The Kopo Kopo team discussing human-centered design

July 2012 was a moment of change for the young company when it won a chance to be one of seven companies incubated at m:lab East Africa’s newly launched facilities. The new incubation space offered a more quiet and dedicated space conducive for team building and “heads down” focus. Incubation at m:lab East Africa also meant improved access to resources, whether investors, mentors, or potential partners.

Apart from raising a Series A financing while at m:lab East Africa, the company also grew its team to twelve by March 2012. Kopo Kopo also completed several iterations of its mobile money-based business intelligence platform and developed an Android version of the service. Other milestones achieved while the company was at m:lab East Africa include establishment of strategic partnerships with mobile operators and business leaders.

Kopo Kopo team at their new premises on 1st floor of Bishop Magua Centre

With the above milestones met and having acquired several hundred enterprise customers, Kopo Kopo officially outgrew incubation at m:lab East Africa on 30th April 2012. The company has since moved location from m:lab East Africa on 3rd floor Bishop Magua Centre to its newly acquired premises on the 1st floor of the same building. The decision to secure space in the same building as m:lab East Africa and iHub was strategic. The company intends to continue tapping into opportunities and access networks associated with being in the technology hub that Bishop Magua Centre has become over the last two years.

Opportunity for Pivot East Finalists

The graduation of Kopo Kopo from m:lab East Africa creates room for other mobile tech startups to join the list of companies benefiting from the Lab’s business growth services. The now vacant incubation slot left behind by Kopokopo is now reserved for the deserving company winning either category of this year’s Pivot East pitching conference on 5th and 6th June 2012

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The phenomenal success of the Internet as today’s chief communication medium and platform for collaborative sharing and interaction has not been an accident.

There exists core values that have underpinned the Internet’s rise and exponential growth. One of these values is openness. The Internet was and still is designed with an open architecture in mind, this architecture in buttressed by open standards.

Since it’s inception in 1986, the  Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has fostered the development of Internet protocol specifications and has produced a number of high quality drafts  and documentation. Internet drafts that have gained traction are codified into a document known as a Request For Comments (RFCs). In IETF lingo, RFCs are the de-facto technical laws by which the Internet requires to function and to function well. Services like E-mail, DNS, IPv4, IPv6… have been extensively defined in numerous RFCs.

Membership to the IETF is open to all. Corporates, academics, government and individual Internet enthusiasts are free to participate in the IETF through joining a working group mailing list. Each working group focuses on eight key specific problem areas such as routing with the intended aim of crafting standards and recommendations.

On 12th May 2012, The first African Internet Standards forum was streamed live from Serekunda in Gambia with remote participation from the iHub. Participants tackled the issue of low African participation in the IETF and what mechanisms can be placed to encourage graduate students, engineers and tech devotees to engage. A panoply of presenters included Michuki Mwangi of the Internet Society( ISOC), Joe Abley of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and Joe Jaeggli of game maker Zynga. They addressed numerous questions from local and remote participants especially questions regarding involvement in the IETF. The forum lasted for over four hours and thirty minutes and was both lively and illuminating.

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• [THE NEXT IDEA] voestalpine Art and Technology Grant
• u19 – CREATE YOUR WORLD
• DIGITAL COMMUNITIES
• HYBRID ART
• DIGITAL MUSICS & SOUND ART
• INTERACTIVE ART
• COMPUTER ANIMATION / FILM / VFX

iHub received an honorary mention in the Digital Communities category. This is a great accomplishment in a span of 2 years in Kenya

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One interesting mobile application was discussed during a morning session on m-health. Brian Omwenga (Nokia Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya) presented “Buzzenger,” a free messaging platform based on missed calls (i.e. flashing). The platform basically formalizes the already established informal culture of “flashing” to tell people to call them back. The application does message encryption and decryption based on missed call durations. The application was developed in partnership with University of Nairobi and based on incremental prototyping. User feedback found that the application should be extremely fast (users didn’t want to go through a long process to send a message) because the flashing is often done because it is a very fast way to get a message across.

A big challenge for this application is the flooding of the operating network, which can come with sending of longer messages. This is the reason why Nokia Research decided to label this application as an “emergency” messaging system in order not to destroy relationships with mobile operators. Nokia Research realized while piloting the application that they cannot make “Buzzenger” a commercial product because it would get killed by mobile operators who do not make any money off of the application and whose networks would get flooded with the missed calls. Therefore the best use case for the application, Nokia Research decided, is for emergency situations only.

Another interesting presentation was during a session on “Sensors, Empowerment and Accountability,” SEMA for short. All presenters during the session came from ITC from the University of Twente, Netherlands and spoke on different aspects of the 3-year project that they have recently launched. The SEMA project looks at enhancing the relationship between citizens and government agencies through mobile communications and web technology in Tanzania. One of the project managers, Jeroen Verplanke, spoke on “slow burn” (I’m using an Ushahidi term here) versus crisis reporting. Ushahidi states that “slow burn” issues are ongoing over an extended period of time and don’t look to improve in the short-term. Verplanke noticed this phenomenon stating that daily needs that are not events do not often trigger app use because even if these daily needs are not met, coping mechanisms exist. On the other hand, a disaster or crisis situation is much more emotionally engaging as a reminder to report or act.

At the end of Verplanke’s presentation, he highlighted an often-repeated challenge that “technology can be an enabler, but you need the right processes and support in place.” This is so important to keep in mind in ICTD discussions; it deserves to be often repeated.

Follow #istafrica2012 for the last day of the conference tomorrow.

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Twitter continues to push forward with the latest series of community-organized Teatime events in a number of new cities. With this format, the local organizers will give a presentation on the Twitter APIs followed by local companies sharing experiences and best practices for integrating with the platform. Twitter platform team members will be participating remotely during the Q&A session

The iHub will host a Twitter Teatime in Nairobi on Tuesday 29th May 2012 from 7 pm to – 9:30 pm

To join the local Twitter developer community for this event, please sign up below! Members from the Twitter developer relations team will be dialing in for audience Q&A as well.

RSVP: https://dev.twitter.com/form/nairobi-teatime

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(Download the report here )

Abstract

This research aimed to understand the impact of the ICT Hubs to entrepreneurs. An ICT hub is a space where technologists congregate to bounce ideas around, network, work, program and design to bring their ideas to fruition.

The first ICT Hub of the 15 hubs to be profiled within this study series is iHub, Nairobi’s innovation Hub for the Technology Community. The study found that 100% of the entrepreneurs appreciate the iHub space as it has been a conducive and innovative co-working space that drives continuous networking through the events, community meet-ups that leads to collaboration and partnerships, sharing skills and knowledge through teamwork among others.

This is likely because most of these talented entrepreneurs having graduated with no formal job opportunities, have had their talents and skills nurtured and housed under these hubs. Overall, the entrepreneurs believe that the iHub can further sustain this co-working spirit by building more capacity through communal projects and active virtual member interaction among others.

The iHub Study

The first part of the iHub study described the various factors that make up the iHub model which you can download at this link. The second phase of the study was aimed at assessing the impact of that model to the entrepreneurs. After our initial pre-test findings, we made necessary amendments to our methodologies  and we settled on a mix of methodologies: in-depth interviews, observation, and interactions were used for the Green and Red members, as those members were more easily available since they work from the space. Focus groups with the start-ups were also used.

E-surveys and phone interviews were used for the white members since they access the iHub services and community virtually, and it was harder to find them due to their busy schedule and the fact that most of them are not based within the iHub space.A total of 25 members: n=15 (60%) Green members, n=5 (20%) Red members and n=5 (20%) White members formed the sample population. A criterion was used to select the sample size based on the period they have been on the space, have attended at least 2 events and are working on different aspects based on their skills set.

Key Objectives

As mentioned earlier the key objectives of the research was to investigate what factors make up the ICT Hubs model and how the model itself impacts to the entrepreneurs in the space, that make them to actively continue to use the space. In the coming months, the study will also focus on other initiatives in the eco-system such as innovations at high level of education and upcoming local tech companies’ in order to measure the innovation in the country, which will then be replicated to other hubs, and initiatives around Africa.

In the long run the research will aim to do a comparative study to identify what unique factors came out of the different hubs that make them successful creating an impaction on the economy’s development that is adoption of new technologies and innovations of employment leading to improvement in the living standards.

This research revealed how the iHub started, the impact of the iHub on the individual entrepreneurs, the kinds of members using the space daily or regularly (whether they are freelancers, people working in start-ups, people developing start-ups or employees of other companies who work at the iHub), how often they come to the iHub, what they do on a daily basis, whether the members skills are improving and how, what they appreciate about the space, the challenges they have faced while using the space and the overall changes they would like to see this year in the iHub.

