May 2008 - KICTANet

ICT Board should have guidelines on conflict of interest
by Dorcas Muthoni 14 May '08

14 May '08

http://www.computerworld.co.ke/articles/2008/04/28/ict-board-should-have-gu… -- Muthoni My Blog: http://rugongo.blogspot.com/ -------------------------------------------- Mahatma Gandhi once said:- First they ignore you, Then they laugh at you, Then they fight you, AND THEN YOU WIN!!!

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[Fwd: Understanding the Stock Market - May 21st]
by alice 14 May '08

14 May '08

----- * ** Leadership Forum ** Picture (Metafile)*** *'Understanding the Stock Market'* Are stocks the best investment option? When is the best time to buy/dispose stocks? How do you determine the best stocks to trade in? Are returns guaranteed on the stock market? How best can one maximise on their stock portfolio? What are the different stock market patterns and how can one reap the best in each? ‘*Understanding the Stock Market’* will strip away the mystery and help you understand the basic elements of* technical* and* fundamental analysis* you need to trade stocks in any timeframe, from short-term trades to investments you can hold forever! *The British Council Leadership Forum invites you to a talk on the above subject as follows: * * ** ** Date:* Wednesday 21^st May 2008 *Presenter:* * Mr** Kibuga Kariithi (Kibby)* –/ CEO Baraka Afrika Fund, Director Afrika Investment Bank and former CEO Nairobi Stock Exchange/ *Venue:* The Stanley Hotel- Ball Room *Time:* * 6.00pm to 8.00pm* *Charges:* Leadership Forum members – Free Non-Leadership Forum Members – Kshs 3,000 membership or Kshs 500 per session Please confirm your attendance by Tuesday 20^th May to facilitate planning. Please find Kibuga’s bio-data attached. <<Kibuga's Biography.doc>> _http://britishcouncilkenyalead.blogspot.com/_ Regards, *Linet Otibine* | Customer Service British Council | PO Box 40751, 00100, Nairobi, Kenya Phone +254 (0)20 2836000 (Pilot) | Fax +254 (0)20 2836500 /Organisational change for less than you think./ _www.britishcouncil.org/kenya_ <file://www.britishcouncil.org/kenya> This message is for the use of the intended recipient(s) only. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete it. The British Council accepts no liability for loss or damage caused by software viruses and you are advised to carry out a virus check on any attachments contained in this message. The British Council is a registered charity 209131 (England and Wales) SC037733 (Scotland). Our purpose is to build mutually beneficial relationships between people in the UK and other countries and to increase appreciation of the UK's creative ideas and achievements.

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CHANGE OF VENUE FOR EAICT4D WORKSHOP
by Evelyne Majale 14 May '08

14 May '08

Dear members Please note the venue for above workshop has changed from All Africa Conference of Churches to LENANA HOUSE CONFERENCE CENTRE Situated on Jacaranda Avenue, Off Gitanga Road In Lavington Tel: 380663/3870838 Email: lenana(a)wananchi.com The venue for the cocktail is still the same (Jacaranda Hotel) We apologise for any inconveniences caused. For any further details please write to me off the list. Thanking you for your co-operation. Evelyne

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Growing the Regional ICT Opportunities Collectively: Launch of the Regional EAICT4D Network
by Harry Hare 13 May '08

13 May '08

Dear Colleagues, KICTANet and the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), with support from the International Development and Research Centre (IDRC) will be hosting a Regional ICT for Development network building workshop from 19th to 24 May 2008 in Nairobi. Seven national networks from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda are coming together to share regional information on ICT4D developments and initiatives, opportunities and lessons learnt. The workshop will see the formation of an East African ICT for Development network that will aim at encouraging cooperation among ICT policy advocacy related networks in the region. This is, therefore, to invite you to join us for the official launch of the Regional EAICT4D Network on 23rd May 2008 at the Jacaranda Hotel, Westlands from 18:00hrs - 20:00hrs. The function is expected to be presided over by the Minister for East African Co-operation. We hope that you will be able to join us in this regional milestone in the ICT sector. Kindly confirm your attendance with Evelyne through evelyne(a)kictanet.or.ke. Kindest Regards Harry Hare For KICTANet African eDevelopment Resource Centre 3rd Floor, Nelleon Place Raphta Road, Westlands PO Box 49475 00100 Nairobi, Kenya Cel +254 725 650044 Land +254 20 4453445 www.africanedevelopment.org <http://www.africanedevelopment.org/> My Blogg <http://egov-notes.blogspot.com/> *********************************************************** May/June 2008 Training Opportunities Certified Fiber Optic Technician 6-9 May e-Marketing 27-30 May ERP 3-6 June Supply Chain Management 27-29 June Book Now, Limited spaces available P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

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[Fwd: [AfrICANN-discuss] Africa Internet community in ITU-Telcom Afica'2008]
by alice 12 May '08

12 May '08

Dear All, > > For those who at the Africa Telecom in Cairo this week, AfriNIC, and > the NRO have a booth: # 3338 in HALL 3 - ICANN 's booth is next door: > #3425 in Hall 3 also. > > 12 - 15 May 2008 - ITU Africa Telecom - Cairo, Egypt > http://www.itu.int/AFRICA2008/ > * > _Please all let me know who will be in Paris _so we can try and plan > an African participants' meeting. As you can see from here > http://par.icann.org/en/schedule , the agenda is pretty crowded already. > > *22 - 27 June 2008: 32nd International Public ICANN Meeting - Paris, > France > > Best regards, > ar*: annerachel(a)gmail.com > * > **_______________________________________________ > AfrICANN mailing list > AfrICANN(a)afrinic.net > https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann

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Protecting Internet Access
by Gakuru , Alex 12 May '08

12 May '08

1. Hope the ICT Bill will be longer-sighted to anticipate internet content access challenges beyond its growth see "Protecting Internet Access" story at http://www.ictconsumers.org/ 2. Would it be possible for us to have an online discussion on the draft e-Transactions Bill? I am sure many have some contributions to make. Downloaded it here < http://ictconsumers.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14%3Ae…> regards, Alex _______________________________________________ ke-internetusers mailing list ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net http://www.bdix.net/mailman/listinfo/ke-internetusers

