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Shell-Backed Solar Company Bets on Phone Banking for Africa
M-KOPA Kenya Ltd., backed by a Royal Dutch Shell Plc-funded charity, sees sales of its solar-lighting system that allows users to pay by phone surging 13-fold as mobile operators roll out banking services in Africa.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- solar
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Making mobiles for the masses
Fancy freshly brewed coffee in the morning, but don’t like the inconvenience of getting out of bed? Then you might want to get your hands on the wi-fi enabled coffee maker from chip-maker Qualcomm, which allows you to drip start your brew from your phone or tablet.
- Categories
- Technology
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Full speed ahead: AfDB’s plan for a Pan-African information highway
The African Development Bank has installed a common information technology platform in 13 countries and the African Union Commission.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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In Microsoft’s ‘4Afrika’ launch, a surprising game-changer
In the next three years, the Microsoft Afrika Initiative aims to “help place tens of millions” of smartphones in the hands of African consumers, bring 1 million small and medium-size African businesses and nonprofits online, train 100,000 African university graduates (and find jobs for 75,000 of them), and pilot low-cost wireless broadband in Kenya using “white-space” spectrum.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Kenyans Prioritizing Mobile Phone Over Food, Transport
NAIROBI — A recent study commissioned by the World Bank suggests that increasing numbers of Kenyans in the poorest socioeconomic group are foregoing food and transport or opting for cheaper alternatives, to buy credit to use mobile phones. Mobile phones were once considered luxury goods in Kenya. But with decreasing prices, people of all socioeconomic levels have come to rely upon them for both personal and professional needs.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Mobile health: donors should follow, not lead
No more preempting local demand with substandard products, the mHealth sector needs donors willing to learn from local actors and invest in sustainable business models.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
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SAP Invests in Emerging Entrepreneurs to Drive Innovation
SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced an initial three-year, EUR 2 million commitment to Endeavor Global, Endeavor Brazil and India's National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN), organizations with a comprehensive focus on high-impact entrepreneurs. As part of a new emerging entrepreneurs initiative, SAP and its partners will help accelerate job creation and responsible and sustainable business growth for emerging entrepreneurs, who will be selected via the Endeavor and NEN networks. With an initial focus on Brazil and India, SAP and its partners plan to expand into additional emerging markets.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Latin America
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UT Arlington receives Grand Challenges Explorations grant for research in global health
A new research grant could lead to new ways to cool vaccines and medicine that must be shipped to remote parts of the world without ready access to electricity.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
- Tags
- public health