East Africa’s ICT job market still has work to do

The information and communications technology job market in East Africa continues to be positive and recent data shows that there will be a 9% salary rise in the next year for specialists in the ICT sector in the East African community member states of United Republic of Tanzania,Kenya,Uganda,Rwanda and Burundi compared to last year.Based on a report in my possesion, employees in the industry earn an average monthly salary of $1200, which is $230 more than they did the previous year.This year, the average salary will hit the $3,000 mark.From my analysis, the growth in ICT employment will be driven by projects under region’s economic transformation and Digital Plans.ICT is pervasive and every industry will require IT and there will be a greater demand for IT employees than there is supply.

Despite the better outlook, however, the ICT industry will still face some challenges. My confirmed fears is that the industry will not be able to get the qualified employees it needs because the number of students taking computer science courses in the East African universities has dwindled over the past five years.The effects of the dotcom bust in the late 90s and early 2000 still haunts the ICT industry in East African countries and many parents and students have grown to perceive that the ICT industry may not be a viable career path.The high number of unemployed ICT graduates especially in Tanzania,Uganda and Kenya has also cast a dark shadow on the industry.However,I still believe this problem stems from a mismatch between industry needs and the courses taught at East African universities and colleges.

East Africa's member states map

If this trend continues, the region may need to import more foreign professionals to fuel the industry and have no doubt in my mind when I say so.The date also show that although the East Africa’s ICT industry is making salary packages more attractive, these are still not as attractive as those being offered in other countries in the world.It is clear that the big economies in other sub Saharan countries like South Africa and Angola, respectively paid 6.1 times and 7.52 times more than what East African ICT professionals earned in 2011. There is no way out if this imbalance is not fixed,East African countries will be losing people to these countries, and the brain drain problem will worsen which will have a negative impact on the growth of ICT in the region.

An adjustment in salaries alone will not be enough to manage brain drain.I suggest the additional approach of improving work environments, offering better training, and having clear career paths for ICT employees in East Africa.The member state Governments can also do a fair bit by improving the education system. Universities shouldn't be engrossed only with churning out large numbers of graduates.Lastly,I would suggest that institutes of higher learning start by lengthening the internship time for students, from a two months to at least six months.This will help the students get better accustomed to the work environment and gain needed experience.

Banks and retail outlets should embrace mobile

Over the past two years,banks especially in emerging markets have been struggling to grow their subscribers numbers because of high uptake of mobile money and payments.There is no doubt in my mind that the big banks and retail stores need to rethink their mobile strategies in order to take advantage of the growing use of smart phones for online research and purchases.

For example, this past week statistics in my possession show that 52 percent of my fellow Australians owned a smartphone compared to 37 percent a year ago.About half of the 1,000 people surveyed used iPhones, while a quarter claimed to have an Android device.Of the total mobile users, 65 percent used their smartphones to access the internet daily, leading Google to predict that a billion people globally would use their mobile phone as their primary internet access device this year.

However,banks and big retail stores as the key targets missing out on the opportunities presented by better use of mobile devices.One of the most impressive thing to happen in use of mobile in retail business is Woolworths' recent virtual shopping market and also my banker Commonwealth Bank's real estate apps that are examples of a good mobile strategy.Banks and retail in general are yet to grasp the importance of mobiles and online in their over-riding strategies.

Particularly from the baking perspective, I see this is a huge blind spot.I think there's a fairly entrenched view that relationships can only be built in the branch but in this generation that are coming through now.For example, how businesses deliver those kind of relationship-based services, particularly around home loans, financial planning, that sort of stuff to the generation of kids who are sort of 18 to 25 now who have grown up with the internet and is a really big blind spot.

I have repeatedly pointed that online magnates like Google, Apple and Facebook as a key source of future competition.Apple, for example, could leverage its mobile market share and iTunes payment ecosystem to encourage customers to bypass banks as an intermediary for payments and information.Banks have particularly been keen to raise their own awareness of mobile devices as a core strategy for development.

I also feel that the banks should attempt to enable real-time financial transactions through social networks Facebook and Twitter.Africa is way ahead on mobile strategies like mobile payments, describing the core functionality another inevitability for large companies.I'm highly optimistic Africa will get there because there's a lot to lose unlike the Finnish or developed world markets.I have noted that large companies are beginning to grasp that online use was no longer "the desk in the corner of your house".It used to be an inevitable trend, as big retail moved from seeing online as a threat to an opportunity but now Mobile is the big thing from paying bills to point of sales.

EAC Govts should consider mobile emissions checks

Over the last few days,an independent report on state of mobile emissions in East Africa has sent shockwaves across the region. Details have emerged that two of the five governments within East African Community are considering whether to change the "risk-based" approach of auditing mobile base stations for electromagnetic emissions after the report urged action on the issue.Calls to strengthen compliance checks on mobile sites have increased after the revelations which audited only 200 licenses for mobile sites from telcos in the past 2 years.

However,to me the report is faulty because it relied heavily on predictive reports provided by telcos as part of the licensing process undertaken for each new site.Methodology behind the reports had proven to be highly conservative in estimates of the perceived emissions of those sites in my conclusion and there is need for increased audits of mobile base station sites in member states.Whilst I recognize resource limitations, the relevant bodies should be able to conduct regular audits of telecommunication installations to ensure, and give confidence to communities, that these installations are compliant with respective emission standards if not harmonized standards if they at all exist.

