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My Visit to Imagine Cup 2007- S. Somasegar

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 05:43:13 GMT

For me, one of the most exciting things about working with students is seeing their passion and absolute belief that one person can, in fact, change the world. At Microsoft, we want to do whatever we can to encourage that optimism, and to help students use their technical skills in ways that can help make the world a better place. That’s the goal of our annual student technology competition, the Imagine Cup.

I’m writing this from Seoul, Korea, where we’ve just concluded the 2007 Imagine Cup finals, the culmination of a nine-month long program in which university students from virtually every country in the world have had the chance to use the power of software to develop a solution addressing one of the most pressing challenges of our day. Our theme, “Imagine a world where technology enables a better education for all,” gave our students a unique opportunity— to think about the education challenges in their own countries, and to take the future into their own hands by creating solutions that can bring about lasting change.

Since its beginning in 2003, the Imagine Cup has been a gathering place for some of the world’s greatest young minds, and the technology showcased has truly reflected the caliber of the competition. This year is no exception. Teams have worked together to develop cutting-edge technologies that help extend learning outside the classroom, that promote collaboration among teachers and students, and that have the potential to make education accessible to far greater numbers of people around the world, regardless of their social or economic situations.

But inasmuch as the Imagine Cup is a premiere technology showcase, its impact goes far beyond the technology itself. Archit Jain, a fourth-year student from Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology in India, told us how meeting the other teams and judges in Seoul this week has helped expand his vision of how technology can help the people of his home country. His dream is to see “the power of technology made accessible to the masses” and he plans to research how low-cost computing materials can help make this dream possible.

I celebrate Archit’s vision. It’s an exciting time, and we’re only at the beginning of what computer science can offer the world. It gives me great hope to see the future of computing in students like Archit, and deep satisfaction to know that Microsoft and the Imagine Cup have played even a small part in their life and work.

There have been some amazing moments this week at the Imagine Cup. The highs and lows of competition, the lasting friendships that have been made, and the incredible potential of the ideas presented here have left me with a true sense of optimism for what these future leaders can achieve.

Six teams will go on to formal business and technology training early next year. Others will pursue commercializing their software applications with the help of their schools, their mentors and resources available through their communities. Others will return to their studies, with indelible memories of their amazing week at the Imagine Cup. We hope most of them will also begin planning their entry for next year’s Imagine Cup.

Next stop is France for Imagine Cup 2008. The theme is, “Imagine a world where technology can create a sustainable environment.” I can’t wait to see what these young minds come up with.

Namaste!

S. Somasegar is the corporate vice president of the Developer Division at Microsoft Corporation.

Partnerships and Education - Vasanti Neelakantan, Brilliant Tutorials

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 18:34:29 GMT

While India is progressing in leaps and bounds in cyberspace, on the ground, the realities of a third-world country are immediately evident. Outside the major metropolitan areas, basic infrastructure such as roads, water and schools leave a lot to be desired. At Brilliant, our vision of education is to empower students by providing them with the life skills they need to be intelligent, innovative and productive adults, regardless of which corner of the country they live in. When we started over 35 years ago, we reached students through their local mailman, using the postal system to distribute our teaching material.

Today, we see the role of technology as an equalizer, helping students have access to the best teaching and material available, even when they live in remote areas where schools and teachers are often lacking. Microsoft’s Unlimited Potential shares our vision, and we are excited at the prospect of working together to improve education in India. Our initial endeavour is aimed at providing students with access to online question banks to test their skills as they prepare for competitive entrance exams to get in to the top universities in the country. Following that, we will be providing our education material to students online, thereby greatly expanding their access to world-class education. In collaboration with Microsoft, we at Brilliant look forward to the opportunity to provide students with affordable education, enabling them to better participate in and contribute to the rapidly growing global economy.

