The Entrepreneur - Cameroon's Premier Economic & Business Journal

The Mobile Phone ‘Revolution’ in Africa: Rhetoric or Realty?

Sebastiana Etzo and Guy Collender

Only superlatives seem appropriate to describe the mobile phone 'revolution' – its impact and its potential – in Africa. Mobile phones are almost always the cheapest and quickest way to communicate, particularly when fixed-line phones and broadband internet are underdeveloped and dependent upon expensive infrastructure. The continent is home to 350 million mobile phone subscribers, and their numbers are growing faster than anywhere else in the world. The ubiquity of mobiles is matched only by the ingenuity of their users. From shantytowns to remote villages, mobile phones are being used to transfer money, monitor elections, and deliver public health messages. A large informal economy has also emerged to support the mobile sector, with people selling airtime, charging and fixing mobiles, and renting them out. Africa is truly a crucible for mobile phone innovation and entrepreneurship. Unsurprisingly, the rapid adoption of mobile phone technology by Africans and its dramatic benefits have frequently been described in unrestrained terms as ‘staggering’, a ‘remarkable phenomenon’, and a ‘revolution’. This transformation is all the more exceptional because it was largely unanticipated by the business or research communities.

Kenya’s telecoms sector way ahead of its US counterpart

The Economist magazine has termed Kenya’s mobile phone industry as a world leader in innovation. In a cover article published mid April, The Economist placed Kenya’s pioneering mobile phone money transfer service among the cream of innovations from emerging economies that are signifying an unfolding shift in global economic power. Kenya’s mobile phone industry is not only turning into a trailblazer in innovating new products, but is also very competitive and market driven. Having spent the last six weeks in “the capital of the free market” as the US is often reffered to, I realise that Kenyans may have grossly under-appreciated the relatively low price that they have to pay for connection to what I can now confidently describe as world-class mobile phone network service.

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Facebook May Kill Your Career

6 Career-Killing Facebook Mistakes

By Erin Joyce

With more than 400 million active visitors, Facebook is arguably the most popular social networking site out there. And while the site is known for the casual social aspect, many users also use it as a professional networking tool. With that kind of reach, Facebook can be a valuable tool for connecting to former and current colleagues, clients and potential employers. In fact, surveys suggest that approximately 30% of employers are using Facebook to screen potential employees — even more than those who check LinkedIn, a strictly professional social networking site. Don't make these Facebook faux-pas — they might cost you a great opportunity.

1. Inappropriate Pictures

It may go without saying, but prospective employers or clients don't want to see pictures of you chugging a bottle of wine or dressed up for a night at the bar. Beyond the pictures you wouldn't want your grandparents to see, seemingly innocent pictures of your personal life will likely not help to support the persona you want to present in your professional life....More

Cameroon National Patriotic Youth Front Launches a New Online Forum

By Brice Tiku

An online forum for the exchange of progressive views, opinions and civil commentary on the workings of the Cameroon state, and strategies for improving the welfare and prosperity of its citizens has been launched. The Forum was launched by the Executive Coordinator of The Cameroon National Patriotic Youth Front (CNPYF), Dr Ernest L. Molua. Headquartered in Buea, the CNPYF is a community of young Cameroonians committed to standing together, shoulder to shoulder, to protect the Republic of Cameroon and its institutions. According to the Coordinator, the mission of the CNPYF includes educating citizens on the critical issues driving governmental policy; promoting the virtues of good governance; and empowering grassroots leaders and activists in taking local and national action to promote economic development. Dr Molua who is also the Executive Director for the Centre for Independent Development Research [CIDR], a Buea based think-tank, revealed that CNPYF will collaborate with the CIDR in its community programmes.

For the Love of Facebook

By Paul Letiwa

Nancy, a second-year student at a local university, blames Facebook for her recent romantic breakup. She created an account on facebook.com last year after learning of the social networking site’s popularity from her friends.What she found on the site was the stuff bad experiences are made of: Her boyfriend, whom she met through the site, kept posting salacious comments on other women’s photographs, and he claimed he was in “an open relationship”. Armed with printouts of his photo comments, she confronted her boyfriend of 7 months. He confessed. They broke up. Winnie, 25, has also experienced Facebook’s power to sour relationships. “The site can be misused and abused. It’s an easy way for guys to try and not get caught. Girls, too. It gives one a motive to snoop. It’s awful and hard to quit,” she says...More

Broadband link opens a world of opportunities for local firms

Towards the end of last week, a local bank launched an electronic commerce platform that will enable consumers to make online payments after making purchases from merchants with online shops. The authentication of the transactions will be conducted locally and as a result, consumers will not lose money as a result of foreign currency conversations facilitated by card transactions processed abroad. This bank made a bold step into the future and must be applauded for the strategic investment that they have made. With the introduction of affordable broadband internet in the country due to the landing and connection of undersea cables to the national terrestrial fibre network, some businesses like this bank are moving swiftly to capitalise on emerging opportunities and launching innovative products and services...More

Cameroonian invents Coffee pulping Machine

By Bright Lokenge

A Cameroonian born technologist, Piam Fokam has invented a coffee pulping machine. The coffee pulping machine has the capacity to pulp 30 tons of coffee daily. It was presented to the public at the Chamber of Agriculture in Yaounde, December 28, 2009. The invention and a series of other agricultural machines are expected to revolutionise the rural setting in Cameroon. Cameroon is aiming to double its coffee production in the next few years. At its peak during the 1960s, According to Michael Ndoping, general manager of the National Cocoa and Coffee Board, Cameroon produced 120,000 tonnes of coffee each year but that level has fallen to around 40,000 tonnes today. “ By 2013, we want it to be at 80,000 tonnes" (Read Coffee News). Mr Fokam's invention is therefore timely in contributing to Cameroon's new vision for the coffee sub-sector. Most of Cameroon’s coffee is grown by small landowners on plots of two to 10 hectares, and nearly all of it is grown in mixed-cropped farms. Its unique profile comes from the rich volcanic soil as well as from the benefits of growing in a diversified crop environment. More about Cameroon Coffee . © The Entrepreneur Newspaper 2010. All Rights Reserved . Follow The Entrepreneur News on Twitter. See Our Events in Face Book.

MTN Introduces MTN EAZI Recharge

By Sirri Alette Ngwa

MTN Eazi Recharge is for customers who have registered for the service. They can use their cell phone to securely and directly purchase airtime from MTN using a VISA or MasterCard accredited bank credit card. Customers do not need to go into their bank to register. Funds are directly debited from the customer’s credit card account to purchase MTN Pay As You Go airtime which will then be deposited directly into either the customer’s own cell phone account, or into a nominated beneficiary’s cell phone account. While this service is offered to MTN customers free of charge, normal transactional bank charges as determined by the respective banks may still apply. MTN Cameroon has attained the symbolic level of 4 million subscribers in June 2009, a subscription which undeniably ranks MTNC as leader of the mobile telephony market with more than 63% market share in Cameroon.

MTN partners with Africa the Good News

The MTN Group, the South Africa-based multinational telecommunications company, this week announced its partnership with the pioneering online publication, Africa – The Good News. The Africa - The Good News , published by SA the Good News, is an online publication striving to tell Africa’s stories of hope and opportunity from an African perspective. Positioned as a legacy project of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, Africa - The Good News is a strategic sponsorship for MTN, the first and only African global sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. The partnership with Africa - The Good News was announced at the Highway Africa by Ms. Nozipho January-Bardill, MTN Group Executive: Corporate Affairs at the 13th edition of the Highway Africa conference for African journalists in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape.