Monday March 31, 2014

The solutions offered by the Google Africa Connected success stories competition finalists are viable in all developing societies. Adopt them. (Part 2)

In the next five years, 7 out of the world’s 10 fastest growing economies are predicted to be in Africa, and the internet is playing an important part in this. The internet is connecting virtually everything and everyone that needs another part to be complete and functional. 

The solutions provided by these ten finalists needed the internet to come to full life. They needed to be shared:

African Connected Competition finalist Steve Kyenze. He runs Uwezo Slum Gallery in Kibera where he nurtures and sells children's art for their school fees and upkeep.

In the sprawling slums of Kibera where almost every kid is unsure of having the next meal, one bright artist has found a way of helping these children sustain themselves. Steve Kyenze runs the Uwezo Slum Gallery in Kibera, Nairobi where he works with poor children, nurtures their talent, helps them sell their paintings and gives the funds from these sales to their parents for school fees. He uses Google search to find inspiring images which the children can use to develop their own paintings. 


With the launch of the first modern art auction in East Africa last year by the Circle Art Agency in Nairobi, Kenya definitely positioned itself as the most strategic place to be an artist in East Africa. This consequently means that art can be tapped into more to be an independent avenue for revenue generation by artists and other art interested parties. The application of technology as used by Steve Kyenze  and the kids in Kibera for art development purposes is just one way of using technology as a source for inspiration for art projects and marketing for the same. 

Steve talking inside his gallery.

More people need to adapt the use of technology as a way of marketing their works to the international market. The internet is the largest data bank there is on virtually everything. Art clubs need to be created in schools and communities where children will then be guided in making art that can be marketed in the same way Steve does in Kibera. 

What’s troubling though is the scrapping of art from the system in primary schools. Thank you Steve for providing a solution to many challenges among them - providing an activity that gets children busy while they do something they enjoy instead of getting into drugs and perpetuating a culture of crime and also providing funds for their upkeep through their own efforts. What’s most important though is the fact that these kids now understand the power of the internet as a tool that can be used to alleviate poverty.

Ghanaian Christopher Panford. His brilliant vehicle tracking system that uses Google Maps give financial institutions assurance that their loaned cars are safe.Hence, more loans are given.Taxi business is a source of employment for many people in urban areas

Christopher Panford is an ingenious Ghanaian. He has found a way to convince banks and other financial institutions to give car loans to Ghanaians and give them assurance that their cars and loans are always protected. This way, more and more people have taken loans and are taking their taxi businesses more seriously compared to other taxi drivers who might lazy around because they don’t own the cars they drive. 

Christopher has a vehicle tracking device that uses Google Maps to track and constantly monitor the location of the cars. Apart from assuring the financial institutions that their loans are safe at all times, these devices can also be used in tracking lost vehicles when such unfortunate incidences do take place. Car theft is a widespread crime in Kenya where the stolen vehicles are usually sold off in the neighboring Tanzania and Kenya. The devices Christopher uses if used by car and cab owners in Kenya can greatly aid  in the recovery of stolen vehicles. 

More importantly, the assurance Christopher gives lending institutions through his devices if transplanted in the Kenyan environment can aid many people secure car loans for business purposes. With the high unemployment rates in Kenya and a considerably low driver’s and taxi license fee, plus the possibility of using inherited land as security for the loan, interested people can incorporate Christopher’s tracking system and provide employment for other people.