- Vasanti Neelakantan, managing director, Brilliant Tutorials

Partnerships and Education: K. Ganesh, TutorVista

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 04:58:50 GMT

Education has been the last of places where technology is used. There have been early adopters for technology in the travel and hospitality industries, banking, etc., but it has never seemed to make inroads into daily education for some reason. It can act as an enabler for connecting the “last lagging” student to an “A” grade teacher. Technology creates an opportunity to help more students by taking it to a larger cross-section of society at a very affordable cost. It has the potential to create a paradigm shift in the way students are taught through the use of animations, presentations, or through rapid use of standardized, scientific teaching methodology.

Microsoft has shown thought leadership with Unlimited Potential. We at TutorVista have always believed that education has the power to transform lives. Our affordable online tutoring reaches out to students across locations, providing them with better learning opportunities. Through Microsoft's program, we can now make our services accessible to a wider cross section of society at an affordable cost benefiting a wider audience. As we all know, better education translates to more opportunities for the people.

- K. - K. Ganesh, Founder and CEO, TutorVista

Transforming Education in India - Orlando Ayala

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 13:59:43 GMT

I am pleased to be joining you again from the road—this week, I am in India to support our ongoing efforts to extend the power of technology to the world’s underserved populations. India’s uneven economic and social balance, with over 98% of the population living at the middle and base of the economic pyramid, represents an urgent and substantial call to action in our work towards realizing this goal.

As a nation, India has made great strides competitively and economically in recent years. Its success has placed it in an excellent position to lessen the economic imbalance and bring better livelihoods and increased social and economic opportunities to those at the base of the pyramid. I believe that this is a critical time for India—a time when the right choices, the right level of commitment, and the right partnerships can make a lasting difference and help transform the nation, bringing new possibilities to people that desperately need it today.

Through Microsoft Unlimited Potential, we are continuing our work in India to enable sustained social and economic growth through relevant programs and products that are accessible to everyone. Affordability is also a critical component but it is important to understand this goes far beyond low-cost hardware. Affordable solutions must account for individual needs and means, and use creative ways to deliver technology, through different devices, access models and financing options.

One of the most fundamental areas in which technology can be applied to enable this growth is within education—the core element for sustained social and economic inclusion. India faces a serious challenge in providing quality education, a critical factor in ensuring that children begin with a fair level of opportunity. If applied correctly, technology holds great potential to meet this challenge.

We are deeply committed to transforming access to quality education in India, and have already made great progress. Project Shiksha, made possible through our Partners in Learning program, aims to accelerate IT literacy for over 200,000 teachers and 10 million students across schools in India over the next 5 years. To date, we have already trained 100,000 teachers and impacted 5 million students across the country.

And today, at a press conference in Delhi, Ravi Venkatesan, chairman of Microsoft India, and I announced that Microsoft will be scaling up existing programs and enabling greater access in India through a ‘connected learning framework’ of software and services called IQ. As part of this effort, we are kicking off a pilot program with AMD in Bangalore and Pune for the IQ PC, a low cost computer that includes Windows, Office / Works, Encarta, and Student 2007 along with specialized education solutions from a host of key partners. We also introduced the MSN IQ Education Channel, an online repository of educational content, online tutoring, competitive exam coaching and specialized editorial content from leading authorities. The IQ framework is exciting because it combines online and offline solutions with content tied directly to each stage of a student’s learning process and growth.

And finally, a point I stressed a couple weeks ago in Burkina Faso: we cannot do this alone. Microsoft is catalyzing a network of industry, government and development leaders to form and strengthen partnerships at the local, regional and global level that create the scale necessary to achieve the goals of Unlimited Potential.

The IQ offerings, for example, are supported and extended by numerous partners with extensive experience and understanding of both education and the India market. In addition to AMD, we’re working closely with Brilliant Tutorials, Junior Achievement, Pacsoft, Karadi Tales, Gurujiworld, Edurite and TutorVista. You will hear quite a bit more about these and other partnerships Microsoft is forging here in India to deliver truly innovative solutions.

Ultimately, while any nation can work to enable quality education for all ages, for this to be meaningful to those unable to provide for their most basic needs, these efforts must translate to a single critical goal: creating economic opportunity. By doing so, we can help to ensure that the rich human potential of every person—throughout India and the world—is able to be realized.

-Orlando Ayala, Senior Vice President, Emerging Segments Market Development Group, Microsoft

Conclusion: Orlando Ayala

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 16:08:15 GMT

It has been a pleasure to receive the warm and generous hospitality of the people of Burkina Faso over the last week. We have discussed a lot during this forum; we have explored many of the challenges and opportunities facing Africa. I have been struck by the amazing progress and opportunities of Africa, by the great work that is already taking place, and by the excitement across the region.

Just a few days ago, I had a wonderful visit to the Lycee Philippe Zinda Kabore school right here in Ouagadougou. The school has over 6,000 students and just 20 PC’s, but to see the scope of what they are achieving with these very limited resources was truly inspirational. Yet again, it made me realize just how important it is to do more for schools like the Lycee, and for students throughout Africa. By having the opportunity to develop relevant life and professional skills individuals can become full-fledged members of a vibrant social and economic environment.

As we all know, human potential comes in many forms, whether it’s someone starting a business, getting a job, learning a new skill, or participating more fully in the well-being of their community, and ultimately that of their country. That’s why we at Microsoft are committed through Unlimited Potential to support social and economic development through transforming education, fostering local innovation and creating jobs and opportunities.

I want to share a story about homegrown innovation that I think personifies this in Africa. Rosaline, a young woman from Kabira, one of the biggest slums in Africa, was inspired by some ideas she found on the Internet to use recycled tires to make sandals. She found a market for them locally, but soon she needed a bigger market and went online to reach customers in other countries. This generated new demand and enabled her to open a second workshop in Kabira, creating new job opportunities and contributing positively to the economy. Now she is becoming an international figure, invited to speak and share her story of social entrepreneurship in a number of forums like this one. Rosaline’s story is a powerful example of how innovation, access to technology and entrepreneurship can create broad opportunity for anyone.

Throughout the conference, we have discussed many key sustainable development themes. For example, we have focused on access—whether this means low-cost computers, refurbished computers, or community centers and iCafes that provide rural areas with connectivity. As Barbara Kreissler of UNIDO noted a few days ago, Dr. Cheick Diarra, our Chairman for Microsoft Africa, signed a joint initiative with UNIDO that will make affordable computers available to small-scale entrepreneurs in Africa. The initiative will be based on a sustainable business model for refurbishment centers in Africa to address hardware, software and training needs of SMEs (small and medium entrepreneurs), and will be piloted in Uganda.

A key focus of this particular forum has been the discussion of e-government and e-government best practices. In a panel session I participated in, a gentleman raised a great question, asking what Microsoft could do to make it easier for governments in the region to share best practices, since best practices are so critical to creating the vision of “e-Africana”. This question got Cheick and I talking, and we are pleased to announce that we will be launching a new African e-government best practices website designed to help people across the region uncover and act upon best practice examples.

I have been in many sessions and had many conversations addressing the importance of broader inclusion of ICT access in Africa. This means enabling men, women, youth, seniors, the disabled, everyone, through access to technology and its benefits – something, until now, that has largely been out of reach.

Many have highlighted the potential for smaller or under-resourced nations to leverage the successes of others through partnerships and thereby scale these best practices across the region. It has come across to me loud and clear that these key themes must be surrounded by the relentless enablement of youth, strong policies, public-private partnerships, sharing experiences, and most importantly, a strong roadmap to implementation.

As the first ICT Best Practices Forum for West and Central Africa comes to a close, I want to stress both the unique opportunities that Africa has as a region and the unique nature of the challenges that are posed. The challenge before us is one of scale and partnership. Making a difference alone will be very difficult, but together we can achieve lasting results.

