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Fwd: ZURI AWARDS 2019
by Ali Hussein 05 Nov '18

05 Nov '18

Listers This might be of interest. Ali Hussein Principal AHK & Associates +254 0713 601113 Twitter: @AliHKassim Skype: abu-jomo LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." ~ Aristotle Sent from my iPad Begin forwarded message: > From: Rita Gakii <rnjuguna(a)gogagaexp.com> > Date: 5 November 2018 at 7:42:28 PM EAT > To: Ali Hussein Kassam <ali(a)hussein.me.ke> > Cc: Muthoni Mumo <mumo(a)gogagaexp.com>, Joy Kimani Go Gaga Exp <joy.kimani(a)gogagaexp.com> > Subject: ZURI AWARDS 2019 > > Dear Ali, > > It was good to see you the other day. > > We spoke, Zuri Awards is a platform that recognizes and celebrates outstanding women in line with the International Women’s Day theme. The women are: > Dedicated to creating positive change through work in their communities > Inspiring other women through exceptional displays of leadership > Rising against all odds and being courageous in the face of adversity > Zuri Awards was inaugurated in 2017 and we have seen a steady growth of 200% from a nomination list of 50 women in 2017 to 150 in 2018. The key success to this has been the numerous activities and partnerships that have been forged to reach out to nominees from all parts of the country who are running different projects that are making a difference in their communities. Zuri Awards has been able to highlight the key successes of both nominees and honorees through a call for nomination, photo and videography sessions, public exhibition of their work, digital story telling and above the line highlight of stories in the media. > > The Awards have led to a positive publicity of the nominees and honorees in their respective sphere of influence hence enhancing the expansion of their projects and their exceptional competencies. > > Due to the consistent growth of Zuri Awards, in 2019 we have increased the numbers of awards from 4 to 14 showcasing more women making a difference in the various segments of the market. There will be a series of awareness activities that will be carried out culminating to the 3rd edition of the Zuri Awards Gala Dinner on the 7th March 2019. > > The below are the categories that will be judged by a group of jurors: > STEM > Agriculture > Health Care > Renewable Energy > Humanitarian > Innovation > Young Achiever > Sports > Public Service > Arts and Culture > Media > Finance > Manufacturing > Education > Find below the link to the Nomination form of Zuri Awards 2019. Kindly push this forward to your network so as to highlight the success stories of various women. > https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ayqJQFBijVNeIjmBOE911lKFVaezLawROlNIVkimZa… > > Thank you. > > Kind Regards, > > Mrs. Rita Njuguna > Cellphone: | +254722759354 > www.gogagaexp.com > www.smwnairobi.com > > Twitter: @SMWNairobi > > Nairobi, Kenya > > Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it's all over. > Gloria Naylor > > >

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Re: [kictanet] Telcos regulator seeks to monitor WhatsApp
by Patrick A. M. Maina 05 Nov '18

