out 13 wind generators in Kenya supplying power to more than 250,000 people.

“This technology is remarkable and will enable us to meet the electricity needs of millions of people across Africa, in a cost-effective and highly flexible way. Econet is already an active player in providing power solutions, using solar power, and sees the use of wind as a natural and complimentary extension to its current work. We at Econet are committed to not only finding solutions for the problems facing people in Africa, but we are committed to renewable solutions,” continued  Masiyiwa.

The billboard at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre will promote the monumental building as the regional premier meeting centre and will also showcase the county’s culture, the people and businesses.

According to Sports, Culture and Arts Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Hassan Wario, “Every sector in Kenya has a unique story to tell, and that fits into the country’s 50^th anniversary. This is a great opportunity for citizens, private sector, investors, the tourism industry among others, to come together to make an indelible mark in the Kenyan story.”

The first in the region, Samsung says the billboards are based on its Digital Signage Display technology, that has made it the market leader in display technology providing LED-backlit panels that are renowned for their sharp text, rich colour and reliable performance.

The launch of the Digital billboards for Kenya@50 celebrations comes at a time when the country is gearing up for the digital migration switch set for mid-December, which will see Kenyan embracing the digital broadcasting technology for the Televisions sets.

“We’re extremely excited about the launch because as a brand, all our television sets are digitally complaint thus our customers will not miss the action during the celebrations. We believe that this partnership will go a long way in ensuring that the milestones of this great nation are beamed to the whole country,”  said Samsung Electronics East Africa Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Robert Ngeru.

Apart from celebrating 50 years as a nation, the Kenya @50 steering committee has lined up a series of initiatives, which will involve social and economic activities across the country with long-term positive impact.

East Africa, prepare yourself for the LG OLED TV, as the company is planning to grow the premium TV segment market share by this top notch TV not minding  that Africa is still obsessed by Smartphones and tablets.

Josep Kim, the LG East Africa Managing Director said though changes in consumer trends and the market landscape are extremely difficult to predict and can have major consequences on the electronics business, the company would attempt to stay ahead of the game by introducing an unbeatable range of premium products and by expanding the overall diversity of its TV lineup.

The 55 inch OLED TV was launched in the Kenyan market and costs about Ksh.1.2 million. The TV can only be found at HotPoint Appliances, Sarit Center, Nairobi.

“It’s possible to make OLED TVs considerably thinner and lighter than LCD TVs because OLED has a simple structure and requires no additional illuminant,” said the Managing Director. “If yield rates continue to rise, OLED TVs will quickly replace LCD TVs in living rooms around the world. OLED TVs are already better than LCD TVs in terms of picture quality and will soon be more cost effective to produce as well”.

So what’s so good about this TV

The Curved screen allows viewers to enjoy same quality of excellent picture quality in both 2D and 3D images at any angle.

With the aid of LG’s WRGB OLED technology, the 55EA9800 features infinite contrast ratio with deeper blacks and brighter whites than a conventional RGB display. The screen delivers incredible color accuracy regardless of ambient light or viewing angle.

The Curved OLED TV’s design of the 55EA9800 features the almost transparent Crystal Stand, is as thin as 0.17 inches and weighs only 17kg.

The LG’s forward-facing Clear Speakers are unremarkably incorporated into the Crystal Stand to deliver flawless audio with remarkable fidelity in the mid- to high-frequency ranges.

It is the first ever wall mountable OLED TV

 The Student Advantage service is meant to better the academic lives of students as it will enable them to communicate, collaborate and access assignments in a shared work space.

The platform will help synchronize on OneNote as well as access Office applications, this, the company said will help prepare the students with the skills required in the workforce.

Students will be able to enjoy this service from 1 December this year. It will be made available to any institution worldwide that licenses Office 365 ProPlus or Office Professional Plus for staff and faculty can provide access to Office 365 ProPlus for students at no additional cost.

Microsoft Office 365 Education, an always-up-to-date cloud productivity service, is currently used by 110 million students, faculty and staff around the world. Office 365 Education enables students to communicate and collaborate more efficiently, access assignments in shared workspaces, have notes synchronized in OneNote and have familiar Office applications such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel anywhere, across virtually any device.

“Students use Office every day for school work and activities that are most important to them. Office not only helps students stay organized and get their work done today but at the same time develops skills that will be required when they enter the work force,” Said Mark Chaban, Microsoft Education Lead, Middle East and Africa.

Chaban was speaking at a Higher Education forum organized by Microsoft and attended by dons from over 30 Private and Public Universities and the Ministry of Education.

The launch comes in the wake of a white paper released by International Data Corporation (IDC) which states that top candidates for current and future jobs will be measured by capabilities and competencies.

The study by Microsoft Corp provides insight into the skills students need for the top 60 high-growth, high-wage occupations that will account for 11.5 million new hires and 28 percent of job growth by 2020. Out of those skills, oral and written communication, detail orientation, and Microsoft Office proficiency top the list.

With technology and innovation booming, the global economy is changing and business needs are evolving. IDC research found that although a number of positions require technical skills, even more require knowledge and cognitive skills.

By Nick Durrant, Bluegrass Digital Managing Director

It’s that time of year again, when the technology seers and trendspotters start pontificating on what they believe will be the transformative or shape-shifting technologies for the year ahead. Bluegrass Digital strives to keep a finger on the proverbial pulse, and with a dynamic and forward-thinking client base, we have some thoughts of our own on what we believe will drive the digital scene in the South African market in 2014.

Mobile Foundation

One of the fundamental elements to most of the emerging technology trends is the increasing dependence on (and popularity of) mobile devices. As smartphones, tablets and notebooks become cheaper and more prevalent, coupled with the declining cost of data, more and more people are using their mobile devices to go online and shop, make payments, use social media, and stay atop of their work commitments. In South Africa, where there is over 120% mobile penetration and more active SIM cards than there are people – mobile is becoming a focal point for retailers, marketers, advertisers and indeed most businesses who are looking to capture eyeballs (i.e. market share). Depending on your business or service, the emphasis on mobile will mean different things. For example, if you’re a marketer, you will need to look into mobile banner ads and Location Based Services (LBS). If you’re a restaurant or retailer, you may want to look into geo-tagging and creating a compelling mobi site. The first step, however, is to recognise the fundamental importance of mobile in being able to effectively reach and communicate with the South African consumer.

E-Commerce Explosion

Although e-commerce has been around for many years now, the take-up in South Africa has been fairly slow compared to the US and European markets. This is largely due to the high cost of bandwidth and relatively few retailers presenting a strong online offering. However, we believe that the local e-commerce industry is kicking into a higher gear now, with major retailers such as Woolworths ramping up their digital presence and pressuring others to follow suit. In addition, as bandwidth becomes more affordable and South Africans become more comfortable transacting both on PCs and on increasingly sophisticated mobile devices, many believe that local e-commerce is set to boom.

Indeed, former FNB CEO Michael Jordaan, renowned for driving innovation on the digital front, has commented that in the near future, e-commerce “…will just become the normal way of doing business”. And the numbers certainly support this sentiment, with one study pointing to a 12.95% a year growth in local e-commerce transactions, and local consultancy World Wide Worx finding that in 2013, South Africans were on course to spend as much as R4.2 billion online (excluding air tickets). According to Luke McKend, country director for Google South Africa, SA is forecasted to have 29.8 million Internet users by 2016, with a whopping 25% increase in online spend anticipated for 2013. On the global front, Goldman Sachs has predicted that e-commerce sales would reach $963billion by 2013 and grow at 19.4%. So this is certainly a space to watch closely, and retailers would be well advised to ensure that they have a clear-cut digital strategy in place.

Social Media: Google+ on the Up

Unsurprisingly, social media is set to gain an even stronger foothold in the digital realm, but we believe that 2014 will be the year in which local businesses of all sizes and sectors will fully embrace the medium as both a business strategy and communications tool. And given the numbers, this is a clear ‘no brainer’ for corporates, who have a fast growing and captive audience at their fingertips.

According to World Wide Worx’s recent social media study, Twitter has grown by 129% in the year to August 2013 – from 2.4 million to 5.5 million users in SA (South Africans post 54 million tweets a month, with 85% of these originating from mobile devices). There are now 9.4 million South Africans on Facebook, 2.7 million registered on LinkedIn, and 466 828 active Google+ users. While each of these networks are important for enterprises for various reasons, we believe that Google+ is set to become a major player in the Business to Business marketing space, providing tools and platforms that arguably make it more relevant and beneficial for the enterprise environment.

Indeed, 2014 might well be the year in which Google+ emerges as a critical business tool, so we encourage local enterprises to become comfortable with this platform and build a strong presence in the network.

While staying abreast of a rapidly evolving digital environment (with fast developing tools and technologies) may seem daunting, it is certainly worth the time and investment for businesses to ensure that they remain ahead of the curve.

You have probably noticed the copy cat game going on with the local television production. Some would say its lack of creativity others would say that it is an indication on what people want to see. Here are some of the top copy cat television productions in recent history.

