<figure><img decoding="async" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231643/original/file-20180813-2894-mxi5d9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="File 20180813 2894 mxi5d9.jpg?ixlib=rb 1.1" /><figcaption>Young African scientists face persistent barriers which cause them to leave academia. Shutterstock/WAYHOME studio</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/anna-coussens-202468">Anna Coussens</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-cape-town-691">University of Cape Town</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/abidemi-james-akindele-497175">Abidemi James Akindele</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-lagos-1959">University of Lagos</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/badre-abdeslam-496703">Badre Abdeslam</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/universite-mohammed-v-de-rabat-2773">Université Mohammed V de Rabat</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/fridah-kanana-497174">Fridah Kanana</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/kenyatta-university-2655">Kenyatta University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mona-khoury-kassabri-501285">Mona Khoury-Kassabri</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/hebrew-university-of-jerusalem-855">Hebrew University of Jerusalem</a>
Young African scientists face <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-africa-is-tackling-next-generation-fears-in-academia-49057">persistent barriers</a> which cause them to leave their own countries, and even academia. This means the continent’s work force loses highly trained people who are crucial for scientific and technological advancement, and for economic development.
It’s estimated that <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4637331/">20,000 highly</a> educated professionals leave the continent annually, with <a href="http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20081214092057738">up to 30%</a> of Africa’s scientists among them.
A number of factors contribute to this trend. The extreme factors include war and political instability. But the more common “pushes” are a desire for higher pay, better opportunities, and the search for a conducive research environment – one where infrastructure and management help drive careers and research potential.
To identify all the barriers and develop strategies to address them, the <a href="https://globalyoungacademy.net/">Global Young Academy</a> – an organisation of 200 talented young scientists and over 200 alumni from 83 countries – established the Global State of Young Scientists (<a href="https://globalyoungacademy.net/activities/the-global-state-of-young-scientists/">GloSYS</a>) Africa project. Working with <a href="https://globalyoungacademy.net/global-state-of-young-scientists-project-researchers-meet-in-morocco/">local research partners</a> and international higher education experts, the project aims to identify the challenges and motivations that shape young scientists’ career trajectories.
Our initial findings point to a lack of mentoring, resources and funding as key issues young scientists face across the continent. Using this data, we will be able to identify critical areas in which young scientists need support and develop innovative strategies to alleviate these challenges.
The project comes at an important time as, over the past few years, African countries have initiated programmes to <a href="http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20090529112249793">increase</a> the number of PhD graduates. But if governments don’t simultaneously develop support structures for graduates, and increase access to critical teaching and research infrastructure, these young scientists are set up to fail.
<h2>The study</h2>
The Global State of Young Scientists Africa project, uses an <a href="https://glosys.typeform.com/to/Cup20s">online survey</a> (which is currently open to respondents) and in-depth interviews to gather as much detail as possible. It looks at young scientists’ motivations, career ambitions and the barriers they experience in fulfilling their career aspirations.
It targets researchers and scholars who have earned a Masters or PhD within the last 10 years, irrespective of their current employment status and sector. It’s also open to current PhD students in Africa and African scientists and scholars currently living in the diaspora.
Having this wide range of participants means the data will reflect a broad range of experiences. From early-career researchers with a history of moving within and out of Africa, to those who have never left their home countries. From department heads, to researchers who have trouble finding work despite their high qualifications. The team is also particularly interested in hearing from early career researchers outside of academia, as this helps us understand their reasons for not pursuing a career in research.
From our preliminary survey results – drawn from more than 700 young scientists’ responses – we have found that, even with diverse backgrounds, early-career researchers have a great deal in common. A lack of mentoring, infrastructure, resources (staff and material) and funding for research and resources are key reasons for not pursuing a career in academia. There is also a strong desire for more training in grant writing and professional skills.
Using this information, the GYA plans to develop programmes to address the challenges, as we’ve previously done.
This is the third survey done under the Global State of Young Scientists umbrella. The first was a global <a href="https://globalyoungacademy.net/publications/the-global-state-of-young-scientists/">study</a> of young scientists from 14 countries across five continents. The second was a regional study which focused on <a href="https://globalyoungacademy.net/publications/the-global-state-of-young-scientists-in-asean/">four Southeast Asian countries</a>.
A major challenge identified from those two studies was the desire for training in leadership skills. As these young scientists began to grow their own research groups they needed the tools to deal with the challenges of integrating research, teaching, and fundraising. In response, Global Young Academy members developed and implemented science leadership programmes in <a href="http://www.futureafrica.science/index.php/leadership-programmes/aslp">Africa</a> and <a href="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/First-Science-Leadership-Programme-for-Asean-30290867.html">Asia</a>, in collaboration with creative facilitators <a href="http://knowinnovation.com/">KnowInnovation</a> and <a href="http://www.futureafrica.science/">Future Africa</a>.
Obtaining these new skills created an incentive for the young scientists to pursue their career in academia. The fellows found, for instance, the science leadership programmes to be one to the most significant workshops of their careers.
<h2>From barriers to action</h2>
The African leg of the survey continues. Once common challenges have been identified, the team will then work with policymakers in Africa as well as with international funding bodies to develop evidence-based initiatives to address them.
It’s hoped that the Global State of Young Scientists Africa project will highlight further areas of need, so that the Academy can develop new innovative programmes in collaboration with science and education policymakers to improve young African scientists’ prospects.
Early career researchers from and in Africa can become involved by taking the <a href="https://glosys.typeform.com/to/Cup20s">GloSYS Africa survey</a>. The survey will remain open until mid September 2018 with results to be published at the beginning of 2019.
Marie Luise Neumann, GloSYS project researcher for the Global Young Academy assisted in the writing of this article. Mobility data analysis was conducted by Dr Hsin-Chou Yang and his research team at the Institute of Statistical Science Academia Sinica, Taiwan
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/anna-coussens-202468">Anna Coussens</a>, Honorary Associate Professor in Medical Microbiology, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-cape-town-691">University of Cape Town</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/abidemi-james-akindele-497175">Abidemi James Akindele</a>, Lecturer, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-lagos-1959">University of Lagos</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/badre-abdeslam-496703">Badre Abdeslam</a>, Professor, Social Sciences, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/universite-mohammed-v-de-rabat-2773">Université Mohammed V de Rabat</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/fridah-kanana-497174">Fridah Kanana</a>, Senior lecturer, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/kenyatta-university-2655">Kenyatta University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mona-khoury-kassabri-501285">Mona Khoury-Kassabri</a>, Postdoctoral fellow, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/hebrew-university-of-jerusalem-855">Hebrew University of Jerusalem</a>
This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-stopping-young-african-scientists-from-achieving-their-potential-97404">original article</a>.

What are the barriers that keep African scientists from reaching their full potential?

