As
a social entrepreneurial journalist, I've embarked on another life journey -a
journey that will see me tell inspirational stories of people who are making a
difference in life-from far and wide! Today, I talk to mHub Executive Director
Rachel Sibande.
How did the idea to start mHub come about?
60% of
Malawi's population are youths and children. Post secondary education
opportunities are limited. There is a high rate of unemployment amongst youths;
75% of youths are unemployed. ICT is one of the key drivers of Global
economies. There was therefore a need to embrace young people and enhance more opportunities for young people
in technology.
Mhub is
thus Malawi's first technology hub. We identify, nurture and incubate young
technology entrepreneurs. These are young people with skills in buidling websites,
mobile applications and technology applications. We champion the development of
local technology solutions for local problems. We support young technology
enthusiasts with technical skills and training on entrepreneurship.
What is its main or core business? What service
and support does mHub offer?
Our core
business is the development of local technology solutions for local problem. We
have young people that build websites and other technology applications.
For
example; we have a young man that developed a local accounting package, being
translated to chichewa and specifically designed for small enterprises.
We also
developed Malawi's first online fashion store for Malawi's top fashion designer
LillyAlfonso. http://lillyalfonso.com
We also
developed a mobile application for the Lake of Stars music festival. One of the
largest music festivals in Africa.
Which benefit is the most important about mHub?
We embrace
and nurture talent in technology in young people. We mentor young technology
enterpreneurs and enhance the culture of enterpreneurship.
How is the mHub different from the
competitions? (Which features
are exclusive? Which are better than the
competition’s?)
What problems does mHub solve in the
marketplace?
We develop
local technology solutions for local problems than going for off the shelf
solutions that often do not fit in to the context of our challenges. We also
solving the problem of youth unemployment by enhancing a culture of entrepreneurship
among the youths.
How is mHub positioned against competing
services?
We are
Malawi's first technology hub and leverage this as an advantage. We are the
first incubator space for technology startups.
So far, how has mHub fared since its inception?
We have
started off well. Being a social enterprise; we have got funding from Hivos,
UNICEF and recently partnered with TNM in the Smart Challenge Competition where
young Malawian technology enthusiasts will compete to develop mobile
applications and win a trip to the silicon valley among other prizes. The
competetition is also supported by Google, Facebook and IBM.
What sort of challenges is mHub facing, and how
are you addressing them?
Since we
are just setting up; getting to sell the concept that technology solutions can
be developed locally is a challenge. Often people associate technology
platforms as being elite and to be imported. Yet there's immense talent in our
youths to develop technology solutions
What are your future plans?
We intend
to become a leading Software development house and an ICT4D think tank in the
region
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