Tanzania telecom in joint venture for children-SMS Makini

DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA - Tigo Tanzania, in partnership with Shule Direct, a local online enterprise, has launched Short Message Service (SMS) Makini educational platform that will provide content for students and teachers in Tanzanian secondary schools.  

ONLINE LEARNING: Flora Tibarazwa (3rd left) a representative from COSTECH; Woinde Shisael, Tigo Corporate Services Responsibility Manager (2nd right) and Faraja Nyalandu (R) Shule Direct founder both looking on at how the online SMS learning platform for secondary schools system operates.

Tigo Corporate Responsibility Manager, Woinde Shishael, said at a launch function held at Azania Secondary School in Dar es Salaam last week, SMS Makini will enable students to access digital study tools online and bridge the existing gap of learning resources in the educational sector.  

“Through the use of Tigo SMS Makini, Tigo subscribers, particularly secondary school students and teachers will be able to access digitalized notes, tutorials, quizzes, podcasts and videos right from their mobile handsets,” Woinde said. 

She said the classes to be involved in the platform will be Form one to Form four adding that academic notes will be based on Tanzania’s educational syllabus covering nine learning subjects.

The subjects covered include History, Civics, Geography, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, English, Mathematics and Kiswahili. 

According to Woinde Tigo SMS Makini also accords students and teachers an interactive opportunity to discuss, share ideas, revise and download the National Examinations Council of Tanzania (NECTA) past academic papers as well as meeting online for the 10,000 registered. 

Tigo subscribers will access the service for free for one month and thereafter they will be charged a daily and weekly subscription fee of Tsh.100 ($0.045) and Tsh.500 ($0.227) respectively. 

To access the service, Tigo subscribers will need to send a key word Makini to 15397 and follow instructions.

The partnership with Shule Direct is part of Tigo’s strategy to support initiatives that have high impact in the community.

Meanwhile Tigo Tanzania last week donated 500 desks worth Tsh.82.5 million ($39,091) to 10 primary schools in Kinondoni district, Dar es Salaam region, in support of the government’s effort to offset the existing countrywide shortage of desks in primary schools.

Speaking at a handover ceremony held at Kawawa Primary School located in Mabibo ward in Kinondoni municipality, Tigo General Manager Diego Gutierrez said the donation is in line with the company’s commitment to support community initiatives seeking to uplift people’s living condition.

 “The donation is part of Tigo’s investment on social projects that have high impact on the community. We believe that through this donation, Tigo is playing a role in shaping the future leaders, doctors, engineers and other experts of this country,” Gutierrez said.

Source: Busiweek

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Source:mobilekwetu

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Microsoft launches Mobile Mathematics in Tanzania

Microsoft, in partnership with the Ministry of Communications, Science, Technology and Tigo Tanzania, have officially launched an innovative mobile education service called Nokia Mobile Mathematics. This service is now being managed by Microsoft, after the company acquired substantially all of Nokia’s devices and services business.

Nokia Mobile Mathematics is a service that enables learners across Tanzania to access quality mathematics content in an engaging and interactive manner directly from their mobile phones, completely free.

Mobile Mathematics offers over 9000 exercises, mapped to high school level, and can be accessed by any person with a data and browser-enabled device. In addition to the exercises, the learning service includes theories, sample question and answers, as well as social features like collaborative groups messaging and competitions. The key differentiator for the service is the ability for learners to compare their scores with peers, integrating an element of competitiveness into their learning.

“In many developing countries, the lack of engaging learning opportunities leads to high drop outs and failure rates in schools, especially in high school grades. Mobile Mathematics offers high quality learning opportunities and reliable interactive learning features for teachers and learners, thus increasing access to high quality education,” says Lilian Nganda, East Africa Communications Manager, Mobile Devices, Microsoft.

The learning service is fully browser-based and works on any connected phone, tablet or PC without needing to download an app. After a quick sign-up process, learners can practice exercises in a number of categories like algebra, trigonometry, calculus and statistics mapped to the Tanzanian curriculum. Nokia Mobile Mathematics will also help the East African community standardise education levels, and open more job opportunities for region.

Mobile Mathematics was first launched in South Africa for grade 10 – 12 learners. The content has now been localised by the Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE) and will be rolled out in select schools for form 1 to 4 students, as well as other users nationwide.

Tigo General Manager, Diego Gutierrez.  

‘’Learning and technology have become inextricably linked and co-dependent. Mobile technology in particular has been the most powerful catalyst of change, redefining the educational approach including content delivery. It is Tigo’s desire to contribute to improving education and knowledge transfer by enabling students all over the country to improve their maths for free, ’’ commented Tigo General Manager, Diego Gutierrez.  

Mobile Mathematics can be leveraged as a platform to deliver content for other subjects like physics, biology and languages. The service provides an opportunity for learners to extend their learning outside of the classroom in a fun and interactive manner.

Research data collected from South Africa indicates that learners’ competence levels improved by 14% compared to learners who were not using Mobile Mathematics. Additional statistics point out that 53% of students became more active users of the service, with 82% of the usage happening outside school hours.

The Mobile Mathematics service is available at https://momaths.nokia.com/tz

 Source:dewjiblog

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32 million Tanzanians ‘wired’

AT least 32 million Tanzanians had access to phone services, while the number of internet users reached 11 million at the end of last year, the industry regulator said in a recent report.

The Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) said the figures reflected the tele-density of 67 per cent -- meaning that one in every two persons owns a phone -- a sharp rise from merely 10 per cent some ten years ago.

The telephone penetration has been attributed to a rapid growth and transformation of the country’s communications market in the last 10 years.

TCRA said in response to the global convergence of information communication technologies (ICTs), the country migrated into a converged licensing framework in 2005.

The regulator said the ICT market grew both in terms of subscribers of these services, variety of services and the expansion of the coverage area.

“The subscriptions for voice services rose by 91 per cent from 3.0 million in 2005 to 32 million in 2014. This resulted into a penetration of 67 per cent in December 2014 from 10 in 2005,” TCRA said.

Vodacom is leading the list of mobile telecom services providers comanding a third of the total market share, followed by Airtel with over 9.5 million subscribers, Tigo has over 7.6 million and Zantel 1.7 million.

TTCL has close to 300,000 subscribers, rising at 0.5 per cent per quarter while Benson has 528 customers and growing at negative 6 per cent a quarter.

However, fixed line subscribers decreased marginally to 151, 274 at the end of last year, from 154, 420 in 2005. TCRA report shows that internet service subscribers have increased to about 11 million by the end of last December from 3.5 million in 2008.

“At present, there is increased appetite for subscribers to use the internet, and this trend will continue, especially with the availability of broadband networks in Tanzania and proliferation of social media,” TCRA said. On the other hand, the usage of voice as measured by traffic minutes has increased parallel with the subscriptions.

The usage has risen from 506 million minutes in 2006 to 41 billion minutes in 2014. While the usage in terms of short messages (SMS) and data has also registered a tremendous growth, from about 5 million SMS in 2005 to 10 billion SMS in 2014.
Source:Dailynews

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Orange, USAID Collaborate On Mobile Health Innovations In Africa

VENTURES AFRICA – Global telecommunications operator Orange and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are collaborating to develop innovations in mobile health (mHealth) that will help treat and care for individuals in developing countries across Africa.

“There is a tremendous amount of good that mobile technology and digital innovations can bring to improve the quality of healthcare to those less fortunate,” Thierry Zylberberg, Director, Orange Healthcare said at the Global mHealth Forum in Washington, DC. “Together with USAID, we are creating innovative mHealth platforms that open up the opportunities for remote patient monitoring or healthcare workers to make better-informed decisions and facilitate quality care for all citizens.”

The first phase of these health system-strengthening programs will leverage the expertise, technology and local resources of both organizations to improve quality of care and ensure that health services are readily accessible to the public at large. They noted that Niger and other countries are currently under exploration.

Future services will use integrated mHealth platforms and Orange mobile networks to communicate alerts and share resources around family planning and maternal health. Healthcare workers will be able to use the technology to share medical expertise, collaborate with specialists regardless of location, and improve patient care. In addition, the public will be able to access health information via the mHealth platforms. Orange’s global fooprint, with mobile and fixed networks in 20 countries in Africa and the Middle East, will provide seamless and reliable access to these services.

“With the increasing use and decreasing cost of mobile phones, leveraging mobile phone technology to accelerate access to health information and services is a game changer,” said Dr. Ariel Pablos-Méndez, USAID’s Assistant Administrator for Global Health.

Pablos-Méndez noted that USAID’s partnerships with private companies, such as Orange, enable the US agency to have a larger impact in a cost-effective manner.

The goal of the USAID/Orange alliance is to create a framework for easily replicating these important mobile services in a number of African countries throughout the region. In West Africa, USAID and Orange are starting to develop a regional platform with a menu of mobile applications that ministries of health, donors and NGOs could use for consumer education, health worker tools, mobile money, and data collection.

Orange’s expertise in interoperability and scalability will ensure that such platforms adhere to local regulatory and structural organizations. Orange has been at the forefront of realizing Africa’s digital transformation, connecting people, entrepreneurs, towns and cities, and delivering innovative services such as mobile payment.

