This workshop is part of the Business Building Workshop Series 2012 which are based on the SAFIPA ICT and Mobile Business Building Programme originally compiled by RIIS for ICT and mobile entrepreneurs, small business owners/managers and IT departments across all sectors.   The ‘Business Building Workshop Series 2012′′ is designed for all, and is open to other sectors beyond the ICT and Mobile Industries.

The two-day workshop will be held on Wednesday, 11 April to Thursday, 12 April 2012 from 8:00 to 16:30.    The cost is R 1,950.00 per person (incl. VAT).  SAINe members and groups of 5 and more are able to receive a 10% discount.  There is also the opportunity to Refer-a-friend and get a R500.00 discount!  The workshop venue has been sponsored by the Bandwidth Barn and will be held at the following address:  5th Floor, 125 Buitengracht Centre, Buitengracht Street, Cape Town.

Click here to register now!

Is this workshop for you? The answer is ‘yes’ if you are an entrepreneur, small business owner, the CEO or employee of an ICT and mobile SMME, a new product developer, IT developer or project manager.  In fact, anyone who would like to start their own ICT and mobile business is encouraged to attend.  And if you or your company is not in the ICT and mobile industries, yet would like to learn more about the benefits of using new technologies in your business, the Business Building Workshop Series is also for you.

The programme includes topics ranging from concept stage, the nuts and bolts of the ICT and mobile business,  through to the big-picture considerations and context.

The workshop will cover the following topics:

• Planning your Business in the Knowledge Economy Paradigm

• Funding, Pitching and Support
• Branding and Marketing your Business
• Networking and Communication
• Intellectual Property (IP), Technology trends –roadmaps and -transfer; Mobile Technologies and Platforms

For more information about this workshop and the speakers please click here.

CampusNet is excited to announce the launch of their Virtual World.  The value of this virtual online space is that it can be used for live interactive training sessions as well as meetings, without the need to travel.

The Virtual World comprises of a number of ‘spaces’ such as the Auditorium, where students can browse, register and enrol for courses through the Auditorium Virtual Academy (AVA).  There is also the Meeting and Lecture room, which hosts live, interactive training sessions.  Added to this is an Exhibition showcase where product launches and conferences can be held.  A Community Centre environment is also available, and will offer NGO’s and other organisations the opportunity to showcase their initiatives, provide interactive information boards and facilitate live interactive training sessions & meetings.

Full two-way communication is possible via built in VoIP, webcam and text messages as well as full presentation facilities, document sharing and interactive information boards.

Keith Maree, the project leader, says of the initiative:

I think this is the way forward for live interactive training sessions, meetings and for providing unified communications and information to organisations and communities.”

The CampusNet Virtual World enterprise solution for collaboration will give organisations the ability to provide an engaging and immersive alternative to existing operational and training regimes.  The Virtual World is compatible with both Windows and Mac computers, and added to this, it is mobile enabled.   Given the fact that the market demand for augmented reality environments is rapidly increasing, CampusNet’s Virtual World seems to be perfectly postitioned.

For more information, contact Keith Maree directly at: kmaree@email.com

See the Virtual World at  http://hostavirtualevent.com/campusnet and register.   Contact Keith Maree at the above email address to request a personal online tour of the facilities.

The Virtual World brochure can be downloaded here:

The “My Meraka Innovation Handbook” is a fantastic, interactive document that promises to take you on a journey of discovery and actualisation of the process of innovation.  And it’s now available for download here.

The handbook provides both byte-sized info blurbs and passages on thought-provoking topics such as “Innovator vs Inventor”, “How to be an elegant thinker” and “The joy of inventing”.  These are found alongside valuable and easy-to-understand explanations on topics such as patents, technology transfer, and open source guidelines.  Also included are topics that specifically relate to the CSIR’s innovation process.

The handbook is part of Meraka’s Technology Transfer project which sought to build capacity within the CSIR Meraka Institute around intellectual property (IP) and  technology transfer issues.   The project, managed by Nicki Koorbanally who is the R&D Outcomes Manager responsible for both IP and technology transfer issues  at the CSIR Meraka Institute,  was supported by SAFIPA.  As Nicki explained at SAFIPA’s conference at the end of last year, the project has explored the idea of translating intellectual assets into impact: “Technology transfer and commercialisation should not be discussed at the end of R&D projects; rather, these concepts must be considered throughout the entire process.”  She adds, “Innovation is an every day task rather than a mysterious, genius type intervention!  We need to think of innovators as real people.”

