No Tech Bubble Here

Kopokopo reports on enticing investment targets in Africa's tech industry:

Not only are there ample investment opportunities in Africa, but many of the tech companies behind them are capital efficient, have realistic valuations, and have first-mover advantage. With three fiber cables, a network of tech labs, a vicious price war between mobile operators, and the arrival of affordable smart phones, tech companies in East Africa in particular are positioned to capitalize on an exploding market.
Companies in East Africa are taking best practices and successful business models from Silicon Valley, too. Just look at some the consumer web companies popping up across the region:

Rupu (Groupon)
Mocality (Yellow Pages)
Dealfish (Craigslist)
PesaPal (PayPal)
Niko Hapa (Foursquare)

Even though LinkedIn, Groupon, and a looming host of other companies (Facebook, Twitter, Zynga, etc) are IPOing in the US, the IPO vs. M&A ratio is still 10:1. In East Africa, that ratio is even higher on the side of M&A (only 55 companies are listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange). That said, tech companies in East Africa are being made to be sold. When multi-national companies decide to enter the East African market, as MasterCard and Visa are planning to do in Q3 2011, their first step will likely be via strategic acquisition.

Related articles

• Bits: Thiel: Tech Bubble? What Tech Bubble? (bits.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Android Marches on East Africa (technologyreview.com)

How Open-source hardware suits Kitchen-table Start-Ups

Margery Conner of EDN interviews Dangerous Prototypes founder,Ian Lesnet. He discusses the advantages of Open Source Hardware:

What’s the appeal of OSH to a hardware start-up? Is there a problem with losing your IP [intellectual property]— your design? Why would you want to expose that IP?

A: We take as much as we give. We build on work that others have done, and it gives us a jump-start on our design. For example, for Dangerous Prototypes’ [new] logic analyzer, someone has put hundreds of hours of work into its code. All I did was design a PCB for it. The original code was written for a generic development platform. We wondered about the cheapest piece of hardware that could run this code. We ended up using a PIC microcontroller and Xilinx FPGAs and PLDs. They’re programmed with software that’s available for free—not necessarily open source, but free—so anyone can compile our source code. There’s no barrier for anyone else to do it.

If someone wants to take the time, energy, and money to make my things and sell them and, in doing so, publicize my company, why should I stop them? Even if we wanted to, we’re too small. I’m not going to hire a lawyer to go after someone; I don’t even have the time to write a nasty letter.

More here
via Adafruit

Related articles

• OHANDA: the Open Source Hardware and Design Alliance (boingboing.net)

Transforming Vegetables into Products

In Worldwatch:

Image via Wikipedia

At the AVRDC-The World Vegetable Center office outside of Bamako, Mali researchers and scientists are working with farmers to make vegetables available year-round through different preservation techniques. Theresa Endres, a community development specialist, is working with women farmers to determine not only which vegetables can be “transformed” into different products, but what products the women will actually want to use. Okra powder, for example, which is made from drying and then grinding okra, is commonly used in Mali for sauces; powdered tomato products, however, aren’t and the women prefer using fresh tomatoes for cooking...[continue reading]

Fermented Foods,The Oilseeds

In the Gherkins & Tomatoes,The Flavor Principles Out of Africa Series:

Sounbala/Dawadawa/Iru

In Africa, as in other parts of the world, fermented foods form an important part of the diet. Made from plant and animal materials, these foods are transformed into more intensely flavored products by the presence of bacteria, yeasts, and molds...Among the foods traditionally available to people in Africa are numerous oil seeds, used in a manner similar to the Mesoamerican utilization of ground pumpkin and squash seeds, which add calories as well as protein. In Africa, a number of different oil seeds are also fermented. This treatment produces alkaline fermented food condiments.One of the most commonly used seeds comes from the tree known as the African locust bean (Parkia biglobosa), a plant native to western India. Common names for the tree include stink bean, stinkboon (Dutch), arbre à farine (French), Dawa (German), farroba (Portuguese), and néré (West Africa).[4] Each tree produces approximately 25 to 52 kg. of pods per year, which in turn yields around 6 to 13 kg of fermentable beans.

