Panel 1- Digital Economy
The launch of M-Pesa in Europe for the first time has been making waves
in Social Media in Kenya recently. The potential for the export not of raw
materials but of intellectual capacity, of innovative and disruptive
technologies, out of Africa is hugely exciting and a potential source of pride
for the continent. We heard from Safaricom on M-Pesa in our first Nairobi
Social Good Summit, in 2012 and tonight we will be hearing about how the
cashless, or digital economy is now taking on a life of its own.
Panelists
1. Mark Kaigwa, Nendo Ventures: Mark Kaigwa is the
founder of Nendo a strategy
& storytelling consultancy for digital Africa. He has published two of the
most influential African blogs of the past 6 years - AfricanDigitalArt (award-winning
African showcase for digital art & design) where he presently works as
Partner and Digital Strategist and Afrinnovator (leading East
African technology & innovation journal) where he served as Partner
until end of 2013. Mark’s
time in new media in Sub Saharan Africa has seen him launch mobile pilots in
Freetown, Sierra Leone, direct films in Kampala, Uganda, create an
award-winning video game in Nairobi, Kenya among other pan-African projects.
His repertoire earned him the accolade as a Forbes 30 under 30 Best Young
Entrepreneur in Africa of 2013.He is a writer and professional speaker on
technology, innovation and new media in Africa having spoken in over 20 countries
across the globe. Mark is the Ambassador of the Sandbox Network in
Africa - the world’s leading global network of innovators under 30 years of
age.
2. Denis Gikunda, BebaPay: Senior Program Manager
at Google. BebaPay, a card that can be used
to make payments in transportation systems, makes payments easier with
technology by Google.
3. Michelle Atagana, Ventureburn: A
fiery tweeter and digital native, Michelle Atagana has been hanging around the
internet since she was eleven, back in the days of Netscape. Later on, her
interest lead to her graduating with a Masters Degree in New Media and
Journalism, and her position as Managing Editor at Burn Media. She was named
one of Mail & Guardian's top young South Africans in 2012,
writes a column about technology in Africa for CNN,
judges occasional startup competitions and spends her free time
working on the final draft of her PhD. But Michelle says she's just a girl,
standing in front of a startup, asking them what their business plan
is.
Panel 2-Activating the Youth
One of the great things about Social Media is its reach and - as we saw
from the various forms of the Arab Spring, its ability to bring about rapid
change. A number of initiatives have been using Social Media platforms in
Africa in innovative new ways – particularly when it comes to engaging and
activating wider audiences – and particularly the youth – around particular
issues. One of the most profound issues is the environment. From food security,
farming in a time of rapid climate change, to fighting the poaching of
elephants and rhinos, social media is being used in innovative ways to activate
around the environment. We’re hoping tonight to hear about some of the ways in
which the youth, in particular, is being engaged and is taking on issues and
driving agendas.
Panelists
1. Julius Bett is co-founder of Mkulima Young: Bett is a farmer
and a senior developer at a local Media house with 7 years hands on experience
managing high traffic websites.He tells the story of applying practical
technology for the social good. A co-founder of Mkulima Young (http://www.mkulimayoung.co.ke) an organization
that integrates the use of Social Media, Radio and Website to help young
farmers access free extension services and market their produce online.
2. Brighton Kaoma is a youth activist with U-Report in Zambia: A 20
year old youth activist, Mr.Brighton Kaoma has been a UNICEF youth Ambassador
for 5 years and is a trainer under a program between UNICEF Zambia country
office and the Children’s Radio Foundation of South Africa which trains
children in Radio and other media production. He has demonstrated outstanding
leadership skills and passion in helping other young people in Zambia become
agents of real change. He is a co-designer and champion of the Zambia U-report
youth engagement SMS platform. He has
been a youth representative and speaker at various international events in
South Africa, Belgium, at the Hague, and
gave the keynote speech at the Maastricht School of Management 2nd
Annual Research Conference in Holland in 2012.He’s pursuing his undergraduate
degree in Environmental Studies at the University of Zambia and currently
serves as Zambia In-country coordinator (ICC) for the Voices of Youth Connect –
a UNICEF global network for in-school and out-of-school youth activists and global citizens. He’s
also co-founder of a youth led radio foundation called ‘Agents of Change
Foundation’ which aim at catalyzing a new generation ethical young leaders by
equipping them with both leadership and radio skills and tools.
3. BP Panwar, UNICEF: Chief
of IT for Uganda and an active contributor to global innovations
Panel 3- Solar Energy
Energy has become one of the most pressing needs of Africa, in our time.
US President Obama has made energy generation on the continent a central pillar
of his country’s engagement with Africa and both public and private
international capital is being harnassed to invest in and grow our capacity.
Meanwhile, on the ground, solutions to the growing need for energy are being
invented, built and developed on a much more localized scale. And the means –
in this case, using the sun’s energy as a source – tend towards happens to be
an increasingly sustainable model.
