₦airaland Forum

davidsmith8900:
I just visited this site and it is pretty neat and simple. I like the job search engine but what makes it different than other job search engines like Jobberman and etc? Why should users use your search engine, when they can use Jobberman or something else? What makes your search engine special? Or different?

1. Well it cuts data cost by removing images and information that is not needed
2. It directs you quickly to the app site so that one doesn't have to waste time
3. It loads up faster and it gives you a broader range of jobs in Africa. Many Nigerian job search engines only stick to Nigeria or other countries in West Africa at most.

Chrome's address bar doesn't do much at a glance. Type in a URL and you're taken to a web site. But it can do a lot more if you know how to use it.

We've covered plenty of great Chrome tricks over the years, but the address bar has always been a bit neglected. You can actually do a ton with it though, so let's dig into some of the better tricks.

Original Post - http://lifehacker.com/the-secret-powers-of-chromes-address-bar-1651920066

I've removed the popup that use to show up on my website so now you can access http://getjob.comxa.com/ without any disturbance.

Tope and Chris Folayan, two middle-aged Nigerians, have invented an application which will enable Nigerians – and by extension Africans – shop from U.K. and U.S. sites.
Tope Folayan says the app will interface between the buyer in Nigeria and the various sites in US or UK.
Tope Folayan says the app will interface between the buyer in Nigeria and the various sites in US or UK.
The application, MallforAfrica, which is an interface that enable users to visit over 80 U.K. and U.S. sites to shop and have their goods delivered to Nigeria, also‎ comes with a web card that allows Nigerians shop without exposing their verve or master card ‎online, rather, a limited amount of money deposited in the web card for
shopping.
Speaking to journalists Wednesday at the unveiling in Lagos, Tope Folayan, said the idea for MallforAfrica was conceived ‎from a personal need and that the application is only a middle man in the transaction of business between the buyer in Nigeria and the various sites in U.S. or U.K.
“I tried to shop on various U.S. and U.K. websites and couldn’t. So between me and my brother, Chris Folayan, we developed this app which now solve that problem. You can shop on Amazon, Marks and Spencer and a whole lot of UK and US site which would normally not sell online to Nigerians,” he said.
Demonstrating how the application works, Chris said: “Once you download the app, you register, it opens you to a whole new interface which is over 80 UK and US sites and you can shop for any item, pay for it and get it delivered in to either your door step or at a nearest pick up centre‎ in Nigeria”.
Speaking further on the tax or delivery charges, he said the application has made it possible for the user to see all tax on each item before paying and delivery charges.
“The app has made it so good that you see all the normal hidden charges before you click on pay option”.
Assuring Nigerians the safety and authenticity of their goods, ‎Mr. Folayan said MallforAfrica link Nigerians with the directly with the manufacturer of the product and as such, the case of fake or substandard product does not come to play.

Link ~> https://www.premiumtimesng.com/business/169273-nigerian-brothers-develop-app-to-allow-nigerians-shop-from-u-k-u-s-sites.html

Nigeria was front-page news this month when it overtook South Africa as the continent’s largest economy. Behind the headlines, another transformation is taking place with the growth in technology start-ups in Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city. This entrepreneurial boom is partly the result of a fast-expanding population, an increase in digitally savvy young people in need of work and the proliferation of smartphones. Welcome to Silicon Lagoon.
Why Lagos?

The city has become Africa’s smartphone app capital. A growing band of mostly self-taught youngsters have grabbed the opportunity to start a business from a spare room. High unemployment has also acted as a spur.
At the same time, well educated founders of Nigerian descent have also been returning home to set up shop. Investors are now arriving with capital too.
What remains to be done?
The poor quality of the key infrastructure is a problem. Many start-ups have to lease costly electricity generators just to ensure the office lights and computers remain on. Broadband is expensive and patchy. High office rents are also a problem, pushing companies to share space.
Local heroes
Konga.com is an online retailer, founded by local entrepreneurial celebrity Sim Shagaya. The company recently expanded into a 120,000 square foot warehouse and has received more than $15m in funding from foreign investors, including South African media group Naspers and Investment AB Kinnevik, a Swedish investment company. In March 2013 Naspers acquired a 50 per cent stake in Konga.
Irokotv is an online video service that streams Nollywood films (from Nigeria’s vibrant movie industry) to the African diaspora. The service, launched in 2011 by British-born entrepreneur Jason Njoku, and labelled the Netflix of Africa, has raised $21m through backers such as Tiger Global, Kinnevik and Rise Capital, and now has more than 1m unique viewers each month in 178 countries.
Show me the money
Venture capital has been scarce but this is changing as new support schemes spring up. The Lagos Angel Network brings together individuals and organisations seeking to invest in and mentor Nigerian tech start-ups. Rocket Internet, the e-commerce VC firm set up by German entrepreneur brothers Alexander, Marc and Oliver Samwer, has opened an office in Lagos.
Is it well connected?
Lagos boasts one of the most extensive road networks in west Africa as well as suburban trains and ferry services. However, the roads get congested in peak hours, partly because of the geography of the city and partly because of the rapid growth in population. Murtala Muhammed International Airport is one of the largest in Africa and was recently upgraded.
What do the locals say?
Gossy Ukanwoke, founder of online university Beni American University Online, says: “In Nigeria, we don’t have an ecosystem, we have clusters of people doing their own thing.”
Tomi Davies, co-founder of Angel Fair West Africa, a pitching event to bring together investors and early-stage ventures, comments: “We are seeing a rise in technology start-up incubators. More co-working spaces are springing up with companies operating from the same building, although this is partly because of the dearth of high-speed broadband availability.”

Original Article - http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/77df79a8-c716-11e3-889e-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3HZJvhTEm

Nigeria has received an award from the International Telecommunications Union ITU and UN Women for initiating policies and programs empowering women and girls via ICT.

According to the organisers of the award the aim is to recognize and honour outstanding performers and role models in gender equality and mainstreaming in the area of ICTs.

Secretary General of the ITU, Dr Hamadoun Toure commended Nigeria and the Minister of Communication Technology for initiating positive policies and programmes that are changing the lives of women and girls through ICT.

Receiving the award, Omobola Johnson, Nigeria’s Minister of Communication Technology described the award as an important recognition and validation of the efforts of the Nigerian government on gender inclusion and empowerment facilitated by information and communication technologies.

“We are committed to getting more women and girls into ICTs . We want to ensure that Nigerian women and girls are encouraged and empowered to embrace ICTs. It is critical to get our girls to adopt ICTs so that they are not left behind in the digital revolution changing communities and nations across the globe,” she said.

Original Article - http://www.humanipo.com/news/47551/nigeria-wins-itu-gender-empowerment-award/

acenazt:
o.p r u on anyway insane how will u bring Kenyan news for us? we are in Nigeria

After they try it in Kenya they plan on bringing it to Nigeria.

Bharti Airtel’s prepaid customers in Kenya will now be able to access Twitter on their mobile phones for free till 15th January 2015, enabling them to enjoy posting Tweets, keeping up with news and what’s happening across the world.

This limited period Twitter offer by Airtel will allow customers to enjoy free access to Twitter through web browsers by visiting http://mobile.twitter.com and official Twitter Android app and This offer is only available for android users and subscribers using BlackBerry handset will not be able to avail this offer.

With over a hundred million of active users worldwide, Twitter is an information network that connects people everywhere to what’s most meaningful to them. People can share and read Tweets of up to 140 characters, which can also include photos, videos or links to websites and news stories.

While announcing the new offer, Airtel Kenya CEO Adil El Youssefi said, “Customers are increasingly relying on the mobile devices for accessing everything from emails to music to social networks. In conjunction with this trend, we are pleased to introduce 3 months of free access to Twitter to our prepaid customers. Our customers will now be able to enjoy Twitter’s rich interface on their mobile web browsers free of charge.

This initiative will introduce new users to an exciting world of possibilities that mobile internet enables, thus providing an impetus to data services market”.

Mr. El Youssefi added, “We have always been committed to delivering experiences that are innovative and relevant for our customers. This offer reinforces our focus on this promise and adds to our list of many industry firsts”.