1.      Property Show vs N-Soko Property Show

The Property Show came first and took the nation by storm. Originally being screened on Zuku, the show was opted in by NTV and subsequently went to Kenya Television Network. To this response, NTV created its own property show, N-Soko Property Show to give its former show a competition. Both try and maintain their own identity but we can see what is happening here.

2.      Hapa Kule News vs Offside News

For Hapa Kule enthusiasts, a new show is in the offing on NTV similarly feeding on fringe news in Kenya. Hapa Kule started on a slow note but now has gathered a huge following, reinstating liked sheng (corrupted Kiswahili) terms. We are yet to see if Offside will chip away any audience form Hapa Kule.

3.      Wedding Show vs Samantha Bridal vs Weddings with Baileys

The Battle for the wedding scene is going down to the wire since a new entrant into the wedding shows scene. One name has to feature: Noni Gathoni. She has to be the pioneer in wedding shows, even though, Samantha Bridal took the glam away from Citizen’s Wedding Show. Noni is back to take her crown in a new show to be launched today on NTV: Weddings with Baileys.

4.      Mali vs Lies that Bind

Both started as the premier soap opera in the Kenyan television space. One story was similar to both series: The family sole provider dies throwing family members into a mix of war on inheritance. The shows have since then drifted to take a life of their own.

So what is your thought? Coincidence, serious competition or lack of creativity?

This week, the African Development Bank Group in collaboration with the African Virtual University (AVU) have concluded that in effort to improve access to higher education in Africa many are pleased to learn that the deliberations on the integration of e-learning and open education into mainstream education programs are fruitful, concurred Stefan Muller, Lead Economist of the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) East Africa Regional Resource Center (EARC).

Themed “Integrating eLearning and Open Education to Increase Access to Quality Education and Training”, the conference brought together more than 100 participants including Ministries of Education and 22 universities from the Multinational AVU support project as well as the private sector.

The main objective of this first international conference organized by the African Virtual University and organized from  20 – 22 November 2013, was to discuss the future of e-learning in Africa and the role of Open Education Resources (OERs) including the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in the ICT learning revolution.

“The conference is very timely, it is taking place at a time of ICT revolution in Africa. It is critical for the Bank to ‘seize the moment’ and ensure that regional member countries harness ICT technologies that will result not only in increased access, but also facilitate quality and relevance of education,” said Ruth Charo, Principal Social Development Specialist, AfDB EARC.

She noted that OERs, including MOOCS, have the potential to enhance access to quality education but certification and accreditation for the OERs has to be looked into. In all countries, especially in Africa, certification as an evidence of one having acquired training is almost mandatory.

Kenya’s ICT Authority, COMESA secretariate, the Ministry of ICT and CCK today organized a cyber crime conference in Nairobi in the aim of fighting cyber crime.

Cyber crime is an area that governments all around the world cannot afford to ignore. Kenya is one of the country which cannot afford to ignore such an issue because according to the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of ICT, information and communication, Fred Matiangi, Kenya has lost 1.5 billion shillings due to cyber crimes through mobile money as well as internet.

Matiangi said that in working towards the success of the project, the government will look into regulating all communication platforms which includes telecommunication companies as well as cyber cafes. He also said that it was important to work together with companies like Cisco and similar companies to help in the research as well as police training on cyber crimes.

Present in the conference, Sindiso Ndema, COMESA Secretary General said that it was important to invest in the training of the police all over Africa on how to handle the crime.

Microsoft East Africa’s service Solution Sales Lead, Hesham Ali said that Microsoft, having experience in the field in other developed countries, they intend to help their customers to protect themselves from cyber security threats.

“95 percent of of cyber attacks are not investigated, according to a worldwide statistics, and 60 percent of the attacks in countries are not discovered, they do not know that they are being attacked. What we are trying to do is to raise awareness and support our customers on how to protect themselves against cyber insecurity and also to be able to respond if attack happens and also recover after an attack,  ”  he said.

Other sponsors of the event include CISCO, Microsoft, Orange and Enterasys.

Egyptian mummies and ancient papyri are known to preserve rich historical facts of cultures that existed eons ago, but are at risk of diminishing away without efficient preservation. That has inspired an Italian commodity aid initiative to implement the use of high tech instruments that would save the museum’s secular papyri.

The launch of the technology was presented this week at a ceremony at the museum that was attended by the Director General for the cooperation for development Gianpaolo Cantini and Egyptian antiquities minister Mohamed Ibrahim, Italian ambassador Maurizio Massari and the museum’s director Rarek el Awadi.