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HIV/AIDS software...update 3
by wesley kiriinya 12 May '08

12 May '08

KICTAnet Just to bring guys in this mail list up to date: I met Mr. Gerard Klein Bluemink in March. He is a Director in VX Company in Netherlands. The company develops software. He told me briefly about a HIV/AIDS management software that they have developed and he was interested in developers from Kenya (or any other country) who would like to customize it and use it in their countries. I've got a couple of guys from the Skunkworks mail list and if there are guys from this list who are interested then send me an email off the list. The software is provided to you for free. I guess you are expected to raise your own funds to meet the cost of customization. [END OF KICTAnet UPDATE] I would like to let all those who are interested know that I'm just creating a connection between you and the company. I'm not going to be part of the development. I would like to be part of it but I'm tied up with other work. I got the update about the software from Mr. Frans de Jeu. He is implementing it in South Africa. Here is a brief from his email: "...The software was developed for NGO's who provide Home Based Care and services to Orphans and Vulnerable Children. It helps these organisations keeping detailed records of their clients. The reports that can be generated in the software provide Management Information and are used for funder reports, often Government Departments. The reports have been designed, based on the reporting requirements of the South African Government and other funders..." I'm attaching a zip file that contains a .doc document with more information. In case the mail list doesn't allow attachements, send me your email off the list and I'll send it to you. :~) ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

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Kenya-Ghana collaboration seeks to revive game production
by Rebecca Wanjiku 09 May '08

09 May '08

Kenya-Ghana collaboration seeks to revive game production In an effort to revive Africa's dormant game production industry, two leading game producers from Kenya and Ghana have teamed up. Wesley Kiriinya, Kenya's top video game producer, and Eyram Tawia of Ghana are collaborating to produce world-class games. Kiriinya, who is the technical director at Sinc-studios, produced Kenya's first video game, "Adventures of Nyangi." The game is based on African folklore, a feature he intends to present to the world stage. http://www.computerworld.co.ke/articles/2008/05/07/kenya-ghana-collaboratio… Tel. 254 720 318 925 blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/ --------------------------------- Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.

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Re: [kictanet] ICT Board should have guidelines on conflict ofinterest
by John Walubengo 08 May '08

08 May '08

Bwana PS, Watch your BlackBerry. It might provide further fodder for misreporting unless the Editor understand your constrained BlackBerry environment ;-) walu. ----- Original Message ---- From: "bitange(a)jambo.co.ke" <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> To: jwalu(a)yahoo.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Thursday, May 8, 2008 3:52:51 PM Subject: Re: [kictanet] ICT Board should have guidelines on conflict ofinterest Wakarema, There was award of any contract. The call center has simply provided internship opportunities to KCCT students. This in my view is conflict of interesta. If there is more than this, please let me know. Ndemo Sent from my BlackBerry® -----Original Message----- From: Wambui Wakarema <wambuiwakarema(a)yahoo.co.uk> Date: Tue, 6 May 2008 14:21:34 To:bitange@jambo.co.ke Cc:KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Subject: Re: [kictanet] ICT Board should have guidelines on conflict of interest I would have thought that all State Corporations should be having guidelines on conflict of interest. Currently KCCT is on the spotlight - having recently awarded a contract of training call centre agents, to a newly appointed board member who runs a large call centre in Nairobi. Dr Ndemo, I await your comment on this. Wambui Dorcas Muthoni <dmuthoni(a)gmail.com> wrote: http://www.computerworld.co.ke/articles/2008/04/28/ict-board-should-have-gu… <http://www.computerworld.co.ke/articles/2008/04/28/ict-board-should-have-gu…> -- Muthoni My Blog: http://rugongo.blogspot.com/ <http://rugongo.blogspot.com/> -------------------------------------------- Mahatma Gandhi once said:- First they ignore you, Then they laugh at you, Then they fight you, AND THEN YOU WIN!!! _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: wambuiwakarema(a)yahoo.co.uk Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/wambuiwakarema%40yahoo… ---------------- Sent from Yahoo! Mail <http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mailuk/taglines/isp/control/*http://us.rd.yahoo.com/…> . A Smarter Email. -------------------------------------------------- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by <http://www.mail.jambo.co.ke/> Jambo MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. -------------------------------------------------- "easy access to the world" _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: bitange(a)jambo.co.ke Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/bitange%40jambo.co.ke _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: jwalu(a)yahoo.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jwalu%40yahoo.com ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

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Fwd: [Fossfa] Vacancy: Africa Coordinator for ICT@INNOVATION and FOSS Advocacy Project
by Dorcas Muthoni 08 May '08

