GOOGLE NEEDS AFRICA & AFRICA NEEDS GOOGLE

Smartphone owners in South Africa will now be able to enter a voice command in Afrikaans and Zulu which will return written search results via Google's search engine.

It is also using computer and human translators to ensure there is sufficient content on the Internet to make searches in such languages worthwhile.

In a continent where literacy remains a significant issue, the company hopes it will encourage more people to get online in a way that suits them and has pledged to deliver search results in audio in the not too distant future.

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"We see speech technology as the way to cross the digital divide," he said. "It's not realistic to expect someone in a far corner of the Limpopo to use web technology but boy they can talk."

His team took the new offering to rural areas where many people had never heard of Google and the mixed response they received reflected a general mistrust of technology in African communities, he said.

"You have a group of people who are horrified - they see speech as a human thing and don't want to talk to a machine," he said. "Then you have a group who are fascinated. They're proud of their language and when a phone responds to them in it, it means they're taking ownership."

The latest launch forms part of Google's mission to nudge more Africans online and onto its sites such as Gmail, Maps and Chat. At present, Africans make up 14 per cent of the world's population but only five per cent of its Internet users.

Key to Google's mission is to capitalise on the widespread use of mobile phones, which outnumber desktop computers tenfold.

Mobile technology has already given millions of people in Kenya access to banking, and Google recently won a Mobile World Congress award for an "SMS tips" service, which answers users' texted questions about health or agricultural issues.

Harnessing Africa's myriad languages is also vital - it already offers a service in 24 of them, but is now seeking to encourage locals to enter their own content to boost the material available in each.

Google Baraza is one of the flagship projects it is using to make itself more relevant. Users can send in questions such as "Where can I buy a reasonably priced camera in Accra?" and "What is the best university in Nigeria?" and other users get points for providing helpful answers.

But there are still obstacles to getting Africa online. Google's cheapest Android phone in South Africa costs R1,399 (£127), locking out the majority of potential users, and even in big cities, internet access is still unreliable.

The average Internet cafe modem struggles to load Gmail and Streetmap, while cataloguing South Africa in time for the World Cup, is yet to make a dent in some of the continent's most populous townships.

Richard Mulholland, a motivational speaker for businesses and founder of South Africa's Entrepreneur magazine, said that like Baraza, much of what Google will become known for in Africa will be alien to its fans elsewhere, and 90 % will be SMS and voice-based.

"In many areas, it will find it's providing the platform to the content creation and the community itself comes up with the algorithm," he said.

"For a local, start-up company, that would be impossible but that's why a brand like Google works."

The company is still to make a profit in the region and most of the services it offers are free.

But Denis Gikunda, Google's localisation manager for African languages, said it was happy to play the long game since, once Africa's massive audience is engaged, there's the potential for considerable profit through relevant advertising.

"In order for us to succeed in Africa from a business point of view, we need people to be using the Internet and using it successfully," he said. "It's a big commitment but then Google is a company that can make that commitment."

Mr Mulholland believes that Google will reap other rewards from its African adventure too.

"Africa needs Google but in the same way, Google needs Africa because it's going to push it to work out all kinds of new solutions, which is what it actually does best," he said.

Source:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/8113690/Google-launches-first-African-voice-recognition-technology.html

UN GLOBAL COMPACT LEADERS SUMMIT REPORT

UN Global Summit Report

The Leaders Summit provided companies with a platform to demonstrate how they are making a contribution to development and the MDGs. Participants were encouraged to come to the Summit prepared to share a new commitment or announcement. Approximately 25 % of companies at the Summit made a commitment to support UN development objectives. Among these, 50 % cited that the company would engage in partnership with the UN, an NGO or other organization to advance a development project.

FULL REPORT HERE http://www.unglobalcompact.org/docs/summit2010/2010_Leaders_Summit_Report.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_source=MonthlyBulletin&utm_content=413464749&utm_campaign=UNGlobalCompactBulletinNovember2010subscribers&utm_term=Download

Salvaging the Horn of Africa

Just to share some of the experiences we come across as AP53 embarks on its initiatives within the Horn of Africa. Finding solutions to the challenges within the Horn of Africa is not easy at ALL!

