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  • BIMA Doctor App to be launched in September 2018

    BIMA Doctor App to be launched in September 2018

    The prestigious event took place on August 25th at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra, honouring innovative players in the healthcare industry. The West African Clinical Alliance recognized BIMA for its pioneering work in improving access to quality health care through the use of mobile technology.

    According to the OECD, there is at most 1 qualified physician per 10,000 people in Ghana, and the combination of soaring population and rising urbanization is driving higher demand for health care services, particularly as non-communicable disease such as diabetes and hypertension continue to rise. In Ghana, it is common for patients to travel considerable distances or sacrifice hours waiting in a clinic before seeing a doctor.

    This, along with the high cost of consultations, often prevent people from seeking medical help. In this context, telemedicine provides an opportunity to relieve the burden on the hospital system and to provide a safe and confidential way for citizens to obtain medical advice, wherever they are in the country.

    Launched in 2015, BIMA Doctor is a pioneer of the telemedicine industry in Ghana and is the first and currently only licensed provider in the country. It began as a pure medical advisory service, allowing subscribers to access unlimited consultations with licensed medical practitioners over the phone for only GHC 3 monthly.

    In the past 3 years, the service has evolved into a full-fledged telemedicine service, offering access to both generalists and specialists, e-prescriptions via SMS as well as a laboratory referral service providing discounts to subscribers. Just recently, BIMA Doctor has enrolled all customers onto a Health Coaching Programme delivering targeted health content via SMS and recorded voice messages.

    Christina Tuemmers, mHealth Division Manager, explains “We are honoured that our contribution to improving access to affordable and quality healthcare has been recognized. The award is a major step in recognizing telemedicine as a standalone health service”. Dr. David Sunu, Chief Medical Officer of BIMA Doctor, adds ”BIMA is at the forefront of legitimate telemedicine practice in Ghana. This award is a confirmation of our high clinical standards and customer service that underpin the delivery of the BIMA Doctor Service”.

    Damien Gueroult, Country Manager, reveals “We believe that the roaring mobile penetration and increasing data usage in Ghana will create a vast opportunity to reach the mass-market who have previously been excluded from health services and in particular preventive care. Just next month we will launch the BIMA Doctor mobile App which will offer additional value-added services to our customers”.

    The BIMA Doctor App will be launched in September of this year through which subscriber can access and manage their medical records, locate the nearest health facility and talk to the BIMA Doctor medical team by phone or chat.

  • BitSiki pauses Bitcoin transactions; resumes selling after August 30, 2018

    BitSiki pauses Bitcoin transactions; resumes selling after August 30, 2018

    Bitcoin exchange BitSika was launched in Ghana, enabling users to buy large and small sums of bitcoin instantly via web or USSD.

    Launched earlier this year, BitSika allows both connected and unconnected people to buy and sell bitcoin, and also acts as a wallet service.

    The bootstrapped startup is in the process of raising a US$100,000 seed round which it hopes will fund its mission to lead Ghana’s crypto space.

    Founder Atsu Davoh said the team had been encouraged by the early uptake of the platform.

    “In less than two days, there were over 200 requests to join. The team anticipated 20. The increasing number of new users meant that we had to increase the RAM of our web server to handle the traffic”

    “BitSika also ran out of free bitcoin wallet addresses to give out to new users because we had exhausted all the addresses given to us by the API startup. We refused to charge users for addresses because that was not part of the initial plan. Users kept coming in and their orders kept increasing past what was normally allowed through MTN mobile money.”

    Due to the fundraising activities, the site has paused selling bitcoins. The site is, however, active for all users to test all features of BitSika.

  • Re:publica in Ghana for the first time on December 14 and 15, 2018

    Re:publica in Ghana for the first time on December 14 and 15, 2018

    Re:publica, one of the largest and most cutting-edge conferences in Europe is coming to Ghana for the first time in its ten-year history, this year. This digital festival is being launched in collaboration with the Federal Ministry for Economic Development and Cooperation (BMZ), on African soil.

    This partnership is an aim to strengthen dialogue on digital topics between Africa and Germany, as well as to utilize common ground in digitalization and development work.

    Africa is held to be the continent with many technological and entrepreneurial opportunities. It boasts of the fastest growing and youngest population in the world, and with the numbers, it is vivid that the future is not only young and hungry for knowledge, but also digital. A cornucopia of innovation hubs is springing up, from which other countries can equally and unequally benefit. The opportunities are, particularly in Africa’s tech sector.

    https://twitter.com/republica/status/955389335435644929

    As a result of these realities, Re:publica and BMZ come in with their shared idea that digital technologies play a vital role when social and economic challenges need to be faced at a global level, and innovative solutions are a must-find.

