Creating a New Image of Africa by Communicating, Collaborating, and Creating @ Hamburg, Germany. September, 2013

Creating a New Image of Africa

by Communicating, Collaborating and Creating! - Hamburg, Germany. September, 2013

MAC-JORDAN DEGADJOR

FOLLOW ON TWITTER: @MACJORDAN

ABOUT MAC-JORDAN DEGADJOR

• Blogger & Social Media Entrepreneur – 7yrs

• Communications & PR – Blogging Ghana

• Sandbox Africa Ambassador – Ghana

• Bertelsmann Future Challenges Regional Editor

• Contributing Author – Global Voices Online

• TEDx & Barcamp Event Organizer• IT Support Geek by Day; Blogger

by Night• Speaks Russian & Ukrainian + (4

Ghanaian Languages: Akan, Fante, Ewe & Ga)

“The major problem I see is that Africa’s story is written from somewhere else and not by Africans themselves. That is why the rest of the world looks at Africa and Africans and want to define us. They want to shape the perception about Africa. The best thing we can do for ourselves is own our problems, own our solutions and write our own stories.” – President Paul Kagame of Rwanda @ WEF, Davos.

“Until the lion has his own storyteller, the hunter will always have the best part of the story.” African Proverb

Here is a FACT;

The world’s impression of Africa is hopelessly outdated.

There is countless evidence of progress,

growth, as well as political and economic vibrancy

and stability on the African continent.

Africa is rich in opportunities and potentials. It is home to

7 out of 10 of the world’s fastest growing economies.

Africa has a middle class that’s almost as big as the entire

populations of Russia and Brazil.

CONTINUOUS GROWTH ACROSS MAJOR AFRICAN CITIES…

AFRICANS ARE TAKING OWNERSHIP OF THEIR OWN FUTURE

IN THE PERIOD BETWEEN 2003 AND 2011, THERE HAS BEEN 23% COMPOUND GROWTH IN INTRA-AFRICAN INVESTMENT INTO NEW FDI PROJECTS (437% GROWTH IN ABSOLUTE TERMS), WITH THE COMPOUND GROWTH RATE ACCELERATING AT 42% SINCE 2007.

AFRICA RISING…. THE STORY CONTINUES

Blogging for Social Change – Role of Blogging Ghana

Objectives of BloggingGhana:

• Serving as a forum for bloggers in Ghana to network and exchange ideas • Building capacity among bloggers in

Ghana & Ghanaian bloggers in the Diaspora• Accessing new audiences for our blogs

through a mutual website (aggregator) and other activities • Promoting citizen journalism in Ghana

Educating the general public in Ghana on the opportunities of social media

BlogCamp 2012 & 2013 by BloggingGhana

Ghana Decides: An Election Monitoring Project by @BloggingGhana

OUR VOTE; OUR VOICE CAMPAIGN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-N1qx-k6mc

Ghana Decides Focused on:

• Developing a better informed electorate for a free, fair and safe 2012 elections using the collaborative platform of social media.

• Extensively sensitizing and educating a broad group of stakeholders on the use of social media for Ghana 2012 Elections and its related activities. (Social Media workshops)

• Deploy and comprehensively utilize social media tools to cover and address Elections 2012 activities, monitoring issues and results.

MOBILE TECHNOLOGY SCENE IN AFRICA

LETI GAMES: EYRAM TAWIA & WESLEY KIRINGA – BRINGING TRADITIONAL FOLKLORE CHARACTERS BACK TO LIFE THROUGH GAMES

SAYA MOBILE: ROBERT LAMPTEY – BRINGING MODERN MESSAGING TO FEATURE PHONES IN AFRICA

PLATFORMS >> BLACKBERRY, ANDROID, IOS AND JAVA

CLAIMSYNC: ISAAC MCSEY + SETH AKUMANI – Healthcare facilities software automating patients’ records and process medical records electronically.

ESOKO - A RURAL MARKET INFORMATION SYSTEM THAT SEEKS TO IMPROVE INCOMES OF FARMERS BY BUILDING HEALTHY MARKETS.

MPAWA: MAXWELL DONKOR - CONNECTING AFRICA’S JOB MARKET VIA MOBILE

MPowerPayment: Ghana’s Mobile Payment Provider.

M-FARM – A MARKET TRANSPARENCY TOOL FOR FARMERS. KENYAN FARMERS SIMPLY SMS THE NUMBER 3535 TO GET INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THE RETAIL PRICE OF THEIR PRODUCTS.

M-FARM STARTED FROM AKIRACHIX – AN ALL GIRLS DEVELOPERS NETWORK FROM NAIROBI, KENYA FOUNDED BY JAMILA ABBASS.

AFRITICKETS:OLAOTAN TOWRY-COKER - TO BECOME THE TICKETMASTER OF AFRICA FOR ALL EVENTS

TECHNOLOGY IN GOVERNANCE & ACCOUNTABILITY2 PLATFORMS: ODEKRO + MZANLEDO MONITORS PERFORMANCES OF YOUR ELECTED LEGISLATORS IN PARLIAMENT IN GHANA & KENYA RESPECTIVELY…

WHAT DOES ALL THIS START-UPS HAVE IN COMMON?

TECH & INNOVATION HUBS ACROSS AFRICA

Africa’s information and technology sector is shaping up to become a major driver of development across the continent.

African tech hubs and incubators are giving birth to new ideas and innovations helping solve various socio-economic problems.

MEST– Accra, Ghana

ACTIV SPACES– CAMEROON

BongoHive– Zimbabwe

iceAddis– Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

CC-HUB– LAGOS, NIGERIA

JOKKO LABS– SENEGAL

iHub – Nairobi, Kenya

HIVE COLAB – KAMPALA, UGANDA

AFRILABS – An association linking all the hacker-spaces and innovation hubs across the continent for learning, growth, and to provide greater mass for the entrepreneurs that work from them.

AFRILABS provides mentorship, partnership with other hubs/spaces and also foster collaboration on social projects.

AFRILABS – The Mother of ALL Innovation/Hacker-spaces/Tech Hubs in Africa.

AFRILABS – NETWORK OF TECH & INNOVATION HUBS ACROSS AFRICA.

AFRICA RISING SERIES by DHL Africa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvIdqmq4oz8

CONTACT:TWITTER: @MACJORDAN

BLOG: HTTP://WWW.MACJORDANGH.COM

FACEBOOK: HTTP://FACEBOOK.COM/MJDEGADJOR