It was early on the disreputable day of October 21st, 2010 that I tuned into the BBC at 7.00am. They have been covering a press conference held by Johnny Carson, the American Undersecretary of African Affairs. Mr. Carson was talking about the Obama administration’s new ‘double track’ policy towards the Somali dilemma: supporting the TFG while dealing with the peaceful administrations of Somaliland, Puntland and the central areas of Somalia without recognizing them as separate entities. After the press conference, the BBC organized a brief debate convened by Mohamed H. Hussein (Shiine) between a woman from Somalia, Sadia, whose only first name I was able to catch and Anis Abdillahi Essa, a strong advocate for Somaliland.
Mr. Carson used the term ‘Somaliland’ to refer to the Republic of Somaliland in his press conference, while our sister Sadia insisted on using ‘The Northern Regions’ in reference to Somaliland. Embarrassed for Sadia, Mr. Anis requested from his sister to at least follow the American Under-secretary in using ‘Somaliland’ in her communiqué. In response, Sadia staunchly refused by stating that she will never in her life utter the word ‘Somaliland’, but will continue using the term ‘The Northern Regions.’ The standard of hatred, animosity and bitterness has reached such a level and this discouraging, while scary scrutiny is not restricted to Sadia alone, but is at least shared by most of the Diaspora and the TFG who are envious and resentful of the victories scored in Somaliland.
This is far from a benevolent or compassionate human response to a successful story of some of your brethren, much akin to a neighbor who has put his house in order while steering clear of your side of the fence. In contrast to their diasporic counterparts, Somalia’s local population has shown their admiration of what is going on in Somaliland. The despair and the grief they have shown on the death of President Egal is something unforgettable. This was followed by the joy they demonstrated after the recent successful transfer of power between two popularly elected presidents, the likes of which neither Somalia nor Somaliland has ever seen.
Why such an acrimony? Why not appreciate the gains scored by your fellow Somalis to salvage a part of the greater Somali region from havoc and disastrous wars? Why not appreciate and make use of the rich experience they have accumulated in finding solutions to their differences through peaceful dialogue and the Islamic\traditional mechanisms of conflict resolution. Why is Somaliland not given the chance to take part in the international and regional arena where the dilemma of Somalia has been discussed for the last two decades? Are they not the brothers with whom we shared the same Republic for almost thirty years of unification? Are we not the closest to monitor and sense their inner feelings and preoccupations? Why we are not offered at least an observer’s status in such efforts? I admit that the authorities of Somaliland were too busy focusing on the reconstruction of their own nation at the initial stages. But, one should not undervalue President Egal’s offer of hosting a Somali reconciliation conference that was undermined in 2000.
This is a brief account of the realities on the ground of two countries divorced from one another, yet locked together by a prejudiced world public opinion and injudicious antagonistic Somali view points. It is not only the people of Somaliland who seceded from the rest of Somalia; the reality is that the people of Somalia and the subsequent so-called governments have cut the country into two parts. For Somalilanders, 18th May is the day they officially restored their sovereignty. The fact is that Somaliland was cut off from Somalia long ago. 18th May marks only the date that our people have reached a verdict on their self- determination.
Somalis in the South and the world at large talk about the war in Somalia for the last twenty years and the fact remains that in Somaliland the civil strife started in 1981 and ended in 1991. This is ten against twenty. This is the reality. The first ten is not accounted for, but the other twenty is counted and this makes Somaliland a separate entity. Let us ask ourselves the one million dollar question: Which is the country where a devastating civil war has been going on for the last twenty years in the Horn of Africa? The answer is simple: Somalia and not Somaliland. In Somaliland, we are not talking about wars instead we are talking about the noble and cherished accomplishments we share with the developing world using our meager resources and mechanisms of conflict resolution. At certain instances the world recognizes this and Mr. Carson in his press conference has admitted that Somaliland has realized a successful presidential election unlike many other African countries. He went to the extent of congratulating former president Dahir Ra’yale Kahin for the peaceful transfer of power. On the other hand, two groups of international electoral observers declared the presidential elections of 26/6/2010 to be credible, free and fair.