    Earlier this year, at the Re:publica 18, the BMZ provided an outlook with agenda items on the Tech For Good topic, concerning where the shared journey is heading in December – to the capital city of Ghana, Accra. Before now, this black nation has experienced an exemplary democratization process. The aim is not to talk about the continent, but to have a dialogue with Africa. For this reason, also, West African and German representatives will convene in Accra to discuss and network with each other. Most of all, they will be learning from each other from all directions.

    Bringing Re:publica to Accra in a bid to narrow the chasm between the rich and the poor, and between continents, marks an essential step in the direction to drive innovation in Africa. Both bodies will strive to discuss and debate Africa’s tech and innovation scene, together with that very community. The event is expected to strengthen the voice of young innovators to overcome the digital gap, from dismantling the disruptions that shape the continent.

    From now until the 9th of Sept’, 2018, activities will be going on in the background in preparation for the big event, including presentations and installations amongst others, all of which would focus on one categories ranging from Politics and Society, Art and Culture, Economy and Innovation, Science and Education, including Media and Journalism.

    BMZ currently focuses on building digital centres to foster sustainable development and provides about EU 100 Mn funding to digital project through initiatives such as Digital Africa.

  • ‘ASANKA’ educational learning device launched in Ghana

    ‘ASANKA’ educational learning device launched in Ghana

    TECHAiDE, a technology social enterprise specialises in the design, development and deployment of low voltage and rugged computing systems has launched a Free Information Access Device.

    The device dubbed: ‘ASANKA’ is a low-power, low-cost, durable content delivery device that works without the Internet.

    The device which can be used to track changes over time with surveys, interactive quizzes and games to see how people improve performance and achieve results is a cheaper, faster, and easier way to access educational content.

    It is a one Watt device that can be powered by any USB charger from grid power, USB port on a laptop or desktop, battery bank or solar charger and its content can be accessed by any WiFi enabled device.

    The launch was performed at the Second Annual Impact Education Conference organised by TECHAiDE in Accra. The Conference which was on the theme: “Teaching with Technology” brought together over 150 participants from public and private schools, proprietors, Non-Governmental organisations in the educational sector and officials of the Ghana Education Service.

    Professor Jophus Anamuah-Mensah, Former Vice Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba said, the product was to secure the educational future of the Ghanaian children and teachers could utilise the ‘ASANKA’ technology in their teaching notes to make a difference in improving studies.

    Prof Anamuah-Mensah who is also the Board Chairman of TECHAiDE said, school pupils in rural areas and underserved communities were not performing in the area of Information Communication Technology (ICT), Science and Maths subjects and that ‘ASANKA’ could address that challenge.

    He said there were many innovations in the field of technology unfolding in the world and that parents should take the advantage of these technologies to educate their wards and urged the government to partner TECHAiDE by putting in place a policy that would help to promote the device in the country’s educational sector.

    Mrs Margaret Okine, Director in-charge of Basic Education at the Ghana Education Service (GES) on behalf of the Director-General lauded the initiative and reiterated the government’s commitment and support to ICT and such initiatives.

    Mr Kafui Prebbie, Chief Executive Officer of TECHAiDE said the concept of ASANKA came at a time when his outfit decided to solve the difficulty of accessing relevant online multimedia content in rural and marginalised areas.

    He said TECHAiDE in 2015 after setting up over 70 ICT Centres with Educational Software nationwide called EDULabs and it was evident that highly marginalised children and communities had little exposure to greater knowledge to participate fully in the 21st century.

    Mr Prebbie said aside the problem of internet availability and reliability, the issue of cost was a critical one.“As of June 2017, the cost of 1GB of data in Ghana was approximately 3 US Dollars, which was way above the reach of many households”.

    “I asked myself a question of ‘How TECHAiDE’ could innovatively centralise information for people living in developing areas, distribute and access relevant content just like with the internet, but without such high data costs and internet connectivity?”

    The ASANKA device Operating System runs on a microSD card storage system with a minimum of 64GB and a maximum of 512GB; uses 802.11n Wireless to distribute content and an Ethernet port to download desired content from the ASANKA cloud architecture.

