by Sylvester Addo | Sep 21, 2016 | app, Developer, General, Microsoft Nigeria, Windows
WINsiders4Good Nigeria Fellowship has launched in Lagos, Nigeria. Microsoft’s Windows Insider chief Dona Sarkar launched the program.
Credit : Twitter – @MissTechyNG
After the 1st anniversary of Windows 10, the WINsiders4good initiative was introduced. The WINsiders4Good fellowship fellowship program is a series of global create-a-thons with the aim of helping insiders within a community build something for a local impact.
The WINsiders4Good Nigeria Fellowship is part of our global #WINsiders4Good program designed to help Windows Insiders tackle important issues in their local communities. With the #WINsiders4Good Nigeria Fellowship, we want to build a fellowship of up to 20 Nigerian entrepreneurs to develop products and services that would help improve the lives of Nigerian people.
Who qualifies to be a part of the fellowship?
1st you need to be a legal resident of Nigeria and registered in the Windows Insider Program. You must have an idea that can help solve local issues. It also doesn’t matter if you have already pitched or shared it anywhere else before.
We would like to build a fellowship of 20 Nigerian entrepreneurs to become our first ever, inaugural class of #WINsider4Good Fellows. If chosen, you will receive hardware and software, including Windows 10, Office 365 and Azure credits. Along with 6 months of tailored technical and strategic mentorship from local and international leaders to help bring your unique idea to life.
? credit: Microsoft
Kindly note the following important dates for the program;
Round 1 Application Opens: September 21, 2016
Round 1 Application Closes: October 10, 2016
Round 2 Application Opens: October 17, 2016
Round 2 Application Closes: October 24, 2016
Fellows Announced: November 16, 2016
Wondering how and what IDEA will count for as good consideration for the fellowship?
A panel of Microsoft-selected local and global experts will select both Finalists and up to 20 #WINSiders4Good Fellows based on the following criteria.
Social Impact: Your product or service addresses a common issue affecting a clearly identified segment of the Nigerian population and provides a clear benefit to the customers upon purchase and use of the product or service.
Market Viability: The product or service has a clearly defined market and can be priced as such that it can be viable and sustainable as a business given the local context.
Innovation: The product or service provides a unique approach to the issues faced by the local market through a net new innovation; an improvement on existing solutions; or a combination of multiple solutions for more effective and efficient intervention.
Scalability: The business has the potential to serve customers across the geographic region where the entrepreneur is based, or across all of Nigeria.
Register for the fellowship here.
? credit : Microsoft
What happens if you are selected?
If someone is chosen as a #WINsiders4Good Fellow,Microsoft will;
- Connect them with the global community of Windows Insiders.
- Prioritize and collaborate to unblock their technical issues that are preventing them from achieving their goal.
- Mentor them with technical, strategic and business guidance for six months.
- Provide hardware and software to bring their ideas to life.
Excited about the Windows Insiders community program coming closer to you in Nigeria? looking forward to getting your idea come to life and make an impact? Share and tell us about it in the comments.
If you want to re-live the launch event via social media shares, kindly visit here
Source: Microsoft
by Sylvester Addo | Sep 15, 2016 | Developer, Events, General, Microsoft Ghana
Microsoft Certified Trainers Summit 2016 event is taking place on each continent around the world and the Africa meet up is scheduled to take place in Accra, Ghana.
Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) events are the best opportunities to interact with other trainers. You can learn a new technical skill, how to teach a specific course or technology. You can also learn how to become a better trainer.
The Ghana event is the second in the sub region to be organized by the International Association of Microsoft Certified Trainers (IAMCT). The summits take place in a country on each continent. 2016 Summit hosts are US, Germany, Australia and Ghana.
MCT Summit Africa 2016 is a community event. It is organized and produced by a team of MCT’s for their peers. It’s an event open to Microsoft Certified Trainers, Microsoft Certified Professionals, Information Technology Trainers, Students and all Individuals with a passion for Microsoft operating system, technologies and solutions.
MCT events are a great opportunity for MCT’s to interact and engage directly with Microsoft. Come learn about the future of Microsoft learning, the MCT Program, how to teach a specific course or technology, or how to improve your trainer skills.
MCT Summit Africa 2016 will take place at the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, November 25th, 2016 in Accra, Ghana. It’ll also feature a tour to a slave trade castle on the 26th, November. On 24th November there’ll be an MCT’s meet and greet at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel.
The theme for the event is “KNOWING – the Cloud and Modern Workplace”. Speakers of the event will cover Office 365, SharePoint, Skype for Business, Windows Server 2016,Operating system deployment and other Microsoft Technologies.
Visit the MCT summit Africa 2016 event page to register, for speaker list event schedule.
More Info: MCT Summit Africa
by Sylvester Addo | Aug 29, 2016 | Events, General, Microsoft Ghana
As part of activities to mark this years International youth Day, World Vision hosted a YouthSpark Conference.
Photo Credit : TizaaWorks
World Vision, new implementing partners of Tizaaworks held an event to mark International Youth Day in Accra, Ghana. TizaaWorks is a Microsoft YouthSpark and Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative introduced by Microsoft Ghana.
