by Sylvester Addo | Feb 6, 2017 | Microsoft, Microsoft Ghana
Microsoft Ghana partners with the Data Protection Commission of Ghana for this years World privacy day. At the event Mr. Derek Appiah Ghana Country Manager, Microsoft mentioned NGO’s and Non Profits can benefit from the Microsoft’s Cloud for public good initiative.
This years Worlds’ Privacy and Data Protection day event in Ghana was on Ghana’s Digital Transformation journey. Mr. Appiah speaking during the Keynote said Digital transformation enables you to engage your customers, transform your products, empower your employees and optimize your operation.
Microsoft is committed to Ghana’s digital transformation journey through the development of cloud technology. Microsoft is working in partnership with relevant public and private stakeholders to create a framework for cloud computing which will be essential for businesses, organizations, governments and citizens.
Digital transformation enables you to engage your customers, transform your products, empower your employees and optimize your operation.
Microsoft is committed to creating a cloud for good structure that enables the people of Ghana to achieve more. We will work with the public and private sectors to continue designing a roadmap that is dedicated to preserving values that are timeless, universal but most importantly help the people feel safe, have confidence that the rights and protections that have long preserved the privacy of the personal information they commit to paper, remains in place as their information moves to the cloud.
Cloud computing is more advantageous as it’s more scalable and efficient. Business need to only have access to the internet to access cloud services. With cloud computing, small businesses get the advantages of big businesses without incurring the costs of a big business as they pay for what they use. It means that you pay as you use. This brings down the cost of doing business, which means that you can actually give value to more people.
Talking about the Public Cloud for Public Good initiative, he said qualifying NGO’s and Non profits will receive renewable Microsoft Azure credits. Microsoft under it’s philanthropies division is giving out one billion dollars in cloud computing resources to 70,000 non-profits and NGOs worldwide.
Visit Microsoft Philanthropy page to sign up and for more information on qualification or Check this out here (office for Non-Profits)
by Sylvester Addo | Feb 3, 2017 | Events, General, Microsoft, NexTech Africa
Day 2 of Microsoft’s maiden event in Africa, NexTech Africa 2016. The event starts Friday, February 3rd at 9:30 am EAT ( 6:30 am UTC / 1:30 am ET / 22:30 PT / 11:30 am IST).
? via @shanselman
Join and follow the live stream from Microsoft right here (we’ll update as it happens). We’ll have other announcements and stories as they come in on the page as well. Stay tuned.
Todays session starts with Microsoft CV for Research, AI, T.K. Rengarajan speaking on Data drams. Other topics include a panel discussion on Digital Africa, Connecting the Unconnected – A Mobile Only Future. Scott Hanselman will be sharing on Inside Open Source Cross-Platform .NET.
So a pretty packed day.
by Sylvester Addo | Feb 2, 2017 | Windows Insider
Microsoft has announced the second #Insiders4Good fellowship program in Africa. The fellowship is now opened to citizens of East Africa.
Bambo Sofola, Director of Engineering at Microsoft announced the fellowship on stage during the keynote session of NexTech Africa. This is an expansion of the Insiders4Good initiative of the Windows Insiders program launched in Lagos last year. The fellowship will be in partnership with Growth Africa.
The fellowship program is opened today to citizens of Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda with innovative and creative ideas. At the end of March 25 fellows will be selected for the program. The program will see Microsoft supporting them with technical mentorship, business guidance, software and open them up to a global network.
We are looking for entrepreneurs like you problem-solvers who think deeply about the issues confronting their communities, visionaries who create solutions that could address these issues, and leaders that grow opportunities for their solutions to thrive in the market. Your work improves the lives of your fellow East Africans and has the potential to impact the world.
So if you believe that’s you head out to the page and apply. Click to apply for the #Insiders4Good Fellowship Program.
For the full terms and conditions of the program kindly visit here.
Deadline for submission of applications is 31st March 2017.
by Sylvester Addo | Feb 2, 2017 | Events, NexTech Africa
Microsoft is kick starting it’s maiden event in Africa, NexTech Africa 2016 with the Day 1 events. The event starts Thursday, February 2nd at 9:00 am EAT ( 6:00 am UTC / 1:00 am ET / 22:00 PT / 11:00 am IST).
Join and follow the live stream from Microsoft right here (we’ll update as it happens). We’ll have other announcements and stories as they come in on the page as well.
So the NexTech Africa Opening Keynote Speakers include; Kunle Awosika (Microsoft Country Manger, East Africa), Joe Mucheru ( Kenya Minister , Toni Townes-Whitley, Andreas Fruhen, Bambo Sofola)
- #Insiders4Good East Africa Fellowship Announced
Microsoft has announced the second cohort of the #Insiders4Good fellowship program in Africa. The fellowship is now opened to citizens of East Africa. Read more
- Dona Sarkar teases new Windows Insider Build
This build gets released later in the day for mobile.
by Sylvester Addo | Jan 23, 2017 | app, Developer, MSP
As part of the winning package of the Microsoft Imagine Cup 2016 competition, Winners were to meet Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Team ENTy had this opportunity and here’s their chat with the chief.
Team ENTy from Romania were crowned champions ? of the Microsoft 2016 Imagine Cup competition finals. Four teams from Africa made it to the finals with team Night’s Watch, from Tunisia coming in 2nd in the World Citizenship category, winning $10,000.
The 2016 Imagine Cup winners, winning $ 50,000 cash prize also got to receive a private mentoring session with CEO Satya Nadella.
“The call with Satya was amazing,” said Flavia. “After presenting and doing a live demo on stage at the Imagine Cup World Championships, we never thought we would feel that anxious and nervous again. But he talked with us like he had known us for years.”
Q: Team ENTy: what would he do if he were a co-founder of ENTy?
A: Satya Nadella . I’ll make the hardware smaller, get the patents and the certifications for the product, and find good investors.
“He told us that we should keep fighting for our product, and that we should hurry up with the launch in the market because timing is crucial when you’re part of a startup,”
Since being crowned the Imagine Cup Champions in July, ENTy has been hard at work perfecting its product, with an intense focus on making it smaller and getting it into the hands of the health care professionals who will be its primary customers.
“We minimized our hardware to a device that’s about the size of a coin,” Flavia said. “Right now, we are testing it in hospitals in Romania, and we are getting the necessary medical certificates for the product’s use in Europe.”
Team ENTy has this advice for students who wish to give the competition a go.
“Never stop believing in what you’re trying to do, whether it’s a startup, a project, a song, anything!” students participating in Imagine Cup should focus their efforts on building “a successful product, not on winning something. Our aim was to make a product that will help doctors and patients, and that is exactly what we did.”
This year’s, 2017 Imagine Cup finals will be the 15th anniversary and has a cash price package of $ 100,000.
To participate in the competition, check with your institution for a Microsoft Students Partners group. The events will be hosted by the local Microsoft subsidiaries in eligible countries. There’ll be national finals and then all the finalist head out to Seattle for the big event where they’ll present their ideas.
