Airtel Uganda is partnering with Microsoft and Microsoft partner, MC3 Cloud to improve the productivity of businesses in Uganda. Giving them access to Microsoft’s Cloud Services that will help to improve their business operations while maintaining good security.
The partnership will help businesses concentrate on the delivery of their core business, while Airtel Uganda and Microsoft will take away the worry about online collaboration, security, and productivity of the teams.
Commenting on the partnership, Allan Ssemakula, the Enterprise Business Director at Airtel Uganda revealed, “We are pleased to collaborate with Microsoft and MC3 Cloud to provide Microsoft cloud services that will be powered by Airtel Uganda’s high speed 4G internet services that cover the whole of Uganda. This means that business customers will have access to Microsoft Cloud Services on the go. We are enabling better productivity for businesses in Uganda”
Microsoft 365 brings together best-in-class productivity apps with powerful cloud services, device management, and advanced security in one connected experience.
With Microsoft Cloud Services businesses will be able to:
Use professional email and calendaring to reach customers and co-workers.
Store, access, and share files from anywhere with 1 Terabyte of online storage per user.
Keep their teams on the same page with group chat, online meetings, and calling in Microsoft Teams, the hub for teamwork.
Help protect their employees, personal data, and their customer information with advanced security and device management.
“Our partnership with Airtel Uganda is intended to give the end user the best experience while using Microsoft services. And Airtel’s 4G connectivity creates the desired platform that aids improved communication, plus information security for both business and personal use,” mentioned Mr. Patrick Okello the Regional Sales Manager at MC3 Cloud, the Accredited Microsoft Cloud partner.
Patrick Okello further said, “Microsoft 365 encompasses subscription plans that allow the use of the Microsoft Office software suite over the life of the subscription, as well as cloud-based software-as-a-service products for business environments, such as hosted Exchange Server (business email, calendar, and contacts), Skype for Business Server/Teams (Meetings, calling & Video Conferencing) and SharePoint (Intranet, Document Management & Teams Collaboration) among others. The suite of plans available to the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) customers include; Exchange Online, Apps for Business, Business Basic, Business Standard, and Business Premium.”
[jetpack_subscription_form show_subscribers_total=”false” button_on_newline=”false” submit_button_text=”Subscribe to get updates right in your inbox” custom_font_size=”16px” custom_border_radius=”0″ custom_border_weight=”1″ custom_padding=”15″ custom_spacing=”10″ submit_button_classes=”” email_field_classes=”” show_only_email_and_button=”true” success_message=”Success! An email was just sent to confirm your subscription. Please find the email now and click 'Confirm Follow' to start subscribing.”]
3 Kenyan and Ugandan projects receive Microsoft and National Geographic AI for Earth Innovation Grant to support research and scientific discovery with AI technologies.
Microsoft announces new recipients of its AI for Earth Innovation award. A joint $1.2M grant program offered by Microsoft and National Geographic to 11 grantees. AI for Earth is designed to advance the use of Artificial Intelligence in scientific exploration and research to help solve critical environmental challenges.
Out of more than 200 applications received, 3 projects from Africa were included in the 11 chosen projects to recieve funding. These are led by changemakers; Ketty Adoch, Torsten Bondo and Stephanie Dolrenry. They will receive financial support, access to Microsoft cloud and AI tools, inclusion in the National Geographic Explorer community and affiliation with National Geographic Labs.
The Microsoft and National Geographic AI for Earth Innovation Grant winners will use these resources to support their projects and better protect the planet.
Microsoft shares that the new grant offering will support research and scientific discovery with AI technologies to advance agriculture, biodiversity conservation, climate change and water.
Below are profiles of the winning grant projects;
Ketty Adoch Geographical information systems specialist from Uganda. Her AI for Earth Innovation Grant project will detect, quantify and monitor land cover change in the area surrounding Lake Albert and Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda’s largest and oldest national park.
Stephanie Dolrenry Director of Wildlife Guardians, based in Washington, D.C. Her team will use the AI for Earth Innovation Grant to help support the Lion Identification Network of Collaborators, an AI-assisted collaborative database for lion identification and interorganizational research.
Torsten Bondo Business development manager and senior remote sensing engineer at DHI GRAS in Denmark. With the AI for Earth Innovation Grant, his team aims to use machine learning and satellites to support irrigation development and improve crop water efficiency in Uganda together with the Ugandan geo-information company Geo Gecko. The goal is to contribute to food security, poverty alleviation and economic growth.
Previous beneficiaries of the Microsoft AI for Earth grant are Peace Parks Foundation, South Africa, International Center for tropical Agriculture, Kenya, I.T.Grapes, Tunisia, Energyrathon Consulting Ltd, Nigeria, etc.
How Microsoft and National Geographic AI for Earth Innovation Grantee is detecting land cover changes in Uganda.
“Ketty Adoch is working to address competition between preserving iconic species and mining natural resources in the same area. A huge advocate for applying technology tools to geographic data, she will use supervised classification and machine learning on satellite images to detect changes in the shape or size of land cover types, like shadows from changing tree cover. She’ll conduct these analyses both historically and, once promising algorithms have been developed, on an ongoing basis for the coming decade. The key outcomes — algorithms and maps to document the findings — will enable researchers, conservationists and technologists to monitor land cover change in the area, see the impact of oil activities and support conservation efforts going forward.”
Microsoft signs MoU with Ministry of ICT & National Guidance Uganda
Microsoft has signed a partnership with the Ugandan ministry of ICT in what it calls strategic. The partnership, Microsoft says aims to create a sustainable, scalable project and initiatives that will leverage Microsoft technologies. The Uganda Ministry of ICT and National Guidance also believes the MoU with Microsoft will help support Ugandan Innovators under their National ICT Initiatives Support Program.
“Microsoft EA has signed a strategic MoU with Ministry of ICT & National Guidance UG that aims to create sustainable, scalable project & initiatives that will leverage Microsoft technologies & expertise to transform Uganda’s innovation landscape for socio-economic development.” Angela Nganga – Government Affairs Lead Middle East and Africa, Microsoft
Uganda’s Ministry of ICT says one of the objectives for signing the MOU is to “support the development of next generation applications“. It hope to achieve this, “by building technical expertise that spur innovation through initiatives such as the Microsoft App Factory Program“.
Uganda’s National ICT Initiatives Support Programme (NIISP) was setup to facilitate the creation of an ICT Innovation ecosystem and marketplace for Ugandan innovative digital products. The NIISP also aims at facilitating growth and development of the software applications and innovations industry in Uganda.
Are you looking for a way to kick start your career? Looking to build some work experience in a thriving environment? The Microsoft 4Afrika #Interns4Afrika Internship initiative does just that.
The Interns4Afrika internship program offers talented young people a unique experience with a dynamic and agile technology organization on the African continent. Whether you’re aspiring for a future in sales, marketing or technology, this is your chance to kick-start your future. – 4Afrika
There are #Interns4Afrika Internship opportunity all across Africa
Do you live in Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, Mauritius, Rwanda, Nigeria, Tunisia, Cote D’Ivoire, Senegal, Zambia, Morocco and Cameroon? Get to be an IT Support Tech, Sales or Marketing intern.
World-Class Skills is about Microsoft plans to develop a Self-sustaining, world-class education platform, both online and offline, to help Africans develop skills for entrepreneurship and improved employability and competitiveness. Microsoft, in partnership with the host organization, offer you a unique opportunity to kick start your career. The internship program will provide you with a real-world work experience and new skills while working for a leading technology organization on the African continent.
With this offer you will work for 6 months with a Microsoft partner organization on real projects. You’ll collaborate and learn from your colleagues. For more question about the Interns4Afrika program, check out the FAQ’s
A few things you need to note to avoid being disqualified.
Your application will be disqualified if you fail to reveal or disclose truthful information.
Kindly click on links below to apply on the Microsoft 4Afrika Interns4Afrika page. Search for offers that relates to your country, sign up and fill away.
mDex a health solution by AfriGal Technologies a 2016 Microsoft #MakeWhatsNext Patent Program participant is in the patent pending status.
#MakeWhatsNext Patent Program is a Microsoft initiative to support and mentor female inventors protect their ideas and further their innovations. Of all patents worldwide currently, only 7.5% are by women. The #MakeWhatsNext Patent Program is Microsoft’s way of trying to do something about it.
Microsoft announced four innovators including mDEX by AfriGal Tech from Uganda for the first cohort of the initiative. The Selected inventors have ideas focused on making a change in their local communities and the world. Microsoft says;
“A generation without sickle cell disease could start here. We’re proud to help women patent and protect great ideas. Today, their inventions are Patent Pending”.
Hopefully the patent gets granted.
mDex is a mobile sickle cell diagnostic tool. It uses the power of a smart phone to take blood slide pictures and have them analyzed to detect the presence of sickle cells.
In Uganda, 30,000 babies are born with sickle cell anemia each year. Of those children, 80% will die before the age of five. AfriGal Tech is a group of female technologists from Uganda hoping to change that.
Some benefits of the initiative includes having Microsoft’s patent law team help you through your patent application process. Microsoft’s patent lawyers vet all prospective teams’ ideas to ensure their inventions are patent-eligible. The lawyers advise teams on how and what to document in order to protect ideas and create a thorough application. All legal expertise and application fees are covered pro bono by Microsoft’s patent law department.
Learn more about mDex and the AfriGal Tech team from #MakeWhatsNext page. Check out the AfriGal Technologies page and follow their innovations.
