Hive Colab Announced in Uganda!: Re-Posted

Earlier in the day we announced Apps < 4> Africa, a competition for app developers across Africa. Also, today in Uganda, Appfrica Labs in partnership with Project Diaspora, UConnect, and Node Six are also announcing the Hive collaborative workspace in Uganda! 

"Hive Colab is a collaborative, community owned, open work environment for young tech entrepreneurs looking to focus on projects, to access the computing resources and bandwidth, have a quiet professional environment to develop their ideas in, and to generally collaborate with each other. Something very similar to what our friends are doing with the outstanding iHub in Nairobi.

It will be a space for nascent application developers to register as freelancers, if they are looking for paying projects..." 

Read the rest of it here at Appfrica.net

A Chalk Free Class

Mrs. Kandigoma Jean has been teaching Mathematics to for over 25 years. I knew her when I was but a child. She has taught, consulted, coached, examined and is at a point where the Math is where she lives and abides.

Recently I walked over to see Auntie Jean’s son; an age old friend, when I found her relaxing I asked him, a recent graduate what he was up to and he replied quite simply.

“She wants me to type all her work into the laptop”

What? I asked, being curiously tickled.

Then he gave me her card. On it was written:

Jean Kandigoma

School Content Specialist

E-Learnig Software Development

In the years that had passed since I had seen her she had transformed from being a major league examiner and math teacher extraordinaire to a content specialist? I mean what do those people do even do?

And so I asked her.

Her answer blew me away.

She works with the Cyber School Technology Solutions Project which has currently enrolled 100 schools and is planning to recruit another 200 this year into a program that allows access to digitized curriculum content. They have her write out the syllabus and then digitize the whole thing. Then it is voiced for effect and instructions.

And so in a look of amazement I asked her what the future of the classroom would look like and she said from when the next term begun she would just walk into class with a projector and her laptop and start teaching. She teaches across the O’ Level section.

And so where is the project going with its plans to recruit another 200 schools?

Well the plan is to hopefully partner with enough schools to increase the learning capacity for science and demonstrative subjects, and since notes don’t all have to be written in chalk, the course coverage is faster allowing for more teacher-student time and not to mention the aesthetic value it all brings to a chalk-dust-free class.

So now I ask, as the world moves towards faster and better modernization of sectors, technology and information transfer,

Are we on the cusp of another age of technology leapfrog?

For those who find it strange, I have been fondling his theory and I have heard it expressed out loud but mostly expressed in the future Africa will leapfrog and into the next technology era. My theory is that Uganda is one of those strange countries and is a classic microcosm of Africa’s strides in technology adaptation. We jumped literally from the mailbox to the cell phone. As the rest of the world endured the mailbox and what it stood for, and then moved from there to the landline home phone. In Uganda the number of landlines is probably one tenth of the cell phones.

Tottering at an astounding 9 million subscribers today, Uganda finds itself at a time where its 75% population that is under 30 needs constantly to be talking and because of the new age of information where there is just too much information make heads or tails of, there point is to just keep talking. These young people need communication solutions that answer that question everyday.

Only about 15 % of the total population currently resides in urban areas. The rest live in rural areas, where chances of access to electricity, power are very low. Today Telecom companies in Uganda seem to be heading in the right direction: Uganda Telecom’s free face book platform; MTN’s partnership with the Grameen Foundation to produce a farmers’ trade tool that is SMS enabled; Warid Telecom’s “Pakalast” tariff profile which has literally reorganized the Telcom landscape, Orange Telecom which has capitalized on providing fast, unlimited internet access on its dongo; an unrivaled facility by any in the country.

All these innovations by the industry to grab more market share continue to drive prices down in a very price-sensitive market but still do nothing to make innovations in the education sector, or health or housing or food sector substantially relevant to Ugandans. Parliament is in talks to establish a National IT Authority; an industry regulator because clearly the Uganda Communications Commission which is funded by a 1% remission by the Telcos is, and has been bullied by industry leaders into some really un-nationalist positions and decisions.

Yet the star still glimmers in this twilight zone. Maybe we’ll skip the cell phone phase and just move to the i-phone phase? 

Most likely not, but whichever way things go, they can only go up.