    He said the ASANKA solution was designed to also allow users to upload their own content onto the device and the content was uploaded to a cloud account and later synced to the devices through an Ethernet port on the device.

    “There are currently six different compartible formats that are able to be uploaded to an ASANKA, which include; Video Files, Audio Files, Static Documents (MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint, PDF documents, etc), Interactive Quizzes, Surveys and Interactive Games.

    TECHAiDE has a 10 years plus of working experience within the ICT sector and have developed a workflow in order to help manage the entire process in order to give the highest quality of service and satisfaction.

    It also designed desktop virtualisation solutions, solar & power back-ups, mobile & SMS value added services, undertake IT project management, deliver tools of technology and sustainable computing to people in need mostly in the rural areas to transform lives through better education.

    TECHAiDE takes a needs-based approach to developing solutions, always focusing on lowering the cost of ownership and improved sustainability. The work of TECHAiDE has impacted on locals especially in rural and underserved areas in Ghana and West Africa through partnerships with Yale University Alumni (USA), Plan International-Ghana; World Vision International-Ghana; CamFed International, UK & Ghana; Students Bridging the Information Gap-USA; World Education-US & Ghana among others.

    Source: Ghana News Agency

  • Surfline network restored after 3 days of blackout; Customers Compensated

    Surfline network restored after 3 days of blackout; Customers Compensated

    Surfline Ghana’s internet service has been restored, the National Communications Authority has said after the service was cut for two days due to its indebtedness to Glo Ghana.

    Telecom company Glo Ghana provides support service for Surfline to deliver its internet service but the service was halted due to debt issue which has resulted in a legal tussle.

    Intervening in the impasse, the NCA met with both Glo and Surfline to determine the details and extent of the issue. (more…)

  • Digital Payments are starting to take over from other payments in Ghana

    Digital Payments are starting to take over from other payments in Ghana

    There is an increasing shift away from the use of cheques to electronic payments channels for various transactions. Although cheques continue to have the single largest share, it is growing at a slower pace while other electronic payments are experiencing a faster growth in patronage.

    This is demonstrated in the half year summary performance of GhIPSS product.

    The dominance of cheques begun to reduce following the introduction of electronic payment products. In the first half of 2016, it accounted for 39 per cent of products and services offered through the Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement System (GhIPSS) platform. (more…)

  • You have up to the 31st of July 2018 to buy your MTN Ghana Shares

    You have up to the 31st of July 2018 to buy your MTN Ghana Shares

    MTN Ghana’s Initial Share Offer (IPO)which was launched on May 29th, 2018 to sell 4,637,394,533 ordinary shares, representing 35% of MTN Ghana (Scancom PLC)is scheduled to end at 5:00 pm on July 31st 2018.

    As per the IPO Prospectus, the minimum number of shares to be sold for the IPO to be successful is 463,739,453, representing ten per cent (10%) of the total number of shares on offer.

    With a few days to the end of the IPO, MTN Ghana has confirmed that the offer period will not be extended.

    Sharing updates on the progress made so far since the launch, the CEO of MTN Ghana, Selorm Adadevoh said MTN used innovative and convenient ways of getting people to participate in the IPO and as a result, the company engaged stakeholders in many districts, big towns and markets in all 10regions of the country. MTN Ghana has also used all of its events and digital channels to talk about the IPO and to explain why people should participate in it.

    Mr Adadevoh said, “We believe that we have given more than enough time for people to make up their minds”.

    He said, “The reason why we took this approach is that we want to reach all Ghanaians and to give them an opportunity to hear about our offering and to decide whether or not to own shares in our company. We have received a lot of commendations about these multiple channels”.

    Selorm Adadevoh also lauded the innovative decision to use Mobile Money for the IPO and mentioned that a significant number of the subscriptions received was done through MTN Mobile Money.

    The IPO, which is the largest IPO on the Ghana Stock Exchange, is expected to increase the capitalisation and activity within the equity market. The IPO is indicative of MTN Group’s long-term confidence in Ghana’s economic prospects.

    The IPO Prospectus can be accessed electronically via www.mtnghanashares.com. Physical copies can be collected from any MTN Ghana office or branches of the Receiving Banks or Receiving Agents (Brokers).In addition to these channels, prospective applicants can receive the IPO Prospectus on their smartphones by dialling *533#.

    An applicant can subscribe using the MTN Mobile Money USSD platform by Dialling *170# or through the Offer website www.mtnghanashares.com. Prospective applicants can also buy through the sponsoring broker, IC Securities.

