Posted by: Djam Bakhshandegi

Citizenship and Partners in Learning Program Manager, Microsoft West, East, Central Africa and Indian Ocean Islands

For all the benefits that smartphones, computers and the web have to offer – especially for young people who have embraced digital technology and gained access to its benefits – there will always be those who misuse the technology.

Just like bullying in person, online bullying (also known as cyberbullying) is willful and is defined as repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices to others.   Using technology to bully others potentially opens the door to 24-hour abuse often in the privacy of one’s home, perhaps made anonymously and potentially broadcast to a wider audience. Children and youth can use any type of Internet-connected device or services like texting and instant messaging, games, or social media to cyber bully others. Cyberbullies may even disclose their targets’ personal data publically or may create fake accounts, comments or sites posing as their victim to defame, discredit or ridicule them. It is also more difficult to escape from cyberbullies as they have access to their targets’ personal data.

According to a new Microsoft Global Youth Online Behavior Survey released today of 7600 children and youth between the ages of eight and 17, four in 10 have been bullied online. It’s no wonder that (54 percent) of children around the world, worry about becoming a target of online mean and cruel behavior.  Compare that to Egypt where the concern drops to 52 percent, and in Morocco the number of children that worry about being bullied online is 45 percent.

In Egypt, only 27% (compared with a 25 country average of 37%) of the children and youth age 8 – 17 who responded to the survey say they have been subjected to a range of online activities that some may consider to be online bullying or to have adverse effects. In Morocco, however, 40% of the children and youth state that they have been subjected to such activities.

Parents and trusted adults need to get involved.  Often due to the technological generation gap between parents and children, adults are unaware of the harm that is being caused to their children on a daily basis. Globally, less than a third (29%) said parents have talked to them about poor online behavior, and they failed to pinpoint one common step parents took to help address the problem. In Egypt the percentage of respondents who indicate that their parents discuss online risks with them is a mere 12% with 28% indicating that their parents monitor their use of computers. In Morocco on the other hand,  52% of respondents said their parents talk to them about online risks, and 61% stated that their parents monitor their computer usage.

Kids need to know that adults can and will help.  And, parents and educators should make themselves available and offer support.  To assist adults in recognizing and addressing the issue, Microsoft has created several new resources:  an interactive online bullying quiz, our Digital Citizenship in Action Toolkit, and steps to help stop the cycle of online bullying which include:

Pay attention

• Make time to listen. Sit with younger children while they play and explore online. Regularly ask tweens and teens to show you around the websites they visit, where they hang out, who with, and how they talk to each other.
  
•  Lead by example. Kids learn from what adults do.
  
• Watch for signs of online cruelty. Look for kids getting upset when online or texting, or for a reluctance to go to school. Watch, too, for kids being mean to others online.
  
• Make clear that they should never bully anyone.

Ask your kids to report bullying. Promise unconditional support. Reassure them that you won’t take away their phone, gaming, or computer privileges because of others’ behavior.

Encourage empathy

Ask kids to put themselves in others’ shoes. Encourage them to stand up for those they see being bullied:

• Be kind. Spend time together. Reassure the friend with supportive phone calls and texts.
  
• Set a good example. Don’t forward mean messages, or use insults to defend a friend.
  
• Block bullying. Help the friend block bullies or change his or her password.
  
• Ask those who are bullying to stop. Ask politely, and only if it feels safe to do so.
  
• Tell others. Help the friend report what’s happening to a trusted adult or trained professional. Report the abuse to the website.

Promote kindnessin your community  

• Advocate for empathy training at school. Help prevent online bullying through social and emotional learning—the process by which we learn to build strong relationships and develop healthy boundaries and self-perceptions.
  
• Start a kindness campaign at home, school, or in the neighborhood—as small as one kind deed a day or as broad as a program to challenge a culture of criticism at school.

What to do if a child is involved in online bullying?

• Get the full story. Listen carefully and take it seriously. It may not be simple: the child or teen may be the target of bullying, or may be bullying someone as well.
  
• Together, make a plan. Ask what you can do to help, and make the kid’s answers the basis of the plan.
  
• For a kid being bullied: Don’t blame the target of bullying (even if he or she started it). Advise kids not to respond or retaliate. (Do save the material in case authorities need it.) Report bullying to the website or company where the abuse occurred.
  
• For a kid bullying someone: Try to understand the source of the bullying behavior. It’s the behavior, not the kid that is at the heart of the conflict. (But, don’t let reasons become excuses.) Discuss how the kid can make amends.
  
• Get help. Find counselors or others trained to deal with kids who have been bullied or have bullied others.

Whatever the issue facing children and youth online, Microsoft’s primary piece of guidance stands: parents, trusted adults, teachers, coaches, and counselors need to keep the lines of communication open.         

The full Global Youth Online Behavior Survey report, along with the complete list of individual executive summaries for each country, is available here.

Posted by Aben Kovoor

Area Lead, Developer & Platform Group, Microsoft Middle East & Africa

To help accelerate the success of entrepreneurs and early stage startups across the African continent, we were proud to announce our support last month for the LIONS@FRICA initiative in partnership with U.S. Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development, African Development Bank, Nokia, infoDev and DEMO and the World Economic Forum. The partnership aims to mobilize the knowledge, expertise and resources of leading public and private institutions to encourage and enhance Africa’s innovation ecosystem, and spur entrepreneurship across the continent.

We are delighted to be a core member of this initiative announced last month at the World Economic Forum Africa 2012, and our investment is a natural extension of the work we have driven over the past 20 years to support entrepreneurship and innovation in Africa. With six of the world’s ten fastest-growing economies over the past decade in sub-Saharan Africa and the awakening of the African economy providing new prospects, we are keen to continue dedicating resources to working with entrepreneurs to help them realize their potential and take advantage of these opportunities.

We are fully aware that that the success of a startup hangs on its ability to monetize ideas as quickly as possible. To minimize the initial costs associated with development and testing, we made available the Microsoft BizSpark program across the African continent, thereby providing over 600 African startups and 188 Network Partners with fast and easy access to full featured Microsoft developer tools and platform licenses. With the consistent developer taxonomy and tight integration across Windows, entrepreneurs can focus on differentiating their innovations from the competition, not platform interoperability.

We built upon the support provided by the Microsoft BizSpark Program by giving entrepreneurs access to Microsoft Innovation Centers – world-class facilities that help foster the local software economy by providing qualified startups with access to infrastructure, technical and business mentorships. These are offered in partnership with local organizations such as academic institutions, technology hubs and our certified training partners where available. Other readiness activities include specific training for startups such as the Build Your Business program, which provides the skills needed to lead and grow businesses through improved  knowledge and technology know-how.

Finally, to ensure entrepreneurs and innovators have the means to also market their ideas and solutions, we provide them visibility across the globe through both our internal and external networks. Imagine Cup is but one example of this, where the next generation of developers use technology to solve the world’s toughest problems. Last year, 1,300 students across 32 countries in Africa, participated in Imagine Cup, showcasing such entries as PAGEL, a database developed by Senegalese students that helps identify markets and places where food is available at lower prices. This year, a student team from Makerere University in Uganda has secured a place in Imagine Cup’s Worldwide Finals in Sydney for their application that aids midwives in their diagnoses for expectant mothers.

These are just a few examples of how Microsoft is enabling and supporting innovation in Africa to help build vibrant and self-sustaining local economies, and we expect our partnership with the experts at LIONS@FRICA to give us a fresh, new perspective as well. But for those start-ups who have ideas for action now, I would encourage you to:

1. Register for BizSpark, so one of our network partners can provide you access to the development tools you need.
2. Register with DEMO Africa 2012 in Nairobi on October 24-26, 2012, where you may qualify to present your product/solution to investors from around the world.
3. Get in touch with your nearest Microsoft subsidiary to sign up for our training sessions on how to develop applications on our platforms.

Posted by Dele Akinsade,
Developer and Platform Evangelist, West, East and Central Africa

“The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.” – Albert Einstein

Marking Imagine Cup’s ten-year anniversary in 2012, Microsoft is celebrating the 1.4 million (and counting!) students who have participated in the world’s premier technology competition. By focusing on student-led solutions to the world’s toughest problems, Imagine Cup has brought to light some of the most groundbreaking and creative approaches to the UN’s Millennium Development Goals, including last year’s People Choice Award finalists from Nigeria, Team Nerd, who developed an innovative remote healthcare app for doctors and patients.

The participation of African teams in the competition has increased steadily over the years.  This year, registrations in Sub-Saharan Africa grew by 197% compared to 2011, and the number of competitors grew by 64% year on year.

With this kind of momentum, we are especially proud of the five teams representing Sub-Saharan Africa in 2012, when students from universities in Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda will travel to Sydney, Australia to compete in this year’s worldwide finals in July. Their entries for practical use in both the public and private sector represent the brightest young minds of Africa.

Please join us in following and supporting these talented African developers on their road to Imagine Cup 2012!
 
• Team E-Soft, from the Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët Boigny de Yamoussoukro in Côte d’Ivoire, has developed a real- time monitoring solution for environmental threats in industrial areas. As evidence of the growing need to monitor the impact of industrial development on local communities, Team E-Soft has already secured partnership funding from the World Bank and Ministry of Energy to test their “Evolve Safely” solution in Cote d’Ivoire.

• Team Gravity, from Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria, has concentrated on a common problem in both urban and rural areas of Africa, with a healthcare solution called “SwiftER,” that aims to improve the rate and quality of response from medical and security providers in the event of an emergency. 

• Team Sen Section, from the Universite Cheikh in Senegal, has focused on making development and aid agencies more efficient by developing a mobile app, called “Tataane,” that allows fieldworkers to collect data and surveys that automatically updates the home office database. Pan-African NGOs such as Africa Rice are already preparing to use the mobile app in their agricultural research in rural areas.

• Team Asclepius, from the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, has developed an image processing application, which helps radiologist detect signs of tuberculosis at an early stage. Particularly in South Africa where tuberculosis has one of the highest infection rates in the world, early diagnosis is critical to the success of medical treatments available to rural and underdeveloped communities.

• Team Cipher256, from Makerere University in Uganda, has connected Windows Phone to Windows Azure with an application that aids midwives in their diagnoses for expectant mothers. Using an algorithm that converts the Frequency (Hertz) to Beats Per minute of the fetus, measures the fetus’ position in the uterus and calculates the fetus’ age, this app “WIN-SENGA” can help detect an ectopic pregnancy or abnormal fetal heart beats.

We wish these teams the best of luck in Sydney. We will be cheering you on from Facebook and Twitter!

Posted by Samba Guissé
Education Lead, Microsoft West and Central Africa Region

You might have read about the report Microsoft commissioned last month - ‘Opportunity for Action’ - released by the International Youth Foundation. It highlighted the different sorts of ‘opportunity divides’ that exist for youth in different countries across the world – and outlined the kinds of things that need to be done to close these divides.

In sub-Saharan Africa, it found that youth unemployment rates are actually considerably low – standing at around 12.4 percent, compared with a 25 percent youth unemployment rate in the Middle East, for example. But what’s interesting is that the numbers point to a different kind of opportunity divide. Rather, in sub-Saharan Africa, extreme poverty means that most young people are forced to find work to help their families survive.  According to the report:

“Rather than being unemployed, young Africans are underemployed. The overwhelming majority of workers in sub-Saharan Africa – 76 percent – are working at low-skilled, low-quality jobs that do not pay enough to lift them out of poverty. The need to work long hours to earn enough to survive prevents young people from investing their time or resources in acquiring the education or training that could prepare them for better for a better-paying job in the future”.

Young Africans are caught in a catch 22 – without some sort of intervention, it’s unlikely they will be able to lift themselves out of the cycle of poverty.

Looking at solutions: Shape the Future

It is these sorts of dilemmas that the Shape the Future initiative in Africa, which we launched this week at the eLearning Africa conference, is aimed at addressing. Shape the Future helps governments implement programmes and solutions to increase digital inclusion through strong public-private partnerships. These partnerships are critical in providing good quality education to prepare young people for skilled jobs; and in creating enough well-paying private sector jobs for them to fill.

Our commitment

We have been planning for the launch of Shape the Future in Africa for a very long time, and our focus on creating sustainable public-private partnerships has already resulted in successes such as Project Badilko. The official launch of the programme is our way of fully committing to the objectives of Shape the Future in Africa, and aligning our efforts to the global best practices we have established over the years.

Leaders, policy makers and visionary champions looking to advance their societies through education, contact your local Shape the Future or Microsoft team member to begin the journey forward.

Stay tuned for updates, and visit our Shape the Future project on Facebook, Twitter, or on our website.

Posted by Serge Ntamack
Intellectual Property, Microsoft West, East, Central Africa & Indian Ocean Islands

“Behind every great innovation, either artistic or technological, is a human story – a tale in which new pathways open as a result of the curiosity, insight or determination of individuals.” - The World Intellectual Property Organization

You may have read about the remarkable story of a young Malawian boy, William Kamkwamba, who built a windmill using scraps to power his family’s electrical appliances. The invention made him famous, representing the sort of solution so needed in rural Africa - simple and cheap, yet with the potential to make a huge difference to living standards. It could have been spread throughout the region, if not for a lack of investment.

And sadly, that lack of investment was largely related to the risk of intellectual property infringement so high throughout Africa. The risk of Kamkwamba’s idea being copied by his neighbours, or any other party, was just too high in an area where IP rights are not protected. 

This story struck a chord in me because I believe that in Africa, often our inventors, artists and musicians face challenges that are typically much greater than those faced in the first world – and so their curiosity and determination needs to be that much more strong. In many cases, the hard work they put into their works is not justly rewarded – to no fault of their own, but rather, merely because of their context.

Intellectual property is something we typically hear about in the context of large companies, having become increasingly significant in the ‘knowledge economy’ of today. This year’s World IP Day, which took place yesterday to celebrate ‘visionary innovators,’ reminds us that it is also important to think about the value of intellectual property rights to individuals - to the artists, musicians, and great thinkers of Africa.

These are the people whose curiosity, determination, and insight have the potential to transform the continent, and whose talents play an important societal role in the expression of ideas and cultural wealth. 

And they deserve recognition and reward for the role they play.

Posted by Rizwan Tufail
Regional Director and Technology Officer for Microsoft West, East, Central Africa and Indian Ocean Islands

Technology is an undisputed enabler of innovation. And in Africa, it has the potential to revolutionize development.

In particular, the explosion of mobile phones across the continent, coupled with the rise in development of mobile apps to meet the unique challenges faced by people in Africa, has the ability to bridge the many opportunity divides across the continent.

Take, for example, the farmer in rural Africa, once isolated, now able to access information via his mobile phone about commodity prices and market fluctuations, allowing him to mitigate yield losses. Or, the small-scale producers and traders who can now use mobile technology to access inventory monitoring and supply tracking tools to improve supply chain efficiency - something particularly challenging in areas with small populations.

But, as our colleagues at SANGONet recently pointed out: “For every M-PESA, dozens of applications never get past the piloting stage. And, there are many remaining questions regarding effectiveness. A decade after mobile technology began blazing trails across the continent, it’s time to take stock.”

Taking stock – identifying barriers to innovation, addressing the challenges ICT has met - was precisely the aim of discussions that took place yesterday at the very first Innovation Forum, in Lagos, Nigeria.

The idea for the Innovation Forum was conceived by Microsoft, Nokia and others who were inspired by the dynamism of the new Ministry of Communication Technology in Nigeria – which is encouraging us all to re-examine the role that ICT plays in development and competitiveness.

We’re starting to see an exciting shift in the way governments in Africa view the role of ICT - they’re no longer approaching it as an isolated sector, but as an enabler of innovation, with the potential to boost growth and development across traditional work-horse sectors of our economies.

We know that ICT has the potential to create thousands of new technology jobs on the continent, but there are limitations in even this due to barriers like infrastructure, for example. But the smarter application of ICT can drive productivity gains in key sectors like agriculture, tourism, transport, and power, where even a 1-3% overall gain in the sector could translate to much more tangible, measurable and direct impact on many more lives.

Furthering great ideas requires a space to engage in dialogue, and a bringing together of a diverse set of voices and viewpoints to spur one another on. This is exactly why we – along with Nokia and others – initiated the Innovation Forum. So private sector players, academia, and representatives from the Government of Nigeria gathered yesterday to talk – with the ultimate goal to turn words into action – and identify a way to realize the enormous potential of ICT in the development of Africa. Watch this space for developments.

Posted by Simon Ouattara
General Manager for Microsoft West and Central Africa

As a twelve year veteran of Microsoft on the African continent, I’ve watched with great excitement the incredible growth within the ICT sector in Africa – and seen first-hand the power of technology to transform the lives of people, businesses and governments.

As an Ivorian, I have experienced first-hand my country’s years of conflict and struggle. But I also bear witness to incredible positive transformation taking place here. I’m more bullish now than ever in my optimism for the future. And I believe that ICT will undoubtedly be a conduit for the acceleration of growth in the country.

On the sunny, cool morning of 21 February, 2012, Microsoft opened the doors of its new office in Abidjan - the second-largest in the company’s West and Central Africa region – a move made to accommodate Microsoft’s rapidly expanding staff and partner network in the country; one which I celebrated alongside my Microsoft colleagues, our partner organizations, and several honourable ministers of ICT and Education including His Excellency the Minister of ICT, Mr. Kone Bruno, and Her Excellency the Minister of Education, Mme. Kandia Camara.

The expansion of our office in Abidjan marks an important milestone for Microsoft in the region, as it signals the promise of the ICT sector, and speaks to our commitment and passion to the rebuilding and future prosperity in the country.

One of the many highlights of the day was the signing of the strategic framework agreement with the government of Côte d’Ivoire outlining a plan to increase the use of ICT in the public sector, for enhancing teaching and learning, for increasing youth employability and for increasing access to technology beyond the urban cities to improve the standard of living and access to information and services in the rural areas.