The research was also specific in trying to understand how the entrepreneurs are working in their start-ups, what they are working on, whether the start-ups started before or after joining the iHub, where the team members met, the size of the teams, whether they have clients, investors, or mentors and how they make their money. It also gives more insights on the challenges that they have faced, the lessons that they are learning while working within their teams and from the community as well, how the friendships and connections that the members are forming while in their start-ups are affecting their start-up, the scale of growth of the entrepreneurs and the start-ups based on the growth parameters that they are using to determine this growth. Also key was the factors that make the entrepreneurs continue to use the space as illustrated below:

How the iHub Community Uses the Space

The iHub Community

The respondents appreciated the community, which stood to be a core aspect of the iHub. The community has a mix of skills to share and collaborate and many partnerships have emerged, potential clients referred, and friendships formed. Other significant factors included :the events, Internet connectivity, community, open culture, open innovation through the community sharing skills and working in teams, and the iHub physical space above all, have been significant factors of the iHub model that have added value to the entrepreneurial spirit at the iHub, and the wider technology community in Nairobi.

This research aimed to inform current and future African Hubs/Labs on the community’s opinion of areas of positive impact and areas of improvement for the Hubs/Labs. The study looks at the principles and organizational model adopted in existing African ICT Hubs to understand the impact of the Hubs on the entrepreneurs. Bearing in mind that the Hubs/Labs vary in implementation structure, there are numerous lessons to learn from each other for the benefit of the community of entrepreneurs that drive the spaces.

Conclusion

In addition to this report, the research team has formulated an internal report for the iHub that will help them to address specific key issues and targeted feedback raised by the members. The researchers will have a formal meeting with the iHub management to present the internal report.

This study is just the beginning of better understanding innovation in Africa. Simultaneously as African Governments and private sector stakeholders invest in ICT-related investments and infrastructure, there is a need for active participation from different ICT stakeholders to work on making local innovations a reality and accelerating them to the market through an ideal environment and favorable policies to encourage open innovation and entrepreneurship.

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After lunch, iHub Research presented our M-Governance exploratory survey results  as the first speaker in the eGovernment stream which was chaired by Isaac Maredi, Director of ICT in South Africa’s Department of Science and Technology.

A reoccurring theme throughout the day was the development of local content.

Professor Nkoma of TCRA stated that challenges in Tanzania include lack of local content as well as last mile connectivity. Our Twitter followers agree that this is an issue not just in Tanzania but also in Kenya, Zambia, and across Africa. The question then arose, “Do people have the skills necessary to develop local content?” The KINU representative (Incubation Hub in Tanzania ) stressed the need for local capacity building in order to spur businesses and local content generation. Catherinerose Barretto (KINU) stated, “We need to foster innovation and creativity from an early age. In addition to mentorship and skills-based training on the job, we also need to teach students to question and think critically.”

It was raised that the East Africa community has already seen the need to come together and create communities to catalyze innovation. iHub together with The KINU, RLabs, and HiveCoLab were mentioned as examples of the local community coming together to build local content.

A challenge was posed by Jussi Hinkkanen (VP, Corporate Relations and Business Environment, Nokia Middle East and Africa) around Innovation Hubs. “We know that Innovation Hubs (like the iHub, KINU, RLabs) work and have created a massive amount of progress. The next big challenge is how do we scale them up? How do we get iHub in every town around Africa? We have to let the innovators to really drive the innovation in Africa.”

Any thoughts from the tech community? What do you think?

Follow what’s going on at IST Africa 2012 (May 9 – 11) in Dar es Salaam at #istafrica2012.

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Meet the dynamic team

Jessica Colaço – Research Lead

She is passionate about Innovation, Research Visualisation, Mobile Technology and Mentorship and Entrepreneurship in Kenya. Jessica mentors the team in research and research activities, leading the team in their day to day activities at iHub Research. Her primary activities at iHub Research include leading major research projects at the as well as courting local, regional and international stakeholders to adopt Kenyan- made solutions.  She is also the Innovation advisor for different stakeholders that come to the iHub.

Angela Crandall – Project Manager

Angela’s main role is to coordinate and plan for the various iHub Research projects. She joined the iHub community in October 2010, and is passionate about innovation, especially in the agricultural sector, SME development and the appropriate use of IT. Her experience as a researcher in different countries provides invaluable insights – a great asset to the iHub Research core team.

Hilda Moraa – Research Strategist

Hilda spearheads the in-house research study on ICT Hubs. She formulates iHub Research’s capabilities, policies, processes using the different projects as a basis. Her experience in quantitative research, market research, management consulting, operations research in a fast-paced high-exposure environment has been invaluable in designing and managing research projects.