05 Nov '18

Brother Francis, The risks are real (its a fact - not an opinion) and they have actually materialized in other countries - including mature democracies like the US and emerging economies like India (where innocent people have been murdered due to fake whatsapp posts). I have pasted some links with more info from broad sources at the bottom of my message. Please be sure to have a look. We are not immune. Kenya is a fragile and flawed "democracy" where leaders heavily rely on identity politics to acquire or keep power. The intensity and increasingly high stakes of our winner take all politics should not be taken lightly. As much as we claim high literary levels, our education system does not teach us *how* to think with a view of forming rational and well informed opinions of events around us. This makes most Kenyans highly susceptible to manipulation though disinformation - especially on emotive issues. What many of us take for "normal" (partly because we haven't seen anything else), including the 4-5 year sprints of fragile peace (which is more like a pause in hostilities imo), is in reality utter *insanity* when one does a comparative evaluation against mature democracies: we, a poor developing country, have the world's most expensive elections for example, and every 4 years the economy literally grinds to a halt as politics takes over and holds everyone hostage. Is this normal? I don't think so! On Kenyan media... Truth be told, our media has failed us by exploiting, perpetuating (and therefore entrenching) ethnic divisions and tensions to boost their own profits (literally playing with fire). Media has the capacity to mould public thought away from ethnic kingpinship and towards real issues like economy, jobs, health, human rights and a systematization culture - rather than personality/saviour orientation. For example, why not disseminate a quarterly dashboard to inform the public on how their leaders are delivering on promises / targets along these *real* issues? One might argue that media is delivering by highlighting corruption but to me it looks like they are not really doing it for us common wananchi; corruption is sensational and reporting on corruption sells. It also creates political ammo that further feeds into our divisive high-stakes politics. Is there a better way? Why not proactively track how counties and state agencies are implementing anti-corruption systems to identify and seal loopholes? It looks to me like as much as that is what is needed, it does not make a "big story". It is boring and doesn't pay, so they don't bother. This is why NYS happened *twice* (and will keep happening) because it is more profitable to yell that the horse has bolted than to help close the barn door... and in that respect the media is a complicit participant and beneficiary in the corruption ecosystem. Links / references: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/how-whatsapp-became-linked-mob-viole… https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-11-01/whatsapp-groups-and-misi… https://socialnomics.net/2014/03/04/the-shocking-truth-about-social-network… https://amp.ft.com/content/19364166-866c-11e7-8bb1-5ba57d47eff7 https://theconversation.com/amp/social-media-and-crime-the-good-the-bad-and… Good day,Patrick. On Monday, November 5, 2018, 11:00:28 AM GMT+3, Francis Monyango <monyango93(a)gmail.com> wrote: Morning Mr Patrick Maina, You mention how messaging apps facilitate fake news, crime and other things. You also lay peace,development on a scale versus human rights such as free speech and privacy. Sir, it is good to be objective and factual. Last year Kenya had 10 months of hot politics. Research shows that the Kenyan authorities did not attempt to control, disrupt or shutdown the internet. Hence this tired line of the country going into flames because of the internet (messaging apps) doesn't hold any weight. The number of Kenyan users of these messaging apps and other factors such as social class of users, bots affect the impact of the internet in democratic transitions. The broadcast media shut down in January should tell which communication medium has more impact on the Kenyan society. 😉 I believe your intention was to state why companies that offer over the top services should pay taxes here. That is a different argument all together with a different set of facts unless you are advocating for a blanket over the top tax to be paid by users to avoid 'spread of gossip and lies' just like in Uganda. On Fri, 2 Nov 2018, 13:26 Patrick A. M. Maina via kictanet, <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: These messaging apps facilitate fake news, crime, foreign meddling (to subvert democracy), brainwashing and hate speech on a massive scale. We know this for a fact. So as citizens and stakeholders in our country, we need to ask: what do we value more, is it things that improve peace, stability, economic development and democracy, OR, is it some utopian, unbounded notion of free speech and privacy that is disconnected from our contextual reality (e.g. protects criminals, malicious defamers and violence mongers in equal proportion as law abiding citizens)? The companies running these uncontrolled messaging platforms will not be impacted if our country goes up in flames. They cost governments tons of money in maintaining internal security (especially during democratic transitions - sometimes to existential levels) yet they don't pay any taxes... and mark you, they are *billion dollar* companies! This also means that funds that ought to have bought, say, medicine to save lives gets diverted to fix an *imported problem* with no path to holding the parent company accountable for damage caused. Gok needs to modernize our tax laws, which currently are based on the traditional "for profit" enterprise model and thus out of touch with Silicon Valley's "make losses by design" model. The basic assumption that entrepreneurship is a profit oriented endeavour does not hold for Silicon Valley VC subsidized companies. They are designed to operate as loss makers for decades (but still move *massive* amounts of financial resources at massive scale). This has the technical effect of *tax avoidance* because massive profits *are* still being made by the offshore VCs - which denies governments billions in taxes (despite imposing local burdens as illustrated above). A smart government would create modernized laws to tax VC funded Silicon Valley companies e.g. on the basis of *funding rounds* and *valuations* because this is their *real* business i.e. its how the investors intend to make money from day one - and the primary reason they push for perpetual losses! There should also be a turnover tax and VAT on online revenue earned in Kenya by foreign billion dollar internet companies (e.g. advertisement revenue and appstore revenue), to level the tax playing field for local businesses. Similar to what other countries like the UK are working on: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/facebook-uk-tax-bill CA will obviously have a hard time monitoring and enforcing though, under the current traditional framework due to technical barriers (e.g. encryption) and also due to jurisdictional challenges. So the other thing that CA really needs to do once the rules are set is to consider blocking non-compliant foreign apps completely at ISP level (especially now that political temperatures are cool and people and thinking clearly). Lets have local startups filling any gaps with copycat apps China-style. To be clear, I support free speech and privacy. But I also support peace, stability, safe neighbourhoods, democracy, sovereignty and economic predictability! A delicate balance is needed to maximise the rights of law abiding citizens while minimising the ability of those with evil intent to exploit basic rights in order to harm the innocent. Good day.Patrick. On Thursday, November 1, 2018, 11:00:44 PM GMT+3, Grace Githaiga via kictanet <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: Kenya is considering regulating online services such as WhatsApp and Skype in a radical move that could force the internet-based service providers to share data with the government. The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) is in search of a consultant to study and determine how the so-called over-the-top services (OTTS) operated by groups such as Facebook, which runs WhatsApp, and Skype owner Microsoft, could be regulated. Read on: https://www.nation.co.ke/business/Telcos-regulator-seeks-to-monitor-WhatsAp… Best regards Githaiga, Grace Co-Convenor Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) Twitter:@ggithaiga Tel: 254722701495 Skype: gracegithaiga Alternate email: ggithaiga(a)hotmail.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gracegithaiga www.kictanet.or.ke "Change only happens when ordinary people get involved, get engaged and come together to demand it. I am asking you to believe. Not in my ability to bring about change – but in yours"---Barrack Obama. _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Twitter: http://twitter.com/kictanet Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KICTANet/ Domain Registration sponsored by www.eacdirectory.co.ke Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/pmaina2000%40yahoo.com The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Twitter: http://twitter.com/kictanet Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KICTANet/ Domain Registration sponsored by www.eacdirectory.co.ke Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/monyango93%40gmail.com The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.

