Google Zeitgeist 2012 – What Kenya searched for most on Google this year.

Its (already?) that time of year when you know that we are coming to the very end when you start seeing all sorts of lists and retrospectives about the year that was even before it has ended. Indeed, one of the most interesting lists out there has to be what people searched for on Google during the year, better known as the Google Zeitgeist which came out yesterday/today depending on which part of the world you live in. For me, as has been the case for the past couple of years, its always interesting to get a local perspective and in this respect to see what Kenya searched for the most on Google. The top ten searches this year in Kenya on the Google Zeitgeist are as follows:

Read more

Solution provider of IT Leaders to meet in West Africa

The anticipated annual IT Leaders West Africa Summit will take place from 28 to 29 November 2012 in the heart of Ghana’s esteemed capital city, Accra. The summit is produced by international business-to-business conferencing company, Kinetic Events; key strategic information providers to the IT and telecoms sector within  Africa.

Read more

Best practices for moving from analog to digital broadcasting

Television stations worldwide are continuing to shift from analog to digital broadcasting, a change providers say increases efficiency, frees up bandwidth and offers higher-quality television.

Nearly all countries are scheduled to make the move to digital broadcasting by June 2015, according to an International Telecommunication Union agreement cited in a report from the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) and the African Media Initiative (AMI).

The report, authored by Knight International Journalism Fellow Meredith Beal, offers advice to help stations make a smooth transition to digital broadcasting:

Read more

Future of Intel in Africa

Betting Big on African Markets

Several global technology firms have set up shop in sub-saharan Africa, and Africa in general, with many leveraging Nairobi’s budding ICT industry as their regional headquarters. Tech firms such as Nokia, IBM, Google, Qualcomm, Microsoft, Samsung and Intel are eager to capture what are known as the emerging markets: India, China, Africa and Latin America.

In 2007, Intel’s Corp Chairman said that the “world’s next 1 billion Internet consumers will come from emerging market…there is only a 2 per cent Internet penetration in Africa,leaving a huge gap…This is not only a commercial opportunity but also poses a challenge and a compelling need for companies like ours to meaningfully invest here and grow the market.” Then, Intel was spending more than $100 million in education and health projects in the developing world. (Source: Associated Press, via USA Today.)

Read more

African News Innovation Winners Focus on Citizen Engagement, Investigative Tools and Whistleblower Security

Twenty African media innovators will receive a total of $1 million to develop digital projects that improve the quality of news across the continent, as part of the first African News Innovation Challenge (ANIC).

Many recipients concentrated on enhancing citizen journalism, investigative reporting and source protection.

ANIC is the largest fund for digital journalism experimentation in Africa. It is designed to spur solutions to the business, distribution and workplace challenges facing the African news industry. The contest was organized by the African Media Initiative (AMI), the continent’s largest association of media owners and operators, and managed by Knight International Journalism Fellow Justin Arenstein. The fellowships are administered by theInternational Center for Journalists.

A jury of 15 international media strategists, technology innovators and other experts evaluated more than 500 project plans before selecting winners from a shortlist of 40 projects. Arenstein announced the winners in Kigali, Rwanda, on November 28, at the African Editors’ Forum annual meeting.

Read more

African Women and ICTs. Investigating Technology, Gender and Empowerment

The revolution in information and communication technologies (ICTs) has vast implications for the developing world, but what tangible benefits has it brought when issues of social inclusion and exclusion, particularly in the developing world, remain at large? In addition, the gender digital divide is growing in the developing world, particularly in Africa. So what do ICTs mean to African women?African Women and ICTs explores the ways in which women in Africa utilize ICTs to facilitate their empowerment; whether through the mobile village phone business, through internet use, or through new career and ICT employment opportunities. Based on the outcome of an extensive research project, this timely book features chapters based on original primary field research undertaken by academics and activists who have investigated situations within their own communities and countries. The discussion includes such issues as the notion of ICTs for empowerment and as agents of change, ICTs in the fight against gender-based violence, and how ICTs could be used to reconceptualize public and private spaces.

 Read more

Zambian Women Launch Ambitious Crowd sourcing Project to map all African Women in Technology Initiatives

Using the power of crowdsourcing & social-networking Zambia's Women in Technology organisation Asikana Network is creating the world's first comprehensive map of Africa's Women in Technology organisations, projects and initiatives.

Lusaka's http://asikananetwork.org/ organises mentoring, training, events and meet-ups for women trying to break into the male-dominated world of ICT in Zambia.

“It's extremely difficult for females in ICT to land their dream ICT jobs because it is still considered a male dominated field “, says Ella Mbewe, co-founder of the Asikana Network.

Read more

Kenyan Local Digital Content: Challenges and Prospects

Local content is an expression and communication of a community’s locally generated, owned and adapted knowledge and experience that is relevant to the community’s situation.

In Kenya, local digital content can be used to share and provide information on all aspects of the country’s socio-economic, political, cultural and religious aspects. This will help promote its interest in trade, investment, tourism, industries as well as promote local and international goodwill.

Now more than ever social media offers new ways of capturing some parts of this information. Videos, photos, audio and texts are some formats used to create this content, as technology becomes available to millions of people through computers, tablets and mobile phones the possibility is limitless.

Read more