Our partner network is just one positive indicator of an increasingly stabilized and healthy environment in the country. Today, we have more than 130 partners in Côte d'Ivoire who develop, sell, deploy and support solutions in this important region. The vast majority of those partners are small and medium sized businesses, who have a dramatic impact on local job creation, earning an average of $11 for every dollar Microsoft makes and re-investing that into the Ivorian economy. 

We know there will be challenges. But we at Microsoft, together with our partners and the Côte d'Ivoire government, are emerging from the recent conflicts with hope and an eye towards leveraging technology to bring about positive change in the country. We’re excited and honoured to play a role in driving what’s next.

Guest Post by Josh Leibstein
Student and Imagine Cup finalist

When I developed the computer-aided detection programme to identify tuberculosis at an early stage, I never imagined it would lead to winning first prize at Microsoft’s South Africa leg of the Imagine Cup. The competition was tough as there were many great projects – all of them meeting this year’s criteria, which was ‘Solving the World’s Toughest Problems’! 

It all started a couple of years ago when I overheard my fellow University of Johannesburg students discuss their Imagine Cup entries. It intrigued me. Immediately, I was inspired by the extent of their creativity and that their projects actually had the potential to address real-life issues. And I thought – hey, I can do that too!

Under the guidance of my honours project mentor, Mr Duncan Coulter, I started working on an image processing application. The great results of the project turned out to defy even my biggest expectations, as I realised it could be applied to help solve a serious problem. Mr Coulter was instrumental from initial design through to the final implementation. His general guidance, feature suggestions and design ideas were incredible.

The project started out as an application that statistically analyses the texture properties of arbitrary images such as tiles, clothing or paper. Using that data, I found areas that are similar to other given samples. Once I was able to identify and analyse those types of textures, I observed the merits of applying it to more complex textures, such as those that need to be analysed in the early detection of tuberculosis.

I realised the imaging system would be perfect in assisting a radiologist in identifying areas that have a high probability of containing tuberculosis structures as result of their texture properties.

Tuberculosis is an endemic disease affecting South Africa on so many levels, socially and economically, and it made sense to me to expand my thinking to try and address this issue. The results so far have been quite promising. As it turned out my project fit perfectly into the theme of the Imagine Cup.

What’s more, I get to represent my country and pick the innovative brains of like-minded fellow contestants at the Imagine Cup in Sydney later this year.

Innovation in South Africa is at such a promising stage, especially among the youth. We have many talented up-and-coming developers. Competitions like Imagine Cup gives them an awesome opportunity to produce great ideas for the future – possibly even "the next big thing". The projects showcased at the last national Imagine Cup finals demonstrated this.

With the right mindset our students can compete with anyone in the world. But we have to overcome this notion of trying to imitate ideas from the USA and other countries. We as South Africans have our own style and we use technologies that give us a unique edge. Individuals should be encouraged by business and government alike to create cutting edge solutions, rather than take the safe option.

My view is that as our students move into industry, this attitude will hopefully filter through to the public and private sectors, making South Africa a top competitor globally.

As for my own dreams – I will continue development of the project as part of my master's thesis and hopefully the system can undergo field trials in the not too distant future. The potential for this research to assist so many people is a great motivator. If the system can help stem the tide of a rampant TB epidemic in our country, it will all be worthwhile.

Posted by Djam Bakhshandegi
Citizenship and Partners in Learning Program Manager in Microsoft’s West, East, Central Africa and Indian Ocean Islands region

Since we opened our first African office in 1992, our work has been fueled by both a passion for this continent, and a belief that technology has incredible potential to transform the lives of people, governments and economies and to bring about positive change across African society. Our Citizenship work in Africa, we hope, has served as an expression of that belief, supporting our mission – to help people and businesses in Africa realize their full potential.

We recently published our Microsoft 2011 Corporate Social Investment Report for West, East, Central Africa and Indian Ocean Islands (WECA & IOI) – an important report not only because it’s a reflection of how we hold ourselves accountable as a global corporate citizen - but also because it’s a reflection of whether or not we’re holding true to our passion and belief in the transformative power of technology we were founded on now twenty years ago. I’m pleased to say, I believe we are. Having had the privilege of seeing our social investments in action - and to speak directly with individuals whose lives have been impacted – I can attest that this report represents much more than a summary of our activities. It represents a real transformation taking place in lives and communities in Africa - the result of concerted efforts by Microsoft and its many innovative partners across the continent to use technology to address some of the most pressing issues in African society today.

At the core of our social investment strategy in Africa lies youth and innovation – particularly relevant on a continent where 60% of the one billion plus population is under the age of 30. Here are just a few examples of the work we’ve accomplished in 2011 that I’m particularly proud of:

• We’ve continued to leverage our core strength – technology – to create access to quality education in Africa. Delivering on our vision for ‘anytime anywhere’ education, which comes to life through our Partners in Learning program, we’ve reached more than 21 million people in the region to date; focusing on capacity-building for teachers and providing native language interfaces through our local language program to reduce language barriers to technology.

• We addressed some of the growing risks and opportunities facing youth in the wake of staggering unemployment on the continent. Again, leveraging our core strength in technology, we created new opportunities for youth through initiatives like Student 2 Business (S2B), which provided entry-level and internship positions to youth in eight African countries this year. Our Community Technology Skills Program (CTSP), provided IT skills training programmes for under-served communities and youth, reaching more than 2.5 million individuals in the region to date. And we launched two types of Innovation Centres across the region as platforms for the development of local innovation – Microsoft Innovation Centers (MIC) in Uganda, Botswana and Tanzania to provide access to technology experts to create new technologies built on the Microsoft platform; and School Technology Innovation Centres (STIC) in Johannesburg and Nairobi to promote the innovative use of ICT in the classroom.

• We stepped up our investments in micro and small-scale entrepreneurs (MSE’s) – one of the principle driving forces in Africa’s economic development. We trained and placed 705 unemployed youth in Ghana, Senegal and Ethiopia; and created 458 jobs in new business ventures in Ghana and Senegal through partnerships with organizations like the Enablis Entrepreneur Network.  And in 2012, we hope to have a more significant impact on Africa’s MSE community through the Build Your Business curriculum, a ground-breaking program to provide small businesses and entrepreneurs with the skills to lead and grow their businesses.

Understanding that providing for the practical needs of communities in Africa supersedes all, last month saw Microsoft surpass its commitment to support NGO’s responding to the Horn of Africa crisis. With the support of the Microsoft Community Affairs Corporate Team at our headquarters in Redmond, we have now provided over $10.5 million in software and added support to a number of on the ground activities.  This collaboration is projected to increase by at least 30% in coming months. 

You’ll learn about these and many more accomplishments in this report. We welcome your thoughts and suggestions on how we can better harness the power of technology to continue to meet tomorrow’s challenges in Africa.

Guest Post by William S. Reese
President and CEO, International Youth Foundation

Micro and small businesses are enormously important, serving as engines of economic growth in communities across the globe. In developing African countries in particular, small start ups – when successful – can play a positive role in the day-to-day survival of those living at the bottom of the economic pyramid. And when small businesses are able to grow, they can create much needed jobs in the community. Yet we also know that many young people seeking to support themselves and their families by starting their own business often don’t have the skills, confidence, or knowledge to be successful.  

That is why I am so pleased that the International Youth Foundation (IYF), in partnership with Microsoft, is introducing Build Your Business (BYB) – a comprehensive and inter-active training course designed to support aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs. This curriculum is targeted to meet the needs of young people, ages 16-35, who are either still in school, out of school, or in formal or informal training programs. It is designed to introduce them to the basic ideas, activities and skills needed to successfully launch and grow a small enterprise – from learning how to research the market to developing an effective sales pitch to obtaining start-up capital. And we believe it is a unique contribution to the field of entrepreneurship education. 

How is it different? BYB uses an interactive and hands-on approach – using games, exercises, video clips, and case studies to clearly explain and break down complex business skills. Accessible online and on a DVD-ROM, this course uses a blended learning strategy in which skills introduced on e-learning modules are reinforced and enriched with face-to-face instruction. Facilitators play a key role in encouraging young entrepreneurs and supporting them throughout the start up process – and they receive their own Facilitator’s Guide to help them provide that support. Also good news: to encourage the widest possible use, this course is available free of charge to community-based and development organizations worldwide.

According to Lindsay Vignoles, co-developer of the course, the curriculum seeks to reach youth with different skills sets and experience. “BYB’s e-learning modules allow learners to interact with the material at their own pace, while the facilitator-led activities help them understand difficult concepts, share ideas with their peers, and check their progress.”

As part of its teaching strategy, BYB provides hands-on opportunities for learners to apply and practice the concepts introduced on the computer. For example, in Module 7, learners explore how to develop their sales skills by watching a video clip on why sales are vital to a business, developing a sales pitch that they practice in front of the class, and testing it on potential customers in their community. 

The Build Your Business Curriculum was recently piloted in Nigeria, and is already getting high marks from early users. Here’s how one Nigerian student assessed her experience: “As an entrepreneur, I have learned a lot from the program; it boosted my confidence to start my own business and provided me with practical information on the things to consider, know, and be aware of when starting out.”

Imagine what could be accomplished if hundreds of thousands of aspiring young entrepreneurs – particularly those struggling to survive in some of the world’s most destitute communities – have access to this kind of training and support. I hope we can enlist all of you in helping to make that happen.  