More here
One wonders when will derivatives of these products become as ubiquitous as Soy Sauce which are in the same family.Watch related video on processing DawaDawa after the jump:

3D Printing with Solar Energy and Sand

Markus Kayser’s Solar Sinter Project, a fascinating combination of the sun,sand and 3dprinting

Markus Kayser - Solar Sinter Project from Markus Kayser on Vimeo.

Related articles

• ZCorp Shows How 3D Printers will be Used In Real Life (replicatorinc.com)
• Self-reproducing 3D printer for $500 (boingboing.net)
• 3D printing creating 'a whole new world' (news.cnet.com)

Tree Grapes

Worldwatch spotlights an underutilized fruit the Tree Grape:

Tree Grape courtesy of  B. Belem

Tree grapes are often sold in both city street markets and along roadsides in West Africa. In Burkina Faso, the tree is cultivated commercially on a small scale and the trees can be seen in and around villages. The fruit can be eaten fresh or dried like raisins for longer-term storage. The fruit makes an excellent jam, can be made into wine, and the pulp fermented into a potent alcoholic drink. The tree’s young leaves are nutritious—18 percent protein and 5 percent minerals—and are eaten by both people and livestock. An edible and water-soluble gum can also be extracted from the tree.The tree has important non-food uses as well. The seed kernel is high in oil, which is sometimes extracted and used to make soap and skin lotions. The fibrous bark can be made into rope, and a dark red-brown dye is also extracted from it.

More here

Tahrir² an Incubator

March of innovation spaces continues. In TNW, Founders Mohammed Gawdat and Samer El Sahn of Tahrir² discuss their incubator:

“The whole world stood still watching the miracle taking place in Tahrir Square,” El Sahn said explaining their choice of name. He describes Tahrir Square as, “The symbol of young generations, miracles and technology driven revolutions.”The incubator represents the next phase. “The ‘power of two symbol’ represents the second wave of revolution which is liberating our economy while empowering the youth by seeding this spirit, unlocking their potential and squaring their efforts while helping them reach the next level.”

Broadening the market for Ugandan Coffee

In CNN:

Michael Kijjambu, a Ugandan coffee roaster on the need to process commodity coffee:

"To me it doesn't make sense that coffee grows here, transport it green (unroasted) and then roast it somewhere, create jobs somewhere, and develop a culture elsewhere," he says. "All that can be conveniently done here."Kakooza has now joined a group of local farmers who want to oversee the whole process -- from growing the beans and roasting them, to the profitable end."We are aiming to see that we get machines so that we can start roasting our coffee from here," he says.

The Rice Reaper

Spore reports:

image of rice reaper courtesy of Spore

ISRA (Senegal) has developed a self- propelled rice reaper which should help rice farmers in the Senegal River valley to save time, money and energy. Powered by two driving wheels, with blades to cut the paddy, the new machine can harvest 2 to 3 ha per day. Developing the reaper has involved making a careful study of all stages in the rice sector, say ISRA technical officials. Designed for easy handling, the rice reaper can be moved from one plot to another, unlike large and costly combine harvesters, which only work on level, well-drained land. All spare parts will be made locally, so that repairs can be made swiftly...[continue reading]

Laduma Ngxokolo: Xhosa-Influenced Knitwear

In Design Boom

xhosa-inspired knitwear for amakrwala by laduma ngxokolo
photo by astrid arndt with stylist maran coates

Laduma Ngxokolo interprets xhosa beadwork aesthetics into a range of men's knitwear for amakrwala...South Africa produces more than 75 percent of the world's mohair, but due to a lack of sufficient textile industries in which to convert mohair into end products, a majority of the fibres are exported. ngxokolo wanted to utilize mohair in his knitwear as a means of indirectly contributing to the market share of local, particularly that of the small black community farmers.     

graphic layout of the designs and patterns

More here

Holland Car-Ethiopia

HowWeMadeitInAfrica profiles the first made in Ethiopia automobile, the Holland Car founded by Tadesse Tessema in his words:

Holland Cars 'Awash Executive' model

At first the assembly plant was only able to turn out one car per day, but following additional investments and facility improvements, the company currently has the capacity to produce up to six units. Tessema wants to increase this to ten cars per day. He also has plans to go from assembling cars to manufacturing the parts as well.
All Holland Car’s models are named after rivers in Ethiopia, with names such as Abay, Tekeze and Shebelle. Tessema says this is to emphasize the cars’ local credentials and to foster a sense of national pride.Plans are also underway to roll-out a biogas powered car. The goal is to not only assemble the vehicle, but to also produce the gas itself. Holland Car is, however, seeking further government assistance before going into full-scale production. “From the distance we have travelled so far, we have come to the conclusion that there is nothing to hinder us from manufacturing biogas cars here in Ethiopia,”

