Museke - African music site

Museke seeks to have the largest online collection of African music. The site has a variety of different sounds from all over the continent.

From the site:

The Museke project seeks to be the biggest database of African music lyrics and information. It also seeks to encourage discussion and accountability for African music in ways that would benefit society positively. It also involves the use of African languages on the internet to encourage more African language content. This will help us pay attention to the evolution of our culture from an entertainment and literary perspective, while marketing our music, culture in an attractive way.

The project would also allow people who regard Africa as their cultural neighbourhood to get a firm grip on their culture as well as others who will be interested in understanding it. The project combines the best of global technology, the will to market Africa and the love for its ingenious and changing genres of music (culture).

General Electric - Improving Healthcare in Africa and Beyond

GE's signature program in Africa aims to improve healthcare delivery for some of the world's most vulnerable populations by providing valuable expertise and equipment.

Dambisa Moyo, Author Of Dead Aid

Dambisa Moyo is a Global Economist at Goldman Sachs in London. She previously worked at the World Bank in Washington DC. A native of Zambia, Southern Africa, Dambisa holds a Doctorate in Economics from Oxford University and a Masters from Harvard.

Dambisa's new book, Dead Aid illustrates how some aid to Africa has decapitated Africa's growth.

SOVEC - Social Venture Capital

From their site:

SOVEC is an investment fund set up by Dutch entrepreneurs, to invest in small and medium sized companies (SMEs) in Africa.

SOVEC therefore supports local entrepreneurs by investing capital and committing its own network of entrepreneurs who are prepared to invest their time, energy, expertise and business contacts. This helps entrepreneurs in Africa to build their businesses and create job opportunities.

Kenya - Lwala Community Alliance

Witness a remarkable journey of two brothers who used their medical education, wisdom and intellect to build a hospital for their village in Kenya. Journey was made possible by the same village that they are helping...simply remarkable story of giving back to one's community.

Senegal - Locally Produced Biofuel Outboard Motor

Saidou Ba of Mission Goorgoorlu speaks of his winning project which aims at improving living standards of 40 agricultural and fishing communities in Senegal by introducing affordable transportation to deliver their produce, using traditional vessels powered by locally produced biofuel.

Sheabutter Cottage - organic creams and oils from Fair Trade

Sheabutter cottage markets and sells fair trade creams and cosmetics deriving from SheaButter, Palm Oil and other essential organic ingredients.

FARA - Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa

FARA is the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa, an umbrella organization bringing together and forming coalitions of major stakeholders in agricultural research and development in Africa. FARA complements the innovative activities of national, international and sub-regional research institutions to deliver more responsive and effective services to its stakeholders. It plays advocacy and coordination roles for agricultural research for development, while the national agricultural research systems (NARSs), advanced research institutions (ARIs) and international agricultural research centers (IARCs) develop improved technologies along the research-to-development continuum in their respective countries and coverage areas.

Nigeria: Off-Grid Lighting from Animal Manure

Dr. Joseph Adelegan of Global Network for Environment and Economic Development Research talks about his project to stop pollution and mitigate greenhouse gas emission in order to improve the ecosystem and human health.

SEEDA Supporting Entrepreneurs & Enterprise Development in Africa

SEEDA (Supporting Entrepreneurs and Enterprise Development in Africa) programme is harnessing the resources of the African diaspora, to work with grassroots entrepreneurs to expand their businesses and create jobs.

Kofi Ababio & Sons Limited - Ghana conglomerate

Kofi Ababio & Sons Limited is a mid-size conglomerate based in Ghana serving the West African Market. Among the products they make are; powder soap, bleach and household products.

From their site:

Kofi Ababio and Sons is a family owned business which started operation some 50 years ago, since 1975 we have tested and tried different shades of products and services in the area of manufacturing and logistics provision.

From our simple beginnings to our present position as a supplier of complete household detergents, hair, farm and block products, we have always remained focused on key objectives—designing our products and adapting our businesses to serve the changing needs of our customers. Our rich history and strength lies in our innovation, honesty, integrity and concern for our customers.

Sustainable Agriculture - African film about farming for the environment

This film is of a farmer in the rift valley of Kenya, farmer is doing small things on his farm to be environmentally friendly and to benefit his crops.

