[UgaBYTES] Fwd: Issue 495: Ghana: New survey results uncover more complex patterns of mobile phone and Internet use
Ndaula Sulah
ndaulasula at ugabytes.org
Fri Mar 12 14:27:09 EST 2010
Interesting New for you | Sulah
[image: Balancing Act News Update] Issue no 495
12th Mar 2010 Top Story <#12753c7bf4ad373a_topstory> Telecoms
News<#12753c7bf4ad373a_tel> Internet
News <#12753c7bf4ad373a_int> Computer News <#12753c7bf4ad373a_comp> On the
Money <#12753c7bf4ad373a_money> More <#12753c7bf4ad373a_others>
Ghana: New survey results uncover more complex patterns of mobile phone and
Internet use <#12753c7bf4ad373a_topstory>
This week market research company InterMedia launches AudienceScapes, a
research web site funded by the Gates Foundation. It conducted two country
surveys (Ghana and Kenya) in 2009 and of the two, the Ghana survey is
probably the more interesting for News Update readers. Based on a robust
national sample covering all regions of the country, it looks like there are
just under a million Internet users. Furthermore, 3% of the mobile users in
the sample accessed the Internet at least once a week. Russell Southwood
went through the numbers.
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telecoms
news MTN Ghana trial first UMTS 900 MHz roll-out in Africa
<#12753c7bf4ad373a_tel01> New twist in Nitel’s sale as Director of BPE is
suspended
<#12753c7bf4ad373a_tel02> Telkom Kenya to shift focus as it recovers from
Sh10bn loss
<#12753c7bf4ad373a_tel03> Telkom South Africa Hires Guards to Protect
Cables <#12753c7bf4ad373a_tel04>
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Internet NEWS
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Tata to Capitalise on Sea Cable for Growth in Africa
<#12753c7bf4ad373a_int01> South Africa: Rica Act and your Internet
connection
<#12753c7bf4ad373a_int02> Uganda e-trading gains pace
<#12753c7bf4ad373a_int03> Computer news Kenya’s Ministry Proposes Ban on
Used Computers
<#12753c7bf4ad373a_comp01> Google Holds Software Contest for African
Students <#12753c7bf4ad373a_comp02> Ghana: Education Minister - 'One Laptop
Per Child' is Good But... <#12753c7bf4ad373a_comp03> On the Money France
Telecom Demand for U.S.$385 Million Compensation Over Telkom Kenya's
'Vanished' Assets
<#12753c7bf4ad373a_money01> MTN South Africa net profit is down while
revenues increase by 9.2%
<#12753c7bf4ad373a_money02> Egypt: MobiNil aims for LINKdotNET deal
completion within a month <#12753c7bf4ad373a_money03> Nigeria’s centre
switch Begins Operation <#12753c7bf4ad373a_money04> More Telecoms, Rates,
Offers and Coverage <#12753c7bf4ad373a_telrates> Web and Mobile Data
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<http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6997/241592/899/0/> Ghana: New
survey results uncover more complex patterns of mobile phone and Internet
use
This week market research company InterMedia launches AudienceScapes, a
research web site funded by the Gates Foundation. It conducted two country
surveys (Ghana and Kenya) in 2009 and of the two, the Ghana survey is
probably the more interesting for News Update readers. Based on a robust
national sample covering all regions of the country, it looks like there are
just under a million Internet users. Furthermore, 3% of the mobile users in
the sample accessed the Internet at least once a week. Russell Southwood
went through the numbers.
The InterMedia survey was conducted in July and August 2009 and had 2,051
respondents based on a probability-proportional-to-size (PPS) plan. 56% of
the sample was urban and 46% rural. Only 1% of the sample had a university
degree or higher. The survey has been conducted before the arrival of four
new international cables (Glo One, Main One, WACS and ACE) that will almost
certainly bring both cheaper fixed and mobile Internet for household users.
Based on the total population in Ghana of 23.8 million in 2009, 4% of the
sample had access to the Internet based on which there are around 952,000
people with access. 7% had access in urban areas and only 1% in rural areas.
80% of those using Internet in the sample were aged 15-29.
However, 10% of the overall sample had access to computers, over double the
amount of people actually accessing the Internet, which implies that cost is
a limiting factor. 18% of the sample in urban areas had access to a computer
compared with 4% in rural areas. Interestingly, 8% of the overall sample had
an MP3 player.
Price and available bandwidth are obviously constraining what Ghanaian
Internet users can do and the majority still use it for things like e-mail
and research. However, there are those using it several times a day/once day
for the following (based on % of Internet users in the sample):
Watch/download videos 15%
Play games 14%
Visit social networking sites 15%
All of these uses are before there is really the bandwidth to make this a
pleasurable experience or the cost of Internet to make it widely attractive.
Internet use on mobile phones is only a very small percentage of the sample
but nonetheless significant because even small percentages of a large number
(all mobile users) makes for a large actual number of users. 11% of the
total sample had used radio via their mobile phone in the last week compared
to only 1% accessing radio over fixed Internet.
Of the mobile users in the sample, they had done following at least once a
week: 19% had listened to radio using their phone; 3% had accessed the
Internet; and 1% had watched mobile TV.
The survey emphasises the point that mobile is a media. 16% of the sample
had got news and information in the last week using SMS compared to 18% from
newspapers. 24% of urban users used SMS in this way compared to 10% of rural
users. Whereas traditional media (Radio: 89% and TV: 64%) and word of mouth
(friends and family: 64% and other people in the community: 39%) remain
dominant, SMS is steadily building itself into a media that might easily
displace newspapers in the next 2-3 years. With increased amounts of
smartphones and Internet use, this could pose a significant threat to
African print media.
However, 44% of the sample did not use SMS, probably for reasons of
literacy, functional or otherwise: 14% did not use it all and 30% said they
did not use it easily.
But mobile companies beware! Users think that the services that they are
using are expensive. 75% of the sample either agreed or strongly agreed with
the statement that “Having a mobile phone is expensive.”
InterMedia has launched its AudienceScapes site which can be found on the
link below. Whilst aimed at the development sector, there is a great deal of
useful information for anyone involved in communications in Africa:
http://audiencescapes.org/<http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6997/241592/1077/0/>
The two surveys of Ghana and Kenya can be downloaded by clicking on the
links below:
http://www.intermedia.org/brochures/AudienceScapes_Ghana%20Quant.pdf<http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6997/241592/1078/0/>
http://www.intermedia.org/brochures/AudienceScapes_Kenya%20Quant.pdf<http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6997/241592/1079/0/>
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TELECOMS NEWS
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MTN Ghana trial first UMTS 900 MHz roll-out in Africa
Ericsson and MTN Ghana demonstrate it is possible to build and expand cost
effective nation-wide mobile broadband coverage
Ericsson has successfully trialled UMTS 900 MHz for the first time on the
African continent with operator MTN Ghana. UMTS 900 MHz further extends
mobile broadband coverage especially into suburban, rural and offshore
areas, offering coverage up to 200 km. In urban areas it compliments UMTS
2100 MHz in offering more network capacity and better in-building coverage.
Lars Lindén, President, Ericsson sub-Saharan Africa, says; “By leveraging
off their existing installed Ericsson 3G Radio Access Network and enabling
UMTS in 900 MHz, not only can voice, video and high speed data calls be
carried over the network, but operators benefit from having one network
delivering all services with the lowest total cost of ownership.”
According to a GSMA report, UMTS 900 provides between 44% (in urban areas)
and 119% (rural areas) increased coverage per Node-B compared with UMTS
2100. This is primarily due to the propagation characteristics of the lower
frequency band and leads directly to lower CAPEX and increased mobility
benefits, providing a new option, with greater service capability, for
operators who may wish to replace their GSM networks.
Given the recent establishment of a comprehensive end-to-end communication
solution providing 3.5G mobile communications and Internet access to rural
clusters in Ghana, Ericsson is able to continue its focus of bringing mobile
voice and Internet data services to the community which impacts the end-user
directly, enabling access to health, education and small businesses.
Under the terms of the agreement, Ericsson will be responsible for the
access, transport and transmission of 3G UMTS 900 MHz, where roll-out will
begin in Q2 2010. Additionally, Ericsson developed advanced special features
and assisted with the spectrum optimisation of GSM to free up just 3.8MHz
required for UMTS 900 MHz. A fast and efficient migration to UMTS 900 MHz
enables superior coverage and capacity.
The trial was completed with legacy 3G RBS 3418 main-remote equipment,
previously installed by MTN Ghana. This further showcases the longer
equipment life-cycle and better total cost of ownership of the Ericsson
solutions provided at the beginning of the 3G rollout. The use of 900 MHz
also allows operators to reuse existing GSM 900 antenna systems for UMTS
900.
(Source: Ghanaweb)
The curse of Nitel claims the Director-General of the privatization
process
After the fiasco of a successful bidder for Nitel who did not have one of
its key shareholders (China’s Unicom) committed, the Nigerian Government has
now suspended indefinitely the Director General of the Bureau of Public
Enterprises (BPE), Dr Christopher Anyanwu.
Several informed sources last week told us that a prominent figure in a
Government owned communications organisation was connected with the bid and
this may be the reason behind the suspension. A range of operators and
analysts have told us that the bid price was well over what the company
might be worth.
Hajia Zainab Ilyasu, acting Chief Executive of Nitel told local paper, the
Daily Trust in a telephone interview last week that she was optimistic the
removal of the BPE boss would not affect the current effort to sell of 75%
stake of NITEL to investors. "The National Council on Privatisation (NCP)
had already approved of the transaction. I do not expect the DG's removal to
affect the process because the exercise was transparent," she said. However,
with suspension of the Director-General of BPE, a meeting scheduled today
(Friday) to discuss the transaction will not take place. The curse of Nitel
has is taking its toll, not least on its employees whose pay is 20 months in
arrear.
(Source: Daily Trust)
Telkom Kenya to shift focus as it recovers from US$124 million loss
Telkom Kenya has announced that it will be making shifts in its strategic
focus this year as it attempts to get back on the track to profitability on
the back of a US$124 million loss last year on revenues of just under US$138
million. The company has also gone into negotiations with the Government
over reclaiming some of its purchase price on the basis of “lost assets”
(see On The Money below).
Speaking at a press briefing last week, Telkom Kenya CEO, Mickael Ghossein,
said the company had encountered severe conditions in the last trading year
that had affected its ability to generate profits.
“We are now focusing on providing quality services, innovating and providing
value for money. Our grand plan is to move the market towards true broadband
connectivity, offering speeds of up to 8 mega bits per second,” he said. It
took its first major step towards this objective by launching a 2 mbps
“double play” service offering voice and Internet.
The announcement comes at a time when the local telephony industry is in a
state of flux. On the one hand, traditional forms of communication such as
the fixed line are being challenged by newer technologies such as the GSM
services, popularised by mobile players.
In 2006, when the incumbent national operator was seeking a fresh injection
of cash from a prospective buyer, the company estimated its average revenue
per user (ARPU) amount to be $43.
In its latest earnings release, France Telecom, which bought the firm in
2007, says the company is now getting $19 from its fixed line clients,
reflecting the downward pressure high competition in the telephony market
has inflicted on revenues.
In the mobile segment, which Telkom Kenya entered in earnest in 2008, the
picture is even more bleak since the company makes $1.8 in ARPU from its
mobile customers. By comparison, Safaricom is getting US$6 per customer and
Zain US$4 per customer.
Speaking at the Digital Africa Summit in Kampala this week, Ghossein
explained that the transformation of the company was a massive task as
previously different parts of the company operated without reference to the
impact they might have on other parts of the company. He said that there
were lots of technologies in the company but everyone had been operating in
vertical silos.
He said the customer was not interested in what technology delivered it. He
gave the example of how a customer who has an ADSL line that goes down could
be migrated to its EVDO service whilst the problem is fixed. However, he
spoke candidly when he said that “we are not succeeding as well as hoped
(yet) with a converged staff dealing with all technologies.”
(Various sources including Business Daily)
Telkom South Africa Hires Guards to Protect Cables
Telkom has resorted to deploying armed guards to hide in bushes overnight to
try to stop gangs from stripping phone lines in the Western Cape. Sources
have told the Cape Argus that one of the hardest-hit areas is the Elgin
Valley, where a 1km stretch of phone line had been stolen during the night
on at least six occasions recently - leaving a number of farms without phone
lines.
Another stretch of phone line, in Valley Road which leads off the N2 to
prominent apple and wine farms, had been stolen 10 times, a source said.
Telkom has now instructed its hired security guards to sleep out on farms
and on roadsides to try to ambush the gangs. Sources said the thieves cut
through cabling, rolled it up, then gave the call for bakkies or light
trucks to fetch it when the coast was clear. They usually struck between
9.30pm and 3am.
Another source estimated that R2-million worth of cabling had been stolen
recently in the Elgin Valley alone, and that other farming areas such as
Vyeboom, Villiersdorp and Stellenbosch were also hard hit.
Telkom spokesperson Pynee Chetty confirmed last week that the parastatal had
taken a range of steps to combat cable theft. Certain stretches of phone
lines were now alarmed and others were patrolled. The company was also
burying cabling in particularly vulnerable areas. Telkom was also pushing
for the government to reclassify copper cable as providing an essential
service, whereby its theft would be classed as sabotage.
(Source: Cape Argus)
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telecoms briefs
- The dispute over the jurisdiction of government ministers in Zimbabwe’s
telecoms sector appears to have been abruptly ended by President Robert
Mugabe, who allocated the administration of the Posts and Telecommunications
Act to the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Infrastructural
Development, reports Zimbabwean state-backed newspaper The Herald.
- New mobile communication businesses now have a platform to globally show
case their innovative products, following the launch of Mobile Monday
Kampala (MoMoKla) in Uganda. MoMo, a global network of mobile industry
professionals and startups has a presence in 100 cities globally. The
Kampala chapter was officially unveiled by Igeme Nabeta, the chairman of
Parliament's ICT Committee on Monday in Munyonyo. It is now the second
African chapter after Mobile Monday South Africa.
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INTERNET
NEWS
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Tata to Capitalise on Sea Cable for Growth in Africa
Global telecoms giant Tata Communications was set to increase its
investments in Africa to capitalise on the arrival of new submarine data
cables, CEO Srinath Narasimhan said last week.
Speaking to Business Day at Tata' s Global Media Summit in London,
Narasimhan said the launch of the West African Cable System (WACS) - a
high-speed communications cable running from SA to the UK that is expected
to become operational next year - would lead to Tata "opening up more
opportunities on the west coast of Africa".
The world's largest wholesale international voice carrier, Tata has hitherto
made few significant investments on the continent beyond a 56% stake in SA'
s fixed-line operator Neotel. "There's not the infrastructure in place yet
to deliver a full portfolio of services in West Africa," Narasimhan said.
"But we will have that once the WACS cable comes into operation."
The company had already begun pursuing opportunities in Kenya and Tanzania
following last year's launch of the Seacom cable, established by a
consortium including Tata.
"We'll start with wholesale services, setting up a point of presence for IP
(internet protocol), Ethernet or clear bandwidth, depending on what the
customers want," Narasimhan said.
Neotel was set to benefit from Tata 's drive to strengthen its managed
services component, said Narasimhan - notably through the parent company's
focus on telepresence, an advanced form of videoconferencing. The first
service provider to launch public-room telepresence services, in July 2008,
Tata operates 13 locations worldwide, including one at Neotel's Johannesburg
headquarters. It expects to open 25 more this year.
(Source: Business Day)
South Africa: Rica Act and your Internet connection
South Africa’s Regulation of Interception of Communications Act (Rica) gives
some idea of the complications that arise when you mandate the registration
of customers. For Rica is not just for those with cellphones -- it affects
all Internet users too. Whether you get your internet through your phone
line from a service provider (iBurst, MWeb, Neotel) or through a data card
on your cellphone, section 40 of Rica says that you must be registered in
terms of the Act.
Rica makes it compulsory for everybody with cellphones, everybody buying a
new SIM card, and all broadband internet users to register at their service
provider with proof of residence and their identity document or passport. It
was introduced to help fight illegal activities, particularly organised
crime, where the criminals buy cheap pay-as-you-go SIM cards that cannot be
traced.
But while Rica-ing your cellphone number may be a matter of simply visiting
the local branch of your mobile service provider, customers of Internet
service providers (ISPs) may find the process somewhat more challenging.
Rica stipulates that the ISPs must personally verify the documents that
their customers are required to submit before a service can be activated.
But many ISPs are online businesses, which means they sign up customers and
maintain relationships with them over the Internet.
"An ISP may be based in Cape Town but provide Internet access to the whole
of South Africa. It is not clear … how such an ISP will be able to verify
Rica documentation in person where its customers are hundreds or thousands
of kilometres away," said Dominic Cull, regulatory adviser to the Internet
Service Providers' Association of South Africa (ISPA), in a press release.
Rica a long and costly process. Cull claimed that the registration of
cellphone users is costing the mobile service providers a "massive" amount
of money, and that it appears the process will not be completed by the end
of December 2010.
"If the mobile providers are struggling to comply with personal verification
then it follows that personal verification will be close to impossible for
ISPs to comply with. Most of our members have a purely online relationship
with their customers since they do not provide a physical component for
their services, such as a SIM card," said Cull.
Tlali Tlali, spokesperson for the Department of Justice, told the Mail &
Guardian it was aware there will be challenges with the implementation of
Rica. "It is the responsibility of the service providers to ensure
compliance with Rica. We are not naïve to the fact that there will be
challenges, but this is not an excuse for failure to comply. But we will
deal with each situation as it arises, on its own merits."
The ISPA has noted that the Department of Justice has taken "a number of
steps" to address its concerns about the logistics of customer registration
and verification; "In particular, the amendments to section 39 of Rica that
will allow ISPs to use agents to verify customer documents."
But the ISPA questioned why Rica did not allow the verification of documents
in electronic format when the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act
of 2002 created a framework to do this. "South African law clearly provides
for verification of documents in electronic format, and the ISPA is not sure
why this framework is not being used for customer registration under Rica."
Tlali explained that some things are still under consideration, and details
were still being worked out. He added that meetings will be held with all
stakeholders on a six-monthly basis to discuss the situation with regards to
implementation of Rica across the sector. "We do not want to cause
inconvenience to anyone; we want to be flexible, but without compromising on
the terms of the Act. We want to get as much compliance as possible."
Cull told the M&G that the ISPA has not been involved in any sort of
stakeholders' consultation meeting. "But we would absolutely welcome it," he
said.
Cull noted that relooking at the definition of an ISP would help to lessen
the doubt over who exactly Rica applies to. "If you cut down on the broad
definition of ISPs -- at the moment it could extend to varsities, offices,
and even families -- and just make it apply to those companies with licences
who provide access to the internet.
"We have no problem with the concept of verification, but we would like
common sense to prevail. All ISPs are in a state of uncertainty, a grey
area. We're doing our best but it's difficult for us to personally verify
our customers," he added.
(Source: Mail & Guardian)
Uganda e-trading gains pace
The new electronic system launched by the Uganda Securities Exchange that
started with the opening of accounts is gathering pace. A significant number
of brokers have been opening e-trading accounts.
The exact number of accounts opened could not be established at all the
brokerage firms although at one at least over 20 people had opened accounts
within two weeks. African Alliance, MBEA, Baroda Capital Markets and
Renaissance brokerage firms did not disclose the number of clients who have
opened accounts. Uganda has at least 10 brokerage firms that are currently
the Securities Central Depository agents where accounts are being opened.
“An account creates a profile for the investor,” a broker told East African
Business Week. “Once the account is fully open then an investor will pay any
amount of money to the brokerage firms’ account and then give the firm a go
ahead to purchase shares,” he said.
At the launch of the new system Joel Lutamaguzi, the manager of the
Securities Central Depository (SCD) system at USE, said they expect investor
numbers to grow because account opening remains for those who wish to hold
securities.
“One doesn’t necessarily need to purchase shares in order to have an
account. Holding an account means in case of an IPO, purchasing and
transacting of securities will be made easy,” Luttamaguzi added. According
to the SDA’s Most of the people opening accounts are mainly ones who already
own shares in various companies.
The first phase of implementing the SCD system involves the investors
opening accounts with the Securities Depository Agents (SDAs) will give way
to automated trading of stocks on the USE, which will be the second phase to
be completed by the end of the year. The SDAs include all the brokerage
firms licensed by the Capital Markets.
(Source: The East African)
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Internet briefs
- Telkom South Africa which is responsible for much of the telecoms and
broadcasting requirements for the World Cup, has now turned to Seacom for
additional international capacity and redundancy. According to one source
Telkom did not have much of a choice about incorporating Seacom into its
2010 network, and despite recent capacity upgrades to SAT-3/SAFE the fixed
line provider still needed Seacom to ensure it has adequate capacity to
serve its 2010 needs. It is understood that Telkom has inked a deal with
TATA Communications, which is part of the Tata Group (Neotel’s biggest
shareholder), to gain capacity on Seacom.
- The Tunisian website "www.leaders.com.tn" recently launched a new service
of electronic news via mobile phones. The new version is expected to offer
easier access to the website. "Leaders' founder, Tawfik Habib said that this
new service is offered free of charge to readers on cell phones without the
need to use computers.
- Vizada and Nairobi-based Indigo Telecom launch the ThurayaIP satellite
service in Kenya comprising broadband mobile satellite terminal,
communications airtime, prepaid billing, and technical support. The full
package will be provided to customers based in Kenya and operating in other
parts of East Africa, notably southern Sudan and Somalia. These include
security companies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working on food
programs and media organizations.
- In South Africa, a special inter-ministerial committee is to be set up to
finalise government's broadband policy, government spokesman Themba Maseko
said.
"The policy seeks to, among other things, address availability,
accessibility, and affordability of broadband, building an information
society, as well as to promote uptake and usage of broadband."
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COMPUTER
NEWS
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Kenya’s Ministry Proposes Ban on Used Computers
The government is proposing a ban on second-hand computers to curb dumping
and encourage local assembling. A study on electronic waste conducted in
Kenya in 2008 indicated that the country generated 3,000 tonnes of e-waste
from computers, monitors and printers in 2007. Information and
Communications PS, Dr Bitange Ndemo, says his ministry is proposing to
Treasury to include in the next year's Budget a ban on used computers.
The government zero-rated duty on imported computers in 2006, a development
that led to rise in imports. Dr Ndemo said last week over the years many
government incentives have made new computers affordable, adding there was
no need for imports with short life span that led to accumulation of
e-waste.
While new computers can last up to eight years, the second-hand machines can
only go for three years. "The organisations shipping in these used computers
are being paid to get them out of those countries but are disguising
themselves as donors assisting Kenya's schools," said the PS. "It is cheaper
for companies in the developed world to pay these organisations to bring the
computers here than destroy them."
A study conducted by Eco Ethics International in 2007 on the impact of
imported second-hand computers in the country show that those dealing in
these computers started bringing them in 2003 but the number doubled after
the removal of VAT.
"When asked on the development of the business over time, we were shocked at
their response," reads part of the research report. "The business only
picked up in 2003 and doubled in 2006 when the government removed VAT."
During this year's Budget read last year, the government announced a
one-million laptop campaign where it was to guarantee interests on loans
borrowed from banks for buying a laptop or personal computers (PCs).
However, the private sector, mainly the telecommunications companies
embarked on a similar initiative that made the government to retreat,
leaving it to the private sector. The operators have partnered with various
financiers and are offering laptops from Sh25,000 and Sh75,000. On the other
hand, refurbished computers retail from as low as Sh15,000.
Several non-governmental organisations, such as Computer-Aid International
and Computer for Schools Kenya (CFSK) are among those who have been
receiving computers from donors and distributing them to the learning
institutions. However, CFSK is among the organisations that have embarked on
projects to reduce e-waste in the country.
(Source: Business Daily)
Google Holds Software Contest for African Students
Search engine giant, Google, has announced the start-off of it's annual
African software programmers competition which is coming barely two weeks
after the launch of it's latest map domains which featured an elaborate and
very extensive navigable map of Nigeria and that of thirty other African
countries.
This competition tagged Google Code Jam Africa will throw African computer
students against each other as they flex brain muscles trying to break
software codes and algorithmic whizzes designed by the most ingenious minds
on the planet. Participants coming from Nigeria are expected to be
extensively exposed to software programming and coding to be able to stand a
chance in the competition.
According to a release published by Google Africa Developers on their
official website "this will be a chance to compete against fellow African
programmers and then practice for the Global Code Jam 2010". Scheduled for
Dublin in April, it will run till the last week of July. Outstanding
performers will stand the chance of undergoing internship training at
Google's Engineering Headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, should they wish
to apply.
Last year, Nigeria's Oduntan Odubanjo, was one of four computer students
selected from Africa for an internship programme at the Google office.
During this period, he worked with the Africa Engineering team on a project
to link Google SMS Tip Search data with the web. His current interests lie
in mobile applications, mobile marketing and mobile advertising. He is
currently in his final year of Computer Engineering at the Obafemi Awolowo
University, Ile-Ife where he serves as Google Campus Ambassador.
(Source: Vanguard)
Ghana: Education Minister - 'One Laptop Per Child' is Good But...
The Education Minister, Alex Tetteh Enyo has said the one laptop per child
(OLPC) concept is a good one, but issues of sustainability and security
needs to be properly addressed before the programme can be continued.
He said this when he responded to a question as to how the first batch of
laptops under the OLPC were distributed to school pupils and when the
exercise will be completed. The Education Minister added that his Ministry
has found it necessary to review the scheme in terms of its cost implication
and sustainability.
He said the Ministry is committed to deployment of ICT in the teaching and
learning process, with efforts being made to provide class or laboratory
solutions, and not 'one on one' solutions at the pre-tertiary levels, in
view of the capital intensive nature of ICT deployment.
The Minister told the legislative house that last year the Ministry took
delivery of one thousand XO laptops from the OLPC programme, under an
agreement made between the Ghana OLPC foundation and the OLPC organisation
of the USA for the supply of ten thousand laptops for distribution
nationwide.
He added that this followed a pilot project had been implemented by the
Ministry in two schools, namely Kanda Estate '5' School in Accra and Bonsaso
Primary School in the Amansie West district in the Ashanti Region.
Tetteh Enyo explained that the regional directors and district directors of
Ghana Education Service (GES) were invited to identify primary schools that
had electricity supply and secured structures for the computers. "A final
list of thirty beneficiary primary schools was prepared and the distribution
was done in August 2009", the Minister said.
(Source: The Ghanaian Chronicle)
[image: BA banner]<http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6997/241592/454/0/>
Computer briefs
- Leabridge Technologies, a Zimbabwe ICT firm, has been engaged by South
African firms to provide advanced technology security services at the 2010
World Cup.
- Uganda is reconsidering its ban on the importation of used electronics
following complaints from traders and other stakeholders over the
indiscriminate nature of the policy. State Minister for Trade Tourism and
Industry Gagawala Wambuzi told The EastAfrican that they were adopting a
more targeted approach to the implementation of the ban to focus on
technology that is harmful to the environment instead of uniform application
to all second hand goods.
- The Government, through Rwanda Information Communication Technology
Association (RICTA) is set to boost ICT development in the country by coming
up with a new strategy that will ensure a vibrant sector. RICTA and the
Government have come up with policies on how multinational companies can
partner with local ICT companies in the country in order to build local
capacity.
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ON THE MONEY
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France Telecom Demand for U.S.$385 Million Compensation Over Telkom Kenya's
'Vanished' Assets
France Telecom will start negotiations with the Government a sum in
compensation almost equal to the purchase price of the company because it
says that it is not able to trace some of the assets that were on the books
of the former parastatal at the time it was put on sale.
The company now wants the government to compensate it to the tune of a
massive $385 million - an amount almost equal to what the French company
paid for its 51 per cent share of Telkom Kenya.
As part of preparations for sale of Telkom Kenya, all the information about
the company, including assets and audited accounts for five years - was
deposited in a data room to which all interested bidders were allowed
access.
Did unscrupulous individuals grab assets of Telkom Kenya between the time
the data room was established and the time of the actual sale of the company
to France Telecom? Is the French company to blame for not having conducted a
proper due diligence before signing on the dotted line?
These are the pertinent questions at the heart of a dispute that has cast
doubts on the integrity of one of the largest privatisation transactions in
the history of Kenya, in which the government pocketed a whopping $390
million - the largest sum ever obtained from the sale of shares of a
parastatal to a foreign investor.
Both sides are still tightlipped. A party who was involved in the
transaction for France Telecom told The EastAfrican that actual negotiations
between the government and the French company were yet to begin - pointing
out that the view of his side of the divide was that the matter should be
kept away from the media attention for now.
An e-mail with questions sent to France Telecom's Michel Barre, who was
reportedly visiting Nairobi to engage the government on the dispute, went
unanswered.
Neither did the government side want to release the details of the dispute.
But sources have confirmed to The EastAfrican that the government side has
gone ahead and engaged a Nairobi law firm to lead the negotiations with
France Telecom. Negotiations begin in earnest on March 21.
Aside from assets that the French company claims have disappeared from
Telkom Kenya's books, it is also accusing the government of non-disclosure
of material contracts at the time of the transaction. The French claim that
after taking over, they stumbled on supplier contracts with huge liabilities
that had not been disclosed in the data room at the time of the transaction.
More questions: Did some people in Telkom Kenya rush to commit the company
to opaquely procured supply contracts between the time the data room was
opened and the time France Telecom took over?
Second, the French have reportedly made claims questioning the integrity and
accuracy of Telkom Kenya's audited accounts that were lodged in the data
room at the time of the transaction.
Third, France Telecom is accusing the government of non-disclosure of
material information with respect to tax liabilities, uncollectable debts,
suspense accounts and unreconciled bank accounts.
Technically, the claims by the French are based on what is referred to in
legal parlance as warranties -- a situation where a party is allowed to
claim monies from the seller of an asset if it turns out later that all
facts were not fully disclosed before the transaction was concluded.
Apparently, the share purchase agreement signed between the government and
the French company issued a number of warranties.
How the tussle turns out remains to be seen. But sources who understand the
transaction told The EastAfrican that in cases where the government gave
clear warranties such as the pension fund liabilities and tax arrears to the
Kenya Revenue Authority, it is likely to agree to paying up.
"That agreement does not have warranties against the accuracy of financial
accounts," said the source, pointing out that France Telecom cannot turn
around at this stage and take issue over matters it should have questioned
at the time it was doing due diligence on Telkom Kenya.
Indeed, opinion among experts who were involved in the transaction is
unanimous that the claim by the French is excessive. "How can they claim
$380 million when they paid us $390 million? Did we give Telkom Kenya to
these French people for free?" asked a local investment banker who had been
hired by one of the bidders as an investment adviser to the transaction.
(Source: The East African)
MTN South Africa net profit is down while revenues increase by 9.2%
MTN Group revenues increased by 9,2% to R111,9 billion and earnings before
interest, tax and depreciation ("EBITDA") by 6.7% to R46,1 billion based on
a sound operational performance for the year ended 31 December 2009.
Movements in exchange rates in the year, mainly in the South African Rand
("ZAR") and Nigerian Naira ("NGN"), had a substantially negative impact on
the Group's financial results. To illustrate this, had there been no change
in currency rates during the year, reported revenues at year end would have
been 11 percentage points higher, and EBITDA 12 percentage points above that
reported. Adjusted headline earnings per share ("EPS") decreased by 16.6% to
754.3 cents and, excluding the impact of the functional currency losses,
increased by 8.5% to 878.9 cents.
Said MTN Group President and CEO Phuthuma Nhleko: "The solid performance of
MTN operations in most of the countries in which the Group has a presence
was achieved despite economic challenges, increased regulatory changes and
growing competition. Continued delivery in accordance with an aggressive
network rollout strategy remained key throughout 2009, enabling MTN to
maintain or improve its market share in most of its operations. Better
distribution and a focus on segmental product offerings were other
contributory factors. As a result, subscribers increased by 28,0% to 116,0
million for the period under review, indicating a continuing demand for
mobile services in countries where mobile penetration is still relatively
low".
MTN initiated several Group projects during 2009 which are being rolled out
through most operations. Although many of these projects are still in
progress, this Group-wide approach allows MTN to differentiate itself from
the competition, thereby ensuring a stronger brand and product preference
whilst leveraging its regional footprint. These projects include the
following:
A coordinated effort to improve operational efficiencies through centralised
procurement, best practice guidelines for site build, network management,
safety and activity based costing.
Continued investments in Internet Service Providers ("ISP") across all
regions have been made to ensure that MTN is favourably positioned. MTN
South Africa acquired Verizon Business South Africa (Pty) Ltd in early 2009
and successfully integrated the company with Network Solutions. The combined
entity was launched in September 2009 with a key focus on converged services
to the corporate segment. It is envisaged that MTN Business, although South
African based, will provide a Pan-African opportunity to service the
corporate sector across and beyond MTN's footprint.
MTN has committed in excess of USD191 million in various submarine cables to
ensure high-speed connectivity and improved quality and capacity of voice
and data offerings. These include the East Africa submarine cable ("EASSy");
the Europe India gateway ("EIG"); SAT-3/SAFE; the East Africa Marine system
("TEAMs") and the West Africa Cable System ("WACS").
With an initial focus on money transfers, Mobile Money has been launched to
date in South Africa, Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin and Yemen.
The success of MTN Uganda, which was first to launch the new service in
March 2009, is indicative of the scale of the opportunity: to date, Uganda
has more than 680,000 Mobile Money subscribers.
There have been many regulatory changes within the telecommunications
industry over the past year, particularly focused on SIM registration and
reductions in Mobile Termination Rates ("MTR"). Constructive and early
engagement with regulatory authorities by management teams have ensured that
MTN's operations have been generally well prepared for compliance with the
regulatory changes implemented in 2009, and will be for those to follow in
2010.
To read the full press release click on
http://www.mtn.com/Media/overviewdetail.aspx?pk=402<http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6997/241592/1080/0/>
Egypt: MobiNil aims for LINKdotNET deal completion within a month
Egyptian Company for Mobile Services (MobiNil), Egypt’s largest mobile
network operator by subscribers, has revealed that it has set a deadline by
which it aims to complete the acquisition of broadband provider LINKdotNET
(Egypt), Reuters is reporting.
MobiNil, which is currently at the centre of an ownership dispute between
France Telecom and Egyptian telecoms group Orascom Telecom, has said that it
aims to finalise the acquisition of LINKdotNET from Orascom within a month,
with MobiNil chairman Alex Shalaby noting: ‘We have set an internal target,
within the board, that we would like to see this completed and concluded
within 30 days, within a month from the board meeting yesterday [9 March].’
The development follows reports in December 2009 that saw Orascom announce
it had suspended sale talks until the MobiNil ownership dispute; earlier
this week CommsUpdate reported that an Egyptian court had delayed the next
ruling on the matter until 27 March.
(Source: Telegeography)
Nigeria’s centre switch Begins Operation
A major landmark achievement had been made in the nation's e-payment system,
following the completion of the Nigeria Central Switch (NCS) project by the
Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), a body set up in 1993 by the
Bankers Committee. With this development, all payment cards issued by banks
in Nigeria will be accepted on all acceptable devices deployed in the
country.
Speaking on Tuesday in Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer of NIBSS, Paul
Lawal, said the completion of the project which started in 2004 will impact
positively on the nation's economy, stressing that cardholders will now
enjoy tremendous freedom to use their cards in a safe and secure manner in
any place in the country, while delivering substantial benefits to all
stakeholders.
Lawal disclosed that four banks and the major scheme operators in the
country which include: Interswitch, e-transact, Valuecard and Chams are
already connected to the project, stating that a globally renowned company
in the area of electronic payment system technologies, ACI Worldwide
Incorporated, is the technical partner. He listed NCS' benefits as: direct
and immediate gains to the economy by providing great savings in foreign
exchange, and also, banks and other players in the payment industry will
rely on NCS while concentrating in their respective core functions.
(Source: Daily Trust)
[image: BA report
banner]<http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6997/241592/288/0/>
On the Money briefs
- The Egyptian government is believed to be considering the sale of a
portion of its 80% stake in fixed line incumbent Telecom Egypt, Reuters
reports. A final decision has yet to be reached on such a divestment, but
commenting on the development, Tarek Kamel, Egypt’s communications minister,
said: ‘When I was asked a question on whether it was possible to put an
additional stake from Telecom Egypt on the stock exchange in the future, my
response was yes, dependent on ongoing studies with experts and
consultancies.’ No timeframe for a final decision on a stake sale has been
suggested, and Mr Kamel also noted that any such action would require
approval by the cabinet.
- Orascom Telecom Holding (OTH) says that it has lost the appeal against
back-dated tax claims that were landed on its Algerian subsidiary Orascom
Telecom Algérie (OTA). The company doesn't have to pay the full amount yet
but will be required to pay a further 20% of the claim pending its next
appeal with the Central Commission.
MORE
- Telecoms, Rates, Offers And Coverage <#12753c7bf4ad373a_troc>
- Web and Mobile Data news <#12753c7bf4ad373a_wmd>
- People <#12753c7bf4ad373a_people>
- Events <#12753c7bf4ad373a_events>
- Jobs and opportunities <#12753c7bf4ad373a_jobs>
- Contracts <#12753c7bf4ad373a_contracts>
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Telecoms Rates, Offers and Coverage
- Telkom Kenya Ltd (TKL) is breathing life into its copper fixed line with
the activation of a new service that enables calls to be diverted to other
lines when there is a cut on the wire. Working on the principle of call
forwarding in case there is a cut on the fixed line, the call automatically
redirects to either the CDMA or GSM line. To access the service, CEO Mickael
Ghossein says, customers will not be required to meet any additional charges
for the call forwarding and any calls made from the extra numbers will be
billed to the normal line.
Web and Mobile Data News
Rwanda: Over Rwf60 Million Moved in 'Mobile Money' Transfers
About Rwf60 million has been moved in daily transactions, with the use of
the 'Mobile Money' facility, a month after it was launched, MTN Rwanda
officials said last week.
Andrew Rugege, the MTN Chief Executive Officer (COO) told Business Times on
Friday that daily transactions had increased since the 'Mobile Money'
platform was launched and added that active subscribers are close to 30,000
of the over 1 million MTN mobile clients. "The majority are active mobile
money customers who have been on MTN. We have a good number who have come on
board since we launched because of this value added service," Rugege said.
"Public interest has been overwhelming. Evidently people were looking for
safe, cost effective and convenient means to transact day-to-day business
across the country or simply from one end of the city to another," he added.
'Mobile Money' is a product that was pioneered by MTN Rwanda and launched at
the beginning of February this year. It is a facility which allows one to
send and receive money from the convenience of ones mobile phone.
Beneficiaries can also buy airtime for themselves. According to officials,
in the near future, customers will be able to purchase cash power, pay for
taxi fares, purchase groceries and probably buy airline tickets.
The company spent over $2 million as initial capital investment to implement
this service. It enables customers on the MTN network sign up and transact
at will through the 120 agents that have already been aligned.
The telecom company which is the largest in Rwanda by market share is
targeting 100,000 'Mobile Money' customers by the end of 2010. According to
Rugege, "this number is achievable" despite the number challenges being
faced.
"Some of the challenges include the fact that agents apprehend or the fear
handling the technology. This has been addressed by providing continuous
training. The other challenge is the lack of service penetration in remote
areas but are continuing to expand the number of accredited agents to ensure
that the product is available easily," Rugege said.
"Agents also were overwhelmed by the volumes of transactions. Some were
initially overwhelmed by the number of customers coming to them wanting to
transact 'Mobile Mobile'. The addition of new agents will spread the load
more evenly," he added.
MTN Rwanda is currently working with Commercial Bank of Rwanda as the major
partner of the scheme. The company expects other financial institutions to
come on board. The National Bank of Rwanda (NBR) as the regulator of all
financial institutions in the country, is supporting the product. The
central bank governor Francios Kanimba said a weeks ago that NBR will
endeavour to have the electronic transactions law passed. This law will
regulate all 'Mobile Money' facilities as well.
(Source: The New Times)
Kenya: Taking the risk out of farming via your mobile phone
Just as purchasers of electronic goods can buy extended warranties in case
their TV goes wrong, farmers in parts of Kenya can now mitigate the risk of
weather shocks by insuring their inputs at the point of sale.
The programme, dubbed “Kilimo Salama”, Swahili for “safe farming”, was
launched on 5 March in the Rift Valley provincial capital, Eldoret. It takes
advantage of the ubiquity and multi-functionality of mobile phones in Kenya.
“Every time a farmer buys seeds, fertilizer, or other agro-chemicals, they
can insure them, even for those who buy in very small quantities,” Rose
Goslinga, the coordinator of the Agricultural Index Insurance Initiative at
the Syngenta Foundation, told IRIN.
Policies, costing 10 percent of the inputs purchased, split equally between
farmer and manufacturers, who hope to increase sales as a result, will be
sold by agricultural suppliers armed with mobile phones loaded with
dedicated software.
“To insure a farmer, the stockist first scans a code with all relevant
product information via the phone’s camera; then he selects the weather
station closest to the farmer’s fields.
“Finally, the stockist enters the farmer’s mobile number and sends the
registration to our server. An immediate text message sent to the farmer
provides him with his policy number and insurance confirmation,” said
Goslinga. “You have to make it very easy for the farmers to try the
insurance,” she said, adding that the main administration costs incurred
were sending out the text alerts.
Weather stations monitor rainfall amount and distribution in the field,
which are then compared with the crop's water requirement vis-à-vis historic
rainfall patterns. In case of crop failure due to drought or too much rain,
farmers will receive a text message informing them of a payout, which they
will directly receive through M-PESA, a cash transfer service run by
telecoms operator, Safaricom.
Index-based insurance “pays out in events that are triggered by a publicly
observable index, such as rainfall recorded on a local rain gauge”, notes a
December 2009 International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) report,
Innovations in Insuring the Poor.
As the insurance is based on an independent trigger that cannot be
influenced by actions of the farmer, it reduces the likelihood of insured
individuals taking greater risks. However, there is a basis risk in that
payouts may not always exactly match the losses farmers experience, which
can be difficult for farmers to understand, noted IFPRI.
The Kilimo Salama programme was piloted on a group of 200 farmers in the
central region of Laikipia during the 2009 long rains. “They [the farmers]
thought it sounded too good to be true,” said Goslinga, adding that the
farmers were now taking more insurance after experiencing the benefit. Some
of them received a payout of up to 80 percent.
“For farmers the biggest risk is weather. To minimize exposure, they tend
to use as little inputs as possible. As a consequence, their harvest is
below the optimum even when rains are good. Insurance gives them the
security of a payout in case of a full crop failure, therefore promoting
investment in farming inputs and subsequently improving productivity,” she
said.
The insurance programme is targeting at least 5,000 farmers in Central, Rift
Valley and Western provinces, covering maize and wheat, which are facing
considerable weather risk.
Said Goslinga: “A key challenge is that insurance is new to farmers and it
generally has a bad reputation. Capacity building and trust are key
challenges.”
“These new tools to manage risk will need to be complemented with
investments that reduce the risks faced by poor households, such as low-cost
irrigation schemes and drought-resistant seed varieties,” the IFPRI report
stated. “To make index insurance viable, a long-term, reliable, and
homogeneous database of weather information is needed, as are weather
stations that report weather data quickly.”
(Source: IRIN)
People
Two new ICT ministers have been appointed. Colonel Houga Bi Jacques is
taking on the job in Côte d’Ivoire following a government reshuffling. In
Niger, Ms Takoubakoye Aminata Boureïma will head the ICT ministry in the new
transition government.
Events
*CIO SUMMIT 2010 – “FROM PRESSURE TO PERFORMANCE
**16-17 March 2010, Johannesburg's Emperors Palace, South Africa*
The two-day information and communication technology (ICT) conference will
host the industry's foremost global thought leaders as they present their
pioneering visions of the future to more than 80 of the region's most
influential ICT end users. For further information visit, please visit
www.idc-cema.com/events/ciosou2010<http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6997/241592/994/0/>
*
*
*4th ANNUAL E-GOV AFRICA FORUM 2010*
*23-25 March 2010, Maputo, Mozambique*
At a time when ICTs are defining the way the world lives and conducts
business, it is important for African governments to evolve themselves to
meet the demands of changing trends in order to deliver effective services
and to improve the quality of life of their citizenry. This also requires
the formation of Public Private Peoples Partnerships to be geared towards
achieving developmental goals through the application of ICTs to governance
(e-governance/e-government), electoral processes (e-democracy), food and
nutrition (e-agriculture), health delivery (e-health/telemedicine), learning
and capacity development (e-education) and trade (e-commerce), among others.
For further information on the conference visit the CTO’s website
<http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6997/241592/83/0/>
*CRASA 13TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – “BETTER REGULATION FOR SADC ICT MARKET’
**25-26 March 2010, Continental Hotel, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe**
*The theme of the AGM have been chosen as it is being recognised that it has
been more than two decades since the first ICT regulator was established in
the region. We recognise the fact that regulation is essential to achieve
the goals of the public policy and therefore better regulation is to be
considered in SADC so as to improve the policymaking process.
As we drive towards greater competition, credibility and welfare of SADC
citizens, we should recognise the critical need for high quality regulation
and regulation that is only used whenever appropriate.
In this regard, the Secretariat in coordination the NetTel at Africa is
coordinating a training workshop prior to the AGM on the “Southern Africa
Impact Assessment Training Workshop II” This is a follow up workshop on the
same theme that was held in Dares Salam Tanzania in September 2009. The
workshop will be held from 22 to 24 March 2010 at Elephant Hills Continental
Hotel.
For further information visit CRASA’s
website<http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6997/241592/986/0/>
*
*
*SATCOM 2010 AFRICA
**12-15 April 2010, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa*
SatCom Africa 2010 is Africa's only satellite exhibition conference. SatCom
Africa 2010 gives you an executive business experience where you meet real
decision makers, a content driven and networking focused agenda and new
business, new markets, new opportunities.
For further information visit Satcom ‘s
website<http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6997/241592/629/0/>
*
TMT FINANCE AND INVESTMENT MIDDLE EAST 2010
**26-27 April 2010, Sharq Village Hotel, Doha, Qatar.*
The TMT Finance and Investment Middle East 2010 Conference and Awards
Ceremony is the premier networking hub for executives of telecom operators,
technology providers, investors, financiers and advisers active in mature
and emerging markets of the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. Now in its
fourth year, the conference takes place again this year in Doha with support
from Qtel, Booz&Co and Clifford Chance. The event features an outstanding
academy of expert speakers from across the region and internationally
debating opportunities in M&A, strategy, wireless broadband, financing,
mobile payments and cloud computing.
For further information visit
www.tmtfinance.com/me<http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6997/241592/1039/0/>
*
*
*AITEC BANKING & MOBILE MONEY WEST AFRICA*
*11-12 May 2010, Lagos, Nigeria*
Technology presents great opportunities for the financial sector to extend
reach, improve service and reduce costs. However, in the drive to implement
the very best that technology vendors have to offer, the focal point of the
banking process is often forgotten – the customer.
AITEC Banking & Mobile Money West Africa 2010 will therefore focus on the
customer experience in relation to all technology implementation and
services, challenging suppliers and bankers alike to evaluate their systems
in the light of customer needs and preferences.
For further information on the conference visit AITEC’s
website<http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6997/241592/943/0/>
*AfNOG-11 AND AfriNIC-12 MEETINGS*
*23 May-4 June, 2010, Kigali, Rwanda*
The African Network Operators' Group (AfNOG) and the African Network
Information Centre (AfriNIC) are pleased to announce that the 11th AfNOG
Meeting and the AfriNIC-12 Meeting which will be held in Kigali, Rwanda
during May & June 2010. The jointly organised two-week events include the
AfNOG Workshop on Network Technology (offering advanced training in a
week-long hands-on workshop), several full-day Advanced Tutorials, a one-day
AfNOG Meeting, and a two-day AfriNIC Meeting. In addition, several side
meetings and workshops will be hosted in collaboration with other
organizations. Further details are available at the
AfNOG<http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6997/241592/987/0/>and
AfriNIC <http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6997/241592/428/0/>websites.
Jobs and Opportunities
Extended Term Consulting (ETC) Assignment: Task Manager, Mobile Applications
Laboratories
InfoDev (www.infodev.org) is a research, capacity building and advisory
program, coordinated and served by an expert Secretariat housed in the
Global ICT Department (GICT) of the World Bank Group.
>From 2010-2012, infoDev will implement an ambitious program entitled
“Creating Sustainable Businesses in the Knowledge Economy”. This program,
jointly organized by infoDev, the Government of Finland and Nokia, will
undertake a range of activities including establishing regional mobile
applications laboratories; linking mobile entrepreneurs via a social
networking initiative; using business incubation initiatives to stimulate
small business creation; assisting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
to seek new markets overseas; ensuring that SMEs have appropriate access to
finance (A2F); starting international working groups for ICT and
agribusiness entrepreneurs and incubators; and creating resources for
project leaders to incorporate ICTs and innovation systems into agriculture
development projects.
The deadline to apply is March 19, 2010.
For further information click on the following link
http://www.infodev.org/en/Article.473.html<http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6997/241592/1040/0/>
Contracts
Dovetel and Obsidian - Tanzania
Obsidian Systems has rolled out the Zimbra open source messaging and
collaboration suite for 20,000 end-users at Dovetel, a Tanzanian Internet
service provider and mobile operator that trades under the Sasatel brand.
The deal is Obsidian’s biggest Zimbra installation outside South Africa and
marks the company’s entrance into a new African market. Obsidian Systems is
active in a number of African territories, but Tanzania is the farthest
north it has ventured into sub Saharan Africa to date. Says Edson Mdanguzi,
ISP Manager at Sasatel: “We selected the Zimbra platform to underpin
Sasatel’s email solution, Sasamail, and provide email services to our
business customers and consumers based on the affordability, scalability and
reliability of the solution. The fact that Zimbra has an excellent track
record as an email platform in the ISP space also counted in its favour.”
TO CONTACT US:
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