Thus, this is a handbook for real people.  It is highly interactive with puzzles, brainteasers, exercises and space for making notes and thinking-writing out ideas and steps.  Interspersed amongst these are interesting and entertaining case studies and quotes from some of the world’s leading innovators.

Because the handbook is large in size, we have broken it into 6 parts to enable comfortable download in pdf:

	Download Handbook Part 1 Pages 1 to 6		Download Handbook  Part 2 Pages 7 to 16
	Download Handbook Part 3 Pages 17 to 28		Download Handbook Part 4 Pages 29 to 38
	Download Handbook Part 5 Pages 39 to 50		Download Handbook Part 6 Pages 51 to 62

With the first month of 2012 already under our collective belt, we caught up with SAFIPA-supported projects to find out what 2012 has in store for them.  In this article we share developments within FBSA, Reed House Systems, CampusNet, JamiiX, WhereisMyTransport and LiftclubSA.

FBSA brings out the bubbly at Bloekombos!

Fireworks image from Flickr by Bayasaa CC-BY

First Business South Africa (FBSA) has already had some extremely heartening developments within their initiative.  Tim White, the founder of FBSA says, “2012 might just be the year that we have all been waiting for!  Finally our facility has its power and so we are able to take the next important steps.”

Tim refers to the Bloekombos Uluntu Plaza, which is FBSA’s living lab business incubator, and which also happens to be an African first!  The project involves the establishment of a business training centre, or incubator, at which previously unemployed learner-workers are placed in retail based micro-enterprises, backed by a fully integrated supply chain and business services platform, whilst engaging in skills programmes and learnerships to embed the required knowledge.  The Plaza is an initiative of City of Cape Town Local Areas human and Economic Development department (LAED). The business incubator provides an unprecedented opportunity for suppliers and manufacturers to participate actively in the local economic development of South Africa.

During the latter part of 2011, implementation of the project was hampered by delays in the electrification of the plaza.  Whilst having to endure a number of frustrating months until power was finally delivered to the plaza, Tim can now enthusiastically report that, “Our immediate aim is to attract suppliers and manufacturers to participate in the supply chain processes.”

No less than 45 entrepreneurs have been selected for the pilot project in Bloekombos, and real live business incubation will commence as soon as April this year.  There are currently 17 business business types in incubation which includes:  fruit and vegetables, dairy, baby shop, heath and beauty, hair salon, general cafe, cellular, fast foods, butchery, liquor, general grocer and banking / financial services.

Going forward Tim says, “A second follow-up project, starting this year to be completed in 2013, will see the development of an additional 15 business types based on different industries. Each business incubator is self contained and commercially viable providing valuable consumer goods and services to the local community.”

“Patient networking”, partnerships and development

Receiving a great response at the RHS/Teleweaver exhibition at the ITU Kaleidoscope Conference in Cape Town, 12-14 Dec 2011

In the Eastern Cape, the team at Reed House Systems (RHS) dedicated to Estima’s Teleweaver, have big plans for this year.  Alfredo Terzoli, the project lead, says that the development team’s main focus for 2012 is to create a number of end-user applications within Teleweaver, and to promote the platform for other ICT4D groups to use.  Alfredo says, “From a management point of view, the first quarter of 2012 will be dedicated to conclude negotiations with Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), which hopefully will be the next major funder that will support RHS’s transition into a commercial entity.”

The team has also received great news:  the Department of Communication’s e-Skills Institute for South Africa has informally approved an application made by RHS in conjunction with the School of Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University, to host one of their ‘apps factories’, namely the Makana Apps Factory.  And of course, as Alfredo phrases it, “patient networking” will also be on the to-do list for 2012; developing relationships with various entities, mainly governmental, that might potentially be interested in the activity of RHS.

This year, with the commitment to new developments and activities, will certainly further the mandate of RHS. Alfredo explains, “The purpose of all activities is to make RHS viable and able to fulfill its mission, which is to be able to deploy sustainable ICTs in areas where they are not present, or at least not present at an acceptable level.”

Starting 2012 with astounding statistics

The commercially successful JamiiX tool began its journey a mere two years ago; a journey that is far from over.  JamiiX, the web- and mobi-based counselling support tool born from a need to reach out to communities in the Cape Flats, continues to enhance people’s lives into 2012.   JamiiX’s commercialisation was supported by SAFIPA, and the programme’s legacy lives on with JamiiX being able to announce at the end of 2011 that they have surpassed 500,000 users being supported via JamiiX, and have processed more than 30 million messages with clients from 13 countries.  RLabs, the first ‘customer’ to use Jamiix, has recently released some staggering figures on their mobile social counselling: they have now passed the milestone of reaching two million people since inception, with people from 39 different countries interacting with their services.   The mobile services that RLabs uses are free, and JamiiX is one of the tools that has helped them reached these remarkable figures.

