*iHub_ | Nairobi's Innovation Hub

08-05-2012

M-Governance

Governance is one of the main focus areas of iHub Research. Though there are more than 24.9 million mobile subscribers in Kenya who make up for a penetration rate of 71.3 per cent (Communication Commission of Kenya), the Kenyan government has been slow to provide adequate and quality services to its citizens. This includes areas such as agriculture, health, water, education and finance. This has hampered sustainable development in the country.

Leveraging the extremely high mobile penetration and uptake of mobile applications across the country, research at iHub has been exploring the conditions needed for successful use of mobiles that will by pass the need for physical interaction and communication which reduces opportunities for corruption. It also adds value to government services, as it delivers them to citizens’ doorsteps.

iHub Research is engaging with communities to assess mobile applications as a potential avenue for increasing citizen participation in government and as a tool for more effective public service delivery. The critical focus of iHub’s M-Governance research is on quality government service delivery and the free and open information channels between citizens and government (local and national).

Our methodologies include desk research and expert interviews, pilot projects and pre-test of questionnaires, multiple rounds of community surveys and focus groups within five (5) different Kenyan provinces, focus groups with the mobile and web application developer community, and discussions with government stakeholders in various Ministries.

The 18-month project is expected to be wind-up in February 2013.

*Photo credits: oxywatchdog.com

By: Research Admin

08-05-2012

iHub-Research

Mobile at the Base of the Pyramid

Globally, there are 2.5 billion people who live on less than $2.50 a day (Kshs208.2). Mobile devices among these users (bottom of the pyramid – BoP) offers potential for economic empowerment. There is a need to first understand the potential usage of the phones among this category of users.

iHub Research is excited to announce the launch of the “Mobile at the Base of the Pyramid” , a World bank commissioned research. The aim of the study will be to provide a thorough and fact-based understanding of current and potential future demand and usage patterns of mobile devices by BoP users. It will detail the socio-economic impacts and provide a guide for developing promising business models to maximize the benefits of using mobile devices at the BoP.

Some of the key objectives for this study include:

To increase understanding of the actual usage of mobile services, products, and applications at the Base of the Pyramid and to understand their potential for economic (and social) empowerment;
To identify scalable examples of services, products, and applications at the concept, prototype, or early product development stages;
To develop tools and instruments to map viable operation models and logics of various segments of BOP markets and to identify user needs;
To formulate recommendations for business planning and policy development that can support this potential.

The six-month project will be out in October 2012.

*Photo Credits: AFP/GettyImages

By: Research Admin

08-05-2012

iHub Research Office Hours

Born out of a need to give back to the community, Office Hours are a way for iHub Research members to engage with the tech community and to interact with the iHub Research team to understand what they are working on.

Just one month into the Office Hours program, the iHub Research team have found that Office hours have become an important way for them to share their unique skills sets with iHub members, adding value to the iHub community.

Some of the interesting Office Hours have included: legal consultancy for start-ups (at no cost!), business development , experience design and writing proposals, grants and reports – important skills for any entrepreneurs. These have largely been based on the feedback we have received from the iHub community, who expressed a need for skill-sharing among the tech community.

If you would like to engage iHub Research to find out more about on-going projects and request for information, you can access the website -www .research .ihub .co .ke . This schedule will be updated every month on the iHub Research website (research.ihub.co.ke).

The May schedule:

*This schedule is subject to change every month.

The team invites members who have skills that they would like to share to send an email to the iHub Research team research@ihub.co.ke

By: Research Admin

08-05-2012

iHub-Research

About iHub Research

Driving local tech research in Africa

Hub Research is the research arm of the iHub focused on conducting high quality research with an emphasis on technology and its uses in Africa. We facilitate local research capacity building and conduct local qualitative and quantitative research in East Africa, by East Africans. We bring information on technology and its uses to the technology community, enabling entrepreneurs and developers to make better decisions on what to build and how to build it.

*iHub Research aims to change the ICT Research landscape in Africa by bringing together researchers from around the continent to collaborate and build greater African scholarship. This involves telling stories about the community and creating a space for researchers to tell their own story. We endeavor to carry out technology research on a global level, setting standards in this area and acting as a beacon for research in Africa.

How it began

Realizing a gap in quality and quantity of research stemming from Africa, iHub—Nairobi’s Tech Innovation Center—decided to develop a research arm to facilitate local research capacity building and to conduct local qualitative and quantitative research in Africa. *iHub Research works from within the nerve center of Kenya’s technology community. The organization has expertise in technology research and facilitates local ICT research capacity in the region.

*iHub Research emerged from discussions in ICTD 2010 on the dearth of research originating from Africa. It is one of several initiatives that the Network for African Researchers has instigated.

By: Angela Crandall

08-05-2012

Conferences iHub-Research Uncategorized

Living Labs IST Pre-Conference Workshop

iHub Research participated in a Living Labs Working Group Workshop today, May 8, 2012 at Kunduchi Beach Hotel, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The morning was very participatory using sticky notes, and poster boards.

Some findings from Participatory Session:
Stakeholders: Researchers, Community, Government
Motivations: Participation, Support, Profit
Expectations: Development, Services, Better, Regulation
Contribution: Development, Infrastructure, Resources

After lunch, Paul Cunningham (IIMC, Ireland) gave an overview of Existing and Emerging Living Labs in Africa and Recommendations from Report on “Supporting the Evolution of Sustainable Living Labs and Living Labs Networks in Africa.” His talk highlighted that Living Labs have a number of various definitions but do not really have a developing country context yet. He also highlighted that Living Labs are not prescriptive; they are a portfolio of options. His presentation highlighted that there is a high density in Southern Africa and there is beginning to have a high density in East Africa. In Cunningham’s presentation, iHub is considered a living lab together with iLab, Nailab, and Map Kibera.

Living Labs have emerged from different technological platforms (incubators, tech parks, etc.). But Living Labs are the layer on top of each platform. The pro-active co-working co-designing are what make Living Labs unique. Cunningham highlighted that the opposite of a Living Lab is not listening to your customers. The fundamental difference, according to Cunningham, between a Living Lab and an incubator is the culture. Living Labs establish a new culture and way of thinking. It is not about a short-term contract; it’s about creating a totally new co-ownership, co-sponsoring culture.

Tomorrow, the IST conference will begin in full-swing. Keep posted on the iHub blog for updates or follow the Twitter updates at #istafrica2012.

By: Simeon Oriko

07-05-2012

Creatives Events iHub

Quarterly Creativez Catchup

Stats, facts and figures. A lot has been happening in Kenyas Creative economy in the last few years and as we garner a name as well as positions ourselves in creative fields we need to know as Kenyan Creatives – Where Are We going?

Is the Creative Industry in Kenya as fragmented as it looks? Where are the societies, associations and groups that can galvanise different sectors together? What are the common challenges we all face and how can we counter these? What Industry projects are there that we should know about and support? And finally with a new government coming in 2013 what do we need in terms of capacity, investment, resources and support to grow our creative economy locally and globally?

YOU, are our Special Guest and we are super excited to hear YOUR about your projects, thoughts, concerns and solutions this Sunday. A brief summary on the Creative Scenerio presented by The Creativez will set the tone for The Catchup so do come on time.

DON’T MISS The Catchup especially if you are in these fields: digital animation (visual and sound effects),Broadcast (TV, radio and film), Visual arts , Digital media (mobile applications and internet), Publishing/Writing, Gaming, Performing arts and cultural expressions, Advertising, Architecture, Art and antiques markets, Crafts, Design, Designer fashion, Interactive leisure software and Music.

For info or clarification kindly email us at TheCreativez@gbs.co.ke or tweet us on @TheCreativez or drop a line here https://www.facebook.com/pages/TheCreativez/328928143784107

Please RSVP here: http://catchup.eventbrite.com/

By: Jessica Colaco

06-05-2012

Community Creatives iHub iHub-Research Members

Research Advice: Designing An Infographic

Information graphics, visual representations of data known as infographics. Over the past few months, iHub Research has being creating infographics to represent data. Well here are some of the lessons we have learnt in the design process:

Keep it simple and try not do too much in one picture.
Decide on a colour scheme and template
Think of it as a visual essay: ensure your arguments hold and are relevant.
Draw conclusions.
Reference your facts in the infographic.

Some infographic formats include:

Timelines;
Flow charts;
Annotated maps;
Graphs;
Venn diagrams;
Size comparisons;
Showing familiar objects or similar size or value.

Source: http://spyrestudios.com/

Creating your infographic

Plan and research.
Use free software to create simple graphs and visualisations of data.
Use vector graphic software to bring these visualisations into the one graphic.

If you have a little design skill, the very best approach is to create all the simple graphs and illustrations yourself using vector graphic software. Your end result will be more visually attractive and you will have more freedom to be creative with it. Here is a great link to get you started.

Need an infographic done by iHub Research, well email us at: research@ihub.co.ke with the subject INFOGRAPHIC CREATION

By: Simeon Oriko

06-05-2012

Entrepreneurship Events

What’s your Business Model?

Many an entrepreneur have come up with a brilliant idea and gone about the painstaking business of developing it only to come to the realization that there’s no sound business model behind it, or the business model is not sustainable. The problem is significant among tech startups where the founder has a great vision for a technology product or service but fails to adequately answer the questions of just how they will go about creating, delivering and capturing value.

Then again, we find many tech companies have weak business models but are often over-valued, in comparison to the revenues and profits they’re bringing in.

The business model is a critical component that investors look for when evaluating a potential investment. What’s the value of having a sound business model? Is it necessary to have one? What is a business model exactly anyway? What are classic business models you can implement? How do develop one if you don’t have one? Or how do you strengthen your existing model?

Join the Afrinnovator team on Thursday, May 10 2012, at the iHub from 5.00 PM to 7.00 PM as we explore these issues and more.

Please RSVP to attend the event here:

https://startupsafrinnovator.eventbrite.com/

By: John Kieti

06-05-2012

Applications Community Events m:lab

Using mobile tech to overcome post harvest challenges in horticulture – Wireless Wednesday Recap

On Wednesday 25th April 2012, m:lab East Africa hosted the second Wireless Wednesday meetup in a series aimed at promoting the use of mobile technology in agriculture. The theme of the meetup was “using technology to overcome post harvest challenges in horticulture”.

Mobile developers, entrepreneurs and other enthusiasts of mobile technology use in agriculture engaged agricultural domain experts from the grassroots in a lively discussion. Three farmers growing fruits and vegetables in the South Eastern part of Kenya contributed their thoughts and insights especially on the post harvest challenges that farmers are often faced with. A community based food processor – Chuluni Growers and Processors from Kitui County enriched the debate by sharing insights on challenges facing processors and other stakeholders in the post harvest stage of the agricultural value chain. A representative from KIVA also shared information on credit financing opportunities the non-profit organization presents to farmers and other entrepreneurs.

A summary of key observations made during the meetup is as follows :-

1. Awareness and uptake of mobile tools for agriculture

Most farmers are unaware of the existence of market transparency and productivity tools using mobile technology such as Mfarm, iCow, FarmPal and Mkulima Calc. Awareness creation, and driving uptake of these tools continue to be a priority for mobile entrepreneurs, farmers and other stakeholders.

In the two agriculture focussed meetups held so far in the year, younger farmers were quick to single out mobile technology as the way out for delivering information services to farmers. An opportunity was noted therefore to target the emerging class of younger farmers to drive initial uptake of mobile solutions for agriculture.

Wireless wednesday participants networking and sharing insights

It was observed that uptake of mobile solutions for agriculture is not necessarily impeded by illiteracy or cost of devices and services. As with the case of M-PESA, adoption of mobile technologies in agriculture was noted to be driven by farmers’ demand to access information services on mobile devices. Participants noted that adoption of technology by farmers could be accelerated through awareness creation and capacity building among farmers by community workers.

2. Technologically organized groups of farmers and agro-processors

As the discussion of challenges faced by farmers and agro-processors went on, it was increasingly apparent they struggle to organise themselves into groups. For instance a tomato farmer in the meetup wished they could be linked up with other tomato farmers to make tomato paste when prices are low. Grouping of farmers was seen to be useful in facilitating collective produce storage, transportation and bargaining with buyers. Benefits of groups among farmers were also seen to revolve around knowledge sharing and access to information.

Community based agro-processors also experienced challenges managing their membership. These challenges affect access to produce for processing and contributions from members. Further this threatens the existence and sustainability of such community based organizations.

Where players in the agricultural value chain succeed to form groups based on geographical proximity and special interests, the groups often experience challenges such as difficulties in communication, governance and access to information for the groups. Participants noted that creation and optimal running of stakeholder groupings can be facilitated through through mobile technology solutions. Mobile developers and entrepreneurs were challenged to create mobile platforms for farmers and other players in agriculture addressing the above needs.

3. Agro-processor Financing Challenges

Challenges noted among community based agro-processors included accessing capital for acquiring refrigeration and modern food processing facilities. This was noted to relate to access to information on opportunities such as grants, debt and equity financing. Such information could be publicly available but is not easily accessible to community groups operating away from capital cities and major towns. An opportunity therefore existed for mobile solutions to facilitate dissemination of such information on raising funds for capital investment and expansion among community based agro-processing organizations.

: Kiva representative sharing on financing opportunities for entrepreneurs at the meetup

4. Middlemen and their contribution to the value chain

The topic of middle-men continued to elicit varied reactions among participants. The matter was highlighted in a previous Wireless Wednesday event. Many participants in the meetup continued to consider middlemen as being exploitative of farmers. Some participants also noted the middleman’s action of aggregating produce and providing transportation to markets as being facilitative to the agricultural ecosystem.

The next wireless wednesday meetup on using mobile technology for agriculture is scheduled for 27th June 2012. The theme and further details for the event will be announced through the Pivot East and iHub blogs.

Additional Information

In East Africa, mobile developers and entrepreneurs have in the recent past attempted to introduce new innovations intended to inject efficiencies in the agricultural value chain. It is in an effort to amplify these attempts and their potential impact that m:lab East Africa has got support from USAID to organize a series of “Wireless Wednesday” meetups throughout the year. The focus group discussions are aimed at facilitating knowledge sharing between developers and subject matter experts in agriculture. Wireless Wednesday meetups are also opportunities for networking among mobile developers, entrepreneurs, domain practitioners and development partners. The expected outcome of these events in increased development and uptake of mobile innovations to improve productivity and livelihoods in the agricultural sector. Results of this are already being seen as is described in this Business Daily Article.

By: Simeon Oriko

04-05-2012

Events

Coffee Chat with Grameen Foundation

Please join us for a coffee chat next Wednesday, May 9, with David Edelstein, Grameen Foundation’s Senior Vice President of Solutions and Regions.

Where: iHub

When: Wednesday, May 9^th at 11-12pm

RSVP: https://grameencoffeechat.eventbrite.com/

The event will start with a presentation on “Bridging the Information Gap” where David will talk about Grameen Foundation’s ICT4D work both globally and in Sub-Saharan Africa, touching on common mobile development issues, the importance of impact measurement, and Grameen Foundation’s approach to addressing some of these challenges. The presentation will be followed by a half-hour discussion/Q&A with those in the audience.

For more information on Grameen Foundation and our AppLab initiative, participants can visit our websites: www.grameenfoundation.org and www.applab.org.

David Edelstein, Senior Vice President, Solutions and Regions

David Edelstein is Senior Vice President of Grameen Foundation’s Solutions and Regions. As a leader of Grameen Foundation’s work in technology, he guides programs that create innovative and sustainable approaches to employing technology for the benefit of the world’s poor. This includes efforts to develop services that can be accessed on widely available mobile phones, in domains such as health and agriculture, to improve lives and livelihoods. It also encompasses efforts to enable the poor to manage their finances using mobile phones.

Before joining Grameen Foundation, David spent three years at Microsoft, designing business models to provide affordable technology products for people in emerging markets. David also worked in Brazil for four years with the consulting firm McKinsey & Company, where he developed business strategies tailored to the needs of consumers and businesses in developing countries. Previously, David conducted economic analyses and evaluated public policy with the White House Council of Economic Advisers and with Resources for the Future. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Economics from Colby College and a Master’s degree in Economics and Public Policy from Princeton University.

Kindly RSVP for this event using the link below:

https://grameencoffeechat.eventbrite.com/