More here

Atelier Rwanda

Design Boom reports on the Atelier Rwanda initiative:

 'agaseks k’uruhindu' technique courtesy of Design Boom

...a research based project which explores the full cycle of natural dyeing in the context of contemporary textile production in Rwanda. the project, led by the designers Eugenia Morpurgo and Maya Ben David, was based on collaboration with local basketry craftswoman, a class of tailors and a group of students from the KIST University of kigali as part of a workshop which recently took place in Kigali.Currently, rwanda’s local textile market is based on imported fabrics. what is known as ‘african fabrics’ are designed mostly
outside of Africa. the aim of this project was to explore design possibilities in the field of textile while using local fabric, available techniques and the skills to support the identity of rwanda’s local culture...[continue reading]

African Pulp Fiction- Jungle Jim

The recently launched Jungle Jim is "a bimonthly, African pulp fiction magazine. Which features genre-based writing from all over Africa."

via Afrocyberpunk

Maker Faire Africa 2011 : Cairo, Egypt

From the Maker Faire Africa Blog:

Maker Faire Africa is pleased to announce our 3rd event, ‘Maker Faire Africa 2011 : Cairo‘ which will take place in Egypt, October 6-8th, 2011. Join us once again as we continue to cultivate new and existing maker communities across Africa. As was the case in Accra (‘09) and Nairobi (’10), MFA 2011 will present and spotlight the vibrant and endlessly creative individuals that have come to represent the spirit of ‘making’ throughout the continent. These innovators, artists and tinkerers will be exhibiting a fusion of the informal and formal; ideas, inventions, hacks and designs both low-tech & high-tech. From cuisine to machines, come see their re-imagining of products, exploration of novel materials, and original solutions for some of the continent’s most important challenges and opportunities. Maker Faire Africa 2011 will be a celebratory showcase of unhindered experimentation and curiosity.

Related articles

• Emeka Okafor on Makers Faire 2010 (makerfaireafrica.com)
• Maker Faire in the News, Media (makerfaireafrica.com)
• Maker Faire Africa 2010: Nairobi (whiteafrican.com)
• Local Innovation and Entrepreneurs (whiteafrican.com)

African Salads

In Thatchroom:

Abacha courtesy of Modern Africa Cuisine

Of all the things we Africans are accused of, being a people of salads is not one of them. We are a fiercely carnivorous lot it seems. Bring on the suya please, the kebab, the isi-ewu, the nyama-choma, the Nkwobi, the kilitshi, the dambunama, the asun, the tinko eran.. and the list goes on

But wait hold on:

Consider the traditional salad from eastern Nigeria called Abacha. As with most African foods, recipes vary wildly but generally, a ”dressing” is first made by dissolving potash (a multi-purpose seasoning, thickener, tenderizer etcetera made from wood ash) in a little palm oil, ground African nutmeg, ogiri (fermented melon seed paste) and water until it reaches a uniform consistency. The emulsion is then poured over soaked, drained, sliced dried cassava strips and you have yourself a base to which you can then add all or some of: ugba (sliced oil bean seed), ground pepper, crayfish, sliced garden eggs, garden egg leaves, uziza leaves, utazi leaves, boiled stockfish, smoked fish and even beans. No need to tally up the nutrient count there – its obvious.

More here

Shonga Farms

Nigeria's gain, Zimbabwe's loss. Think Africa reports on Shonga farms established by farmers from Zimbabwe:

‘Shonga’ farms now employ up to 4,000 people at harvest time. Crops include maize, soya beans, rice, peas, bananas, ginger and pineapples, and crop yields are increasing every year: rice yields are more than double the national average of 1.5 tonnes per hectare, maize, at 5 tonnes per hectare far exceeds the national average of 1.2, while on what is now Nigeria’s largest cassava farm 40 to 60 tonnes per hectare of crop are produced a year, as compared to the national average of 12 to 15 tonnes. Such is the success of the cassava farm that Nigerian Starch Mills is currently building a processing factory nearby. Shonga is home to a factory which is Nigeria’s largest exporter of processed cashew nuts and the largest milk producing dairy farm of its kind in the country. Climate-controlled poultry houses are under construction, along with a N2.9 billion (about $1.8 million) irrigation project which will increase the yields of the two-thirds of farmland not currently irrigated.

More here

Pivot 25, Nairobi

Pivot 25 East Africa's biggest mobile tech event taking place now:

About Building Construction-The Future of Mud

From Icarus Films a documentary about indigenous construction techniques-The Future of Mud:

Through the story of a mason in Djenne, Komusa Tenapo, and his family, this documentary examines an African tradition of mud architecture in Mali. The environmental genius of these ancient construction techniques—thick walls with tiny windows that keep the interiors cool despite the stifling heat—is expressed in strikingly beautiful designs that have won the town of Djenne designation as a World Heritage site.

via Blueprint

DRC reaps a bounty in Urban Horticulture

A testament to the potential of Urban Agriculture:

Cabbage traders, image courtesy of FAO 

An FAO urban horticulture programme in the five main cities of the Democratic Republic of Congo has taken a bite out of chronic malnutrition levels in urban areas and created a surplus with a market value of over $400 million..."This programme has increased per capita daily intake of micronutrients: different types of greens, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots and other vegetables, and as such is enormous help in the fight against malnutrition, especially amongst children and breast-feeding women in cities," said Remi Nono-Womdim, FAO Agricultural Officer

Urban gardeners courtesy of FAO

More here
Read associated report here

Related articles

• DRC and the Rhetoric of Despair (africaunchained.blogspot.com)

Learning about Crafts at GhanaCraft

Founded by Tracy Debus, GhanaCraft believes that:

Kente Cloth weaving courtesy of Ghana Craft

The role that the craft sector can play for sustainable development in Africa is substantial. This demands that private investors promote the Ghanaian know-how on the international market. This is necessary to enable craftsmen gain correct income from their activity in order to perpetuate it, maintain a production of quality and transfer their talent to future generations.

Meet the TED Global 2011 Fellows working within Africa

5 spectacular individuals with Africa related connections are part of the recently announced TED Global 2011 Fellows class. They are:

• Femi Akinde - Founder of SlimTrader(covered earlier) , the first platform in Africa allowing consumers to shop for goods and services via their mobile phones through text.
• Jodie Wu - Founder of Global Cycle Solutions, an organization developing and selling appropriate tech in the form of bicycle add-ons.
• Alex Odira Odundo (Maker Faire Africa exhibitor covered earlier) - Kenyan inventor of the Sisal Decorticator, a device turning sisal plant into fibre, and the Sisal Twinner, a device turning sisal fibre into rope.
• Serge Mouangue (covered earlier) - Tokyo based Cameroonian cross cultural artist + designer -- bringing both African and Japanese techniques into his work.
• Somi- East African soul-jazz vocalist + songwriter and founder of New Africa Live.

Related articles

• Announcing the 2011 TEDGlobal Fellows! (ted.com)
• Following the TED Fellows (timbuktuchronicles.blogspot.com)
• Meet Kickstarter's new TED Fellows curated page (ted.com)

Neil Gershenfeld: The Future of Fabrication

In openp2pdesign:

Neil Gershenfeld at Maker Faire Bay Area 2011 explains Fabbing and Fab Labs and current state of the research about digital fabrication as the act of embodying computation. From machines that make machines to code that becomes an object, like information does in proteins. Note the sentence “the killer app for digital fabrication is personal fabrication”.

Related articles

• The Mainstreaming of Open Design (timbuktuchronicles.blogspot.com)

Fabio Bicycles

"...First African Bicycle Information Organization (FABIO) is an organization dedicated to employing non-motorized transportation as a tool to make life better for those stricken by poverty...". In the words of the founder Patrick Kayemba:

Courtesy of Re-Cycle

"A bicycle in Africa means access," Kayemba ..."You have a bicycle, you have access to income, clean water, social services, different places of work, a means to carry goods," he said. "It is not for leisure, it is not for reducing weight - here, a bike is life."