Source:Ventures Africa

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Millicom launches mobile learning facilities in Rwanda ,followed by additional launches in Tanzania

International telecommunications company Millicom has announced the launch of EduMe English in Rwanda, providing Tigo subscribers with an on demand or subscription service for learning the English language.

The programme in Rwanda will be followed by additional launches in Tanzania and El Salvador.

“EduMe English is a new and unique way to learn English on any mobile phone, offering the student the opportunity to decide when and where to learn,” Millicom said in a statement.

The EduMe English programme combines listening, reading and speech training through text lessons, quizzes, and audio lessons that gradually increase in difficulty.

“We are very excited to offer millions of people in Africa and Latin America the chance to educate themselves with the help of mobile- and internet technology,” said Hans-Holger Albrecht, Millicom chief executive officer (CEO) and president .

“We are starting by offering English language training as this is a language that gives people more opportunities and connects people across the world. EduMe English is a groundbreaking new product where people can learn English anytime anywhere. Millicom is all about promoting a digital lifestyle and transforming lives: education is integral to this.”

An entrepreneurship course will also be launched through the company’s EduMe Business School brand to Tigo subscribers in Tanzania during the third quarter of 2014.

“The course is developed in co-operation with GSMA, the worldwide mobile industry body and will mark the introduction of the first purely mobile vocational business school in Africa,” Millicom said.

source:humanipo

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Tigo supports girls’ ICT training in Dar

 Young women and girls have been called upon to take up ICT studies in order to improve their computer skills as well as become contributors to the socio-economic development of the country.

This was said on Saturday by Tigo’s Corporate Responsibility Manager Woinde Shisael while talking to a group of 100 secondary school girls during a special ICT training which was organized by ICT non-for profit organization, Apps & Girls, one of the recipients of Tigo Reach for Change Social entrepreneurship challenge.

“ICT is the fastest growing industry today and more jobs are created in this industry than any other. ICT has been identified as the industry that will lead forward world economies, improve lives of families across the globe and make the planet a smaller, more accessible place,” said Shisael.

She added, “Tigo’s corporate responsibility focus is on empowering the community with the use of digital tools. This is why I urge more women and girls to take a more prominent role in this process. It is a large misconception that girls cannot be good at ICT. The sky is always the limit for them.”

This project is supporting only girls because of the obvious gender gap in the ICT ecosystem for instance; few girls opt for ICT related courses, very few women in ICT related jobs and even fewer as ICT/technology entrepreneurs.

Meanwhile, the Founder of Apps & Girls Ms. Carolyne Ekyarisiima who is also one of the recipients of Tigo Reach for Change $25,000 award this year, said that the training which was focused on imparting girls with website design skills aimed at inspiring and motivating girls to get involved in ICT.

“Due to the low level of girl’s participation in ICT, I decided to start Apps & Girls as a mechanism in closing this gap. I am also glad that with the support of Tigo, more than 100 girls will go back to home today with more knowledge of ICT and sharpened skills,” Ekyarisiima added.

According to Ekyarisiima the workshop aimed at enabling girls to build a very simple html website, code in html, understand the fundamentals of Html language and understand web technology.

The schools which participated included Jangwani Girls, Kibasila and Kisutu. The students were from age 14-18.

“People are making a living out of blogs nowadays, getting paid by Google and Yahoo, and frankly speaking blogging for example doesn't need a University degree or Masters to run. Teaching them Html as a starting point is a right thing to do, it is a very simple language to be understood by beginners who know nothing about coding and interesting for the age group,” concluded Ekyarisiima.

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Tigo Tanzania partners DTBi for ICT deployment

Tigo Tanzania has penned an agreement with the Dar Teknohama Business Incubator (DTBi) that will see the company support the incubator in promoting local talent and employment generation through ICT.

Speaking during the launch of the partnership held at Commission of Science and Technology headquarters in Dar es Salaam, Tigo Tanzania general manager Diego Gutierrez said the partnership with DTBi will give upcoming Tanzanian scientists an opportunity to learn and develop their talents with the view of promoting technology-based businesses that would provide digital solutions to the society.

“ICT currently contributes around 2.3 per cent of GDP in the country; Tigo is therefore determined to lift the benchmark to a higher level through the investment of people. This Is why through the Dar Teknohama Business Incubator (DTBi) Tigo intends to provide 10 Master’s degree scholarships per year, an internship programme and employment opportunities for those interested in ICT studies,” Gutierrez said.

Also present was the country’s minister for science, communications and technology Prof Makame Mbarawa, who commended Tigo and DTBi for the partnership.

“We believe that this partnership will not only provide our youth with an opportunity to showcase their talents and earn a decent living but will lead to continued diversification of economic activities that our country needs for speedy socio-economic growth,” he said.

source:humanipo

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Mobile money not customer friendly

The current mobile money climate is not a customer friendly experience, according to Ruan Swanepoel, commercial manager of Tigo Pesa Tanzania.