Panelists
1. Cindy Kerr, Sunny Money:
As SunnyMoney’s Global Marketing Director, Cindy Kerr leads global brand
development, marketing communications, media, training, promotions and customer
care for SunnyMoney's operations. She guides strategy, implementation and
creative development in all the countries to meet the social enterprise’s goal
of eradicating toxic, kerosene for lighting by the year 2020.Cindy’s efforts
are building SunnyMoney into a powerful global brand and driving sales
increases through promotions and advertising as SunnyMoney continues to expand.
With nearly 25 years of experience in branding, communications, advertising and
retail in the U.S. and East Africa, this dynamic individual is committed to
using her skills to uplift the quality of life for people in the developing
world. Cindy is a specialist in “bottom-of-the-pyramid” marketing, and
has lived and worked in Africa for six years. She received her M.A. in
International Broadcasting & Communications from Wheaton College and a B.A.
from Penn State University.
2. Jon Bohmer, Kyoto Energy: Jon Bohmer, made
the first model of the Kyoto Box solar cooker with his daughters then aged 10
and 5 years old. It was first just a project with his children, but later won the FT
Climate Change Challenge award.[5] He won the first prize,
since the invention reduced carbon
emissions by
eliminating the need to burn wood.
3. Mark
Wopicho, PowerGen: Mark Wopicho holds a B.Sc. in Energy Engineering from Kenyatta
University. He has over five years of experience in the Kenyan renewable energy
industry and has worked with multiple renewable energy companies. In 2011, he
co-founded WindGen Power East Africa which locally manufactured small wind
turbines for electricity generation and water-pumping. WindGen has since
re-branded as PowerGen and now offers complete turn-key wind and solar
solutions for the East African market. As Director of Sales, Mark forms new
client relationships and leads PowerGen into new markets. He also oversees
PowerGen's supply chain and manages PowerGen's most complex projects in both
the office and the field. Mark is passionate about renewable energy and
believes that it is the most effective way to electrify Africa.
In the past several years we have experienced unprecedented pressure on
the continent’s ecosystems, with the impact on those ecosystems brought to our
attention as never before. From
long-distance forays by militias and criminal gangs in North Africa to West
African parks explicitly to machine gun elephants for ivory to finance their
activities, to a huge increase in the poaching of rhino for rhino horn in east
and southern Africa, again often by well-financed, well-organized gangs and
cartels, to the less obvious but potentially more devastating impact of growing
populations and development across the continent, to the widespread impacts of
essentially imported climate change, Africa’s the environment seems to have
been hit by the perfect storm. But activism around environmental issues is also
climbing fast, within Africa. With us this evening are a group of panelists who
are at the forefront of efforts to mobilise around the environment.
Panelists
1. Trezer Oguda, Save the
Elephants: A media and communications officer
at Save the Elephant. Save the Elephants (STE) works to secure a future for elephants in a
rapidly changing world. Pioneers in cutting-edge science, their research
provides vital insights into elephant behavior, intelligence, and long-distance
movement. By understanding life from an elephant's perspective, STE is able to
map out critical corridors that link up protected areas, better manage the
conflict between humans and wildlife, enthuse people about elephant
intelligence, and closely monitor incidents of illegal killing.
2. Mutua Matheka,
Photographer: An artist
born and bred in Machakos and fine-tuned by Nairobi. I draw, sketch, mold
stuff, destroy stuff & occasionally create stuff… I have been drawing
and sketching since my mother placed crayons in my hands at just 3 years of
age. The art has since then morphed from Drawing, Illustration, Graphic art,
Architectural Visualization to Photography, my latest obsession. When I’m not
meeting a deadline or sharpening crayons, I love to get my adrenaline pounding
by riding motorbikes, mountain climbing, and (if I got a chance) para-troop and
ski.I am a graduate Architect from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture
& Technology (J.K.U.A.T), now fully applying my architectural eye to
capture Architecture, cityscapes & landscapes. I love photography and I
hope you can see that love by looking through my images. Together with David
‘Blackman’ Muthami and the UN Habitat, we are using my photography of urban
spaces in Africa to showcase a beautiful Nairobi and eventually Africa. Through
the ‘I’m a City Changer‘ campaign, we seek to change mindsets of people in cities especially
in Africa about their cities. Take a look at the ‘I’m A City Changer‘ page on my website to see the images that people all over the world
are sharing to show why they love their cities. To this effect we held the
first photography showcase for ‘I’m a City Changer’ in Nairobi that attracted lots of media attention.I’ve been featured in
Nokia’s ‘Teddy Bears & Talking drums’, a documentary (view here), ADA (African Digital Art), Afri-Love (Afri-love.com), BBC News Africa’s In Pictures,
Nation Newspaper feature, Kiss 100′s Breakfast show with Caroline
Mutoko, Zuqka magazine (Nation newspaper). I have won the
pioneer BAKE AWARD for best Photography Blog in Kenya, as well as being
nominated for the International CSS DESIGN Award based in the United States,
putting both Kenya and Africa on the Map in photography. My photos have been
used by BBC MEDIA, CNN, African Digital Art, NTV’s PM LIVE, among other media
outlets to showcase Africa."