Guest Post by Tim James 
Director, sustainableIT - Microsoft Partner

After attending some of the events around COP17, it has become abundantly clear that the dialogue of business and society at large has been around the desire to embrace the systemic change required to solve the issues we face as a result of global warming and associated climate change.

The overwhelming feeling I get is one that is positive and receptive to change. This sounds fantastic at face value and is certainly a step in the right direction. The reality however, is that when one translates this into the African and more specifically the South African business landscape, this willingness to embrace sustainability on a broad level within all spheres of business has been sorely lacking.

What makes this even more concerning is that the ravages of climate change will be realised more significantly on the African continent, than anywhere else in the world. My hope is that as Africans, we can show leadership and demonstrate to the rest of the world that a green economy is our only future. This aspiration is something that I hope we can achieve against a backdrop of flagging negotiations and protectionist political agendas.

As developing economies we may not have realised the benefits that coal has brought to the industrialised world. Using an analogy from my childhood however, “two wrongs do not make a right” and if we insist on a coal based future, future generations will bear the brunt of our folly. We need access to significant funding from the west in the form of a Green Fund, but we need to use this investment wisely in transforming our economies and leapfrogging many traditional economies in the process.

Fortunately the majority of people I have engaged with at COP17 have been the converts. Sustainability managers, consultants, energy managers and policy makers,  all of whom understand the issues and know that we have to adapt our business strategies to ensure a sustainable future. The challenge we face, is how to we extend the converts and create change agents at all levels of society?

So where am I going with all of this and how can we help broaden the base and act as a catalyst for change? A sustainable business is really a journey, not something that should be taken lightly in terms of strategy and certainly should not be ignored if one wants to remain competitive in a low carbon future. The start of this journey for the majority of organisations is an understanding of their environmental impact and in particular, their carbon footprint. The simple maxim, “you cannot manage what you don’t measure” applies.

With the development of The Carbon Report, sustainableIT, a Microsoft partner, has endeavoured to make the process of measuring and reporting carbon emissions simpler, more intuitive and much more cost effective than a traditional consulting lead approach. This achieves a number of objectives but in the main, an objective to broaden the opportunity for companies of every size and in every geography to initiate the process of reporting on their emissions.

How did we go about doing this? In two ways really. In the first instance, being an African company based in Cape Town we are able to utilise world class skills at a fraction of the cost of our Western counterparts. Secondly and more importantly we chose a solution partner in the form of Microsoft.  

The Microsoft development framework was chosen by us for its speed in delivering a solution, largely as a result of the availability of best practice patterns and reusable business logic. Not only has this allowed us to develop a solution rapidly, but it also provides us with agility when launching new functionality through the platform.

The other area where we have leveraged Microsoft is the Azure cloud based computing platform, which allows us to publish our solution to the world on a best of breed computing platform, ensuring the security and integrity of our clients data at all times. This also allows us to market the solution to a broad range of companies across the continent as the solution is driven entirely through a web based user interface developed using Microsoft Silverlight.

Any business, whether they are a sole proprietor or a large corporate can, now use the solution to build and report a greenhouse gas inventory, fully compliant with the requirements of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, the most globally recognised standard for accounting and reporting carbon emissions.

So where does this lead us to? At the start of this journey we had a number of design goals but two of the key criteria were accessibility and cost effectiveness and our relationship with Microsoft has certainly allowed us to achieve these goals.

Will the positive sentiments coming out of COP17 translate to demonstrable actions at all levels of society? There is now doubt that we live in both exciting and troubling times, to coin a phrase, we are at a tipping point, certainly in more ways than one when we consider the financial markets against the backdrop of COP17 and climate change.

It remains to be seen whether our governments hear our collective voices and deliver a binding deal or at least a meaningful framework that provides us with hope for the generations to come.

Posted by Werner Wilders
OEM / Retail and Consumer Director for Microsoft West, East Central Africa

When it comes to technology, standing still is falling behind. The rate at which technology changes is so fast and its implications for business so enormous that any lag behind the latest updates and functionality can directly equate to lost potential. That’s why we continue to urge our customers to install the latest updates and why we provide a range of free tools to enhance the performance of their software. 

Making ‘free’ really mean free

Consumers can download the latest security solutions, media tools, themes, Internet Explorer 9 and service updates for Windows 7 at Microsoft.com, for free. But for many consumers in Africa, just because something is ‘free’ online, doesn’t mean obtaining it is necessarily affordable or convenient. The high cost of bandwidth on the continent means that to download antivirus software in West, East and Central African countries for example, you’ll pay anything from $25 to $40; add this to limited and unreliable internet accessibility and it is understandable why so many consumers don’t download ‘free’ tools made available online. 

To address this, we’ve developed the ‘Africa Pack’ – a suite of popular Microsoft technologies and locally-relevant content in DVD format. It’s free to consumers across Africa who purchase or currently run a genuine version of Windows 7, and is available to Microsoft partners to distribute with new PCs that are preinstalled with, or bundled with locally attached copies of genuine Windows. We hope that by making this content available offline, we’ll save our customers time and money, and ensure the very latest Microsoft technologies are easily accessible to them.

One of the key technologies included in the Africa Pack offering is Security Essentials. Having the latest security technology is becoming critical amid the ever-increasing plethora of malicious software that can harm your PC or target private information. We don’t want our consumers to put themselves or their families at risk by delaying security updates because of slow download speeds or cost. Now, with Africa Pack, we are ensuring that every user who has a genuine copy of Windows 7 will have access to free antivirus software to protect their computer.

(Locally relevant) Content is King

We’ve often spoken about our commitment to our Local Language Program. We believe in the benefit of learning in one’s first language as well as the importance of keeping local languages alive by ensuring they remain relevant and continue to evolve. So our Africa Pack, available in English and French, also contains local language interface (LIP) packs for the most widely spoken languages in Africa: KiSwahili, Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba and Amharic. The first edition of the Microsoft Africa Pack includes: Microsoft Security Essentials; Windows Live Essentials; Africa Theme Pack (desktop wallpapers and themes to customize your PC); Local Language Interface Packs (LIPs); Internet Explorer 9 and Windows 7 Service Pack 1.  

Posted by Sarah Collins
CEO, Wonderbag

As the CEO of Wonderbag I have spent the last several days with my partner Microsoft at COP17. 20,000 attendees, representing 191 countries and 12 heads of state, all descended on Durban, South Africa, where I live and run my business. We experienced some very busy days and long nights as we spent time meeting with government leaders, NGOs and the private sector to promote what started as a simple idea and is now starting to have a real impact in South Africa and beyond.

Heat retention cooking is nothing new. For centuries people have covered cooking utensils to retain heat and cook food, a Second World War haybox is just one example. With Wonderbag, what is new is both the innovative design of the cooking bag and the business model behind the initiative. The bag itself consists of two recycled polystyrene filled cushions. The bottom bigger cushion creating a nest for the pot and a smaller top cushion that acts as a lid to ensure optimal insulation. They are easy to wash, easy to transport and more importantly easy to produce at a local level.

Acting locally has been a pillar of our strategy from the beginning. The business model not only prioritizes sustainability but also job creation. Each Wonderbag is hand-sewn in communities around South Africa. To fulfill our next order from Unilever of five million bags in South Africa we will employ more than 8,000 people over the next five years.

Households can save up to a third of their monthly expenditure by using a Wonderbag three to four times a week; every woman who cooks using a Wonderbag saves time by not having to source fuel or stay near the kitchen during the cooking process. In addition, food does not burn; the kitchen is a safer place for children and less time around open fires means a healthier environment.

Ensuring the sustainability of all these advantages is the carbon funding business model. If a Wonderbag is used three to four times a week, 500 kilograms of carbon is saved every year, we have had this verified and audited by the UNFCC. This allows us to trade half a ton of carbon per bag per year, which subsidizes the Wonderbag and allows us to scale.

So how does Microsoft fit into all of this? We are in the business of Wonderbags “being used”, however for the process to work, Wonderbag needs to keep track of every single Wonderbag and that’s where technology and Microsoft come in.

We first started working with Microsoft South Africa in 2010 when we approached them to help us to develop a solution that would enable field workers to register new Wonderbag users via a mobile phone. Working together with innovation firm frog, Microsoft was able to provide us with the technology we needed. And over the last few days here at COP17 we have agreed to take this to the next level.

I was surprised to learn about a geospatial mapping solution called Eye on Earth that Microsoft announced at COP17 with the European Environment Agency and their technology partner Esri. Eye on Earth is a cloud based application development platform and online community for environmental data sharing. We’ve determined that this same technology can be used to host an online application to graphically map information on where Wonderbags are in use and how much carbon they save. We have even been discussing the addition of a heat sensor, in the bottom of every Wonderbag, to automatically track its use and map that back to the carbon algorithms. This is still early days, but a developer has already mocked up the first version of the application for us.

At Wonderbag we believe that we have the wind behind us with this project because of the times that we live in. Climate change awareness is at an all-time high, the value of energy is appreciated like never before and there are now mechanisms that award and support those who are trying to do the right thing. When technology and environmental solutions join forces we can make a difference in every household.

Just as Bill Gates was driven the by goal of a PC on every desktop, we will achieve a Wonderbag in every kitchen.

Posted by Mteto Nyati
Managing Director, Microsoft South Africa

Earlier this year, South African president Jacob Zuma joined his counterparts from Brazil, Russia, India and China on China's Hainan Island for a summit meeting of the informal group named after the initials of its members. Formerly BRIC, it is now the BRICS club.

Many commentators were surprised by the decision to bring South Africa into the club. How could they bring in South Africa, and leave out the likes of Mexico, South Korea and Turkey? The answer came from none other than Jim O’Neill, the chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management International who originally coined the acronym: On purely economic terms, it makes no sense – but South Africa as a representative of the African continent is a different story.

We cannot underestimate the importance of this move for Africa. Suddenly, BRICS is no longer an artificial body based on similar economic performance, but increasingly a forum representing the developing world. The inclusion of South Africa not only marks a significant milestone in Africa’s developing role on the world stage, but also talks to a potential shift in focus within BRICS from purely mercantile interests to a stronger development agenda.

It’s important to bear in mind that Africa is largely a young continent. This in itself has several implications and opportunities. There’s no doubt that the opportunity for the continent is immense. But it also highlights the critical need for African countries to grow genuine knowledge economies, instead of old-style economies based purely on natural resources that are never beneficiated in their country of origin. We’ve seen far too many examples of the so-called “resource-curse”, where countries with huge natural resources tend to have less economic growth.

In Africa, all of the elements for growing successful and sustainable knowledge economies are falling into place. We have numerous platforms and structures aimed at speeding Africa’s progress toward the much-discussed Millennium Development Goals.

The continent is benefiting from a veritable broadband tsunami, with undersea fibre-optic cables landing practically by the day that connect Africa to the rest of the world.

Mobile telephony is booming in practically every country, offering many people the chance to be part of a global economy. Africa is now the second largest mobile market in the world after Asia, and the fastest-growing mobile market in the world by some distance.

The technology is available to grow modern and competitive knowledge economies in Africa. Now we need to redouble our efforts, with business partners, national and local governments, non-governmental organisations and civil society, to create the frameworks, policies and technology solutions that will spawn a new generation of knowledge workers on our continent.

What does this mean in real terms? At Microsoft we believe that it’s all about enhancing the competitiveness of countries by expanding access to education at all levels of society, and contributing to a thriving African technology economy by stimulating economic growth, innovation, and employment in Africa’s IT industry and beyond.

As an example, in South Africa, we’re busy nurturing six small black-owned software development companies as part of a ZAR500 million black empowerment initiative over a seven-year period. This investment directly addresses the key challenges facing South Africa, and the continent: creating jobs, developing enterprises, building the local software economy and developing scarce technology skills.

It’s also vital that we create jobs and opportunities through ICT-related capacity building, and help improve services for African citizens through e-government solutions that enhance transparency and efficiency. Last, but not least, we need to maintain our focus on empowering local communities through ICT skills training.

In June this year, Microsoft South Africa signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Science and Technology to increase access to e-skills and business skills training for students. The aim is to ensure that young people, particularly those with previously disadvantaged backgrounds, gain the key competencies to help fast-track their progress in future. So far, hundreds of partners, training providers, educational institutions and NGOs have joined us in driving this initiative.

It’s a lot of work. But we’re well on the way. We simply cannot afford to let the BRICS opportunity pass us by.

Posted by Paul Lloyd Robson
Microsoft Environmental Sustainability Field Engagement

The beating of African drums was the sound at the 17th Annual UN Global Climate Conference (COP17) as it opened yesterday in Durban, South Africa. The world's Governments, NGOs, and other delegates all filed in through the speedy and efficient accreditation process for the conference.

For me, as an ex-Durbanite and now working for Microsoft Corp, the experience was one of good memories, experiencing the balmy Durban weather and the smells of the sweet sea breeze. I was lucky enough to have a conversation with a member of the official South African delegation in the plenary hall, and I sensed that South Africa is optimistic about the negotiations, and proud to be able to showcase Durban, “The warmest place to be”, to the world.

South Africa has taken something of a leadership role for a group of countries known as the Group of 24 (G24). The G24 was established in 1971 to coordinate the positions of developing countries on international monetary and development finance issues and to ensure that their interests were adequately represented. Developing countries generally work through the G24 to establish common negotiating positions at the COP. According to the South African delegate who I spoke with, they were positive about the opportunity to produce an outcome which was comprehensive, balanced and ambitious, but also focused on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. The President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, opened the conference and set expectations. Given that the current climate agreement, the Kyoto Protocol, is set to expire, the extension of this will be the main hope of the South African government and most participants. The overarching goal of the COP is to create a binding, comprehensive agreement which will cap carbon emissions globally and limit global warming.

Microsoft is in Durban, as it has been present at the previous two COP meetings in Cancun, Mexico and Copenhagen, Denmark. At COP17 we are hosting an area in the conference center for the first time, where we have equipped 10 computers with Skype. These PCs allow delegates to make Skype calls as well as let them call any phone on the planet, free of charge. Speaking to the delegates at the conference today, there has been a lot of interest in “virtual participation”, a new catchphrase at the COP meetings. This entails reducing the amount of travel needed, and thereby environmental impact, from global conferences such as the COP meetings through greater utilization of technologies like Skype and teleconferencing.

This is just one of the few examples of the ability to mitigate and adapt to climate change which we will demonstrate in South Africa. In the next two weeks as the conference progresses, myself and the other members of the Microsoft and partner delegation at COP17 will bring a few more blog posts here.

Posted by Dele Akinsade
Developer and Platform Evangelist Lead for Microsoft in West, East, Central Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands 

The growth of internet access and mobile penetration across Africa has resulted in a technology tipping point in terms of the opportunities available to business and consumers. Now is Africa’s time. The potential is tremendous, but making technology readily accessible and available – and continuing to fuel Africa’s culture of innovation around ICT – is essential to turning that potential into a true impact on economic growth in the region.

The need to create more spaces in which African technology professionals and enthusiasts are able to experience the latest-generation technologies first-hand, exchange ideas, and build skills birthed the idea for ‘Open Door’ – a series of events taking place across the continent aimed at highlighting the latest developments in ICT, but also the potential growth opportunities they offer.

Open Door is essentially a ‘technology showcase’ where we give African technology professionals and enthusiasts the opportunity to experience the latest generation of products and services from Microsoft and its partners. Open Door is literally just that: our doors are open to the public, our customers, partners, students and Government. The events typically last one or two days and are jam-packed with technology sessions, demonstrations and interactive feedback sessions.  

2011 is the second year we’ve hosted Open Door events in Africa and the feedback from customers, partners and consumers is that these types of events are needed to help drive technology adoption, and create a better understanding of what is available to consumers, businesses and Government alike – and perhaps most importantly, the growth opportunities they offer.

Open Door events provide attendees access to our latest consumer and business tools, including products such as Windows Phone 7, Kinect for Xbox 360 and the Lync communication platform. The events are hosted across the territories that Microsoft operates in, including Nigeria, West & Central Africa, East & Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands. To date, over 1, 100 developers, customers and partners have attended events in Abidjan, Lagos, Abuja, Nairobi and Kigali. Further events are planned across the region in the near future. 

In Kenya and Rwanda alone almost 500 customers, partners and developers attended our events.   We also leveraged our Open Door event here to launch the Microsoft Virtual Academy, a fully cloud based online learning platform, designed to assist students in acquiring technologies and skills that would enhance their employability. 

What we weren’t expecting was the incredible level of energy and enthusiasm we received in feedback.  Partner, customer, but particularly student feedback showed us that Open Door and supporting programmes, such as the Virtual Academy, are what really resonate with the local populus.  George Mbuthia, a student at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology shared:

“It is a thrilling experience to study Microsoft technologies and advance my career. Earning points for downloading and studying materials and passing the self-assessment tests the program also keeps me motivated and encouraged, as I can constantly see my progress.”

Microsoft currently has over 250 employees in nine offices and more than 2,500 partners in the WECA & IOI region, each with thousands of employees. With Open Door, never before have so many leaders across the technology industry gathered together to share our product and services vision, and our extensive network is still growing!

Guest Post By Claire Ighodaro CBE
Independent Director, British Council 

As a British Council Trustee, I was proud to announce a new international education and training partnership with Microsoft this morning, at the Microsoft Partners in Learning Global Forum 2011 in Washington DC.

The partnership with Microsoft is a perfect match, as it aligns with the British Council’s core mission: to build trust and create opportunities. We do 'soft power', to use Joseph Nye's phrase, and we do it on a vast scale, operating in 110 countries and 191 cities across the globe. In fact, we were recently described in the Huffington Post as 'probably the world's best cultural diplomacy agency.'

The first project in this new partnership will provide teachers and learners across Africa with the skills they need to live and work in a global economy. I have seen firsthand the British Council's education programmes in Africa, and the results of their investment are extraordinary. So I am delighted that the first project in the new British Council - Microsoft partnership will happen in Africa, where we have the experience and connections to work effectively with educators and leaders on the ground to really make a difference.

