7 Month old Google Kenya is starting to interact with the local hackers and devs. Just this Tuesday they sponsored the local Tuesday Skunkworks event, giving some of their thoughts on Kenya specifically. My friend, and fellow Kenyan blogger, Bankelele was in attendance and took notes.
Google Kenya Highlights. Google is…
* Mapping Kenya * Partnering with the largest mobile carrier (Safaricom) and giving free email accounts to all subscribers * Partnering with universities to make inroads with their web-based office applications and associated services * Encouraging local content providers to get online (ex: NTVKenya on YouTube)
* Fighting for more bandwidth for all Kenyans * Working with legislatures to create the right atmosphere to get the right internet infrastructure Read the rest, and get more detail, on Bankelele’s blog.
It’s interesting to see how Google continues to look at new markets and move ahead in them, without any real profit there yet. Meanwhile, their main competition on the global level on the web (Yahoo!), doesn’t. Interestingly enough, Yahoo has had the mindshare and marketshare in East Africa, but didn’t capitalize on it. They basically left the door open for Google to come in and steal it all away… and they are.
About the Author:
Read more thoughts on Africa and technology by Erik Hersman at AfriGadget.com and WhiteAfrican.com.
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Impressive stuff on IT growth in the Middle East & North Africa, all contained in a new IDC report:
