Erik Hersman Articles

Guest post by: Erik Hersman
Become an Author

Google is Moving in East Africa

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.

Applying the Long-tail to the African Mobile Space

The mobile applications space is getting more attention each day. Ken Banks has written up a good piece, in which he applies the long-tail theory to mobile applications in areas like Africa.

The $20 Billion African Remittance Market

Remittances (money sent back home from Africans living abroad) back to Africa constitute some big numbers for Africa. About $10 billion gets sent to sub-Saharan Africa. That’s the official number of course, a World Bank report stated that it’s likely double that amount, due to Africans using non-traditional means to send capital back home.

Why the Internet Matters in Africa

If anyone doubts the power of the internet in Africa, they need to look no further than what is happening in Kenya right now. Kenya is balanced on the precarious edge of a cliff that could quickly descend into even more riots, bloodshed and government heavy-handedness. The people I’m talking to via Skype/email tell me that there are gunshots going off as we type… This isn’t Zimbabwe (yet), but it is still bad.

Africa at DEMO ‘08

I’ve been sitting on this little nugget of information for the last month, but am happy to finally announce that I’ll be going to the DEMO ‘08 conference in January. DEMO is the leading conference for new technologies to launch. It’s generally packed with a ton of VC’s, startups and some really interesting people. DEMO is one of the very best conferences in the tech space and one that I’ve always wanted to attend.

Kenya’s Second BarCamp

I’ve been impressed to see the developers and bloggers from Kenya and South Africa taking the time to create gatherings where they can pass on knowledge - everyone ends up profiting from the experience. The techies in Nairobi have just concluded their 2nd BarCamp this year (the first was in March).

African Stock Market Opportunities Online

The stock markets in Africa have shown incredible growth over the last few years. There are a lot of investors around the world interested in both information and analysis of the stocks, companies and countries where the exchanges are located. Invariably, entrepreneurs flock to where the money is and you start seeing some interesting websites show up.

Mubarak Abdullahi’s home-made helicopter takes Nigeria’s Kano Plains by storm

Yahoo! News (among other sources) carries a story from October 21st about Mubarak Muhammad Abdullahi of the Kano Plains of Nigeria who has built a working helicopter over the last 8 months using scrap aluminum and parts from a Honda Civic, an old Toyota and from the remains of a crashed Boeing 747.

Quick Mobile Hits Around Africa

2go Rafiq wrote a review of a new mobile service out of South Africa called 2go. It enters the chat/social network fray with fellow South African competitor Mxit (past with interview Mxit’s Darryn Foster found here).

Where the World Sees Junk, Africa Recycles

This post is dedicated to Blog Action Day, where thousands of blogs around the world unite to talk about one theme. This year it is the environment.

Page 1 of 3
1
2
3
Next
Last

Home > African-Accounts > Erik Hersman > Google +

About the Author: Erik Hersman

RSS for Erik's articles - Visit Erik's website
Erik Hersman is a rising international technology influencer with a keen eye on the impact of Web 2.0 advancements in the U.S. and his finger on the pulse of technology innovation across Africa. An avid blogger Erik writes four different technology blogs including: AfriGadget; WhiteAfrican; African Signals; and Realty Thoughts. When he is not blogging Erik serves as VP of strategy and marketing at eppraisal.com an online real estate site providing on-demand access to home valuations, real estate professionals, home inspectors and appraisers. In this position he is responsible for marketing implementation, partner strategy and consumer evangelism. Raised in Sudan and Kenya, Erik brings unique energy and insight to the world of technology – bridging the gap between Africa and Silicon Valley. Erik can be seen speaking around the world at recognized conferences including the TEDGlobal conference in Tanzania and Inman’s Real Estate Connect.
Click here to visit Erik's website.

More from Erik Hersman
Google is Moving in East Africa
But Where Were the Hippos
Street Meat Heater A Simple Solution
An Open Source DiscBurning Kiosk
Quick Hits Around the African Web

Share this article. Fund someone's dream.

Share this post and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.


Name:
Email: