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FASTECH promoting Nigerian entrepreneurship education

The FCT Agency for Science and Technology (FASTECH) is currently partnering with an international NGO, Junior Achievement, to promote entrepreneurship education in primary and secondary schools in the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja, Nigeria.

Woman holding plaque from Junior Achievement

Yelwa Baba-Ari, FASTECH Director, says their relationship with Nigerian NGO, Junior Achievement, should promote entrepreneurship. (image: file)

The partnership will include setting up clubs and organising entrepreneurship competitions in schools. Yelwa Baba-Ari, FASTECH Director, said yesterday building entrepreneurial skills is part of the agency’s mandate.

“If you expose them to entrepreneurship by the time they finish secondary school, they can assist their parents in paying the school fees,” she said.

“A lot of them are not exposed but this gives them confidence be it in communication or leadership skills and builds confidence in them to face the challenges of the society. We will partner to make sure that the schools become awake to its importance. We will collaborate with you to do competition for the students and to see that we establish clubs in more schools.”

Stressing on the importance of acquiring entrepreneurial skill, Baba-Ari said government in this country was a major employer of labour but now the economy encourages people to be on their own.

Segun Adekoye

March 2, 2012/by actualize

Connectivity, Legal & Regulatory, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Somalia gov’t intends to create independent telecoms regulator

Few nations lack a dedicated telecommunications regulator. These days, most have an independent regulator, some have a state-controlled regulator, and a couple only have a ministry that more-or-less covers regulatory duties. Not surprisingly, Somalia is one of the few African nations that lacks a regulator. (For reference, Libya, Seychelles, and Western Sahara are the others.)

Although Somalia’s Ministry of Posts & Communications oversees all telecoms operations, the government is scattered and ineffective (the ministry website hasn’t been updated since 2009).

However, we were shocked to read how Somali telecommunications stakeholders recently hammered out a draft communications law that will establish a legal framework for Somalia’s nascent telecoms industry. Ministry of Posts & Communications representatives were even present to discuss the main goal of the workshop: to establish a well-defined independent regulator by the end of the year. The hope is that the regulator, to be designed as the Somali Communications Commission, will promote investment, encourage fair competition, and diligently monitor prices for services.

Hopefully the law can pass relatively quickly, but not so hastily that it lacks substance. A lot is riding on the Communications Act. As the Minister of Information, Posts, and Telecommunications points out, the act will be “a key step in the process of strengthening the rule of Law in Somalia”. The banner for the event even highlighted the ability of ICT to bring peace.

Banner for the 13-14 Feb session in Mogadishu {Horn of Africa News}

Of course, the question remains whether the SCC, once created, will enforce (or be able to physically enforce) the telecoms law.

February 23, 2012/by actualize

Connectivity, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

A solar-powered Internet café for Chad

Of late, the North Central African nation of Chad (Tchad) has remained out of the international spotlight. Chad has also been on the periphery of the African tech scene. Libya and Sudan, neighbors to the north and east, respectively, have “stolen” much of the African news. And that is not necessarily a bad thing – life in Chad is seemingly stable. However, it is going to take more than status quo to improve the quality of life in Chad.

Last year, we found Chad’s progress toward information access rather optimistic, observing that, “published expectations for the Central African Backbone project and the apparent Libyan telecom stake in Sotel both are consistent with Chad’s national ICT policy outline created in 2007.” One year later, with only media reports on the well-funded Central African Backbone progress coming down the line, we are less hopeful that Chad will meet 2011 NICI goal of a completed 1,100km SAT-3/fibre backbone between N’Djamena and Adré and a 100% completed e-government network in N’Djamena.

At least work is underway on these initiatives. Lofty are the final goals for 2012. Will Chad boast 50,000 WiFi subscribers – roughly 5% of N’Djamena’s population – by the end of next year? An August 2011 report by Research and Markets confirms that Chad lacks still true fixed-line broadband, lacks 3G, and lacks international bandwidth. Satellite is the only means to a decent web browsing experience and is unreliable given the sporadic nature of power within the country.

All hope is not lost, however. Thanks to efforts from non-profit organizations like Chad Now, the Internet is gradually (and sustainably) reaching more Chadians. Early next year, Chad Now hopes to establish a solar-powered Internet cafe as part of a broader series of small-scale, short-term development projects. Even though broadband is not available in Chad, Cyber Cafe Chari will demonstrate the significance of computers so that Chadians are ready when the time for even greater innovation comes.

The whole endeavor is described on the hot-off-the-presses ChadNow.org. We’re especially intrigued by the option to test the Internet before paying (and the low access costs to spur local competition):

Chad Now centers the Internet cafe concept on the foundations of affordable startup, sustainable operation, cultural appropriateness, and excellent service. The model cafe, located in a low-income area of Chad’s capital N’Djamena, is comprised of four laptop computers powered by a flexible solar cell system. In addition to simple internet services, the cafe also sells computer accessories and refreshments. Free educational courses make the cafe a learning environment, and free access periods allow locals to try out the internet before paying. Once they do, they pay an hourly rate 30% below market price, a step that expands internet access equity and is made possible by the savings of solar power.”

In fact, Chad Now hopes to use this model to bring Internet access to even more Africans. Guidelines are:

launch costs not to exceed $2,000 (includes two months’ pay for two employees)
laptops running Ubuntu Linux
strategic location to bring immediate clientele
reduced access costs to increase demand and cause other cafe owners to cut costs to compete
offer computer accessories for sale
hosting of local entrepreneurs
free computing classes for local groups

The video at the top of this post explains the solar charging system (battery, wiring, solar panel, controller, power inverter) with the goal of helping others avoid a lengthy trial-and-error process.

The beauty here is how two parties can agree on the benefit of an information society. The Plan de développement des Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication au Tchad, cites ICT as a vehicle needed to achieve a climate of peace, justice and democracy. Similarly, Chad Now also seeks to empower Chadians and improve livelihoods in Chad. The timing is certainly right with the arrival of international bandwidth via the Central African Backbone.

Follow @Chad_Now on Twitter.

Read about the effort to film a documentary in N’Djamena (including the creation of Cyber Cafe Chari).

Skim Chad Now’s recent article “Solar-powered Internet Cafés for Sub-Saharan Africa” which cites $190/month cost for 128kbps dial-up access and the unreliability of VSAT during Chad’s rainy season.

November 29, 2011/by actualize

Connectivity, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

MTN Nigeria, Safaricom Kenya, and Vodacom SA are influential African telecom operators

It may come as no surprise that the majority of African telecom operators have Twitter accounts. To succeed in an increasingly competitive marketplace, every companies must ensure a positive user experience. What better way to communicate with customers than through social media, most notably Facebook and Twitter? Twitter feeds can supply news and product information. In turn, consumers can act as PR vehicles. Moreover, no force in business is greater than the power of one – the consumer. Personal interaction between company and consumer not only spurs immediate user retention, but seeds word-of-mouth recommendation.

That said, some telecom operators in Africa are more involved in social media efforts. Not surprisingly, the most influential hail from Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa. All of these nations have substantial online user bases where customers are engaged with social media. Essentially, these companies have a greater chance of having their message spread and adopted throughout the Internet.

Klout believes that every person who creates content online has influence. Their goal is to understand what they are influential about and who they are influencing. Klout analyzes interaction among 10 networks including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, with more on the way. They look at how many people you influence (true reach), how much you influence people (amplification), and the influence of the people in your reach (your network). Then, the algorithm assigns a single score from 10-100 indicating how meaningful/trustworthy/awesome an account is.

Klout scores for African telecom operators, based on @oafrica/african-telecom-operators Twitter list. {Klout}

Using a Twitter list, sourced from the Wikipedia List of mobile network operators of the Middle East and Africa and a list of operators from Africa & Middle East Telecom Week, Klout is able to run each account through its algorithm to determine how strong of an influence the brand has across the Internet.

According to Klout, MTN Nigeria, Safaricom Kenya, and Vodacom SA are the most influential telecom operators in Africa. Impressively, Orange Kenya, Tigo Tanzania, and inwi Maroc all have Klout accounts. The PR teams at these telecoms are certainly ahead of the game in Africa, let alone globally. Also:

Nigeria: MTN leads with a score of 78. Etisalat and Glo are near equals in terms of influence (64 and 60, respectively), with Airtel and Starcomms behind (38 and 29, respectively)
South Africa: Vodacom leads with a score of 69. Cell C and MTN are nearly equal (59 and 55, respectively), with Virgin Mobile back at 41.
Kenya: Safaricom leads with a score of 71. Orange is at a healthy score of 57.
MTN clearly has a social media strategy in place. The company’s Twitter accounts for Uganda and Rwanda are considered influential (having a score over 40). Even more impressively, MTN Sudan yields a Klout score of 24 – very strong considering the small user-base of Sudanese Twitter users. The account only has 48 followers!
Less influential, but active accounts include Telecom Namibia, Airtel Tanzania, Malawi Telecommunications.
Other accounts have the lowest Klout score possible (10). Most of these were created but have sat dormant for at least a few months. They include Orange (Madagascar, Niger), Airtel (Niger, Uganda, Malawi), Comium (Gambia, Ivory Coast), and Sonatel (Senegal).
Orange Niger actively Tweets, but only has 16 followers, suggesting a lack of social media users in Niger.
Comium Gambia (3rd GSM operator in the country) Tweets a few times per month, and has 123 followers, but the influence appears nil.
MTL (Malawi) has fairly low influence (16) despite a decent number of followers given the prevalence of Internet in Malawi (170).

September 27, 2011/by actualize

Connectivity, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Cablegate on African broadband: 2007 (Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia)

Quite a few WikiLeaks cables deal with the behind-the-scenes of African broadband affairs. Using CablegateSearch.net we have listed the “juiciest” cables (if African broadband can be described as such), below. The U.S. was very interested in broadband, most notably ownership of the SEACOM fiber-optic cable and competing with Chinese investment.

{WikiLeaks}

Next up are four cables from 2007. The main themes are Ghana’s ICT initiatives, Kenyan fiber projects (which will succeed – SEACOM, TEAMS, or EASSy?), and fiber investment in Ethiopia (via U.S. or China?) :

Ghana

Summary: As of 2006-7, Ghana has multiple ICT projects underway that should vault the nation into a regional leader. Further privatization is needed, as is rural connectivity, but mobile growth and ICT training facilities look promising.
U.S. viewpoint: Ghana’s ICT sector is promising but faces challenges in privatization, regulatory gaps, power supply, and general business climate. Government projects should have positive results for the private sector.

Notes:

60% of investment in ICT has failed since 1992.
ICT contributed 6% to the GDP in 2005 versus 1.8% in 2000.
In 2003, >50% of fixed lines were in the Accra area. Only 10% of the Ghanaian population lives here.
Four mobile operators all offer broadband as of 2006.
Internet cafes charge US $0.45 – $1.60 per hour.
Ghana is extending an existing 600km fiber optic cable ring connecting Accra, Tema, Kumasi, and Takoradi.
Broadband over power-line was explored.
E-government, m-banking and e-agriculture intiatives were discussed.
Run-down of 7 education initiatives.
Link: Ghana’s ICT Development: Is The Glass Half Full?, October 11, 2007

Kenya

Summary: Numerous (3 or 4) fiber-optic services are ready to undergo construction. Last-mile solutions are not far behind.
U.S. viewpoint: High-speed broadband will allow East Africa to connect with opportunities for job growth and a global marketplace starting in 18 months. The upside is enormous.

Notes:

SEACOM expects their undersea cable to be live by March 2009. (was eventually July 2009)
The perception of progress on EASSy is a distraction that has caused potential customers to delay in committing to SEACOM.
Link: Kenya And East Africa: A Step Closer To Fiber Optic Connectivity, August 13, 2007

Ethiopia

Summary: Ethiopia plans on purchasing 14,000km of fiber cable from China. Negotiations to connect via Djibouti have been flat for 3 years.
U.S. viewpoint (adopted from Ethiopian Minister’s comments): Ethiopia needs approximately ten years to transform its ICT sector. There is debate whether to use Chinese or American companies as examples or investors. State-owned ETC must lower rates in order to accelerate development.

Notes:

A massive US $158 million project will bring fiber transmission backbone, mobile services in 9 cities, plus hundreds of thousands of wireless phone lines. The goal of completition is September 2007.
Plans are in the works to connect to cables in Kenya, Sudan, and Djibouti.
Ethiopia needs major human capital over the next 5-8 years.
The ICT Minister has traveled to India, Egypt, and China. He has plans to visit Silicon Valley.
Link: Ethiopia: Laying Groundwork For Development Through Fiber Optics, May 3, 2007

Kenya

Summary: U.S. firms, along with Kenya, are racing to give East and Southern Africa broadband connectivity to the rest of the world. SEACOM look to be completed within two years.
U.S. viewpoint: Kenya must decide whether it will merge with SEACOM or go ahead with its TEAMS cable. Additionally, the U.S. strongly favors the SEACOM cable over TEAMS or EASSy, writing how, “the good news is twofold: first, that at least one of the three cables is moving towards fruition; and second, that the current frontrunner will be owned, managed, and built by U.S. companies.”

Notes:

Payment and signed contracts have secured SEACOM in the global queue of fiber cables.
The government of Kenya has promised an operational fiber system by 2008. They may feel that TEAMS can be completed before SEACOM due to its shorter length.
Some feel that EASSy’s monpolistic ownership structure will preclude cheap bandwidth delivery, and even if it success there, it may not return profits given the competition with SEACOM.
Link: U.S. Companies In Lead To Bring Fiber Optic Connectivity To East And Southern Africa, April 20, 2007

September 20, 2011/by actualize

Connectivity, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Cablegate on African broadband: 2008 (Senegal, South Africa, Uganda)

Quite a few WikiLeaks cables deal with the behind-the-scenes of African broadband affairs. Using CablegateSearch.net we have listed the “juiciest” cables (if African broadband can be described as such), below. Many of the cables are extremely telling of what goes on behind closed doors and how the U.S. viewed African telecoms prospects from at least 2006-2009.

{WikiLeaks}

Next up are three cables from 2008. The main themes are greater competition in Senegal’s mobile market, broadband in South Africa ahead of World Cup 2010, and Ugandan President Museveni’s views on ICT challenges:

Senegal

Summary: Sudatel, reportedly an independent, private firm, will begin operation as Senegal’s 3rd mobile operator in October 2008. Over the next fifteen years, the company will invest US $500 million. The arrival of Sudatel will increase competition, especially in the mobile market.
U.S. viewpoint: Sudatel’s plan sounds ambitious. However, Senegal’s mobile market is rapidly expanding and Sonatel is losing its fixed-line monopoly. Effective ICT policies and decent infrastructure bode well for growth. 3G and Blackberry service are modernizing the telecommunications sector. The main concern is privacy, especially among customers of government-backed operators.

Notes:

Will create more than one thousand jobs.
The number of mobile users is expected to increase by 1 million by 2011.
Sudatel represents 60% of transactions on the Khartoum, Sudan stock market.
650,000 registered Internet accounts as of September 2007 (96% are Sonatel ADSL)
Unfortunately, the US $200 million license fee paid by Sudatel was spent on a March 2008 OIC summit instead of on ICT infrastructure.
Link: Sudatel Should Bring A New Dynamic To Senegal’s Ict Sector, July 2, 2008

South Africa

Summary: The SEACOM undersea fibre cable will be operational in advance of the 2010 World Cup. The South African government still needs to understand the cable’s ability to deliver sufficient bandwidth.
U.S. viewpoint: SEACOM is a close ally of the United States and the 2010 cable will mark the beginning of U.S. ICT standards in Africa. The company has sought the help of the U.S. Embassy to promote their new cable. Additionally, SEACOM will provide low-cost bandwidth for USAID projects. And, there is potential need for U.S. businesses to install land-based infrastructure.

Notes:

SEACOM needs better marketing to consumers. Most publicity has been on finance and management, but not academic initiatives.
Link: SEACOM Only Undersea Fiber-optic Cable Project Slated To Be Online In Advance Of 2010 Fifa World Cup, June 12, 2008

Uganda

Summary: President Museveni recently criticized the East African Community IT infrastructure, urging political leaders to solve the problem.
U.S. viewpoint: Museveni’s proposed solutions to East African infrastructure problems are shortsighted. “Museveni’s public jibing at his two ministers present at the meeting might suggest that he expects action, but his continued tolerance of the incompetent and corrupt Public Works Minister belies his words.”

Notes:

Museveni decried how Asian economies are taking off but African ones have been relatively stagnant for 40 years. He does not blame bad governance for Africa’s woes.
Energy remains a challenge, with Uganda only having 400 MW capacity and needing 48 MW additional per year to keep up with demand.
Museveni acknowledged the need for broadband, and in turn, data processing centers.
Link: Ugandan President Decries Eac’s Infrastucture Needs, April 29, 2008

September 13, 2011/by actualize

Connectivity, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Cablegate on African broadband: Apr-Jun 2009 (Tunisia, Kenya, South Africa)

Quite a few WikiLeaks cables deal with the behind-the-scenes of African broadband affairs. The various dialogues regarding the telecoms situation in Africa are surprisingly detailed and often proceed for well over a dozen paragraphs. Essentially, the United States routinely monitored the economic prospects in each country and provided updates to Washington.

{WikiLeaks}

Using CablegateSearch.net we have listed the “juiciest” cables (if African broadband can be described as such), below. Many of the cables are extremely telling of what goes on behind closed doors and how the U.S. viewed African telecoms prospects from at least 2006-2009. The sentiments within the U.S. government probably still ring true today.

Summaries and notes will be listed in approximate reverse chronological order. Next up are three cables from April-June 2009. The main themes are censorship, undersea cables (SEACOM), and political engagement with social media:

Tunisia

Summary: Despite a global economic crisis, Tunisia’s IT sector continues to grow and contributes 10% of the GDP. Telecoms privatization is on the increase, but the Internet remains censored.
U.S. viewpoint: In general, Tunisia is moving in the “right direction.” Economic growth from domestic demand and the fact that Tunisia is close to meeting Internet goals are promising. However, quality of service still has weaknesses and government restrictions and censorship will potentially limit Internet penetration.

Notes:

The number of mobile phones surpassed the number of fixed line subscribers in 2003.
2.3 million Internet users as of August 2008, but only 365,000 subscribers.
ADSL connections expected to double from 2008 to 2009.
6,500 Tunisian websites by December 2008 (up 12% YoY).
Many coastal areas have broadband, but interior areas are behind.
2008: Goals set for one e-mail address for each citizen, 1 million computers by 2009, one public Internet center in each village by 2010.
Link: Tunisia’s It Sector Growing, But Some Challenges Remain, June 16, 2009

Kenya

Summary: The Seacom broadband cable will improve Internet access across East Africa. Competition will increase, access costs will decrease by 80%, and a knowledge-based society will be one step closer. Foreign investment will hit $10 billion.
U.S. viewpoint: Broadband is poised to arrive at Kenya in a hurry, with three fibre-optic links set to begin within a year. With a sound national ICT policy in place, along with a good BPO environment, Kenya is poised to become a global destination for business. E-government and e-learning will also blossom. Challenges are lack of trained personnel, lack of equipment, and the hard fact that many areas will still not have immediate access to the national fiber network.

Notes:

Seacom’s 1.28 terabits per second capacity will increase the average ISP bandwidth by 1000%.
The government has essentially completed a 5,000km national system to deliver the international bandwidth.
1Mbps costs $4,400-$5,000 but actual throughput is less.
Prices should decline, but will still exceed the international average rate by 33-66x.
Increased tax revenue can be invested in other sectors.
Link: Kenya’s New Broadband Infrastructure Promises Growth, May 15, 2009

South Africa

Summary: Political parties in South Africa are using the Internet to reach voters in advance of elections. Only 10% of the population is online, however, so the efforts may not be effective just yet. Mainstream parties have large Facebook presences, but reflect their community bases.
U.S. viewpoint: Obama’s 2008 election campaign caused South African political parties to focus more effort on appearing modern. However, these sites or social media feeds will not likely alter the outcome of the election. Little attention has been paid to mobile campaigns, for example. Still, privatization, broadband, and the 2010 World Cup will contribute to the adoption of online political movements.

Notes:

90% mobile penetration, 10.5% Internet penetration (grew 12.5% in 2008).
The ANC website lacks current election information.
The Democratic Alliance has a more substantial web presence, including blogs and Facebook activity.
Other parties have sites with varying levels of interaction.
U.S. follows South African political Twitter accounts.
Link: South African Political Parties Have Embraced Social Media, But Is Anyone Listening?, April 20, 2009

Tentative Post Schedule:
9/8/11: (2009) Kenya, Zambia, Ethiopia
9/9/11: South Africa, Nigeria, Tanzania
9/10/11: Tunisia, Kenya, South Africa
9/12/11:(2008) Senegal, South Africa, Uganda
9/14/11: (2007) Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya
9/18/11: Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Kenya
9/19/11: (2006) Kenya, Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia