Innovation & Science

VENTURES AFRICA – Large corporate brands in Africa’s biggest economy, South Africa have woken up to social media, following in the footsteps of their customers, according to new findings from technology market researchers World Wide Worx and information analysts Fuseware. The South African Social Media Landscape 2012 study by World Wide Worx and Fuseware, reveals [...]

VENTURES AFRICA – Nigeria’s Justus Nwaoga has developed a new way to collect renewable solar energy by using mimosa pudica weed, an organic African medicinal plant. Chosen from more than 900 applications from 45 countries, Nwaoga and nine others with their teams have emerged finalists for the Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) after developing practical solutions [...]

VENTURES AFRICA – In an effort to deal with constant network outages in Kenya, Safaricom on Tuesday said it has bought back-up batteries worth Sh96 million ($1.1 million) for its cell towers. It is understood that General Electric (GE), the US firm, has now connected 48 such batteries at the mobile network operator’s base stations [...]

VENTURES AFRICA – Running a business in today’s tech savvy world requires constant engagement with customers i.e. feeding clients with info and getting the required feedback. And the role of social media in this two-way street is crucial as it creates an informal platform where businesses and customers relate. Social media has come to stay. [...]

VENTURES AFRICA – Due to massive usage of local domain names, Nigeria has slashed the cost of its DotNG Internet domain registration fee from N200,000 ($1,259) to N15,000 ($94), which translates to approximately 93 percent price decrease. Speaking to reporter in Lagos, Chief Operating Officer, Nigeria Internet Registration Association of Nigeria (NiRA), Ope Odusan, said, “The [...]

VENTURES AFRICA – Nairobi has seen the rise of Kenya’s first tech hub, iHub as series of investments have been initiated to promote the development of Kenya’s technology sector. The iHub offers free internet access and specialist forums for entrepreneurs and promotes the innovation-intensive industries. Kenya’s tech hub, which was funded by Hivos and Omidyar Network, [...]

VENTURES AFRICA- Frank Jejding, the newly-appointed Head of Region for Ericsson sub-Saharan Africa, has call on Africa governments to fashion out ways to deepen broadband penetration on the continent. Jejding said potential of the African markets are yet untapped and the benefit of mobility in broadband connectivity has become very critical and governments must support [...]

VENTURES AFRICA – Applications are now open for the second edition of South Africa’s top end tech accelerator, Seed Engine Business Accelerator programme, which offers a 13-week boot camp and R100, 000 ($11,000) each for up to ten tech business ideas. The Seed Engine’s programme whose applications are currently open offers coaching, mentoring, workspace and [...]

VENTURES AFRICA – African wholly-owned communications Services Company, Main One, has once again reinstated its commitment to locally developing innovative software, as it partners software giant Microsoft, on Imagine cup 2013 – a premier technology challenge competition for students. Imagine cup competition allows student innovators all over the world compete to produce various ground-breaking app [...]

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them - Albert Einstein VENTURES AFRICA – How fitting for a German-born innovator and inventor to prove Albert Einstein’s opinion, true. Nothing, as a source of energy matches the sun. It out-powers anything that human ability, through technology could ever invent. Only [...]

VENTURES AFRICA – The poor adoption of Nigeria’s domain name, .ng, and the purchase of foreign domain names such as .com, .org, .net, and .co.uk etc, by Nigeria’s website owners, has resulted in a capital flight of about 3.76 billion naira ($23.8 million) in the last five years. As Punch reported, the “figure is expected [...]

VENTURES AFRICA – Global search engine giant, Google, on Thursday, launched Google Maps Navigation for mobile users in Kenya, making driving to unfamiliar destinations easier. Mobile phone users with Smartphones powered by Android 2.2 or newer and iOS 5.1 (and above) can take advantage of the new feature. Other African nations newly benefiting from this product include Ghana, [...]

VENTURES AFRICA – Following a successful MTN Cloud pilot project, the South African telecommunications giant has announced it would launch its cloud services Wednesday, 10th of April, 2013 to boost ease of business operations. Cloud technology provides clients with virtual data servers (online memory spaces and softwares) that can be accessed on any device – mobile [...]

VENTURES AFRICA – Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, has been appointed as prime contractor and turnkey supplier to provide Ghana Immigration Services (GIS) with a highly secure electronic visa and border management solution. The initiative, which is part of the eGhana project, an ambitious plan with backing from the World Bank to create [...]

VENTURES AFRICA – So here’s the conflict. I am a Systems Engineer and a user, so I tend to get mixed up as to how to view Microsoft user-end products sometimes. Firstly, global markets are welcoming the advancements in technology and Microsoft to a larger extent in keeping up with the times should be proud. [...]