At the British Council, we work in three areas: English, Arts, and Education and Society. In terms of our reach and impact, we're the world's leading cultural relations organization. Last year our work engaged more than 30 million people worldwide, and we reached almost 600 million people through digital and broadcast media - approaching one in ten of the earth's people.

Those numbers are large, but here is an even bigger statistic: three billion people today are under 25. Our common future depends on releasing their potential. This is what is at the heart of our new partnership. We cannot predict what's ahead, but we know that tomorrow's world will be complex and fast-changing, and that there will be major challenges ahead.

According to the International Labor Organization, 160 million people worldwide are unemployed. That includes 64 million young people. And yet there is also a huge and growing shortage of people with the skills that the 21st century requires.  Global connectivity is rapidly transforming the world, as online and mobile technologies converge. By 2014, there will be 6.5 billion mobile subscribers. That's more than 90% of the world's entire population. This new world demands a whole new set of skills.

We need outstanding, energetic young people with the skills to navigate this complex landscape. Alongside competence with IT, they will need superb communication and teamwork skills to understand and work with people in their schools and communities. And just as importantly, they will need the skills to reach out and work with people on the other side of the world.

Where do we begin to address these issues? We believe the answer is through partnerships. We cannot do this alone. We must develop creative new alliances to address our common future, with states, businesses, educational organisations and individuals.

Our two organizations have complementary expertise in technology, education and cultural relations. Our joint expertise forms a solid foundation for a productive, sustainable alliance.

Technology is a tool that, when well used, can improve teaching and learning. But technology is just one piece of a larger solution, supported by progressive national education policies, professional development for educators, and innovations led by teachers on the ground.

This project is not just about wiring schools. It is about ensuring that young people in their communities are equipped with skills that will serve them throughout their lives: leadership, self-confidence, creativity, ambition, and a desire to connect and contribute to the wider world.

Claire Ighodaro CBE is a Board member, Non-executive Director and Audit Committee Chair of Lloyd’s of London, the UK’s Lending Standards Board and the British Council. She is also a Council Member of the Open University and a Past President of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

By Brad Smith, General Counsel and Executive Vice President, Legal and Corporate Affairs

It has been over two months since famine was declared in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti, leaving 12.4 million people in need of emergency aid. Every day over 1,500 famine-stricken Somalis arrive in the world’s largest refugee camp in north-eastern Kenya. According to the United Nations, the Dadaab Refugee camp designed for 90,000 people is now home to nearly half a million people.

To put this crisis in perspective, the number of severely famine-stricken people is higher than the combined numbers affected by the South Asia tsunami and South Asia earthquakes of 2005 and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

On the Microsoft on the Issues blog for Africa we often focus on the many opportunities present in Africa, the amazing feats and accomplishments of the African people, and how technology is positively impacting the continent. But Africa, and the world community, face a humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa, and I wanted to take a moment to talk about Microsoft’s commitment to help respond to the crisis.

Our response

Technology is our business and it also underpins how we try and contribute to the communities we serve. We are committed to using technology to help respond to this crisis. Yesterday in Nairobi, I announced that we are extending our disaster response efforts with a number of partner organizations working in the region. We are committing to deliver support to the value of more than $4 million including:

-    Monetary donations to NGOs working in the relief zone.
-    Donating technical solutions and support to lead response organizations to improve the effectiveness of aid flows and monitoring. Over the last 30 days we have been working with IGOs and NGOs in the region to develop a sustainable model for their disaster response mechanisms. Our efforts include:

• Working with the International Organization of Migration (IOM) to develop an IT system to assist their work with the refugees in the region. This is similar to the solution that was successfully implemented by Microsoft and the IOM in Egypt for their work with Libyan refugees

• Supporting relief efforts of the NGOs and UN agencies working in the region by bringing broadband internet connectivity to the Dadaab refugee camp in a partnership with NetHope.

• Collaborating with NetHope to donate software and IT training to the 32 NGO members operating in the region, with a focus on improving the effectiveness of their work.

-    Providing access to technology, eduction and learning opportunities for refugees. Examples include:

• Partnering with international NGOs in the zone, including UN refugee agency UNCHR, the Red Cross, Right to Play, and NetHope, to assist in the establishment of three UNHCR technology centers in the Kakuma and Dadaab refugee camps. This effort is intended to improve education and learning opportunities for young people in these camps.

• Working with UNHCR to deliver the Community Technology Access (CTA) Program inside the Kakuma refugee camp, aimed at empowering refugees by providing access to technology and connectivity.

• Providing children and young people with access to sports and recreational facilities in partnership with the international NGO, Right to Play.

We have an on-going commitment to Kenya and East Africa – and are not new to the challenges facing the region. These latest efforts combine our long-term commitment with the immediate disaster response needs of the communities at risk.

There are so many positive developments across the continent and so much progress being made. But, collectively the world needs to respond to the crisis in the Horn of Africa and help address the terrible suffering of so many people. We are committed to playing our part.

If you would like to help, we recommend working with, or donating to, one of the following organizations:

•    Kenya Red Cross Society
•    CARE
•    NetHope
•    Oxfam-America Inc.
•    International Rescue Committee
•    Save the Children American
•    Red Cross World Vision
•    Islamic relief

Guest post by John Nielsen
GM, EMEA Customer Service and Support

Earlier in September, I accompanied a ten-strong team of engineers from across Microsoft EMEA Customer Service & Support to the Blantyre area of Malawi. The team were there to install a brand new network that would connect four local schools. Working closely with teams from mobile network Access Communications and the charity Computers for Malawian Schools, we helped launch the Malawi Learning Partnership (MLP) – a community networking project using ICT tools to allow teachers, students and partners communicate and enhance education in Malawi.

We’re extremely proud that, over the week, we helped these schools bridge the digital divide so that they can better harness the power of technology; giving teachers the IT tools that will help them create more dynamic lessons for their students. The network now in place will let schools integrate their work much more closely, widening their access to new learning tools and ideas.

The visit wasn’t without its complications – we made slow progress on our first couple of days and had to deal with rolling power cuts every two nights, which meant that we had to complete a large portion of the networking by candlelight. In addition, using computers with 128MB RAM felt like a trip back in time for many of us. In spite of this, the team made it work and the partnership launch was a great success.

In fact, upon my return to the office, I was delighted to take part in a Skype call with some of the students and my colleagues still in in Malawi at the time – something which would not have been possible a few days earlier.

Late on in the trip, the team met some of the hardworking staff at the Jacaranda School for Orphans. Even though they were already behind with the schools they had initially agreed to network together, they were so impressed and humbled by their work that they insisted on including them within the MLP. Despite the set-backs due to the power-outages, they charged forward.

Our work wasn’t limited to helping to launch the MLP. We also had the pleasure of meeting with several hundred local residents – including parents of children at participating schools, local business leaders and members of the community – at an evening event we hosted. During the session, I presented to the guests about our citizenship agenda, and the work we were doing in Malawi.

The female members of the team were also fortunate enough to run a session as part of Microsoft’s DigiGirlz programme, which gives high school girls the opportunity to learn about careers in IT and participate in hands-on computer workshops. Fifty girls from around Blantyre took part, and everyone was delighted to have seen this part of the project come to fruition. One participant told us the session had been “the best day of her life”, which is pretty amazing. Our hope now is that the participants have more confidence in their abilities and understand more about the possibilities of working in IT thanks to their involvement in the session.

Technology aside, the visit was also a chance for us to see some of our fundraising for Against Malaria in action. We hand-delivered some of the 5,000 nets funded by our efforts – a simple but vital tool in helping Malawian families prevent spread of the disease. This was a great moment of the trip – seeing how our efforts will help to save lives.
And although we’ve returned home, our work hasn’t ended. We have now formed a Technology Mentoring Network with the people of Malawi that will offer ongoing support and training to young Malawians starting new businesses.

I think it’s safe to say that the visit to Malawi was one of the proudest moments of the team members’ careers. It was a hugely rewarding experience – it was fantastic to see benefits of our work immediately, and meet some amazing people. We’re excited to keep in touch with the team on the ground and hear more about the progress being made.

I’d like to leave you with a short video showing some of the highlights from our trip.

Posted by Wanjira Kamwere
Government Engagement Manager at Microsoft WECA

Education is viewed by some people as a basic human right. I include myself in this group, however the reality is that education is a luxury for many people in the world and pockets of society often find it hard to access. Across Africa, I feel that the value of educating women in particular cannot be underestimated. Providing education and skills to African women offers them a brighter future and a way to support themselves and their communities in unprecedented ways. Happily, supporting young talent and local communities across Africa is a huge priority for Microsoft and I’m proud to be one of those responsible for driving initiatives in the WECA region, especially when I see firsthand the results it brings.

I’m really proud of some work that I have been able to be a involved in as part of the Global Give Back Circle, which is in turn part of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) and is committed to empower disadvantaged adolescent girls in Kenya. Through the Global Give Back Circle (GGBC), women at Microsoft, such as myself, mentor young local girls to help create opportunities and design a future path for them. The programme also addresses a critical challenge for all young people in Kenya – the unavoidable 21 month gap between high school and university. We help to bridge this gap by engaging young, women on a nine-month ICT course in specially built IT Labs in Kenya. This is complemented by an arranged internship, equipping the ‘mentees’ with critical e-Skills and experience of the working world before they embark on their chosen university courses.

