APPFRICA is a series of international tech conferences and think-tanks
aimed at bringing together researchers, industry leaders, businesses,
educators, and NGOs to discuss novel uses of web technology for
innovation and education in the developing world. Our first event is
at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda on July 31, 2008. The
schedule speaker is Ory Okolloh, Co-Winner of the NetSquared 2008
Mashup Competition with her app Ushahidi a way for Kenyans to report
and localize violence using Google Maps following the recent
elections.
What we're looking for are speakers who work with web technologies
(social media, semantic applications, mobile devices etc.) who are
interested in sharing their own experiences in using those
technologies for projects the developing world. Your solutions
don't have to be crisis oriented. For example, groups like Kiva and
Kickstart are providing opportunities for entrepreneurs using micro-
finance models. Twitter is being re-purposed by groups like the
RedCross to get out information to victims of natural disasters.
Internations is a group that uses it's social network to fund global
scholarships for impoverished students in developing areas.
You must be willing to travel abroad Africa for a week, we'll cover
your travel costs and accommodations. You can read more about
Appfrica at our wiki - http://appfrica.pbwiki.org. The next location
for Appfrica hasn't been chosen yet but it most likely be somewhere in
East or Southern Africa.
If interested in speaking, contact me at j.gos...@appfrica.org for
consideration. Please include your company description and a few
about ideas on how you think the web can play an even bigger role in
creating opportunities for developing areas around the world.
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