To access the offer, Airtel customers with data enabled phones shall access:mobile.twitter.com from the default browser of their handset, use Twitter Android App on their Android device, or use the Twitter apps on Windows Phone or Nokia devices. Accessing the Twitter page is free however, standard data charges will apply for viewing external links, pictures, videos and other media thus its recommended that one purchases a data bundle or have credit.

The Twitter App has been customized wherein, every Airtel customer who is accessing Twitter, will be able to view a message on the header and footer of the app mentioning Twitter is free of charge with Airtel. This Twitter app will pop up a message of additional data consumption charges only if a subscriber chooses to visit an external link while browsing updates on Twitter.

Orginal Article - http://www.humanipo.com/news/47535/airtel-introduces-free-mobile-access-to-twitter/

blueyedgeek:
Interactivity is nonexistent on mobile using opera mini. (It doesn't even do anything at all)

Consider adding a bit more information on the site detailing what the app is for and how it is useful, "search for jobs in Africa" isn't enough. Try to add a bit more "activity" to the app, it feels a bit "lonely".

Additionally, if your app uses only client side codes, you should consider hosting it on github pages, at least, that would get rid of the ads.

I checked it on opera mini, will update this post once I check it on pc.

Thanks for your knowledge and input. I really appreciate everything. I'll work on it.

The methodology behind this list of startups had two simple directives. First, the startup had to have African roots and secondly it had to be brilliant.
More specifically, we were looking for that type of brilliance that exudes intelligence, talent, quality or simply, something fresh. Of course brilliance, like most things in life, is subjective, so we went into this journey with an open mind. Tabula rasa if you will and we hoped to recognise brilliance when we saw it. We did, over and over again.
Why did we focus on Africa? The continent’s one-billion people are coming online and 600-million of them already have mobile phones. It is estimated that by 2040, Africa’s working age population will be the largest in the world, making for a large number of young, active consumers — the brand conscious, aspirational demographic businesses covet. In the last 10 years 117-million Africans have migrated to cities, establishing a larger, wealthier concentration of people in need of goods and services and making Africa more urbanised than India and almost on par with China. Consumer spending grows by four percent a year and by 2020, Accenture estimates that poverty levels in Africa will fall to 20% from nearly 45% percent in the1980s.
The secret is out. Wired likens the opportunities in Africa to those of the pre-dotcom boom in 1995. Says the magazine: “If you want to become extremely wealthy over the next five years, and you have a basic grasp of technology, here’s a no-brainer: move to Africa.”
So what opportunities are indigenous African tech startups seizing? Let’s take a look. Please note that this list is not exhaustive by any stretch of the imagination. Instead, consider it a sampling of African talent and be sure to let us know about brilliant startups that should also be on this list. We look forward to hearing from you and compiling a sequel to this article.
22seven – South Africa

This startup made a disruptive entrance into the personal finance management scene just a few weeks ago when it launched to equal measures of censure and praise. The closest thing to the wildly successful Mint to come out of the African continent, 22seven shows you how you’ve spent your money, helps you think about why and suggests changes you can make to better manage your income.
Why is it brilliant? The user interface design and experience is both exceptionally powerful and beautiful. Yes, the Flash platform is an offbeat choice and yes, it’s scary to entrust your banking details to anyone, let alone a faceless site on the web, but don’t let that detract from the fact that 22seven is an ultra compelling service created with plenty of swagger and style.
This Army – South Africa

Two apps in particular called, Tank and Ammo, developed by this South African startup with a penchant for militant naming conventions, caught our attention. Tank is an easy-to-use browser based app for building websites and Ammo helps you build mobile optimised eCommerce stores.
Why are they brilliant? Both of these apps are ridiculously intuitive, user friendly and exude a type of magnetic elegance that sucks you in. Tank supports Markdown as well as standard HTML markup so it manages to be newbie friendly, without being too restrictive. While setting up an Ammo test account, we began wishing we had things to sell on the platform. It’s just such a pleasant environment to be in.
Taxi Rank – South Africa

Down in Cape Town, Taxi Rank makes it easy for the city’s 4-million citizens to catch a cab. Simply enter your pick-up and drop-off destinations to compare estimated quotes from multiple cab companies. Once you select a quote, the cab company will send you a text message confirming the pick-up time and cost. Taxi Rank’s mobile site can automatically pinpoint your location if your phone supports browser based geolocation — no need to provide a pick-up point.
Why is it brilliant? The Taxi Rank design is intelligently simple and it works beautifully. It follows Google’s less is more approach to deliver a supremely useful service in uncluttered style.
Dropifi – Ghana

The team behind Dropifi are re-imagining one of the web’s oldest and most resolute elements, the “Contact us” form. The Dropifi solution consists of a website plug-in, optional QR code (for print-outs) and an analytics tool.
The plug-in simplifies and speeds up contact form implementation on company websites and presents an unobtrusive interface to customers. The novelty QR code can be printed out and is a fun way of directing users to a company’s online Dropifi contact form. The final part of the solution allows companies to extract intelligence from messages received through their Dropifi contact forms and makes responding to incoming messages easy.
Why is it brilliant? What was the last big innovation in “Contact us” forms? Autofill? Dropifi boldly pushes the age-old convention forward. It gives companies better organisation of customer correspondence, while at the same time providing customer insight.
Companies can for example, gain insight into recurring issues through “trending topics” harvested from customer messages and how well (or badly) the company measures up to the industry query response average. For end-users filling in contact forms, the Dropifi experience is simple, quick and even fun.
Lekoua and Son – Cameroon

The X-NetPhone is the result of a collaborative effort by Lekoua and Son (L & F) and three expatriates based in Germany and the USA. Assembled in China and now sold in Cameroon, the creators proudly underline the phone’s simplicity. The bare-bones approach means the phone is dirt cheap at EUR€16 for a standard version and EUR€19 with a camera. Other features include dual SIM slots, MP3/MP4 player, radio and flashlight.
Why is it brilliant? The X-NetPhone was tailor made for the Cameroonion market. Nothing more, nothing less, just a simple, practical phone for under US$25.
Pulse – Cameroon

Pulse is ambitious. Born out of frustration with inefficient communication channels at the University of Buea and other universities in West Africa, it aims to connect students with teachers through a social network. Another social network, yes, but with a twist.
The project differs from similar projects, such as the South African Obami, by offering students and teachers US$50 Android based tablets which they can use at free university Wi-Fi hotspots.
The project aims to bring offline notice boards, in-class announcements and word of mouth communication online and will cast the communication medium net as wide as possible, allowing correspondence through SMS, the web and email.
The pilot program launched in Q4 of 2011 at the University of Buea with about 1000 test users. Full roll-out is planned for March of this year.
Why is it brilliant? Some West African universities have 3000 students in classes intended for 500. Pulse is a fantastic, bold initiative aimed at improving normal and long-distance communication between students and teachers. The idea of offering US$50 tablets is great too and has been proven to be both feasible and successful in emerging markets. If you’re interested in helping the project gain traction feel free to check out Pulse’s fund raising page.
ForgetMeNot Africa – Zimbabwe

ForgetMeNot (FMN) Africa wants to bring all African mobile phone users online. The company provides internet type services to users who don’t have smartphones or data connections. Through partnerships with six mobile carriers in Africa, FMN allows mobile phone users to to send and receive email and Instant Messages on basic handsets without any internet connection through standard USSD and SMS services.
Think internet-free email, Facebook, Windows Live and Yahoo! Messenger. FMN also provides a platform that third parties can utilise to bring their own internet based services to those without data access. Its primary investor is LonZim, a UK company focused on investing in businesses in Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Why is it brilliant? Thanks to ForgetMeNot Africa, cash-strapped consumers can opt for an inexpensive phone — as low as US$15 — and still access basic internet services, even on carriers with limited or no data infrastructure.
Iroko Partners – Nigeria

One of the company’s most compelling new projects is called IrokoTV. Launched in December 2011, it allows its over 100 000 registered active users to view films from Nigeria’s film industry for free. Well, at least until June of this year, it’s not exactly clear what happens beyond that, but the company relies mainly on advertising revenue to support its business, having initially made a living through streaming full-length Nollywood movies on its YouTube channel.
Iroko Partners is the only company with the sole rights to distribute Nollywood movies online.
Why is it brilliant? The Nigerian film industry is the second largest in the world and IrokoTV provides a robust service for Nollywood film buffs across Africa and the world to get their fix.
TruSpot! – Nigeria

Remember when Apple announced its social network for music, Ping? Remember when Spotify initially rose to fame? TruSpot! has been doing all of that since 2006. The African social music platform and streaming service, utilises its strategic partnerships with African record labels and artists to bring a free African music and music video streaming service to listeners. Through Afritunes, TruSpot! also allows for digital music purchases.
Why is it brilliant? TruSpot! offers one of the largest African music catalogues available on the web — for free.
Njorku – Cameroon

Much like Indeed.com, Njorku is a jobs-listing aggregator, but with an African focus. Njorku is based in Cameroon, and also covers Egypt, Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda.
Why is it brilliant? Instead of visiting and searching for job sites individually, Africans can go to one place to find jobs across many sites, for free. Apart from convenience, Njorku users have the ability to receive SMS and email alerts if new jobs matching their search terms become available. Njorku also gives smaller, boutique job sites that pop up from time to time, more visibility.
iSign – South Africa
The post was too long so please read the rest at the original article

Original Article - http://ventureburn.com/2012/03/25-brilliant-african-tech-startups/

The year is 2007, and I had just left Microsoft to dive into the startup world. Like many first time entrepreneurs, I was very excited about the adventure. And like many first time entrepreneurs, I didn’t know where to start.
So I attended events, meetups, conferences, and mingled with the local startup community in Seattle. When time came to move to the Bay Area, I found even more events, more meetups, and more conferences. The startup ecosystem was so busy and alive, and I found a wealth of knowledge and experience being shared, which I consumed eagerly.
There were also blogs, videos, interviews, and books that I ingested with passion. They made great conversation topics during the events, the meetups and the conferences.
I even joined a startup incubator!
It wasn’t until I decided to launch my own startup that I realized that nothing I’ve read, watched or attended really prepared me for it. And I mean it. Absolutely NOTHING. I had forgotten most of what I’ve learned, and what I remembered didn’t apply much to my situation. I’ve been snacking on other people’s experiences and successes, and like good junk food, it made me feel bloated and satisfied.
Sorry to be a party pooper, but that’s reality.
In the beginning, I tried applying the things I’ve learned to my situation. That didn’t work. The magic moment really happened when I made peace with the fact that I’d just wasted a good deal of time learning things I didn’t really need, believing there was a magic word someone would utter that would launch me into action. Every event, every conference, and every blog post was just another excuse to postpone action one more day. I made peace with it and moved on with a beginner’s mindset, believing that I will figure out what I need along the way.
And that made all the difference.
There is a part in each one of us that wants to create, deliver, and launch into an entrepreneurial adventure with all the uncertainty and risk that it brings. But there is also the other part, the one that wants to feel certain and confident that we’re making the right decision, and we’re not going to fail and hurt ourselves along the way. And that’s where most of the friction comes from.
But these blogs, these events, and these interviews didn’t really remove that friction. For a while, it just gave me some comfort knowing there were enough people doing the same things. Going into entrepreneurship was outside of my comfort zone, and I’d just I moved from one comfort zone into another. And you know what? I was in good company!
One day I had my reality check and saw that I was busy doing many things, except working on my product. A couple of months later, I can say with full confidence: the only thing that counted was to actually sit down and do the work.
Don’t take me wrong. I think some blogs and conferences are valuable. But unless you’re already working on something that provides the framework for your learning and networking, you’d be wasting some valuable time.
Here are some action steps that helped me overcome the “startup friction syndrome”:
- I stopped reading startup news and blogs for a few weeks, and I realized I didn’t miss anything related to my products. It didn’t matter who got funded, who got acquired, or why Internet Explorer was losing market share against Google Chrome. The only WHOs I care about are the customers, and the only WHATs I focus on are their needs and desires, and how to best deliver value to them.
- I stopped going to startup events for a couple of months, and started catching up with friends over coffee or drinks instead. I still go to one or two events each month, but I do it for fun. I no longer confuse going to entrepreneurship events with being an entrepreneur.
- I taught myself through small projects. I broke down ideas into small manageable chunks, and gave myself deadlines to finish each of them. Projects and experiments are amazing teaching devices, because you learn as needed, and you learn first-hand. Keynotopia has helped tremendously in getting ideas out of my head and into a format that I can quickly see, interact with, and show to potential customers – that’s why I created it in the first place! Sometimes these small projects can even become profitable
- In each step, I came up with a list of questions that would help me move to the next step. Whether it was getting more traffic, improving the product, or increasing revenue without increasing traffic, I came up with the best questions I could, then I did research, asked people, and I put the answers into action immediately. Every information not acted on takes too much space in my biological memory stick.
- This is my favorite: I created more fear of not starting than the fear of starting. I realized that every day I waited a customer was not getting my solution, and a competitor was getting closer to that solution before I did. I even imagined my worst nightmare if I’d failed to take action: I was Milton from Office Space, tucked in the corner cubicle of Innotech, staring at my red stapler, and waiting for my next paycheck. That was the magic kick-in-the-butt I was looking for.
- I first got things done, then I got them done right. I learned (the hard way) that momentum mattered most. If I can’t take action right away on my idea, chances are I never will. Whenever I get an idea nowadays, I do something to pin it to my reality, and to make it tangible. I do it in a quick and ugly way, then figure out how to do it better, and learn only what I need for that.
- I faced reality: nothing was going to happen until I went out of my comfort zone and did it. Many wait, but a few act.
I want to leave you with a quote that changed my life: successful people aren’t necessarily smarter or luckier than others. They just try so many things and fail until something works out.
Don’t be an entrepreneur by association. Be an entrepreneur by action and results.
Have you been in a similar situation? Share your experience in a comment below.

Original Article - http://blog.amirkhella.com/2011/02/23/what-i-wish-someone-had-told-me-5-years-ago/

Not long ago I came across a picture on Facebook; it was the first item on my timeline. In the picture were three individuals: my Facebook friend, a successful and commendable African entrepreneur, and another individual. Alongside the picture was a caption, which celebrated "the individual," a beneficiary of a brutal military regime. The caption on the picture made me cringe. Immediately, I went through a flashback of Nigeria's history - the picture made me think about Nigeria's future.

Then I began to ask myself a series of questions. Why should we as Nigerians celebrate wealthy beneficiaries of brutal military regimes? Why should we as young people accept their ill-gotten wealth as part of Nigeria's success story? Any good student of Nigerian history can make a clear connection between an individual's sudden access to the nation's resources through illegal means, corruption, or military regimes and actual business growth. In this instance, oil fields belonging to an entire nation were conveniently allocated to one individual. Rosemary Ajayi, technical assistant to the current Governor of Ekiti State in Nigeria said, "corruption saps the will of everyone but of those benefitting from it." I say, corruption in Nigeria should be considered a form of terrorism.

It is no secret that Nigeria is full of natural resources, however, the lack of transparency and respect for the rule of law has allowed for the misappropriations of these resources. Victor Asemota, owner and principal consultant of Swifta Systems wrote on his twitter page, "A friend said she was at the World Economic Forum (WEF) and was wondering how most people we celebrate in Nigeria became so wealthy? No one has straight stories." He continues, "there are very few noble wealthy people in Nigeria, many of them are mostly government assisted tyrants." As future policymakers, entrepreneurs, innovators, and more importantly, as young Nigerians, we cannot and should not continue to celebrate those who have conveniently benefitted from corruption, or military regimes. Let us learn to ask questions, hold each other accountable, and reclaim respectable moral and ethical standards.

Despite the growing concern for Nigeria's future due to terrorism or the lack of conscientious leaders, I am optimistic. I am optimistic because a growing number of young Nigerian entrepreneurs are creating innovative businesses, and more importantly are not waiting for government connections to create this change. These young innovators are being proactive about change and their enormous success is not a byproduct of nepotism or deeply entrenched corruption.

The collaborative power of technology and new media has given a voice to a new kind of entrepreneur. It has given a voice to innovative young Nigerians emerging throughout the continent and these are who I want more young Nigerians to celebrate as success stories. As the largest economy within the African continent, we have to celebrate hard work and innovation, as well as implement policies that accelerate business growth and strengthen the private sector to create more jobs.

Here are the 12 Young Entrepreneurs who make me optimistic about Nigeria's future. These young entrepreneurs are out in the field establishing businesses and providing solutions within their various communities.

(1) Jason Njoku is co-founder of iROKOtv, the largest online distributor of Nollywood films.

(2) Tola Onigbanjo is co-founder of Women4Africa, a UK-based organization celebrating, recognizing, and honoring African women who have made great impact in their communities.

(3) Mark Essien is founder of Hotels.ng, Nigeria's leading hotel booking portal.

(4) Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola is co-founder of WeCyclers, a company giving low-income communities in developing countries a chance to capture value from waste and clean up their neighborhoods through an incentive-based recycling program.

(5) Gbenga Sesan is founder of the Paradigm Initiative (PIN), an organization using ICT to empower young people in underserved communities through entrepreneurial training programs.

(6) Linda Ikeji is founder of the Linda Ikeji blog, Nigeria's most visited blog. Over the years, Ikeji's blog has become an advertising platform for artists, entrepreneurs, and top Nigerian companies. Although considered a controversial blogger, Linda uses her sense of humor to attract her readers. Ikeji has adopted an effective sales strategy and leveraged on partnerships with various companies.

(7) Zanau Hassan Maikasuwa is a seasoned farmer and founder of Farmfields Agro-Allied Services, which supports local farmers and agricultural investors dealing with all aspects of farming - animals and crops. Zanau also helped to launch the AWP Network Agropreneur project for Women Farmers.

( Misan Rewane is founder of West Africa Vocational Education (WAVE), an organization tackling youth unemployment by identifying, training, and placing talented West African youths in wage-earning jobs in the hospitality sector.

(9) Debo Folorunsho is co-founder of Applause Africa, a media publishing company celebrating, empowering, and connecting Africans in the United States through online programs and in-person events.

(10) Ola Orekunrin is founder of Flying Doctors Nigeria, West Africa's first indigenous air ambulance service and a crucial link for critically injured people.

(11) Sim Shagaya is founder of Konga Online, Nigeria's leading e-commerce company. The Konga marketplace aggregates sellers and retail stores on the same platform, giving customers more variety to choose from.

(12) Achenyo Idachaba is founder of MitiMeth, a company producing hand-woven crafts from invasive aquatic weeds prevalent in Nigeria's waterways. MitiMeth engages local artisans to create eco-friendly hand- woven home décor and personal accessories from invasive aquatic weeds and non-timber forest resources.

Nigeria's future may appear bleak with the lack of effective governance, or the growing number of kidnappings and bombings. Despite these circumstances, Nigeria's young innovative entrepreneurs make me hopeful.

Original Article - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-olushoga/12-young-entrepreneurs-wh_b_5600368.html

Either way, jjust bcuz an app already exists, shouldnt stop u from making a better version. B4 Facebook, there was MySpace. B4 Google, there was Altavista.

Papostle:
I have an Idea of an App to build; But how can I know if the app already exists?

If I know about the existence of the App, then I wont bother myself or better still, I may improve on it.

Any help/suggest will be appreciated.

Have you tried googling it?

asalimpo:
A programming section where programmers cant paste code! This forum is whacked.

It's good but it can be better. Im glad they unbanned me, but the next time I build an app can I post it here, for corrections?

There has never been a more inspired generation of young Africans. These builders, innovators and risk takers are fervent in their resolve to transform the continent. They are solving critical socio-economic problems, exporting African culture to the world, creating job opportunities for Africans, re-telling Africa’s stories, and writing the future.

Following a request I made last week, I received over 800 nominations for this year’s tally of Africa’s brightest young entrepreneurs under age 30. Seven of the names on this year’s list were featured last year, but there are 23 new rising stars you need to watch. Since there weren’t enough under-30 entrepreneurs who could meet the criteria, I included a few 30-year-olds.

I present to you Africa’s brightest young entrepreneurs. These are the ones who are making the most dramatic impact in Africa today in manufacturing, technology, real estate, media & entertainment, financial services, agriculture, fashion and the service industry. They are impatient to explore new possibilities and slowly but surely, they are building empires. They may be today’s upstarts, but they are tomorrow’s legends. Aliko Dangote, Tony Elumelu, Chris Kirubi and Patrice Motsepe may call the shots today, but these ones will take center stage tomorrow.

Meet the 30 prodigies transforming Africa as we speak.

Nick Kaoma, Founder, Head Honcho
Nick Kaoma, Founder, Head Honcho

Christian Ngan, Cameroonian

Founder, Madlyn Cazalis


After working in financial services in France, first as an analyst at French investment bank Quilvest Group and as an associate at Findercord in Paris, Christian Ngan returned home to Cameroon to start his own business in 2012. With $3,000 of his savings, he founded Madlyn Cazalis, an African hand-made bio cosmetic company that produces body oils, natural lotions, creams, scrubs, masks and soaps. Madlyn Cazalis products are sold and distributed across more than 30 chemist stores, beauty institutes and retail outlets in Cameroon and neighboring countries in Central Africa. The company does not reveal revenues but says it is profitable. Ngan, 30, is also founder of GoldskyPartners Advisory, a small financial advisory firm in Cameroon.

Senai Wolderufael, Ethiopian

Founder, Feed Green Ethiopia Exports Company

The 27 year-old Ethiopian entrepreneur is the founder of Feed Green Ethiopia Exports Company, an Addis Ababa-based outfit that produces and exports popular Ethiopian spice blends such as Shiro, Mitmita, Korarima and Berbere. Wolderufael founded the company in 2012 primarily to serve the needs of the Ethiopian diaspora in the United States and Europe, but as demand for Ethiopian spices increased significantly, Feed Green began exporting to new markets within Africa. The company employs only women.

Eric Kinoti, Kenyan

Founder, Shades System East Africa


The 29 year-old Kenyan is the founder of Shades System East Africa, a $1 million (annual sales) company that manufactures military and relief tents, branded gazebos, restaurant canopies, car parking shades, marquees, luxury tents, wedding party tents canvas seats and bouncing castles across the region. The company’s biggest clients are non-governmental and humanitarian organizations. Based in Nairobi, Shades System exports its products to Somalia, Congo and Rwanda. The company says it is profitable and has 18 full-time employees.

Nick Kaoma, South African

Founder, Head Honcho Clothing

South Africa’s own Daymond John in the making, Nick Kaoma is building an urban legend. The 28 year-old Cape Town native is the founder and creative director of Head Honcho clothing, a prominent South African lifestyle brand that designs, manufactures and markets streetwear clothing that is hugely popular among South Africa’s young urban dwellers. The company’s product line includes t-shirts and caps to cardigans, varsity jackets, hoodies, tank tops and female dresses.

Ronak Shah, Kenyan

Founder, Kronex Chemicals Ltd

Shah, a 26 year old Asian-Kenyan, is the founder of Kronex Chemicals Ltd, a fast-growing manufacturer of low-cost household cleaning products. Shah founded Kronex in January 2013 and the company has two products- a dishwashing liquid and a multi-purpose detergent, both of which are gaining market share amongst Kenya’s lower middle-class.

Issam Chleuh, Malian

Founder, Africa Impact Group

Issam Chleuh, a 27 year-old Malian national and former Ernst & Young Senior Associate, is the founder of the Africa Impact Group, an international organization focused on directing investment to socially and environmentally beneficial ventures, an asset class called Impact Investing. The company’s services include data & research, news, advisory services, and start-up incubation. Africa Impact Group’s clients include impact investors, private equity firms, family offices, leading African corporations, governments and nonprofits.

Patrick Ngowi, Tanzanian


Founder, Helvetic Group

Patrick Ngowi, 29 is the founder of Helvetic Group, a company that pioneered the supply, installation and maintenance of solar systems in Tanzania’s Northern Circuit. Helvetic Solar Contractors continues to grow. Helvetic did more than $5 million in revenues in 2013 and KPMG East Africa recently valued the company at $15 million. Helvetic is also expanding into the South African region and Ngowi is gearing up to take the company to Dar es Salaam’s capital markets.

Heshan de Silva, Kenyan

Founder, DSGVenCap

After dropping out from school in the United States, Heshan de Silva, 25, worked briefly for a tea exporting company owned by his parents before breaking out to start VenCap, a business that sold travel insurance bundled into long distance bus tickets. The company became profitable very quickly, grossing over $1 million in revenues within its first year and setting the pace for travel insurance for bus commuters in Kenya. He is now a venture capitalist and the founder of DSGVenCap, a company that makes seed investments in the tech, media, agribusiness and consumer industries in Kenya.

Julie Alexander Fourie, South African

Founder, iFix

At 26, Julie Alexander Fourie runs a company that employs 40 people and services more than 4,000 clients a month. Fourie is the founder of iFix, which repairs and services all Apple products and Samsung Smartphones. iFix has branches in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. Fourie started the company in 2006 from his dorm room at the University of Stellenbosch, helping colleagues and friends repaid broken and faulty iPods and computers. Satisfied friends subsequently referred other Apple product owners in search of repairs and Fourie’s business took off.

Sangu Delle, Ghanaian

Founder, Golden Palm Investments


Delle, 27 is a co-founder of Golden Palm Investments, a holding company that invests in early stage venture and growth financing across Africa with a strong bias for Real Estate, healthcare, agribusiness and technology. GPI has backed startups such as Solo Mobile in Nigeria, mPharma in Ghana and Zamsolar in Zambia. He is also the co-founder of cleanacwa, a non-profit working to provide access to clean water in Ghana’s underdeveloped regions. Sangu, who previously worked at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Valiant Capital Partners, is currently an MBA candidate at Harvard.

Uche Pedro, Nigerian

Founder, BellaNaija

The 29 year-old Nigerian media entrepreneur is the founder of BellaNaija, a thriving new media company that develops online media content for African (primarily Nigerian) audiences. BellaNaija.com is Nigeria’s premier lifestyle, entertainment and fashion website, and garners an average of 10 million page views every month.

Tebogo Ditshego, South African

Founder, Ditshego Media

The 29 year-old South African public relations maverick is the founder of Ditshego Media, a leading PR firm specializing in Media Relations, Investor Relations, Reputation Management and Corporate Communications. Ditshego is also the Chairman of the South African Reading Foundation.

Bankole Cardoso, Nigerian

CEO, EasyTaxi Nigeria

Cardoso, 25, is the founder of the Nigerian operations of EasyTaxi, a taxi mobile App that was founded in Brazil in 2012 by German technology startup incubator, Rocket Internet GmBH. EasyTaxi serves to connect cab drivers and would-be passengers. Through the App, passengers can confirm their pickup point and then order a cab at the click of a button. EasyTaxi sends the passenger a confirmation of the name and phone number of your driver and gives passengers the option of tracking their driver and the vehicle in real-time. Before setting up EasyTaxi in Nigeria, Cardoso worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Carlyle Group in New York.

Isaac Oboth, Ugandan


Founder, Media256

Isaac Oboth, 24, is the founder and CEO of Media 256 LTD, a film and television production company in East Africa. Media 256 was founded in 2011 and has a client list that includes Coca Cola, UNDP, USAID, the Ethiopian Commodities Exchange, Marie Stopes International, the African Leadership Network, and the African Leadership Academy. The company says it is profitable and employs 7 full-time videographers and editors. Isaac is also an Anzisha Prize Fellow, a pan-African award that celebrates innovative young African entrepreneurs.
Barclay Paul, Kenyan

Founder/CEO Impact Africa Industries

The 22 year-old Kenyan is the founder of Impact Africa Industries, a company that produces low cost sanitary pads for poor women in informal settlements Kenya three years ago and he now sells the pads to as far as Uganda and South Sudan. The company is located in Kitale, a small town in Western Kenya and has 23 employees, 15 of whom are women who help in production and distribution of the sanitary pads. Paul was an Anzisha Prize Fellow in 2013.

Seth Akumani, Ghanaian

Co-founder and CEO, ClaimSync

Akumani, 30 is a co-founder of ClaimSync, an end-to-end claims processing software that enables hospitals, clinics and other healthcare facilities all over the world to automate patients’ medical records and to process records electronically. Claimsync’s solution allows these healthcare providers to easily prepare medical claims and send electronically to health insurance companies. In 2013 ClaimSync was the sole African company to participate in the high-profile, IBM, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline backed Accelerator program HealthXL in Dublin. ClaimSync was recently acquired by GenKey, a Dutch-based biometrics company.

Jonathan Liebmann, South African

Real Estate developer, CEO of Propertuity


The 29 year-old South African visionary is the Managing Director of Propertuity, a South African Real Estate development company and the brains behind the construction of the Maboneng Precinct, a thriving cultural district in the east side of Johannesburg’s CBD. Once a neglected and deteriorating neighborhood housing abandoned industrial complexes, Liebmann transformed Maboneng into a vibrant urban mixed-use community complete with Art galleries, artist studios, retail spaces, offices and artist studios.

Tunde Kehinde, Nigerian

Co-founder, Jumia Nigeria

The 30 year-old Harvard MBA grad recently stepped down as co-founder of Jumia Nigeria, the country’s largest online retailer. Kehinde founded Kasuwa, a Nigerian online retailer in 2012. Within days of its founding, Kasuwa received seed funding from German online startup incubator and the company’s name was changed to Jumia. Kehinde resigned in January to start a logistics company.

Adii Pienaar, South African

Founder, Woothemes

Adii Pienaar, 28, is the founder of Woothemes, a company that designs and develops customizable commercial themes and plugins for WordPress. Adii built the business with a bootstrap budget, and the company today generates over $3 million in annual revenues from the sale of its themes. Woothemes also develops and sells themes for other content management systems, including Tumblr. Pienaar also runs PublicBeta, a service that allows successful entrepreneurs to transfer knowledge to new startups.

Zaheer Cassim, South African


Founder, One Way Up Productions

29 year-old South African media entrepreneur Zaheer Cassim graduated from Columbia’s Journalism school and returned home to South Africa to found One Way Up Productions, a television production outfit with a client list that includes Ogilvy South Africa, Hollard Insurance, the African Leadership Academy and Hackett.

Mike Muthiga, Kenyan

Founder, Fatboy Animation

Muthiga, 26, is the founder of Fatboy Animation, a Nairobi-based animation company that produces 3 and 2 dimensional animation for both film and commercial use. FatBoy Animations has produced several viral animated commercials for Kenyan blue chips like brands such as Safaricom, Telkom Orange, Barclays Bank and Jamii Telecommunications (JTL).

Danson Muchemi, Kenyan

Founder, WebTribe

Muchemi, 29, is the founder of WebTribe Kenya, a leading IT company in Kenya with operations in online payment systems, web applications and network security. Webtribe’s flagship company, Jambopay provides e-payments services for e-commerce players as well as e-ticketing services and electronic cash disbursement services. Jambopay is a recipient of the Google Innovation Awards in Financial Services for 2013.

Kunmi Otitoju, Nigerian


Founder, Minku Design

Kunmi, a 30 year-old Nigerian fashion entrepreneur is the founder of Minku Design, a company that makes leather bags for men and women by subtly blending Aso-oke fabric (a hand loomed cloth woven by Nigeria’s Yoruba people), into contemporary leather bag designs. Minku also makes Yoruba-themed leather purses and jewelry. All Minku Design’s products are hand-made at a workshop in Barcelona, Spain, but they are sold at high-end stores in Nigeria and on the company’s website.

Mazen Helmy, Egyptian

Founder, The District

27 year-old Mazen Helmy is the founder of The District, one of the first co-working spaces in Egypt and one of the few in the region. The District provides an inspiring workspace (sitting on a total area of almost 1000 square meters) for entrepreneurs and freelancers. Helmy founded the company in 2011.

Khaled Shady, Egyptian

Founder, Mubser

The 22 year-old Egyptian entrepreneur is the founder of Mubser, a new assistive tool for blind people. Mubser, which will be launched officially in March 2014, is a wearable belt with a Bluetooth-connected headset that leverages RGB imaging and infrared dept data captured by a 3D depth camera that allows blind and visually impaired people to navigate around in a safe and easy way. The device recognizes object and obstacles such as staircases and chairs.

Joel Mwale, Kenyan

Founder, Skydrop Enterprises

Mwale who is now 21 years old founded SkyDrop Enterprises, a rainwater filtration and bottling company which produces low-cost purified drinking water, milk and other dairy products in Kenya. In 2012, Mwale sold a 60% stake in Skydrop to an Israeli firm for $500,000. Next stop: Education. Last year Mwale founded Gigavia, an educational social networking website.

Lorna Rutto, Kenyan


Founder, Ecopost Kenya

In 2010, Lorna Rutto, 28, founded Ecopost, a Kenyan company that collects consumer plastic waste such as polypropylene and polyethylene and converts them into durable, easy to use and environmentally friendly plastic lumber, an eco-friendly alternative to timber which is used to manufacture fencing posts.

Ashley Uys, South African

Founder, Medical Diagnostech

Ashley Uys, 30, founded Medical Diagnostech which develops and markets affordable and reliable medical test kits for malaria, pregnancy, syphilis, malaria, HIV/ Aids for South Africa’s rural poor. Uys is a recipient of the South African Breweries $100,000 Annual Social Innovation Awards.

Kimiti Wanjaria, Kenyan

Founders, Serene Valley Properties

Kimiti Wanjaria, 30, is a co-founder of Serene Valley Properties (SVP), a Real Estate development company in Nairobi that constructs and sells residential properties to Kenya’s ever-growing middle class. SVP is behind the development of Sigona Valley project, a $4 million gated residential community outside Nairobi.

Arthur Zang, Cameroonian

Founder, Cardiopad

Zang, a 26 year-old Cameroonian Engineer is the inventor of the Cardiopad, a touch screen medical tablet that enables heart examinations such as the electrocardiogram (ECG) to be performed at remote, rural locations while the results of the test are transferred wirelessly to specialists who can interpret them. The device spares African patients living in remote areas the trouble of having to travel to urban centers to seek medical examinations. Zang is the founder of Himore Medical Equipments, the company that owns the rights to the Cardiopad.

Original Article - http://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongnsehe/2014/02/04/30-most-promising-young-entrepreneurs-in-africa-2014/

Here is the message that I left yesterday that got me banned for a day:

This is my 1st web app ever and it is a search engine to get any type of jobs in the whole continent of Africa. Right now, I mostly concentrated on engineering/programming jobs in Nigeria. Alot of people need jobs (basically money) and this web app does a good job in letting people know where they can get money from and who to contact or how to apply.

Because I don't have money myself, I used a free web hosting service, so I'll like to apologize in the future for the popup you'll see when you first go to the site. Once I make more money, I'll move my website and files to a paid hosting service and thus people won't see the popup any longer when they go to the site. Im open to comments, corrections and criticism but please understand that I only came on Nairaland to tell you about the web app. I'll be working all day on the site and I won't have time to converse here until about tomorrow. Apart from that, have A Good Monday & A Great Day Ahead.

Here is the link ~> http://getjob.comxa.com/

I will leave the message that I left yesterday on my next submission to the thread. I hope and pray I don't get banned.

davidsmith8900:
Yesh I was banned for a while for doing the same thing. Like I look at the rules of the forum and I don't seem to be breaking them when I demo my work here on Nairaland. I don't know if it was the antispam bot that banned me or if it was human.

Here are the rules:

1. Please post on topic always. Don't derail or tribalize threads.
2. Don't abuse, bully, deliberately insult/provoke, fight, or wish harm to any Nairaland member.
3. Don't advocate or encourage violent actions against any person, tribe, race, animals, or group of people.
4. Discussions of the art of love-making should be restricted to the hidden sexuality section.
5. Don't post pornographic or disgusting pictures or videos on any section of Nairaland.
6. Don't post adverts or affiliate links outside the areas where adverts are explicitly allowed.
7. Don't say or do anything that's detrimental to the security or success of Nairaland.
8. Don't post false information on Nairaland.
9. Don't use Nairaland for illegal acts, e.g fraud, piracy, and spreading malware.
10. Don't expose the identity or post pictures of any Nairaland member without his/her consent.
11. Don't create distracting posts e.g. posts in giant fonts or ALL CAPS or with silly gifs.
12. Don't insert promotional signatures into your posts. Use the signature feature.
13. Please report any post or topic that violates the rules of Nairaland.
14. Please search the forum before creating a new thread on Nairaland.
15. Don't attempt to post censored words by misspelling them.
16. Don't promote MLM schemes, HYIPS, or other questionable schemes on Nairaland.
18. Don't spam the forum by advertising in the wrong places or posting the same content many times.
19. Don't create a new account when banned for breaking a rule. If you do, make sure we don't find out.
20. Please cooperate with the moderators, super-moderators, and administrator. Treat them with respect.
21. Please spell words correctly when you post, and try to use perfect grammar and punctuation.

and none of them seem to be talking about not being able to post your work. Is that illegal now?

Yeah the antispam bot banned me as well. Matter of fact, it banned me twice. I dont know what I did which was wrong. Maybe we can get the antispam bot algorithm and rules to know what and what-not to post.

Yesterday, I made my 1st web app but I was banned for a day for posting it in this forum. I wanted people to see it, so that I can get corrections and see how to improve my work. Is that still allowed or will that get me banned from now on?

This is my 1st web app ever and it is a search engine to get any type of jobs in the whole continent of Africa. Right now, I mostly concentrated on engineering/programming jobs in Nigeria. Alot of people need jobs (basically money) and this web app does a good job in letting people know where they can get money from and who to contact or how to apply.

Because I don't have money myself, I used a free web hosting service, so I'll like to apologize in the future for the popup you'll see when you first go to the site. Once I make more money, I'll move my website and files to a paid hosting service and thus people won't see the popup any longer when they go to the site. Im open to comments, corrections and criticism but please understand that I only came on Nairaland to tell you about the web app. I'll be working all day on the site and I won't have time to converse here until about tomorrow. Apart from that, have A Good Monday & A Great Day Ahead.

Here is the link ~> http://getjob.comxa.com/

In Africa’s burgeoning, male-dominated tech scene, women remain largely underrepresented. Yet there is a tiny handful of incredible women who are launching and building successful, innovative tech companies that are upending industries, setting new standards and earning their place at the cool table. These women create and innovate, exploiting ideas, products and services to produce dynamic businesses.

I spoke to a few African tech entrepreneurs and together, we hand-picked 10 of the brightest female tech founders in Africa.

Rebecca Enonchong, Cameroonian

Founder, AppsTech

Enonchong, a Cameroonian national, is the founder and CEO of AppsTech, a Bethesda, Maryland-based global provider of enterprise application solutions. AppsTech, which was founded in 1999 now has clients in more than 40 countries on 3 continents. The company, an Oracle ORCL +1.73% Platinum partner, offers a diverse range of enterprise software products and services including implementation, training and application management services for large and medium-sized companies. Enonchong also serves as an advisor/mentor to several African tech startups and is also the founder the Africa Technology Forum, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting technology in Africa.

Rebecca Enonchong
Rebecca Enonchong

Jamila Abass, Linda Kwamboka and Susan Oguya, Kenyan

Co-founders, MFarm


Abass, Kwamboka and Oguya are the founders of MFarm, a mobile software solution that connects Kenyan farmers with farm produce consumers in urban and export markets via SMS . MFarm, which was founded in 2010 offers agricultural producers and buyers with the most recent retail price information about products and operates a virtual marketplace whereby consumers can buy their farm products directly from manufacturers while farmers can find buyers for their produce. MFarm also allows consumers to compare prices from different farmers and bid for a small fee. The company has received more than $230,000 in funding from UK-based charity, Tech For Trade and is working towards profitability.

Judith Owigar, Kenyan

Co-founder, JuaKali

Owigar, one of Kenya’s most popular female tech leaders, is the founder of JuaKali, an online and mobile directory for Kenya’s skilled blue-collar workers. JuaKali which was founded in 2012 and is based in Nairobi connects service providers from the informal sector with institutional and individual clients. The service allows workers to create an online profile showing their expertise. The service can be accessed via web and mobile. Owigar is also the founder of Akirachix, an association that aims to inspire and develop young women in technology through a mix of networking, training and mentoring programs.

Anne Amuzu, Ghanaian


Co-founder, Nandimobile

Amuzu, a graduate of Ghana’s Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) is a co-founder of Nandimobile, a company that develops software that enables companies to deliver customer support and information services through SMS. Amuzu co-founded the company in 2010 and it has more than 20 corporate clients in Ghana.

Barbara Mallison, South African

Co-founder, Obami

Mallinson is the co-founder of Obami, a South African-based social e-learning platform used by schools and organizations in Africa, Europe and America. Obami, which was founded in 2007, connects distinct parties within the education space – teachers, learners, NGOs and government — and enables them share educational resources and also providing an assessment module to improve learners’ participation and performance. Obami is accessible via web and mobile.

Clarisse Iribagize, Rwandan

Founder, HeHe Ltd

Iribagize is the founder of HeHe Limited, a Kigali-based mobile technologies company that develops ways for businesses to reach their customers and audiences in a timely and affordable manner. Among other things, HeHe builds custom mobile applications for businesses, provides 24/7 online and offline support and cloud storage services. Iribagize founded the company in 2010 after winning a $50,000 grant from Inspire Africa, a Rwandan TV entrepreneurial contest. HeHe’s clientele now includes African mobile telecoms giant MTN, the Praekelt Foundation and government agencies in Rwanda.

Annette Muller, South African


Founder, DotNxt

Muller is the founder of Cape Town-based DotNxt, a company that creates, develops and delivers software, mobile, social and other digital development projects for South African companies looking for more innovative and customer-centric ways to engage with their clientele. DotNxt, which was founded in 2011, has more than 20 corporate clients including some of South Africa’s largest companies such as Nedbank, Primedia and Graham Beck.

Nkemdilim Uwaje Begho, Nigerian

Founder, Future Software Resources

Begho founded Future Software Resources Ltd, a website design & web-solution provider located in Lagos, Nigeria in 2008. The company also provides online marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), content management system development, online recruitment and IT consultancy services to more than 25 small and large Nigerian businesses and government agencies.

Link ~> http://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongnsehe/2014/03/25/10-female-tech-founders-to-watch-in-africa/

Nigeria’s fledgling technology start-up scene is becoming the object of attraction for local and international investors in view of the recent strides recorded in building digital-enabled businesses.

EnterpreneurCountry, an entrepreneurial ecosystem with a 133,000 strong community from Europe, Africa, Asia and South America, is expanding into Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, by GDP, with strategic plans to fill the funding vacuum in the technology start-up scene.

The funding gap in the country remains a fundamental drawback to the growth and development of technology start-up, according to market observers.

The institution has also opened talks with PenCom to find suitable ways by which Nigeria’s pensions industry can leverage digital innovation to enhance its growth and global competitiveness.

Speaking with BusinessDay in an interview on Wednesday, Amit Pau, director, EnterpreneurCountry, said the organisation’s foray into Nigeria is in consonance with its unwavering position that the next wave of digital game-changers and economic boom will emanate from frontier markets such as Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation. In spite of the country’s mammoth socio-economic challenges, he says Nigeria remains very attractive to global investors due to the country’s “large and young demographic, huge mobile penetration and usage, strong economic growth indices and the lack of legacy issues that more mature markets face when trying to innovate.”

Seventy percent of Nigeria’s population (167 million) is under the age of 30, and all are digital natives. Nigeria is the fastest growing mobile market in the world, with more than 100 million active mobile subscribers.

According to him, the strength of infrastructure deployment is also enabling a platform for digital revolution, specifically in the area of mobile financial services, e-commerce, digital content services for the business market.

The EnterpreneurCountry’s director pointed out that Nigeria’s success in building digitally-enabled services lays the foundation for easily scalable advanced services such as e-commerce, marketplace and social media.

“This is well reflected by the rise of e-commerce places such as Jumia, Konga, DealDey, Gidimall, Jobberman, Paga, iROKO, Kaymu, to name a few.” In view of this, the organisation has lined up series of initiatives strategically geared towards addressing the funding vacuum in the country’s emerging technology start-up scene.

“We are planning a high-level dinner to which we will invite leading financiers, entrepreneur-friendly banks and other corporates as well as Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) founders, to thrash out all the issues surrounding SME funding and come up with some salient, actionable solutions.”
EnterpreneurCountry’s expansion into another high-growth market like Nigeria, according to him, marks the creation of a platform for investors and digital enablers to interact on all things digital occurring within Nigeria’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Asked if EnterpreneurCountry has set aside funds to assist in the development of Nigerian technology entrepreneurs, Pau said, “We have our own fund but it is not Nigeria specific. However, we have a strong community on investors, private equity funds, corporates with their startup investment funds, family offices and high net worth individuals who are constantly looking to invest.

“Speaking in the same vein, Nkiru Asika, EC regional partner for Nigeria, applauded the Ministry of Communications Technology in its efforts to build technology entrepreneurs, further adding that the institution intends to work closely with the ministry to meet its strategic objectives.
“In fact, Victor Okigbo, centre manager of the Lagos IDEA HUB, an initiative of the Ministry of ICT, was present at our launch and is keen to discuss further how we can work together. “EntrepreneurCountry is not endorsed by any government agency per se, but we believe that our mission of entrepreneurs championing entrepreneurs and our intent to showcase Nigerian digital entrepreneurs to a global audience is one that will resonate with any of the agencies of government interested in entrepreneurship, investment inflow, job creation,” she stated.

http://businessdayonline.com/2014/07/enterpreneurcountry-plans-to-fill-funding-gap-in-tech-startup-scene/#.VAnWa1RdU8o

“Africa is at a techno-cultural turning point that will prove to be as pivotal there as the Industrial Revolution was for Europe” writes Daniel Epstein, co-founder of VC4Africa partner Unreasonable Institute. Who do you see as “Africa’s next Steve Jobs”? Please add it in the comments below!

I was fortunate enough to spend part of July in Uganda with the team behind Unreasonable East Africa. In addition to being both humbling and inspiring, my experiences there convinced me that Uganda is just a part of an incredible transformation sweeping the whole of Africa. On my flight back home, I wrote “Africa is THE future” in my journal and underlined it a half-dozen times.

Here’s why:

Seven of the world’s 10 fastest-growing economies are in Africa

10-Fastest-Growing-EconomiesAfrica is at a techno-cultural turning point that will prove to be as pivotal there as the Industrial Revolution was for Europe. Already, seven of the world’s 10 fastest growing GDPs are in Africa, where leapfrog technologies like cell phones being adopted at staggering rates. Add in some of the youngest populations in the world—millions upon millions of newly wired millennials with no shortage of problems to solve—and it becomes clear that, yes, Africa is the future.

The change is already well underway. In 2012, GDP growth in Sub-Saharan Africa ranged 6.8 percent in Tanzania to over 10 percent in Angola and Sierra Leone (see graph below). That same year, global growth was 2.3 percent and only slightly better in the U.S. at 2.8 percent, according to the International Monetary Fund. The total international trade in sub-Saharan Africa hit $735 billion, more than a fourfold increase since 2000 when it was just $169 billion.

GDPgrowth

Mobile technology

Mobile technology has both fueled and been fueled by this economic transformation. According to the World Bank, there are more than twice as many cell phones in Gabon as there are people. Botswana has 1.6 cell phones for every person. Compare that to the U.S., which still has more people than cell phones. Today, according to the IMF, there are more mobile phone subscribers in Africa than there are in all of Europe.

Mobile Phone Adoption Rates in Africa:

MobilePhoneAdoptionRates

These numbers seem almost impossible until you actually visit Africa and see what’s happening on the ground. Take M-Pesa, a system of mobile payments launched in Kenya in 2007, as an example. The company has since become that country’s dominant form of payment. It processes 80 transactions a second, with a total value that accounts for 31 percent of Kenyan GDP. That’s a seven-year-old company handling nearly a third of all the money in an entire country. In terms of large-scale entrepreneurial disruption, Africa is just beginning to scratch the surface.

Young populations

Here’s something else that bodes well: While industrialized nations are facing declining birthrates and even, in the case of Japan, an aging, shrinking population, 78 percent of Ugandans are younger than 30. More than half are under the age of 15. Even Unreasonable East Africa co-founder and CEO Joachim Ewechu is in his early twenties! He’s a case and point example of how the next generation of Africans is poised to change the trajectory of the continent.

Female leadership

Possibly the most compelling reason to be optimistic about the future of Africa is seen in its legislative offices. The continent has a rate of female leadership that would be the envy of just about any government in the world. As of January 2014, women held a higher portion of legislative seats in Rwanda—64 percent—than in other national government in the world. In South Africa, that figure is 43 percent. In Senegal and Uganda: 42 and 35 percent, respectively. (If you’re wondering, women hold just 18 percent of legislative seats in the U.S.)

“Big f***ing problems”

Beyond the current levels of growth and the new trends being seen across the continent, the reason I believe Africa is an entrepreneur’s paradise is because seemingly insurmountable problems still exist. As entrepreneurs, we love to solve problems, and nowhere will you find more and more urgent problems than in Africa.

This is still a place where extreme poverty is not uncommon, where far too many people live without access to clean water, medical care, and even reliable food sources. Half the continent lacks electricity; African countries have some of the highest infant-mortality figures in the world; and Sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s highest levels of HIV infections.

Yes, the problems are very real; I will not deny that. But after spending time with Unreasonable East Africa, I’m convinced that the continent has an abundance of young people determined to build an Africa very different from the one they’ve inherited. And for perhaps the first time ever, these innovators have access to the technologies and the economic and socio-political trends they’ll need to create and scale those solutions.

These entrepreneurs are picking up where decades of aid left off, by launching locally owned, scalable businesses. That’s tough anywhere. But they also have the added challenges of limited connectivity, of needing to reach customers who live on less than $2 a day, and a severe lack of financing because the investment world has yet to shift their focus in a meaningful way onto emerging markets (especially African markets). Yet the obstacles in their way only push these entrepreneurs harder.

While the economic upside can be great—and should help attract investors who have so far been wary of emerging markets—profit seems secondary to the fact that these entrepreneurs are addressing problems like malnutrition, infant mortality, lack of educational opportunities, and crushing poverty. (All examples of what we, at Unreasonable, like to call BFPs, or “Big f***ing problems.”)

If successful, they will unleash an entire continent’s worth of great ideas that will touch each and every one of us.

http://vc4africa.biz/blog/2014/08/18/why-the-next-steve-jobs-will-come-from-africa/

From over 10,000 young African companies in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria & Ghana, our analysts have selected Top 100 Truly African most innovative companies, all leading in industries ranging from tech, media and telecommunications to education, healthcare, sports, finance, marketing, retail and restaurants and food and beverage. The most innovative startups in Africa are as diverse as they are creative.

http://afrodigit.com/top-100-innovative-african-startups-follow-2014/

Nice Article.

http://www.htxt.co.za/2014/09/01/500-million-fund-started-to-support-nigerian-tech-startups/

Technology development plays a crucial role in furthering any country’s capabilities, and it’s for that reason that Nigerian incubation centre Co-Creation Hub has made $500 million available for funding ideas, trials and experimentation of tech startups in the country.
Startups who apply for the funding over the next two years will be given between $10,000 and $25,000 to experiment with different business models and develop their operational strategy, and Vacantboards, Truppr, Traclist, 500shops and GeniiGames has already received its initial funding.
“The initial beneficiaries of the seed investment went through CcHUB’s Pre-Incubation program which identifies and supports aspiring technology entrepreneurs looking to address local market problems with relevant solutions. Through the $90,000 Tony Elumelu Foundation/CcHUB pre-seed fund, beneficiaries started out with a grant award of $5,000 each to support their ideas, build working prototypes, carry out initial market testing and proof their concepts,” the hub said in a press statement.
Bosun Tijani, CEO and co-founder of CcHUB explained where the idea of an incubation office came from.
“CcHUB incubation office launched in response to the need to provide business development, mentoring and funding support to startups that showed traction from our impactful Pre-incubation program. Our seed investment ensures startups have a sure footing post-Preincubation to concentrate on rapidly executing their plans and learning from the market.”
Tunji Eleso, director of Incubation, added there has already been talks of further additional funding for some of the projects and startups.
“Discussions are already underway with investors to provide additional funding to two of our initial beneficiaries and we hope to break the news in the coming months.” Ideally Co-Creation Hub said that it’s looking for startups who can transform the way Nigerians live, play and do business.

hungryboy: inspiring,
But wetin work for Peter fit no work for Paul oh

If it was inspiring, then mission accomplished.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tolu-ogunlesi/how-a-nigerian-startup-grew_b_3776703.html

In 2008 Abasiama Idaresit returned to Nigeria, after studying for a degree in Information Systems & Management at the London School of Economics. He had one thing in mind: to see how the Internet could help transform the business landscape in Nigeria. That, in fact, was the focus of his dissertation -- the impact of technology on small businesses.

"I've always loved the Internet; wanted to see it change a lot of things in Africa -- marketing, operations..." he tells me, at his office in Lagos.

He started peddling his dreams. Without success. "For the first eight months I didn't make a dime," he recalls. "People literally chased me out of their offices."

By Internet-age standards in Nigeria those were early days. Facebook was just picking up, and no one had heard of Twitter; Internet advertising was almost unheard of at that time.
But Abas kept at his proselytizing.

Until Baby M.

Baby M was a small business that catered to the needs of new mothers and their babies. It operated out of one store in Ikoyi, Lagos, near where Abas lived, and also had a network of sales agents who combed the streets of Lagos in search of customers. Monthly revenues were in the region of one thousand dollars.

Abas tried to convince Baby M's proprietor to give him a chance to show how the Internet could help her advertise cheaply and find new customers. At first she wasn't very keen. Until Abas offered a money-back guarantee in the event that he failed to fulfill his promise.

With nothing to lose, she gave him N40,000 (approx $250) -- his debut earning as an internet marketing consultant.

The results were phenomenal. Within three months, says Abas, Baby M's revenues grew from $1,000 a month to $100,000 a month, immediately overwhelming her capacity to fulfill orders.

That feat attracted the attention of Google, which has since developed it into an Internet marketing case study.

Shortly after, Abas incorporated Wild Fusion, to do for other businesses what he'd done with Baby M.

Wild Fusion has since grown remarkably, from its founder's first $250, to over a million dollars in revenue in 2012. It is now on course to double that, in 2013.

It was the first Nigerian company to become a Google Adwords partner, and today provides digital marketing and online media-buying services to a client list that includes names like Unilever, Pepsi and Diamond Bank in Nigeria, and Vodafone in Ghana.

The future is clearly very promising.

While global corporate spending on traditional mediums (TV, radio, print) has either declined or stagnated in the last few years, Internet advertising budgets have steadily grown, and will continue to, into the foreseeable future.

The shift is beginning to be noticeable in Nigeria, and everyone -- from banks to beer companies (here and here) -- is now seeking to actively engage consumers on the Internet.

According to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Africa's 27 percent average annual growth (2009 - 2013) in household Internet penetration is almost double that of the next fastest contender, Asia and the Pacific. Africa is also the world's fastest growing market for mobile broadband.

Wild Fusion has just opened a country office, in Nairobi, Kenya; its third, after Nigeria and Ghana.

It is also currently building its first proprietary technology, which it plans to license to small businesses and which will provide them with an easy-to-use interface for deploying online advertising.

In five years Abas envisions offices across Africa, and annual revenues of $100 million.

***

Abasiama Idaresit's 5 Tips for small businesses seeking to use the Internet for marketing:
Have a simple, mobile-friendly website with your products/services clearly, alongside contact details.
Ensure you have social media presence for your business, and link all your social media platforms to one another (this will help your business visibility on search engines)
Start small and test to see what kind of advertising works best for your business: Search, Display, Social Media, or Mobile
Track and measure traffic using free web analytics tools such as Google Analytics
Compare the results from the various advertising options to see which one delivers the greatest value for your business, and focus on that.

Ive been looking at this thread, and it is very interesting. I think the op, pushed it a little with a multi-BILLION, more like a multi-MILLION startup. At most a 3-figured multi-million startup. Back in 2011, according to this article ~> http://webtrendsng.com/blog/analyst-insight-is-nairaland-really-worth-1million/ NL had a startup value of 2.5 Million dollars, fast forward to mid 2014, its startup value is probably more now and in the double-triple million figures. It should be more than this Seun hasnt been pushing this very hard. Either way he is a millionaire, and that is not bad.