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The Tech4Africa Blog http://blog.tech4africa.com Musings, announcements, and collateral damage from Tech4Africa. Thoughts our own. We're looking for contributors from across Africa. Email hello At tech4africa DOT com. Mon, 26 Oct 2015 12:30:48 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.5.32 Social apps take over SA smartphones http://blog.tech4africa.com/social-apps-take-over-sa-smartphones/ Mon, 26 Oct 2015 12:30:48 +0000 http://blog.tech4africa.com/?p=8735 Continue reading ]]> JOHANNESBURG, 14 October 2016:- For the second consecutive year, social media apps have dominated free downloads on all three major app stores in South Africa, namely Google Play for Android, the Apple App Store for iOS, and the Windows Store.

This is one of the key findings of of the South African Social Media Landscape study by technology research organisation World Wide Worx and media analytics company Fuseware. The headline findings released in September showed steady growth for most social networks, but the full report, released today, reveals just how deeply entrenched their mobile apps have become in South Africa.

The study is based on access to consumer data from seven major social networks, three app stores, and a corporate survey conducted among more than a hundred of South Africa’s leading brands.

WhatsApp in particular is dominant, topping the list of both iOS and Android downloads. Only in the Windows Store does it drop, down to third position, with its parent company Facebook enjoying number one position. Facebook is second in free iOS downloads and third in Android.

Facebook properties dominate the next two positions on iOS as well, with Facebook Messenger and Instagram rounding out the top four. The Google Play store has the same top four, in a slightly different order, with Facebook Messenger at two and Instagram also in fourth place.

Windows Phone has a slightly different mix, thanks to marketing emphasis by Microsoft, which has its own Podcast app in second, its cloud storage app OneDrive in fourth place, and the Microsoft-owned Skype in fifth. However, Facebook messenger lies sixth, giving Facebook three of the top six spots for free Windows Store downloads.

“It can be argued that Facebook currently owns mobile – but not necessarily its revenue,” says Arthur Goldstuck, MD of World Wide Worx. “Games completely dominate the top ten lists for highest grossing apps on iOS and Android, filling the entire top ten on each, as well as the top eight in the Windows Store.”

Fuseware MD Mike Wronski points out that smartphones have not been entirely taken over by entertainment impulses: “The occasional utility app does intrude in the list of most downloaded paid apps. The serious professional and business users of smartphones still want to combine their social and work lives on their handsets.”

The report shows that Facebook has grown by 8 per cent in the past year, from 12-million to 13-million, and Twitter by 12 per cent, from 6,6-million to 7,4-million users. Video sharing platform YouTube increased its user base marginally more, with a 15 per cent rise from 7,2-million to 8,28-million users. The biggest growth has come from photo sharing network Instagram, which rose 133 per cent, from 1,1-million to 2,68-million.

End

For more information contact:

World Wide Worx:
Arthur Goldstuck
Mobile: 083 326 4345
Telephone: 011 782 7003
Email: arthur@worldwideworx.com

Fuseware:
Mike Wronski
Mobile: 074 1041969
Email: mike@fuseware.net

]]> 6 Reasons to attend Tech4Africa http://blog.tech4africa.com/6-reasons-to-attend-tech4africa/ Tue, 29 Sep 2015 08:52:56 +0000 http://blog.tech4africa.com/?p=8729 Continue reading ]]> Speakers from: World Wide Creative, Techstars, Sw7, Parcelninja, Discovery Health, PayFast, Microsoft, Junk Mail, Opera, Datawind, Gumtree, SA Florist, Nic Harry, Barclays, Memeburn and Thoughtworks. Covering disruption, eCommerce, IoT / Makers, Leadership, Marketing, Mobile, The Next Billion, Social, Startups, Tech, UX & Women in Tech.

Bigger & Better
This year we have 12 tracks, 4 event days, with 79 excellent speakers in 70 sessions.
Tech4Africa is the largest tech innovation, startup and entrepreneur platform in Africa.

Covering topical, relevant subjects you won’t find in Powerpoint sales pitches
Disruption, eCommerce, IoT / Makers, Leadership, Marketing, Mobile, The Next Billion, Social, Startups, Tech, UX & Women in Tech

Networking on Steroids
We congregate the African tech industry. Expect to meet: marketeers, entrepreneurs, technologists, opinion leaders, business strategists, start‐ups, educators, corporates, journalists, tweeters, bloggers, developers, VC’s and more. So there is plenty of opportunity for meeting new people.

