Author: Maxim

Dr Dinah Mwinzi
Opinions

Smart ideas for economic growth – an interview with Dr Dinah Mwinzi

The Kenyan Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is currently constructing one hundred greenhouses in various Youth Polytechnics across the country so that students can be trained in greenhouse farming. This is one of the measures undertaken by the Ministry in order to plug the skills gap among the country’s young people. “For Kenya to develop, we need technicians, technologists and engineers,” says Dr […]

EAST Challenge
Conference sneak preview

eLearning Africa is taking to the hills!

In May this year, just before the eLearning Africa conference, a diverse group of eLearning professionals from across the globe will join their African colleagues to climb Mount Meru, in Tanzania, as part of the EAST Challenge. The aim of the challenge is to raise scholarship funding for low-income African teachers and education professionals to attend the eLearning Africa conference in Dar es Salaam […]

General

TIGA Awards 2011: celebrating excellence in eGovernment

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Government of Finland have announced the third Technology in Government in Africa (TIGA) Awards for 2011. These awards recognise African governments’ effective use of ICTs for public services. One of the awards – in the category on Improved Educational Services Through the Use of ICTs – is organised jointly with the eLearning Africa Conference […]

Field Stories

iCow: transforming animal husbandry in Kenya

Young technology entrepreneurs led by Sue Kahumbu and Charles Kithika have developed a pioneering voice-based mobile phone application called “iCow” that helps farmers to manage the breeding cycles of their dairy cows.The application handles dairy cow nutrition up to calving day, using prompts by the mobile phones now widespread in Kenya, even used by illiterate farmers. The pilot project won the “Apps4Africa” contest organised […]

Conference sneak preview

ICT to help Tanzania grow – a country profile

Tanzania recognises the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector as a key accelerator to development. It has made tremendous progress liberalising this sector. Cyber cafés are mushrooming in Tanzanian cities and the Tanzanian government has set itself the ambitious goal to make the East African nation a hub for ICT infrastructure. With the recent landing of two international submarine fibreoptic cables, EASSy and Seacom, […]

Field Stories

Tanzania eLearning project bringing education to 1.5 million secondary students

New schools in Tanzania have triggered an explosion in the demand for secondary school education. A 400 per cent increase in enrolment in only four years has taxed the educational infrastructure. The schools cannot cope with the numbers of new students, and the country now needs 85,000 more teachers. The Tanzanian government has launched a powerful public-private partnership scheme called “Tanzania Beyond Tomorrow”. International technology […]

Field Stories

How ‘Kachile’ creates ‘digital opportunities’ in Côte d’Ivoire

  Encouraging entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to develop a sustainable and responsible economy are the driving force behind Kachile, a new enterprise trading for social and environmental purposes in Côte d’Ivoire. It is a significant achievement in a fragile country, still suffering from the trauma of conflict and lacking in confidence. Kachile develops pilot projects with a view to unlocking potential and uses […]

General

IT and higher education in areas of conflict – an Afghan experience

  Distance Learning can provide excellent opportunities to educate students in conflict zones. Regardless of ethnic, religious or political backgrounds, gender issues or geographical remoteness –all learners can be given access to high quality education. In sub-Saharan Africa, institutions, such as the African Virtual University, have worked beyond linguistic and cultural boundaries, indirectly promoting peace-building and inclusion even in heavily conflict-ridden countries, such as […]