Visa Personal Payments is a convenient, cost-effective and secure way for consumers to send funds directly to recipients with Visa cards, both domestically and internationally. Equity Bank is the first bank in Africa to offer the Visa Personal Payments sending capability. Senders can use Visa Personal Payments to make person-to-person payments, send funds to friends or family members, or make account transfers.

Dougie Henderson, Head of Emerging Products and Innovation for Visa in Africa said: “As an African first, the launch of Visa Personal Payments, in collaboration with Equity Bank, will open up a new person-to-person money transfer channel to Visa cardholders. Consumers can use the service to send funds to any participating Visa debit, prepaid or credit card domestically or across Africa.”

The service in Kenya will also give Equity Bank Visa cardholders the ability to receive funds at no cost, almost instantaneously, from any participating financial institution originating Visa Personal Payments without the need to visit a branch or agent location.

Equity Bank customers will be able to send money domestically, and within Africa, to any eligible Visa card via Equity Bank’s ATMs.The service will also be available at Equity Bank’s Mobile and Internet banking channels in the near future.To make a transfer; consumers need only the recipient’s 16-digit Visa card number. Transfers are securely processed over the Visa network to the eligible Visa card, and the funds can be used at more than 29 million merchants and 1.6 million Visa branded ATM’s around the world.

“We are especially excited about partnering with Visa, because the company has a global footprint, is well established in Kenya and understands the Kenyan banking sector,” said Dr. Julius Kipng’etich, Equity Bank COO.

“With Visa Personal Payments, our customers will be able to receive funds at no cost. The cost of sending money through the service domestically and regionally is tailored to broaden financial access and deepen financial inclusion. For example, sending a Ksh 50,000 domestic transfer will only cost Ksh 50 while sending a regional transfer for the same amount will cost Ksh300. This service will make money transfer a more affordable and secure service for our customers,” he added.

The multi-currency, multi-company, multi-country system has a capacity of 35 million accounts and a processing speed of 300,000 transactions per minute.  This system is supported by Way4, an online Card Management System that has multi-institution and multi-currency transaction processing capability and has the ability to handle over 60 million cards with speed performance of 180,000 transactions per minute.

“We believe in this collaboration with Visa, because it gives our customers more value and is aligned to our vision of championing the social economic prosperity of the people of Africa. We shall continue to strengthen our business model through the enhanced use of technology and automation for a better customer experience.” said Dr. Kipng’etich

“There are 6.2 million Visa cards in circulation in Kenya and we are confident the launch of Visa Personal Payments will improve Visa cardholders banking experience. This kind of innovation demonstrates Visa’s commitment to projects across the continent that are aimed at improving the banking lives of Africa’s populace,” concluded Henderson.

A panel session during the second day of the East Africa Com.

The day started with an interview of Jose Henriques, VP of data and online services at Airtel Africa, who highlighted the importance of affordability of data services, both in terms of data pricing and of devices. He was followed by John Naranka, who gave the point of view of an OTT player: Kenya-based social network Whive‎.

The sessions covered the services that are most likely to impact data growth in the region – including content, mobile money, e-health, TV, mobile marketing and apps among others. Some keywords were repeatedly mentioned when discussing how to make services successful: affordability, user-friendliness and simplicity.

Safaricom’s Betty Mwangi-Thuo – who gave an update on the M-Pesa service – also highlighted the importance of partnerships to ensure the success of services.

The topic of e-health was covered by a presentation from a representative of Ogra Foundation, the event’s charity partner, which works with and for vulnerable communities in Kenya to improve and promote health.

The event ended with the AppGig, a new session dedicated to developing, promoting and monetising apps for East Africa. A lively panel discussion covered both technical and commercial issues. The audience had a chance to share favourite apps for the region, ranging from traffic news to education and health.

Next year’s event – to take place in Nairobi on May 20 – 21, 2014 – will again focus on how to make networks more reliable and affordable in order to provide relevant services for the region’s users. 