Leonida Mutuku – Research Analyst

This Actuarial Scientist, Researcher, Data Analyst and Writer is involved in both qualitative and quantitative research. She is the lead in the creative visualization of data as a tool to easily disseminate useful information to the general public.  Her activities also include analysis and interpretation of data from the different iHub Research projects, tying this in with data visualization and reports. She advocates for a design thinking approach to research and innovation. She is passionate about the Open Data movement and leads on the Open Data initiatives at the iHub Research.

Lillian Nduati – Open Data Co-Ordinator

Brings on board her background in media and journalism merging this experience with her knowledge in technology in the country, specifically Open Data. Her main focus will be to steer the Open Data initiatives at the iHub Research. Her passion in media and entrepreneurship will be invaluable in coordinating media activities at the iHub.

Patrick Munyi – Lead Designer , Infographics Specialist

Patrick leverages his unique design talents to put to vision the creative aspects of the iHub Research projects. He takes the lead on design, creating visualizations from raw data to disseminate information. His work has been used by local publications in the country as well as internationally. He has distinguished himself  as a data visualization authority.

Anne Salim – Events Coordinator

Anne coordinates all events at the iHub Research, which includes handling all aspects of event organization. The main core of her work is on Design thinking and User Experience (UX), with a special focus on UX Research – closely documenting the building of the UX Lab (by the iHub). She also supports research in iHub Research’s M-Governance project, participating in mLearning activities among others.

Robert Mureithi Njathika - Intern, iHubResearch

As an IHub Research intern, Robert’s main role is to assist the Research Lead and the Core research team. Robert uses his unique skills as a statistician to assist in the literature and report reviews. Before joining iHub Robert worked for the government, Ministry of Agriculture (Planning department) where he was in charge of the data centre. Robert is passionate about IT, Statistics and Creative Economy.

Albert Otieno Orwa - Statistician

As a statistician, Albert’s main role at iHub Research entails entry, visualization of graphics and analysis of various projects. He explains complex ideas and findings in a way that can easily be understood. Albert holds a BSc. In Applied Statistics with Computing and is currently working on his masters in social statistics. He is passionate about research.

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In the first quarter of this year, iHub Research prepared an infographic giving a general overview of the mobile sphere in East Africa for year 2011. This infographic showcases the different levels of uptake of mobile phones and related technology in the region.

At the close of 2011, Kenya was the leading region in terms of mobile usage with a 67.2% mobile penetration rate. This was followed by Tanzania with 56% mobile penetration and finally Uganda with 38.4%. These rates translated to 26 million mobile subscribers in Kenya, compared to Tanzania’s 23 million subscribers  and Uganda’s 12 million mobile users. As expected, with increased mobility of the population the region continued to register very few subscribers still using fixed lines. Particularly, it was reported that there were 374, 942 fixed lines in Kenya, 327, 114  in Uganda and 174,678 fixed line subscribers in Tanzania in 2011.

Internet Penetration to Rise
Internet penetration is on the rise in the region with new highs being recorded at the end of 2011. This could be due to increased regional bandwidth brought about by the laying of the fiber cable framework as well as aggressive campaigns by the mobile network operators. In terms of Internet usage and penetration Kenya led in the region with 14.3 M users (36.3% penetration) compared to a meagre 4.9M users (2.5% penetration) in Tanzania and 4M users (12%) in Uganda.

When it comes to actual phone usage, Kenyan users registered the highest number of mobile money transactions and total minutes of general calling, in 2011, while  Tanzania led the region in terms of average number of text messages sent per month per subscriber. Other aspects  from this info graph worth noting is that average call tariffs for Kenya and Tanzania are the same at Kshs 3 ,while Uganda has an average tariff of Kshs 6.

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This was one of the highest figures of refugees recorded over the past 15 years, according to a UNHCR report released in 2010. These refugees had been forcibly displaced from their homes by conflict or persecution.

Refugees and IDPs are vulnerable economically, socially, psychologically and politically. Uprooted from their homes, having lost access to their accustomed livelihoods, resented by their hosts and often viewed as a burden or as opponents by governments responsible for their protection… (El-Bushra and Kish, Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons)

The Refugee United tool is a family tracing and search mobile-based tool, which connects missing family and friends.

The Refugee United (RU) tool has an estimated 50,000 profiles. However, only a very small percentage of these profiles are active users. Over the period of January 2012 and May 2012, iHub Research conducted surveys and field research that included direct observation, focus-group discussions, and in-depth interviews.

The research will feed into ensuring that the new RU mobile application and sign-up process becomes a success in creating users, securing a high conversion rate (from sign-ups to users of the RU platform) and ultimately leading to digital reconnection of missing family and friends.

 *Photo credits: UNHCR

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