Author
Aw Farax Mohamed xaqa_u_gargaar@hotmail.com

Text source and more information http://www.somalilandtimes.net/sl/2010/457/40.shtml

Why Djibouti Succeeded In Attracting Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars In Investments

BEAUTY OF DJIBOUTI

Djibouti may initially seem the most unlikely place to attract foreign investments. The country lacked natural resources and everything else that investors considered before putting their money in a new overseas venture.
But these harsh realities were not to deter Djibouti’s president Ismail Omer Gualleh from abandoning his dream of turning his country to Africa’s Dubai.

He envisaged that Djibouti by virtue of it location at the mouth of the Red Sea and close proximity to the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean, could became a regional hub for transshipment of goods between land-locked Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
But the realization of this vision depended on obtaining funds for the modernization and expansion of the country’s existing port infrastructure.

In order to be able to lure the necessary investments for the development of it’s port infrastructure, the Djiboutian government had no other option except to introduce far- reaching incentives that conferred an attractive range of both tax and non-tax benefits.
This was followed by president Gulleh’s bold decision in 2000 to sign a concession agreement with Dubai Ports International, a subsidiary of Dubai World, that allowed the Gulf investors to manage Djibouti Port for a period of 20 years. Traditionally ports have been considered national assets that must remain in the control of governments. But the port liberalization policies adopted by the government allowed Djibouti to attract hundreds of millions of dollars in direct foreign investment. Encouraged by the country’s newly-acquired business-friendly environment, investors from Dubai and the government of Djibouti agreed to expand their joint venture involving the management of Djibouti’s old port by establishing a container terminal at Doraleh, 13km from the city. Operational since December 2008, Doraleh container terminal is said to be most technologically advanced in Africa.

In 2004 Djibouti port’s Free Zone was created. The Zone is managed by Jebel Ali Free Zone. To attract investments, Djibouti Free Zone operates on the basis of “one stop shop” meaning that you can finalize all your formalities under one roof. Investments are exempted from all direct or indirect tax except VAT. People who want to establish export business in the Free Zone are not obliged to have local partners while restrictions on repatriation of capital or profits are non-existent. The direct foreign investment received by Djibouti in the last 10 years have already substantially increased the productivity and competitiveness of the country’s two ports. Allowing foreign entry into the service sector has also facilitated the spill lover of knowledge and skills to Djiobutians.

By accepting and welcoming the participation of foreign investors in the ownership and management of the country’s public infrastructure such as ports and airports, Djibouti has demonstrated a firm determination to succeed where other countries in the region have failed.

Text source http://www.somalilandtimes.net/sl/2010/457/12.shtml

Ga’an Libah High School students Complain Of Shortage Of Teachers

Hargeysa, Somaliland, October 30, 2010 (SL Times) - Students at Ga’an Libah High School in Somaliland’s capital, Hargeisa, went to the ministry of education this week to complain about the shortage of teachers in their school, a problem that has affected other aspects of the school’s operations. The students said they brought the issue to the ministry’s attention many times in the past but nothing was done.
As reported by Haatuf Newspaper, the Director General of the Ministry of Education, Mr Ali Muhammad Ali was present when the students reached the ministry, but instead of listening to the students’ complaints, the Director General accused the press of being behind the problem and warned the press to be careful about spreading that kind of news.
That there are problems at Ga’an Libah can be gleaned from a quick look at the performance of students from this school in the national examinations which have gone down in the last few years. A lot of public schools are facing the same problems of shortage in teachers and lower performance in school exams as Ga’an Libah. Moreover, a growing number of excellent teachers have left public education and are now teaching in private schools where the pay is higher. Therefore, it did not come as a surprise when nine of the ten highest scores in the 2009-2010 national examination belonged to students from private schools.