Until then, the next events in the Com World Series will look at networks and infrastructure developments in West Africa (Connecting West Africa, 11-12 June, Senegal), Digital services (Digital Services Africa, 25-26 June, South Africa) and trends in Africa’s largest digital market (NigeriaCom, 17-18 September).

mPayroll, one of the six mobile solutions identified in the report, will give people greater control over their finances, enabling simple onward payment of bills and remittances to family members using mobile money without having to pay ‘cash-in’ charges, says the report, commissioned by Vodafone with research undertaken by Accenture across 12 markets (DRC, Egypt, Fiji, Ghana, India, Qatar, Lesotho, Mozambique, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania and Turkey).

mPayroll is already being implemented by Safaricom in Kenya, where mobile payment service M-Pesa is paying exam supervisors across 60,000 schools. Recent research by USAID found these workers welcomed the time saved by not having to collect payments, the guarantee of being paid on time – particularly in the rainy season when trucks carrying wages are often delayed – and the ability to be paid without a bank account. This has reduced the cost of making these payments to workers by 86 per cent. The report says mPayroll could be used by 48 million workers, as well as offer business savings of US$2.8 billion annually.

“As an empowerment tool, the mobile phone is revolutionising the work place, thereby contributing to the emergence of a smarter, more efficient working environment. Since 2011, Safaricom has offered the M-PESA Payroll service which offers a quick, safe, convenient and affordable way for sending their employees’ wages or salaries directly to their mobile phones via M-PESA,” said Joseph Ogutu, Director Strategy and Innovation, Safaricom Limited.

Vodafone Connected Worker also highlights that mobile phones can be used to improve, and potentially, save lives in global supply chains.  High mobile phone penetration in emerging markets such as Kenya enables purchasers to conduct anonymous text-based surveys quickly and cheaply across their supply chains to gather information on safety and work environment issues, says the report.  Companies are increasingly focused on ensuring working conditions and pay in their global supply chains are acceptable. The Worker Panel mobile solution enables the gathering of anonymous data directly from factory, industrial and agriculture workers regularly and in real-time.

Vodafone Connected Worker found that the six identified mobile services could have wider financial benefits for organisations, saving them $30.6 billion by 2020 through improved productivity, while providing $7.7bn of financial benefits to workers. 

Other mobile solutions identified in the report include:

·            mIdentity solutions can be used to enhance corporate security and provide authentication for workers when dealing with customers. By 2020, this could reach 16 million people and offer organisational benefits of US$1.5 billion annually.

·            Job Finder offers a subscription-based service to match workers to jobs. It has the potential to reach 49 million workers and could match 12 million workers to jobs annually by 2020, improving livelihoods by US$5.6 billion.

·            Fieldforce Enablement provides remote access to corporate systems and facilitates better scheduling, enhancing the productivity, safety and effectiveness of workers. These services could reach over 30 million users, delivering organisational benefits of US$24.9 billion annually by 2020.

·            mLearning could deliver basic skills training in literacy and numeracy as well as job-related training via mobile. mLearning has the potential to reach 12 million workers and benefit organisations by US$1.4 billion annually by 2020.

Andrew Dunnett, Vodafone Group’s Director of Sustainability and Director, Vodafone Foundation, says: “Mobile solutions have the potential to improve workers’ lives and save money in the boardroom, helping organisations improve productivity, transparency and security. Whether it is mobile monitoring of the supply chain or using a mobile phone to pay wages, the potential for positively transforming the workplace in these markets, for both employers and workers, is significant.”

Justin Keeble, Managing Director, Accenture Sustainability Services, Europe, Africa and Latin America, says: “Mass ownership of mobiles in emerging markets enables western brands to connect directly to workers in global supply chains. Using simple SMS messages, brands can monitor workplace conditions in real time – supporting improved labour standards and workplace safety.”

The keynote session offered a great overview of the key trends, challenges and opportunities facing stakeholders in the digital market. A debate on the evolution of the ecosystem saw Michael Ghossein, CEO of Orange Kenya and Joseph Mucheru, Sub-Saharan Africa Ambassador at Google lock horns on the subject of partnerships and revenue sharing between operators and OTT players.

• Telkom Kenya CEO Mickael Ghossein shakes hands with Google Kenya country manager Joseph Mucheru while Informa Telecoms & Media’s Matt Reed and Shahab Meshki of KDN look on.

Richard Bell, CEO of triple player Wananchi showcased the diversity of the opportunities in the new digital ecosystem. He summed up the enthusiasm of many in the audience by saying: “The reason we’re all here at this event and the reason why East Africa is so exciting is because East Africa is all about innovation, change and growth”.

The other main subject of the day was broadband and connectivity, whether from mobile or fibre/satellite developments. The sessions included contributions from MTN Business Kenya, Airtel, Canar Telecom Sudan, PCCW/Gateway, Eutelsat and more. The conference in the afternoon broke into two sessions, one looking further into connectivity themes and another one looking at Customer Experience Management with in particular a presentation from Safaricom.

Meanwhile the adjacent exhibition was all about networking and business meetings. Over 25 exhibitors showcased their products and solutions for the market. A Speed Networking session took place during the morning coffee break, bringing together 20+ VIP guests from the region’s leading operators to meet solutions providers and vendors. The day ended with a poolside networking drinks reception sponsored by Liquid Telecom – a great place to unwind after a busy day!

“It is clear from the debates both in the conference and in the networking breaks that the East Africa region is a great hub for business in Africa” says Julie Rey, Research Director at organisers Informa Telecoms & Media; “We are proud to organise East Africa Com as the region’s annual forum to encourage debate and business deals in this dynamic environment”.

The second day of East Africa Com will include sessions on data strategies, digital services, mobile money, mobile marketing and the AppGig for developers.

The event continues tomorrow with various speakers expected to make their presentations. The two-day industry event is an important as seen from its online strength on Twitter where it ranked as the #2 trending topic in Kenya as indicated here and indicated in the image below.

DCA’s “.africa” logo

Below is the verbatim response submitted by DCA Trust to ICANN GAC expressing objection to its independent “.africa” gTLD bid:

“In its response to the ICANN Board, DCA Trust disagreed with the GAC Objection Advice published here.

May 16, 2013 – DotConnectAfrica Trust (DCA Trust), the contending applicant that submitted an independent bid for the .Africa new generic Top-Level Domain name, recently submitted another fulsome response to the ICANN Board of Directors to defend the GAC Objection Advice that was issued against its .Africa new gTLD application by the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) body within ICANN.

It may be recalled that DCA Trust previously submitted a response to the GAC Early Warning in November 2012, and was therefore adequately prepared to articulate another detailed defense and response to the GAC Objection Advice that came out of the ICANN GAC Meeting in Beijing, China.

DCA Trust submitted its response to the GAC Advice within the mandatory 21-day window that any application that has received a GAC Policy Advice is given to respond as per new gTLD Program Guidebook stipulations. The response by DCA Trust was submitted ahead of the general deadline that expired on May 10, 2013.  DCA Trust will publish its response document for general circulation after its details are posted publicly by ICANN.

In its response to the ICANN Board, DCA Trust disagreed with the GAC Objection Advice, and noted that its .Africa new application has not received any other Formal Objection on the basis of the four (4) main objection criteria allowed under the new gTLD Program. During the Objection Filing period that expired on March 13, 2013, DCA successfully defended itself against the threat of Community Objection that was issued by the Independent Objector for the ICANN new gTLD Program.

DCA Trust remains confident that the well-argued and compelling response that it has submitted enabled it to further substantiate its case to the ICANN Board of Directors. The new gTLD Applicant’s Guidebook provisions suggest that the ICANN Board is not necessarily expected as a rule to follow any GAC Policy Advice that it may receive. This line is also supported by the ‘Core Principles’ of the ICANN GAC.

DCA Trust therefore remains highly optimistic that the processing of its application by ICANN will continue, and that the ICANN Board would allow DCA Trust’s .Africa application to proceed towards Initial Evaluation and Contention Resolution, and that the GAC Objection Advice will not be implemented by the ICANN Board on this occasion.