08 May '08

FYI *FOSSFA *in cooperation with* OSISA *and* InWEnt *is looking for: *POSITION* *Africa Coordinator for ICT@INNOVATION project and for FOSS-advocacy with OSISA* *ICT@INNOVATION * A joint ICT project with the objective of fostering small and medium-sized ICT enterprises (SME) capable of providing adapted applications and services to the public and private sector. The focus is on Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) as a key technology to drive innovation, add local value and foster development-oriented and affordable ICT applications. The project is implemented in Southern and East Africa from 2008-2010. For Details about the programme please see: www.inwent.org/ict-innovation. *LOCATION* For the programme ict@innovation, FOSSFA is pleased to announce the vacancy for the "Africa Coordinator for ict@innovation, the joint programme for FOSS-advocacy supported by InWEnt and OSISA" to be based at the InWEnt Regional Office in South Africa, Pretoria. *TERM* An initial one year contract renewable upon successful completion of the first term. *RESPONSIBILITIES* *Coordination of Activities/Trainings:* - Coordinate work packages and tasks of all African stakeholders, which are implementing the ict@innovation programme, particularly the African partners involved in all parts of the programme. - Provide services to ensure smooth preparation, execution and documentation of local training and networking activities and events under the programme held in conjunction with partners and external service providers (such as trainers, facilitators etc.) in Southern and East Africa - Support project partners by providing support to the training and networking activities and events under the programme (content, administration, logistics) - Provide support and services to OSISA activities related to FOSS advocacy, development and implementation for communities in Southern Africa, (including building the capacity of media to report on FOSS, Training of Trainers and active participation in regional FOSS fora) *Networking with African Stakeholders and Public Relations:* - Represent ict@innovation on a regional level - Manage local outreach to potential training participants and key partners located in Southern and East Africa for ict@innovation and OSISA, especially looking for and engaging with relevant African ICT actors (SME, training institutions, IT associations etc. that might be interested in FOSS). This includes visits and travel to potential key partners. - Update the project website with project information and other FOSS-related news - Provide input to regional research on ICT policy implementation in Southern Africa, ensuring the incorporation and consideration of FOSS issues in relevant sectors - Strengthen linkages between OSISA stakeholders and networks, universities, FOSSFA and ict@innovation *Reporting/ Monitoring/Administration:* - Ensure respective periodic reporting on local project implementation to FOSSFA, InWEnt and other partners, in cooperation with external service providers and the international coordinator - Provide advisory services to the project with regard to technical implementation on regional and local level (monitoring 1) and with regard to emanating risks during project implementation (monitoring 2). This may include the implementation of respective monitoring and evaluation schemes. - Provide input to FOSSFA administration of the project in close cooperation with the project administrator at the FOSSFA secretariat based in Ghana (especially regarding communication/website and administrative issues related to ict@innovation). This includes regular travel to the secretariat. - Support logistical and administrative tasks for FOSSFA's activities in the Southern and Eastern Africa. - Highlight, document, collate and archive FOSS-related developments, innovation and application in the Southern and Eastern African region. *QUALIFICATIONS* - A minimum of a Bachelor's degree with three years experience or a Diploma with six years experience in the information technology or related sector. *Skills Knowledge and Experience* - Strong ability to interact with and to coordinate people from different cultural backgrounds at different hierarchical levels - Ability to prepare, execute and document large scale training and networking activities and events - Experience in administrative and logistical support to large scale activities and events - Experience in working in or for organizations in the field of international cooperation - Strong experience in supervising and monitoring complex projects - Experience in the field of ICT and Free and Open Source Software - Required language skills: English, knowledge of French, Portuguese or other languages would be an added advantage - High level of social skills; excellent communication and facilitation abilities, confident presentation skills - Flexibility and willingness to travel *COMPENSATION* - An interesting and challenging post within an international context - A salary commensurate with South African standards for not-for-profit organisations. - Continued advanced training opportunities The programme coordinator works under the supervision of the FOSSFA executive & the FOSSFA secretariat as well as InWEnt - through its regional office in SA, the *it@inwent* <it@inwent> team Bonn - and in close coordination with the International Coordinator of ict@innovation. *APPLICATION* Interested candidates should send an application as soon as possible, to James Wire Lunghabo *lunghabo(a)gmail.com* <lunghabo(a)gmail.com> with copy to Petra Hagemann *petra.hagemann(a)inwent.org* <petra.hagemann(a)inwent.org> or through any FOSSFA Executive. Last date of application: *June 2, 2008*. About FOSSFA www.fossfa.net <http://www.fossfa.net/> About INWENT www.inwent.org <http://www.inwent.org/> About OSISA *www.osisa.org* <http://www.osisa.org/> <http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=51733/*http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8…> ------------------------------ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.<http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=51733/*http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8…> _______________________________________________ Fossfa mailing list Fossfa(a)fossfa.net http://fossfa.net/mailman/listinfo/fossfa_fossfa.net -- Muthoni My Blog: http://rugongo.blogspot.com/ -------------------------------------------- Mahatma Gandhi once said:- First they ignore you, Then they laugh at you, Then they fight you, AND THEN YOU WIN!!!

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Re: [kictanet] KCCT, BPO training, Board Member? Conflict of interest inevitable
by eadera＠idrc.or.ke 08 May '08

08 May '08

Betty, I agree experience and expertise gets one appointed to boards. I think the issue comes in when one starts doing business with the same institution in which they are board members. That I believe is a clear NO, whether or not interests are declared in advance. I think as a country we should have these bear minimum non-negotiables if we really want to "walk our talk" of transparency and accountability. I agree guidelines need to be in place, in the absence of these guidelines, integrity should prevail. I know of funding organizations in which if a staff member serves as board members of an institution, the said institution or affiliate institutions of other board members cannot apply for project funding from that organization. Should they do so, then the staff member from that funding organization would have to resign from the Board. I think these are the kind of principles we want to adopt and not negotiate about them. Edith > > > >---- Original Message ---- >From: ogange(a)yahoo.com >To: eadera(a)idrc.or.ke >Subject: Re: [kictanet] KCCT, BPO training, Board Member? Conflict >of interest inevitable >Date: Wed, 7 May 2008 13:57:59 -0700 (PDT) > >><table cellspacing='0' cellpadding='0' border='0' ><tr><td >style='font: inherit;'> >>style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Roman">Edith,<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = >"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" >/><o:p></o:p> >>style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Roman">I like your firmness about it but I tend to agree with Walu. >In my view, conflict of interest is inevitable here. style="mso-spacerun: >yes"> <o:p></o:p> >>style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><o:p>size=3> </o:p> >>style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Roman">I suppose that when one gets appointed to the ICT Board, the >appointing authority has recognised that the person being appointed >is more than a little passionate about ICTs and how it can be / is >being used to change the world around him/her. The appointee is >likely to be already playing really well in some corner of the >planet, and it is this knowledge and experience that the persons >appointed to the Board will fall back on to help them effectively >accomplish whatever their roles demand of them. Appointment to the >Board therefore automatically presupposes some degree of potential >conflict of interest. <o:p></o:p> >>style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><o:p>size=3> </o:p> >>style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Roman">Members of the Board should therefore be bound by a policy >that not only calls for full disclosure of potential conflict of >interest but also addresses such conflict where it was not >premeditated. If managed on the transparent platform that the ICT >Board promises, then the Board members can continue with their >personal businesses and also with the complex business of making >Kenya a regional ICT Hub within the set time-frames. ><o:p></o:p> >>style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><o:p>size=3> </o:p> >>style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Roman">Resignation, even when it is a personal decision, is harsh >if there were no guidelines in the first instance. We need to see >continuity and unity of purpose to realise this big dream. The >continued absence of such guidelines can only complicate the lives of >the Board members and distract them from making contributions to the >country as they should. We, the public, also continue to be extremely >sensitive about anything involving any one of them we have every >right anyway. But we need to see people step down or resign because >everybody understands that certain specific rules of engagement were >broken. What we urgently need to see, as Walu suggests, are some >guidelines. Take anyone from this list and put them in the Board and >I can bet they will not want to close shop because they are in the >Board the >> passions do not die with the appointment. >>style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Roman">  >>style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Roman">Betty<o:p></o:p> >>  >> --- On Wed, 5/7/08, eadera(a)idrc.or.ke ><eadera(a)idrc.or.ke> wrote: >><BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: >rgb(16,16,255) 2px solid">From: eadera(a)idrc.or.ke ><eadera(a)idrc.or.ke Subject: Re: [kictanet] KCCT, BPO training, >Board Member? To: "Betty Ogange" <ogange(a)yahoo.com> Cc: >"KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" ><kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Wednesday, May 7, >2008, 9:42 PM <PRE>Walu, >> >>I'm not sure that conflict of interest can be "sugar coated". For >>transparency and accountability sake, it MUST be a clear cut NO. >> >>Edith >> >> >> >>_______________________________________________ >>kictanet mailing list >>kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >>http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >>This message was sent to: ogange(a)yahoo.com >>Unsubscribe or change your options at >>http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/ogange%40yahoo. >com</PRE></BLOCKQUOTE></td></tr></table> >> >> <hr size=1>Be a better friend, newshound, and >>know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. <a >href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=51733/*http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt >=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ "> Try it now.</a> >>

