Oluniyi D. Ajao » Kenya

GOtv Africa. A new digital pay TV service.

Oluniyi D. Ajao — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 06:56:14 +0000

I noticed multitudes of GOtv Africa banners and balloons in the ancient city of Ibadan Nigeria in the last quarter of 2011. The similarity with the name/logo of DStv was clear. Promotional drives were ongoing at different vantage points in Ibadan.

GOtv is a new digital terrestrial TV (DTT) service by Multichoice Africa, operators of DStv. Instead of broadcasting via satellite, GOtv broadcasts from TV masts, sending encrypted digital signals to proprietary GOtv decoders. The signal is then decoded and sent to the television set.

From their sales website:

GOtv, Nigeria’s newest pay TV service was launched in Ibadan on 15 October 2011. Using the latest DVB-T2 technology, this brand new digital service is dedicated to offering television lovers affordable family entertainment. Featuring 2 great bouquets, consisting of 29 and 25 channels respectively, GOtv is an exciting service delivering great television at a price everyone can afford.

GOtv Africa is promising to offer:

Excellent picture quality
Sharper sound
Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) that displays what’s on TV at the touch of a button

The above features are all started with DTT technology. The wide variety of channels offered are all extracted from their DStv service. None of the channels are exclusive to GOtv.

In Nigeria the monthly subscriptions for GOtv is 1,000 Naira and for GOtv Plus is 1,800 Naira. Launch price for GOtv (including decoder and 3 months GOtv subscription) is N9,000 and for GOtv Plus is N12,000.

A screenshot of GOtv Africa

Digitization of terrestrial television broadcasts is on-going in many countries globally at this time. Whilst DTT frees-up valuable frequencies for other uses like wireless broadband connectivity, it offers better picture and sound quality even with a minimal signal strength. The Nigerian broadcast industry regulator is the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC). NBC’s website reveals that the government of Nigeria started the digitization process in December 2007 with a target date of 17th June 2012. Aside satellite and cable (MMDS), most TV broadcast in Nigeria today is still analogue. Before now, Startimes TV had been the only widely available DTT service.

The GOtv pay service is already available in 3 other African countries: Kenya, Uganda and Zambia.

Fly540: the budget airline for African destinations?

Oluniyi D. Ajao — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 05:25:40 +0000

Too many people in Africa happen to fall within the low-income bracket. Thus, one would expect budget airlines to be commonplace on this continent, catering for the masses. This is not so. Budget airlines are rather common in high-income countries of Western Europe, North America, India and many Asian countries.

The relatively few airlines that ply major African cities do so at rather exorbitant fares. As of 21 Nov 2011 7:30am GMT:

a return flight (19 to 26 Dec 2011) from Accra (Ghana) to Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire) costs $538 on Emirates or $567 on ASky Airline (an Ethiopian Airline subsidiary). The distance is only 259 miles and the flight duration only 1 hour.

Compare this to a return flight on the same dates from London Stansted Airport (UK) to Dublin (Ireland) for a fare of only $78 on Ryanair (a budget airline) or $173 on Aer Lingus. The duration of this flight is 1hr 10 mins.

The very low fare offered by the Irish budget airline, RyanAir, demonstrates how low air fare can go when the market conditions are right.

A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline (also known as a no-frills, discount or budget carrier or airline) is an airline that offers generally low fares in exchange for eliminating many traditional passenger services. (Wikipedia). There are very few of them in Africa with most catering for domestic destinations within their respective national boundaries only. They are:

Egypt: Air Arabia Egypt
Kenya: Fly540
Nigeria: Aero Contractors
Morocco: Jet4You, Air Arabia Maroc
South Africa: Kulula, 1Time, Mango, Velvet Sky
Tunisia: Karthago Airlines

A change in the status quo?
Fly540 seems ready to position itself as a pan-African budget airline. As of now, Fly540 already flies to about 20 destinations in these East African countries: Burundi, Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

In 2008, the airline opened-up its pan-African ambitions in a report by Ugandan newspaper, The Monitor:

“…we will open up Kigali and then head to West Africa. Ghana will be the hub for West African region. In Southern Africa, we shall use Angola as our hub, so it will become a pan African low cost airline”.

I didn’t give much weight to their lofty dream until I saw a Fly540-branded jet take-off on the runway of Kotoka International Airport in Accra Ghana on 18th November 2011. While Fly540 Ghana has not commenced revenue flights as of now, they plan to do so by the end of 2011 and have already taken delivery of aircraft, recruited staff and obtained the necessary licences.

Senegal and Equatorial Guinea are among the first destinationsto be serviced by Fly540 Ghana.

Fly540

Help famine victims in East Africa

Oluniyi D. Ajao — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 04:22:17 +0000

From Wikipedia:

The 2011 Horn of Africa famine is a famine occurring in several regions in the Horn of Africa as a result of a severe drought that is affecting the entire Eastern Africa region. The drought, said to be “the worst in 60 years”, has caused a severe food crisis across Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya that threatens the livelihood of more than 10 million people. Other countries in and around the Horn of Africa, including Djibouti, Sudan, South Sudan and parts of Uganda, are also affected by a food crisis.

The United Nations declared a famine in parts of southern Somalia amid the worst drought in 60 years. Organizations are mobilizing and there are ways you can help.

Former Ghanaian president Jerry Rawlings is leading the African Union’s efforts to deal with the famine in Somalia. He spoke to British TV broadcaster Channel 4 on Thursday from Mogadishu in Somalia.

You too can help by donating directly to the World Food Programme.

A spotlight on the Esoko platform and apps

Oluniyi D. Ajao — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 03:15:44 +0000

This is the 3rd and final part in a series of posts related to Esoko.

Esoko: The Platform

Esoko is an agricultural market information platform. It takes advantage of the explosive growth of mobile communication services in Africa. Managed on the web and delivered via mobile, individuals, agri-business, government and projects use Esoko to collect and send out market data using simple text messaging. The Esoko platform provides automatic and personalized price alerts, buy and sell offers, bulk SMS messaging, stock counts and SMS polling.

API team with partners from Nigeria & Sudan

The platform is currently available in 4 languages: English, French, Portuguese and Arabic.

Some of the apps, that serve as nodes of the Esoko platform, are explained below, as featured during the recent Esoko Tech Showcase:

1. Scout

This is a polling app that sends poll messages and returns specific answers from respondents. It runs via the ubiquitous SMS and also offers reports based on the polls. The app is based on SMS since most of the respondents would be farmers, or rural users. SMS is easier to handle for this demography. Esoko is working on an Android version that will take some concepts from the web app. The new version would also take advantage of GPS technology.

Explaining Networks & Contacts to partners from Ghana & Madagascar

2. Bulk Uploads via Excel

Considering Esoko is a service-oriented platform with a web interfacing for collecting data, it makes sense to have a means of uploading data in bulk. The Bulk Uploads via Excel feature is a recent improvement on Esoko’s web interface that enables users to upload bulk data stored in an Excel spreadsheet. This was developed based on feedback from Esoko users who had hitherto had to enter data manually in a time-consuming process.

3. Esoko Helpline

This is an interactive voice response system – an automated system for users to gather information from computerized recordings. The template for this system is flexible and can be applied to varying businesses within the confines of what’s reasonable. While the system is currently available in English and Twi for Ghana, work is in progress to introduce Hausa and other languages. Human agents would be available on the IVR during business hours but the IVR itself is available 24 hours everyday. The system is not released to the public yet and is expected to come with memorable and/or toll-free phone numbers.

ICTWorks Interview: Oluniyi on ICT4Dev, E-Commerce, Mobile Phones, Web Hosting in Africa

Oluniyi D. Ajao — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 14:37:39 +0000

I granted the following video interview to ICTWorks.org in January 2011, and spoke about ICT for development, mobile communications, e-commerce, web hosting in Africa. Enjoy.

DStv Mobile on your laptop, iPad, iPhone, iPod

Oluniyi D. Ajao — Mon, 30 May 2011 04:00:17 +0000

DStv is offering a major boost to residents of Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania and Kenya who might be interested in their DStv Mobile service. Before now, the DStv Mobile had been restricted to a few mobile phones – these phones have in-built circuitry that enable them to receive and decode DVB-H signals. DStv is now offering a new device called Drifta, that should increase patronage for DStv Mobile.

The DStv Drifta is essentially an adapter. It receives and decrypts the digital TV signals and then transfers the decoded signals to the compatible wifi device of your choice. It brings DStv Mobile to a much wider variety of mobile devices. The Drifta is a mobile TV decoder that receives DVB-H signal and converts it into Wi-Fi signal for Wi-Fi enabled viewing devices: laptops, PCs, tablets and smartphones. Of course, the Drifta must be within DVB-H coverage area to work.

DStv drifta

Currently, the device is compatible with the iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad and Windows desktop/notebook PCs. They feature:

Broadcast Mobile TV on your iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad and Windows PC
Connects to your device via Wi-Fi or USB
Access the Mobile TV guide
Small lightweight and ultra portable
Rechargeable with up to three hours of viewing

DStv’s Drifta decoder has been available to residents of South Africa for several months now, and would be available to residents of Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania and Kenya from 1st June 2011. DStv would probably follow the same South African model, offering the service for free to DStv Premium subscribers, and for a minimal monthly fee to others.

Android Market paid Apps now accessible to 26 African countries

Oluniyi D. Ajao — Sat, 14 May 2011 07:30:54 +0000

Google recently announced that more smartphone users on the Android platform in some 99 countries now have access to paid apps in their official apps store, Android Market. The newly-added countries include 26 African countries including South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria. The Android users in this category had hitherto been restricted to free apps only, from the Android Market.

From the official press release:

Google Nexus S is Google's flagship smartphone on the Android platform

Today Google announced that Android Market will increase consumer access and developer support for paid applications in several new countries. From today, consumers from 99 new countries – including 26 African countries – will be able to purchase apps from Android Market. This latest expansion of Android Market means more applications – including games, social, and productivity apps – for consumers and more selling opportunities for developers in more countries.

Over the next few days, the number of countries where Android users can purchase priced apps will increase to 131 including the addition of South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria. Consumers from these newly supported countries will have access to over 200,000 free and paid apps in Android Market, which they can access directly from their Android-powered device.

Android Market was launched to help developers distribute mobile applications on a level playing field, while enabling users to find and download apps which leverage the unique capabilities of the Android platform. Today, we’re pleased to announce the expansion of Android Market’s offerings in these additional countries to deliver more apps for more people.

At the time of blogging, residents of Ghana are still restricted from rival BlackBerry’s Appworld.

The Android OS is used on smartphones, netbooks and tablets, including the Dell Streak, Samsung Galaxy Tab, TV and other devices. It is presently the world’s best-selling Smartphone platform. Android Market is the online app store run by Google, though apps can also be downloaded from third-party sites.

Big Brother Amplified (Big Brother Africa 2011)

Oluniyi D. Ajao — Sun, 01 May 2011 17:26:48 +0000

Big Brother Amplified debuted this evening with the 28 contestants from 14 African countries. The 28 were selected out of over 7,000 applicants.

As always, Big Brother Amplified came with its unique set of innovations among which is Live Video streaming available 24/7 on Big Brother Africa’s official website http://bigbrotherafrica.dstv.com

Sponsored by Coca-Cola, this edition is exclusive to DStv Premium, DStv Compact and DStv Mobile subscribers.

More African countries can now receive money via PayPal

Oluniyi D. Ajao — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 00:39:04 +0000

I got a tip through a comment from a reader of this blog. I am republishing the comment verbatim because I have verified the information.

Sehemu-Nyeti wrote from Kenya:

PayPal users in the following African countries can now receive money: Malawi, Algeria, Mozambique, Lesotho, Morocco, Botswana and Seychelles. Whats even better for them (unlike those from South Africa and Kenya) is that they can withdraw directly to a debit card which is a faster way of withdrawing. In Kenya for instance, you have to withdraw to a US bank account , which very few people have, and if you have it, it takes 3-4 days to withdraw it. I now so much envy guys from all these other countries that can withdraw using a credit card.

This is significant because PayPal is the leading online payment system with 237,778,590 users worldwide at the time of writing.

Featured: The Kenyan Boys Choir

Oluniyi D. Ajao — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 08:55:55 +0000

Running an e-commerce enterprise from Africa is anything but easy. This makes my week days unenviable and so I make it a duty to relax on weekends, and start my Saturdays with cool music videos. This Saturday morning was no exception. I was flipping through the music TV channels offered by DStv when I stumbled on an unfamiliar rendition of Paul Simon’s Homeless. The group singing was obviously youthful and certainly didn’t look like LadySmith Black Mambazo – my favourite African choral group. I waited till the end of the track for their name. They were, The Kenyan Boys Choir.

Since I had only watched half of the music video on C-Music, I hurried to YouTube for a full version.

The Kenyan Boys Choir in action. Image: thekenyanboyschoir.org

Shot in a Masai setting, the music video is as perfect as it can get as it hits all the right points. Its simply brilliant. I found a comment by a Youtube user from the United States on point and worthy of sharing. The user posted under the alias “DisisMsnubian“:

I love this song and looking at all these fine african brothers sing. This is the type of thing I wish black people would embrace instead of just our American culture, which is based on some lies and deceit. From this video I realize that we are beautiful and we have nothing to fight about. Black people start loving? one another and stop listening to the nonsense that tries to define us, stating that we are lost and broken. We are only what we believe we are. Live by Faith and not by ” facts.”

From Wikipedia:

The Kenyan Boys Choir is an African traditional and contemporary male voice choir based in the city of Nairobi, Kenya.

The Kenyan Boys Choir consists of 25 school boys, aged between 13 and 24, from various Kenyan backgrounds and tribes, brought together by the urge to sing and nature their talent.

Formerly an independent collective, the choir gained widespread recognition and international media coverage in early 2009 after performing at Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony in Washington, D.C. On their way back to Nairobi they were intercepted by Universal Music Group representatives waiting for them at Heathrow Airport in London and were signed in the departure lounge to Decca Records as they waited for their connecting flight.
The choir was started in 1998 in order to help boys from underprivileged backgrounds raise money to pay for their school fees. Primarily performing traditional Masai and Samburu chants, the choir also embrace contemporary African and European classical pieces.

The following websites offer more information and videos about The Kenyan Boys Choir:

http://kenyanboyschoir.com/ (official website)
http://thekenyanboyschoir.org/

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