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Fwd: We’re live! adaf.io
by Ali Hussein 05 Nov '18

05 Nov '18

Listers, This might be of interest. Ali Hussein Principal AHK & Associates +254 0713 601113 Twitter: @AliHKassim Skype: abu-jomo LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." ~ Aristotle Sent from my iPad Begin forwarded message: > From: Marvin Coleby <marvin(a)adaf.io> > Date: 2 November 2018 at 6:32:29 PM EAT > To: Ali Hussein <ali(a)hussein.me.ke> > Subject: We’re live! adaf.io > > > > > The long awaited launch is finally here! African Digital Assets Framework (ADAF) is finally here. My company, Raise, is launching this non profit foundation with our partners today! > ADAF is the first open-source software platform to create transnational standards for digital assets and distributed ledger technologies in line with Pan-African development objectives, and complements the African Union’s Single African Digital Market initiative, which seeks to leverage technology to stimulate digitised Pan-African economic integration. > Read more about the launch here: http://bit.ly/adafhello and access the website at adaf.io. > Join the conversation on Twitter: @adaf_io and hashtag at #Afroboom > Our Telegram is accessible here: https://t.me/joinchat/H9vqAxKuK-qtSsnRoobOZg > Access to the R&D paper and summary: > http://adaf.io/r&dpaper.html > #Afroboom > > Marvin Coleby > Founder > Raise > > m: 514 430 1973 > w: raiseimpact.io > c: calendly.com/marvinraise

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Refurbished Karatina Market I Jack Ma Kept His Word: Kigali Electronic World Trade Platform | Keynote Address by President Kagame
by WANGARI KABIRU 01 Nov '18

01 Nov '18

Refurbished Karatina market finally opens | | | | | | | | | | | Refurbished Karatina market finally opens The project had stalled for nearly a decade due to wrangles and politics. | | | The market, which is the second largest open air market in Africa after Nigeria’s Kano, started operating in 1938 as a barter trade centre. Transactions were done under a small tree known as "Karatina" (Kigelia africana). Electronic World Trade Platform | Keynote Address by President Kagame | | | | | | | | | | | Electronic World Trade Platform | Keynote Address by President Kagame President Kagame and Jack Ma attend the Official Launch of Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP) Africa | Kigal... | | | Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP) is a private sector-led and all stakeholder initiative, for public-private dialogue to incubate e-Trade rules and foster a more effective and efficient policy and business environment for cross border electronic trade (eTrade) development. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDiXl6YNDBw Also listen into Samuel's message here. Efficient markets even the age-old local physical are big games for tech. Blessings.Regards/Wangari --- Pray God Bless. 2013Wangari circa - "Being of the Light, We are Restored Through Faith in Mind, Body and Spirit; We Manifest The Kingdom of God on Earth".

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Stories For Change: using technology to drive behavioral and cultural transformation
by Mbugua Njihia 31 Oct '18

31 Oct '18

Our society is plagued by many ills. Some conversations we have had for many years and often around the same issues that seem impossible to transcend generational cycles, made worse by the various environmental factors that exist at any given time. In the past, the channels through which issues could be discussed were limited in both number and reach. For example, if we looked at lessons passed down during every rite of passage, information was limited to oral transfer to a limited number of recipients, who in turn could only discuss issues confined to their to their cohort of initiation. http://www.mbuguanjihia.com/misfiring-neurons/stories-for-change-using-tech… *Regards,* Mbugua Njihia ᐧ

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Re: [kictanet] - don't be a statistic: Ten Inventors who "changed the world" but got a raw deal from their Billion dollar inventions
by Patrick A. M. Maina 30 Oct '18

30 Oct '18

Lets assume you are a popular and reputable doctor practising under your own name and someone cybersquats with your name - and places an ad script on the landing page. Now the google crawler detects your online activity elsewhere and figures out that your name is associated with medicine. So the impersonator's temp landing page gets filled with ads competing doctors (including quacks or even worse). In such a case you'd be able to sue for trade name infringement and take them down. In this particular case, the value (and limited exclusivity) of your name's IP is linked to your popularity, the uniqueness of your reputation and the specific circumstances around the cybersquat e.g. the doctor's example above. The link below has an interesting discussion on whether legal names are IP: https://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/is-my-name-considered-intellectual-prope… (To be clear I'm not offering be legal advice and I'm not a lawyer. Please consult a lawyer for legal advice.) Good evening. On Tuesday, October 30, 2018, 8:25:53 PM GMT+3, Mildred Achoch <mildandred(a)gmail.com> wrote: Lkkljj CG Thank you for this. Very informative. So, if my name is my IP does this mean no one should cybersquat using my name? Regards,Mildred Achoch. On Tuesday, October 30, 2018, Patrick A. M. Maina via kictanet <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: [long post - but contains plenty of insight nuggets] So we have interesting argument that often comes up in IP discussions... Perhaps a lack of IP protection contributes to the "success" and/or ubiquity of an invention? I've heard this (flawed) argument before and even spent quite a bit of time researching it. What I learned is that defective arguments can sound very persuasive, but they have no basis in fact or logic (though often framed as pseudo-facts or pseudo-logic). Such arguments are founded on simplistic reasoning that ignores the multitude of factors and variables that contribute to market outcomes. The truth is, you have *no way* of telling what could have happened if a popular unprotected invention was patented, so the argument is fundamentally defective and thus pointless. The fact is, the number of commercially successful (and ubiquitous) products that have IP protection is *far* higher than those without protection, and the sale of these products has funded R&D for numerous follow on products as well as newer inventions. Bic biro pen is globally ubiquitous and is a patented product. CocacCola, another globally ubiquitous product is based on the worlds most heavily protected IP. Your (smart) phone, laptop, PC etc contain *hundreds* of patented innovations (hardware/software). The medical field relies on IP protection (otherwise we'd all be in trouble for slow progress on disease management). Your car contains patented products that enhance safety... I could go on and on.. Secondly the defective argument casually brushes off the interests of the original inventor. Does it not matter that the inventor was not rewarded for contributing to the incremental advancement of humanity? If the inventor is from a poor country, it *should matter a lot*. Overwhelming factual evidence shows that in any industry or sector, when the key actors fail to organise for collective benefit, they get exploited by predatory gatekeepers and middlemen. This prevents entire sectors from taking off despite the potential. Music/movie pirates claim that they are popularizing the artists, but the most pirated music/film belongs to artists who were *already* popular, having sunk a ton of sweat and money into marketing. What piracy really does is *deny* the artist income for their efforts and creativity, making it extremely hard (financially and motivationwise) to come up with the next hit. This leads to wasted talent and destroyed potential. No one documents *that*. The music industry in Kenya became profitable after the artists came together to form collective rights management organisations (similar in concept to IP focused Cooperative). Prior to that, artists could be exploited by everyone, especially corporates and media houses. Now, you can be a millionaire with music. This proves that rewarding innovators/IP fairly promotes more innovation/IP leading to a virtuous cycle of growth and prosperity. ICT, Film and TV producers have failed to organize and so they are struggling in an industry that makes numerous (not just one or two) multi-millionaires elsewhere e.g. in Nigeria, India, South Africa (and to a lesser extent, TZ for film/tv). So... when someone uses flawed reasoning to push an argument, it helps to question whether the person is aware that the reasoning is defective, and if it turns out that the person doesn't care, the issue of *motive* (red flag) needs to come up at the back of your mind. Without the exclusivity offered by IP protection, anyone can launch any product and that leads to a downward spiral of value destruction. Did you know that even your name is a form of IP (hence your gov issued certificate i.e. "ID" that prevents people from impersonating you to profit from or harm your brand)? Imagine if 1,000 people with fake IDs report to your workplace tomorrow and claim to be the real you, then demand your job or Salary. How would the employer know the real you? This is why your name (your personal trademark) is protected in law such that even you can't change it without going through a complicated legal process e.g. swearing an Affidavit in front of a magistrate. You don't even need to register a business name if you do business using your own name. Its a legal tradename already. Your fundamental IP. IP protection deters predation and freeloading. It encourages the rewarding of legitimate Innovators and allows everyone associated with them to win, including the entrepreneur, investors etc by giving them a critical and exclusive window of opportunity to recoup their risky investment. Without IP protection frameworks, there is very little incentive to invent, innovate or commercialise. Too much competition, common with unprotected ideas, leads to razor thin margins and no funds for further R&D. To understand this even better, please watch Peter Thiel's Stanford lecture: "Competition is For Losers". https://youtu.be/3Fx5Q8xGU8k Good evening! Patrick. On Tuesday, October 30, 2018, 12:39:20 PM GMT+3, Sidney Ochieng <sidney.ochieng(a)gmail.com> wrote: Something we tend to ignore in stories like this is that perhaps because the technology was not patented it allowed it to spread further and faster than it might have otherwise. On Mon, 29 Oct 2018 at 21:54, Patrick A. M. Maina via kictanet <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > wrote: This amazing article includes "everyday" products/technologies you have probably used recently e.g. Bic biro pen, Segway, Computer Mouse, Polio Vaccine, Fidget Spinner, Karaoke Machine and WWW (hypertext). Can you imagine the inventors got a raw deal? In most cases other people profited from the inventor's brilliance due to failure to protect their IP. Some fascinating takeaways: That magnetic stripe on your debit/credit card: apparently the inventor didn't realize its value and failed to patent the idea. A multi-billion (if not trillion) dollar oversight. Sometimes you just don't know the real potential of your idea/creation and this can lead to disastrous decisions. Especially when a bunch of people in flashy suits tell you that "ideas are worth nothing" - yet they want to meet you in their posh office for hours to hear your ideas. Others hold elaborate competitions with pomp and prestige; offering you a chance to be a celebrity. But hold on, time is money; why would someone spend precious time listening to (or evaluating) "worthless" stuff? Perhaps its not as worthless as they want you to think...? Inventor of LED (light emitting diodes) was way ahead of his time and, though he foresaw a future with LEDs, he didn't take smart steps to ensure that he was part of that future. Now LED bulbs are a billion dollar industry - and he doesn't get even 1 cent in royalty. Just because people don't "get it" immediately doesn't mean your idea is worthless. You could be ahead of the curve and the market just needs time to catch up (which can be months or years or even decades). Only strategic patience (long term thinking) can keep you grounded and ready for opportunity when it finally knocks. If you must, shelve your "failed" idea for another day, and work on others, but *never* *ever* give it away! The Bic biro pen inventor sold his patent for US$2Million, which turned out to be "peanuts" because more than 1 Trillion Bic pens have been sold to date. Due to information asymmetry, that sweet buy-out deal might not be a fair valuation. Resist the 100% offer. Keep a small percentage to get royalties in perpetuity. You cant lose what you never had. Protect your ideas and push back (or walk away) when offered tempting, but strategically lousy, short term deals. Here's the article: 10 Inventors Who Made No Money on Their Inventions | | | | | | | | | | | 10 Inventors Who Made No Money on Their Inventions Meet 10 people who had the spark of genius but weren't able to translate it into a fat wallet. | | | ______________________________ _________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/ mailman/listinfo/kictanet Twitter: http://twitter.com/kictanet Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ KICTANet/ Domain Registration sponsored by www.eacdirectory.co.ke Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/ mailman/options/kictanet/ sidney.ochieng%40gmail.com The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. -- Regards,Sidney | Twitter: @princelySid | Web: s idneyochieng.co.ke Skype: sidney.ochieng | Github: princelySid | -- Check out the Rock 'n' roll film festival, Kenya TV Channel! http://kenyarockfilmfestivaljournal.blogspot.com

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Re: [kictanet] - don't be a statistic: Ten Inventors who "changed the world" but got a raw deal from their Billion dollar inventions
by Patrick A. M. Maina 30 Oct '18

30 Oct '18

This amazing article includes "everyday" products/technologies you have probably used recently e.g. Bic biro pen, Segway, Computer Mouse, Polio Vaccine, Fidget Spinner, Karaoke Machine and WWW (hypertext). Can you imagine the inventors got a raw deal? In most cases other people profited from the inventor's brilliance due to failure to protect their IP. Some fascinating takeaways: That magnetic stripe on your debit/credit card: apparently the inventor didn't realize its value and failed to patent the idea. A multi-billion (if not trillion) dollar oversight. Sometimes you just don't know the real potential of your idea/creation and this can lead to disastrous decisions. Especially when a bunch of people in flashy suits tell you that "ideas are worth nothing" - yet they want to meet you in their posh office for hours to hear your ideas. Others hold elaborate competitions with pomp and prestige; offering you a chance to be a celebrity. But hold on, time is money; why would someone spend precious time listening to (or evaluating) "worthless" stuff? Perhaps its not as worthless as they want you to think...? Inventor of LED (light emitting diodes) was way ahead of his time and, though he foresaw a future with LEDs, he didn't take smart steps to ensure that he was part of that future. Now LED bulbs are a billion dollar industry - and he doesn't get even 1 cent in royalty. Just because people don't "get it" immediately doesn't mean your idea is worthless. You could be ahead of the curve and the market just needs time to catch up (which can be months or years or even decades). Only strategic patience (long term thinking) can keep you grounded and ready for opportunity when it finally knocks. If you must, shelve your "failed" idea for another day, and work on others, but *never* *ever* give it away! The Bic biro pen inventor sold his patent for US$2Million, which turned out to be "peanuts" because more than 1 Trillion Bic pens have been sold to date. Due to information asymmetry, that sweet buy-out deal might not be a fair valuation. Resist the 100% offer. Keep a small percentage to get royalties in perpetuity. You cant lose what you never had. Protect your ideas and push back (or walk away) when offered tempting, but strategically lousy, short term deals. Here's the article: 10 Inventors Who Made No Money on Their Inventions | | | | | | | | | | | 10 Inventors Who Made No Money on Their Inventions Meet 10 people who had the spark of genius but weren't able to translate it into a fat wallet. | | |

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Re: [kictanet] Article - Protecting Ideas: The Government Whitebox is out
by JImmy Gitonga 26 Oct '18