TizaaWorks is an online platform for employability and entrepreneurship. It helps equip young graduates and school-leavers with the right employable skills to prepare them for the job market. That’s hard and soft skills to bridge the skills gap and secure first-time job opportunities. It also provides career guidance and resources for those wanting to build their businesses. The platform offers information on personality assessment, virtual interviews, CV writing, business idea pitching, writing cover letters, job vacancies and free online courses.
The YouthSpark conference featured a presentation on the Sustainable Development Goals, a training on entrepreneurship, poetry, choreography and music. Here are some pictures from the event.
The TizaaWorks online platform offerings include:
* Plan your career – career counselling, job market info and stats
* Get trained – mentor matching, IT training, entrepreneurship, CV writing, soft & language skills
* Find a job – job matching tool Entrepreneurs – Start-up training, funding tools, social entrepreneurship and freelance opportunities.
* Get engaged – Community-based networking platform for users to share ideas and volunteer opportunities
Follow Tizaaworks on social sites Facebook, Twitter: @TizaaWork, Website: Tizaaworks
More Info: TizaaWorks
by Sylvester Addo | Aug 24, 2016 | app, Developer, Events, General, Xbox
Are you an app dev? Microsoft engineers are inviting you to a day’s live hands on training.
The Windows 10 anniversary update was released to consumers recently. Microsoft also released the Software Development Kit (SDK) to developers. The SDK is available to developers to build Windows 10 Universal Windows Platform (UWP) applications. That’s applications that span the whole Windows 10 devices range.
The App Dev on Xbox online event is scheduled for August 30th, 4 PM (UTC). The engineers will talk about the new features and capabilities in the SDK. There’ll also be a section to take and answer questions from viewing developers.
Some topics to be discussed during the event include:
- Getting started with App Dev on Xbox (The Anniversary Update SDK and getting started with app development on Xbox One)
- XAML Apps and Web Apps on Xbox (Deep dive into developing apps using both XAML and Web technologies)
- Designing for Xbox (Guidance for designing and creating impressive TV experiences)
- Dev Center and publishing UWP apps (Submitting your apps via the Dev Center to all UWP devices including the Xbox)
- Q and A with expert panel.
Join us for our live event on August 30th and learn:
What’s new in the Anniversary Update SDK and how to get started with app development for Xbox One
How to get started developing apps using both XAML and Web technologies
How to design and create impressive TV experiences
How to publish your app to the Store and make it available for over 350 Million Windows devices including Xbox
Join the event on twitter using the hashtag #XboxAppDev and follow the Windows Developers on Twitter (@WindowsDev) for updates.
Save the date, add the event to your calendar. Follow the event live on the 30th here.
Lire en Français:
L’App Dev sur Xbox événement en ligne est prévue pour le 30 Août, 16 :00 (UTC). Les ingénieurs parleront les nouvelles fonctions et fonctionnalités dans le SDK. Il y aura aussi une section de prendre et de répondre aux questions d’afficher des développeurs.
Quelques thèmes qui seront abordés lors de l’événement comprennent :
• XAML Apps et Web Apps sur Xbox (de plongée profonde dans le développement d’applications utilisant à la fois XAML et technologies Web)
• Conception pour Xbox (Lignes directrices pour la conception et la création d’expériences de télévision impressionnantes)
• Centre de Dev et de l’édition UWP apps (Envoi de vos applications via le Centre de développement à tous les appareils UWP y compris la Xbox)
• Q&R avec groupe d’experts.
Participer à l’événement sur twitter en utilisant l’hashtag #XboxAppDev et suivez les développeurs Windows sur Twitter (@WindowsDev) pour les mises à jour.
Source: Microsoft
by Sylvester Addo | Aug 10, 2016 | General, Microsoft Africa, Microsoft South Africa, Windows
Microsoft South Africa had a party to celebrate the arrival of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. They made time to also share on some new features of the update.
Credit: @MicrosoftSA (Twitter)
Microsoft released the anniversary Update of Windows 10 on August 2nd. All around the world there were different activities to mark it’s arrival. From Windows Insider meetings to developer hackathons. Microsoft Team in South Africa held a cocktail party style with some Tech Media invited guests. Something similar to the bloggers meetup held by Microsoft Nigeria.
Here are some of the things shared from the event about the Anniversary Update;
- The future of Windows10 is all about the unification of Microsoft services and devices. A single Operating system, User Interface and Store.
- More personal and more secured.
- Microsoft is building a better operating system using your feedback via the Windows Insiders program.
- Over 5000 tweaks were made to improve Windows 10 via feedback from the Windows Insiders program.
- Windows 10 users can upgrade from Windows10 Home to the Pro version via the Windows store.
- Improved virtual desktops and snapping features. Great for multitasking. Windows10 can snap functionality up to 4 quadrants.
- Windows Hello allows the use of biometric devices to enhance and secure the environment. Example log in via a retina scan or finger print reader.
- Extensions are coming to Microsoft Edge with the Anniversary Update.
- Write a sticky on your screen with your device pen and it will be saved to your sticky notes.
Check out the conversation via the hashtag #Win10SA on social media platforms.