Swanepoel was involved in a panel discussion on the second day of the 2014 Mobile Money and Digital Payments conference in Johannesburg, South Africa.

He said operators are currently forcing customers to cash out and put money into other ecosystems, speaking of the lack of mobile money interoperability.

“When customers are allowed to transact across networks, it creates the opportunity for the industry to move forward,” he said.

Swanepoel said interoperability would provide a bigger ecosystem for mobile operators to function within, however the panel decided it is easier to talk about than to implement.

Sadiq Malik, principal consultant at the Broadband Gurus Network and moderator of the panel, agreed with Swanepoel’s point.

“The pie will become bigger,” he said.

Yesterday the lack of interoperability is hurting the mobile money market, with only 10 out of 150 mobile money operators seeing success.

Sadiq said the GSM Association (GSMA) is imploring banks and mobile operators to allow for interoperability so that over-the-top (OTT) providers do not monopolise the market.

The GSMA and nine mobile operators in African and the Middle East announced plans to accelerate interoperable mobile money platforms.

Bharti Airtel, Etisalat Group, Millicom, MTN Group, Ooredoo Group, Orange, STC Group, Vodafone Group and Zain Group – which jointly account for 582 million mobile connections across 48 countries in Africa and the Middle East – signed up for the initiative.

source:humanipo

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Kilimo fasta app plugs information gap for Tanzanian farmers

A Tanzanian developer has created an Android application aiming to boost the production of farmers in the East African country, who currently suffer from a lack of market information.

Benson Rukantabula, developer of Kilimo fasta, told HumanIPO the app was inspired by a study released by the Planning Commission of the Tanzanian President’s Office, which highlighted low agricultural productivity due to a lack of farming skills and a failure to disseminate market information.

He said the study had recommended a central agricultural repository unit for information and data management, and that his app filled this role as an information hub connecting farmers with information from government and other stakeholders.

“The app provides suggestions to crops that can grow in Tanzania,” he said. “To each crop there is information about the whole production cycle, like when to grow, how to grow, when to harvest, and pests and insects to control.”

Farmers can subscribe to Kilimo fasta via email or SMS, and receive updates about crops and market information, while also allowing farmers to keep in touch and participate in discussions. The app is in Swahili, a language used by 80 per cent of the Tanzanian population, and runs on Adobe Air, requiring internet access only when an update is needed.

He said the app differed from M-Farm and iCow in Kenya because of its use of Swahili, and the fact it integrates SMS subscription, as well as providing information about banks and other financial institutions that provide loans to farmers.

Tanzania’s agricultural sector employs over 80 per cent of the country’s population, contributing around 50 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) and 66 per cent of merchandise exports, and Rukantabula said the uptake of mobile phones in the country could boost it further.

“The purchase and use of smartphones in Tanzania is blossoming,” he said. “More people are using mobile phones than a few years back. I think if good investment is made on mobile apps and USSD development the industry can generate even more income for the country and benefit many farmers.”

Kilimo fasta does not yet have any funding, being only a month old and still in a testing phase, but Rukantabula said he is looking for funding from stakeholders and elsewhere.

The app recently competed in the final of the Vodafone Appstar Challenge, eventually being beaten to the top prize by Kenyan app Automs.gs., but Rukantabula said it had been a good experience.

“The Vodafone Appstar Challenge helped me get confidence, exposure, and has broadened my mindset about app development,” he said. “The feedback from the judges has challenged my thinking and motivated me on what should be my next step in my career.”

Source: humanipo

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Tanzania’s UDOM students to create software for Nokia, Microsoft

Students at Tanzania’s University of Dodoma are set to start creating software for Microsoft platforms such as Windows and Nokia mobile phones from next month.

The programme will soon be extended to other institutions within Tanzania, including the University of Dar es Salaam.

“We have a special agreement with Microsoft, which is the world’s leading computer software and hardware maker, through which Tanzania students can create software for a number of the tech giants’ desktop and mobile gadgets,” said George Mulamula, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Dar es Salaam Technology and Business Incubator (DTBi).

The Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH), which DTBi belongs to, has also signed an agreement with IBM that will see the students make use of the various patents filed by the company for the creation of software.

“That follows President Jakaya Kikwete’s recent visit to the United States where he toured the IBM facilities and the tech giant agreed to come to Tanzania and lay open all its patents for the local students to tr and make own technological inventories based on the patents,” said an official.

“The aim of our series of training is to enable young graduates from higher institutes of learning to stop tarmacing in search of jobs but instead create their own enterprises and employ fellow youngsters,” said Collins Gumbu, DTBi business development manager.

Source:humanipo

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