This article provides an overview of the AI landscape in Tanzania as well as captures lessons learned from the IdeaLab project carried in Tanzania by AI Commons, Sahara Ventures, and Tanzania AI Lab through the support of The Botnar Foundation.
Background
Last quarter of 2020 when we were working on the report Articifical Intelligence in Tanzania, What’s Happening the second edition, we learned a lot about the potential of AI in developing economies. Beyond academic publications and lab works already we are seeing the technology being adopted across multiple sectors to address complex issues.
Education and Machines Operations
From startups such as Mtabe App and…
For the past two weeks, there have been exciting conversations happening with my team on personal growth. Conversations have forced us to rethink and redefine the individual development of each team member. As a CEO, one of your core roles is to recruit, retain and accelerate the growth of talents in your team. I constantly attribute our team’s success in recent years based on our ability to outgrow our competitors at the individual and organizational level. To small and medium businesses, including startups, individual growth of talents is critical. However, compared to corporations, one person in a startup can massively…
After staying aside for a few years I have finally found something that I’m interested to build. The feeling is exquisite. Building is the most exciting activity for a tech founder. The orgasm of creating a startup is when you are working with a completely new idea and you are not sure whether it will work or not. When you are free from the politics of engaging with the users and investors. When stuff is popping up left, right and centre.
We are currently working on a tool to help African businesses to run a self-assessment of whether they are…
While it is estimated less than 25 per cent of Africans are connected to the internet this number is not a joke. By December 2020, Nigeria reported having more than 150 million internet users. Internet is becoming a basic need in the continent. Africa’s Internet Economy is estimated to worth $180 Billion according to a study by Google and IFC. African digital natives is a group of African Millenials and Generation Z who are all over the place in the digital platforms. Almost 60% of Africa’s population is under the age of 25, making Africa the world’s youngest continent. In…
Dear Miss Jane,
Let me introduce you to Aaliyah, a cute young lady. She has just turned three years old. After a prolonged discussion with her mother, we have decided to put her to school. I’m still unsure if it is the right time or I needed to spend more time with her.
Miss Jane, I’m not sure if she is ready to face the world by herself. She is a brave little girl, but the world is very demanding. Obviously, by the time she reaches my age, most of the things you have taught her will be irrelevant. 450…
The U.S. is the world’s monopoly for venture capital, accounting for more than half, 51 percent (USD 132.9 Bn) of total global venture capital. Is Africa doing enough to catch up?
In 2020 according to Disrupt Africa, the continent attracted USD 700 Million worth of investment to African tech startups. Depending on tools and methodology adopted some sources estimate the number can go up to USD 1.3 Billion disclosed and undisclosed amounts. …
Already we are hearing stories of AI composing music, drawing pictures, etc. Can you imagine reading a novel or a newspaper written by a robot published online? Algorithms already control what we consume online. Soon the content production online will be controlled by the internet. According to Gartner, by 2022, AI and similar technology will automate the production of 30% of all content found on the internet.
The Machines Are Coming
GPT-3 Open AI’s natural language generator in 2020 wrote an article for The Guardian newspaper titled, “A robot wrote this entire article. Are you scared yet, human?”. The robot might have not yet…
This article is part of series of articles capturing information about Nutrition-Sensitive businesses in Tanzania. The program is a part of the work Global Alliance For Improved Nutrition (GAIN) Tanzania is doing in partnership with Sahara Ventures.
Mbeya nutrition-sensitive SMEs ecosystem is still at the nascent stage with very few players engaged in the ecosystem. Most of the SMEs engaged working in the nutrition sector primarily are involved in the dairy business. The main actor in the ecosystem is SIDO Mbeya who supports the SMEs through technical training, technology transfer, and access to shared production places. SIDO Mbeya has built…
This article is part of series of articles capturing information about Nutrition-Sensitive businesses in Tanzania. The program is a part of the work Global Alliance For Improved Nutrition (GAIN) Tanzania is doing in partnership with Sahara Ventures.
The Zanzibar SMEs Policy of 2006 recognizes the role played by SMEs in contributing to the national economy. The policy recommends the establishment of incubation centers that provide technical support in a hands-on approach through relevant training on techniques of value addition of agro products and entrepreneurship. …
Digital Economy Is A Paradigm Shift In Economic Transformation and Inclusion — Prof. Benno Ndulu
First, why should Africa talk about Digital Economy, there over 400 million youths in Africa, two-thirds of those are unemployed and discouraged. 18 million youths are getting into the job market every year. Time is running out for African governments to do structural reforms to accommodate this massive growing population of youths at the productive age. Digital Economy creates an untraditional and disruptive approach to address Africa’s unemployment challenges while encouraging the creation of solutions that ensures inclusion in development.
Before Mobile Money being financially…
Jumanne Rajabu Mtambalike
Entrepreneur, TZ Patriot, Loves Tech, Founder saharaventures.com, Project Management Consulting firm, Co-Founded saharasparks.com and Sahara Accelerator.