As the name suggests, this mentoring programme is also designed to promote the culture of giving back to the community. The young women who take part in the GGBC become mentors themselves, transferring knowledge to others by teaching computer skills. The cycle of local empowerment improves local community support, promotes independence and encourages private sector investment.

The GGBC has helped many young women reach their full potential - three of the first GGBC class of 2009 are Clinton Scholars in the American University in Dubai, two were awarded scholarships to US universities and 25 are attending university throughout Kenya.

This year I was excited to see the programme lead one young Kenyan girl to even greater horizons. Thanks to her commitment to the GGBC, 19-year-old Pauline Kachinja was selected as the spokesperson for the local Microsoft IT Lab during a live-stream of the facility at the 2010 CGI Session on Democratizing Education. This year she went on to win a place as the sole African female representative at the July leadership training summit in Washington DC. Pauline also had a rare opportunity to meet US congresswomen and has gained skills in project and financial management as well as on-camera interview experience. Back in Kenya, she will impart these skills to others, giving back to the community.

Being part of the Global Give Back Circle is a great example of how Microsoft is helping young people worldwide to unlock their full potential, empowering them to expand their horizons, learn new skills and improve their chances of employment. In Kenya this takes on even greater significance as these opportunities offer young women greater independence and ultimately help themselves, and others, escape from poverty. Personally, I look forward to seeing this empowerment eventually come full circle as more highly-skilled young talent enters the business world and fuels our burgeoning local economy. But don’t take it from me, here’s Pauline’s own words on her GGBC experience…

----

My name is Pauline Kachinja – I’m a beneficiary of the Global Give Back Circle and an undergraduate student at Moi University, Kenya – and I was offered the precious chance to attend the IL2L International Girls’ Summit in Washington D.C. this summer. I was nervous before going, in case I didn’t represent Kenya as best I could. But I shouldn’t have worried – I met so many inspiring girls my age from all over the world, learnt a great deal and I was selected as one of the best two speakers at the summit! My prize was to be filmed in a TV studio talking about my background and my ICAN project, which was great.

I also visited the Kenyan embassy and met His Excellency, Ambassador Elkanah Odembo, who gave me these words of encouragement: “Leadership is a long journey with numerous challenges but if you stay focused you will make it.” My whole stay in the United States was crowned by the graduation which was held at the Georgian embassy. I was joined by my new mentor and her family. All the participants received a certificate, it was a very emotional moment because of the bond that we had created amongst one another and now it was time to part. We are already planning a reunion in ten years so we can see how far we have all come.

Being part of the GGBC and going to America has been a life-changing experience that I can never forget. I’m taking two very valuable lessons back to Kenya from it all:
• You don’t have to be rich or to be so educated to make a change in this world; all you need is to believe in yourself. Women are a force of change in this world.
• As a leader, try to find an opportunity in every challenge, and overcome any challenges in every opportunity, that comes your way.

Pauline meets the Kenyan Ambassador in Washington D.C.

Posted by Tracey Newman
Small and Medium Solutions and Partners (SMS&P) Director for Microsoft West, East & Central Africa and Indian Ocean Islands

I was very pleased to see some of the best of Africa’s partner network recognised and their expertise showcased at two separate awards ceremonies that took place in Los Angeles recently. At the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) held from 10 -14 July, 10 partners received WPC Country Awards, while 16 partners received Awards at the WECA Awards, a regional awards ceremony for the West, East and Central Africa and Indian Ocean Islands (WECA & IOI) sales locations.  Both Awards acknowledge partners for their continued excellence in providing outstanding value to customers and the marketplace as a whole. 

Microsoft has always emphasized that its partners form a critical part of its business model:  today there are 1.3 million Microsoft partner companies in the world, who together provide 95% of Microsoft’s revenue. The scope and scale of this network is vast, covering distributors, resellers, retailers, system integrators, Independent Software Vendors, OEM manufacturers, hosters and gamers. And our 7000 strong partner network in Africa allows us to develop, sell, deploy and support our software solutions on almost every corner of the continent.

Our partners are certainly important to us because they help us expand our reach, but they also help us achieve something bigger: fuelling transformative innovation across the continent, by developing technologies developed by Africa, for Africa. This continent is brimming with opportunity, and we believe that our software can help realize this by improving the lives of individuals, organisations and local economies. But to do this, we need solid relationships with skilled partners – exactly the sort that our Partner Awards shine the spotlight on.

This is why it is so inspiring to see the calibre of work our partners in Africa are producing, and why I was so excited to see the best of these partners recognized at our global partner event. They will play an integral role in increasing business aptitude and improving government effectiveness.

On this note, I congratulate the following partners for excelling in their respective areas of specialisation:

Country Partner Award winners:

HERMES-SYSTEM – Reunion

IPMC – Ghana

Signal Alliance – Nigeria

System Plus Pioneer Ltd – Mauritius

Computer Revolution Africa – Uganda

Computer Revolution Africa – Kenya

Computer Revolution Africa –Ethiopia

Menshen – Angola

Techno Brain LTD – Malawi

FTF (Full Technologies Formations) - Senegal

West, East and Central Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands Award winners:

Axxend – West and Central Africa (Portals and Collaboration)

Computrade – Indian Ocean Islands (Named)

Coretec  – Eastern and Southern Africa (Dynamics Enterprise Resource Planning)

Courts – Indian Ocean Islands (Retail)

Elytis – Indian Ocean Islands (Distributor)

FRCI  – Indian Ocean Islands (Learning)

FRCI – Indian Ocean Islands (Virtualisation)

FTF – West and Central Africa (Desktop)

Ha-shem – Nigeria (Small & Medium Business)

LCI – Indian Ocean Islands (Education Sector)

Mitsumi – Eastern and Southern Africa (System Builder)

Signal Alliance – Nigeria (Unified Communication)

Tavia Technologies – Nigeria (Communication Sector)

Technobrain LTD. – Eastern and Southern Africa (Enterprise Software Advisor)

Technobrain LTD. - Eastern and Southern Africa (Independent Software Vendor)

Technobrain LTD. - Eastern and Southern Africa (Government Sector)

Posted by Warren La Fleur
Senior Business Development Manager, Microsoft East and Southern Africa

Namibia recently held its first-ever National Conference on Education at which the Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Hage Geingob, called upon the private sector to engage and invest in education as a means to combat the skills-shortage and unemployment challenges facing the country. Geingob went on to note that ‘education is too important to be left to the Ministry alone as education is a great liberator and equalizer and has the potential to open doors to success.’ (Source: Namibian Sun)

This is a world view that we share at Microsoft – the belief that government and industry need to work together more than ever towards shared priorities for sustainable growth, as well as to develop thriving and competitive knowledge economies.

In fact, just last month, we opened the doors at the very first Microsoft IT Academy in Namibia. I’m excited about this, as were all those who attended the official ceremony at the Polytechnic of Namibia Centre of Entrepreneurial Development (CED). The fact that Microsoft has already established thousands of IT Academies like this one across the world does not detract from its significance – because for Namibia, one Academy like this one has the potential to make a big difference to the local economy. With an unemployment rate of over 50 percent, Namibia is in desperate need of skilled citizens. And it’s worth highlighting that in order for its economy to thrive, not just any skills will suffice. True, in any country there is a whole spectrum of jobs that need to be filled, but the fact remains: those countries which lack a developed ICT infrastructure and the human resources to support it can’t compete on the global stage, and are unable to utilize the technologies that have the potential to drive increased productivity and prosperity. The rising dependence of businesses on IT has meant that it is now critical that a good portion of a country’s human resources are made up of skilled IT professionals. 

While everybody knows how vital education is, creating sustainable and high quality skills development programs is no mean feat. And a  further challenge:  the rapidly changing nature of the ICT industry and the importance of keeping up to date with trends make it even more difficult to ensure a consistently high quality standard of education for this sector. That’s why it often requires collaboration between several parties, each bringing their unique skills to the table in a quest to develop something greater than what each could achieve working in isolation. Public-private partnerships are a good example of this, and have become critical in fostering the development of robust and sustainable business landscapes, particularly in developing nations. We’ve pointed before to Mauritius as an example of a country that has made great strides in successfully leveraging these sorts of partnerships. We hope to help bring this to Namibia as well, and are confident that the establishment of a Microsoft IT Academy to provide training on the most current technologies will be an important complement to the existing curriculum at the Polytechnic of Namibia, supplementing the good work they do with the very highest quality of IT skills development.

When one takes these factors into account, it is much easier to see the broader significance of the partnership we officially initiated between Microsoft, the Polytechnic and TaTe Group, representing not only a sustainable education program, but an opportunity to stimulate the business landscape and the local economy as a whole. It is important to remember how much has been achieved thanks to great partnerships: they are the facilitators of infinite possibility.

Posted by Lutalo Joseph Willrich (on behalf of the Team Quest-O)

So we hacked like cats at little buttons and mice back in our school dorms many days ago (when no one knew us), and lo! Here we are speaking to the world about our exploits and achievements. It’s lovely, Imagine Cup I mean, amazing and truly a must-get-there moment for every tech student around the globe!

Travelling to Imagine Cup was like programming: thrilling and engaging. The journey was the longest (30hrs approx.) and most exciting, being my first time to travel between-and-above the clouds! Unforgettable I must say.

The feeling of finally breathing, walking, seeing and becoming a part of the awe called New York! Everything so big, everything shining and glittering in the unceasing sun –this was the first time I witnessed a day that starts at 5am and rocks on until 10pm! I remember waiting for night to fall, and the time on my computer kept screaming “It’s night! It’s night!” though the skies looked as daytime as ever! But I soon understood and adjusted. All in all, I was thrilled by the sheer scale of this city– I knew there was going to be lots of storytelling when I returned to the dusty streets of Kampala.

From the moment I stepped onto the Academy bus that picked us off from JFK, I knew it was going to be first-class service, and Microsoft doesn’t disappoint I should tell you! I must admit that everything at the event was very well planned and executed to the very last dot - perfect! And I wouldn’t expect less of a firm that holds the dreams and respect of all these nerdy brains across the globe. Being my first Imagine Cup, this was all fantabulous, and I enjoyed it all. Not forgetting Liberty and the Ellis Island Barbeque!

I can’t forget the speeches at the opening ceremony, especially the one from Ballmer himself, and the experience of presenting before world-class experts and media had its lasting impacts on me. Did I mention the lovely time at Central Park? That was the cream on the cake for me – painting a Malcolm-X mural with the two Winners of the Windows 7 Touch challenge for some lovely kids somewhere in the US! The painting itself might not have been so amazing, but the friends from France (I don’t know French by the way) and the fact that we both shared a passion about the concept portrayed in the mural made it so memorable for us all.

I feel proud to have represented my small village town back at home, my Kampala City, Uganda and Africa as a whole – it’s surely an honor! And I say to my people back at home: though we didn’t bring home the Top Accolade, we are bringing home lots of experience and passion to change us all. Cheer up brothers and sisters. We are here because of you.

And there have been some breathtaking and mind-awakening moments in the realm of the Nerd! This was my first time to witness the marvels of the ‘magic-turned-tech’ phenomenon called the Kinect. I loved the learning session from Coding4Fun.com. I hacked my first ever Kinect app in under 1 hour thanks to Microsoft and Dan Waters (awesome guy). I can’t forget the sessions on IE9 by Giorgio Sardo (he is going places!), and I loved the Windows Phone 7 session too.

Crimex, our solution as Team Quest-O, which for those who don’t know is a response to the 8th MDG, Global Partnership, which is critical to creating– a Crime Free Society. It offers an affordable and effective solution for crunching crime data (from both the community and law enforcement), into useful and real-time applicable security tips and crime patterns for developing countries. We didn’t win, but we shall win for sure. The feedback is encouraging and positive. We have hope.

All in all, Imagine Cup has been thrilling, challenging, and very fantabulous! I look forward to more in the coming years.

Posted by Mteto Nyati and Hennie Loubser

Managing Director, Microsoft South Africa and General Manager, Microsoft WECA respectively

Since 1992, when we opened our first office in Africa, we have actively worked to help individuals, communities and nations across the continent thrive and grow. Fuelled by the incredible potential we see in Africa – from its young population, to its tremendous natural resources, to its opportunities for market growth, we’ve worked with passion to help enhance capacity for development, so that the continent can benefit from locally generated and sustainable development; and that Africa can realize her full potential.

And so it was with great honour that on 23 June, we received recognition for our far-reaching effect on improving the lives of citizens in these regions at the fourth annual African Business Awards held in London, UK in the category for ‘Best Corporate Social Responsibility.’

Frank McCosker, General Manager, Global Strategic Accounts, received the award on behalf of Microsoft South Africa and WECA from Omar Ben Yedder, Managing Director of African Business

Organised by African Business magazine, and the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC), the African Business Awards recognise business leaders and companies that have excelled in Africa over the last year. The ‘Best Corporate Social Responsibility’ award recognises the use of the human resources and skills of the company to sustainably improve the living conditions of vulnerable populations, and is aimed at ‘companies which go beyond the philanthropic use of funds to use their overall knowledge, resources and reputation to improve the lives of the poor and disadvantaged.’

Microsoft was specifically awarded for its efforts in areas including:

•    Youth Employability, where we’ve granted funds to the International Youth Foundation to provide technology, life skills, entrepreneurship, and marketable job skills training to 5,500 young people in Kenya and Tanzania. This program’s success has fueled interest and contributions from a range of other donors such as the British foreign aid agency, USAID, the World Bank, and Samsung;
•    Community Technology Access, where we’ve partnered with the UN High Commission for Refugees and other private sector partners to launch computer literacy and vocational training courses for over 18,000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in solar-powered computer classrooms in a camp in the Kiziba refugee camp in Rwanda.
•    Teacher Training & Curriculum, by far one of Microsoft’s most established focus areas in the region, our targeted contribution to the South African education system specifically has focused on providing guidance and training to teachers in the use of technology, and support for school principals and their corresponding provinces and districts. We trained over 4000 teachers in the use of ICT, as well as constructed partnership agreements to ensure ongoing collaboration between corporates, government and NGOs and alignment of projects with plans of the South African Department of Basic Education.

Receiving this accolade in the Corporate Social Responsibility category is a significant acknowledgement for Microsoft, where we align our African Citizenship programmes closely to the top priorities identified by the governments of the countries in which we operate, both to remain locally relevant and to make a real difference in the lives of people who need it the most.

Posted by Mteto Nyati
Managing Director, Microsoft South Africa

Microsoft South Africa has just received the nod from the South Africa’s Minister of Trade and Industry indicating that it is now a Level 2 Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) contributor. What this really means, is that the local subsidiary of the software company is the most locally relevant multinational IT company operating in South Africa (SA).

There is no other multinational that has yet shown this level of commitment to the restitution of past inequalities in SA’s business landscape, and it’s a great differentiator to government and to Microsoft’s trusted local partners, vendors and service providers.

What’s great about this for Microsoft – which does business with 7,500 partner companies and service providers in SA – is that these Government agencies and businesses make themselves more compliant and more empowered in the process – as BEE in South Africa is designed to have exactly such a knock-on effect, to inspire participation in the programme.

This network is already a major catalyst of economic growth and opportunity in South Africa, driving dynamic solutions for our customers, and jobs and opportunities throughout the industry. With the additional 20 points Microsoft SA received for our Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) equity equivalent programme, the company has even risen above the level of BEE participation of the top empowered companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

This illustrates our attitude towards investing into empowerment in South Africa – and also supports my views as leader of the local business –by being entrenched in the issues that drive South Africa’s government and business landscape, and by doing all we can to create a vibrant local software economy, Microsoft in South Africa can have a long and mutually beneficial relationship with the nation’s citizens.

While BEE in South Africa has in many cases become a contentious issue, Microsoft has shown that by doing it differently, it is possible to follow not only the letter of the law, but to follow the intent – economic and social development.

Microsoft SA has already announced the names of four sustainable, independent and majority black-owned software companies that Microsoft SA  will nurture and support under the equity equivalent programme, so that their solutions can compete on the world software service market.

On 10 June 2011, we furthered our commitment by opening a second public request for proposals (RFPs) – as Microsoft SA   would like to take a few additional majority black owned Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) on this journey to international competitiveness as part of our half a billion rand (USD 57.9m) upliftment programme.

Our relationship with the South African government has been further strengthened by the commitment we have shown to assisting where we can with the local priorities, of which education, skills and job creation are some of the most key to lifting the country out of a possible service delivery crisis.

I am of the school that believes software and other technologies, when properly used, can transform lives. Over nearly 20 years, we’ve aligned our programmes and investments in South Africa to support economic development, social advancement and greater dynamism in the local software ecosystem.

Microsoft has been running various programmes to make the world of computers more accessible and affordable for the majority of South Africans – and to unlock the potential of individuals, institutions and academia, NGOs, businesses and government entities by knowing how to use technology to its ultimate ability.

Our citizenship commitments include transforming local education, fostering local innovation, and creating jobs and opportunities – giving new hope to people with disabilities, enhancing the country’s education system, helping communities bridge the digital divide, supporting entrepreneurial ventures in many industries, and helping thousands of young graduates and school-leavers to develop skills and find good jobs.

To achieve all of these objectives, our Citizenship programme managers partner with local NGOs, government departments and service providers to reach and enrich the lives of hundreds of thousands of teachers, learners, students, graduate interns, SMEs, disadvantaged communities, differently-abled citizens and government employees each year. For a look at our Citizenship Report of 2009-10, please have a look at http://www.microsoft.com/southafrica/citizenship/index.html.

Through the success of the BBBEE programme over time, the market will grow to associate Black Economic Empowerment with real entrepreneurship, job creation, enterprise development and skills enhancement. This makes me sleep better at night – knowing that I – as a black South African working for a multinational technology leader, can make a difference in my country through the work that we do.