Notwithstanding, DCA Trust in its response reiterated its strong belief that the only conceivable way forward is for the existing contention situation regarding the .Africa string to be resolved through a process of mutual negotiation and settlement between contending successfully evaluated parties as encouraged by ICANN based on new gTLD Program Guidebook stipulations.

As an independent new gTLD applicant that is participating in the program based on multi-stakeholder principles, DCA Trust would like to reassure its esteemed supporters that the organization shall continue to follow due process mechanisms to ensure that its .Africa new gTLD application remains viable and in contention for the Africa name string until final resolution.

In the interim, DCA Trust intends to continue seeking accountability to ensure that its public grievances and the issues of illegality that it has already highlighted would be given due credence and properly investigated by the authorities.

DCA Trust would like to thank all its supporters for the unstinting moral encouragement and goodwill that it has continued to receive from different sections of the ICANN Global Community.”

Located in the Dakar technology park, the first priority of the Orange Campus international site will be to offer development programmes to the 1,000 managers of the Group’s subsidiaries in Western Africa (Mali, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal). Managers from other Orange subsidiaries in French-speaking Africa – the Central African Republic, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo – are also set to benefit from the programmes on offer. In addition, the site will host managers from all of the Group’s countries through its international programmes, fostering diversity, which is integral to Orange Campus’s identity.

In 2013, more than 20 different managerial development programmes are scheduled at Orange Campus Dakar. The new Orange Campus site consists of several classrooms, a library area and an amphitheatre, and was designed to be configurable to the different teaching methods used during the sessions. Located next to the Orange-Sonatel Competency Development Centre, the site’s surface area of more than 300m2 can accommodate up to 160 people. 

The programmes to be offered at the Orange Campus Dakar site are focused on three main priorities that are designed to strengthen the international approach favoured in Africa. These include:

1. basic courses to give new managers the ability to take up their responsibilities quickly 

2. collective development programmes – the “collective challenges” – to enable executive managers to mobilize and develop their teams 

3. individual development programmes and management fundamentals to reinforce key managerial practices 

In addition, a “made-to-measure” offering builds on existing programmes while targeting the managerial priorities of each country and adapting to the number of managers participating in the session.

The creation of Orange Campus Dakar is an expression of the Group’s commitment to preparing its international subsidiaries to take charge of certain training events directly by supplying them with all the necessary educational components and offering them special training sessions for local instructors, both internal and external. Eight internal instructors have already been certified in Africa. These measures will be applied to each country, based on their needs and resources. Each country will receive the necessary support to allow them to independently deploy the Orange Campus programmes.

For all that, the development of the Group’s managers in Africa is not new. Since 2011, more than 1,000 managers in 11 countries of Africa, the Middle East and Asia have already benefitted from Orange Campus programmes through sessions organized within the subsidiaries.

The Orange Campus concept was created in January 2011 to promote cooperation, interaction and a shared foundation of knowledge and managerial practices common to all of the Group’s managers. Under the leadership of Stéphane Richard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of France Telecom-Orange, Orange Campus plays a central role in managerial renewal, with the Group’s men and women forming the core of the organization.

All Orange Campus programmes are now carried out at five dedicated sites in Paris, Serock (Poland), Madrid, Marseille (southern France) and Dakar, as well as in two Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean hubs serving several countries which bring together optimum managerial density and diversity. In two years, more than 20,000 participants with 42 different nationalities have already benefitted from the managerial development activities offered by Orange Campus.

(L – R): Huawei Technologies MD for Botswana Deng Feng handing over the sports kits to the Maun Tigers Football Club during the WTISD on Friday May 17.

Global IT solutions providers – Sweden’s Ericsson and China’s Huawei – joined the world in celebrating ITU’s Telecoms Day as well as the World Information Society Day (WTISD).

In its message to the global ICT industry players, Ericsson said that the day represents “an opportunity to reflect and look at the path we are on towards a connected world.”

Read the Ericsson message: “In the Networked Society, connectivity will be the starting point for new ways of innovating, collaborating and socializing. It will bring significant economic, social and environmental benefits to hundreds of millions of people.”