More here

Read about "Bikes Helping to Lift a Nicaraguan City From Poverty"

Car Diagnostics Company-Endy Motors

Tekedia interviews Endy N. Ndubuisi founder of automobile diagnostics company Endy Motors:

TK-Tell us the challenges your business is facing
New cars are causing problems to us. Nigerians must be fearful – our mechanics cannot maintain modern computerized cars. Car diagnostics technologies provide more business threats than lack of electricity. At least in electricity, we know what to do when light comes. But we have seen new cars and just tell the owner, we cannot help you. The nation must wake up and help develop the knowledge base of the mechanics. I am very happy that after working with Trade Certificates for two decades, I went back and got my bachelor degree. Today, I am hopeful and my business looks positive. Now, I can operate those tools and business has expanded from Owerri to Onitsha and across the entire East

More here

Nkyea Learning Systems

Nkyea Learning Systems "creates African language-learning software products" They state:

Nkyea Basic Swahili iPhone and iPad App

If you are eager to explore Africa and understand its diversity, if you have your mind set on learning African languages, and if you understand the power of effective communication, then you've come to the right place!

Munaluchi Magazine

Atlanta Post speaks with Jacqueline Nwobu co-founder of bridal magazine,Munaluchi:

Ibok Oduro- Scientist

Seedling Labs Fellow Ibok Oduro discusses her work:

Image of Ibok Oduro courtesy of Seedling Labs

My research interest basically involves screening, identifying and enhancing useful compounds present in natural products. We use these compounds for the development of innovative food products. Another direction is encouraging the use and development of underutilized food crops by investigating and characterizing their nutraceutical and physiochemical properties. There is no reason why food cannot be both nutritious and therapeutically useful. Moreover, growing these underutilized foods provides income to some of the poorest people in West Africa.

Watch related Seedling Labs ambassadors video after the jump:

Tools for your Lean Hardware Startup

Its no longer that difficult to get your Hardware Startup up and running: Adafruit reports:

The latest trend among chip manufacturers is to sell really inexpensive development boards. Thanks primarily to mobile phones, components are getting smaller and smaller so bread-boarding is often out of the questions. You don’t just pull out your soldering iron to attach six leads to a component that measures 2 by 2 mm. The best way to work a new part into your design is to buy a development board. I think most manufacturers now charge less than USD 50 for processor development boards. If you don’t need a development board, they will give you samples of most any part for free. Unless they are National Semiconductor who won’t even let you view their promotional material if you don’t register first with a corporate-looking email address.

Learning By Doing

From Teachamantofish Uganda:

Angela being trained on using the internet so she can assist customers at the business

...Thanks to Angela whose enthusiasm and flexibility ensured that she and her best friend Allen were the first students to work on the computer business. They were trained on how to record transactions in the cash book and opening email accounts so they can assist customers who want to use email for the first time...In total, 16 certificates were awarded to students who have been involved in the operational businesses. The headmaster showed his appreciation for their efforts by offering them new exercise books for next term. The canteen and agricultural managers are hopeful that rewarding hard working students will encourage respect and participation by others.

More here

Nairobi Women’s Hospital

In Kenya and founded by Sam Thenya:

The Nairobi Woman's Hospital is the first of its kind in the East and Central African region and for the past nine years we have seen the rapid growth and change of face of the Nairobi Women’s Hospital in reproductive healthcare issues. We specialize in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, but are also competent to handle all other general, medical and surgical conditions that require specialized care; we have consultants in all fields of medicine.We are currently in our first phase of expansion with two hospitals under our wings- The Nairobi Women's Hospital- Hurlingham and The new Nairobi Women's Hospital- Adams.We intend to continue with this expansion, even as we endeavor to bring quality health care near you. Our Ongata Rongai branch is in the final stages of construction while Mombasa and Eastlands branches are within sight.

Following the TED Fellows

From the TED Blog:

Mohammed Bah Abba courtesy of Rolex Awards

Experimental, organic, and polymathic, the TED Fellows program continues to provoke, inspire – and defy convention. The initiative was inspired by the success of 100 groundbreaking Fellows from around Africa at TED Global in 2007, which included Alexandra Graham, cofounder of Lagray Chemicals, the first vertically integrated pharmaceutical manufacturing company in West Africa;Mohammed Bah Abba, innovator behind the pot-in-pot cooling device;Ainea Kimaro, biogas evangelist, whose work has reached from Rwanda to Tanzania; and Segeni Ngethe, founder of Kenyan e-commerce pioneer Mama Mikes...[continue reading]