Is Microsoft leading the way for global Tech giants into Africa? 

Is Microsoft leading the way for global Tech giants into Africa? 

Is Microsoft leading the way for global Tech giants into Africa?  It might appear so.

global tech giants

On the eve of the official launch of Windows 10 i remember seeing a rather strange tweet. This tweet was shared by Microsoft’s chief executive officer Satya Nadella. The tweet read “Arrived in Kenya to celebrate @Windows 10 launch with fans & learn how tech is #empowering Kenyan people & orgs”.

In as much as it was unbelievable , it was a very welcomed initiative.

There’s been so much noise about Africa on the rise, Africa the new growth market, the next tech bubble happening in Africa. There’s also been the rise in digital technology growth.  It’s been said Africa will be the source for tech talent as tech drives growth. If any of that is true then of course familiarizing yourself and setting yourself up will be the way to go for these global giants.

“I’m here in Kenya and in Nairobi to listen and learn. I wanted to come (personally) to Kenya because I felt this was a place where I needed to be to learn.” – Satya Nadella

So 28th July 2015, Satya Nadella visits Kenya and helped students upgrade their PC’s as windows 10 got launched globally on the 29th. He also to joined a Windows 10 fans party later that evening, after spending the day visiting local start-ups. It seems years on he set the pace for a new era of visitation that was about to hit the continent. A year on 29th August Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg visits Nigeria and Kenya, 1st September 2016 to learn about mobile money, meet entrepreneurs and developers. This July, Google CEO Sundar Pichai was in Nigeria for the Google for Nigeria conference. In Rwanda and Kenya this year was Alibaba group chairman Jack Ma. The tech giants are coming and it’s only just started.

Satya Nadella celebrates Windows 10 in Kenya 

Microsoft held it’s first ever major conference in Africa, NexTech Africa in February 2017. The event brought partners, stakeholders, technology leaders from Microsoft and across the continent together discussing what it means for technology to be innately African.  Microsoft said we came to listen and learn, we aren’t here to impose or presume we know the terrain, (italics mine).
Google has also held it’s first major conference on African soil with Google for Nigeria event.

The Global Tech Giants are coming and it’s only just started.

Talking about infrastructure, IBM has two research facilities located in Nairobi, Kenya and Johannesburg, South Africa. Microsoft is bringing its cloud solutions closer, announcing two datacenters to be located in Johannesburg and Cape Town. A first in Africa, which has all sorts of benefits to it. We know the cloud is the future. This will encourage others like Amazon, Google, etc to invest infrastructure wise in Africa as well.

This year marks 4 years of Microsoft 4Afrika initiative. An initiative to develop affordable access, skills and innovation on the African continent.
Over this period the initiative has seen 15 TV white spaces connectivity projects launched. It’s said to have brought over 500,000 SMEs online and upskilled close to 800,000 people across the continent. About 82 local start-ups have received help to grow their enterprise.
The desire to empower every individual and organization to achieve more saw another initiative in Africa take off. This they did by starting the Windows Insider Fellowship program in Lagos, Nigeria, 2016. It continued with the announcement of the  Windows Insiders East African fellowship at NexTech Africa. This will see about 45 ideas turned into social enterprises that’ll have impacts in their communities. At the Google for Nigeria conference, plans were announced to train 100,000 software developers and give grants to causes.

We will see many more investments and initiatives from the valley and global tech giants. Will it be as a recognition to the vast potential available in Africa? Microsoft sure is doing something right. Maybe they are leading the way for the gobal giants into Africa.

Do you share this same opinion? Are the giants coming in at all? Share your views with us. We’ll like to hear what you think.

Microsoft 4Afrika and Ceridian Mauritius launch 1st AppFactory in Mauritius

Microsoft 4Afrika and Ceridian Mauritius launch 1st AppFactory in Mauritius

Microsoft 4Afrika and Ceridian Mauritius launch 1st AppFactory in Mauritius as part of Smart Apps Internship Program. 

1st AppFactory

The1st AppFactory by Microsoft 4Afrika in Mauritius is in partnership with Ceridian Mauritius under their Smart Apps Internship program. The 4Afrika initiative by Microsoft empowers African youths, businesses and civic leaders to turn great ideas into profitable tools for Africa by Africans. One of such initiatives is the AppFactory. The AppFactory is a Microsoft 4Afrika internship program that empowers local developers and technology entrepreneurs. 

1st AppFactory in Mauritius as part of Ceridian Mauritius Smart Apps Internship Program. 

The partnership with Ceridian Mauritius is to develop skills that match digital job opportunities in the ecosystem. The objective is to accelerate Information Communication Technology development and innovation in Mauritius by developing and empowering youth talent. Currently there are about 10 AppFactories across Africa. Others already running in South Africa, Egypt, Rwanda, Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia and Malawi

The Ceridian Mauritius AppFactory will help small and medium scale enterprises in their digital transformation. Interns will create digital solutions such as data analytics, chat bots and other digital marketing strategies.

There are many ICT graduates who have a great idea for a tech solution but don’t have the time, expertise or resources to develop it. The App Factory encourages, builds and reinforces the entrepreneurship ecosystem. 

1st AppFactory

Microsoft says the AppFactory is a fun and experiential space for young developers and ICT graduates to turn their ideas into reality. The selected interns will spend six months working on real-world projects with senior software engineers. At the end of each internship, graduates are able to design, implement and deploy cloud-enabled, mobile and IT solutions. 
There are many ICT graduates who have a great idea for a tech solution but don’t have the time, expertise or resources to develop it. The AppFactory Improves youth employability by bridging the skills gap for graduates, giving them in-demand skills. It encourages, builds and reinforces the entrepreneurship ecosystem. The Initiative builds a portfolio of innovative, cloud-ready apps that solve challenges and drives Africa’s digital transformation forward. 

 

 

 

 

Digital Education can Empower the next generation, shares Chinenye Ezeakor, Microsoft Nigeria EPA

Digital Education can Empower the next generation, shares Chinenye Ezeakor, Microsoft Nigeria EPA

Digital Education can empower the next generation, Chinenye Ezeakor Microsoft Nigeria Education Programs Assistant shares her thoughts on how.  

Digital Education  

Chinenye talks about how digital literacy can be a catalyst for the curious youth in this generation and the next. She says the truth of the matter is we live in a digital world and companies of all sizes have a growing need for technology experts. There’s a huge need to get more African youths, including girls, into STEM subjects, particularly technology and computing. 

When the education system provides students with the skills they need to thrive, they are more likely to stay and help their country prosper, rather than migrating for better educational or economic opportunities. 

As Education Programs Assistant for Microsoft Nigeria, Chinenye Ezeakor and the Education Programs team push for greater digital literacy in Nigeria’s schools through the Microsoft Imagine Academy initiative. She says this kind of support is particularly vital in developing countries. When the education system provides students with the skills they need to thrive, they are more likely to stay and help their country prosper, rather than migrating for better educational or economic opportunities.

Digital Education must be practical 

An electrical and electronic engineering graduate from University of Port Harcourt, Chinenye says to fight the trend, you’ve got to start early to foster interests in STEM.  Children love to get hands-on, whether they are building sandcastles or playing with Lego. So it’s essential that we translate STEM subjects into practical, hands-on experiences. Due to the type of educational system, we don’t really get to experiment with science. When you can’t see the practical application of something in real-life, you’re not going to see the relevance or the possibilities it might hold for you. 

It is essential that we translate STEM subjects into practical experiences. 
When you can’t see the practical application of something in real-life, you’re not going to see the possibilities it holds.

This takes on an added level of urgency when you consider how important digital technologies are becoming to Africa’s prosperity and growth. A few years ago, people in Nigeria were unsure about using e-commerce; now it’s a huge component of our economy. This is partly due to the rapid pace at which mobile technology is evolving in Africa, but it also comes down to digital literacy. 

Read more on Chinenye Ezeakor’s take on Digital Education and how it can cause economic growths. What’s you take on digital literacy and how it can impact our lives. Do join the conversation and share your thoughts in the comments. 

Eta Katherine, excels at 2017 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship, Anaheim, CA

Eta Katherine, excels at 2017 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship, Anaheim, CA

Katherine made Nigeria and Africa proud at the just ended 2017 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship 

2017 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship

With about 560,000 competitors from 122 countries, Katherine competed in the Microsoft Office global competition. The competition tests and awards students skills in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
Is there a competition in Word, Excel and Power point? Apparently yes! and it’s been going on for 16 years. It goes to show there are more ways these programs are used in ordinary day activities. You best maybe use Microsoft Excel for your invoices and Word for your curriculum vitae, uh? lol. There’s more, like using Excel for data computations, analysis and visualizations, etc, etc.  

Eta Katherine was 3rd finalist in the Microsoft Word 2016 category. Winning a cash price of $ 1,500, a medal of achievement and a winners certificate. She competed with 156 finalists in the final round of 2017 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship in Anaheim, USA.  In the concluding round, finalist participate in unique project-based tests. Demonstrating their ability to create documents, spreadsheets and presentations for the information presented in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

“We are proud to support the MOS World Championship and grateful to meet young people from all parts of the world. Who have discovered the power of Microsoft Office skills for productivity and employability.”  – Anneleen Vaandrager – Microsoft Senior Director Education Industry 

How to Participate in the Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship ?

The competition is opened to students aged 13 to 22. There are three Microsoft Office categories Word, Excel and Power Point of either 2016 or 2013 tracks.  

Students must take a qualifying Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification exam from an accredited learning institution. In other cases, national or regional competitions are held to determine representatives. Selected finalists then compete in the Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship. 
Regional participation and availability varies by country. Further details can be obtained by contacting a local Certiport Solution Provider or MOSchampionship@pearson.com . 

Winners of the tracks get a cash price of $ 7,000, a medal of achievement, trophy, winners certificate and prizes from Microsoft. Second place finalist get $ 3,500, a medal of achievement and winners certificate.

Here is a list of 2017 wining finalist from all categories and tracks. 

 

 

 

Microsoft Nigeria and The Future Project launch Accelerate Labs to assist 2500 Nigerian Youths build Businesses

Microsoft Nigeria and The Future Project launch Accelerate Labs to assist 2500 Nigerian Youths build Businesses

Accelerate Labs will be the womb to carry about 2500 ideas that can be transformed into businesses in Nigeria. Microsoft Nigeria is working with The Future Project to make this dream a reality.

Accelerate Labs

The program by The Future Project and in partnership with Microsoft Nigeria is geared towards equipping the youth. The program dubbed Accelerate the Economy through Youth in Enterprise will select about 2500 Nigerian youths from the country. It will hope to equip participants build socially inclined, high profit and competitive enterprise capable of impacting the GDP.

Accelerate Labs

The selected candidates will be enrolled in a 12 weeks fellowship program. Accelerate Labs will include three streams of 3 weeks taught session, 4 weeks mentoring session, 3 weeks research and practice and a demo day for pitching of business ideas to prospective investors. There will be 6 host hubs from the 6 geo-political zones in 6 states; Lagos, Abuja, Edo, Kaduna, Anambra and Bauchi.

Olusola Amusan Microsoft Nigeria Philanthropic and Citizenship lead said;

Microsoft, through our YouthSpark initiative seek to empower the youth population of Nigeria to imagine and realize their full potential. By connecting them with greater opportunities for education, employment, entrepreneurship and helping them create a real impact for a better tomorrow.

To apply and register for Accelerate Labs

Accelerate Labs

So if you have an idea for a socially responsible enterprise that is scalable and capable of impacting the Nigerian economy and GDP. Then register for Accelerate Labs.
Applications are opened from the 7th of August till the 24th of August. Register to confirm your interest in the Accelerate the Economy through Youth in Enterprise program. Get more information about the fellowship program.

UPDATE: The, The Africa Project website is currently down but they promise to have it back soon. So email info@thefutureafrica.com for more information and details.

UPDATE: Site has been restored and registration links are active.

Check out what people are saying via the hashtag #AccelerateLABS on social platform