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How Open Source Software Makes Money for Coffee Grower Cooperatives

In Kenya, coffee farmers are concerned about getting a fair price for their beans, and worry about "ghost kilograms" - the undercounting of raw and processed bean weights - that can happen with handwritten accounts.

So the Kenya Coffee Producers Association (KCPA) looked around for a coffee bean accounting system they could utilize to accurately track coffee sales to factories, and help the factories themselves manage coffee production. Yet they found proprietary software applications just too expensive.
The Open Source Solution

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 01:00:12 -0700

Apps 4 Africa: a Contest for African Software Developers

Over the past few weeks myself, Solomon King of NodeSix.com, Joshua Goldstein an Appfrica Fellow, Jessica Colaco at the iHub in Nairobi, Philip Thigo and John Kipchumbah at SODNET (Social Development Network Kenya), and a number of very dedicated individuals from the United States Department of State have been working behind the scenes to put together a contest for African software developers called Apps < 4 > Africa.

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 01:00:12 -0700

The Availability of Prepaid Mobile Data Plans in All 53 African Countries

Kevin Donovan and Jonathan Donner believe that prepaid ICT access models are more appropriate for poorer consumers and the availability of prepaid mobile data will be a key driver of inclusive mobile Internet usage. To prove their thesis, they've complied an amazing Ushahidi Map of the availability of prepaid mobile Internet in Africa.
mobile-internet-image.jpg

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 01:00:12 -0700

Government ICT Seriousness Rankings: Kenya Most Serious About ICT

When it comes to ICTs, Government's role is to create and sustain a conducive environment through regulation and legislation.
In addition, a sound government strategy should also consider making strategic investments (aka stimulus plans in the financial and economics world), promoting home grown ICT private sector and addressing appropriate skills development in the education and training sector.
Lastly, any government strategy or intervention should recognize and address the critical facets of the ICT eco-system which I would roughly categorize as infrastructure, content and applications and services.
Government ICT Seriousness Ranking

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 03:40:46 -0700

Win Government Contracts with Solar Power Computing

Electrical power is an issue across Africa - or more accurately, the lack of reliable, affordable electricity is one of the greatest barriers to the adoption of information and communication technologies.
But good businessmen look at barriers and see opportunity. If rural areas lack a reliable national power grid, then develop solutions that do not need that electrical infrastructure and capture market share from technology vendors still waiting for KPLC or NEPA.

Solar Power Computing

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 04:47:40 -0700

Is Your Mobile Phone Innovation Worth $1 Million USD?


Do you have an idea on how to change lives with mobile phones? Is it also a good business opportunity? And can it work with Nokia phones? Then submit it to Nokia's Growth Economy Venture Challenge

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Fri, 25 Jun 2010 04:50:45 -0700

Safaricom's M-Pesa to Transfer 20% of Kenya's GDP in 2010

This is the bombshell that Erik Hersman tweeted about Safaricom's mPayment system, M-Pesa. Read it and then stop to think a minute about what that means for Kenya:

If one company moves 20% of country's GDP, and that company is not even a bank, just want does that tell you about the rise of mobile phone operators in Africa? Here are three thoughts that leap out at me:

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Wed, 23 Jun 2010 02:12:12 -0700

Limbe Labs Seed Capital Strategy for Startup Business Success

It’s well known that there’s a problem with seed capital in Africa and Cameroon is no exception. We’ve spoken with many enterprising young hackers who’ve found that funds were simply unavailable or local investors demanded absurdly high equity stakes in their businesses—at times as much as 60-80%.

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Limbe Labs seed capital

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 02:12:12 -0700

VC4Africa Business Plan Meetup Success in Amsterdam


At Venture Capital and Private Equity in Africa (VC4Africa), an online community for investors and entrepreneurs dedicated to building business on the continent we believe it is important we meet 'offline' as we do 'online.'
For 9 months we have been using the BarCamp model (an international network of user generated conferences - open, participatory workshop/events, whose content is provided by participants) to organize our very own series of VC4Africa Meetups.

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 02:12:12 -0700
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