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Kenyan judicial sector aims to improve IT
by Rebecca Wanjiku 08 May '08

08 May '08

Kenyan judicial sector aims to improve IT Kenya's judicial sector is late in adopting information technology and this is affecting the quality of service, according to Martha Karua, the minister in charge of justice and constitutional affairs. Kenyans are hoping for first-class service and technology will accelerate that, as well as improve efficiency in the judiciary, the attorney general's chambers and the National Council for Law Reporting, Karua said at the launch of the inaugural law journal, which will be published annually, and the Grey book, which contains all of Kenya's laws and amendments http://www.computerworld.co.ke/articles/2008/05/07/kenyan-judicial-sector-a… Tel. 254 720 318 925 blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

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Kenya ICT Board ready to provide loans
by Rebecca Wanjiku 08 May '08

08 May '08

Kenya ICT Board ready to provide loans The Kenya ICT Board is ready to provide loans under the Kenya Transparency and Communication Infrastructure Project (KTCIP), a 7.8 billion shilling (US$116 million) joint initiative by the Kenyan government and the World Bank. Loans will be handled by a consultant institution, said Victor Kyalo, deputy CEO of the board. The board was formed last year to develop and promote competitive ICT industries in Kenya.http://www.computerworld.co.ke/articles/2008/05/06/kenya-ict-board-ready-provide-loans Tel. 254 720 318 925 blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

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Re: [kictanet] KCCT, BPO training, Board Member?
by eadera＠idrc.or.ke 08 May '08

08 May '08

Walu, I'm not sure that conflict of interest can be "sugar coated". For transparency and accountability sake, it MUST be a clear cut NO. Edith

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LPA Workshop on 23rd May
by Evans Ikua 07 May '08

07 May '08

Dear All, The Linux Professional Association of Kenya wishes to invite all companies and professionals who use and support Linux and Open Source based solutions to a one day workshop on Friday, 23rd May 2008, starting at 8.30 am. The workshop will be held at the Hotel 680. Top on the agenda will be to discuss the Public Procurement and Disposal Act 2005 and how it affects the supply of Open Source software to the Government, the biggest spender in the country. The rest of the agenda will be circulated to the interested partcipants. Lately, the LPA has been involved in various successful advocacy campaigns targeted at Government procurement and tendering procedures. Our aim is to have a level playing field that allows the participation of our members in public procurement. The meeting will be open to members and non-members. Those interested in participating in this workshop can get in touch with me off the list. Space is limited and everything will be catered for by the LPA. Best regards all. -- Evans Ikua Chairman Linux Professional Association of Kenya Tel: 20-250381, Cell: 0722 955 831 Eagle House, 2nd Floor Kimathi Street, Opp. Corner House www.lpakenya.org

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Experts: Lack of standards affects Kenya software industry
by Rebecca Wanjiku 06 May '08

06 May '08

Experts: Lack of standards affects Kenya software industry Lack of quality standards has greatly hampered progress in Kenya’s software development industry, according to local developers. The absence of quality standards developed to safeguard against substandard work has left local vendors vulnerable, and other businesses are putting their money on international software giants like SAP and Oracle. http://www.computerworld.co.ke/articles/2008/05/05/experts-lack-standards-a… Tel. 254 720 318 925 blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

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NSE @ Week19
by Bill Kagai 05 May '08

