African Tech Round-Up

There are three prevailing views on bitcoin and the blockchain: 1) that it's a scam, 2) it's one of the most fascinating technological developments of the decade, and 3) it's just another tech fad that's not worth trying to grasp, nevermind fussing over. View number three is probably held by the vast majority of people on the continent. This week, Tefo Mohapi and I (Andile Masuku) will try and establish whether the hype around bitcoin and the various useful applications of the blockchain (which Africa has so far tentatively embraced) is justified. Despite Wall Street's gradual warming to bitcoin, and companies like Kenya's BitPesa building clever service offerings on the back of the bitcoin blockchain, it remains to be seen whether bitcoin will go on to be widely accepted worldwide as a trusted measure of value, and whether the blockchain will be used to platform future technological innovation. We've decided to make featuring listeners' comments a permanent part of the show, and so this week we share comme

As long as "Microsoft" remains synonymous with "Proprietary Software" the jury will be out on whether proprietary software is superior to open source software (OSS). For many ardent proponents of OSS, this debate is mostly about rooting for the 'little guy', but in this week's discussion, your hosts Tefo Mohapi and Andile Masuku, will start a conversation about the pros and cons of both regimes, and highlight some issues that they think should headline this debate. Then they will leave it up to you to decide which of the two might be best for Africa to embrace, considering how important it is for the continent to create innovative solutions to its own problems, and develop marketable technologies that compete favourably against the very best in the world. Also, for the first time since the launch of this podcast, we're excited to feature comments we've received from our listeners following the passionate conversations sparked by our previous podcast around the the question, "Are Tech and Innovation Hubs in

Tech and innovation hubs are all the rage in Africa at the moment. With reportedly as many as 150 in existence from Cape to Cairo, these organisations are undoubtedly "da flava" in donor funding terms. However, it seems that the question of whether or not these hubs are actually effective at achieving what they set out to do is rarely asked. In his article "Startup Incubators in Africa and why they don’t work" Hotels.ng founder, Mark Essien, asserts that tech and innovation hubs have precious little to show for all the fuss that's made about their usefulness. In this week's discussion we try to determine if these hubs are truly a means of cultivating Africa's up-and-coming tech talent, and an efficient way to support the launch of the continent's next generation profitable (or at least, sustainable) game-changing startups. As usual, we also give you a run-down of the week's tech, digital and innovation highlights: --A quick update on Burundi's internet shut-down, --A brief summary of the latest insights gle

The word "startup" is often used loosely in the world of tech, and frequently worn as a badge of honour by individuals and organisations who aspire to the glamour commonly associated with modern-day entrepreneurship. In this week’s African Tech Round-up Podcast, Tefo Mohapi and I attempt to pin down a definition for the term and determine what business ventures qualify to be classified as startups. Our discussion is inspired by an article by David Adamo Jr-- a Nigerian Computer Science PhD student at the University of North Texas, entitled "What is a startup?" You can also expect a concise run-down of the week's tech, digital and innovation highlights: --News regarding an alleged internet shut-down by the Burundian government to quell political protests, --A word on the Malawian government's bullish move to further digital payment payment services, --The low-low on the assisted acquisition of Nigeria's Jobberman and Kenya's BrighterMonday by One Africa Media, --A glance at recent research into mobile handset

On the second episode of the African Tech Round-up we get an update on progress being made by iAfrikan and Ushahidi’s Report Xenophobia Initiative (ReportXenophobia.co.za), find out which African country Facebook’s Internet.org app will be rolling out into next, reveal details regarding the latest tech firm seeking delisting from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, prepare to bid farewell to South Africa’s largest e-commerce brand, examine whether or not the vinyl record is making a bold comeback and poke fun at an initiative that will allow South Africa’s business elite experience homelessness for one night. Be sure to listen right through to the end of this week’s show to hear us debate the role of diversity in Africa’s tech industry-- and business in general. We’ll pose the question-- does nurturing diversity enhance productivity and contribute to increased profitability? Music Credits: All Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Music licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 creativecommons

In the very first episode of the African Tech Round-up Podcast, hosts Tefo Mohapi and Andile Masuku share a little bit about themselves before diving straight into the Africa's most noteworthy digital, tech and innovation highlights from the past week. Most importantly, Tefo and Andile discuss a promising tech-driven initiative called reportxenophobia.co.za launched by iAfrikan-- in association with Ushahidi, that aims to nip the recent occurrence of xenophobic violence on the African continent in the bud (with special emphasis on South Africa). Music Credits: “Protofunk”, "Rolling at 5" and "On the Ground", by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Music licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/