<figure><img decoding="async" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228795/original/file-20180723-189338-l42zjg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="File 20180723 189338 l42zjg.jpg?ixlib=rb 1.1" /><figcaption>Space law is a growing and important discipline. 
piick/Shutterstock</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/julia-selman-ayetey-303578">Julia Selman Ayetey</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/mcgill-university-827">McGill University</a>
Rapid advances in space technology mean that space is no longer simply a stargazer’s paradise.
The <a href="http://www.spacesafetymagazine.com/space-on-earth/space-economy/">socio-economic benefits</a> possible from the use of space technology and research are endless. For instance, satellite imagery can be used for agricultural purposes, such as helping to predict food shortages and surplus harvests. It can also be employed to forecast and monitor natural disasters like flooding, earthquakes and wildfires. <a href="http://www.who.int/goe/publications/goe_telemedicine_2010.pdf">Telemedicine</a> platforms, which also rely on satellites beaming from space, can greatly enhance the provision of health services in remote areas.
African countries are becoming increasingly aware of these and other possibilities. According to Euroconsult, the space budgets of just five African states amounted to over <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0265964613000593#tbl1">USD$900 million between 2009-2012</a> and the continent’s evolving space sector is reportedly worth <a href="https://spacegeneration.org/regions/africa">USD$400 billion</a> today.
In 2014 Algeria, Nigeria and South Africa combined spent more <a href="https://www.africaportal.org/features/making-case-african-investment-space-programmes/">than USD$140 million</a> on non-military space programmes. Others expanding their space agenda include Angola, Egypt, <a href="https://africanbusinessmagazine.com/region/east-africa/ethiopia-enters-space-age/">Ethiopia</a> and Kenya.
Ghana is trying to catch up. The <a href="http://gsstc.gov.gh/">Ghana Space Science &amp; Technology Institute</a> has been established to train specialists in these fields and to convert space research into commercial applications. The government has made a <a href="https://www.businessghana.com/site/news/general/162920/Ghana-bids-to-host-African-Union-Space-Agency">bid to host</a> the African Union’s planned Space Agency. It’s also a participant in the <a href="https://theconversation.com/ghana-is-boosting-africas-ascent-to-astronomical-heights-82849">Square Kilometre Array</a> (SKA) radio telescope project.
A notable accomplishment came in July 2017 when, as part of the satellite <a href="http://birds1.birds-project.com">Bird Project</a>, three engineering students from All Nations University, built and successfully launched Ghana’s first satellite, the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-40538471">GhanaSat-1</a>, from Florida’s Kennedy Space Station.
But if the West African nation is to fully harness the benefits of space technology and create a lucrative space sector – whether in a niche or wide-ranging market – it will need to put proper policies and structures in place. It will also need space legislation and regulations.
<h2>National space laws</h2>
In setting out space legislation, Ghana would be following international precedent. More than 25 countries have enacted such laws. The space powers Russia and the US are among them, but so are smaller states like Argentina, Kazakhstan, Indonesia and Iran.
Closer to home, <a href="https://www.egyptindependent.com/sisi-passes-law-establishing-egyptian-space-agency/">Egypt</a>, Nigeria and <a href="http://www.sacsa.gov.za">South Africa</a> already have space laws. Other nations on the continent will undoubtedly follow suit.
A national space law would ensure that space activities launched within Ghana’s jurisdiction – whether on land, ships or aircraft – and perhaps even abroad by its nationals or registered companies are appropriately regulated.
Such laws may govern a host of space-related ventures. These include launches; remote sensing and space data protection; aeronautics; rocket and satellite development, space tourism and space mining.
Of course, the complexity of space activities combined with the rapid pace at which technology develops means that national space laws are <a href="https://www.jurist.org/commentary/2017/12/selman-ayetey-uk-space-legislation/">unlikely to cover</a> every eventuality. They do, however, provide a degree of certainty for the public, investors and courts should disputes arise.
National laws also facilitate compliance with global obligations. Article 6 of the <a href="http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/treaties/outerspacetreaty.html">Outer Space Treaty</a>, for example, requires all space activities to be authorised and continually supervised by the state. National laws which demand licensing of space activities foster adherence to the treaty.
Article 7 makes states liable for damage caused by space objects under its jurisdiction, including those belonging to private commercial entities. A Space Act can be vital in limiting a state’s liability through provisions on indemnities.
Ghana has signed the Outer Space Treaty. The next step will be for the government to ratify it, and then to establish a legislative framework for space activities.
<h2>Making Ghana’s space law</h2>
About half a decade ago the International Law Association published the <a href="http://www.unoosa.org/pdf/limited/c2/AC105_C2_2013_CRP06E.pdf">Sofia Guidelines for a Model Law for National Space Legislation</a>. Shortly afterwards the United Nations General Assembly passed <a href="http://digitallibrary.un.org/record/763550/files/A_RES_68_74-EN.pdf">a resolution</a> entitled “Recommendations on national legislation relevant to the peaceful exploration and use of outer space”. These documents contain elements deemed essential for any country’s space law.
Like other <a href="https://tem.fi/en/artikkeli/-/asset_publisher/avaruuslain-rakennuspalikat">countries</a> before it, Ghana can refer to the model law and UN recommendations when drafting its space law. This can then be adapted to suit the nation’s particular needs.
The drafting of such legislation requires a careful balancing act, taking various stakeholders’ interests into account and honouring Ghana’s international obligations.
If laws are too restrictive, investors will take their money elsewhere. For instance, a country whose licensing scheme for private commercial space companies is perceived as onerous will be prone to losing foreign investment to a country whose space laws are viewed as more favourable. On the other hand, safety, environmental concerns and the ability to seek damages for harm to persons or property may be compromised by laws which are too liberal.
<h2>Space law awareness</h2>
The <a href="https://au.int/sites/default/files/newsevents/workingdocuments/33178-wd-african_space_policy_-_st20444_e_original.pdf">African Union</a> has identified the need to develop the human capital necessary to expand the African space market.
Discussions on space capacity-building have tended to focus on the value of aerospace engineers, astrophysicists, and other technical experts. All these professionals are indeed crucial to create a space sector.
But the need for policy advisers, government lawyers and space entrepreneurs to be aware of the rights and obligations arising out of both national and international space law has often been overlooked.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/100200/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />In an effort to contribute to this aspect of the requisite human resources, Ghana could look at introducing space law courses at its universities. At least three other institutions on the continent, Kenya’s <a href="http://law-school.uonbi.ac.ke//uon_degrees_details/1391">University of Nairobi</a>, Niger Delta University in Nigeria and the <a href="https://www.up.ac.za/en/programmes/StudyLevel/13/Faculty/F6/mod/postgrad/year/2019">University of Pretoria</a> in South Africa, have already done this.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/julia-selman-ayetey-303578">Julia Selman Ayetey</a>, Doctoral Candidate, Institute of Air &amp; Space Law, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/mcgill-university-827">McGill University</a>
This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/ghana-is-looking-to-outer-space-it-needs-the-law-to-match-100200">original article</a>.

Why Ghana’s space law can’t be too restrictive as country looks to expand space agenda

<figure><img decoding="async" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230567/original/file-20180803-41351-16fzoo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="File 20180803 41351 16fzoo.jpg?ixlib=rb 1.1" /><figcaption>Biobanks can help scientists retain quality samples for future experiments. 
Microgen/Shutterstock</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dominique-anderson-517434">Dominique Anderson</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-the-western-cape-1018">University of the Western Cape</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alan-christoffels-484169">Alan Christoffels</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-the-western-cape-1018">University of the Western Cape</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/carmen-swanepoel-517348">Carmen Swanepoel</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/stellenbosch-university-1439">Stellenbosch University</a>
<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/biobanks">Biobanks</a> are repositories which receive, store, process and disseminate specimens. These include DNA derived from humans and animals; bacterial strains; and environmental samples like plants and soil. Biobanks also provide the vital infrastructure for research to support scientific advancement and innovation.
In the developed world, biobanks are well established and generally well funded and supported. There are also biobanks in the developing world like regions in Africa, most notably in South Africa and Nigeria – but the technology is really still in its infancy. Simple issues like internet connectivity, access to reliable water and electricity supply, which are all necessary to run biobanks, are common.
Yet it’s in the developing world that biobanks could be especially powerful tools. For example, having access to the rich genetic diversity across Africa would allow researchers to understand disease, develop better diagnostics and treatments, <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/2018/07/27/cancer-cure-genome-cancer-treatment-africa-genetic-charles-rotimi-dna-human-1024630.html">medicines and vaccines</a>, geared toward the continent’s population.
Crucially, they can also improve scientists’ ability to replicate results and experiments, a process known as <a href="http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/8/341/341ps12.full">reproducibility</a>. This is very important because being able to reproduce research verifies results and means it can be trusted. Biobanks have high quality assurance and control measures in place, making them safe, reliable spaces to store material for repeated testing that could lead to trustworthy science that saves lives.
This is why low and middle income countries, like those in Africa, should prioritise setting up biobanks despite the high cost and other challenges.
<h2>A reproducibility crisis</h2>
A <a href="https://www.nature.com/news/1-500-scientists-lift-the-lid-on-reproducibility-1.19970">recent study</a> has shown that, across the world, scientists’ ability to reproduce research is staggeringly low. More than 70% of the 1500 scientific participants in the study could not replicate other scientists’ experiments. And half were unable to replicate their own experiments.
This costs a huge amount of money. In the US alone, the estimated financial burden of not being able to replicate research translates to approximately <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.1002165">$28 billion per year</a> that’s being spent on life science research which cannot be replicated.
Why don’t researchers rigorously investigate the reproducibility of experimental works before releasing the findings? There are a few reasons.
Firstly, research costs money; costs for any lab are already high and staff may not want to spend more than they believe is necessary.
Secondly, reproducing experiments takes time – and when scientists are developing novel therapies for diseases, for instance, time can cost lives.
The study also identified study design, biological samples, laboratory protocols, and data analysis and reporting as issues. So it stands to reason that implementing standard best practices and adhering to them could partially ease <a href="https://www.nature.com/news/1-500-scientists-lift-the-lid-on-reproducibility-1.19970">the crisis</a>.
That’s where biobanks come in.
<h2>Quality assurance</h2>
Most biobanks, whether small or large, have high quality assurance and control measures in place. Without this, they won’t generate the trust needed to function well. They ensure that sample transportation, processing, storage and analysis are done according to standard methods. They manage risk to ensure the biospecimens they store for different researchers or teams are viable and retain their quality.
Biobanks which follow best practice guidelines can be mediators for reproducible scientific research as they ensure that protocols are applied in a standardised, harmonised way.
This means that researchers who use a biobank can have some level of comfort that, at a bare minimum, any biological sample used in an experiment is consistent and controlled. For example, biobanks that use <a href="https://blog.capterra.com/what-is-a-laboratory-information-management-system/">Laboratory Information Management System</a> software can track and log a sample’s life cycle to ensure its quality hasn’t been compromised. For example, <a href="https://www.baobablims.org">Baobab LIMS</a> was developed at the University of the Western Cape as a management system for human biobanks.
Sample quality is critical in research, as it will influence later analysis. Biobanks are also an important tool for smaller laboratories that don’t have the finances to get international accreditation, or don’t have the right equipment for analysing specific samples.
<h2>Benefits outweigh costs</h2>
It may seem like a no-brainer to establish biobanks everywhere, given all the benefits they offer.
But there are some barriers to this happening in the developing world. Cost is one. Biobanks are generally non-profit. Non-commercial medical biobanks cannot sell specimens, as this would equate to trade in human tissue and is unethical. So biobanks’ fee structure is aimed entirely at cost-recovery.
There’s also a lack of highly skilled and trained personnel. There are some international certificates and courses specifically for biobanking, offered in <a href="http://www.ctrnet.ca/education/education_program">North America</a> and <a href="https://wwwfr.uni.lu/formations/fstc/certificate_principles_of_biobanking">Europe</a> but for the most part, skilled scientists could be trained to become proficient and staff biobanks.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/100035/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />These issues should be dealt with by policy makers, governments and science stakeholders. The benefits of establishing more biobanks clearly outweigh the costs – especially in the face of the ever increasing direct and indirect cost of research that cannot be reproduced and the growing need to preserve Africa’s rich genomic resources.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dominique-anderson-517434">Dominique Anderson</a>, Postdoctoral researcher in Metagenomics, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-the-western-cape-1018">University of the Western Cape</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alan-christoffels-484169">Alan Christoffels</a>, DST/NRF Research Chair in Bioinformatics and Public Health Genomics, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-the-western-cape-1018">University of the Western Cape</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/carmen-swanepoel-517348">Carmen Swanepoel</a>, Principal Medical Scientist within the Division of Haematopathology, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/stellenbosch-university-1439">Stellenbosch University</a>
This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-biobanks-can-help-improve-the-integrity-of-scientific-research-100035">original article</a>.