The initiative, in favour of the Egyptian Antiquities Ministry is part of a programme of aid that aims to import to Egypt high tech Italian products and train specialized personnel in a number of sectors. More so, Italian technology will allow the restoration and preservation of thousands of highly delicate papyri at the Egyptian museum in Cairo that overlooks the popular Tahrir square, Cairo. The state of the art instruments provided by the Italtrend Spa and produced by Bresciani Srl, would play a vital role in preserving the museum’s thousands of Egyptian secular papyri.

A low-pressure table with a humidifier would be used to preserve precious papyri of the Egyptian museum, to restore paper documents. It has been provided alongside ten thermometers, humidifiers and five climatic chambers to preserve the findings to recreate the same condition as in the tombs where the papyri were discovered.

Moreover, the technology that comes with a laser and a portable gadget, has its laser using non-invasive technology to clean delicate and sensitive surfaces without the need of chemicals. The spectrometer would be used for chemical-physical measurements and to analyse material without extraction of samples.

Reports say that the initiative was agreed in 19 years ago, began in 1996 and has since funded the importation of Italian goods worth27 million euros, while the installment for the Egyptian museum has a value of 300,000 euros.

In a bid to produce energy, drinking water and heat simultaneously to benefit micro-industries located in rural areas in Kenya and other countries experiencing high levels of sunshine in Africa, Schneider Electric, a specialist in energy management has launched the Microsol project.

According to Schneider Electric a single Microsol installation, which is involves modular solar technology producing both electricity and water, produces 50 MWh of electricity, 1,000 m3 of drinking water, and about 800 MWh of thermal energy per year, benefits about 1,000 residents in remote regions and has a lifespan of up to 20 years.

At a time when areas in Kenya have been hardly hit by scarcity of water with other areas having illegal electricity connections, it is noted that the project would begin in Kenya as the first East African country.

The project’s idea is based on thermodynamics, that applies the principle of cogeneration of electricity and heat, which focuses its constraints on the design of thermal storage that uses environment-friendly products, at the same time promising to satisfy needs of inhabitants in rural areas.

Apart from meeting needs of local residents, Microsol can help micro-producers in the food, textile and paper industries with processing raw materials.

While in the tourism industry, it can provide energy needed for many premium services such as electricity for refrigeration, security, heat for hot water laundry or heating or water for drinking or cooking.

The project would kick of for trials starting next year 2014 ahead of a 2015 commercial launch.

The ongoing Turkana siege, where over 600 people have been taken hostage due to continued cattle rustling dispute has made government officials to think of ways to curb cattle rustling and one solution is ICT.

Joseph Kaguthi who is the Chairman of the National task force on community policing has urged the counties to use GPS tracking system to track cattle that are stolen.

“What is the problem in getting small chips in each of those animals such that you can see the position of all those who stole them. The police will also intercept them and this will bring an end to the current state of affairs in the region,” he said.

According to Capital FM, Kaguthi said that such a technology would reduce incidences of cattle rustling as the police could easily track stolen cattle to their exact location and arrest perpetrators.

Rhys Collins, Head of African Operations for SSP, a leading provider of insurance technology to insurers across the continent, says modern technology overcomes these challenges, and this is increasingly drawing new players into the African insurance market.

 Both Hollard and Sanlam, for example, have had good success in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana and Nigeria and are believed to be eyeing other opportunities across the continent.

 He said: “The tighter regulatory and governance requirements are good for the industry,” continues Collins, “but, the flipside for insurers is that many will need to make major changes to their administration systems.”

 As well as regulatory changes,  SSP says the growth in mobile is the other key trend to watch in the African insurance market. Unlike other markets, the African consumer is by-passing the desktop internet connection and going directly to hand-held devices,” says Collins. “With the likes of M-Pesa and Fundamo now household names processing billions of dollars in transactions every year, and mobile use in Africa continuing to grow at a rapid pace, insurers need to raise their game.”

 He believes that to deliver insurance products and services effectively on the ground, insurers and managing agents need a strong core insurance system and ICT infrastructure in place. ““There’s no denying that Africa has entered the age of mobile. Insurers and managing agents need to consider and embrace this and use the many advantages it offers to enhance their offering, or stand the risk of being left behind. To do this they need a modern, flexible insurance solution. Obviously this is easier for new start-ups, but for firms with existing legacy solutions, complex and risky transformation projects are not always popular in boardrooms. However, by adopting a gradual approach to legacy modernisation, such as SSP’s Enhance and Evolve approach, insurers can address their most urgent business priorities proactively. They can extend the life of their existing systems and only replace  when the time is right, in line with their long-term strategic priorities,” concludes Collins.