05 May '08

MediaCorp (c) *Nairobi Stock Exchange – Authorised Information Vendor Faida Investment Bank - Licensed Agent* *Global Overview* Everybody wants to chat a chap called Jerry Yang. He was offered USD 47.5 Billion for a company called Yahoo which he started 14 years ago and rejected the offer. Standard & Poor think Yahoo is worth USD 30 Billion and immediately after rejecting the offer, the investors started throwing their shares away at losses in Wall Street. Accompanied by his fellow co-founder David Filo, Yang fueled one of their jets and flew to Seattle to tell Steve Ballmer that since the Yahoo share had hit a peak of USD 37 way back in 2006, then Microsoft ought to have that price as the bottom line for any negotiation. Ballmer asked him to sod off. Yang thought the Microsoft share will plummet in Wall Street but unfortunately it was Yahoo that started spiraling downwards. Google shot up. We understand Yang has not managed to sleep as he awaits his shareholders wrath this morning. That's business!! *For the time being, Google will continue ruling the internet as both Microsoft and Yahoo look for other ways of 'sharing power'.* Stocks made a modest gain on Friday after jobs data offered fresh evidence the economic slowdown is not as severe as feared, but technology shares faded on a surprise net loss from Sun Microsystems Inc .Wall Street on the other hand feels that the worst is over and are very bullish for the next half of the year. The Dow gained 1.29 percent over the course of the week, the Standard & Poor's 500 index ended up 1.15 percent, and the Nasdaq composite index rose 2.23 percent. Investors were not convinced, so they went to the 'god of investment' Warren Buffet to get his comments on this. The guru did not mince his words. He told them to lower their expectations. Berkshire Hathaway is now interested in acquiring profitable private businesses in France, Italy and UK for he believes the U.S. continues to follow policies that will make the dollar weaken against other major currencies. His parting shot to the investors in Berkshire – '*As an investor, you don't need to predict the economic cycle (or even pay much attention to it). Instead, you should focus on evaluating individual businesses if you pick your own stocks -- or, simply buy the entire market in the form of an index fund.* When a shareholder asked for the single best specific investment idea Buffett could recommend to an individual in his 30s, Buffett said: *"I would just have it all in a very low-cost index fund from a reputable firm, maybe Vanguard. Unless I bought during a strong bull market, I would feel confident that I would outperform...and I could just go back and get on with my work."* *Zeroing Back Home* Safaricom excitement has not waned off. Government planned to raise 50 Billion, banks bankrolled investors with hefty loans with one bank reputed to have loaned approximately Kshs 36 Billion for the IPO. MediaCorp Stock Detectives are now pondering if this strategy qualifies to be classified as 'predatory lending' since most of the investors are planning to sell the shares if they hit anything above Kshs 8.00 when trading starts. Nobody wants to contemplate or entertain the thought that share prices can go up or down. We cannot make any assumptions here other than hope for the best. Back at NSE, turnover rose slightly to KSh.1.47bn from KSh.1.45bn posted the previous week, the number of shares traded stood at 35M against 33M the previous week. The NSE 20 share index was up 3.02% during the week to settle at 5364.72. The NSE All share index gained a total of 3.41 points or 3.27% during the week to stand at 107.78. CFC, Equity, Nation Group and Access Kenya fall in our 'to watch' list for this week. * * * * *Price Movement This Week* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *26th Aprl* *28th Aprl* *29th Aprl* *30th Aprl* *1st May* *2nd May* *Price Change * *Price Change * *Shares Traded Last Week* *Total Shares Issued* *Agricultural* *Code* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Unilever Tea* *UNLV* 56.00 56.00 0.00 0.00% - 48,875,000 *Kakuzi* *KAKZ* 35.25 36.00 36.25 38.00 36.00 0.75 2.13% 8,400 19,599,999 *Rea Vipingo* *RVPL* 19.65 20.50 20.25 20.75 20.50 0.85 4.33% 89,271 60,000,000 *Sasini* *STCL* 16.25 16.20 15.65 16.40 16.20 -0.05 -0.31% 154,035 228,055,500 * * * * *Commercial & Services* * * *Access Kenya Group* *AKGL* 30.25 30.50 32.25 33.50 34.50 4.25 14.05% 2,839,300 199,885,578 *Car & Gen* *CAGR* 50.00 50.00 50.00 0.00 0.00% 200 22,279,616 *CMC* *CMCH* 15.10 15.30 16.15 17.20 18.25 3.15 20.86% 4,575,016 582,709,440 *Hutchings Biemer* *HUBM* 20.25 20.25 0.00 0.00% - 360,000 *Kenya Airways Ltd* *KAIR* 53.50 52.50 53.00 52.50 53.00 -0.50 -0.93% 488,800 461,615,484 *Marshalls*** *MSHL* 44.00 39.75 -4.25 -9.66% 500 14,393,106 *Nation Media Group.* *NATN* 325.00 327.00 331.00 342.00 338.00 13.00 4.00% 52,950 71,305,260 *Scangroup Ltd* *SCGP* 29.50 31.00 32.00 33.50 33.50 4.00 13.56% 465,200 160,000,000 *Standard Group Ltd * *STDG* 53.50 52.50 54.50 54.50 54.50 1.00 1.87% 48,325 73,275,029 *TPS Eastern Africa (Serena) Ltd* *TPEA* 71.00 72.00 73.50 73.00 76.00 5.00 7.04% 54,675 105,864,742 *Uchumi Supermarkets* *UCHM* 14.50 14.50 0.00 0.00% 180,000,000 * * * * *Financial* * * *Barclays Bank* *BARC* 71.50 72.50 72.50 73.00 72.50 1.00 1.40% 1,593,155 1,357,884,000 *CFC Bank* *CFCB* 109.00 109.00 115.00 116.00 124.00 15.00 13.76% 801,700 273,684,211 *Diamond Trust* *DTBK* 92.50 93.00 94.50 96.00 98.50 6.00 6.49% 161,499 163,037,108 *Equity Bank Ltd* *EQTY* 218.00 227.00 245.00 257.00 252.00 34.00 15.60% 814,500 362,209,905 *Housing Finance* *HFCK* 43.50 42.00 42.25 42.75 42.00 -1.50 -3.45% 1,183,180 115,000,000 *Centum Limited* *CENT* 27.75 27.75 29.00 29.00 29.25 1.50 5.41% 1,377,450 549,951,880 *Jubilee Holdings Ltd* *JBLH* 196.00 198.00 198.00 198.00 198.00 2.00 1.02% 21,900 45,000,000 *K.C.B Bank* *KCBL* 33.25 33.25 33.50 33.25 33.00 -0.25 -0.75% 7,485,685 1,996,000,000 *Kenya** Re* *KERE* 16.10 16.45 16.55 16.70 16.95 0.85 5.28% 3,047,251 600,000,000 *National Bank* *NBKL* 53.00 53.00 53.00 53.00 55.00 2.00 3.77% 858,077 200,000,000 *National Industrial Credit* *NICB* 65.50 65.50 64.50 64.00 63.00 -2.50 -3.82% 445,234 296,692,383 *Pan Africa Insurance Holdings Ltd* *PAIH* 80.00 80.00 80.00 0.00 0.00% 700 48,000,000 *Standard Chartered Bank* *SCBL* 203.00 202.00 203.00 208.00 205.00 2.00 0.99% 64,846 271,967,810 * * * * *Industrial & Allied* * * *Athi River Mining Ltd* *ARML* 96.00 97.50 97.50 97.50 98.00 2.00 2.08% 56,910 94,000,000 *BOC (K)* *BOCK* 160.00 160.00 0.00 0.00% - 19,525,446 *Bamburi* *BMBR* 192.00 190.00 190.00 190.00 190.00 -2.00 -1.04% 484,782 362,959,275 *British American Tobacco* *BATK* 158.00 160.00 159.00 160.00 160.00 2.00 1.27% 77,600 100,000,000 *Carbacid* *CARB* 137.00 137.00 0.00 0.00% - 11,326,755 *Crown Berger * *CRBG* 47.25 46.00 44.75 44.00 42.00 -5.25 -11.11% 42,500 23,727,000 *E.A.Cables* *EACL* 42.00 43.25 43.50 43.75 44.50 2.50 5.95% 587,200 202,500,000 *E.A.Portland* *EAPC* 120.00 116.00 116.00 -4.00 -3.33% 200 90,000,000 *E.A.Breweries* *EABL* 168.00 169.00 170.00 171.00 171.00 3.00 1.79% 299,968 790,774,356 *Eveready East Africa Ltd* *EEAL* 6.90 6.80 6.75 6.40 6.40 -0.50 -7.25% 245,000 210,000,000 *Kenol* *KOCL* 92.50 92.50 92.50 92.00 92.00 -0.50 -0.54% 47,400 147,176,120 *K.Pow.& L.* *KPLC* 209.00 209.00 210.00 210.00 213.00 4.00 1.91% 28,384 79,128,000 *KenGen* *KEGN* 25.00 26.00 25.75 26.00 25.75 0.75 3.00% 1,936,199 2,198,361,456 *Mumias* *MSCL* 12.90 12.95 13.15 13.15 13.25 0.35 2.71% 3,780,787 1,530,000,000 *Olympia** Capital Holdings* *OCHL* 14.05 14.10 14.15 14.30 14.15 0.10 0.71% 106,700 40,000,000 *Sameer Africa Ltd* *SAMR* 11.85 11.40 11.00 11.70 11.90 0.05 0.42% 280,250 278,342,393 *Total* *TOTL* 33.50 33.50 33.75 34.00 34.00 0.50 1.49% 379,715 175,064,706 *Unga* *UNGA* 14.40 14.25 14.25 14.20 14.00 -0.40 -2.78% 31,300 63,090,728 * * * * *Alternative Investment Market Sector (AIMS)* *A.Baumann* *ABCL* 12.50 12.50 0.00 0.00% - 3,840,066 *City Trust * *CITL* 150.00 150.00 0.00 0.00% - 5,207,558 *Eaagads* *EAGD* 37.00 37.00 0.00 0.00% - 8,039,250 *Express * *EXPK* 21.00 22.00 21.00 21.50 21.50 0.50 2.38% 31,575 35,403,790 *Williamson Tea* *WTKL* 88.00 88.00 87.50 88.00 0.00 0.00% 2,700 8,756,320 *Kapchorua* *KTCL* 76.00 76.00 0.00 0.00% - 3,912,000 *K.Orchads* *KEOL* 3.00 3.00 0.00 0.00% - 12,868,124 *Limuru Tea* *LTCL* 338.00 338.00 0.00 0.00% - 600,000 **Agricultural Sector This sector traded 251,000 shares, which accounted for 0.72% of the week's traded volume. Sasini Ltd eased five cents to close the week at shs.16.20 on a volume of 154,000 shares. Kakuzi up 4.33% to shs.20.50 moved 89,000 shares. Commercial and Services Sector Commercials had 8.5M shares traded, which accounted for 24.32% of the week's traded volume. CMC Holdings actively moved 4.5M shares at between shs.15.00 and shs.18.75. AccessKenya up 14.05% to shs.34.50 moved 2.8M shares. Scangroup moved 465,000 shares during the week and closed at an improved price of shs.33.50 Financial Sector Financials had 17.8M shares traded and represented 50.94% of the weeks traded volume. KCB was the week's biggest mover with 7.4M shares changing hands at between shs.32.25 and shs.34.00. Kenya Re moved 3M shares during the week at between shs.15.50 and shs.17.40. Industrial and Allied Sector This sector had 8.3M shares, which accounted for 23.92% of the week's traded volume. Mumias Sugar was the most heavily traded counter in this sector, with 3.7M shares changing hands at between shs.12.90 and shs.13.45. KenGen up 3.00% to shs.25.75 moved 1.9M shares. ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENT MARKET SEGMENT (AIMS). This market segment had 34,000 shares, which accounted for less than 1% of the week's traded volume. Express Ltd moved 31,000 shares during the week and closed at shs.21.50. *Corporate Actions* 29-Apr-08: Crown Berger • Final Dividend: 1.00/= • Books close: 16-Jun-08 • Payment: 17-Jul-08 28-Apr-08: Standard Group • Interim Dividend: 1.10/= • Books close: 18-Jul-08 • Payment: 15-Aug-08 28-Apr-08: Standard Group • Interim Dividend: 1.10/= • Books close: 11-Jul-08 • Payment: 15-Aug-08 28-Apr-08: Limuru Tea • 1st & Final Dividend: 5.00/= • Books close: 21-May-08 16-Apr-08: ScanGroup • 1st & Final Dividend: 0.90/= • Books close: 20-May-08 • Payment: 19-Jun-08 Bildad Kagai MD - MediaCorp Limited Nairobi Stock Exchange Authorised Information Vendor Suite B2, Tetu Apartments, State House Avenue P. O. Box 20311 - 00200 Nairobi, Kenya Tel. 254 20 272 8332 Fax. Rendered Obsolete www.mediacorp.co.ke

