eMobilis

About 265 applicants expressed interest in the second phase of the Acumen Fund East Africa Fellows Programme, where the application were received from Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan. The program selected 20 youths with bold ideas and solutions to poverty, and they will be taken through full-year training with a budget of Kshs.25 million.

Acumen Fund East Africa is a program made up of individuals who are driving groundbreaking projects with large social impact both as employees with businesses, public sector organizations, and leading NGOs and as entrepreneurs. It also identifies and trains these next generation leaders united by a common mission of harnessing the power of social innovation to create solutions to East Africa’s most pressing problems.

“I’m honored to have been selected to this second cohort of social change leaders from South Sudan to Rwanda all doing incredible work to uplift life of the Africans. I hope to learn and network through this great organization so as to enhance our great organization in our capacity at eMobilis to empower youth through scholarship and mobile technology training” Says Mr. Ken Mwenda.

Acumen Fund was incorporated on April 1st, 2001, with seed capital from the Rockefeller Foundation, Cisco Systems Foundation and three individual philanthropists. Since then the network of investors and advisors has grown to include a wide range of individuals and organizations who share belief in using entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of global poverty.

Acumen Fund East Africa Fellows – Class of 2013

George William Bakka (Uganda) - Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Angels Initiative (AI)

Joachim Ewechu (Uganda) - Co- Founder and Chief of Business Operations of Angels Initiative (AI)

Ken Mwenda Gikunda (Kenya) - Co-Founder and Managing Director of eMobilis

Julienne Ingabire (Rwanda) - Co-Founder and Global Chief of Operations of Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE)

Sarah Karanja (Kenya) - Project Manager of WelTel

Josephine Kulea (Kenya) - Executive Director of the Samburu Girls Foundation

William Lochi (South Sudan) - Policy & Institutional Advisor to the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs for the Republic ofSouth Sudan

Martin Ojara Mapenduzi (Uganda) - Gulu District Local Government

George Mkwaya (Tanzania) - Project Coordinator of Zanzibar Initiative for Youth Association (ZIFYA)

Majala Mlagui (Kenya) - Founder of Thamani Gems

Marion Atieno Moon (Kenya) - Founder and Managing Director of Wanda Organic Limited

Hital Muraj (Kenya) - Corporate Affairs Manager of CISCO

Herbert Mugume (Rwanda) - Analyst with KZ Noir.

Faith Muigai (Kenya) - Director of Operations of Jacaranda Health

Hawah Nabbuye (Uganda) - Senior Program Coordinator of Educate.

Evelyn Namara (Uganda) - Country Director of Solar Sister.

Tayeb Noorbhai (Tanzania) - Business Development Manager of SimGas.

Herbert Thuo (Kenya) - Chief Marketing Officer of Virtual Group.

Wambui Waithaka (Kenya) - National Treasurer of the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists' and Dentists Union (KMPPDU)

Robert Wanjohi (Kenya) - Manager of Jitunze Environmental Group.

For more details follow this link - http://www.acumenfund.org/fellows/east-africa-fellows-program/how-to-apply.html

Kenya launched the National ICT Master Plan, a policy document that guides the Country’s ICT direction in the next five years in an event held on 14thFebruary 2013 at Sarova Stanley hotel. In attendance was Dr. Bitange Ndemo CBS, P.S, Ministry of Information and Communication, Mr. Paul Kukubo, MBS, C.E.O, Kenya ICT Board, Mr. John Sergon (Director of e-Government), Mr. John Waibochi, C.E.O Virtual City and ICT stakeholders.

Mr. Ken Mwenda, M.D, eMobilis Mobile Technology Training Institute was among the panelist on a panel with Dr. Bitange Ndemo, CBS, P.S, Ministry of Information and Communication, Mr. John Wabochi, CEO Virtual City, Mr. John Sergon, EBS, ICT Director of e-Government, Mr. Cheserem where they were asked questions about the role of private sector, penetration of ICT infrastructure and need to strengthen industry through ICT and encouragement of the creation of ICT Business.

Dr. Bitange Ndemo, CBS, P.S Ministry of Information and Communication said that the Country aims to be a Knowledge Economy by then. “It’s a blueprint developed by the Ministry of Information and Communication that intends to drive citizen to adoption of the Vision 2030 priorities through ICT policies and initiatives.” Says the P.S

The master plan to be implemented up to 2017 will be anchored on three main pillars: Enhancing public services, use of ICT in businesses and industries and developing local innovators and content. The blueprint will be developed in line with the national development plan, Vision 2030. On the public front, it aims to have 100 per cent of the population connected to the internet and able to access at least 80 per cent of the public services online.

Other priority areas that have been identified are provision of health services by growth of Tele-medicine and health apps, connected education through a National Schools Education Network (SENet) and connected agriculture. The plan aims to develop a pool of innovators to create 500 ICT companies and 50,000 jobs. This will make the ICT industry to contribute an estimated 25 per cent of Gross Domestic Product by 2017.

The impact is also expected to be felt by SMEs with their automation projected at 60 per cent, the number of commercialized business is placed at a 100 while 20 new innovations are expected to be propagated globally. The third pillar of the master plan is strengthening ICT as a driver of businesses and industry. This would eventually create employment through other forms like manufacturing and Business Process out Sourcing.

For more details follow this link http://www.cio.co.ke/news/main-stories/kenya-launches-national-ict-master-plan-2017,-aims-to-connect-all