My Door Handle is attempting to address this very problem: http://mydoorhandle.com/ However, Andy brings up an important point. The fact that one can get pizza from Naked Pizza or Hashmi or Chowpaty (excellent vegetarian Indian food btw) actually betrays the problem. These are local businesses with local knowledge. The purpose of a standard addressing system is to allow anybody to find a residential or commercial location in order to service them quickly and without requiring deep local expertise. It's not just boda boda drivers who need to know how to find places, software developers writing delivery routines in Germany need to know, and American scientists doing water distribution projects need to know, and Indian cell tower planners need to know. The answer to the question, "does the lack of a physical addressing system stifle the potential in Nairobi?" is a qualified "yes". Companies will find a way around the problem, and they'll keep on doing it so the potential of Nairobi isn't completely stifled. Nonetheless, this is one of the problems that simply has to be solved and the only question is 'when', not 'if'. I personally think it's incumbent on government leaders to be tackling all of the 'when' problems now because every year that they wait is simply another year of lower efficiency that could have been used to "promote the general Welfare". -Adam --- OpenStack for Africa: http://signup.kili.io Musings: https://twitter.com/varud About Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamcnelson On Mon, May 20, 2013 at 1:02 PM, Andrea Bohnstedt < andrea.bohnstedt@ratio-magazine.com> wrote:
Ask the people who deliver things?
Naked Pizza and Hashmi have stored my address with my phone number - and yes, it contains my formal street address plus the details on how to find it. When I place an order, they reconfirm that I'm still at the same address. Plus their delivery person usually has my phone number with him just in case he gets lost (yay for technology - and pizza, obvs).
I think it's a bit more tedious the first time you order when you have to give detailed directions - but if a company is smart and saves those, then that cuts down on processing time with each additional order.
On 20 May 2013 12:49, Andy G <andy.gesora@gmail.com> wrote:
So Nairobi is the most advanced city in East and Central Africa.... So JP Morgan has just been granted a licence to setup a rep office in Nairobi.... So most of the iNGO's and corporates have set up in Nairobi.... So Nairobi is the pioneer in alternative payment systems aka mPesa....
But does the lack of a physical addressing system stifle the potential in Nairobi? CCN previously tried address most buildings in town, but no one ever quotes the "22 Kimathi Street" when corresponding.
A majority of tech startups in Kenya today are web based, with mobile technology (payment systems) providing an overwhelming support system. A friend once quoted as saying 95% of his online payments were on mobile money. We have lots of tech companies that have tried building solutions to make it easier for Nairobi's consumers.... from ordering food online, to shopping, to casual labour, to ticketing... name it. But the achilles heel always remains addressing. Where do i as a tech startup owner send your goods to in Buruburu once you have bought? Or if i have a party and order for drinks online, how does someone deliver in some flats named "Pearl apartments" deep in langata on a nodescript dirt road?
Would perhaps naming of streets and physical addressing help solve lots of issues in Nairobi as well as create many mid level startups and thus jobs that we are so desperately seeking?
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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.