CampusNet launches virtual conference facilities

Snapshot of the Auditorium Virtual Academy

Not only has CampusNet recently had a website re-design, giving it a fresher, clean look, but the initiative has an exciting new product about to launch. The Auditorium Virtual Academy (AVA) will be coming online in February 2012 and is an exciting development that will enable virtual get-togethers including conferences, sales events, product launches and training. The facility includes management and presentation facilities, voice over IP and webcam communication, and document sharing. This platform will be available both for hire for a specific event, or one’s own Virtual Environment (VE) can be purchased for private control and use, running either on hosted services or via one’s intranet. For more information pre-launch, contact Keith Maree at kmaree@email.com.

WhereIsMyTransport’s ‘scary’ movie

The dynamic duo behind WhereIsMyTransport, impressed the audience at the SAFIPA conference towards the end of 2011 with their positive outlook and their commercially successful transport management platform.  The team gave conference-goers a sneak preview of their new marketing video which is entertaining and captures the benefit of WhereIsMyTransport (WIMT) in a catchy 2-minute movie.  The video is available on the WIMT website which has been re-designed as a funky, easy-to-access info that mirrors this company’s on-the-ball service delivery.

Overcoming those toll road blues

And finally, the Liftclub SA initiative might be the only ones giving Gauteng drivers a reason to smile this year.  Ashiek Manie says:

With the debate around the toll roads system, those Pretoria-Johannesburg commuters could band together and form some energy- and cost-saving lift clubs.

We’ll bring you more updates in the near future, so keep watching safipa.com.

The insights, steps and tips on how to run a successful code-sprint have been made available in the form of a user-friendly, Creative Commons licensed toolbox to assist other organisations and companies in using the methodology that was developed during the Meraka Institute’s very successful series of code sprints.

What is a code sprint?

A code-sprint is a dedicated training event aimed at empowering tertiary students with software development skills to improve their work-readiness and enhance their opportunities for uptake in the industry. A small group of students contribute to a real-world programming project under the guidance of a skilled technical leader. Through the close collaboration between the group and the technical leader, programming skills are shared and transferred, whilst key deliverables are achieved within the target project.

The Meraka Institute’s code sprints

The Meraka Institute (supported by SAFIPA donor funding) has successfully executed two phases of code-sprints, 2009 and 2011. 2009 consisted of two and 2011 having three code-sprints. The programme was a resounding success with 26 code-sprinters (tertiary students) participating over the two phases. The code-sprints programme has a well developed methodology to measure the growth of each student as well as other outcomes. The results extracted through the measurement methodology were extremely positive with clear indicators of the success of the code-sprint programme.

The first two code-sprint phases were hosted at the Meraka Institute. An opportunity exists to host the code-sprints at other development “hotspots” while following the code-sprints methodology. An example of a potentially viable hosting environment is the newly created “African Regional Mobile Application Laboratory” where the code-sprints targets are those of importance to the Laboratory at that time. Another potential code-sprint hosting environment can be a Living Lab, as it already contains the basic elements (various stakeholders such as students, communities and community innovators within a real life context containing multi-disciplinary challenges to be solved) required for the execution of a code-sprint. Tertiary education institutes are also well positioned to host code-sprints. With the addition of the code-sprints methodology, a technical solution can be developed, while significant knowledge and skills transfer are taking place.

The environment suitable for code-sprints

Traditionally the code-sprints have been focused on the ICT domain. However, the developed code-sprint methodology and extracted know-how suggest that similar outcomes can be obtained in other domains (e.g. various fields of engineering).

The Code-Sprints toolbox outline

Compiled as a downloadable pdf, the document is 19 pages in length and includes the following valuable information:

• The methodology of a code sprint: this outlines the associated tasks such as identification of a hosting organisation, and the need to appoint internal champions;
• Identification of a host organisation and the types of facilities that should be available at the organisation to ensure a successful code sprint;
• Outlining the different roles that need to be in place, which are crucial to ensuring real knowledge transfer;
• How to prepare for a code sprint, including the different types of personnel that are necessary, logistics and coordination requirements;
• The execution and implementation of the code sprint itself; and
• Wrapping up or concluding the code sprint.

The Moveecom trike on display at the SAFIPA Conference 2011

There was recently great excitement for the MoveeCom Mobile Internet Café (MIC) team when they won two awards for their innovative mobile internet café.

The first award was from the inaugural SAB Foundation Innovation Awards which were introduced in November this year. With a total purse of R1.5 million the awards aim to promote innovation delivering sustainable solutions to the daily challenges facing persons in low-income areas. Moveecom received a seed grant of R 100,000.00 towards further development of the project. And within the same month, the team were named Entrepreneur of the Year by the Polokwane Chamber of Business’s Annual Awards Gala Banquet.

The MoveeCom™ Mobile Internet Café (MIC) is an innovative concept that delivers access to IT resources, to under-serviced communities via a mobile communication unit. The fully portable communications system has been designed specifically for deep rural areas and poorly serviced urban areas. It enables communities to have access to technology and information in order to engage with other sectors of society and contribute to their economic well being.

The mobile unit is fully enclosed and is complete with two fixed monitors, two computer keyboards, a four-in-one scanner, printer, fax and copier.  The entire system is driven by a generator, and the complete unit is transported on a motor-powered trike. During development, the team paid a lot of attention to the design and sourcing of durable components which could weather extreme environments and be used on a rugged terrain. The mobile unit will provide a variety of uses, such as word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software; internet connectivity and real-time chat; general printing, copying, scanning, faxing and a mobile phone charging station.

Development is currently in process on the second version and there are a number of additional factors to take into consideration prior to launch, including finalising partnerships and legal agreements, SABS processes, and franchise-model development. However, with positive responses to the product having been received during a roadshow during 2011, the team is confident that they will make their planned launch for MIC 2 in the latter half of 2012.

The Entrepreneur Internship Programme is an accelerated learning experience for high potential entrepreneurs who have the capacity to start and grow businesses that can achieve rapid growth in employment size and revenues.

It combines experiential learning with industry exposure, mentorship and networking.Together, these components can help you to catalyse a cycle of personal and business capacity development, confidence and accomplishment that will empower you to translate your ideas into a sustainable business. By the end of the EIP experience, you will be able to develop a detailed “Go to Market” business plan that is implementable and provides the foundation to run a successful business with strong growth opportunities.

Anglo American has a strategic role to play in promoting social and economic development and is committed to supporting the national priority of job creation.  The Entrepreneur Internship Programme is designed to create sustainable businesses that can lead to meaningful social and economic transformation. Anglo American is interested in investing in start-up businesses that could, given time, work with its Supply Chain in future to supply a pipeline of products and services.

The application form can be filled in online at the following url:  http://www.aurik.co.za/anglo-form/

Thiru Naidoo-Swettenham hard at work at the successful SAFIPA 2011 Conference

The most recent ICT capacity building partnership between South Africa and Finland – the South African Finland Partnership (SAFIPA) – which was the successor to the COFISA project, comes to an end in November 2011.  The project has run over a three-year period managed by a core trio of locally-based personnel, overseen by a Steering Committee which included stakeholders from within the South African and Finnish governments, and with supportive roles undertaken by the CSIR Meraka Institute.

SAFIPA has began winding down active operations with the final programme analysis and reporting process beginning in late October.  Perhaps setting the tone for these final reports has been the SAFIPA Conference 2011 which was held on the 19th and 20th October at the CSIR International Convention Centre.  At this time the programme was hailed as a success by project donor- and implementing-partners alike.

“We have played with the best.”

Representing the CSIR Meraka Institute at the conference was Executive Director, Lourens Cloete, who also took on the function of Conference Programme Director and Master of Ceremonies.  Lourens described this bilateral programme as significant in terms of broadening the information society in South Africa; meeting this challenge through partnerships to develop networks and enable cross-sector cooperation, whilst leveraging ICTs to make this goal possible.

Lourens stated that Finland is currently at number 5 on the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index. He says, “In SAFIPA, we played with the best and have learnt a lot about Finland.   And vice versa, I’m sure.  A key thing that SAFIPA has done is to build a community of people interested in the issues of ICT for development and entrepreneurship.”  Lourens applauded the 25 projects that were supported by SAFIPA and which were chosen by the SAFIPA team with a combination of insight and a good instinct for innovative possibility:  “These are all projects with very real potential and some of them are realising this potential.”