The Ericsson Telecoms Day message

On its part, Huawei partnered with Botswana’s Ministry of Transport and Communication in Maun to commemorate the 2013 edition of the ITU World Information Society Day under the theme: “ICTs and improving road safety”.

Huawei supported the initiative through sponsoring full sports kits to the community owned Maun Tigers Football club. In the past, Huawei has covered the Maun and its environs in the implementation of the Nteletsa II project, enhancing connectivity for thousands of citizens living the area.

“As a global ICT leader with local presence, Huawei is working continuously to improve the lives of people in Botswana and Africa at large, through our solutions and products. As a responsible corporate citizen, Huawei is committed to continue contributing to local communities in different areas such as social contributions, knowledge transfer, and environmental conservation to bridge the digital divide.” Said Mr. Abel Deng Feng, Huawei Technologies’ Botswana CEO.

Mr. Deng added that bridging the digital divide was a strategy and long-term goal of Huawei in the country to meet the needs and communication’s challenges through cooperation with local partners.

Huawei has had presence in Botswana for over 14 years, partnering with local leading operators such a BTC and Mascom to improve the lives of the people of Botswana through communication. Through the company’s localization strategy, Huawei Botswana has a 63% localization rate giving opportunities to local talent.

The ASR states that security risks rise in businesses are also on the rise because many employees adopt “my way” work lifestyles in which their devices, work and online behavior mix with their personal lives virtually anywhere – in the office, at home and everywhere in between.

“Each year, the security threats and defenses change as a result of one another. The Cisco Annual Security Report is our expert research, highlighting global threat patterns and trends.  Today, we live a blended work-personal life. The hackers know this, and the security threats that we encounter online such as embedded Web malware while visiting popular destinations like search engines, retailers, social media sites and smartphone/tablet apps no longer threaten only the individual; they threaten our organizations by default. This year’s ASR highlights this and other trends while providing the hard data, and ideas, for how we should be approaching security today,” said Raphael Stanley, Cisco’s regional sales manager.

States the report: “Today the trend towards ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) is increasingly impacting IT departments. According to Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG) Research 95% of organizations globally now allow employee-owned devices in some way, shape or form in the workplace. BYOD does however bring complexity when it comes to security and IT Support. The challenge that the Middle East and Africa will face with BYOD is introducing and managing a solid security strategy. As more and more employees are using devices for both personal and business activities, the issues with potential loss of confidential company data increases as IT departments are less in control. Companies in 2013 will have to ensure that devices have business application and data isolated and protected.”

Below are key findings from Cisco ASR 2013:

Android Malware

• Android malware entered the mainstream consciousness in 2012 with explosive growth and the first documented botnet.
• Malware, short for malicious (or malevolent) software, is software used or programmed by attackers to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information, or gain access to private computer systems.
• It can appear in the form of code, scripts, active content, and other software.
• Malware includes computer viruses, ransomware, worms, trojan horses, rootkits, keyloggers, dialers, spyware, adware, malicious BHOs, rogue security software and other malicious programs; the majority of active malware threats are usually worms or trojans rather than viruses

 Spam Trends

• Spam volume dropped 18 percent from 2012 to 2011, with spammers working “banker’s hours” for a 25 percent drop in spam over the weekend.
• In 2012, the majority of spam was sent during the workweek – Tuesday was the heaviest spam day of the year.

• India is the top source of spam worldwide, with the U.S. moving from sixth in 2011 to second in 2012. Korea, China and Vietnam round out the top five.
• The top spoofed brands involve prescription drugs and luxury watches like Rolex and Omega. (ASR)
• Spammers maximize the ROI of their efforts, targeting real-world events with specific and short-lived campaigns.
  • January-March: Windows software, which coincided with the release of the Microsoft Windows 8 consumer preview.
  • February-April: Tax software during U.S. tax season.
  • January-March and September-December: Professional networks like LinkedIn, correlated with the desire for a career change during the beginning and end of the year.
  • September-November: Cellular providers around the release of the Apple iPhone 5.

