Kenya’s rising profile as a software developing nation is set to place the commodity on the country’s list of exports this year as companies and governments continue the search for effective cost-cutting tools.
Figures from the Ministry of Information reveal the sector raked in over KES 500 million (USD 6.6 million) in revenues last year, and that figure is projected to double as the country’s profile rises around the world.
Currently, Kenya biggest exports are tangible goods such as horticultural exports, tea, and soda ash.
A shift to virtual software exports would position the country to compete in the same class as India, which makes upwards of KES 4 billion (USD 52.9 million) per annum in software exports.
Local software manufacturers say they are experiencing an upswing in interest from foreign companies, who are drawn to Kenyan developers due to their ability to churn out cheap but innovative solutions. Read the rest of this entry »
Sub-Saharan African markets are attracting interest from foreign fund managers seeking to diversify risks in their global portfolio. Andre DeSimone, Executive Director at Kestrel Capital tells us why Africa’s stock markets continue to perform remarkably well despite their small size and low liquidity.
IBM and Canonical are introducing a new, flexible personal computing software package for netbooks and other thin client devices to help businesses in Africa bridge the digital divide by leapfrogging traditional PCs and proprietary software. This is the first cloud and on-premise-based Linux netbook software package offered by IBM and Canonical, the companies announced recently.
Google has announced that it will launch South Africa Street View before the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In the coming weeks Google, using Toyota Prius models will begin driving around South Africa and taking photographs of locations, including Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth, and Durban.
“It’s very addictive – the notion people are walking around in Lagos thinking ‘we can do anything’ … Sometimes it’s laughable, particularly when you look at things through British eyes. But when you see some of these laughable stories come true, you start to question yourself.” — Olumide Bolumole, a Nigerian London-based former employee of hedge fund De Putron Fund, who has returned back to Lagos
A small South African Cape-based company, that has already instigated a dispute with the global giant Google, has now won venture capital support to develop a technology that mimics one of Google’s most successful innovations. The venture capital is being injected into Ad Dynamo International, a new operation created by the small but feisty company Entelligence. The undisclosed sum of money is coming from InVenFin, a venture capital fund formed by the Venfin group. InVenFin will take a stake in Ad Dynamo, which is led by CEO Sean Riley, the MD of Entelligence.
The South African Department of Home Affairs has declared its Information Technology (IT) systems ready for the FIFA 2010 World Cup that South Africa will host next year. “As Honourable Members will recall and this is already in the public domain, the Who Am I Online Project, which is intended to integrate our IT systems as a whole was, at our request, investigated by the Auditor General and, based on the AG’s findings, a decision has been made to conduct a forensic investigation,” said deputy minister Malusi Gigaba as he addressed Parliament on Thursday. “However, 2010 IT preparations are advanced and we are confident that we will have our IT infrastructure ready to facilitate the movement of keen soccer fans.”
The Confederations Cup, which was hosted in South Africa, showcased the best Information Technology (IT) infrastructure for a tournament of this nature and stature, and all the information was available in real-time, says Rich Mkhondo, Chief Communications Officer of the Local Organising Committee (LOC).
