Is there a link between poverty and innovation?

In these parts we have a word for ingenuity-we call it okuyiya. In some circles though,

It is also looked at in a rather negative manner. It can be related to what happens when

a lack of resources meets and good measure of skill. What you have here though is lack of

resources with limited measure of skill (and training).

 

The result is a blend between Mac Giver and Junk Yard wars. In the former, the guy based on experience can fix anything.

He is therefore able to get out of all sorts of fixes using his hands and his training. The latter

is really about a bunch of guys who are thrust into a yard with old, used parts. They have to compete

with other crews to create all sorts of neat new tools from old scrap.

 

In the third world, most of what we create is done in less than pleasant circumstances.

In some cases we have to contend with old used computers which are thrust on our continent

from well meaning donors. Because main stream creators are no longer creating software

For older implementations, we are turning to open source systems. But that is limiting

innovation and creativity to hardware and software that runs it.

 

The best example for this is the guy who turned an old tyre rim into a cooking

stove by welding three pieces of metal at the top and using the hollow section for

charcoal. The other is the guy who found an old cooker and used its outside stable frame

for roasting purposes. He simply chose to add charcoal in the frame both to trap the smoke

as well as to do the task of cooking.

 

So when I last shared my ideas about innovation and poverty, I upset quite

a few people. For them the whole idea behind poverty is absolutely abhorrent.

One definition of Economics is “the study of the use of

limited resources for the achievement of alternative ends”(Macroeconomic Theory

Second Edition)

Maybe the objection was with the choice of words. The point is, that you are doing

To be most creative when you face limits but everything you create has to be

Balanced with something that you have seen (Exposure) and something that you have learnt (Education).

 

Want to boost your creative space? Get rid of the clutter. Also think like a prisoner. Deliberately take steps

limit your movements and the spaces within which you can work and then watch as your creative juices kick in.

 

 

 

Between a rock and a hard place?

If you are like me, an i suspect that you are, you wondered which
major event to attend when
you received notice that the innovation summit and the BPO ICT conference were taking place on
the same date (30th September-1st October). Like a couple who in the 'local wedding month'
(peak season for wedding and similar events) find themselves having to split resources to attend two weddings taking place on the same date.

The East African Internet Governance Forum and the Forum for Internet Freedom in
East Africa are slightly different. In that the former was slated for the 24th and the 25th
of September (at Imperial Royale-Kind of Sounds like the name of a James
Bond Movie!) while the latter is to take place 28th and 29th (at the Golf
Course Hotel). The dates differ but the names seem rather similar.

So which one will you attend.

Having been part of the ISOC (Internet Society Uganda Chapter) gathering that took place at Statistics House and
i had some measure of familiarity with the group which i did write about in my blog.
This event was co-sponsored by NITA Uganda, The Uganda Internet Governance Forum,
The ministry of ICT as well as SMS Media.   

To gain a better understanding of the content of the meeting, we used a program for the day as well as the introduction page on eventbrite (www.eventbrite.com) an international platform that  allows users to create events and create simple sign-ups that can be accessed internationally.

So this is what i distilled from it.

A Regional Event (Session One)

The gathering that took place prior to this was designed to map the local governance challenges. This one is
a larger platform that allows Uganda to measure itself against regional partners.
Naturally the opportunities presented by such a gathering are many. Networking, Benchmarking
Learning and more. Please note that there was representation from the East African Communications
Organization (EACO). As well as participants from Burundi, Tanzania, Rwanda and Kenya all of whom
were tasked to present National Reports from their respective countries.

A Time to Identify Linkages
Locally we have struggled to get rid of overlapping organizations and responsibilities.
In a sense, the new recruit has had difficulty knowing who to salute because
there has been unclear split between the ranks of his superiors. This is why it was good to
see representation from the Uganda Communications Commission as well as the State
Minister of ICT.

Governance is at the core
As the name suggests, this is primarily designed around governance and leadership challenges.
An important difference which you will realize when you attend the Forum for Internet Freedom
which seems to have closer leanings to Civil Society (More about this in later). Naturally or Organically
discussions regarding Development (Session Three), Digital Safety (Session Five) and Democracy (Session Six)
also came up and were tackled. All of these were presented with East Africa at Heart.

The Future
Under the Subject of Emerging Challenges (Session Four) the group was tasked to deal with the technical
issues that may emerge in the Future which matches or falls in line with the second day discussions
(Session Seven-connecting the next Billion). The Eighth session was an expansion of some of the previous discussions (Net Neutrality) that were held in the local Uganda Chapter with additional material from the neighboring countries. 

Business Expansion and New Ways of Thinking
People who attended would be given a unique opportunity to engage with other thought leaders and to
begin to think about possibilities of expansion. The business person needs to know what the
structures were like in business for Information Technology Professionals and what rules (policy)
were in place to manage the manner in which business takes place.
The Forum was a good place to find out which countries in the region were actively pursuing
changes that would benefit their populace (immigration reform, tax for small business,
innovation friendly space, creation of industrial parks or special economic zones, support
for local entrepreneurs). In addition to this there was a need to have a very clear pathway
where business people could take their complaints and get support if they faced challenges.           

This week in tech!

Ideas worth sharing

So today we made a causal trip to the Hive Colab offices (http://www.hivecolab.com). The plan was to visit with the crew at Yoza App for some ideas that we think they can develop for the future. We were also trying to see if we could land an interview with Barbara Birungi (Director). 

Interest in Yoza App (http://www.yozaapp.com)piqued a few months ago when they won a competition put toghether by MTN. There is also a slight bias given that I share a name with one of the leads at Yoza App. 

Our meeting was brief and the discussion was about the possiblity of deploying a mobile washing system especially for areas that have heavy demand and traffic. 

I guess there has been a slight shift in interest on my part that has brought about an appreciation for innovation beyond just the creation of application for mobile computers. 

People worth meeting

I was also interested because the Yoza App group demonstrated that one does not have to participate purely just to win but also to gain more traction and free advertising. I say this weeks after yet another competition this time put together by Seedstarters World. 

You owe it to yourself to visit Hive Colab and Outbox Hub (http://www.outboxhub.ug) because of the people that populate these creative and collaborative spaces. 

Impromptu Interviews

Speaking of which, while here we also got an opportunity to meet James Makumbi-another influencial contributor to the broader technology and computing sector. I shared much of what I had noticed in the design and application competition space. My fear was that there was too great a push for innovation around mobile and computing at the expence of other inventive spaces. We both concluded that the idea was really around finding a meeting point between services and technlogies that enhance these services and that the applications were not really an end within themsleves. 

He also pointed me towards design thinking and paltfrom thinking. The former has come up before and is presented below in a useful image for those that thrive on graphics. 

We also talked about the value of establishing onceself as an authority and then allowing your knowledge to open the doors to those who may at some point need your services. 

Seedstarters World and Outbox Hub

Additional intererst in the Seedstarters event was triggered by the idea that it was sponsored by Stanbic Bank. 

We attended the original pitch (which we have suggested before would be better referred to as Taxi Pitch as oppsoed to Elevator Pitch). Taxi because there are a lot of interesting people that you can meet in a tweleve seater although these might not necessarily be CEOs. But the time spent in the Taxi would match the conditions necessary in narrowing down your ideas. 

Of all the participants in the Seed starters event (http://www.seedstartersworld.com), I was most interested in one idea in which  one could convert shopping time and questions answered into some kind of shopping currency. It is an idea that merges marketing with research while allowing participants to also make some money while at it. I also liked this idea because the young man that brought it to the surface also made sure that he at least mentioned the name of one of the sponsors of the event-Stanbic Bank.

ICT Association Offices

We were also able to visit the ICT Association offices to get some further clarification of the scope and services of the group as well as some of the new events for the months to come.    The first is the BPO and ICT conferencewhich is slated for the End of September beginning of October. The second is the innovation summit(http://www.innovation-africa.com) that will bring a group of ICT ministersfrom the region under one banner for three intensive days.

Participants and paid members will be able to meet potetial clients in Business to Business meetings that have been put together by the leadership team of the ICT Association as well as people from the Business Process Outsourcing Group (this if you recall has been in place for almost 6 years after meetings with the then ICT minister Hon Aggrey Awori).