US Gov't uses tech to engage East Africa

The U.S. government seems to have changed tack by engaging young people to find tech solutions to problems affecting the East Africa region.

Previously, the U.S. government primarily used the USAID agency to pursue sustainable solutions to various problems but the launch of an Apps4Africa competition by the U.S. Department of State shows a change of method.

Judith McHale, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs and Michael Ranneberger, ambassador to Kenya, launched the competition at the Innovation Hub (iHub) in Nairobi last week. The competition is co-sponsored by Appfrica Labs, based in Kampala, the iHub and the Social Development Network (SODNET), in Nairobi.

"The goal is very practical; to award prizes to the top applications that are built in the public good that serve the needs of these organizations," said Josh Goldstein, an Appfrica Labs Fellow.

Previously, focus has been on researchers based at universities but the failure by academia to deliver practical solutions and the rapid development of technology has forced donor agencies and governments to rethink their strategies.

The competition does not call for academic qualifications but on the ability to deliver applications that can lead to data sharing and analysis in areas such as water and sanitation, health, agriculture, and education.

"In some cases, developers can build applications to help community health care workers in rural areas access information for better diagnoses or collect patient information on a mobile phone that can be accessed later," added Goldstein.

The contest, which will run till end of August, challenges local coders and software developers to create software tools that will meet the needs of citizens across East Africa.

"The competition is an opportunity for me to play my role in empowering Africa through technology," said Martin Kariuki, an independent software developer in Nairobi.

The rapid growth of mobile phones and their effect on the economy has proved that the future is technology. The contest targets the 50 million mobile phone users in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda.

The submission process is interactive, allowing competitors to submit ideas via SMS, Web site, Twitter and Facebook, while others can participate by voting on the ideas and serving as online mentors to competitors.