Digital Convergence & Innovation Driving Positive Change

In the digital era, access to information and the sharing of knowledge have created a new global currency that is transforming the fundamental economic, educational and social constructs of society, creating unprecedented opportunities for positive change.

Africa’s ICT sector is the fastest growing globally with mobile and broadband penetration rates set to continue to rise with lower cost high speed broadband now a reality companies must prepare and build solid foundations allowing them to take advantage of the opportunities, that this exciting industry and continent has to offer.

The region’s need to capitalize on convergent services and innovations is evident with IPTV, Triple Play and VoIP offerings growing, lower cost of access has created an increasing demand from the customer base. Service providers are locked in a battle to increase ARPU and boost customer loyalty, while maintaining lean and efficient operations. The demand on their networks and ability to deliver value to their customers is constantly growing.

Thus, the challenges to win in this new and dynamic environment are enormous making focus, speed, cooperation and ongoing innovation imperative to its many members.

The Digital Africa Summit aims to assist African operators by providing information that will aid them in developing a focused, practical strategy moving forward. This will be achieved by orchestrating a debate between:

• Leading regulatory authorities from Africa and the World
• Operators from Africa and the World
• Governments from Africa
• Industry Associations
• Financial Institutions and Investors
• Solution providers
• System integrators

We expect participating executives to leave this debate with greater clarity and understanding about the challenges they will face in developing their networks increasing connectivity efficiency and driving positive social and economical growth.

Find the Summit website at: Digital Africa Summit

The summit blog is at: www.digitalafricasummit.wordpress.com

Follow us on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/DASummit2010

Find and discuss up to the minute summit updates on our Face book page

Uganda Telecom and Rwandatel Purchase Seacom Capacity; Securing Backhaul Network Between Kampala and Kigali.

SEACOM, Uganda Telecom Ltd (UTL) and Rwandatel S.A. (RTL) on 25th August announced a major partnership that further extends the reach of international broadband capacity across eastern Africa. Through concurrent deals, UTL and RTL, both subsidiaries of the Libyan Africa Portfolio LAP Green Networks, have purchased a significant amount of international broadband capacity from SEACOM whilst SEACOM has in turn secured a backhaul solution for Rwanda on the two regional players? terrestrial networks between Kampala, Uganda and Kigali, Rwanda. Under the terms of the partnership agreement, both entities will have immediate access to the SEACOM network.

Uganda has been connected to the SEACOM network since its 23 July launch but this agreement means that Rwanda will have broadband capacity as soon as September.

Brian Herlihy, SEACOM CEO, said: 'From the outset of this project, we realised the importance of connecting inland countries to our international network and today's agreement is testimony of our commitment in that regard.

Many countries set out to deploy massive terrestrial networks in anticipation of the arrival of real and affordable international bandwidth connectivity. With more and more countries getting connected to the rest of the world via our system, we are eagerly awaiting to see the direct socio-economic benefits this will have on the entire region.'

SEACOM realised the importance of ensuring that Kigali and the greater Rwanda were connected as soon as possible to the international global network. Seacom's purchase of the UTL and RTL's backhaul solution guarantees that Rwanda will be connected immediately.

'LAP Green Networks has always had a strong focus on international data connectivity and this is an approach shared by Uganda Telecom and other regional players looking to achieve first mover advantage in their respective markets. The capacity purchase by Uganda Telecom on the SEACOM network will dramatically modify the local Internet market and we look forward to a new era of true broadband across the region,' commented Eng. AbdulBaset Elazzabi, MD of LAP Green Networks and Uganda Telecom Ltd.

LAP Green Networks is a telecommunications operator owned by Libyan African Investment Portfolio and specialising in the acquisition and management of telecommunications networks across Africa. LAP Green Networks? representatives for this deal were Ghadfi Mohamed, Chief Technical Officer and Donald Nyakairu, Chief Legal Counsel. Other than UTL and RTL, current investments include Sonitel Niger, Sahel Com Niger and Oricel Green Cote D'Ivoire.

Patrick Kariningufu, CEO of Rwandatel S.A., concluded: ?In line with our strategy to extend connectivity to the population, and in anticipation of the arrival of affordable international bandwidth, Rwandatel took major steps in developing its infrastructure. We are excited about our deal with SEACOM and look forward to delivering affordable broadband to our customers.?
And to all of you who were arguing the Infocom monopoly, your answer is here. It is left to be seen however whether when the UTL cable lands next year whether UTL will switch from SEACOM to that.

And it also arouses the question, is the Ugandan market that lucrative? So much that it could have driven UTL into a probably hasty decision because no matter how much we want fiber, they will charge us for Seacom and then charge us for eassy and TEAMS. In the end we will shoulder the burden. the only glitch in this scenario is that because Infocom will have economies of scale, having invested in the fiber optic earlier and therefore will be further along in covering its overheads. In the assumption, there lies the hidden clause that they will transfer these costs to the consumer.

Only that when they do this and because Ugandans are the least brand loyal people on the planet, they will switch.

For now though, Bravo and well done!

Makerere CIT Trains 150 Women in ICT

As the global race to bridge the digital divide between the North and the South is given impetus and incentive by the growth of southern economies, today this need is nowhere greater than in the emerging sub-Saharan markets. Seemingly trapped by illiteracy, overpopulation, breakdown in infrastructure, lack of access and soaring internet costs, the challenge to harness technology to aid Africa leap frog the divide seems even more daunting. Uganda serves as a microcosm for this African dilemma.

Another part of this complex conundrum is the fact that although women are substantially part of the business environment today, most of them know little or nothing about ICT and its potential to alter/or exponentially increase their access, use and leveraging of information technologies to help their businesses.

The Makerere University Faculty of Computing & IT (CIT) under its Community Outreach program has just finished training 150 women in basic ICT skills. The women are engaged in different business and entrepreneurship ventures but mostly consist of teachers.

The training included skills in use of Microsoft Word, Spreadsheets, Email, Introduction to computers and Power point Presentations.

CIT has done other trainings in the past for the Uganda Police Force, Uganda People's Defence Force, Makerere University Teaching and Non-teaching staff and will continue to train members of the public and private sectors as part of its commitment to increase ICT literacy in Uganda. Currently, 400 staff from Mulago Hospital is under ICT training at the faculty.

My big question is; Is it enough? Is it enough to train our women, and pump them with IT skills when they are still struggling under bad marriages and sexual harassment? As I ponder these thoughts what keeps coming to me is a phrase from a book I love deeply: Jane Eyre; where Rochester as he looks at the plain and yet deeply moving Jane says to himself and almost to God "It will atone." What will atone? The new life blood in this new young girl who he feels deeply about will atone for the trickery that led him to marry a woman with hereditary madness who he now keeps locked up in one of the rooms of his huge mansion. Can all those years of putting our women down be erased by giving them special treatment and advantages? I don't know anything for a fact but this I know: it will ATONE.

FACEBOOK ON MY KABIRITI!!

Only in Kampala, the city of cool do these things happen.

Blogville Brace Yourselves ! ! !

You can now update your facebook status from your mobile phone. Not your high end programmable phone with a camera and I don't know whatever; I mean a low down and cheap phone that has fallen in the pit a couple of times!

Jon Gosier, a business entrepreneur extraordinaire founded Appfrica.org has been busy! And so today he went live with Status.ug developed by Mr. Felix Kitaka, a young brilliant incubator at Appfrica.

"Appfrica.org facilitates, mentors and incubates entrepreneurs in software in East Africa and Uganda. It offers a physical space with a solid internet connection, servers, software and computers that allows students and recent graduates a place to develop their ideas in a constructive environment…"

Dig this, the place is complete with mentors!!

"… student projects are refined and prepped to help them secure funding and launch sustainable, profitable businesses. This project, loosely modeled after Paul Graham's Y Combinator, is better known as Appfrica Labs."

And I just lifted this off their site because its not so easy to paraphrase what they were saying.

"Appfrica Labs is a for-profit incubator and software development firm currently based out of Kampala, Uganda. The mission is to offer opportunities and work experience for East African software entrepreneurs so that they can then use their talents to bolster the growing local markets by offering products and services. Appfrica picks up where East African colleges leave off by offering hands-on experience in programming languages like Java, C++, C#,…."

You should check them out. And my life will never be the same again. Ever!

Oh I had forgotten you wanna register, right?

Ok you have to sign up at:

apps.facebook.com/status_ugtek

… Till then …