Category: Conference updates

Have your say in the technology community, Expose Tech4Africa

One of our goals for Tech4Africa is to make it an open community for sharing, discussing and promoting the Web, mobile and emerging technologies in Africa.

Although all of us want to listen to the enriching insights and experiences Clay Shirky and other thinkers and entrepreneurs like Erik Hersman have to offer, we know that there are many others out there who are thinking or doing, and which should be highlighted.

So, when looking at the ways we can make Tech4Africa a space for interaction way beyond the conference itself, we decided to give the opportunity to any person in the technology industry in Africa to speak for themselves and show what they think or do to their peers.

We call it Expose Tech4Africa, which is going to start off as a section in the conference’s website, and it will work like this:

Who can participate:

  • Anyone building a product using web, mobile or emerging technology, in Africa – profile your product.
  • Anyone offering services, in web, mobile or emerging technologies, in Africa – profile your company.
  • Anyone looking for funding for their product – tell people why they should fund you.
  • Anyone with something to say about tech in Africa – everyone has an opinion, make yours heard.
  • Anyone that wants to profile themselves, their skills, their passions, and what they’re working on – find collaborators, get hired, find new projects, meet new people.

How to participate:

  1. Record a 5 minute max video or podcast showcasing your product, service, start-up, or your thoughts on any Tech4Africa related topic of your expertise.
  2. Send us an email to “hello@t4a” with a little intro about yourself, and what your post is about. Also, include your contact details.
  3. We’ll either send you FTP details to upload, or ask you for the file location to download.
  4. We will then post the video in the Tech4Africa community page on our website, in a post on our blog, and in the Tech4Africa channel in Zoopy.
  5. We’ll then Tweet and Blog about it for you.
  6. We’ll leave the rest to the magic of social interaction.

Helpful tips:

  1. Have an opinion, be provocative, say something worth listening to.
  2. Keep your points succinct, to the point, and try not to waffle.
  3. Do it somewhere quiet, so background noise doesn’t get in the way. Try not to shake the video either.
  4. Audacity is great for recording audio, and is free.
  5. Record video with your phone, Skype or any other default video recorder, then upload.  Your video does not need to be studio quality.
  6. Get some friends to have a look / listen before you send.

We encourage you to take this opportunity to make yourself be heard and share your knowledge or experiences. We’re excited about this idea and we hope it can trigger more  conversation among all those working in the African tech industry.

Over to you 😉

Infrastructure: Mobile & Wireless at Tech4Africa

Living in today’s day and age we are bombarded with new information all the time. Community news from users on platforms such as Twitter, are breaking news before as it happens. The issue with this though, is that we are not always connected. We rely on mobile connectivity and wireless infrastructure to try and keep us connected as efficiently as possible.

At Tech4Africa, we will be discussing some of the key factors when it comes to Mobile & Wireless connectivity in South Africa & Africa.

Some of the great speakers talking about Mobile & Wireless infrastructure include Agosto Liko, Patrick Kayton, South African Internet guru Arthur GoldStuck & Angus Robinson amongst others.

The indomitable Justin Spratt will also be sharing his views in a session called “Circumventing Monopolies with VoIP and Wireless”, where he will be taking a look at how the fixed line monopolies of Africa are rapidly being overtaken by new Mobile & Wireless technologies.

Another fantastic session scheduled for later in the day, on the 1st day of the conference, is a panel discussion aptly titled “Mobile Content for Grownups, Being Clever with the simple”. Panelists include Steve Vosloo from the Shuttleworth Foundation, Fritz Ekowge & Stefan Magadalinski representing Kenya’s largest Mobile directory, Mocality, are just some of the big names talking about how our “mobile lives” have changed since the grand old Nokia 3210 ring tone days. Content is important today and they will look at where the mobile industry is going, and how to ensure it is world class.

These are just some of the exciting Mobile and Wireless infrastructure talks you can look forward to at Tech4Africa. Check our full schedule to find our more.

We are also running workshops (10th and 11th of August) featuring some of the best world’s leading minds in the fields of technology architecture, user-interface and product development; check them out here.

Be sure to register soon, as the early bird tickets are being scooped up rather quickly.

Image by Creative Commons / Google (Image)

Web 2.0 at Tech4Africa

Are you interested in the Web 2.0 and its applications in Africa?

One of the key subjects of Tech4Africa is the social web, on which recognized international and local thinkers will share their knowledge and experiences. The focus will be on the state and potential of Web 2.0 in Africa.

Clay Shirky, one of Tech4Africa’s keynote speakers, talks about the social and economic effects of Internet technologies, while our other keynote speaker, Matt Mullenweg, founding developer of WordPress, certainly has something to say about collaborative platforms and publishing on the Web.

Moreover, leading African thinkers and practitioners will talk on “There’s an elephant in the room. Embracing the new, social web“, “6 Secrets to becoming a jQuery ninja”, “How we redesigned a well known site, and why you need to know“ and “Unobtrusive interfaces with Javascript“. They will take attendees through what Web 2.0 and Social Media means for business and consumers, and what to do about it in Africa. More on them on the Speakers’ list.

Apart from Social Media and Web 2.0, many other relevant areas will be covered at Tech4Africa, like emerging technologies; mobile, wireless and cloud computing; entrepreneurship; search and marketing. Attendees will get a global perspective on the present and future of the technology in Africa. Check out our schedule to find talks interesting to you.

To complete the event, Tech4Africa offers two full days of workshops and will be hosting Seedcamp,  a micro seed fund to invest in startup companies, for the first time in Africa.

You can take advantage of a few options to sign up, from discounted tickets for early birds, to participating in draws for free tickets.

Hurry up and register now!