The Cisco 2013 Annual Security Report highlights the most important security trends of the year and provides tips and guidance to keep enterprise technology environments more secure. The Cisco Connected World Technology Report magnifies the threats outlined in the security report.

(L-R): Erick Macakiage-COO -SMOOTHTEL, Raphael Mwangi CEO- SMOOTHTEL,Steven Owuor- MD- SLUJAN Events and Lucy Gacheru- Director- BUSINESS Development – SLUJAN Events, during the partners’ sign-up ceremony.

Smoothtel & Data Solutions LTD has partnered with the Kenya Hospitality Trade Fair (KHTF) as “Technology Partner” with a sponsorship of Kshs 500,000 for the upcoming industry fair to be held from July 25th to 27th, 2013 at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) .

Under the theme “Re-defining the hospitality industry in East & Central Africa”, the KHTF is organized out of a growing need by hotel developers, owners, investors and industry professionals to engage and interact with quality focused suppliers.

SmoothTel has moved in to stamp its authority in the ICT sector and will be participating as Technology Partner offering various ICT integration solutions so as to ensure investments in the hospitality industry are sustainable.

Amongst the solutions the service provider will showcase to consolidate its stronghold in the hospitality industry as an ICT provider are, Unified Communication Solutions, Tell-Presence, Computing solutions, Audio Visual equipment, and Security, Safety and fire systems, among other services
offered by the provider.

Alongside KHTF, the organizer, Slujan Events in partnership with Eastern African Economic Chambers of Commerce (EAECC) will introduce the first edition of Hotel Summit East Africa (HOSEA) to be held on 26th July, 2013.

Under the theme “Investing in Hospitality Industry: The Next Frontier”, the conference comes as a timely business networking solution and viable point of convergence for organizations and individuals seeking strategic knowledge, C-level partnerships and insights into the region’s most promising sector.

(Left to Right): IEEE President, Dr. Peter Staecker, members of IEEE delegation and Dr Bitange Ndemo, Kenya’s InfoCom PS.

The Kenya section of the global Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE- read as ‘I triple E’) has confirmed continuity of a partnership with Microsoft under which a wide selection of software is provided to IEEE Student members and Graduate Student members for free.

IEEE Kenya section chair, Vincent Kaabunga said the offer by Microsoft for access to free software for student members and another initiative through which Microsoft inspires students into innovation through the IEEE.tv continues this year.

“These programs have inspiring benefits to our student members. They have helped create the fundamental foundation for students in computer science, robotics, nanotechnology and other fields of engineering,” said Kaabunga.

In 2012, IEEE students’ members in Kenya enjoyed access to free Microsoft software worth Ksh 50Million, according to Kaabunga. The value is expected to rise to Kshs 100 million worth of software this year following growth in IEEE Kenya student members register.

IEEE and Microsoft signed the partnership in 2011. According to the Kenya Chapter, the partnership with Microsoft and another program with IBM dubbed “Tryengineering.org” have been important incentives to engineering education among students. “These initiatives have supported the advancement of engineering and computing.  They have attracted new students into the engineering field and boosted innovation among students,” said Ms Anne Ndugire, convener of the IEEE Women in Engineering at the IEEE Kenya section.

The Kenya section was last year recognized internationally for being among most active IEEE chapter in Africa. Indeed, last month, the section activities caught the attention of Dr. Peter Staecker; the Global President of the IEEE based in New Jersey who led a high powered delegation to Nairobi on a fact finding mission on how the New York based organization credited with major global inventions, including electricity, telephony, wireless network among others could better support the achievement of the country’s digital vision.  Among those who visited the country included immediate past President, Dr. Gordon Day and Matthew Loeb the Executive Director IEEE Foundation.

A program by the IEEE university student members in Kenya where they visit high schools to inspire students into Engineering and another where they carrying out engineering projects together with high schools students in their schools  was praised by the visiting delegation. They were in particular were fascinated by a program in Kasiluni, Machakos where the university and high school students had combined to deploy green energy systems for their schools because the area was not served by the national power grid. Ends