Solving Africa - Book project about African entrepreneurship

Junior Kanu is among a new breed of African pioneers called the Cheetah Generation. His book project, Solving Africa is aiming to research African entrepreneuship at it's finest. His journey will be thousands of miles through cities, countries and universities to find great stories you and I don't hear much about from the media.

More on Solving Africa

Because it’s hard to love a place you don’t know, I am proposing a trip to seven African cities to get to know, and hopefully, fall in love with, some of the people and places my education in Nigeria failed to address. The final outcome will be a book that I’ve tentatively titled Solving Africa. Part memoir, part travel log and part political commentary, the book will be the voice of young Africans’ dreams for their homeland and an attempt at a new way of telling Africa’s story.

Internet revolution in Africa

Great article on Africa's internet growth prospects. The SAT 3 cable and soon to be built Eassy Cable, will hopefully lower costs of connecting and conducting commerce on the continent.

From Global Advances

Bandwith to Africa is expected to grow dramatically as the continent is gaining internet connectivity faster than any other region in the world.

Africa’s online population now exceeds 50 million, according to an estimate published by Internet World Stats, an internet research and statistics website. This marks a 1000% increase since 2000 and continued exponential growth is expected. Although this figure only represents a 5.3% internet penetration rate on the African continent, compared with nearly 25% worldwide, the actual number of internet users may be six to eight times larger due to the growth of internet cafes and various other multi-person access points.

Nigeria Travel and tourism board - NTDC

Nigeria's travel board has a new site devoted to market the country's tourism sector.

Here is some info from their site:

Besides the many natural features of Nigeria, the cultural assets of the nation are of universal recognition. The richness and diversity of the Nigerian culture is a manifestation of the socio-cultural differences of the over 250 ethnic groups that inhabit the land for ages.

Megaseeds Project for Madagascar - Andriankoto Ratozamanana

The mission of MEGASEEDS™ is to protect Madagascar’s natural resources, add value to agriculture, and produce food for today and generations to come. They strive to conserve, renew, and rejuvenate forests.

Unveiling the TED Fellows program

How it works: four steps

1. Candidates apply to attend one conference in either Long Beach or Oxford. Individuals can apply directly or be nominated by others. We'll also directly recruit potential Fellows and invite them to apply. Applications for TEDGlobal 2009 will open February 23, 2009. Email fellows@ted.com to be reminded when applications open. Please include your name, title, organization, email address, and country.

2. We'll choose 25 people to attend each conference as Fellows (50 per year).

3. In 2010, after the 2009 conferences, we'll choose 20 from 50 of the previous year's participants for the three-year TED Senior Fellows Program, bringing them to five additional conferences (for a total of six).

4. We'll recruit 50 new Fellows each year, resulting in 20 Senior Fellows each following year. By 2012, we'll have 50 TED Fellows annually (split between Long Beach and Oxford) and 60 concurrent Senior Fellows.

TEDIndia

At TEDIndia in Mysore in November 2009, we'll replicate our successful TEDAfrica 2007 program by bringing 100 Fellows together from around the subcontinent and beyond. Working with the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, we plan to establish a follow-up network and Fellows meeting. Complete program details are forthcoming.

To participate, contact fellows@ted.com or call Logan at the TED office in New York at +1 212 346 9333.

Fellows

Benefits to Fellows

• Attendance to one TED or TEDGlobal Conference with all expenses paid (conference, travel, room and board)
• Participation in Fellows pre-conference activities
• Private social networking on TED.com
• Potential to speak on the TED Fellows or TED University stage
• Potential to have that talk posted on TED.com

Responsibilities of Fellows

• Full attendance and participation at the Conference
• Submission of a post-conference report
• Regular posting on the TED Fellows Blog

Green tech and internet in Benin

The Songhaï Center was founded in the mid-'80s by Father Godfrey Nzamujo, a Dominican priest and Nigerian native, on a few acres of swampland granted by Benin's former president. What began as an experiment in small-scale sustainable development to fight poverty has since become a popular institution, and a symbol of Africa's potential for self-determination and prosperity.

Africa Rice Center - WARDA

Africa Rice Center (WARDA) is an autonomous intergovernmental research association of African member states. It is also one of the 15 international agricultural research Centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

Its mission is to contribute to poverty alleviation and food security in Africa, through research, development and partnership activities aimed at increasing the productivity and profitability of the rice sector in ways that ensure the sustainability of the farming environment.

Lister Hospital - Accra, Ghana

About Lister Hospital

Lister Hospital and Fertility Centre is a fully equipped ultra modern 25 bed medical centre providing extensive general and specialist healthcare and diagnostic services to residents, visiting business people as well as holiday makers.

Lake Turkana Wind Power consortium

Kenya is getting serious with wind power, here is some info on Lake Turkan wind power outfit.

From site:

Lake Turkana Wind Power consortium (LTWP) is poised to provide 300 MW of clean power to Kenya's national electricity grid by taking advantage of a unique wind resource in Northwest Kenya near Lake Turkana. Using the latest wind turbine technology LTWP can provide reliable and continuous clean power to satisfy up to 30% of Kenya's current total installed power.

Ivorian company builds tropically tolerant buses for African market

Courtesy of BBC

BBC is reporting that Sorta, the engineering arm of the national transport company of Ivory Coast is building tropically tolerant buses for the African market. Sorta plans on building up to 300 a year, this is good for getting people employed and spreading the Ivorian brand around the continent. This is a great story of African ingenuity, building and selling to the home-grown market.

Read a snippet from BBC

The engineering arm of the national transport company, Sotra, decided it could save money and create a bus better suited to African conditions.

"We want the transfer of technology in Africa, and we want to build our own buses with our own specification," says Sotra's director Mamadou Coulibaly.

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AABS - Association of African Business Schools

From AABS site:

To promote excellence in business and management education in Africa by supporting graduate business schools through capacity building, collaboration and quality improvement.

By training current and future leaders in their home markets, business schools in Africa play a critical role in laying the groundwork for private sector development. Its programmes build effective business schools in order to improve the practice of management in African organisations and to enhance the relevance and contribution of business schools to policy debate on African development research and policy development. AABS demonstrates our members’ commitment to increase significantly the contribution that business schools make to the economic and general development in the African continent.

Winafrique Technologies Limited

From Their Site

Winafrique Technologies Ltd. was incorporated in Kenya in 2002 as an integrated renewable energy resource company. Winafrique Technologies Ltd. has since then provided renewable energy solutions to Government, institutions, and public and private companies.

The alternative energy solutions provided deliver reliable renewable power that is environmentally benign and reduces reliance on fossil based power generation.. These solutions have been successfully applied in schools (remote ICT based), telecommunications base stations, water desalination, and other remote locations. In addition Winafrique Technologies Ltd. provide specialist solutions for situations where grid power is available and or unreliable.

The main solution categories at Winafrique are:

• Hybrid Remote Alternative Power Systems.
• Wind Power Solutions.
• Solar Power Solutions.
• Water Pumping Solutions.
• Power Enhancing Solutions.
• Energy Storage Solutions.

Afric Xpress - Mobile solutions provider for African markets

From their site:

Afric Xpress (AX) is a solution provider for mobile phone-based and other electronic transaction services for African communities in the continent and abroad. The company’s mission is to foster electronic–based markets in Africa by turning mobile phones and computers into commercial platforms with the ultimate goal of empowering our customers with security, speed, and convenience. We serve our international customers with online services available on our website while the primary channel for our customer in the continent is the mobile phone. 

We also provide mobile banking solutions in partnership with the telecom providers and various banks. Our current target for these services is the local Ghanaian population with cell phone connectivity and a local bank account. These mobile phone services are solely for local use and country specific. They are not available online and do not require any credit card processing. For more information about this service, visit www.txtnpay.net 

DMT Mobile Toilets

DMT mobile toilets was founded in 1992 . DMT is a pioneer mobile toilet company in Nigeria and at present the only manufacturer in the West African sub-region.

DMT at inception manufactured wagon toilets locally, but in 1999 the company complemented its locally produced wagon toilets with about 30 plastic portable toilets imported from the United Kingdom . 

ALC - African Laser Centre

About ALC

The mission of the ALC is to enable African nations to collaborate with each other and to play a major role internationally in utilising light to advance science and technology, thereby contributing to the strengthening of their economies, their global competitiveness, education and welfare of their people. This co-operation will take place in the spirit of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development and the African Union.

The African Laser Centre, a virtual centre of excellence focusing on laser research in Africa, was established in 2002 to provide a platform through which Africa can pool its resources to become globally competitive. The Centre is an open, non-exclusive partnership aimed at stimulating innovative research and technology development in the field of lasers and laser applications.

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa - AGRA

About AGRA

AGRA is a dynamic, African-led partnership working across the African continent to help millions of small-scale farmers and their families lift themselves out of poverty and hunger. AGRA programs develop practical solutions to significantly boost farm productivity and incomes for the poor while safeguarding the environment. AGRA advocates for policies that support its work across all key aspects of the African agricultural “value chain”—from seeds, soil health, and water to markets and agricultural education. AGRA is chaired by Kofi A. Annan, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations. AGRA, with initial support from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, maintains offices in Nairobi, Kenya and Accra, Ghana.

Magadi Soda Company - Kenya ash manufacturer

From their site:

The Magadi Soda Company is one of Africa's largest soda ash manufacturers and employs over 450 people in Kenya. The company recovers trona from one of the purest surface deposits in the base of the Rift Valley and converts it into sodium carbonate (soda ash). 

The operations at Lake Magadi are situated 120kms south west of Nairobi. Product is transported by rail to the Port of Mombasa for onward shipping to the markets. 

Soda ash is an essential constituent in the manufacture of glass and important in the production of detergents and industrial chemicals. Over 95% of the company product is exported to its principal markets of South East Asia, Indian sub-continent, Africa and the Middle East. 

Travant Capital

From Site:

Travant's investment region spans 22 countries in West and Central Africa with a key focus on seven countries - Angola, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal. With offices in Lagos, Nigeria and Douala, Cameroon, we are never more than a few hours from any location in our region. In addition, our multilingual professionals were born in or have lived in six African countries. We believe this presence in our investment region gives us better access to investment opportunity and better enables us to add value to our portfolio companies.

Group Azbane

Group Azbane is a consumer products conglomerate that makes personal care products. It's products are used in the hotel and hospitality industries. Azbane makes and tests it's own products.

Lilayi Housing Estate - Lusaka, Zambia

From their site:

Situated within the Lusaka city limits, approximately 10km south of downtown Lusaka; the Lilayi Housing Estate offers you the luxury of owning your own home in a secure and well-planned environment with quick access to the city centre.

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The Lilayi Housing Estate will be constructed in seven phases over a period of approximately 3 to 4 years. Construction will started in May 2007, and the first houses will be in October 2008.

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Approximately 3700 fully serviced, housing units will be constructed in a planned community development which will include a full range of facilities and services. Features of the Estate include:

Web 2.0 in Africa - Agriculture and New Technologies

Here is a video on the use of Web 2.0 applications in the development sector, specifically among farmers in Africa.

New Heights - Nigerian Micro Finance bank

From their site:

To become the most preferred provider of microfinance and related services in Nigeria with sustained world class performance in all aspects of our business.

To build a microfinance bank that is driven by the desire to economically empower its clients to greater heights.

African Solutions to African problems - Video

As an African, it's proud to see and hear stories of African ingenuity. This video celebrates that spirit of enterprise, technology and ingenuity, while also taking a deeper look at the paradox of progress on the African continent.

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African version of Google Maps - Developers from Ghana

Group of developers and friends from Ghana have designed an African version of Google Maps, called Africa on Map. The site is currently showing the Capital, Accra, Ghana. As for funcitonality, it allows you search real estate and election results from the upcoming Ghanaian elections.

BioPAD - Growing Biotechnology in South Africa

From the site:

BioPAD believes that South Africans should own the process of developing an active and sustainable biotechnology sector in SA; we encourage broader participation by all stakeholders and BioPAD will continue to play a prominent role in facilitating the process.

Build economic and social value of the industry through sustainable commercial entities locally and internationally within the focus areas of animal health and production, mining biotech, environmental biotech, industrial biotech and human health.

Offer access to high quality financial, business and scientific resources to commercial entities through developing and nurturing strong partnerships with BioPAD personnel.

Made in Africa - PopTech 08 Talk by Erik Hersman

Africa Wind Energy Association - AFRIWEA

The site states:

AfriWEA promotes and supports wind energy development on the African continent by facilitating the exchange of political and technical information, expertise and experience in the wind energy sector. It aims to further the wind energy interests of Africa in particular and developing countries in general.

Factors that boost the prospects of the wind market in Africa include a high future demand for electricity generating capacity, and the enthusiasm of international donors to invest in clean energy schemes. However, the political priorities of governments, their policies on energy, electricity and climate change, as well as their ability to act on such policies remain a huge issue for wind energy projects in all African countries.

BarcampGhana 2008 - Dec 22nd Accra, Ghana

• BarCampGhana 2008 will be a gathering of the most innovative minds in business, science and technology in Ghana
• Hear industry leading Ghanaians speakers talk about their experiences
• Meet and interact with like minded people in a fun and interactive environment
• Discuss Ghana's role in the global village

BarCamp is simply an ‘unconference’ - an ad-hoc gathering of people with the simple desire to share and learn in an open environment. Unlike a conference, at a barcamp everyone is both a speaker and a participant. The content is provided by all attendees based on their interests.

TEDGlobal 2007 - Ernest Madu: Bringing world-class health care to the poorest

Dr. Ernest Madu runs the Heart Institute of the Caribbean in Kingston, Jamaica, where he proves that -- with careful design, smart technical choices, and a true desire to serve -- it's possible to offer world-class healthcare in the developing world.

ARM - Nigerian Asset managers

From the Site:

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ARM is one of Nigeria’s leading asset management and financial advisory firms with a global perspective in investment management. We provide a wide range of services worldwide to a diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and high-net-worth individuals.

ARM was established in 1994 as an asset management firm with a global perspective.

MRM - Kenya Steel rolling manufacturing

MRM dominates the steel roofing industry in Kenya. The company pioneered the ultra thin gauge rolling for galvanized steel and cold rolled drawing materials for tube making, drum manufacturing and steel fabrication.

Economist - Is the financial turmoil an opportunity for africa?

Economist offers a unique view of the global financial crisis and the impact or opportunity that may effect Africa.

Oct 9th 2008
From The Economist print edition

With world markets in turmoil, an unexpected and overlooked continent may benefit from its very isolation

TAKE a snapshot of the main news stories around Africa. In Nigeria, its most populous country, the insurgency in the oil-producing Delta region grows fiercer by the day. Zimbabwe’s agony continues as President Robert Mugabe and the new prime minister, his opponent in the last election, Morgan Tsvangirai, fail to agree on the composition of a face-saving coalition government; meanwhile, the country’s official rate of inflation has topped 11m%, with the unofficial rate put at more than 531 billion%. The president of Sudan, Africa’s largest country, has officially been accused of genocide and war crimes by the International Criminal Court. In Somalia, the tragedy of a lawless and ungoverned country only gets worse. Even in South Africa, the continent’s biggest economy, political uncertainty has set in after the ousting of the former president, Thabo Mbeki, in a bitter political feud.

Yet all this has been accompanied by a steady drumbeat of optimism about the continent, and confidence in its prospects. Despite the litany of problems, the 48 countries of sub-Saharan Africa (hereafter referred to as plain Africa) are, by several measures, enjoying a period of unparalleled economic success. And despite the turmoil in the world’s financial markets, international investors still think they can make money there.

In 1990-94 annual GDP growth was a weak 0.9%; since then, growth has averaged closer to 5% (see chart 1). Before this autumn’s financial meltdown, the IMF was predicting GDP growth of 6.6% this year; now it is predicting only a slightly lower rate. Annual GDP growth per person was 1.1% in the late 1990s; from 2004 to 2006 it was around 4%. In 1990 47% of Africans lived in poverty; in 2004 41% did and, if present trends continue, only 37% will by 2015. Zimbabwe apart, most African countries have been bringing inflation down, even if the trend is now creeping up again, in line with the rest of the world.

PharmAccess - Building sustainable health systems in Africa

Since its inception in 2001 PharmAccess operates at the cutting edge of health sector support in Africa, pioneering innovative approaches. PharmAccess works closely with the public and private health sector and companies, aiming to alleviate the healthcare burden of African governments through the establishment of public-private partnerships. PharmAccess always works with local organizations in Africa in order to avoid brain drain.

Through its activities PharmAccess contributes to the building of sustainable integrated health systems with upgraded hospitals and clinics, well-trained African doctors and nurses, sufficient beds, reliable diagnostics, an accountable financial and administrative organization and improved access to quality basic health care.

Cordiant Capital

Established in 1999, Cordiant is a pre-eminent fund manager of emerging market, private sector investments. With USD1.4 billion in subscriptions since inception and a solid record, the firm counts a number of the world's top institutional investors amongst its clients.

Drawn from around the globe and with over 150 years of collective experience, Cordiant's investment professionals manage top quality private equity and debt deals throughout the emerging and high growth markets. Adept at filtering deal flow, quantifying risk and navigating the challenges inherent in these markets, the Cordiant team is able to provide institutional investors with efficiently managed and cost effective access to emerging market assets.

African GIS Kenya video: Earthwatch Puts Clean Water on the Map in Africa

Research ICT Africa

Research ICT Africa seeks to fulfil a strategic gap in the development of a sustainable information society and knowledge economy on the African continent by building information communication technology (ICT) policy and regulatory research capacity in Africa needed to inform effective governance.

Research ICT Africa! is hosted by the Edge Institute in Johannesburg, South Africa. RIA! is divided into three regions-Southern Africa, East Africa and West Africa regions. The manager for the West African region is Dr Olivier Nana Nzepa while Dr Lishan Adam is the East Africa regional manager. The North Africa region is in the final stages of being set up. Professor Alison Gillwald is Research ICT Africa! Director.

Ethan Zuckerman - Explains 7 rules of innovation based on constraints

Too many times we think technology can just fix a problem. Ethan Zuckerman offers a great post of how he sees innovation come from constraints. This post actually reminds me of a book I read in business school called, "The Goal". The goal is operational book about the theory of constraints. 

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My Hearts in Accra

So I offered a talk about some very different types of innovation - African innovations including the zeer pot, William Kamkwamba’s windmill, biomass charcoal, and endless examples of innovation using mobile phones. My argument was that innovation often comes from unusual and difficult circumstances - constraints - and that it’s often wiser to look for innovation in places where people are trying to solve difficult, concrete problems rather than where smart people are sketching ideas on blank canvases.

I offered seven rules that appear to help explain how (some) developing world innovation proceeds:

- innovation (often) comes from constraint (If you’ve got very few resources, you’re forced to be very creative in using and reusing them.)

- don’t fight culture (If people cook by stirring their stews, they’re not going to use a solar oven, no matter what you do to market it. Make them a better stove instead.)

- embrace market mechanisms (Giving stuff away rarely works as well as selling it.)

- innovate on existing platforms (We’ve got bicycles and mobile phones in Africa, plus lots of metal to weld. Innovate using that stuff, rather than bringing in completely new tech.)

- problems are not always obvious from afar (You really have to live for a while in a society where no one has currency larger than a $1 bill to understand the importance of money via mobile phones.)

- what you have matters more than what you lack (If you’ve got a bicycle, consider what you can build based on that, rather than worrying about not having a car, a truck, a metal shop.)

- infrastructure can beget infrastructure (By building mobile phone infrastructure, we may be building power infrastructure for Africa - see my writings on incremental infrastructure.)

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Africa Rising by Vijay Mahajan

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With more than 900 million consumers, the continent of Africa is one of the world's fastest growing markets. In Africa Rising, Vijay Mahajan, a marketing professor at The University of Texas at Austin, reveals this remarkable marketplace as a continent with massive needs and surprising buying power.

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Crossing thousands of miles across the continent, he shares the lessons that Africa's businesses have learned about succeeding on the continent...shows how global companies are succeeding despite Africa's unique political, economic, and resource challenges...introduces local entrepreneurs and foreign investors who are building a remarkable spectrum of profitable and sustainable business opportunities even in the most challenging locations...reveals how India and China are staking out huge positions throughout Africa...and shows the power of the diaspora in driving investment and development