3. Njambi Maingi, Hands
off our Elephants: Education and Outreach Coordinator
at WildlifeDirect. WildlifeDirect is a Kenyan NGO and US registered organization
co-founded in 2004 by Kenyan conservationist Dr. Richard Leakey. Its flagship
campaign comprises a winning combination of expertise including wildlife ecologists,
communications specialists, lawyers, politicians, media representatives,
strategists, and linguists, making us bold, influential, and successful. This
African led initiative is supported by Kenya’s First Lady, Her Excellency
Margaret Kenyatta as patron.
Panel 5- GPS/ Satellite
As you will have seen from the video introduction, the African continent
is being mapped at a pace that is unprecedented. From way points on GPS maps, to being sent
information on your mobile as your proximity to a point of interest triggers a
message, we are all being included in a huge digital map of the continent. The
potential applications are absolutely enormous and range from rescue work to
almost irritatingly commercial applications. How is this helping us? Tonight we
have three panelists who can tell us more about how their particular
applications are impacting not only humans but also the natural world around
us.
Panelists
1. Lindsey West, Sea Sense: Lindsey has lived
and worked in Tanzania for the past seven years and is the Director of Sea
Sense, a community-based NGO focusing on the conservation and protection of
endangered marine species and their habitats in Tanzania. Lindsey is
responsible for the overall management of the organization including the
implementation of the Indian Ocean-South
East Asia Marine Turtle Memorandum of Understanding and the Memorandum of Understanding on the
Conservation of Dugongs, to which Tanzania is a signatory state. Her role includes designing and leading
species research programmes, overseeing the implementation of community based
conservation initiatives, producing technical and financial reports for donors,
liaising and communicating with stakeholders, representing Sea Sense at
regional and international meetings and conferences and securing funds for the
implementation of the Sea Sense Five Year Strategic Plan. Lindsey is a member
of the IUCN Marine Turtle and Sirenia Specialist Groups and is Vice Chair of
the Western Indian Ocean Marine Turtle Task Force. She is regional editor of the African Sea
Turtle Newsletter and a member of the editorial board of the Indian Ocean
Turtle Newsletter. Lindsey also serves
as the Co-chair of the Tanzania National Sea Turtle and Dugong Conservation
Committee and is an Independent Study Project (ISP) advisor for the SIT
Zanzibar Coastal Ecology and Natural Resource Management programme. Prior to
working in Tanzania, Lindsey’s passion for species and habitat conservation led
to her involvement in a diverse range of projects across the world. Over the past twenty years, Lindsey has
conducted research into the diving behaviour of harbour seals in the USA,
reviewed the use of oil spill dispersants on the Great Barrier Reef, restored
habitat for yellow eyed penguins in New Zealand, studied transmission of
tuberculosis in Cape buffalo in South Africa and surveyed movement patterns of
badgers and water voles in England.
2. Rajeev Handa, Garmin
3. Bob Koigi, Farmbiz Africa :Bob Koigi is an
multi award winning journalist having won 6 awars 5 international and is the
editor of Farmbizafrica, a news site specializing on food security, youth and
agriculture and rural development. Bob Koigi has also been involved in a lot of
youth, women and farmer groups where he takes the information he collects and
disseminates it to the groups through farmer field schools with a view to
uplifting them.
Panel 6-Reporting the Continent
This panel could be looked at as the forgotten side of innovation,
technology and social change. The sector our panelists represent is often
maligned and usually taken for granted. Yet it’s the most common way that we
find out about the things are impacting our world. And the sector’s own innovation, use of
technology and social change that it brings about, often goes unrecognized.
They are the reporters and their reports are helping shape our continent in
ways we could never imagine.
Tonight, we’ll hear more about what they are doing, why and how this is
bringing about change for the better.
Panelists
1. Chloe Spoerry, Hivi Sasa: Chloe works with a company called
HiviSasa. It is a local news
website tailored for the mobile web. It brings county-level news to any
internet-enabled phone. It sources all its news stories from local
‘citizen reporters’ (i.e. anyone who wants to report the news) who are paid via
mobile-money for each published article. HiviSasa.com is one of the most far-reaching and
cost-effective media models presently available in the country.
2. Ken Oloo, Filamujuani: Ken is the founder
of Filamujuani (films in the sun) in the an organization that teaches the youth
from vulnerable communities in Nairobi on how they can use the skills they get
to earn a livable wage, educate themselves through college and high school, get
a career in the TV and film industry. He is also the co-director of Zindua Ltd,
a social enterprise, that does television commercial, televisions shows and
communication consultancy across Africa.
3. Michelle Atagana, Ventureburn: A fiery tweeter
and digital native, Michelle Atagana has been hanging around the internet since
she was eleven, back in the days of Netscape. Later on, her interest lead to
her graduating with a Masters Degree in New Media and Journalism, and her
position as Managing Editor at Burn Media. She was named one of Mail &
Guardian's top young South Africans in 2012,
writes a column about technology in Africa for CNN,
judges occasional startup competitions and spends her free time
working on the final draft of her PhD. But Michelle says she's just a girl,
standing in front of a startup, asking them what their business plan
is.
