Nokia in Brazil: You might not know that Nokia’s biggest single social project in the world is in the city of Manaus in the Brazilian Amazon, where Nokia also has a factory. The Nokia Teaching Foundation celebrated its 25th birthday last year as the eighth best school in Brazil for secondary and professional education and is a five-time winner of the best professional school in the northern region of the country. So the question begs to be asked: What is Nokia doing in the Amazon in the first place? Click here to learn more.
Caribbean Snapshot: ICT Pulse, a website that examines ICT issues from the Caribbean perspective, recently posted this update of its Snapshot series. Here they look at the extent to which countries in the region are leveraging ICTs to improve their competitiveness.
Africa Ahead of the Rest: The Economist reports on a new survey that states that, when it comes to use of mobile money, Africa leaves the rest of the world behind. Logically, in countries were traditional financial institutions are easily accessible, the need for mobile money decreases. But according to the survey, even in Kenya, where 68% of adults use mobile money, 40% also have traditional bank accounts. Perhaps mobile money will one day replace ATMs?
Zimbabwe Elections: Will Mugabe’s lack of Internet presence lose him the upcoming presidential election? Using Barack Obama’s social media success in the 2008 U.S. elections as an example, Zimbabwe’s splinter opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has created a visible Internet presence and accuses Mugabe and his party of being “technophobic.” According to Harare’s Financial Gazette, the country’s population is young and connected to the Internet, and political analysts have stated that the next elections could hinge on the youth vote. Elections are scheduled later this year.
Vodacom Tanzania: The Tanzanian telecommunications giant has restructured its tariffs rates so as to attract a greater number of customers. Prepaid customers will see massive discounts at certain times of the day, SMS rates have been slashed, and interestingly to me anyway, will offer free browsing for Facebook and Twitter. Read all about it here.
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