Andela is partnering with Microsoft to bring Azure cloud skills to technologists in Kenya and Nigeria. Through the Andela Learning Community with Microsoft Azure training program.
Today, we launch the #ALCwithMicrosoft Azure Training program! Microsoft and Andela are giving you the opportunity to advance your skills in Microsoft Azure.This is in a bid to drive a collective mission to empower current and future African technologists with for high-value employment skillset.
“The program is opened to anyone looking to grow their Azure software development skills. And is excited to learn with a community of technologists” Andela shares.
At the end of the training, shortlisted participants will receive Microsoft Azure certification exam vouchers.
Liquid Telecom introduces 21CSkills learning platform for the African tech enthusiast. With over 200 courses including Data Science, Blockchain, Game Development, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence.
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Microsoft Build 2020 is taking a new format this year. One of the many features of this year’s digital event is the Community Connections experience. Through these experiences, Microsoft will be hosting small group discussions that relate to the local developer community in Africa. The Microsoft Build Africa community connections experience sessions will discuss opportunities, details of upcoming events and the Microsoft Africa Development Center for African developers.
There will be three related Microsoft Build Africa community connections experience sessions.
Connect with Microsoft in Africa and your local dev community Join your local Microsoft team for a fun-filled community meeting as we talk about hot tech, opportunities for developers on the continent and some spicy details on upcoming events for African devs. Thursday, May 21, 2:00 AM – 4:00 AM GMT
Expert Q&A: The Road to Power Africa Join Microsoft’s Africa Development Centre Engineers to learn more about what it’s like to be part of the ADC team. Join them as they chat about what it takes to be a Microsoft Engineer, their day-to-day life and what you can do to get started. They are joined by Microsoft’s Developer team who will cover some amazing developer events coming up and what you can do to improve your skills as a developer. Be sure to join!! Thursday, May 21, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM GMT
Global Social Entrepreneurship Program Learn how Microsoft Global Social Entrepreneurship is enabling social entrepreneurs via technology, access to Grants and customers. Celina Lee, CEO, Zindi will share how she is mobilizing data scientists in Africa on Azure, creating job opportunities and bringing the community together. Wednesday, May 20, 7:30 PM – 8:00 PM GMT
To participate in the Microsoft Build Africa community connections experience, register for Microsoft Build 2020, for free. Then RSVP to the sessions.
Let’s know if you are excited for Microsoft Build and Microsoft’s focus on Africa.
The current global crisis has highlighted several areas, from the need of efficient information management to the need of accurate data gathering for faster medical response. In looking at the role of technology during this period, one area that has stood apart in driving meaningful change is the role of partnerships.
Where is the place for partnerships in the technology industry during this time and beyond COVID-19? Amrote Abdella, Regional Director, Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative discusses this.
If you look at Microsoft for example, through its 4Afrika initiative, it has formed strategic partnerships with healthcare providers throughout Africa and beyond, providing them with technical support and business consultancy to help them achieve their goals. Each of these healthcare providers has had a significant impact in their sphere of influence, but with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve seen how our partners have used their existing platforms and programmes to pivot and adapt existing technologies to provide the much-needed response to address the challenges of the pandemic.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are already used in
healthcare, but in a rapidly evolving situation, these tools can significantly
help boost response times and preparedness. AI and cloud computing are likely
to dramatically change the way we deliver healthcare into communities, in a
highly positive way. By using big data and analytics to deliver real-time
insights and proven step-by-step workflows into healthcare service challenges,
large-scale healthcare systems can deliver improved performance and better
decision-making: essentially using artificial intelligence to power human act
to save lives.
When Microsoft4Afrika first partnered with BroadReach, a leading healthcare software vendor in Middle East and Africa, they were striving to create and implement data-driven solutions to improve the management and delivery of health programmes in underserved regions around the world. Together, they have created Vantage, an integrated cloud platform delivering powerful analytics that helps development, health and human services organisations quickly identify risks and opportunities.
During the Covid-19 crisis, BroadReach is using its cloud services to
rapidly gather data from thousands of health workers in the field and instantly
upload it into Vantage, where advanced analytics are giving leaders key
guidance to manage and prepare for the impact of the pandemic.
In healthcare, quick response times save lives. BroadReach
has produced a facility readiness survey that allows government to redirect resources
to prioritised hospitals and facilities, so that they have the right equipment and medical supplies on hand. Predictive analysis can be used to help forecast and track
outbreak hotspots. This is one true demonstration of how partnerships in technology
can deliver in situations that are rapidly changing and require high volumes of
data from disparate sources to be quickly analysed for use in prediction and
preventative measures.
As another example, a partnership with Raphta, a pioneer in Edge AI and computer vision in Africa, has developed software and hardware solutions that allow contactless biometrics which can be used for access control to facilities, among other things. Of course, during a pandemic where the virus can be transmitted on surfaces, contactless access assumes a far greater importance. Raphta is now offering its Shuri Face Contactless Biometrics solution to hospitals, clinics and buildings for thermal screening and containment, limiting contact and virus spread.
Using their current AI facial recognition software and hardware
technology and having quickly added the necessary thermal imaging technology,
the company is now running pilot projects at the Netcare Gardens Hospital in
Johannesburg, South Africa and at Kenyatta Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya.
Telemedicine is another area where technology is enabling safer
diagnosis and limiting unnecessary contact between patients and healthcare
providers. Globally, the use of telemedicine has been surging during the current
pandemic.
In Pakistan, we’ve seen first-hand the benefits of telemedicine in
reaching patients who have limited access to healthcare and healthcare workers.
Sehat Kahani,
an e-health start-up supported by 4Afrika provides patients who are far from
healthcare centres with access to qualified doctors via a telemedicine
platform, while cloud computing services mean that their patient records are
immediately available anywhere using a mobile device.
Telemedicine can perform a vital role in enabling people to access
healthcare services, remote diagnoses, and treatment plans. During the Covid-19
crisis, Sehat Kahani is using its smartphone app to provide virtual
consultations to patients across Pakistan, delivering educational content about
the pandemic, and helping to direct them to the correct healthcare facilities
if necessary. Using its telemedicine platform, it has educated more than a
million users about the virus and provided more than 6,000 online consultations
with patients.
It’s encouraging to see how technology can support the humanitarian
healthcare goals of countries across the globe, and how leading technology
companies can support and enable healthcare partners to provide better, faster
and more accurate treatment. Seeing how technologies can be adapted to work best in an emerging
crisis shows the value of investing in these partnerships to help develop these
platforms and services.
The clear challenge in Africa is bridging the gap in healthcare and providing equal access for all. By working with our partners across the African continent and beyond, we can see how technology is having a powerful impact on providing healthcare to the communities and countries who need it the most. Partners working together always provides more muscle through collaboration and we’ve seen technology allow our partners to scale, broadening their reach and subsequently have greater positive impact even in the current challenging, uncharted times.
Today, Microsoft introduced a refresh of some of its Surface devices. The announcement includes a refresh to the Surface Go, Surface Book, Surface Headphone and Surface Earbuds. Microsoft says the new Surface Go 2 device comes with a larger 10.5-inch display, improved battery life and a model with up to 64% faster performance. Surface Go 2 however still maintains its signature portability and thinness in spite of the changes. The lowest configuration of the device also sets the price at $399.
Panos Panay, Microsoft Chief Product Officer, Windows and Devices made the announcement sharing a candid work from home video situation on twitter.
Today, we introduce the newest members of the @Surface family. Each one of these products made to adapt to you so you can stay in your flow, work, learn, and have fun, from anywhere. Check out the blog to learn more: https://t.co/IEuOOnWiRppic.twitter.com/fziyTusNJl
Dimensions: 9.65 inches x 6.9 inches x 0.33 inches (245mm x 175mm x 8.3mm) Mechanical features: Magnesium body, kickstand with full-friction multi-position hinge to 165 degrees, magnetic attach for keyboard fold stability Color: Silver Physical buttons: volume, power Wi-Fi: Starting at 1.2 lbs (544 g), not including Type Cover LTE Advanced3: Starting at 1.22 lbs (553g), not including Type Cover
WiFi: Up to 10 hours of typical device usage LTE Advanced:3 Up to 10 hours of typical device usage
Cameras, Video and Audio
Windows Hello face sign-in camera (front-facing) 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p HD Skype HD video 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p HD video Dual Studio Mics 2W stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™ Premium
Ports
1 x
USB-C
1 x
Surface Connect
Surface
Type Cover Port
MicroSDXC
card reader
3.5mm
headphone jack
The company announced it will bring Surface devices later in the year to South Africa.
Unfortunately, the Surface Go Type Cover and Surface Pen are sold separately increasing the total bundled cost to about 600$.
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Microsoft Build 2020 will be taking a totally different format this year. Completely digital and free, the developer-focused event will be hosted in a non-stop 48-hour interactive experience unlike in previous years. Microsoft Build 2020 will take place from 3pm GMT, May 19 to 20.
Microsoft notes registration of the event is free. To get access to the full interactive content you’ll need to register. Event attendees can customize 48 hours of continuous content to get their digital event experience.
The world today is conforming to the new norm of social distancing, work from home and masks to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. Covid-19 pandemic has affected many global events. Events are either being cancelled, rescheduled or held virtually. Making the highly anticipated Microsoft Build event attended by thousands of people worldwide a digital-only event.
The event will still have the main keynote delivered by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Other key segments include a Scott Hanselman led “every developer is welcome” session. Covering modern developer toolkit with GitHub, Visual Studio, Windows, etc. Scott Guthrie and Julia White will bring updates on the latest cloud innovation and how to build cloud solutions with Microsoft Azure.
Here is what you can experience from the Microsoft Build digital event.
What to expect: Access to live sessions with engineers, Q&A, support from technical experts, interviews from the Build Live desk, and much more.
Community connections:Engage with your peers and experts through panels, virtual meetups, and 1:1 meetings to get your questions answered.
Share your topics:Tell us what you’re interested in learning about when you register, and you might see it in the 48-hour show.
Like previous Microsoft Build events we will bring you the keynote livestream and updates.
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Microsoft is increasing the number of participants who can be viewed simultaneously on the Teams meetings stage from four to nine. The company made the announcement introducing new features to the service.
How this works is that it will optimize for attendees who have video-enabled. It will then place the remaining audio-only participants below the meeting stage. Microsoft notes, “the layout will adapt, based on the user bandwidth and alter the number of videos shown to provide the best meeting experience“.
In addition to this, the company also announced other features. These include Raise Hands, – a feature that lets meeting participants identify they want to speak -, one on one live recording, Background effects and Background Blur for iOS.
“The new capabilities will further the experience for our customers“,Microsoft says.
The new features are live and being rolled out in stages. Microsoft says it will take a few weeks if you don’t have it yet.
Microsoft Teams has seen a surge in usage since the outbreak of Covid-19 global pandemic. It currently has more than 75 million daily active users. Recording more than 200 million meeting participants in a single day in April.
In healthcare alone, CEO, Satya Nadella shared there were more than 34 million Teams meetings in the past month. In education, more than 183,000 educational institutions now rely on Teams.
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