In the next three days, Konga.com, Nigeria’s largest online mall, will bringing Black Friday and Cyber Monday Super Sales to Nigeria termed as “Fall Yakata” meaning “Fall totally, utterly, completely” this Christmas, inviting all online shoppers to buy new goods at least half their original price.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales exist in the US and Europe. However Nigeria’s Konga.com is now bringing two days of mind blowing price slashes. For instance, games, cosmetics, and clothes the most popular items have had their prices slashed by half. The popular Play Station 4 for instance, is now being sold for N60,000 instead of N138,000 regular prices, Ruby Woo lipstick that is normally N4,000 sold for N2,000 while Tecno Phantom A+ phone that is N39,000 that will be sold for only N19,000. Clothes too, normally sold for N30,000 would be on the Fall Yakata sale for only N10,000.

This year marked Konga’s success of winning the online the online retailer and best emerging brand of the year at the Marketing World Awards 2013, moving to a new 120,000 square feet fulfillment Centre and celebrating its one year anniversary.

Thus, this biggest sale ever taking place Nigeria would be happening from 9:00am on Friday 29th November to Monday 2nd December, 2013.

For details Simply visit www.konga.com/Yakata

In hospitals worldwide, it may soon be possible for doctors or even family members determine the exact time of death of their loved ones, as Russian scientist Konstantin Korotkov has discovered a technique that can capture the timing and actual disembodiment in which a spirit leaves its body.

This technique developed by the Korotov, the Director of the Research Institute of Physical Culture, St. Petersburg, is already being endorsed as a medical technology by the Ministry of Russia of which over 300 doctors worldwide use for the stress and monitoring progress of patients treated for terminal diseases like cancer.

Korotov’s new technique uses a bioelectrographic camera that captures the images of a body using the gas discharge visualization method, an advanced technique that shows in blue hues the life force of a dying person leaving his/her body gradually. This technique, which measures real-time and stimulated radiation is amplified by the electromagnetic field is an advanced version of the technology developed for measuring Semyon Kirlian aura. It is said that Korotkov observations confirm, as proposed by Kirili, that “stimulated electro-photonic light around the tips of the fingers of the human being contains coherent and comprehensive statement of a person, both physically and psychologically.”

Developed by the Russian Scientist, the technique shows that the navel and the head are the areas of the body that first lose their life force while the groin and the heart are the final areas where the “spirit” departs. Korotov notes that his energy imaging technique could be used to show all kinds of biophysical imbalances and carry out diagnosis.

In other cases, it is said that Korotkov discovered that “the soul” of people that suffer or die a violent death manifest a state of confusion in their power settings and return to the body in the days before death, due to a surplus of “unused energy”.

According to Korotkov there is also an effect in the bioenergy field with food, water and even cosmetics. He also warns of cell phone use and their negative radiation often being carcinogenic, which several studies seem to confirm, notes socialconciousness.com.

Similar to Rupert Sheldrake’s experiment of the feeling of being watched, the Russian scientist notes that the reason behind the phenomena is due to a person’s bioenergy field change when someone else directs his or his attention even though it’s not consciously perceived, identified as “sixth sense”.

In all, analysts predict that Korotkov discovery is optimistic signifying an advancement in the scientific world, of which, schools especially those in Russia, would begin teaching kids to factually recognize the use of energy captured through this camera technology.

A new project by Schneider Electric dubbed MiCROSOL aims to be the first to produce electricity, drinking water and heat simultaneously to benefit micro-industries in Africa’s rural areas.

 The technology based on the principle of cogeneration of electricity and heat aims to help people access reliable and affordable electricity; ever-flowing clean drinking water  and continuous and environmentally sound heat.

Expected to be ready for commercialization in 2015 in Kenya, Microsol can help micro-producers in the food, textile and paper industries with processing their raw materials by automating some of their processes such as drying, washing and  pasteurization. It is also expected to provide energy for the tourist industry to power services such as refrigeration or security; heat for hot water, laundry or heating; water for drinking or cooking.

With 50 MWh/year of electricity, 1,000 m3/year of drinking water, and around 800 MWh/year of thermal energy, Microsol technology has an expected life of at least 20 years and help meet some or all of the production needs of local residents such as water supply, electrification of communal areas, and so forth. It can also guarantees zero greenhouse gas emissions, reduced deforestation and health problems owing to the clean production of heat and electricity.

Gilles Vermot Desroches, Senior Vice-President, Sustainability, Schneider Electric said, “All countries with high levels of sunshine are potential targets for marketing Microsol. However, because of its infrastructure needs, geographical location and economic models, Schneider Electric and its partners decided to focus their efforts on Africa”.