This week, we’re focusing on headlines in mobile tech innovation and that opportunities that are making it easier to innovate in Africa.
“SA Mobile Data traffic will grow 49-fold from 2011 to 2016” by Minnaar Piterers on Bandwith Blog
Cisco published its global mobile data traffic forecast through 2016. Bandwith blog pulled out emphasis on South African statistics, where the annual compounded growth rate (CAGR) of mobile data traffic will be 118%. In the Middle East and Africa, data traffic is expected to growth 36-fold by 2016, a CAGR of 104%. These forecasts assume that users are upgrading their phones more often to data-enabled devices. The Cisco forecast is worth bookmarking for anyone working with mobile phones worldwide.
“A New Silicon Valley? Tech Hubs Spring Up in Africa” by Katherine Gammon on Fast Co Exist
Mainstream publications are catching wind of the tech hubs that are popping up across Africa. The Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology in Ghana, ActivSpaces in Cameroon, iHub in Kenya, and Co-Creation Hub in Nigeria all received special acknowledgement for leading the way in tech incubation in Africa.
“Will the Local Tech Startup Investors Please Stand Up?” by Will Mutua on Afrinnovator
We were pleased to be part of Afrinnovator’s first “kongamano” (Swahili for meetup) that brought tech investors and entrepreneurs together. Held at 88mph’s Startup Garage, the event attracted over 70 people who actively engaged the panel to discuss the different sources of investment available for the seed and early stages. As always, there is room for more investors, and Mutua hopes that local Kenyan investors won’t miss the opportunity that exists in their own backyard.
“Busy month for Google in Africa” on OAfrica
Google, never wanting to miss the action, has been hosting hackathons across Africa’s tech hubs from Ghana to Nigeria to Uganda. The events engage entrepreneurs and developers who are working on their own initiatives to explore the Google platform.
“Central Bank of Kenya to secure mobile money transfers” by Michelle Tongo
Security is a common concern for all money transfer services, and mobile money is no exception. In Kenya, the world’s leading mobile money market, the Central Bank (CBK) is responding to the increasing number of mobile money transfers. CBK announced that it would begin to monitor mobile money transfers to protect users from cyber criminals.
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