Text source and more information: http://www.somalilandtimes.net/sl/2010/457/8.shtml
Photo by Guleed

Somaliland's Diaspora: From Manager To Minister In A Flash

H.E Eng. Hussein Abdi Dualeh

Minister of Mining, Energy and Water Resources
Somaliland

By Michael Logan

Hargeysa, Somaliland, October 23, 2010 – Just four months ago, Hussein Abdi Dualeh was an engineer with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), managing maintenance contracts and living a comfortable life with his wife and three sons. Today, he's helping run a self-proclaimed - although internationally unrecognized - nation in the Horn of Africa. Dualeh, 54, is typical of the highly-educated diaspora politicians who have returned to Somaliland - a breakaway state in the north-west of war-torn Somalia - to serve in the new government of President Ahmed Mohamed Sillanyo.

'I came for the inauguration and they told me: `You`re not leaving,`' says the erudite and articulate Dualeh, who heads up the Ministry of Mining, Energy and Water Resources. He's only half-joking. Sillanyo, elected in late June, slashed the size of his government and looked to the diaspora to fill key posts in his 20-member cabinet. As well as the energy docket, the information, planning, foreign affairs and fisheries ministries are in the hands of Somalilanders who have just returned after decades in the United States, Britain and Canada.

'They promised to have an effective government and to have qualified people in the right positions,' says Dualeh. 'The president realized he would have to look elsewhere and tapped up quite a few people from overseas.' Dualeh, like many of his peers, left a Somalia languishing under the brutal reign of dictator Mohamed Siyad Barre, who seized power in 1969 and oversaw 21 years characterized by repression and civil war.

While Somaliland was struggling to reclaim the independence it gave up in 1960 - when the former British protectorate joined with Italian Somaliland to form the Somalia of today - Dualeh was pursuing his education and career abroad. He graduated with a degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Oklahoma in 1983 and worked at Chevron for five years. In 1989, two years before Siyad Barre was finally ousted and Somaliland declared its independence, Dualeh joined Metro. Somaliland set about quietly rebuilding as the rest of Somalia descended into the failed state it has become today. The stability and democratic credentials of Somaliland are a stark contrast to the rest of the Horn of Africa nation.

The ineffective Western-backed government in Mogadishu is hemmed in by Islamist insurgents who control much of south and central Somalia, and pirates based in the breakaway region of Puntland terrorize international shipping in the Gulf of Aden. The international community is showing increasing signs of backing Somaliland with aid, if not recognition, viewing it as a buttress against al-Qaeda-linked militant Islamist group al-Shabaab.

But the freshly arrived ministers, still reeling from culture shock, still have a big job on their hands. Somaliland`s annual government budget is 50 million dollars - half of the value of the contracts Dualeh managed for Metro. The self-proclaimed state is drought-prone and poverty-stricken, with poor infrastructure and high unemployment. Its 3.5 million residents are heavily reliant on livestock - although there is real innovation and growth in the telecommunications and money-transfer industries.

The capital Hargeisa is a dust bowl, where goats pick through rubbish littering the side of the bumpy dirt roads and makeshift huts housing displaced people far outnumber the few big houses erected by the diaspora. It's a far cry from Los Angeles. 'It's a sacrifice. I was making a six-figure salary and drove a Merc, but dropped it all to come here,' says Dualeh, who has left his family behind in California. 'I want to see if I can help the country of my birth.' While the personal sacrifice is tempered by the fact Dualeh has given up a job as an anonymous middle-manager to become a important man, he and the other diaspora ministers appear to have a genuine desire to help Somaliland fulfill its potential. Not everyone is happy with the appointment of people who have lived the high life abroad to such exalted positions, however.

Ahmed Hassan Ahmed, who lived in India, the US and Canada over the last 30 years, returned to become the Director of Awareness in the Ministry of Information. Ahmed - who ironically has the remit of educating the returning diaspora on Somaliland`s culture - admits there is resentment among the locals.

'The biggest complaint is that there are so many expats (in the government), but it`s my country too,' he says. Despite the grumbles, many others believe the diaspora brings back valuable skills and experience, and Dualeh says Somaliland was always in the hearts of those who left. 'Even though we were never here, we lived it,' he says. Source: Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA)


More information and source
http://www.somalilandtimes.net/sl/2010/456/11.shtml

http://www.ministryofminerals.com/