26 Oct '18

Thank you Patrick for a comprehensive look at the cons of the Whitebox. We have seen so many of these "innovation harvesting" competitions, hackathons and organisations, we should have learnt something by now. Having been part of an award winning team at the Pivot East conference, I can tell you what it takes to "impress" the judges. To get that the winning idea to escape gravity is where the work is. Then, VCs were not serious. I don't know about today. But one thing that has remained the same is the rhetoric. I expect whitebox to spectacularly fail. The guys with good ideas are executing them against all odds. If we don't fix the virtual infrastructure like "idea/innovation protectionism" and get everyone to understand this requires all sectors to pull in the same direction, let us at the very least grow the human capital through the Andelas and Moringas of this world. One day we will build everything here, constantly innovating and iterating to stay ahead of the sharks. Right now, I imagine that trying to bring innovators into a cooperative group is like herding cats. We are not ready yet. Patrick has given us very good ideas. But execution ... Regards, Jimmy Gitonga @afrowave > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2018 13:05:01 +0000 (UTC) > From: "Patrick A. M. Maina" <pmaina2000(a)yahoo.com> > To: "kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Article - Protecting Ideas: The Government > Whitebox is out... > > > So what now? > In my previous message, I discussed Pipeline commoditization, an > exploitative model used by VCs / large corporations to mine ideas cheaply > at the expense of Innovators, and which relies primarily on "greyzone > ethics" application of behavioral science principles (e.g.?opportunity > baiting in poor countries). > Remember, you are NOT "the chosen one". There is no such thing. It is an > *illusion* created to trick you into acting against your own interests. > In a given "innovations competition", even if just 100 submissions are > made, your odds of being the "chosen one" are terrible at 1/100. In many > cases, more than 1,000 submissions are made and it is more likely you will > be among the 980 hopefuls who don't get chosen.? > This doesnt mean that the "chosen ones" end up with a better deal (many > regret) because they often get taken over and the local founder is turned > into a "ceremonial CEO"; a pseudo-employee with no real decision making > authority and a seriously compromised ownership structure (can be kicked > out of own business).? > What REALLY happens behind the scenes in such competitions is that the > sponsors get a *free* brainstorm of 1,000 creative ideas (the real prize > for them), from our best, albeit gullible, minds, while being only loosely > obligated to pay a tiny amount ($10K-250K) for a tiny fraction of them > (typically 1-20) under conditions if total subjectivity. > As many founders have already observed, the concept of "judges" or "idea > evaluators" in such competitions is utterly ridiculous. There is no one on > this planet who is capable of identifying great ideas/businesses by relying > on pitches (or even with the benefit of traction data). Such a person would > already?be a GAZILLIONAIRE with his/her *own money* (and hence have no time > nor inclination to judge competitions). > Way forward: > 1. No matter how tantalizing the opportunity, the odds for all of us > improve *only* when we *unite* and negotiate with *one voice*. > 2. Let's build leverage: > a. Innovators ought to be well represented in the boards that > conceptualize these ideas / programs so that their interests are considered > from the onset as key stakeholders. > b. IP policies and laws need to be contextualized and indigenized to level > the playing field for indigenous Innovators. Some partial aspects of this > issue were very well articulated in a recent article by Dr. Bitange Ndemo. > c. The time has come for innovators form a *collectively owned* > cooperative society whose primary mandate will be to *aggregate* and > *commercialize* indigenous innovations through *licencing* partnerships > with Gov and Corporate entities. > In addition to direct partnerships with Innovators, our cooperative entity > will partner with willing incubators as well, offering a solid "next step" > after incubation/PoC. > It will act as a formidable shield for Innovators (protecting them from IP > predators) which will result in massive negotiation leverage and help > create numerous *jobs* as well as *wealth* (which will incentivise more > innovation). > We can start by forming a core team (abt 3-5 people max) right away, to > get started with the formation, structuring and popularisation of such an > entity. > [Permission is granted to anyone interested in republishing this in > tech/innovation blogs, forums, periodicals or media with attribution. Would > appreciate if you let me know when you do so and send me a link. > Thanks. > Patrick. > > On Tuesday, October 23, 2018, 2:12:24 PM GMT+3, Patrick A. M. Maina > via kictanet <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: > > Sounds good in theory but in practice our IP landscape is woefully > inadequate because it is a copy-paste framework that lacks local context. > 1. As a poor country it is a given that most of our Innovators? will be > starved for (and thus easy to bait with) capital.? > 2. The lure of easy cash / validation is powerful and irresistible. It > short-circuits even the most brilliant minds, causing each participant to > individually fantasize that he/she is the "chosen one". Yet even if just > 100 submissions are made, your odds of being the chosen one are terrible at > 1/100.? > This is classic *Game Theory* in action where self-interest decisions by > individual actors result in a less favourable outcome for all.? > > 3. When you don't have leverage (e.g. something that *only you* can offer) > you can't negotiate. No one will sign an NDA with you. I call it pipeline > commoditization. If, by applying game theory principles, a healthy flow of > unprotected ideas can be guaranteed, why would anyone sign a true NDA with > an innovator? Ideas are not "worthless", they are the most crucial > ingredient for execution (otherwise why did cash-rich execution King > Waymo/Google go after Uber for alleged theft of AV ideas, which they valued > at $500M???)! > Pipeline commoditization relies on *brainwash* and *capital baiting* to > unfairly swings the odds in favor of capital gatekeepers... Come on, play > our idea lottery and Win! Win! Win! Are you "the chosen one"? We have > "judges" who have never invented/innovated anything, many of whom are > career employees with zero startup experience, which makes them PERFECT > experts in judging great ideas/startups. These experts will decide who > proceeds to level 2. Gamble with us and WIN BIG! > > We have to shift this model from a gambling / lottery system to a business > negotiation system. My next message will have some concrete ideas on how to > do this. > Patrick. > >

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ICTA Connected Summit 2018 programme: Women Women Everywhere in ICT But No Women To Show Is It A Pseudo-Boys Club?
by WANGARI KABIRU 24 Oct '18

24 Oct '18

Speakers | | | | | | | | | | | Speakers Speakers | | | http://www.connected.go.ke/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Connected-2018-Detail… Very insightful discussions going on at the Summit, including mentions on ICT Professionals (Act). As its said, water, water water everywhere but no water! Women Women Everywhere in ICT But No Women To Show Is It A Pseudo-Boys Club? Be blessed.Regards/Wangari--- Pray God Bless. 2013Wangari circa - "Being of the Light, We are Restored Through Faith in Mind, Body and Spirit; We Manifest The Kingdom of God on Earth".

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Fwd: 2018 African Internet Governance Forum to Convene in Sudan
by Lydia gachungi 24 Oct '18

24 Oct '18

---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Gachungi, Lydiah <l.gachungi(a)unesco.org> Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2018, 19:52 Subject: Fwd: 2018 African Internet Governance Forum to Convene in Sudan To: Lydia gachungi <lgachungi(a)gmail.com> Sent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone. -------- Original message -------- From: Directorate of Information and Communication <DIC(a)africa-union.org> Date: 24/10/2018 18:07 (GMT+03:00) To: Directorate of Information and Communication <DIC(a)africa-union.org> Subject: 2018 African Internet Governance Forum to Convene in Sudan *AFRICAN UNION* [image: Description: logo] *UNION AFRICAINE* *UNIÃO AFRICANA* Addis Ababa, Ethiopia P. O. Box 3243 Telephone: +251 11 551 7700 / +251 11 518 25 58/ Ext 2558 *Web site: **www.au.int* <http://www.au.int> *Directorate of Information and Communication* *Press Release Nº175/2018* *2018 African Internet Governance Forum to Convene in Sudan* *Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 23 October 2018 *- The African Union Commission (AUC) is organizing the Seventh African Internet Governance Forum (AfIGF 2018) from 4 to 6 November 2018 in Khartoum, Sudan under the theme *“Development of the Digital Economy and Emerging Technology in Africa.”* Organized by the African Union Commission (AUC) jointly with the Government of Sudan, the 2018 AFIGF aims to be a platform for an inclusive multilateral, multi-stakeholder and multilingual discussion on issues pertinent to the Internet in Africa in general and Internet Governance issues in particular. The African Internet Governance Forum is Africa's multi stakeholder forum of Internet actors. It carries the voices and efforts of the African continent to the global agenda, while ensuring that the benefits of a viable information society accrue to every African. It was formally launched in Nairobi, during the global Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in 2011. The AfIGF Secretariat is hosted by the African Union Commission (AUC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Forum's website is www.afigf.org. It currently runs social media outlets on Twitter and Facebook. The event is expected to gather 300 participants drawn from government, private sector, academia, research institutions, technical community, civil society organizations, media, and other stakeholders from over 30 countries. Learn more at: https://www.afigf.africa *For further information contact* Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dic(a)africa-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia Adil Suleiman| Senior Policy Officer, Telecom and ICT | Department of Infrastructure and Energy | African Union Commission I E-mail: suleimana(a)africa-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia *Follow us* Face book: https://www.facebook.com/AfricanUnionCommission Twitter: https://twitter.com/_AfricanUnion YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/AUCommission *Learn more at: * *http://www.au.int <http://www.au.int> * Directorate of Information and Communication Directorate of Information and Communication Information and Communication *Tel: *+251-11-5517700 *Mobile:* *E-mail:* DIC(a)africa-union.org P.O. Box 3243 | Roosvelt Street (Old Airport Area) | W21K19 | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia www.au.int <https://www.facebook.com/AfricanUnionCommission/> <https://twitter.com/_africanunion> <https://www.linkedin.com/company/african-union-commission-addis-ababa> <https://www.linkedin.com/company/african-union-commission-addis-ababa> This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and intended solely for the addressee and may also be privileged or exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you are not the addressee, or have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately, delete it from your system and do not copy, disclose or otherwise act upon any part of this e-mail or its attachments.

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