Here’s how biobanks can help improve scientists’ ability to replicate results and experiments

By <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/louise-bezuidenhout-404786">Louise Bezuidenhout</a>, Research fellow in science and technology studies/bioethics, University of Oxford.
How does one train science students without equipment? As a <a href="https://www.insis.ox.ac.uk/people/dr-louise-bezuidenhout">sociologist of science</a> specialising in African countries, this is a question I get asked with sad regularity.
How, African science, technology, engineering and maths educators ask me, can the next generation of globally competitive scientists be trained using teaching laboratories that lack even the most basic equipment?
One of the most basic elements of molecular biology, for example, is to learn about DNA: how genes are expressed and converted into proteins. To do this, students must able to conduct their own experiments – and for that, they need access to a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/probe/docs/techpcr/">polymerase chain reaction</a> to amplify their DNA samples.
While teaching labs in the global North may have dozens of polymerase chain reaction machines, African departments may have just one per laboratory, if at all. Instead of being able to run their own DNA experiments, students in these labs have to work in groups or watch a demonstration by a tutor.
The critical importance of conducting practical experiments as well as learning theory sets science education apart from many other taught courses. The value of this practical training is two-fold: first, it provides an in-depth understanding of the biological systems that are being studied. Second, the practice of science in industry or academia is essentially a practical undertaking. Any graduate wishing to work as a scientist must have a good grasp of how to conduct experiments and produce data.
While there are increasing amounts of often free educational resources available online: videos, Massive Open Online Courses, papers and tutorials, they can’t make up for students getting their hands dirty – so to speak – at the lab bench
To truly understand their discipline, students need the opportunity to interact with laboratory equipment <a href="http://www.gettingpractical.org.uk/documents/EmmaWoodleyarticle.pdf">through practical instruction</a>. Learning how to conduct experiments and deal with both the successes and failures of bench science is <a href="http://sites.nationalacademies.org/cs/groups/dbassesite/documents/webpage/dbasse_073330.pdf">an important part</a> of developing as a scientist. The skills that students develop through practical experiments are also fundamental for progressing into successful graduate studies and research careers.
There’s been considerable recent support for science and related education in Africa. That includes a rising number of training programmes, graduate scholarships and research support. However, regional universities are still battling to properly equip teaching laboratories. There isn’t much money specifically earmarked for this task. Educators often have to rely on equipment bought out of hard-won grants, or rely on the increasingly aged equipment left over from forgotten past projects. New, imported equipment is prohibitively expensive. It’s also difficult to maintain.
This is why my colleagues <a href="https://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/people/helena.webb/">Helena Webb</a>, <a href="http://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/people/jason.nurse/">Jason Nurse</a>, <a href="https://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/people/marina.jirotka/">Marina Jirotka</a> and I designed <a href="https://labhackathon.wordpress.com/">LabHack</a>. It’s an event that aims to inspire budding innovators to take matters into their own hands and build the equipment they need to learn. Undergraduate student teams compete to design low-cost versions of basic laboratory equipment using hardware available in a local African context. Our first LabHack was held at the Harare Institute of Technology in Zimbabwe in June 2018. The resulting prototypes were highly inventive and far cheaper than anything that’s commercially available.
<h2>Innovation in action</h2>
During the Zimbabwe LabHack teams of students from four universities, as well as local hobbyists and one high school team, demonstrated their prototypes for low cost laboratory equipment built out of locally-available hardware.
All the teams were interdisciplinary, which was important not only for design issues but also offered a means of building strong links for future collaborations.
The teams were asked to design one of three types of basic but crucial lab equipment: a magnetic stirrer, a polymerase chain reaction machine, and a centrifuge.
There was also an open challenge for students to build other types of equipment that would be used in teaching their specific discipline of science. In this category entries included a digital microscope and a bioprocessor, which is used for culturing cells.
Each team was supplied with an Arduino kit, a single-board microcontroller that allows the equipment to be programmable. Apart from that they were self-funded and used easily available local resources. No team spent more than $100 on their final designs – a clear demonstration of how innovative thinking can produce highly inventive, working prototypes.
The teams also participated in a range of workshops hosted by local tech companies, which exposed students to emerging technologies like 3D printing and 3D scanning. Having these companies present their working models for tech-driven job creation in Zimbabwe also illustrated the possibilities of creating tech start-ups for possible future career choices.
<h2>Smart prototypes</h2>
The prize for best prototype went to a team that created a programmable centrifuge whose casing was predominantly designed out of plywood and cardboard. It was fully functional and significantly cheaper than any commercially-available models. Another winner created a centrifuge that relied on a motor taken from a toy car.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/100792/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />These innovations effectively demonstrated the potential for equipping low-resourced educational laboratories with low-cost alternatives to expensive, imported equipment. We are hoping – with enough funding and sponsorship – that the Zimbabwe event will be the first of many LabHacks on the African continent. These could build a new community of science learners who study science in Africa, on machines designed by Africans for an African context.
This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-new-way-to-equip-africas-science-labs-get-students-to-build-their-own-100792">original article</a>.

Here’s how Africa’s science students can build the equipment they need to learn

Corporate South Africa is at a high-tech watershed moment in how it uses technology to gain a competitive edge. This is according to Arthur Goldstuck, Managing Director of World Wide Worx, who in partnership with enterprise software company Syspro compiled a new study into the readiness of corporates to embrace the Fourth Industrial Revolution called The Mobile Corporation in South Africa 2018.
Telephonic interviews with 400 information technology decision-makers at large enterprises in South Africa were conducted for the report, which reveals that South Africa’s corporates are stuck in the third industrial revolution that took decades for new technologies to evolve but are ready to enter the fourth, where evolution is instant.
READ: <a href="http://cnbc.africa/news/special-report/2015/11/06/your-next-co-worker-could-be-a-robot/">Your next co-worker could be a robot </a>
According to the research, many South Africa companies are ready to embrace emerging technologies like robotics, the internet of things, big data and machine learning.
“The reason is simple,” says Phil Duff, CEO of Syspro. “They are all seeing their counterparts globally being disrupted by small, nimble newcomers or large companies that are willing to disrupt themselves.
“If they don’t respond as part of their own strategic direction, someone will force them to respond. The result will be that these companies will find themselves performing crisis management instead of strategy management.”
The six charts below show how South African companies are embracing these technologies.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-315250" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Picture1.png" alt="" width="691" height="486" />
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-315251" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Picture2.png" alt="" width="696" height="481" />
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-315252" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Picture3.png" alt="" width="940" height="511" />
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-315253" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Picture4.png" alt="" width="707" height="490" />
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-315254" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Picture5.png" alt="" width="748" height="515" />
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-315255" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Picture6.png" alt="" width="804" height="486" />

Six key charts that show how far SA is in embracing the Fourth Industrial Revolution

By Sabine Dall’Omo, CEO for Siemens Southern and Eastern Africa 
By 2050, an estimated 1.4 billion people will be living in an African city. In Nigeria alone, 189 million people will have moved to a city, while Johannesburg will be home to 6.5 million inhabitants, and Nairobi 14.2 million.  This is more than we could have ever imagined and Africa needs to start making room for them.
Just as Egypt’s remarkable pyramids earned its place in history, so too can smart cities in Africa. At 138 metres high, the Great Pyramid of Giza is the tallest man-made structure ever built, and continues to marvel the world some 4,000 years after construction. One can only imagine the kind of brilliance and innovative thinking behind it. What we do know is that even way back then, the people of Africa had it right. They collectively immersed themselves in a creative vision, cutting-edge ingenuity, tireless efforts and countless hours of sweat. Today, the Great Pyramid is regarded as one of the most impressive architectural feats in history, and stands as the sole survivor of the <a href="https://www.ancient.eu/The_Seven_Wonders/">Seven Wonders of the Ancient World</a>.
This is what we want for Africa and our people. Not a pyramid exactly, but a revolutionized smart city that will withstand the test of time. A city that resolves our lifelong challenges in infrastructure, energy, population, traffic, health, safety and unemployment. This concept, however, requires more than the installation of pipes and drainage. It necessitates quantum-age thinking coupled with detailed information, sustainable plans, and ingenuity in digital transformation.
Much has been said about digital transformation and ambitious ideas often sound great on paper, but can it be accomplished given the continent’s current financial and infrastructural challenges. Many organizations recognize that digital transformation is crucial for future success, but are unsure where to start, what investments to make, and which technologies to implement. They may also lack capital and the required skills. The pace of change is so fast in the digital age that they need to take action to safeguard their competitiveness, and the best way to do it is to collaborate with partners that provide the technical know-how, particularly as urbanization accelerates at an unprecedented rate in Africa.
Urbanization
Most people enter cities for work opportunities as unemployment escalates. However, economies are not adequately equipped to handle the growing demand and are struggling to cope. This has taken a toll on transportation networks, housing, water and electricity supplies.
Knowledge on urbanization, therefore, must go hand-in-hand with digital transformation. According to an April 2018 <a href="https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/publication/180411_Saghir_UrbanizationAfrica_Web.pdf?o02HMOfqh99KtXG6ObTacIKKmRvk0Owd">report</a> by the Centre for Strategic Insights and International Studies (CSIS), sub-Saharan Africa is undergoing an immense demographical shift and is regarded as the fastest urbanizing region. During this shift, urban centres were expected to play a critical role in sustaining economic growth.
Data is key 
The first step in leaping Africa into the future is extracting crucial information about each city, which will not only inform strategies and decisions, but also open a number of doors. This data will give greater insight into what makes each city tick, what works and what doesn’t, and most importantly, it will enable us to determine what is possible in the future. The kind of information needed will be intricate and incorporate all sectors of the city – from water and energy to air quality, lighting, transport, unemployment, security and economic growth. This data will enable smart decision-making, help us connect the dots and ensure that past failures do not repeat itself.
Let’s look at the city of Johannesburg for a second. We know our infrastructure facilities and energy supplies are inadequate to accommodate our new inhabitants. If we had to take one smart step in the right direction, it would result in a domino effect that gives rise to extraordinary developments while amplifying benefits to residents. For example, decentralising energy systems and investing in a variety of microgrids that are designed to provide uninterrupted power would ensure a steady and affordable electricity supply for a growing demand. Technology could then be used to transform waste into energy at landfill sites, and that space in turn could be utilized for urban farming and other developments, while the generated energy could power city infrastructure like buildings and electric cars.
Another thought would be to look at digitizing townships surrounding cities so that people can benefit from new job opportunities. Children would be able to access learning material online, and those finishing school would be able to apply for jobs and tertiary education or explore their entrepreneurship skills through ecommerce, app development and crowd funded activities. Our peri-urban communities will play a crucial role in growing the country’s economy from the confines of their own home and town. Imagine the possibilities of using blockchain to crowdfund a microgrid that works to literally light-up a township economy. I’ve always believed that having a reliable and affordable energy supply is a catalyst for socio-economic growth.
Amazing right, now imagine what we could do if we break down and analyse the considerable amounts of data from each city in Africa.  Understanding it will equate to smarter ways of living in future on a grand scale.
Connecting worlds 
However, such a transformation can’t be achieved by data and software alone. It requires a combination of digital expertise and domain knowhow, an inherent understanding of hardware – of how things are built, how they work, and the markets they serve – in order to leverage digital technologies and optimize operations.
This is where Siemens comes in.  It is uniquely positioned to help society unlock its full potential for digital transformation. It knows how to connect the physical and virtual worlds thanks to its domain intellect, broad installed base, digital portfolio and heightened cybersecurity setup. It shapes and accelerates digitalization by mastering disruptive technologies like the digital twin and artificial intelligence.
Digitalization of the industrial world is the single biggest transformation of our time so we can’t afford to mess it up. We need to embrace the right partners, acquire the appropriate skill set and apply data smartly.  The foundation of a uniquely African smart city lies in data, but its backbone will be ingenuity. It will be created by smart people and inspired by local understanding. Tomorrow’s cities can be healthier, safer and more efficient with Africa’s young tech-savvy minds. And as they make good on our targets and leap Africa into the future one pyramid at a time, let’s remember that beneath the chaotic nature of a present day African city lie incredible data patterns, weaved into the very fabric of our society.

Op:Ed: This is how to leapfrog Africa’s cities into the future

Rob Eloff is a co-founder of Lateral Capital, a mission-driven venture fund focused on technology ventures in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In 2017, investment into African tech startups reached a <a href="http://disrupt-africa.com/2015/09/sa-has-one-of-highest-startup-failure-rates-in-world/">record high</a>, with 159 startups raising over $195 million. African startups, however, also have one of the <a href="https://techmoran.com/couple-lessons-couple-failed-african-startups/">highest failure rates in the world</a>. Given that venture capital funding is integral to the growth of African startups, venture investors need to ensure that they are backing businesses that can generate long-term solutions in markets with wide infrastructure gaps.  Much has been written about the potential to ‘leapfrog’ in African markets where infrastructure provision is fragmented, but, nowhere is it more important to focus on companies creating platforms for product and service provision rather than siloed single solutions.
READ:<a href="http://cnbc.africa/news/technology/2018/07/20/op-ed-how-africa-can-embrace-an-artificial-intelligence-enabled-future/"> Op-Ed: How Africa can embrace an artificial intelligence enabled future</a>
There are numerous examples of African platform plays that have succeeded. These businesses are identifiable through three key factors: 1) they harness a network effect, 2) they deliver efficient, scalable solutions to inefficient value chains or fragmented service offerings and 3) they deploy a suite of interconnected products and services to overcome frontier market challenges.
READ: <a href="http://cnbc.africa/news/technology/2018/07/20/mobile-money-interoperability-is-the-next-revolution-in-africa-this-is-what-you-need-to-know/">Mobile money interoperability is the next revolution in Africa, this is what you need to know</a>
The network effect is particularly important in markets where there is little infrastructure to support the development of businesses looking to grow and scale. <a href="https://kokonetworks.com">KOKO Networks</a> in East Africa is an example. The company operates on a platform initially established to distribute clean cooking fuel. Although <a href="http://cleancookstoves.org/binary-data/RESOURCE/file/000/000/406-1.pdf">more than 200 different enterprises</a> have tried to solve for inefficient cooking by entering the cookstove space and offering marginal productivity gains, KOKO distinguished itself by establishing a digital platform that enables consumers, local shopkeepers, and suppliers to engage in seamless transactions with one another to deploy an ethanol based alternative to the pernicious dirty fuel status quo solutions. Providing users and agents with an easier way of engaging with one another helped the platform gain significant traction. With data generated by the network effect, KOKO is creating a sustainable market for clean cooking fuel and a viable business with the potential to offer additional consumer goods.
Venture capitalists should be on the lookout for models that are able to similarly leverage and deliver efficient solutions across a product or service value chain to achieve scale in Africa.  Nigeria’s <a href="https://edutechng.com/about/">EduTech</a> is a good example of a platform that has achieved such scale as its services are adopted by university students, its end users. Edutech aims to help African universities efficiently transition their on-campus degree programmes online. <a href="https://qz.com/915618/only-one-in-four-nigerians-applying-to-university-will-get-a-spot/">Up to 75%</a> of university applicants are turned away despite adequate qualifications for acceptance. By forging partnerships with three high-performing universities in Nigeria, EduTech has been able to develop a platform that streamlines connections between students and universities.  The platform consolidates university applications, acceptances, and access to digital educational materials and support resources. The centralization of resources that would typically be provided by multiple disconnected service providers is core to the platforms’ efficiency model and the company is on track to provide its platform as a service to 10,000 students.
Finally, successful platform plays in Africa often deploy a suite of interconnected products or services that subscribe to Steve Job’s ‘closed loop’ mentality in Apple’s original product design philosophy. <a href="http://www.appzonegroup.com/about-us/management-team/">AppZone</a> is a fintech platform that deploys automation and digital delivery solutions to bring African financial services operators fully online. Their SaaS products help banks significantly reduce operating costs, expand their addressable market, and gain competitive advantage. This closed loop of digital products functions as a digital operating system (OS) positioned to transform the largely brick and mortar operations of African Banks via a single counterparty. With a client base that includes 12 commercial banks and more than 350 microfinance banks in West Africa, AppZone replaces rigid and expensive manual banking operations being run internally or outsourced to third-parties with end-to-end automation. AppZone’s portfolio of products spans core banking, card management, transaction switching, mobile payment and agent banking. These products are built on top of a proprietary developer platform that allows banks to gain agility using small teams of in-house programmers who are able to extend functionality and respond quickly to achieve incremental process automation. Their home-grown IP confers advantages over imported equivalents that include being more cost effective, flexible, responsive and tailored to the local environment. The key to their success has been their complementary product releases that together address all market channels as a platform but offer incremental product adoption to meet a bank’s hierarchy of digital needs.
The innovation coming out of Africa’s cities offers investors an opportunity to generate highly attractive returns, and to provide solutions to existential threats to the fastest growing and most populous continent on the planet. Venture capitalists hold a significant amount of power to bolster this growth, but in order to do so, they must be cognisant of the factors that drive strong, effective and long-term business solutions within African markets. By investing in platform businesses that harness the network effect, deliver efficient scalable solutions and leverage an ecosystem of products or services, venture capitalists stand a better chance of achieving their objectives in Africa. The alternative, chasing a fragmented multitude of single product or service providers with a high degree of ‘copycatting’ will require a high threshold for disappointment.

Op-Ed: This is why venture capitalists should be investing in African platform plays

By: Zoaib Hoosen, Microsoft Managing Director 
It’s no longer news that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be a <a href="https://becominghuman.ai/why-africa-needs-to-prepare-now-for-the-future-of-work-1a132e1c9a77">driving force</a> behind the Fourth Industrial Revolution, with the global economic returns of this revolution expected to be in the region of about $16 trillion.
Along with these returns, AI is also expected to create 2.3 million new jobs by 2020, according to <a href="https://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3837763">Gartner</a>.
However, if we look at previous revolutions, history shows us that these revolutions have always been accompanied by a brief transition of temporary job loss followed by a period of recovery where job creation moves into more positive territory.
This means that we all need to take steps now to prepare AI in the future.
Leapfrogging aboard the AI train
Currently, no African country is among the top 10 countries expected to benefit most from AI and automation. But, the continent has the potential to catch up with the rest of world if we act fast.
To play catch up, we must take advantage of our best and most powerful resource &#8211; our human capital. According to a <a href="http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_Jobs.pdf">report</a> by the World Economic Forum (WEF), more than 60 percent of the population in sub-Saharan Africa is under the age of 25.
These are the people who are poised to create a future where humans and AI can work together for the good of society. In fact, the most recent WEF Global Shapers survey found that <a href="https://mashable.com/2017/08/30/millennials-robots-jobs/?utm_cid=hp-n-3#6vl1hOIbfaq2">almost 80 percent of youth</a> believe technology like AI is creating jobs rather than destroying them.
Staying ahead of the trends to stay employed
AI developments are expected to <a href="http://www.itnewsafrica.com/2017/04/why-artificial-intelligence-is-the-future-of-economic-growth/">impact existing jobs</a>, as AI can replicate certain activities at greater speed and scale. In some areas, AI could learn faster than humans, if not yet as deeply.
According to Gartner, while AI will improve the productivity of many jobs and create millions more new positions, it could impact many others. The simpler and less creative the job, the earlier, <a href="https://blog.forecast.it/blog/how-to-prepare-yourself-and-your-career-for-an-ai-future">a bot for example</a>, could replace it.
It’s important to stay ahead of the trends and find opportunities to expand our knowledge and skills while learning how to work more closely and symbiotically with technology.
Another global study by <a href="https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/will-ai-create-as-many-jobs-as-it-eliminates/">Accenture</a>, found that the adoption of AI will create several new job categories requiring important and yet surprising skills. These include trainers, who are tasked with teaching AI systems how to perform; explainers, who bridge the gap between technologist and business leader; and sustainers, who ensure that AI systems are operating as designed.
It’s clear that successfully integrating human intelligence with AI, so they co-exist in a two-way learning relationship, will become more critical than ever.
Combining STEM with the arts
Young people have a leg up on those already in the working world because they can easily develop the necessary skills for these new roles. It’s therefore essential that our education system constantly evolves to equip youth with the right skills and way of thinking to be successful in jobs that may not even exist yet.
As the division of tasks between man and machine changes, we must re-evaluate the type of knowledge and skills imparted to future generations.
For example, technical skills will be required to design and implement AI systems, but interpersonal skills, creativity and emotional intelligence will also become crucial in giving humans an advantage over machines.
“At one level, AI will require that even more people specialise in digital skills and data science. But skilling-up for an AI-powered world involves more than science, technology, engineering and math. As computers behave more like humans, the social sciences and humanities will become even more important. Languages, art, history, economics, ethics, philosophy, psychology and human development courses can teach critical, philosophical and ethics-based skills that will be instrumental in the development and management of AI solutions.” This is according to Microsoft president, Brad Smith, and EVP of AI and research, Harry Shum, who recently authored the book <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-president-says-tech-needs-liberal-arts-majors-2018-1?IR=T">“The Future Computed”,</a> which primarily deals with AI and its role in society.
Interestingly, institutions like Stanford University are <a href="http://thecampustap.com/liberal-arts-degree-technical-skills/">already implementing this</a> forward-thinking approach. The university offers a programme called CS+X, which integrates its computer science degree with humanities degrees, resulting in a Bachelor of Arts and Science qualification.
Revisiting laws and regulation
For this type of evolution to happen, the onus is on policy makers to revisit current laws and even <a href="http://www.itnewsafrica.com/2017/04/why-artificial-intelligence-is-the-future-of-economic-growth/">bring in new regulation</a>s. Policy makers need to identify the groups most at risk of losing their jobs and create strategies to reintegrate them into the economy.
Simultaneously, though AI could be hugely beneficial in areas such as curbing poor access to healthcare and improving diagnoses for example, physicians may avoid using this technology for fear of malpractice. To avoid this, we need regulation that closes the gap between the pace of technological change and that of regulatory response. It will also become essential to develop a code of ethics for this new ecosystem.
Preparing for the future
With the recent convergence of a transformative set of technologies, economies are entering a period in which AI has the potential overcome physical limitations and open up new sources of value and growth.
To avoid missing out on this opportunity, policy makers and business leaders must prepare for, and work toward, a future with AI. We must do so not with the idea that AI is simply another productivity enhancer. Rather, we must see AI as the tool that can transform our thinking about how growth is created.
It comes down to a choice of our people and economies being part of the technological disruption, or being left behind.