The low number of audit checks has demonstrated that relevant authorities are not listening to the concerns of the communities living near base stations. Those countries lagging behind should establish organizations that have "sufficient powers" to mandate and audit industry compliance.Such organizations should be able to take a risk-based approach to ensure compliance and enforcement with the regulatory regimes that it administers, including but not limited to electromagnetic emission levels.There should be greater community consultation by telcos for new and upgraded mobile stations otherwise recent studies showing a rising number of people with residing next to bases stations who have cancer will continue at alarming rate. 

Africans scramble to adapt to new devices

Five years after I stepped in Africa for the first time,I have witnessed businesses increasingly using mobile devices in their daily operations by using their personal devices.The growing smartphone base combined with huge sales of media Tablets is forcing a reassessment of the client platform and IT best practices to support it.It comes as no surprise to me that African population is dropping their comparatively bulky laptops for devices that are sleek and swift, such as Samsung Glaaxy Tablets and smartphones like iPhone.According to a Telecom insider who happens to be a personal friend this year will see mobile technology seeping into business data and applications, thus furnishing various communication methods that are welcomed openly by users across the continent.

However, few weeks ago,my mentor and boss Mr Heikki Makila who is the Managing Director of Somocon Oy revealed  to me that in IT, mobile technology can prove to be challenging due to the sporadic shifts in the mobile field.While discussing a client solution,he explained to me that shift has significant implications for enterprise governance and management processes. According to Heikki, it also has a significant impact on the IT market, because the vendors that once dominated the desktop are being forced to deal with a more heterogeneous mobile market.Over the last few months,I have come to believe what a friend Jason Roberts told me in 2010 that with the introduction of the iPad, Tablet computers will emerge from more than 20 years of obscurity and grow to become prominent devices in our daily lives.

Today,unlike five years ago when I stepped in the continent, users in Africa have broad access to inexpensive yet powerful mobile consumer devices with strong capabilities to interact with enterprise systems. Users of such products are more technically savvy than ever, and are more capable of working around IT controls to use these devices in a business context when they believe the electronic tools provided by IT are insufficient. As such, companies are giving way for employees to choose which mobile device they can use in workplace and Media has taken centre stage and almost all Tv stations newsreaders use iPads.The reason being to enable users to adopt what works best for them while not burdening the IT department with excessive costs and support for device churn, so individual ownership may be the optimal approach.

By reassessing security models to accommodate for greater user choice, this will help alleviate the risks of data security breaches, and of course, the inadvertent loss of confidential information. After a suitable level of risk is incorporated, IT will assess the various strategies available for putting solutions into practice.Unlike in Australia and Finland, instead of laptops and desktop devices, in Africa Tablets continue to be wholly embraced by upper management, executives and basically anyone who appreciate the rich computing experience these devices offer.The lightweight, instant-on, user-friendly devices will be readily adopted by a culture in which minimized bulk and weight is valued.

The ideal way to utilise Tablets as work-appropriate devices it to consider it as similar to a smartphone, where access to corporate resources is provided.However, the winning proposition for IT is to provide Tablet computers to upper management to increase awareness.This investment provides benefits because it involves management in both the new ideas and new challenges brought on by Tablets, which abide by different rules than the traditional PC.However, certain IT professionals don’t have the functions needed to keep up with operating platforms like Apple's iOS and Google's Android but am sure that situation is poised to change in the near future.

Angry Birds space

Angry Birds Space, one of the most hotly anticipated mobile phone apps of the year has blasted into this galaxy and is now available for iOS, Android, Mac and PC users."This is Rovio at its finest, and we are more than excited to bring Angry Birds Space to all our fans worldwide," said Mikael Hed, chief executive officer of Rovio in a statement.

"This launch marks a huge step for us as a company, and our whole team and partners have really pulled together to bring out a fantastic array of exciting products and experiences. We hope that our fans will find all things Angry Birds Space as delightful as the Rovio family does."Angry Birds Space features 60 levels, with more coming in the near future via free and paid in-app updates.

The iOS and Android app is priced at 99 cents , the HD version for Tablets is US$2.99 and the Mac version is US$4.99. All are available now.In November, Rovio announced that its Angry Birds games had been downloaded a total of 500 million times across various platforms with users collectively spending 300 million minutes playing the game daily   

Chrome outshines Internet Explorer

Google Inc's Chrome web browser overtook Microsoft Corp's Internet Explorer last sunday to become market leader globally for the first time, according to web analytics firm StatCounter report which I obtained today.While it is only one day, this is a milestone. The firm report shows that on weekends, when people are free to choose what browser to use, many of them are selecting Chrome in preference to IE. StatCounter statistics are based on aggregate data from more than three million websites with a sample of more than 15 billion pageviews per month.

On last sunday, Chrome was used for 32.7% of all browsing, while IE had a 32.5% share. When people returned to their offices the next day - on Monday - the IE share rose to 35% and Chrome 's slipped to 30%.Whether Chrome can take the lead in the browser wars in the long term remains to be seen, however the trend towards Chrome usage on weekends is undeniable.On a monthly basis, Chrome 's market share has surged to 31% so far in March from 17% a year ago, while IE has slipped to 35% from 45% a year earlier.The market share of Firefox, which is popular in Europe, is globally around 25%.Apple Inc's Safari is a distant No 4 with a 7% share of all browsing, with Opera at No 5 on 2%.