Skill up, Hack on, Start up, added learning opportunities
On the two days prior to Tech4Africa there will be a Random Hack of Kindness, and the day after Tech4Africa, we’re putting on a Startup Day By Entrepreneurs, for Entrepreneurs.

New location
We’re now in the iconic FNB Stadium, and we love it!

Always fun extra stuff
We are going to race drones in the FNB Stadium!

Lots of networking opportunities before, during and after.
Did we mention lots of FREE coffee?
After-parties both nights.
Over R25k of prizes, lots of tech schwag to take home!

Don’t miss out. Get your tickets now.

Food available on-site
No need to worry about finding local eateries for your breakfast and lunch. We’ll have food available at the venue.

Who goes to Tech4Africa?
Account Manager, Africa correspondent, Blogger, Campaign Manager, CEO, Chairman, Chief Sales and Marketing Office, Co-founder, Communications Officer, COO, CTO, Corporate Communication Specialist, Customer Experience Lead, Developer, Digital Brand Manager, Digital Platforms Manager, Editor-in-chief, Enterprise Architect, Executive Editor, Founder, Group CEO, Group Communications Manager, Hacker, Head of Analytics, Optimisation and Usability, Head of Digital Communications, Head of Digital Media and Marketing, Head of Engage, Head of Optimise, Head of PR and Communications, Head of Social Media, Head of Technical Operations, Head of Technology, Head: Digital Marketing Campaigns, Head: Digital Presence, Head: Product Development & Portals, Managing Director, Managing Editor, Managing Partner, Marketing & Commercial Manager, Marketing & Sales Manager, Marketing Director, Marketing Manager, MD, Online Manager, Operations Manager, Owner, Partner, Product Development Manager, Product Manager, Project Manager, Researcher, Sales Director, Senior Business Analyst, Senior Manager: Strategic Contract R&D, Social media evangelist, Software Engineer, Technology Solutions Manager, Surveys Editor, Systems & Devices Manager, Talent Development, Technical Director, Technical Evangelist, Technology Editor, Technology Strategy, Usability expert, User Interface developer, Writer

Quotes from previous attendees:
@rudshep: Really an awesome day at Tech4Africa conference. This level of energy and optimism I have not seen anywhere else. SA Tech Rocks!
@ShawnGraaff: @Tech4Africa has reached out to over 150 cities, mostly main cities in Africa, this is how you empower and innovate a continent #T4A
@liambeeton: We have come to the end of @Tech4Africa #T4A. I really enjoyed myself, met some great people and am taking so much info away.
@imel: @Tech4Africa great being here, fantastic optimism in the air #t4a
@glenbvuma: Made the right choice by attending @Tech4Africa instead of marching with Malema. Really learning a lot from the guys. #T4A

Don’t miss out. Get your tickets now.

]]> TECH4AFRICA HACKATHON INTERVIEW WITH TINYANI FROM GIYANI ROOM912 @TSHWANEFM 16.09.2015 http://blog.tech4africa.com/tshwanefm-hackathon-interview/ Wed, 23 Sep 2015 10:56:20 +0000 http://blog.tech4africa.com/?p=8725 Podcast of the unscripted radio interview on Tshwane FM about the upcoming RHOK at Tech4Africa.

SoundCloud embed:
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]]> Tech4Africa Jonathan Smit of Payfast – Interview http://blog.tech4africa.com/tech4africa-jonathan-smit-of-payfast-interview/ Wed, 23 Sep 2015 10:39:54 +0000 http://blog.tech4africa.com/?p=8720 Gareth talks to Jonathan about Payfast, the journey, what they actually do, and where they are going.

Soundcloud embed:
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/225186723″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

#tech4africa, #payfast, #payment processing, #africa, #growth, #startup, #entrepreneur

]]> Tech4Africa focusses on local content, stories and successes http://blog.tech4africa.com/tech4africa-focusses-on-local-content-stories-and-successes/ Wed, 23 Sep 2015 10:29:52 +0000 http://blog.tech4africa.com/?p=8718 Continue reading ]]> After 5 years of authentic content, Tech4Africa returns to Johannesburg on the 7^th & 8^th October for two days of inspiring and engaging talks at the iconic Kalabash. Widely recognised as the SxSW of Africa, Tech4Africa has leveraged it’s community speaker submission platform to uncover and profile local stories, successes and learnings.

Over the two full days, Tech4Africa will be featuring 55 speakers over 12 speaker tracks, a Hackathon for two days before the main event, and alongside the accelerator SW7 a specialist Startup Day “by entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs” afterwards. It’s certainly action packed, and there seems to be something for everyone.

Says Gareth Knight, the founder of Tech4Africa: “In 2013 we realised that the local market is very different to the international one, and whilst everyone wants to imitate the Valley hotshots, the reality is that the combination of market size, buying power, skills and access to capital all mean a different playing field for everyone on the ground, and so we narrowed focus on the local stories which make up the local ecosystem.”

Amongst the 55 speaker seesions, Fraser Black and Nicholas Wallander will be talking about the deal behind their investment deal for their ecommerce site “SA Florist” on Dragons Den. Nic Haralambous will be talking about what it’s like to sell a mobile startup and then build a profitable ecommerce business selling socks online and in stores. Steve Evans will be talking about the “Underdog mentaility” and what it takes to bring down established Giants.

Says Knight: “In Cape Town the stories these guys told really resonated with everyone. It’s real, it’s current, and it’s relavant. You’re getting it straight from the proverbial horses mouth, so the learning is fantastic.”

At the end of each of the two days, and as is becoming the norm for Tech4Africa, there is a big focus on networking, having fun and building relationships, so they are going to be putting on a live DJ set, and plenty of free drinks for everyone. Delegates can also expect the coffee to be free!

Says Knight: “This year we’re really excited about the speaker quality we’ve seen start the speaking process. It’s taken a big bet on the ecosystem, and after 3 years it feels like everyone is finally realising that we’re only about good content, not Death by Powerpoint and certainly not snorefests. So this year in Joburg we’re proud to profile a bumper crop of speakers who have amazing experiences to share, and important lessons to impart. We’re ecstatic our speaker submission and voting process is working, and that the local stories are starting to percolate. It’s fantastic content, so we’ll see you there!”

The website can be found at: http://bit.ly/T4AJoburg2015 and anyone can register at http://register.tech4africa.com. Tickets are R500 for the main event on the 7^th & 8^th October, and R350 for the Startup Day on the 9^th October. The Hackathon is FREE, and dates are 5^th & 6^th October.

]]> Tech4Africa challenges established development teams http://blog.tech4africa.com/tech4africa-challenges-established-development-teams-to-join-the-random-hack-of-kindness-and-share-skills/ Wed, 23 Sep 2015 10:26:53 +0000 http://blog.tech4africa.com/?p=8714 Continue reading ]]> This year Tech4Africa is running a Hackathon on the two days prior to the main event. The Hackathon is aimed at imparting workplace skills around collaboration, and instilling the notion that a simple utility value product can be shipped in two days when a team pulls together.

And he’s the rub: Tech4Africa is challenging all tech teams from established companies to send at least one person to the Hackathon, to share their skills, even if for a few hours.

The founder of Tech4Africa, Gareth Knight, says: “Our contention is that the Europeans and Americans are going to figure out pretty quickly that the African market is going to be big enough to target once the $50 smartphone reaches ubiquity, and indeed some of them already have, but they’re not local and they don’t understand the local market, so there is a gap. That said, we also think there is a lack of skill around technical execution in the African market. So whilst the Hackathon doesn’t solve it, it will give the participants the confidence to build and release something, so we start the cycle sooner.”

So whilst the Hackathon isn’t aimed at experienced developers, there is definitely a need for skills to be shared in much the same way this is done all over the world. You just have to think of the PayPal & Skype mafia to understand how important it is for anyone to gain industry knowledge from people who have already done it.

Unlike most Hackathons the format will be different and the attendees will all work on the same project, but within their different skill sets and abilities, so there are plenty of opportunities for experienced developers to pass on their skills for the next generation of hackers.

To support this, Microsoft are sponsoring Azure cloud instances which will give the developers the ability to push their code live, as well as FREE online training. Tech4Africa will be running Google Hangouts beforehand to help the developers get up to speed.

Says Knight: “It’s pretty simple: as an organisation we’re not about ivory towers and fishbowls, we’re about merit, earning success, and acknowleding the realities of the market we live in, so we’re going to welcome anyone who has something to learn, and everyone who wants to share how they’ve learnt. I built my career on that principle, and so we’re hoping that the established tech teams can see the value in it too.”

Anyone interested in participating need only register for FREE on the Tech4Africa site.

The Hackathon website can be found at http://bit.ly/Tech4AfricaRHoK, the main website at: Tech4Africa.com and anyone can register at http://register.tech4africa.com. Tickets are FREE.

]]> Tech4Africa launches the Random Hack of Kindness, focusses on workplace skills http://blog.tech4africa.com/tech4africa-launches-the-random-hack-of-kindness-focusses-on-workplace-skills-and-utility-value/ Wed, 23 Sep 2015 10:25:18 +0000 http://blog.tech4africa.com/?p=8712 Continue reading ]]> This year Tech4Africa is running a Hackathon on the two days prior to the main event. This is an interesting development since they ran two Hackathons two years ago, and then stopped doing them altogether, until now.

When quizzed about this the founder of Tech4Africa, Gareth Knight, said: “The first two Hackathons we ran were great days and I think the attendees got a lot out of it, but we felt afterwards that they didn’t live up to our expectations. And then looking at the ecosystem, we felt that there were already enough events doing that, so why try compete on that basis?”

Which is fair enough… but then Knight says “… And then one event I asked the audience how many of them were using some sort of source control, or CI for deployments, or who worked in teams bigger than 2, and the numbers were shocking poor – clearly there is a lot going on in the ecosystem, but we started questioning whether it was actually relevant. So this year we’ve decided to do something a little different, with the focus on a utility product for the African market, and the core skills taught being code collaboration and shipping product. When you unpack this, it’s basically our mantra of: Want to build big tech product for Africa? Focus on product with daily value for user. Mobile first. Make it easy to share. Make sure cash-flow has you in it.”

So, unlike most Hackathons, the format will be different: the attendees will all work on the same project, but within their different skill sets and abilities, and everyone will share the same codebase. The objective will be to release a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) onto Github in 2 days, for anyone to take a look at, and to make sure that everyone attending has the skills to collaborate on software projects of 2 or 20. After that, if the MVP is good enough it will be demo’d at the main Tech4Africa event and to the Johannesburg City Council.

Says Knight: “It’s hard to overstate how far behind we are in Africa in some respects, and we think that focussing on developing skills around collaboration and releasing products is the most productive thing we can do right now to help grow innovation in Africa. We’re excited by this approach, and so far the number of signups is validating this. It’s going to be awesome!”.

The Hackathon website can be found at http://bit.ly/Tech4AfricaRHoK, the main website at: Tech4Africa.com and anyone can register at http://register.tech4africa.com. Tickets are FREE.

You can also watch this video to understand more:

]]> Introducing the Random Hack of Kindness (RHoK) http://blog.tech4africa.com/introducing-the-random-hack-of-kindness-rhok/ Sun, 13 Sep 2015 16:33:12 +0000 http://blog.tech4africa.com/?p=8685 Continue reading ]]> tl;dr:

We think that Hackathons in Africa are enjoying mixed results:
There are opportunities which are being missed by focusing on the wrong problems.
There are lack of skills around Shipping Product.
There are also skills gaps around determining the business case of projects / problems etc.

There are of course exceptions to this, thankfully (!), but by and large we’re thinking that by focusing on workplace relevant skills, and problems which can product viable businesses, a Hackathon could have more long term value to the people who participate.

We don’t think that it’s our place to take sides on specific Technologies, and we don’t really want to replicate what other people are already doing.

Which is why the Tech4Africa Hackathons moving forward will do 4 things only:

Focus on one utility problem which is local & relevant
Include collaboration technology and business case skills transfer for everyone
Focus on User Experience – this is the key driver for adoption and is largely ignored
Result in Shipping an MVP Proof of Concept

Background:

Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs — Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs

We’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what the opportunities are in Africa right now, and what’s clear is that it’s not going to play out the same way it has in the “developed” world until now. The reason is that when you look at the building blocks of the internet, there are clear un-met challenges which make those opportunities both different and harder.

When you dissect the landscape using Maslow as your reference point, and then you overlay that with the mobile market data, we think that the major differentiation will be:

most everything is going to happen on a mobile device rather than on a desktop PC;
whilst the rest of the “developed” world is focusing on top of the pyramid problems around self-actualisation, creativity, problem solving, authenticity and spontaneity (as memes for products), the African market still has pretty much all the layers of the pyramid left as opportunities, with the bottom of the pyramid still largely untapped.

When you dissect the opportunities at the bottom of the pyramid, you’ll find that they are primarily “utility” problems which exist in the lives of people everywhere, every day, in all markets.

For example: most diagrams will show “internet” or “wifi” as the base of the pyramid, and as such is probably the biggest opportunity (which is why the Telcos are so dominant in people’s lives).

So this is what has led to our mantra of:

Want to build big tech product for Africa?

Focus on product with daily value for user. This is the utility & viability part.
Mobile first. This is the market demographic & adoption part.
Make it easy to share. This is the common sense part.
Make sure cash-flow has you in it. This is the “Don’t waste your time” part.

So, when you unpack this, we see examples (these are simple ones) coming out of:

Education: I want to add to or complete my education
Transport: I want to be somewhere on time / I need to inform my employer / I need a lift
Utilities: I want water / gas / electricity / housing
Personal finance: I want to make a payment / I want to send money to my family who live far away
Employment: I want to work to earn an income / I have jobs to offer
Information: I want to know what is going on around me
Family: Where are my family? Are they safe?

When applied to communities and devices (Internet of Things), some examples could be around:

Medical devices which are designed for low-resource hospitals
Infant phototherapy / General health issues
Smoke alerts
Air quality
Using 3G to connect communities and make them aware (using something like BRCK – https://www.brck.com/)
Tablet devices pre-configured for education and learning
Community security via drones
Smart metering applications (eg: energy usage)
Community / family communication (single button modes, not Group chat)

So we’re not going to be encouraging an “Uber / Facebook / LinkedIn / Buzzfeed / Slack etc for Africa” – what’s the point?

Solutions:

Maslow's Heirarchy of Software Development — Maslow’s Heirarchy of Software Development

So, instead of following the usual Hackathon experience you can find anywhere, our approach moving forward will be different:

We’re going to give clear direction on a product that could become a business.
The RHOK will focus on problems which occur in everyday life (this is where the business value is).
It will solve something which will mean people will talk about it (because it has given them value).
There will be a reasonable vision of adding transactions for cash flow, although this won’t be the focus for the RHOK itself.
Everyone will work together as a team.
The development focus will be on executing for mobile devices.
We WILL ship an MVP product in 2 days.
All skills learnt over the two days will transfer to the workplace.

And instead of focussing on the usual set of development skills (or taking sides on what stack to focus on), we’re going to focus on skills which enable collaboration in teams and shipping code and realising something beyond the Hackathon:

GIT (source control)
Continuous Integration (CI – easy stress free deployments)
App architecture (essential for teamwork)
App business case (just, essential)

We’ve engaged with Microsoft who have the vision to believe in what we’re doing, and they are going to help with:

Cloud servers on Azure – The machines will be small but adequate, and limited to the Hackathons.
Cloud training help, eg: how to build machines running Linux/Win/MySQL,IoT, etc on Azure.
Free online training via Microsoft Virtual Academy.

Execution:

For anyone attending, this is roughly what to expect:

We will announce the problem / focus area of the Hackathon
This will more than likely be a single page, Minimum Viable Product (MVP) approach
Explain what viable use & business cases mean
Group everyone into teams of logical skill sets
Go through application architecture & needs
Assign responsibilities
Push first code to Github
Setup servers to push & pull code
Review progress every 3 to 4 hours
Setup a booth to record teamwork & results for everyone to see

And the rewards will be:

At the RHoK:
1. Learn new skills
2. Learn how to ship a product in 2 days
3. Meet new people
Present at Tech4Africa Day 2
From Microsoft:
1. BizSpark / Azure offers
2. Demo of Azure Cloud setup for learning
3. Small Azure instances to attendees who participate in the RHOK.
4. Free training vouchers for their Virtual Training Academy

Summary:

We’re really excited by what this will produce, and we’re looking forward to rolling this out across all of the cities we go to. See you there!

]]> Africa: It’s time to rise http://blog.tech4africa.com/africa-its-time-to-rise/ Fri, 04 Sep 2015 11:02:24 +0000 http://blog.tech4africa.com/?p=8675 Continue reading ]]> I can remember what it was like as a young “digital” person in Johannesburg in 2000. The internet was exploding on the other side of the world, and (South) Africa was an afterthought (and still is for many), over and above being a small market. There were various attempts at exciting things, much like all over the world, but most of them fizzled and died, and that no-mans land between 2004 – 2009 was a worrying time.

Looking at the industry now, things are looking very different. Now has never been a better time for innovation, disruption, and growth.

If you’re in Africa, and if you don’t already know, you should know that there are circa 800m mobile SIM cards in Africa, which dwarfs the rather paltry 250m odd desktop PC’s.

And unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’d also know that the cost of mobile smartphones is just about at that inflection point where it becomes affordable for the majority of the mass market.

On top of that, it’s never been cheaper to start, test, and re-iterate an idea. Crisis, I remember the days of buying in $100k email servers just to send email! Imagine what you could do with $100k today?

For anyone reading this now, those three ingredients mean that for the first time in Internet history, we’re going to see a tidal wave of consumer technology and service adoption in Africa, on mobile devices, which I believe will dwarf the early oughts’.

If we’re really lucky, it will bring with it a surge in economic, social and political change too.

I say really lucky because for the economic, social and political change to take root, the benefits of this disruption need to be realized by people who are local and who keep those benefits local. If all the benefits are gained by people who are based overseas, then that trickle down, knock-on effect you see in other parts of the world, won’t happen. I know which one I want…

So we believe that there’s going to be 3 to 5 year window where local knowledge, local networks, local people and local expertise will play a significant factor in success. So where will you be when this happens?

After that, and like any other emerging market which is seen as a growth opportunity, that local experience and knowledge will be bought in or acquired, and then the opportunities will get harder and harder, and require more capital.

So if you’re involved in tech today, then now is the time to show yourself, to launch your product, to find that co-founder, to hustle those first deals, to look for that growth, to seize the moment.

There hasn’t been a better time in history, and there likely never will be again.

As for Tech4Africa, we’re going to do four things:

Be more aggressive about the opportunities we see as important for us.
Be more vocal about our opinions.
Continue to focus on catalysing the ecosystem through relevance, leadership, authentic content, and connecting people and ideas.
Roll out our model and platform throughout Africa, focusing on local tech innovation, startups and entrepreneurs.

And whilst doing that, we’re going to remain open to help and collaboration from anyone.

There hasn’t been a better time in history, and there likely never will be again.

]]> Thinkst is looking for an awesome Front End Developer http://blog.tech4africa.com/thinkst-is-looking-for-an-awesome-front-end-developer/ Tue, 01 Sep 2015 09:40:06 +0000 http://blog.tech4africa.com/?p=8676 Continue reading ]]> We’re Thinkst and we like to tackle fun/interesting problems.

From a SaaS offering that allows companies to test their Phishing
defences (https://phish5.com) to modern, quickly deployable honeypots
(https://canary.tools).

We’re looking for a junior dev to handle front-end work, basic support
and light sysadmin.

The stack is pretty standard (a combo of LAMP(y), Flask, Bootstrap,
jQuery, D3, Redis, Celeryd, EC2), and our focus is on delivery rather
than zealotry.

The front-end role is a precursor to working on the heavy lifting code
and you’ll eventually migrate from JS to Python. It’s ideal for a
young dev looking to gain exposure while working with a small but
experienced team that ships.

Our products are used all over the world, and theres a good chance
that companies you use, use Thinkst :>

Get in touch: http://thinkst.com/contact.html

]]> My Tech4Africa Experience http://blog.tech4africa.com/my-tech4africa-experience/ Mon, 13 Jul 2015 09:09:11 +0000 http://blog.tech4africa.com/?p=8672 Continue reading ]]> The moment felt very surreal when Afrocast was called up as the local winners of the IBM SmartCamp award at Tech4Africa 2014. So you can imagine my shock when we (Afrocast) were also announced as the Regional winners of the IBM SmartCamp award! It was unbelievable and it still has not sunk in almost 2 days later.

When I look back at the journey and even at that moment as I was standing up on the stage, the only thing that I could think about was how just a year ago I was at my first ever Tech4Africa hackathon at JoziHub with a few colleagues where I was about to set off a domino effect that would result in me being where I am today and possibly shape my vision of where my journey in IT is heading.

The Tech4Africa JoziHub 24 hour hackathon was an amazing experience for me as it was my first ever hackathon and it was the first time that I was in the same room with a bunch of people that were doing what I love for the love of it. The people there were amazing. The food was good and of course the free drinks! All the problems everybody set out to tackle were very ambitious especially for a 24 hour coding session but it just made me proud to be a part of a group of people that were as ambitious as I was and not afraid to set out to tackle a problem and try everything that they could to make sure it got done.

We managed to stay up the whole 24 hours working on our application and managed to complete a large portion of it except a few geolocation features that still till this day make me cringe at how simple the solution was but I guess after the 23rd hour even the most simplest solutions don’t seem so simple. The next day I actually changed a line of code and it worked…

The most important things I took away from that hackathon was the realisation that apart from being something one does for a living and as a hobby there are some common traits that I shared with the people in that room: The need to be good at they do, the desire to leave a mark on the world through what they do and the thirst for knowledge and to better ones self.

I also got the opportunity to go to only my second Technology Expo (Tech4Africa) via the hackathon where I got further introduced to the South African technology community and see how creative individuals and thinkers in our country are solving problems and sharing their expertise on some of the most interesting fields in IT. I thought I knew a lot about IT but at my first Tech4Africa I got introduced to some of the most amazing topics and fields in our industry, some of the most amazing technologies (which I have been able to carry into work and apply to create some amazing solutions) and some of the most amazing people that still recognise you when you are walking down the street.

– I will never forget the day, about 3 months after Tech4Africa 2013, when a student I met at the event stuck his head out a taxi flying by and yelled “Great talk at Tech4Africa!”. It was priceless. –

I think the opportunities that Tech4Africa presents the average techie cannot be taken for granted. The networking opportunities, the opportunities to get your ideas out to the right people, the opportunity to sit amongst people better than you at what you do and get inspired and of course a reference point from which you can use as a benchmark for all your endeavours.

In fact at the time I was at a startup (Fresh Thinking Technology) where we were building solutions that were revolutionising the government sector I met another startup (Boxfusion) that was turning the government sector upside down and inside out with some of the most innovative solutions addressing problems specific to the public sector on a scale where your competitors can feed small african countries. I had to be a part of that and I now work there!

I cannot even began to thank all the individuals that make Tech4Africa happen and the effort that they put in to make sure that it is well executed and especially Gareth Knight who seems to have more belief in the South African tech community and is responsible for igniting more flames of ambition and desire in young tech entrepreneurs than he will ever know.

Thank you!

]]> Mobile / Research Top 10 http://blog.tech4africa.com/mobile-research-top-10/ Thu, 13 Nov 2014 12:38:34 +0000 http://blog.tech4africa.com/?p=8663 Continue reading ]]>

What you need to know in the world of mobile trends

November 2014

#1 Mobile Is Eating The World

There is no point in drawing a distinction between the future of technology and the future of mobile. They are the same. In other words, technology is now outgrowing the tech industry. – Benedict Evans

#2 Global smartphone penetration 2014

“What’s the smartphone penetration in…?” is one of the most frequently asked question by our clients. Here’s the data for 47 countries (Singapore wins, by the way).

#3 Alibaba smashes China’s Single’s Day record with $9.3B Sales

Up from $5.75 last year and 42.6% of sales came from customers using mobile devices. For the uninitiated – Alibaba is Chinese Amazon on steroids, Single’s Day is China’s largest online shopping festival.

#4 Getting In on the Emerging Markets Smartphone Boom

Suhair Khan works at Google and spends most of her time focusing on trends in emerging markets – her observations and recommendations are bang on.

#5 The Fall 2014 GRIT report

Market research industry trends mapped, again. We’re thrilled to see that mobile research has firmly established its position but there are plenty of challenges ahead.

#6 Google Consumer Barometer

The Consumer Barometer helps you understand how people use the internet across the world – data from Q1 this year from over 45 markets. All free to explore and play around with.
Bonus link: Mobile-first is not a future trend in Asia, it’s here now

#7 An #MRX Hallowe’en Parade

Leave it to Tom Ewing to cram ghosts, zombies, Dracula and a mummy into an article about market research. It’s a tongue-in-cheek take on the monsters in the market research industry with plenty of painful truth in every sentence.

#8 Impact of the mobile internet in Africa

Mobile internet is having a massive positive influence on the lives of ordinary Africans – education, health, communications – no aspect of life is left unchanged as masses come online for the first time ever.

#9 Advertisers Are Moving Hundreds of Millions Of $ Away From TV

TV ad dollars are down, not much, but down, and the money is moving to digital, perhaps some to multiscreen around hit shows.

#10 Mobile is changing shopping decisions in the Middle East

Sky high smartphone penetration meets the super mall culture, at least in Saudi Arabia and UAE. Mobile is changing shopping decisions but also offers a new way to (re)capture people in shopping centres.

What’s the most insightful opinion piece or useful resource that you’ve seen this month?

Siim @ On Device

]]> Getting ready for Tech4Africa tomorrow http://blog.tech4africa.com/getting-ready-for-tech4africa-tomorrow/ Tue, 07 Oct 2014 11:03:28 +0000 http://blog.tech4africa.com/?p=8658 Continue reading ]]> Email sent to delegates today, applies to everyone at all Tech4Africa events!

Hi All,

Just a quick note to remind you of a few things for Tech4Africa.

To get the most out of Tech4Africa, you should be doing the following:

Arrive early so you miss traffic, and you get parking
Bring a power supply for your laptop
Bring a 3G dongle, just in case (Always Be Prepared, Scouts motto!)
Bring business cards so you can network
Bring a notepad & pen for notes, you’ll get distracted by typing something whilst listening to talks
, and it’s easier to walk & write!
Create an account & setup your own custom schedule:
http://jhb2014.tech4africa.com/signup
Make sure you know where the rooms are for the talks you want to go to
Don’t treat it as an easy day out of the office – come prepared to learn and be inspired
Bring an open mind
Go to sessions which are out of your comfort zones
Sit next to people you don’t know, introduce yourself, say hello!
Have fun!!!

If you are a speaker:

Make sure you are tweeting about your talk from now until you do it!
Make sure your talk title is exciting and engaging
Make sure your description is accurate
Make sure you have a picture setup in the schedule
Make sure you post your slide deck online, and tell people so they can download it
Make sure you bring business cards to hand out afterwards
Make sure you arrive at least 30 mins before, and that your presentation is ready to go. There will be music between sessions, so we’re not waiting for anyone if they run late in their session.
Make sure your slides are NOT Death By PowerPoint – if they are, it’s your fault if people walk out of your talk due to boredom
Have fun!!

If you do all of that, it will be awesome!!
And that’s about it

See you all tomorrow,
Team Tech4Africa

]]> WomeninTechZA Panel Discussion – Tech4Africa http://blog.tech4africa.com/womenintechza-panel-discussion-tech4africa/ Fri, 03 Oct 2014 12:03:16 +0000 http://blog.tech4africa.com/?p=8655 Continue reading ]]> Despite what you might think if you take a look around, there actually are women in the tech sector. And they’re not just in sales, marketing, or hiding behind a screen coding. They’re engineers, developers, BAs, project managers, founders, CEOs and most everything else.

Samantha Perry, co-founder of WomeninTechZA, an initiative that aims to address the gender diversity gap in the tech sector, will be chairing a panel on WomeninTech at Tech4Africa. Panellists Mich Atagana (managing editor, Memeburn), Ellie Hagopian (CEO, Nomosphere), Shana Kay (CEO, IntelliCred), Lisa Lyhne (executive director, Dariel Solutions) will share their thoughts and experiences, specifically around:

– Why are we battling to attract women to the tech sector? And why can’t we keep them here?

– Why do we need women in tech anyway? If they don’t want to be here we shouldn’t force them?

– How can we start framing the discussion so that we start solving the problem? Debate at present seems to be: “We need more women in tech.” “Ok”.

We look forward to seeing you there.

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