Dr Jyrki Pulkkinen of the MInistry of Foreign Affairs

Two notable Finnish representatives at the conference, who provided insight and context to SAFIPA, were Aki Enkenberg and Jyrki Pulkkinen, both from the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).  Aki Enkenberg is the Counsellor for Science, Technology and Innovation at the Embassy of Finland in South Africa, and Dr Jyrki Pulkkinen is the Senior Advisor within the Information Society and Science, Technology and Innovation for Development within the MFA, based in Finland.  Jyrki, who presented in the conference’s opening plenary, outlined the ten-year bilateral relationship between Finland and South Africa, which has taken the form of a number of initiatives beginning with an education-specific initiative called SCOPE, progressing to the broad innovation-focussed COFISA, and culminating in SAFIPA.   He said, “Today we celebrate the conclusion of the SAFIPA programme which has been one of the landmarks and flagships of the partnership.  It is my hope that SAFIPA has been able to utilise all the lessons learned from these other initiatives that have taken place in South Africa.”

Jyrki critiqued the technical and innovation landscapes in both South Africa and Finland.  Of Finland, who used to hold the number one position on the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Index but has since dropped, he cited the reason not due to less innovation taking place, but rather to a lack of efficacy in innovation.  And for South Africa, who used to be comparable to Estonia on the Index, but now occupies the 54th position whilst Estonia sits at number 33, he highlighted several challenging issues:  “If you look at South Africa’s profile, there are aspects that make it difficult to compete.  It is not the innovation system that leaves South African at number 54 out of 140 countries; rather it is the basics of health, education, technology readiness, and infrastructure that need attention.  And these are the particular areas that SAFIPA has supported.”

Aki Enkenberg took part in the closing remarks of the conference and encouraged stakeholders involved in the broad bilateral programme to now take stock of the experience; to look back and to learn.  He said, “This conference has been a good platform for contemplating what we have done and how we can work together in the future.   It has highlighted the spirit of cooperation, collaboration and network that we have being trying to build, and has been an excellent showcase of the projects that have been supported by the programme.”  Aki urged that this should not be seen as the end of SAFIPA but rather an opportunity for stakeholders to actively take the learnings and opportunities from this programme, and implement these in the future.  He said, “It is now about institutionalising some of the learning and practices of the programme, and making sure that, collectively, we do not lose these.”

Building the South African information society

Takalani Nemaungani, Director of Global Projects and line manager at DST

The South African government was also vocal in their support and commendation of the SAFIPA programme.  Representing the South African Government were Isaac Maredi, Director for ICT at the DST, and Takalani Nemaungani, the Director of Global Projects and the line manager at DST, who together with Mr Mmboneni Muofhe, the Chief Director in the International Resources programme, was the DST representative responsible for SAFIPA. Isaac Maredi gave the conference opening and welcome address on behalf of the Director General of Department of Science and Technology (DST).  He said that it was with mixed feelings that he addressed the close of the SAFIPA programme.  He said that he was saddened because this valuable programme – borne from a long-standing relationship between DST and MFA – was now coming to an end.  But he added that he was also filled with satisfaction to see how SAFIPA had helped the South African government make great strides towards building an information society:  “We pride ourselves that SAFIPA has been aligned to Government’s broad socio-economic mandate.  SAFIPA has supported projects with a focus on e-education, e-health, rural development, innovation and entrepreneurship.  These are key areas that Government has prioritised and will continue to do so to improve the conditions of our people.”  In this regard, Isaac went on to say that SAFIPA had ensured that its projects supported the development of applications and solutions.  And further, SAFIPA’s key goals, namely institutional capacity building, support of the information society, the development of new solutions for end users, and the creation of networks and information dissemination, have been significantly achieved.

“A partnership of equals”

Takalani Nemaungani, spoke at the conclusion of the conference.  Having been closely involved with SAFIPA it was fitting that he share his insights.  Takalani, who gave a warm and heartfelt address, said that he was expressing the views of the DST when he said that there was a great sense of satisfaction and pride in what SAFIPA had achieved.  He said:  “Looking at the kind of resources that have been invested in this project, and being able to positively compare these to the outputs that have been delivered; looking at the capacity-building that was done and the new initiatives that were created; looking at the extent of the partnerships, synergies and networks that have evolved through this programme:  our view is that this has been a worthwhile investment.”   Takalani also thanked the partners and network that had been involved in the SAFIPA initiative and extended a special thanks to the MFA, the long-standing relationship with the DST he described as being a partnership of equals.

Takalani also mirrored the thanks given by Lourens, Aki and Jryki, to the SAFIPA project management team consisting of Kristiina Lähde, Thiru Naidoo-Swettenham, Lorraine Shikwane and Cleophas Dzinotyiweyi, who had contributed to the success of this programme.   In ending, Takalani raised the question that has been on everyone’s minds throughout the conference:  what does the future hold for some of the SAFIPA-supported initiatives, entrepreneurs, innovators and communities that have been involved in this project?  He said that the DST is both a flexible and open-minded department, which is always willing to engage with stakeholders on new ideas and new possibilities.  He said that, perhaps, this could be seen as the beginning of another opportunity that could be explored:   “I would think that there will be some challenges going forward. But I believe that the future will be bright, as long as we all use the lessons learned from SAFIPA.”

As the SAFIPA programme comes to an end, the dialogue between southern Africa and Finland, does not end with it.  Newly established initiatives, in particular, the TANZICT and SAIS programmes are set to continue the legacy of dialogue – of which SAFIPA is a part – that began a decade ago.

The MFA has also conducted an external evaluation of the SAFIPA programme and the external reviewers were complimentary in noting that SAFIPA overall had contributed to and fulfilled its mandate of supporting and promoting the information society within SA.  Feedback regarding project implementation and grant management was given to the PMO and certain issues dealing with selection of projects, reporting requirements and monitoring and evaluation will be incorporated into the design of future initiatives. In particular the mechanism of support by the provision of in-country technical assistance and guidance and the capacity development and networking programmes coordinated by the PMO were highlighted as key factors contributing  to the success of the programme. It is important to note that sustainability of SAFIPA funded initiatives was critical and the PMO is pleased to report that of the 25 initiatives supported by the programme, at least 22 will be continued after the SAFIPA partnership has ended.

On reflection of SAFIPA outputs

Former counsellor of STI and Information Society, Embassy of Finland and member of the SAFIPA Supervisory Board and Steering committee from 2008 to November 2010, Ms Helena Tapper also commented that “one of the strongest impacts of SAFIPA is the creation of networks of people who work in the same area in ICT. These networks will remain after the programme. Further, the universities, public and private sector have today joint projects to develop ICT services in South Africa.”

In her address for the SAFIPA Publication, Minister Pandor indicated that

The collaboration  between South Africa and Finland has made tremendous strides in support of government’s developmental mandate of transforming the South African economy from a resource-based one to a knowledge- driven economy. The SAFIPA partnership was one the instruments implemented within the strong bilateral and technical cooperation with the government of Finland and South Africa.”

Minister Pandor reiterated the South African Government’s gratitude towards the Finnish government for continued support to SAFIPA in assisting the country to realise it’s innovation-related goals.  The Honorable Minister also acknowledged “the hard work and determination of SAFIPA project partners who aspired to witness ICT innovation transforming lives of marginalised groups and poor rural communities.”

Kristiina Lähde, who was the Chief Technical Officer for SAFIPA, has moved to Tanzania to drive the recently launched ‘Information Society and ICT Sector Development Project’, also known as TANZICT. This is a bilateral collaboration project between the Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology of Tanzania (MCST) and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland (MFA).  The programme was launched at the beginning of August this year, with the formal opening ceremony taking place just a week after the SAFIPA 2011 Conference on 31 October.  During the launch, excitement and interest were high as people from across the world followed the proceedings via regular Twitter updates and live video streams from Bambuser (a free video hosting and streaming platform.)

But what is this programme about and what does it aim to achieve?  We spoke with Kristiina via email the day after the launch to get the inside track on the programme.

What are the goals of TANZICT?

There are three broad components.  Firstly, to have a renewed and updated national ICT policy with implementation strategy in place, that will include stakeholder participation and commitment.   Secondly, to work towards improved capacity in the Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology so that they can be the champions of Information Society in Tanzania, and in turn support other government departments.  And lastly, to create the Tanzania Innovation Programme, which refers to the creation of innovation systems and processes which support Tanzanian entrepreneurs and potential entrepreneurs in getting their ideas into market.  The programme is a four-year intervention and is hosted at COSTECH which is the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology based in Dar es Salaam.

Could you describe the would-be partners of TANZICT?

Everyone in the Tanzanian innovation system and knowledge society … !  Of course, our formal partners are the MFA and MCST.  These are the early days of the project, and it will be highly interesting to see how it develops and who comes on board during its lifetime.

The innovation space and the DTBi were opened during the TANZICT launch.  Is there any relationship to TANZICT?

Attendees gather at the innovation space for the TANZICT launch

Dar Teknohama Business incubator (DTBi) is a business incubator in the same building with us, and we just had a joint launch for both projects.

The innovation space was opened by TANZICT to serve as a physical platform for different activities and stakeholders.  It will help TANZICT by providing a meeting, learning, connecting space where the TANZICT people can come together.

DTBi is a separate, infoDev funded project although also hosted by COSTECH.

We have all come to know and understand the SAFIPA process of working.  Will TANZICT follow a similar process?

There is no one process for all of TANZICT as there are so many different elements to all the components. There are similar elements to SAFIPA, including a small support fund and an exchange fund, for which there will be a call or calls. TANZICT is mostly about collaboration, creation of networks and so on, for which it is difficult to say what the process will be.

In what way will TANZICT contribute to the Tanzanian ICT policy?  Is there a process for formal contribution to this policy?

TANZICT will support the renewal of the policy. The process is still being planned. United Nations Economic Committee for Africa (UNECA) will help with the processes.

Kristiina, how are you, as Chief Technical Advisor, feeling about TANZICT at this early stage in its development?

We are still very new, and right now we have more questions than answers!  Administratively and logistically we’ve had to spend time setting up our offices, and organising the official launch of the programame.  So the first few months have been very busy.  But we’re very excited now that we have launched and look forward to the opportunities that abound.

SAIS – THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN INNOVATION SUPPORT PROGRAMME

Perhaps someone who is not as well known within the SAFIPA network as Kristiina, but who many of the community were introduced to at the 2011 conference, is Peik Bruhns from Namibia, who represents the newly established Southern African Innovation Support Programme (SAIS).  This programme also looks at innovation and capacity building, so we caught up with Peik who is the Programme Coordinator to find out if there are any similarities to SAFIPA and what is in store for SAIS.

Are there any similarities to SAFIPA?

What is significant is the relationship with MFA.  However, whilst SAFIPA was confined to working in South Africa very specifically on ICT, SAIS will be working outside regionally.  We are piloting in Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique and Zambia.  And we are piloting the support of innovation, whilst  SAFIPA looked more specifically at innovativeness related to ICT.  However, we do hope to build on what SAFIPA has experienced and undertaken in South Africa.  Certainly there are a lot of key lessons that have been learned in terms of operations, the selection of projects and the process of selection.

Have you been in close communication with the SAFIPA team during the setting up of the SAIS programme?

In May this year, both the SAIS and SAFIPA project management teams met in Finland. At that time SAFIPA shared their findings to-date; they indicated where various challenges had arisen.   And Kristiina is still here within the African network, both providing guidance and taking the form of sparring partner!  We will also learn from the final SAFIPA evaluation.

When did SAIS officially begin?

We started on the 4th April 2011.  So in a sense we are in operation and have begun with putting country coordinators in place.  The SAIS programme will run for a period of four years.

The SAFIPA programme was called a partnership, and involved a dialogue – or knowledge transfer- between South Africa in the South, and Finland in the Northern hemisphere.  Will this also be the case with the SAIS programme?

As a backdrop to this question, the SAIS programme will ensure that there will be interaction on various levels and in various spheres.  Our desire is to establish links to innovation and this will include relating to the private sector, not only government and academia.  The SAIS network will provide the private sector with the opportunity to exhibit their strengths in taking innovation forward.  In the Southern African region, the private sector is far removed from these other areas so bringing them into the network will be key.

This being said, SAIS will certainly make use of all dialogue opportunities with the Finnish, although this will not necessarily be exclusive:  for example, there are exciting developments in East Africa, which we would like to explore. South Africa will also serve as a knowledge-sharing partner, given that the previous Finland-SA partnerships have given birth to programmes such as COFISA and SAFIPA, which have benefited the country significantly. Capacity development has taken place, institutional frameworks have been developed and interesting practices have come about which could be considered for replication in other countries.  In particular, some of the SAFIPA supported projects such as RLabs would be an ideal and simple tool for replication. So South Africa is critical as a knowledge-sharing partner both on the public side with Department of Science and Technology, where we are in continuous discussion, but equally the other side, at the business level. Our aim is to interact with people in real situations; to see opportunities further afield in other regions such Brazil and India.

The key issues in the fourth parallel session, were to look closely at the linkages with Government and the private sector, sustainability and further development, opportunities for replication and wider adoption within South Africa and in other countries, and the funding of future initiatives. The Living Labs South Africa, Meraka Code Sprints and Kujali Sociotech shared their experiences.

• Living Labs South Africa (LLiSA)
• Meraka Code Sprints
• Kujali Sociotech

THE ECO-SYSTEM OF THE LIVING LABS SOUTHERN AFRICA NETWORK

Professor Marlien Herselman from the CSIR Meraka Institute discusses Living Labs in Southern Africa initiative which is an embodiment of the innovation system where all sectors engage in the innovation process.

“The concept of a Living Lab is that it incorporates different stakeholders such as users, innovators, and institutions, who submit and support ideas as applied to a specific value chain. They collaborate to create, prototype and use new products and processes.  In the African context, what works well is a lab environment that caters for a user-driver approach. Successful developments can then be replicated to improve living standards more broadly.

LLiSA’s purpose is to create a capacity for understanding in terms of Living Lab activities in South Africa, and balancing the roles of the different stakeholders so that the stakeholder eco-system functions optimally for success and growth.  Most Living Labs focus is on rural communities and there is a clear balance between NGO and business involvement, with guidance from the academic sector. LLs can also be used by business to test new products, an example of this is FNB’s eWallet.  Likewise they can provide support to SMMEs and NGOs.

A recipe for success
What has made LLiSA a success?  It has been independently hosted at the Meraka Institute; it has a board consisting of NGO, industry, and local Government representation, so there is insight and transparency.  It is community focussed.  In its structure it is small and agile with regular interactions and workshops.  And the successes of existing labs can be shared to provide lessons for new activities.”

GRADUATES TAKEN THROUGH THEIR PACES DURING THE MERAKA CODE SPRINTS

Louis Coetzee presents the Meraka Code Sprints

Louis Coetzee of the CSIR Meraka Institute talks about people at the core of innovation and technical development, and how they can be empowered to contribute to society.

“Why did we at Meraka embark on the notion of code sprints?  The answer is that in South Africa we need software developers, and we need a lot of them.   The challenge is that upon graduating, most students are not work-ready; they lack the appropriate skills.  Essentially they require post-university training.   The code sprints offer a dynamic environment where the gauntlet is thrown down for students to get them to solve ICT challenges in a specific time frame. A mentor provides guidance, but the only way to solve the problem is through collaboration. Cross-pollination of learning takes place and everyone learns real-world skills.  This assists with the transition from being a student to working in the real world. The first year that we hosted the code sprints was 2009.  In the next session during 2010/2011 we had five code sprints with 26 participants who were students at various levels.  These were hosted and managed by the CSIR Meraka Institute.

The highlights and challenges
The highlights have been that there was extensive skills transfer to students.  The students were able to provide patch contributions to upstream open source projects.

The sprints have allowed us to identify and fast-track talent; for example, one participant became a Meraka bursar and another became employed as a contract worker at Meraka.  We ourselves, as the management team, also learned through the process and we now have a code sprint toolbox that has captured those learnings and which will enable replication by other organisations.

Some of the challenges have included accessing students, which also talks to the future sustainability of the initiative.  We found that the time frame is important in the academic year and must be coordinated to ensure that students can attend.  And internally for us there was an additional management load.

The track ahead for Code Sprints
Code sprints have been used successfully internationally. In South Africa, the Meraka Institute made the sprints longer to allow for more learning time and for students to reap the benefits of the platform.   There is an opportunity for the group to consult to business if they are seeking solutions to specific coding challenges. Or alternatively business can utilise the Code Sprints platform. But there needs to be a sustainability plan for code sprints going forward.  We hope to raise awareness and build the brand.  We also wish to disseminate the Toolbox and source new funding and partners.  We see this as a viable addition to current approaches to enhance national ICT readiness.”

THE KUJALI SOCIOTECH INCUBATOR RESPONDING TO HEALTHCARE CRISES THROUGH INNOVATON AND COLLABORATION

The Kujali stand within the expo area of the SAFIPA conference 2011

Professor Retha de la Harpe, from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), shares information about this extraordinary and robust healthcare initiative called Kujali, that incorporates multi-partner collaboration to find innovative solutions for community care-givers.

“The project began with many unknowns.  Incubation at a university for community engagement was unknown.   Our focus was on ICT4D, in particular looking at e-Business, e-Agriculture, e-Health and e-Education. But the first step was to find out what the needs of the community where.   Next, we needed to develop a vision for the group and define ‘what we do’.  This includes research, application development and implementation.

Creative student collaboration

The Kujali team presents during the expo 'marketplace'

Students were multi-disciplinary, and this is one of the most important factors in the group’s success.  Students were also drawn from different levels – also a key factor for the learning and collaboration that took place.  Our value proposition is that we have developed a network of collaboration around a common interest. We now attract the top students.

Our outputs have been extensive and include the creation of over eight innovations that strongly respond to the needs of home-based healthcare workers.