Where the web is heading, (in Cameron)

Posted on | March 31, 2008 | 9 Comments

Fritz Ekwoge Ekwoge is a very interesting and passionate person, just read his blog. He recently started on a project. It is called kerawa, we wrote about it here, it seems that

Even you can KERAWISE your stuff. It’s easy to sell anything here or meet new people.We all have something to offer that others are willing to have like jobs, some novels, an old computer or whatever. You meet directly with the person who has what you need, or who needs what you have. No registration at all. No credit card needed. In thirty seconds, you too can KERAWISE your stuff !!

kerawa

In this interview we ask what is the trend of startups and web 2.0 in Cameron, Take a seat relax and read all of it. You will know a bit more about Cameron and web 2.0 around the world.

Munashe: What effect does the internet have on your country?

Fritz: In Cameroon, the internet is mainly used to read and send email, visit European dating sites, gather information from sites like wikipedia.org, and for local news via some of our portals.

This is understandable. The poor internet connections limit our usage of the more demanding features of the internet like video, making us settle to basic emailing. Many of our women use European dating sites as a means to greener pasture in Europe. Our libraries are not very rich, so students use the internet as an alternative. Many Cameroonians in the Diaspora feel the need to know what is going on in the country, and can only do so via some of our portals.

Recently Cameroonians have started looking up at newcomers like Kerawa.com to help solve problems like unemployment, housing, and selling stuff. We are very proud of what we are achieving thus far.

Munashe: Where do you see the internet going, and what does it promise for the future

I see the internet becoming more and more interactive. Users will be the ones generating the majority of content. Video use will increase as connection speeds will improve. Most transactions will be done online as people start getting more and more confident with online systems.

Munashe; What does it mean to be an African web entrepreneur?

Fritz; Being an African web entrepreneur means you are one of the few who even dare. It means you have seen problems affecting Africans and wish to solve them using the web. You know you won’t have a lot of capital but you continue all the same. You know you will have to compete with equivalent American or European sites but you are confident you will offer something with more value to fellow Africans. You also know that there are very few Africans that have made fortune from the internet, but you persist.

Munashe: What are the problems faced by Africans in their attempts to make products online

Fritz: Funds. Africans building online products have funding problems. We are not in Silicon Valley where there are a lot of venture capitalists ready to fund your online product.

Market. Many Africans don’t use the internet, and the few who do use it sparingly. The number of people using the internet in Africa is increasing though.

Skills. Many Africans lack formal training in programming, web design, internet marketing… Finding talent is hard, and the few with talent are generally self-taught.

Infrastructure. Our connection speeds are very slow, internet usage is still expensive. We don’t have a lot of local web hosting solutions.

Cultural diversity: Cultural differences between our different African countries and within nations. Cameroon sites for example must support English and French; Nigerian, South African, Kenyan sites are so culturally different. It might be hard to implement a web solution that suits the majority of African countries.

Distraction. Family, strikes, regular jobs.

Business models: Our business models are usually limited to advertising because it is not yet very convenient for users to pay online.
Munashe: What should be done, to help Africans take advantage of the internet?

Fritz: Well our connections speeds could be improved, and internet usage could become cheaper.

Users could be trained.

Computer and internet usage could be taught to kids while in school.

Government, NGOs, and other institutions could offer sponsorship for most African internet ventures.

Africans with the right skills could stop being mere consumers and start contributing.

Our banks could join efforts to support online payment.

I am confident that all these issues are already being addressed. In a few years, the internet will be a determinant factor in the growth of Africa.

Links
Kerawa
Fritz Ekwoge Ekwoge

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