Op-Ed: How Africa can embrace an artificial intelligence enabled future

Kosta Peric*
Several regions across Africa are zeroing in on what promises to be a new frontier in the fast-growing digital economy: mobile money interoperability. That means anyone in an interoperable region with a mobile money account can transact with anyone else who has an account, whether they use the same service provider or not. And when that happens, mobile money instantly becomes more useful to more people, enabling them to more easily save, borrow, and transact with all the people and institutions they need to connect with, instead of just those on their same network. When connected with banks, mobile money becomes even more valuable as people have a safe, secure place to store their assets.
As the interoperability movement grows, I believe that now is the chance to reach and nurture these “connected customers.” Across Africa and worldwide 1.7 billion people, especially those at the bottom of the economy, don’t yet have these opportunities for easy, seamless transactions. But countries and regions can take the lead in ensuring all people have more control over their finances, spending and saving on their own terms and conducting the business of their life from one central place.
One of the regions entering this frontier is West Africa. The eight countries of the West African Economic Monetary Union (WAEMU1) are building an interoperable system that will connect 110 million people to more than 125 banks, dozens of e-money issuers, and more than 600 microfinance institutions. With a common currency and a single central bank, the region has already laid the groundwork for a connected digital economy.  It is on track to go live with more than 600 stakeholders by the end of next year. The work expands on early regional connectivity of cards established a decade ago, with more opportunities ahead to connect more than 55 million e-money subscribers making US$36 billion in transactions. Today in WAEMU, a person may still have to visit a utility to pay a bill or a kiosk to send money to a family member across networks. But by 2020, that person will be able transact with anyone in their market directly from their mobile phone, putting them at the center of their financial life.
I see this progress in West Africa and with similar projects across the continent as very positive signs of things to come. The sooner that governments, central banks, telcos, mobile network operators, and other players integrate their services, the sooner we can empower a wave of connected customers to transact, save, spend, innovate, and control their financial futures. When digital finance is unencumbered, people are empowered. With a simple mobile device in hand, the connected customer can transact constantly, in even the smallest monetary increments, growing the economy that she now has access to like never before.
Of course, it takes time and careful coordination to achieve interoperability, as the leaders and stakeholders of the WAEMU project can attest. These challenges are why my work with the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation is focused on building tangible, scalable solutions and helping stakeholders realise the immense opportunity they have in driving financial inclusion if we all work together.
<a href="https://www.economist.com/special-report/2018/05/03/financial-inclusion-is-making-great-strides#_blank">A recent report in The Economist</a> highlights the data security and other technical challenges the private sector in particular will face as it serves the unbanked. Until recently, there were only two ways to create an interoperable system. One is that governments step in to build a new digital system to sync all networks. The Central Bank of West African States has been facilitating this type of effort for WAEMU as it empowers stakeholders to define their own technical specifications while ensuring a more secure, streamlined path to broadening financial inclusion. The other option is that each mobile money provider makes individual connections with the other providers, which requires special considerations around efficiency and security. Both options can be time consuming, expensive, and prohibitive, especially as industry players, the government, or a combination of both must unite myriad payment systems.
New open-source code and other public resources now enable markets to achieve interoperability more quickly and efficiently than ever before, but coordination among stakeholders is paramount. Public and private sectors must collaborate to shape systems that empower customers, providers, and innovators to engage more deeply than ever in their markets.
It’s not easy, but it’s vitally important, and the untapped potential is enormous. In just the next seven years, the McKinsey Global Institute estimates that widespread adoption and use of mobile money could increase the GDPs of all emerging economies by 6 percent, or a total of US$3.7 trillion.
Today, more markets than ever can lead the way in making interoperability accessible and in driving the next wave of on-demand transportation, subscription, or other innovative services that will keep customers empowered and the businesses that serve them thriving.
*Kosta Peric is the deputy director of the Financial Services for the Poor programme at the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation.
<ol>
<li>Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d&#8217;Ivoire, Guinéa-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo</li>
</ol>
#####

Mobile money interoperability is the next revolution in Africa, this is what you need to know

Astronomy in Africa will take a giant leap forward with <a href="https://www.gov.za/speeches/science-and-technology-minister-mmamoloko-kubayi-ngubane-launches-64-dish-meerkat-13-jul-10">the unveiling</a> of the 64-dish MeerKAT array in South Africa on July 13. The MeerKAT will be the largest and most sensitive radio telescope in the southern hemisphere until the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is completed.
Why is this such a big deal? After all, Africa has many challenges more pressing than exploring the universe. But, as my colleagues and I recently argued in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-018-0524-y">an article for Nature Astronomy</a>, astronomy occupies a special place among the many efforts to address development challenges. It has a unique ability to stimulate thoughts of “what is possible” in the minds of marginalised communities, women and children.
Astronomy connects philosophical, cultural and inspirational elements with the cutting edge of science and technology. This affords the discipline a unique advantage to foster socioeconomic development. For instance, astronomy has been used in <a href="http://www.astro4dev.org/blog/category/tf2/astronomy-for-literacy/">Sierra Leone</a> to improve middle school pupils’ literacy. It worked because they loved what they were learning.
Astronomy techniques are also used across sectors from <a href="http://www.astro.ljmu.ac.uk/astro-ecology">conservation</a> to <a href="https://www.darabigdata.com/">medical imaging</a>.
The <a href="http://www.astro4dev.org/">International Astronomical Union’s Office of Astronomy for Development</a> uses astronomy to drive positive developmental change. It has ten regional and language centres. Three are in Africa, in Ethiopia, Nigeria and Zambia. The global coordinating office is situated in South Africa.
Our challenge as astronomers is not only to grow the discipline in Africa. We also need to ensure that this growth is accompanied by the educational, technology transfer and societal engagement initiatives that can drive the continent’s development priorities.
<h2>Skills training</h2>
The funding we disburse has been used to run a number of programmes aimed at developing skills among school and university students.
One of these was the <a href="http://www.astro4dev.org/blog/category/tf1/madagascar-astronomy-python-workshop/">Madagascar Astronomy Python Workshop</a> in 2017. It focused on practical coding in the Python programming language for university students and lecturers. The aim was to build on astronomy tools that participants can develop for their own research and teaching, not necessarily in the field of astronomy.
At school level the <a href="https://awbnigeria.com/2018/05/07/2018-girls-astronomers-camp/">Girls Astronomy Camp</a> was held in Abuja, Nigeria earlier this year. This not only dealt with education. It also tackled the <a href="http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0025/002534/253479E.pdf">large gender disparity</a> in science, technology, engineering and maths fields, which can be a complex, socio-cultural issue in many regions.
It’s crucial for educational interventions to address the fact that astronomy students often find employment outside the field. Students must learn science in a way that allows them to build their repertoire of transferable skills.
So the Office of Astronomy for Development has funded a number of Joint Exchange Development Initiative workshops in <a href="http://www.astro4dev.org/blog/category/tf1/jedi-2014/">Namibia</a>, <a href="http://www.astro4dev.org/blog/category/uplifting-the-mozambican-astronomy-community/">Mozambique</a> and <a href="http://www.astro4dev.org/blog/category/tf1/big-data-in-astronomy-a-tool-for-social-innovation/">Mauritius</a>. These workshops focus on direct transfer of specific skills in an informal but intense learning environment. They’re also excellent for data science skills, which are particularly important for economic growth and jobs in emerging markets.
To support this need and bridge the data science and astronomy communities, the Office of Astronomy for Development hosts a <a href="https://datascience.astro4dev.org">repository for data science resources and code examples</a>.
<h2>Beyond disciplinary boundaries</h2>
Astronomy can also be put to use in perhaps surprising ways to boost development.
One of our projects, <a href="http://www.astro4dev.org/blog/category/tf3/citizen-science-developing/">Accessible Citizen Science for the Developing World</a>, has married health issues with astronomy skills through running a proof-of-concept type intervention. Retinal defects are common, but curable. <a href="https://www.peekvision.org/">Peek Vision</a>, a social enterprise that works to bring better vision and health to everyone, developed a retinal imaging device that can be easily used, even in rural Kenya, with an Android phone.
But there weren’t enough qualified ophthalmologists at hand to use the app to diagnose retinal problems. So Peek Vision teamed up with astronomers at a citizen science portal called the <a href="https://www.zooniverse.org/">Zooniverse</a>. In the same way that the citizen scientists had previously worked to classify thousands of galaxies, they were called on to learn how to identify retinal problems on the Zooniverse portal.
Such partnerships are quintessential examples of working together across disciplinary boundaries to achieve development outcomes.
<h2>Creating spaces</h2>
There are numerous other initiatives that contribute to development through astronomy. Large astronomical infrastructure investments like MeerKAT aim to stimulate the technology industry and advance the development of technical skills.
International aid initiatives with a science focus like <a href="https://www.dara-project.org/">Development in Africa with Radio Astronomy</a> (DARA) and its sister project, <a href="https://www.darabigdata.com/">DARA Big Data</a>, are using the momentum generated through the SKA programme to develop skills and train more astronomy students for the continent.
Of course, the few examples illustrated in this article hardly begin to address the myriad challenges facing Africa and the world. Technology and science can only do so much: these challenges have solutions that are, at least in part, driven by human values.
That’s why conversations that span natural and social sciences are key to making development progress on the continent. The Office of Astronomy for Development is one of the spaces hosting these conversations. We’re challenging astronomers and other scientists to reach across the disciplinary boundaries to explore how their skills can help Africa meet its development goals.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/99714/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />Author’s note: the article on which this piece is based <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-018-0524-y">first appeared</a> in Nature and was co-authored by Ramasamy Venugopal, Munira Hoosain, Tawanda Chingozha &amp; Kevin Govender.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/vanessa-mcbride-514506">Vanessa McBride</a>, Astronomer, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/international-astronomical-unions-office-of-astronomy-for-development-3542">International Astronomical Union&#8217;s Office of Astronomy for Development</a>
This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-big-moment-for-africa-why-the-meerkat-and-astronomy-matter-99714">original article</a>.

