Kenyan youth drive mobile applications frenzy NAIROBI (Xinhua) -- Kenya’s Fatma Balala’s stunning looks and oratory skills grant her automatic qualification for a marketing career, yet the 25 year old female is more comfortable in the brain wracking technology world. As an accomplished scholar, Balala is passionate on mentoring young Kenyans to realize their future dreams and contribute to their country’s transformation. Like millions of ambitious Kenyan youth, Balala is convinced that technologies and innovations will catapult the East African nation to the next level of socio-economic progress. She was among dozens of students who graduated from a course in mobile technology and innovations run by Safaricom and Strathmore University. Balala was feted for developing the most innovative mobile application that seeks to enhance management of students’ academic timetable. “Having been a tutor for several years, I am aware that poor time management and financial stress are major hiccups to a student’s academic performance. These shortcomings inspired me to develop a mobile application to enhance real time management for learners,” Balala told Xinhua in Nairobi. She graduated with masters in mobile telecommunications and innovations and hopes to reach out to learning institutions to sell the new application on time management. Dozens of students who graduated with masters in mobile telecommunications and innovations had developed outstanding applications that would change the Kenyan society if commercialized. The alumni of Safaricom Academy hosted at Strathmore University have come up with unique mobile applications that would promote e- commerce, education, public transport, arts and culture. Established in 2010, the Safaricom academy has been a training ground for young innovators. “A strong partnership with academic institutions has catalyzed development of mobile applications that address challenges facing the society. Mobile technology has fuelled transformation in critical areas like agriculture, health, transport and financial services,” said Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore. He challenged students to utilize modern technologies to earn a living while solving social evils like poverty, crime and conflicts. Kenyan youth, famed for their emotional attachment to a mobile phone have discovered that this gadget can be harnessed to create sustainable income and address myriad social ills. A rise in traffic accidents and the attendant fatalities pricked the conscience of Kenga Moseti who felt that technology could strengthen response to this challenge. The 26-year-old graduate has developed a mobile application titled CrashData to enable traffic police collect accurate data at accident scenes. “In Kenya, 3000 people die annually from road accidents yet there is no electronic data that can be retrieved by traffic authorities and civilians to inform the next course of action,” Moseti said. The CrashData is a mobile application hosted on Android platform to enable traffic police collect and store accident data. “This application utilizes camera, google maps, video and GPS to verify location and causes of accidents,” Moseti told Xinhua. He revealed that discussions with National Police Service have commenced to explore the adoption of the mobile application. Kenyan Academic institutions support public private partnerships to enhance the commercialization of youth-led innovations. Professor Izael Pereira Da Silva, the Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Academic and Student Affairs in Strathmore University, emphasized that policy and regulatory incentives are key to the flourishing of youth innovations and entrepreneurship. “We have reached out to the private sector to help students incubate and commercialize their ideas,” Da Silva told Xinhua. He revealed that Strathmore University has partnered with technology giants to mentor students on the basic tenets of entrepreneurship.
Posted on: Sun, 22 Jun 2014 08:34:57 +0000
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