    Read further instructions on how to buy your MTN Shares here.

    The IPO closes at 5 pm on 31st July 2018 and, following approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission, trading on the Ghana Stock Exchange is expected to begin on 5th September 2018. Once the offer period has ended, applications will be reviewed and collated and allotments will commence. Applications received after the offer period will not be considered or processed.

  • CWG Ghana awards Best Graduating Student in Computer Science at UG

    CWG Ghana awards Best Graduating Student in Computer Science at UG

    CWG Ghana, a full-service Information Technology (IT) company, as part of its annual corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme, has awarded Edwina Borteley Abam for emerging as the best graduating student in Computer Science at the University of Ghana for the 2016/17 academic year.

    CWG Ghana has sponsored the best graduating student from the Computer Science Department of the University of Ghana for more than five years to highlight its belief in supporting the best information technology talents for the nation’s future.

    The last four awards have been won by women.

    Speaking after the presentation, Managing Director of CWG Ghana, Harriet Attram Yartey, pointed out that the presentation of the annual award was an attestation of the importance CWG attaches to hard work and qualitative education.

    “We boast of an array of professionals whose expertise has formed the core of service providers across Africa. Our premium on quality workforce explains our emphasis on quality education,” she further noted.

    Mrs Yartey said that CWG Ghana would continue to support students at the university and extend it to other tertiary institutions.

    She stressed that education ultimately offers young people the best opportunity in life to achieve their dreams and become the leaders of tomorrow.

    Ms Abam, who received the award in the presence of her parents, thanked CWG for the honour.

    “I am humbled and I give all the glory to God. I feel good to be a proud winner of this very special award.”

    She noted that the award would continue to encourage other students, especially continuing students.

    CWG Ghana Limited, a member of the pan-African Information Communication Technology Company, CWG Plc, provides products and services that cut across the ICT value chain of hardware, software and communications.

    CWG Ghana has a diversified its customer base and is represented in various sectors of the Ghanaian economy such as telecoms, banking & financial services, oil & gas and services.

  • AirtelTigo welcomes ‘Explor’ internship programme participants

    AirtelTigo welcomes ‘Explor’ internship programme participants

    Telecom operator, AirtelTigo has welcomed 40 students from various universities in the country to its premier skills development programme ‘Explor’, aimed to nurture and build opportunities for the next generation of talents.

    During their three-month internship, students will be working within the company’s Technology, Brand and Communications, Commercial, Customer Operations, Human Resources, Sales, Finance, AirtelTigo Money and AirtelTigo Business departments.

    They will be exposed to real-world work situations while receiving one-on-one mentoring for leadership skills. Over 400 students applied to take part in the programme, however, the number was pruned down to 40 participants.

    The applicants were taken through a rigorous selection process which included the submission of a video, resume and a face-to-face interview with a panel.

    “This is a great opportunity for me to discover the career path I want to pursue. This programme will also offer me the platform to learn from the seasoned professionals at AirtelTigo; challenge myself and be a change agent in the society,” a participant from the University of Ghana, Crystal Ahiable said during the induction ceremony.

    Underscoring its commitments to equip young people with the necessary skills to find work in the digital economy, the Chief Executive Officer for AirtelTigo, Mrs Mitwa Kaemba Ng’ambi, said the company’s aim is to become the most sought-after employer.

    She explained that the internship programme was borne out of the company’s belief in empowering young people with opportunities to harness their skills and learn new practical abilities.

    “We believe this programme will expose the students to the operations within the telecommunication industry, and offer them the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience,” said Mrs Ng’ambi.

  • Kumasi Hive wins 2018 Miss.Africa Digital Prize worth $5,000

    Kumasi Hive wins 2018 Miss.Africa Digital Prize worth $5,000

    Kumasi Hive from Ghana was announced Tuesday as winners of the 2018 Miss.Africa Digital Seed Funding for STEM Programmes Grand Prize while, INTELLECT-Team at Laboratory of Technologies for Smart Systems (CRNS) Tunisia and Eco-Sol Consulting (Full STEM Ahead!) Seychelles will take home the Second category prize of 1,000 USD.

    The winners were announced by the Pan-African trust program of DotConnectAfrica (DCA) Tuesday.

    The winner, Kumasi Hive is a multi-space innovation place for rapid prototyping of ideas, budding local innovations, impact start-up support and promoting youth entrepreneurship as a way of addressing critical social economic and developmental challenges. (more…)