How the #MeerKAT 64 telescope is set to benefit Africa

By Rosalind Davey, partner, Employment and Benefits Practice at Bowmans
Gone are the days when office hours were from 9 to 5 and employees spent the working day under one roof. Technology has changed everything and employers who prepare properly for the changes stand to benefit the most. Rosalind Davey, partner in the Employment and Benefits Practice at Bowmans, outlines what employers need to do to manage the risks and capitalise on the advantages of the new world of work.
We frequently hear terms such as ‘the digital workplace’, ‘the Internet of Things’, ‘automation in the workplace’ and ‘the future world of work’ bandied about. But what does all of this mean for your business?
Information and communication technologies have led to significant developments in the way we work. The digital office is becoming the norm and has resulted in more people working from remote locations – the advent of the tele-commuter or tele-worker. This is an exciting new digital world for employees and employers alike. It is critical that employers embrace this brave new world but, in doing so, they must tread with care and make sure they understand the possible traps that may ensnare the unwary.
In order to make the digital world work for your business it is important to have a proper strategy in place. A good starting point is to analyse your business environment so as to identify your strategic focus and enhance your ability to meet customer demands and other business objectives. The process should also incorporate risk management – recognising the issues associated with operating in the digital world will enable you to identify what steps should be taken to address these risks. Implementing a crisis management plan to deal with virtual business crises is essential for safeguarding your business and your employees.
Take steps to address risks
The next step is to ensure that you put appropriate policies in place to guide the business’s strategy. For example, a communications policy is essential for governing online communications and providing clear guidelines within which employees conduct themselves online. Similarly, a tele-commuter policy should provide guidance on flexible work arrangements, hot-desking, job-sharing and working from remote locations. Further, an IT policy should highlight security protocols and data protection obligations. Policies dealing with automation in the workplace should identify the roll-out of artificial intelligence, robotics and virtual reality so as to provide an understanding of how these technologies will impact on existing career paths.
Once the necessary policies have been developed and implemented, the next step should be to educate your employees on the policies. The aim here is to ensure that employees understand the risks associated with conducting a virtual business, communicating online and implementing flexible work arrangements. Knowing what they can and cannot do in the digital world is essential to minimise business risks such as brand damage arising from inappropriate online communication, data leaks and cyber-bullying. 
This process should also be aimed at encouraging a focus on performance output and addressing potential employee dissatisfaction due to the fear that automation in the workplace will result in job losses. Upskilling and reskilling employees to work in the virtual workplace is also crucial.
Policies need teeth
Education and training is, sadly, not enough. In order to properly safeguard your business, you need to ensure that your rules and guidelines, as set out in your policies, are properly monitored and enforced. A failure to enforce the policies may render them redundant.
Operating in the digital world requires dedication, care and effective management. If used properly, the virtual world can eliminate boundaries and enhance business performance but, if the proper precautions are not taken, this could spell disaster for your business.

How to make the digital world work for your business

From June 19-29, 29 Africa-based entrepreneurs from 11 countries participated in a flagship programme hosted by Alibaba Business School and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The students were participating in an intensive eFounders Fellowship programme which is part of a pledge by Jack Ma, Alibaba Group’s Executive Chairman and UNCTAD Special Adviser for young entrepreneurs and small business. The aim? To empower 1,000 entrepreneurs from developing countries in five years. Two hundred of these entrepreneurs will come from Africa, demonstrating Ma’s personal commitment to supporting entrepreneurs from the African continent and empowering them to succeed in the digital world.
CNBC Africa spoke about the eFounders Initiative and Alibaba’s vision for Africa with Brian Wong, Vice President of Globalization Initiatives at Alibaba. Wong also serves as the executive director of the Alibaba Global Leadership Academy (AGLA).
What are Alibaba Group’s plans for Africa? 
When Jack Ma first visited Africa in 2017, he saw a continent facing many of the same challenges that Alibaba had managed to overcome in the last 20 years in China. As a Special Adviser to UNCTAD, Jack recognised that empowering young entrepreneurs with ideas and practical knowledge from China’s most innovative businesses could accelerate the development of inclusive ecommerce platforms and provide markets around Africa with a whole different approach to enabling entrepreneurs, small businesses, youth, women and more, all with the objective to provide access to prosperity for all.
As with other regions outside of China, Alibaba’s expansion strategy is one of ‘inclusive development.’ The company seeks to work with local partners who share our values and understand local markets. By partnering with local platforms in Africa and elsewhere, we believe we can better enable SMEs and create a more inclusive globalised trading network.
What is it currently doing in Africa? 
Some Alibaba services are available in Africa (Alibaba Cloud, for example) but as mentioned above, our focus is on enabling local partners to develop their own inclusive ecosystems.
Which regions does it operate in? 
Alibaba Cloud, Alibaba.com, and AliExpress are available to anyone with an Internet connection in all 54 African countries, while TMall Global facilitates African exports to China from around the continent.
What is Alibaba Group doing to help young Africa-based entrepreneurs succeed in the digital economy? 
The eFounders Fellowship is at the core of the Alibaba’s plan to empower young entrepreneurs in Africa by providing capacity building and access to insights and experience from Alibaba’s own journey.
The eFounders Fellowship is a two-week course for entrepreneurial founders in developing countries who are operating open, platform-based businesses in the ecommerce, logistics, big data, and tourism sectors. The programme provides first-hand exposure to and learning about ecommerce innovations from China and around the world that enabled growth and a more inclusive development model for all.
With a focus on highlighting breakthrough innovations that have transformed society in China, the programme seeks to inspire each participant to think of creative frameworks based on prior expertise and new learnings that can be applied to their own home markets.
Participating entrepreneurs are given the tools to improve their own ventures, but as ‘New Economy’ pioneers they are also expected to serve as network builders and champions of new ways to approach commerce in their own markets. UNCTAD and Alibaba believe these entrepreneurs can inspire others with powerful new ideas around the world by creating impactful communities and empowering their peers.
The course consists of a structured series of classroom workshops, lectures, meetings with business leaders, teambuilding exercises, site visits and a business hackathon at Alibaba Group Headquarters in Hangzhou with site visits to other cities in China.
Upon graduation from the programme the fellows make a 2-year commitment for how they will apply their learnings from their course to transform their businesses and make a positive impact on their societies.
We also invite ecosystem partners from local venture capital and incubators to observe during program and to participate in the hackathon portion in order to engage them and to work with Alibaba to provide the necessary support to the fellows during the subsequent two years.
Why is it doing this? 
The initiatives in Africa are consistent with Alibaba’s original mission. It is a platform-based business whose mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere by connecting SMEs around the world. Enabling platforms in other countries strengthens this worldwide network and “grows the pie” for all, rather than fighting over the same pie.
The more open, platform-based businesses there are in the world – the more opportunities there will be for all players (including Alibaba), and the more partnerships will be possible in the long term.
How many has it helped so far? 
There are 52 fellows from Africa who have completed the fellowship and are currently participating, but the expectation is that with their platforms there will be a multiplier effect in their impact.
From which countries? 
Our current fellows are from 14 different African countries: Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda, Ethiopia, South Africa, Algeria, Cameroon, Chad, Egypt, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia.

Chinese internet giant Alibaba shares its plans for Africa

KAMPALA, July 6 (Reuters) &#8211; MTN Uganda, a unit of the South African telecoms firm, said security personnel had raided its data and disconnected four of its servers.
It said in a letter dated July 3 that it had “Reported to police a case of illegal intrusion into the data center and the disconnection of the four information servers.” (Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by George Obulutsa)

MTN Uganda’s data centre raided

By Sage
Open plan offices are a staple of working life in the modern age. In fact, 80% of US businesses use it as their preferred office arrangement, with others globally following suit, led by a plethora of the world’s leading businesses such as Apple, Google and Facebook. But how did it become the defacto layout for most new businesses and are there better alternatives?
Research has shown that the open plan office has many benefits, specifically in creative workspaces. However, there are plenty of negatives too, as the layout has a direct correlation and contribution to staff absenteeism and reduced levels of productivity.
In our infographic we explore the history of office layouts and its transformation into a largely dominated open plan landscape. But will the future office space continue this trend or are there better alternatives? As we spend 90,000 hours working in these environments, it’s certainly worth some serious thought.
How does your working environment impact productivity? Let us know on social media using #sageadvice.
Regardless of your sector, government regulations will still impact your business. Not sure what impact the 2017/18 Budget will have on salaries? Our Sage salary tax calculator helps to take the guesswork out, so you can focus on building your business.
<div></div>
<div><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.sage.com/za/~/media/markets/za/images/infographics/sage_open-plan-offices-and-productivity_infographic.png?la=en-za&amp;h=6788&amp;w=800&amp;hash=DAA91FBBFFF5AB2FF3AA3BC162A73A50CFC99031" alt="Sage_open-plan-offices-and-productivity_infographic" width="800" height="6788" /></div>
<div>
<h4></h4>
</div>

Do you work in an open plan office? Here’s why it is bad for you…

By Jacqueline Musiitwa, Esq is a regulatory attorney and the Executive Director of Financial Sector Deepening Uganda. 
Data is the new oil in more ways than one. Personal information is the new hot commodity sought by corporations and national governments, and the companies that own that data are shifting geopolitical and commercial realities. In February, the tech community was shaken by revelations that the Russian government had used Facebook to sway American public opinion during last year’s presidential elections. Consumers and regulators alike are growing wary of how companies manage their data, and the #DeleteFacebook movement continues to gain momentum in the United States and beyond. However, it is consumers in Africa that bear the greatest risks from social media-enabled invasions of privacy. <a href="https://uk.reuters.com/article/facebook-africa/rpt-in-africa-scant-data-protection-leaves-internet-users-exposed-idUKL5N1RI11A">According to London-based rights group Article 19,</a> more than half of Africa’s 54 countries have no data protection or privacy laws and, of the 14 countries that do, <a href="https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-africa/in-africa-scant-data-protection-leaves-internet-users-exposed-idUKKCN1HB1SZ">nine</a> have no regulators to enforce them. In the race for connectivity, African consumers and governments are unwittingly making a Faustian bargain. As Africa becomes the world’s <a href="https://wearesocial.com/blog/2018/01/global-digital-report-2018">fastest growing, digital-first market</a>, its consumers urgently need protection.
From balloons and drones to satellites, operators such as Facebook and Google have been recognised for their commitment to providing Internet access to some of Africa’s most remote regions. But access to the Internet must be coupled with training on digital literacy to adequately protect new users against invasions of privacy and online abuse. Facebook’s website openly declares that it collects user information such as the type of device being used and the mobile operator, and stipulates that <a href="https://www.facebook.com/legal/internet.org_fbsterms">“we may also share such usage information with the providers of third-party services”</a>. Access is therefore gained on the assumption of users’ digital illiteracy and understanding of consent. In reality, this is often not the case: social media subscribers, particularly women and youth, are particularly at risk. World Wide Web Foundation research <a href="http://webfoundation.org/docs/2015/10/womens-rights-online21102015.pdf">finds that</a> a culture of competition to have high Facebook followings <a href="http://webfoundation.org/docs/2015/10/womens-rights-online21102015.pdf">can lead users</a> to share their personal profiles with strangers. Only when individuals become more experienced Facebook users do they realize the risks to privacy and become more selective in their friend choices. Since tech companies are profiting from consumer data, it is their responsibility to understand how the use of such data can benefit and harm users, particularly those with low literacy levels and where English is often a third language. Tech companies must roll out training on appropriate online behaviour, data and privacy protection, and online abuse.
Social media in Africa isn’t only used for targeted advertising—companies like <a href="https://tala.co">Tala</a> and <a href="https://branch.co">Branch</a> are developing algorithms to analyse broad social connections, including friends, friends of friends and beyond, to build a measure of creditworthiness. Where social media is being used as a tool for financial inclusion, companies must tread carefully. There is <a href="http://www.thebanker.com/Banking-Regulation-Risk/Retail-Banking/Credit-scoring-for-the-social-media-generation?ct=true">disjuncture between our online and offline selves</a>, which means that the data these services collect can be misleading. Users must be sensitized to the impact of borrowing, and how and why they might receive negative scores. There are other metrics that perhaps deserve more weight when creating credit ratings. <a href="http://www.fico.com/en/newsroom/transunion-and-fico-unveil-enhanced-credit-score-for-south-african-market-01-17-2010">FICO’s Expansion Score</a>, now launched in a number of emerging markets including Russia, Mexico and South Africa, considers a variety of non-traditional data sources including utility bills and property records, to develop a score. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/money/2012/mar/15/experian-rental-payments-credit-files">Experian,</a> a UK credit score firm, has introduced rent payment data to its scoring process. Its Rental Exchange acts as a secure database that houses rental payment information, enabling those with no credit history to establish a credit score based on their rental payments.  Considering those who lived in informal settlements and rural areas without addresses or access to utilities, solar energy companies such as <a href="http://www.m-kopa.com/">M-Kopa</a> in East Africa utilize customers’ mobile money payment history to develop a score.
Between the Internet and social media, it seems that privacy is dead. In today’s environment, one’s property is more than a home or earthly possessions; the Internet provides thieves with a new source of information and wealth. But privacy is the foundation of a free society and our basic right to privacy must be protected. With high profile scandals involving US Elections, Russia, Brexit and more, little time has been taken to understand how violations of Internet privacy are affecting the most vulnerable social media users. Even before recent controversy in America, Cambridge Analytica experimented across <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/17/us/politics/cambridge-analytica-trump-campaign.html?mtrref=www.google.com">Africa</a> by enticing politicians to provide government-held data and manipulating psychological traits to affect voter behaviour. While these machinations may not have garnered a hashtag, African countries must regulate social media networks and Internet companies in order to ensure customers are protected. Policymakers alike should follow the lead of the European Union, which recently implemented the General Data Protection Regulation, and reinforce principles of consent and transparency. Advanced economies don’t have the monopoly on progressive regulation on data privacy—Turkey, one of the world’s leading emerging markets, recently instituted the <a href="https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/Cosi/SignOn?redirectTo=%2f7-520-1896%3ftransitionType%3dDefault%26contextData%3d(sc.Default)%26firstPage%3dtrue">Law on the Protection of Personal Data</a>. If African leaders hope to benefit from this digital age, firewalls must accompany fiber optic cables.
The lack of data and privacy laws leaves many Africans, <a href="https://wearesocial.com/blog/2018/01/global-digital-report-2018">a large percentage</a> of whom are accessing the Internet for the first time, with little to no protection. Personal data can be used to influence decisions, shape behaviour and exercise control, in the wrong hands, it can be used to cause great harm. Personal privacy is essential to ensuring survival in today’s world – both offline and online. Data scandals cannot be the latest way corporations exploit African countries; Internet security and privacy must be ubiquitous and understood by all.

Op-Ed: Africa has made a Faustian bargain with Facebook

By Momentum Securities
Premium Times reports that the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Umar Danbatta, on Tuesday 3 July 2018 described the growth of the internet as enormous with the number of users reaching 103 million in May.
Mr Danbatta, who was represented by Haru Alhassan, the Director, New Media and Information Security of NCC, said this in Abuja at the Nigeria Internet Governance Forum (NIGF) 2018. The forum&#8217;s theme is: &#8220;Internet: An Enabler for Good Governance&#8221;. He said this was an impressive growth from 28 million internet users recorded in 2012. &#8220;This evolution shows the importance of harnessing the benefit of internet for good governance. This figure of the internet subscribers&#8217; data highlights the importance and the value of internet,&#8221; he said
Mr Danbatta said the commission would also license three additional infrastructure companies (INFRACOs), bringing the number to seven to boost broadband penetration in the country. He said the three INFRACOs were awaiting approval as the commission had earlier licensed two infrastructure companies earlier in 2018 to lay the foundation for internet penetration and increased broadband services. The two INFRACOs are Zinox Technology Ltd. for Southeast Nigeria and Brinks Integrated Solutions Ltd. for the Northeast.
&#8220;The licenses are based on the NCC open licensed model which is in line with the National Broadband plan 2013 to 2018,&#8221; he said. Over a year ago, Mainone Cable Company had been licensed to provide services in Lagos, while HIS got its license to cover the North Central Geopolitical Zone including Abuja. &#8220;This event is very important in bringing various stakeholders to discuss issues of internet governance,&#8221; Mr Danbatta said.
The Vice Chancellor of Nasarawa State University Keffi, Muhammad Mainnima, said the theme of forum was apt and worthy of participation as Nigeria was approaching the 2019 general elections.
Mr Mainnima, represented by Grace Pennap, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the university said Information Communication Technology (ICT) would have significant role to play in the elections. &#8220;While we agree that internet can promote good governance, it is important to think of how to make Nigeria cyberspace safe and secured. Therefore, it is my sincere hope that this year&#8217;s conference will add value positively to the narratives of good governance powered by the internet,&#8221; he said.
According to the data released by the NCC in December 2017, Airtel, MTN and Globacom gained more internet subscribers during the month in review while 9mobile was the big loser. The data breakdown revealed that MTN gained the most with 2,642,666 new internet users increasing its subscriptions in December to 36,069,597. It said Airtel gained the most with 911,040 new internet users in December taking its total to 23,985,203. Globacom gained 87,538 new users in December, taking its total to 26,997,817.
Social-commerce, such as with WeConnect Nigeria, is the next evolution in the dynamics between social networking and e-commerce, bringing a new twist to how people interact with friends and shop for products online and most of the time employing traditional media as a medium of platform engagement through TV Shows. Cost, scalability, power outages and education barriers are just some of the many challenges facing the mass roll out of internet on the continent, including Nigeria, so the growth seen in spite of these challenges is a positive result indeed.

