GCC's chance to plough African possibilities

The fact that Kuwait, a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), hosted the third Arab-African summit last week is a notable development.

Possibly, gone are the days when the deposed Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, would serve as a host of pan-Arab and African meetings. The Libyan city of Sirte hosted the second Arab-African summit in late 2010 only weeks prior to the eruption of the Arab Spring. Colonel Gaddafi himself could not survive the waves that burst through in the wake of the tumultuous event.

The meeting in Kuwait took place on the theme of ‘Partners in Development and Investment’. The host country was quick to translate the message into deeds.

On the eve of the summit, Kuwait’s Emir, Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, pledged $1 billion (Dh3.67 billion) in low-interest loans to African countries for a period of five years. It is possible that other resourceful GCC countries, with special funds for global development, would follow suit.

source: gulfnews.com

IBM research lab oficially opened in kenya

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has officially opened the first commercial technology research facility in Africa at an inauguration ceremony in Nairobi. The facility is IBM's 12th global research lab, and is supported in Kenya by the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology through the Kenya ICT Authority and located at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa.  

The research lab will conduct applied and far-reaching exploratory research into the grand challenges of the African continent by delivering commercially-viable innovations that impact people's lives.

The 2000m2 facility features one of Africa's most powerful, cloud-enabled computing hubs, giving researchers the ability to analyse and draw insight from vast amounts of data in the search for solutions to Africa's most pressing challenges such as energy, water, transportation, agriculture, healthcare, financial inclusion and public safety.

The lab's research agenda will include the development of cognitive computing technologies which integrate learning and reasoning capabilities, enabling experts to make better decisions in areas such as healthcare delivery and financial services. In the new era of computing, IBM believes that Africa has a strategic opportunity to become an early adopter of cognitive systems.

“The establishment of this research laboratory underpins the government’s commitment to innovation ecosystems that are already available in Kenya,” said Kenyatta. “Using innovation to drive homegrown solutions, Kenya continues to lead the continent in ICT. My government is proud that Kenya, and indeed Africa, will benefit from the presence of one of the most advanced research facilities, with some of the world’s most talented people, using some of the most powerful technologies to develop solutions for some of Africa's most intractable problems.”

The lab brings together some of the best technology talent globally. Highly educated young Kenyans – many PhDs who were previously living in the diaspora, have been deployed at the lab, building a critical mass of Kenyan experts. Many more Kenyans are working in supporting roles.

source: biztechafrica.com

Airtel Malawi establishes new data centre

One of Malawi’s two mobile phone service companies, Airtel Malawi has unveiled a new data centre in Malawi’s commercial capital, Blantyre which double Airtel’s capacity, thereby enabling the company to host additional ICT infrastructure.

Airtel Malawi Managing Director Saulos Chilima disclosed that his company has injected over US$1 million into the project which will support customers’ growing business needs.

“The data centre will enable Airtel Malawi provide first class data services to customers as it will help eliminate congestion on the systems and ensure systems stability,” declared Chilima who presided over its Commissioning.

Following the launch of the new data centre, Chilima said Airtel Malawi will now unveil cloud computing systems in the next few weeks.

“As a result of the project’s investment, it is expected that Airtel will improve stability of the systems, increase the service offerings and respond to customer’s needs more favourably,” said Chilima.

He explained that cloud computing is an overarching term which defines the myriad tools that enable idea-sharing, non-hierarchical decision making and the full utilisation of the world’s massive ‘cognitive surplus’ the ability of the world’s population to collaborate on large, sometimes global projects.

Chilima says cloud computing brings together the strengths of cloud sourcing, automation and machine learning.

source: biztechafrica.com

North Africa telecommunications report Q4 2013

The North African telecoms markets continue to demonstrate variable growth on several levels. Symptomatic of this trend is a lack of creativity and diversity in the type and scope of services on offer, even in mature markets such as Morocco and Tunisia, where mobile broadband is taking off. Nevertheless, Morocco, Libya and Algeria appear to be on the brink of new growth potential as the sale of Maroc Telecom progresses, Libya prepares for a third mobile operator and Algeria issues 3G licences. Although these developments bode well for increased competition and liberalisation in North African telecoms markets, their political and business environments remain challenging and prone to sudden collapse.
Mobile growth continues to be driven by prepaid services, which does little to add value to mobile ARPUs and income relating to non-voice services. However, in Morocco and Algeria, there are signs that operators are seeing better growth in the more lucrative postpaid market. More needs to be done to develop locally relevant content if services are to appeal to more consumers.
- The possibility for increased foreign investment in Libya, through a third mobile licence and/or the privatisation of Libyana, and the launch of 3G in Algeria should boost competition and open up untapped growth potential in the two markets from 2014.
- Fixed-line and broadband growth remains variable as demand for traditional fixed telephone lines fluctuates and affordability issues continue to hamper broadband adoption. Maroc Telecom has announced ambitious plans to invest in its fixed broadband network, but this may be undone by a likely upcoming change in ownership at the company.

source: www.sbwire.com

google,s project link the first nail in the African,s telcos coffin

Google recently announced its first infrastructural project in Africa, called Project Link. This initiative, through the building of a fibre-optic network in Kampala (Uganda), enables internet service providers (ISPs) and mobile operators to provide faster connections to their users than ever before. This announcement, which has not really been picked up by the African tech media so far, can be a real game changer for the African digital space.
source: memeburn.com

middle eastern trade venture on tap for Wisconsin companies

Eight Wisconsin businesses can get a guided tour of two of the world's wealthiest economies -- and learn how they can gain access to those markets for their own products -- on a Middle Eastern trade venture sponsored by the state.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. is taking applications now for the trip to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar from Jan. 24-31, at a cost of $1,850 per person, not including airfare.

The number is limited to eight to help ensure each company gets a quality customized experience, WEDC spokesman Mark Maley said.

"We need to keep it manageable," Maley said. "We want to make sure these businesses have unique opportunities, really tailored to helping out specific companies and specific sectors."

Trade ventures hosted by WEDC typically provide networking opportunities, company visits and cultural exposure for attendees, along with one-on-one meetings with potential customers, business culture briefings and detailed market channel analysis by Madison-based specialists and contracted trade representatives that WEDC has in 36 countries.

On the January trip, access to the Arab Health 2014 trade show -- described by WEDC as the "largest health care exhibition in the Middle East and Asia" -- is an added draw for Wisconsin businesses looking to promote their health-related products or services.

The UAE is the recognized commercial and business hub of the Middle East, WEDC said, and this year the country moved from No. 17 to No. 11 as a destination for Wisconsin global exports. Qatar, meanwhile, has the world's highest per capita gross domestic product and an average annual income of $100,000 for the country's 1.9 million residents.

Along with health care-related companies, the trip is best suited to firms focused on aviation, transportation and energy, as the governments of both companies look to invest millions in infrastructure improvements related to housing, medical and health facilities, educational institutions and transportation and aviation services.

source: host.medison.com

cell C, Mirage telecom start MVNE in South Africa

Cell C, Comverse and Mirage Telecom announced the launch of their joint project to set up a Mobile Virtual Network Enabler (MVNE. The live platform can provide cellular network services to potential new MVNOs throughout South Africa. The MVNE platform enables niche sectors and innovative thinkers to start building new businesses within the mobile technology space. As part of the agreement, Comverse will supply its telecommunications software to Mirage Telecom, and Cell C will provide the wholesale network capacity. This will allow Mirage Telecom to take on new MVNO partners and supply core network access. 

source: www.telecompaper.com