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Fwd: FW: [Fwd: FW: ICT Expo - Lack of Substantial Information]
by evelyne ofwona 05 May '08

05 May '08

Another take on the ICT expo Evelyne Majale <evelyne(a)kictanet.or.ke> wrote: From: "Evelyne Majale" <evelyne(a)kictanet.or.ke> To: "'evelyne ofwona'" <evelyneofwona(a)yahoo.com> Subject: FW: [Fwd: FW: ICT Expo - Lack of Substantial Information] Date: Mon, 5 May 2008 13:32:27 +0300 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *From:* kaziafrika(a)googlegroups.com [mailto:kaziafrika@googlegroups.com] *On Behalf Of *Robert Alai *Sent:* Monday, April 28, 2008 10:14 AM *To:* kaziafrika(a)googlegroups.com *Subject:* Re: ICT Expo - Lack of Substantial Information Willy The most boring expo ever. I just havent met anybody who praised it. Very boring and the people manning the stands had very scant info on the companies they were representing. I must again come and confess that that Safcom guys were well ahead. The you guys had all the info on which products are coming ssoon and even the exxpected dates. And they were confirming what I have heard also. But Popote guys must improve to be competetive. ICT village. ICT board (old men at the stand). And the youth conference was boring since the PS and others couldn't be asked questions. I really like the ICT conferences to be like the Strathmore annual ICT conference. We must be allowed to put our leaders to task. Wakina Mwaniki can do better. ICT village is represented well in kaziafrika and so I appeal to them to please be serious. Alai On Mon, Apr 28, 2008 at 8:38 AM, william mwangi > wrote: John, I totally agree with you. I was researching on how to integrate services like mpesa or sokotele with the web (for buying online). I visited the stands for safaricom and celtel at the expo and none of the individuals could give me a solid answer. They all told me to go to their head offices. These among other stands didn't have well informed presenters to 100% answer the questions. Or did I misunderstand the theme of the expo? Regards, William M. On 4/27/08, *john kihahu* > wrote: Hi pple? For those who attended the ict expo, did you happen to find it as boring as I did? I thought kaziafrika would get a stand! -- Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ YOU ARE IN KAZI AFRIKA GROUP UNSUBSCRIBE: kaziafrika-unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com www.kaziafrika.com www.wananchiforums.com MPESA (for Adverts): 0726 034 530 FOR A VERY PEACEFUL KENYA -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- --------------------------------- Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.

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Kenya ICT Board member quits amid controversy
by Rebecca Wanjiku 05 May '08

05 May '08

Kenya ICT Board member quits amid controversy Faced with perceptions of conflict of interest over Digital Villages projects, a member of the Kenya ICT Board has resigned. Peter Kimacia's resignation comes after several months of controversy over his involvement in the ICT Board and his role as the head of the Digital Villages Network (DVN), a public-private sector partnership. http://computerworld.co.ke/articles/2008/04/23/kenya-ict-board-member-quits… Tel. 254 720 318 925 blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/ --------------------------------- Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.

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Experts: Kenyan businesses unprepared for security attacks
by Rebecca Wanjiku 05 May '08

05 May '08

Experts: Kenyan businesses unprepared for security attacks The switch to more computerized information and processes has led to increased productivity and profits for many Kenyan companies, but information security has been neglected, according to IT experts in the country. Many companies in Kenya adopt high-tech hardware and software, but very few are fully investing in information security and frequent audits to identify vulnerabilities, according to John Gichuki, an information security and forensic auditor. http://computerworld.co.ke/articles/2008/04/28/experts-kenyan-businesses-un… Tel. 254 720 318 925 blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/ --------------------------------- Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.

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Leading technologist from Africa joins Internet Society staff
by Dorcas Muthoni 03 May '08

03 May '08

We are very proud of Michuki.. congratulations on this appointment. Keep flying the Kenyan flag high! * RESTON, VA, USA and GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - 30 April 2008 -* Michuki Mwangi, a leading figure in African Internet development and technical capacity building, has joined the staff of the Internet Society (ISOC) as Senior Education Manager. http://www.isoc.org/isoc/media/releases/080430pr.shtml -- Muthoni My Blog: http://rugongo.blogspot.com/ -------------------------------------------- Mahatma Gandhi once said:- First they ignore you, Then they laugh at you, Then they fight you, AND THEN YOU WIN!!!

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Are ICT issues drying up?
by Victor Maloi 03 May '08

03 May '08

Dear Members, Just like many projects in Kenya, I feel like we are going downhill yet there are many policy issues we should be discussing. This morning I perused through the Ministry of Information Website only to find there is all the important Bills that they have lined up. What is wrong with Bwana PS. Is there something you want to hide from us? The just concluded ICT conference at the KICC was sinply great. Missing in action was the ICT Board. They could not even bother to have somebody man their stand throughout. Was meeting Kenyans at the conference not important? Although the PS attended all the sessions, it was not enough because we needed his troops there to help the thousands of people who attended. Bwana PS we do not want the elitism in the Board to continue. These are people more known outside of Kenya than the people they pretend to help. Victor Maloi

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Part-Time UNIX System Administrator
by Moses Kemibaro 01 May '08

01 May '08

Part-Time UNIX System Administrator Dotsavvy is currently looking for a part time UNIX (primary) and Windows (secondary) system administrator, to assist us maintaining our offsite servers and potentially the ones we have in house as well. Qualifications. The applicant must possess the following skills . Experience with Red Hat Enterprise Linux. . Experience with securing UNIX systems (lockdown). . Expert in installing and configuring Apache, PHP, MySQL . Able to configure and maintain Postfix and SSH. . Ability to document your work. The applicant ideally has experience with the following skills. . FreeBSD administration. . Samba configuration. . Asterisk configuration and maintenance. . Windows server 2003 administration with Active directory configuration. The Work. At Dotsavvy you will be part of a young and dynamic team dedicated towards delivering industry leading web-solutions. We offer a flat organizational structure where everyone is encouraged to voice any issue in order for the company to improve as a whole. You will be responsible for making sure the Server(s) are running with as little problems at all possible. It will be expected that you are able to define and document your own procedures in respect to managing the servers. The position currently available is 2-6 days of work a month, which will most likely grow over time as the operations expand. We are looking to fill the position as soon as possible. Application. Applicants interested should send a CV / resume of experience to jobs(a)dotsavvyafrica.com right away. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ YOU ARE IN KAZI AFRIKA GROUP UNSUBSCRIBE: kaziafrika-unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com www.kaziafrika.com www.wananchiforums.com MPESA (for Adverts): 0726 034 530 FOR A VERY PEACEFUL KENYA -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---

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Part-Time UNIX System Administrator
by Moses Kemibaro 01 May '08

01 May '08

Part-Time UNIX System Administrator Dotsavvy is currently looking for a part time UNIX (primary) and Windows (secondary) system administrator, to assist us maintaining our offsite servers and potentially the ones we have in house as well. Qualifications. The applicant must possess the following skills . Experience with Red Hat Enterprise Linux. . Experience with securing UNIX systems (lockdown). . Expert in installing and configuring Apache, PHP, MySQL . Able to configure and maintain Postfix and SSH. . Ability to document your work. The applicant ideally has experience with the following skills. . FreeBSD administration. . Samba configuration. . Asterisk configuration and maintenance. . Windows server 2003 administration with Active directory configuration. The Work. At Dotsavvy you will be part of a young and dynamic team dedicated towards delivering industry leading web-solutions. We offer a flat organizational structure where everyone is encouraged to voice any issue in order for the company to improve as a whole. You will be responsible for making sure the Server(s) are running with as little problems at all possible. It will be expected that you are able to define and document your own procedures in respect to managing the servers. The position currently available is 2-6 days of work a month, which will most likely grow over time as the operations expand. We are looking to fill the position as soon as possible. Application. Applicants interested should send a CV / resume of experience to jobs(a)dotsavvyafrica.com right away.

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The dynamics of mobile operator-subsidized laptops
by alice 01 May '08

01 May '08

* http://www.arcchart.com/blueprint/show.asp?id=462 The dynamics of mobile operator-subsidized laptops *printer friendly articles <http://www.arcchart.com/blueprint/print.asp?id=462> 2 Apr 2008 /by: Matt Lewis/ *Last weekend, a friend was showing off his shining new laptop – an HP machine with Intel processor, 1GB of memory, DVD burner and a large 15.4” display. Not amazing specs, but it had an amazing price – it was free! After checking to see if the serial number had been filed off, I learnt the laptop was free from AOL UK, which is now owned by the Carphone Warehouse. The broadband provider has a promotion which bundles 8Mbps broadband with unlimited local and international calls for $50 a month. Oh, and they throw in a free HP laptop as well. What’s the catch? Well, there isn’t really much of one. The deal locks the customer into a two-year contact: a prison sentence for someone like me, but manageable for a typical consumer, particularly one that doesn’t already own a PC or is looking to upgrade their old one, as was the case with my friend.* Giving away a free laptop allows a broadband service provider to achieve three key objectives in a developed market like the UK, which is highly competitive and where household internet penetration is flat-lining. Firstly, it provides a differentiated service offering, distracting consumer attention away from the price versus speed comparison. Secondly, it opens up a new constituency of consumers who have a desire for internet access but for whom the affordability of a PC is beyond their means. Finally, a free laptop sweetens the two-year contact, making consumers more willing to lock themselves into an operator for such a long period of time. Wholesale, I estimate the laptop probably costs AOL about $550. The operator will amortise that over the two-year period, but is unlikely to be making any margins from the laptop itself, especially when the associated distribution and logistics costs are taken into consideration. As a bundled offering, margins will come from the plain vanilla broadband and VoIP telephone services. However, as the terminal provider, unlike its competitors, AOL is in a position to pack the laptop full of content, features and services which has the potential to take their customers’ monthly ARPU well over the $50 mark. If these economics sound vaguely familiar, they certainly should. The terminal-subsidy-content-and-services-premium model is an established aspect of the mobile phone industry. As newer, more powerful and feature-rich handsets have come to market, operators proved willing subsidizers (often down to zero dollars) in order to proliferate these devices across their subscribers base in the hope of reaping bigger rewards from the take-up of premium services. From last year, laptops started shipping with embedded mobile broadband modules –initially for EV-DO networks and subsequently for HSPA. Now, all the big laptop vendors have mobile broadband devices on their roadmaps and many will be shipping products in 2008. Apart from this, the industry has seen a jump in the take-up of 3G data-cards (primarily used with laptops) on the back of aggressive promotional activity over the last 12 months from mobile operators – particularly those in Europe. It is now possible to get a USB data-card and 3G broadband for less than $20 a month, with an 18 month lock-in. By now I’m sure you see where I’m going with this. Now that laptops are becoming mobile broadband enabled, does it make sense for cellular operators to start subsidising the cost of the laptops as they are already doing with handsets, and as some fixed broadband operators, like AOL, have started doing? On one hand, the raw economics make sense. For example, the wholesale cost of a Nokia N-series devices or a high-end Samsung phone is higher than most basic laptop models. There is also more opportunity to pass on support costs to the laptop vendor, something not possible with handsets. From the end-user’s perspective, a laptop destined for home use will have its value spread across all family members (unlike a phone which is only used by one person), augmenting the perceived value and increasing the potential for lock-in periods of longer than 18 months. The opportunity for service bundling which includes laptop, handset, broadband and voice is also compelling. However, while all this is a powerful service differentiator for a mobile operator trying to grab consumer mindshare in a market where all operators have identical network capabilities, the ability to boost ARPU through a subsidised laptop offering is more challenging and will only be achievable by certain cellular providers. Going back to the Nokia N-series phone; an operator will be inclined to generously subsidise such a device since the multimedia (music, video, camera etc.) and navigation features mean a user is more likely to consume data and premium content. The same cannot be said for a notebook unless the operator, like AOL, has a portfolio of online collateral which it can channel the laptop user towards. A few mobile operators do have such collateral – Orange is perhaps the best example and has resulted from the France Telecom ownership of the pan-European Wanadoo ISP which has now been completely re-branded as Orange. It will be interesting to see how the operator laptop subsidy plays out. T-Mobile toyed with such an offering last year in Germany, and discussions with two other mobile carriers show they’re not averse to such a concept. One scenario is that mobile operators which also have an ISP business in a local market (e.g. Deutsche Telekom/T-Mobile in Germany, Orange in France and the UK, Telefonica in Spain and TIM in Italy) adopt the laptop-subsidy model primarily to keep their ISP business competitive. However, as a result, competing mobile operators may feel compelled to offer a similar laptop-subsidy package to remain competitive. Such an eventuality would speed the day when consumers no longer pay – or expect to pay - for any of their terminal devices, be it a set-top box, WiMAX router, laptop, mobile phone or gaming console.

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