This is how many internet users Nigeria now has and how it plans to grow this figure…

By WEF and CNBC Africa
Three African businesses made this year&#8217;s World Economic Forum annual list of <a href="http://widgets.weforum.org/techpioneers-2018/">Technology Pioneers</a>. Two hail from Kenya and a third from Morocco.
Kenyan-based CarePay is developing an inclusive platform for health financing and delivery in Africa while BitPesa has created digital financial solutions from and for emerging markets. Morocco&#8217;s WaystoCap has created a marketplace for businesses to trade goods in Africa
Of the 61 early-stage companies recognised for their design, development and deployment of potentially world-changing innovations and technologies, a majority (52%) come from outside the United States, including many from emerging markets, and a quarter (25%) is female-led.
“Innovation comes from all corners of the earth and from a very diverse group of entrepreneurs, and with this selection we recognize that,” said Cheryl Martin, Head of the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Member of the Managing Board at the World Economic Forum. “The next step is to help these Pioneers bring their solutions to complex world-critical problems to global markets and to take action for the public good.”
The Technology Pioneers 2018 address many societal challenges, a hopeful sign that technology will be a force for good in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Apeel Sciences (USA), for example, develops plant-derived technologies to reduce food waste; Pymetrics (USA) matches talents to opportunity using neuroscience games and artificial intelligence (AI); and Horizon State (Australia) enables efficient and secure vote casting.
“Technology and start-ups are not just about computer software, consumer apps and social networks,” said Fulvia Montresor, Head of Technology Pioneers at the World Economic Forum. “Technology Pioneers 2018 are tackling complex challenges such as environmental sustainability, efficient energy use and access to healthcare.”
Technology Pioneers come from all over the world. Among the other nations to host Pioneers are Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, as well as Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the US. The Pioneers include:
<ul>
<li>Bangladesh-based ME SOLshare democratizes energy by developing peer-to-peer microgrids</li>
<li>Brazilian-based Agrosmart makes agronomic models based on genetics, soil type and microclimate data</li>
</ul>
Examples from well-known innovation hubs include Precognize (Israel), which is developing predictive maintenance software for the process industry, and BenevolentAI (UK) which is developing and applying AI for scientific innovation.
The leadership of the 2018 Technology Pioneers is gender diverse, with 25% of the companies (co-)founded by women. Examples include: Viola Llewellyn, Co-Founder and President of Ovamba Solutions, who built a $500 million life insurance investment fund before co-founding Ovamba; Diana Paredes, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Suade Labs, who had a successful career in investment banking before applying her expertise to financial regulation as a service; and Elizabeth Rossiello, Chief Executive Officer and founder of BitPesa, who is an advocate for blockchain technology in emerging markets and financial innovation across frontier markets.
About the Technology Pioneers 
The World Economic Forum believes that innovation is critical to the future well-being of society and to driving economic growth. Launched in 2000, the Technology Pioneer community is composed of early-stage companies from around the world that are involved in the design, development and deployment of new technologies and innovations, and are poised to make a significant impact on business and society.
The Forum recognizes a limited number of companies each year as Technology Pioneers and incorporates them into its initiatives, activities and events, where they bring cutting-edge insights and novel perspectives to world-critical discussions. Companies selected in the past include: Airbnb, Bloom Energy, bluebird bio, Cyberdyne, Editas Medicine, Foundation Medicine, Google, Kaggle, Kickstarter, Mozilla, Palantir Technologies, Proteus Digital Health, Rethink Robotics, Scribd, Spotify, Twitter and Wikimedia.
Appendix: The full list of World Economic Forum Technology Pioneers 2018
<ul>
<li>1928 diagnostics (Sweden ) – A platform providing bioinformatic analysis of genome sequencing</li>
<li>Agrosmart (Brazil ) – Agronomic models based on seed genetics, soil type, microclimate data</li>
<li>Apeel Sciences (USA ) – Plant-derived technologies to reduce food waste and increase access</li>
<li>Applied Brain Research (Canada ) – Compiler, operating system and applications for next-generation computer chips</li>
<li>Aqua Security (Israel ) – Automated full-stack security for platforms and clouds</li>
<li>Armis (USA ) – Agentless internet of things (IoT) security platform for enterprises</li>
<li>BenevolentAI (UK ) – Development and application of AI for scientific innovation</li>
<li>Bestmile (Switzerland ) – Cloud platform to optimize autonomous vehicle fleets</li>
<li>Blue Vision Labs (UK ) – Cloud technology for various augmented reality (AR) industry applications</li>
<li>BitPesa (Kenya ) – Digital financial solutions from and for emerging markets</li>
<li>Cadenza Innovation (USA ) – Low-cost, high-capacity cell design for lithium-ion energy storage systems</li>
<li>CarePay (Kenya ) – Platform for health financing and delivery in Africa</li>
<li>Casetext (USA ) – AI for context-aware legal research</li>
<li>org (USA ) – Expanding access to computer science in schools</li>
<li>CognitiveScale (USA ) – Augmented intelligence software to extend human cognitive function</li>
<li>Color Genomics (USA ) – Democratizing access to high-quality genetic information</li>
<li>Cohesity (USA ) – Platform for hyperconverged secondary storage solutions</li>
<li>CUJO AI (USA ) – Software and firmware solutions for gateway and cloud infrastructure</li>
<li>Delair (France ) – Commercial drone solutions to digitize physical assets into business insights</li>
<li>ai (USA ) – AI software for autonomous vehicles using deep learning</li>
<li>Everledger (UK ) – Digital ledger that tracks and protects valuable assets</li>
<li>EVRYTHNG (UK ) – Digital identity and data management for consumer products</li>
<li>Fetch Robotics (USA ) – Collaborative autonomous mobile robots for commercial and industrial environments</li>
<li>Gamalon (USA ) – AI for machines to learn more efficiently</li>
<li>Grid Singularity (Germany ) – Open, decentralized energy-data exchange platform</li>
<li>H55 (Switzerland ) – Electric propulsion systems for efficient and affordable aviation technology</li>
<li>Horizon State (Australia ) – A decentralized engagement and decision-making platform</li>
<li>Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (USA ) – A global crowd-powered organization developing Hyperloop technologies</li>
<li>Innoviz Technologies (Israel ) – High-resolution, solid-state light detection and ranging solutions for autonomous vehicles</li>
<li>Juvo (USA ) – Mobile identity scoring for financial and digital access</li>
<li>Malong Technologies (China ) – AI for product recognition</li>
<li>ME SOLshare (Bangladesh ) – Decentralized peer-to-peer microgrids</li>
<li>Melonport (Switzerland ) ­ Open-source blockchain software for digital asset managers</li>
<li>Modern Meadow (USA ) – Biofabrication to develop new leather materials</li>
<li>My Crop Technologies (India ) – A machine learning-based collaborative platform to support farmers</li>
<li>Narrativ (USA ) – Building renewable link technology to democratize commerce</li>
<li>Narrative Science (USA ) – An intent-driven system automatically transforming data into intelligent narratives</li>
<li>OnlinePajak (Indonesia ) – An application to handle corporate taxes and administration faster</li>
<li>Ovamba Solutions (USA ) – Funding trade and commodities in emerging markets, including Africa</li>
<li>Peloton Technology (USA ) – Driver-assistive truck platooning technology</li>
<li>Petuum (USA ) – A software infrastructure provider enabling AI for enterprises</li>
<li>Plataforma Verde (Brazil ) – Software as a service for online solid waste management</li>
<li>Plenty (USA ) – Indoor vertical farming using optimized resources</li>
<li>Precognize (Israel ) – A predictive maintenance software for the process industry</li>
<li>Primer (USA ) – Machines that can read and write</li>
<li>Pymetrics (USA ) – Gamified recruiting tool powered by AI</li>
<li>QuintessenceLabs (Australia ) – Quantum-based cybersecurity solutions</li>
<li>Raycatch (Israel ) – A software application to maximize energy productivity</li>
<li>Seismic (USA ) – Powering clothing through the integration of apparel and robotics</li>
<li>SocialCops (India ) – Data intelligence to clean up unorganized data</li>
<li>Soft Robotics (USA ) – Robotic technology to mimic the dexterity of the human hand</li>
<li>Soul Machines (New Zealand ) – Humanizing computing through the use of AI</li>
<li>Suade (UK ) – Regulation-as-a-service on a software platform for financial institutions</li>
<li>ThoughtSpot (USA ) – A search- and AI-driven analytics platform</li>
<li>Tulip Interfaces (USA ) – Digital manufacturing enhanced with work instruction apps</li>
<li>uBiome (USA ) – Transforming the microbiome into services to improve people&#8217;s lives</li>
<li>Utilis (Israel ) – Identifying water by analysing satellite imagery</li>
<li>Vayyar (Israel ) – Safe, low-cost 3D imaging sensors used in various applications</li>
<li>Watergen (Israel ) – Pulling clean and safe drinking water from the air</li>
<li>WaystoCap (Morocco ) – Marketplace for businesses to trade goods in Africa</li>
<li>XM Cyber (Israel ) – A cybersecurity platform to identify all attack vectors</li>
</ul>

Technology

What are the barriers that keep African scientists from reaching their full potential?

Why Ghana’s space law can’t be too restrictive as country looks to expand space agenda

Here’s how biobanks can help improve scientists’ ability to replicate results and experiments

Here’s how Africa’s science students can build the equipment they need to learn

Six key charts that show how far SA is in embracing the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Op:Ed: This is how to leapfrog Africa’s cities into the future

Op-Ed: This is why venture capitalists should be investing in African platform plays

Op-Ed: How Africa can embrace an artificial intelligence enabled future

Mobile money interoperability is the next revolution in Africa, this is what you need to know

How the #MeerKAT 64 telescope is set to benefit Africa

How to make the digital world work for your business

Chinese internet giant Alibaba shares its plans for Africa

MTN Uganda’s data centre raided

Do you work in an open plan office? Here’s why it is bad for you…

Op-Ed: Africa has made a Faustian bargain with Facebook

This is how many internet users Nigeria now has and how it plans to grow this figure…

Meet the three African businesses to make the 2018 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneers’ list

News Tips

Advertise With Us

Technology

What are the barriers that keep African scientists from reaching their full potential?

Why Ghana’s space law can’t be too restrictive as country looks to expand space agenda

Here’s how biobanks can help improve scientists’ ability to replicate results and experiments

Here’s how Africa’s science students can build the equipment they need to learn

Six key charts that show how far SA is in embracing the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Op:Ed: This is how to leapfrog Africa’s cities into the future

Op-Ed: This is why venture capitalists should be investing in African platform plays

Op-Ed: How Africa can embrace an artificial intelligence enabled future

Mobile money interoperability is the next revolution in Africa, this is what you need to know

How the #MeerKAT 64 telescope is set to benefit Africa

How to make the digital world work for your business

Chinese internet giant Alibaba shares its plans for Africa

MTN Uganda’s data centre raided

Do you work in an open plan office? Here’s why it is bad for you…

Op-Ed: Africa has made a Faustian bargain with Facebook

This is how many internet users Nigeria now has and how it plans to grow this figure…

Meet the three African businesses to make the 2018 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneers’ list

News Tips

Advertise With Us

Newsletters