I thank you for your time and interest over the past week—I hope that this space has provided some insight into the Best Practices Forum and its goals. I am now en route to Bogota, Colombia, where I look forward to meeting with more local and regional partners to discuss solutions and help realize our vision for Unlimited Potential. In the meantime, please continue to visit the Unlimited Potential Information Center for up-to-date news and information on our efforts to create sustained social and economic opportunity for the 5 billion people around the world that have yet to realize the benefits of technology.

-Orlando Ayala, Senior Vice President, Emerging Segments Market Development Group, Microsoft

Comments from the Press Attache Prime Minister's office, Burkina Faso

Sat, 09 Jun 2007 10:36:01 GMT

La tenue du premier Forum sous régional africain sur les meilleures pratiques dans le domaine des Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication constitue une étape importante pour les pays d’Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre dans la recherche des voies et moyens en vue d’accélérer le développement économique de l’Afrique.

Le Burkina Faso qui a eu l’honneur d’abriter cet important Forum organisé par Microsoft avec l’implication de la BAD et de la CEA, est heureux de constater que cette initiative ait enregistré une forte participation, rehaussée par la présence de hautes personnalités du monde politique, scientifique, de la communication, des télécommunications. Cela prouve l’importance accordée à un tel Forum par les africains eux-mêmes et leur attachement aux valeurs qui incarnent la volonté du continent à rechercher par voie de concertation synergique les moyens d’impulser son développement.

Le Burkina pense que le Forum a été d’un grand apport dans la recherche de solutions innovantes qui auront permis aux participants à cette rencontre, à travers les échanges sur les meilleures pratiques dans les TIC en Afrique, de capitaliser des expériences qui serviront à impulser des actions de développement et de lutter contre la pauvreté qui sévit dans de nombreux pays du continent.

En acceptant d’abriter cette rencontre sous régionale, le Burkina marque son adhésion à l’initiative de promouvoir les Nouvelles Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication en Afrique et d’en faire non seulement de puissants leviers dans la mise en oeuvre de politiques sectorielles africaines, mais également des outils d’aide à la réalisation des objectifs de croissance économique dans la perspective de l’atteinte des objectifs du Millénaire.

Au terme des 72 heures de travaux, de réflexion, de partage d’expériences, le Burkina espère que les participants ont su véritablement fédérer leurs savoirs, leurs expériences et que les objectifs que s’est fixés le Forum ont été atteints. C’est le souhait de la délégation burkinabè à ce Forum que les conclusions de ce Forum et toutes les expériences capitalisées servent à alimenter d’autres initiatives et quelles servent de ferment pour des actions de développement de l’Afrique.

Elle encourage le Groupe Microsoft Afrique à poursuivre ses efforts vers une plus grande promotion des TIC sur le continent afin de réduire la fracture numérique et de donner plus de chance aux politiques de renforcer leurs actions au service du développement des pays, du bien être des populations.

-Jean Marie Sawadogo, Journaliste Attaché de Mission

Partnerships for Technology Access in Botswana: Martial Nogbou

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 00:07:39 GMT

It’s been great to be here in Burkina Faso for the ICT Best Practices Forum for West and Central Africa. I’ve been working in Africa and IT for over ten years now, and as a native of Ivory Coast it’s energizing and exciting to see the changes that have been taking place recently. From Nigeria to Senegal to Botswana to Tunisia and Egypt, you can now see countless examples of innovative applications of ICT for both broad economic development and individual empowerment. Governments, private companies and everyday citizens are beginning to reap the benefits that have long been the province of the developed world. Recently, I’ve been a member of Microsoft’s Partnership for Technology Access, a program dedicated to help bring the benefits of ICT to traditionally underserved populations – personally focusing on work in Africa. Every day, I am building consortiums with governments, private companies and other key third parties (such as NGOs) to create an affordable PC-based solution for key segments of a country’s population. This “front row” seat has helped me see what it takes to succeed in Africa with these types of projects – which I’m going to try and share here.

First, one must begin with a targeted or segmented approach. Long gone are the days (if they ever even existed) of a government supplying technology to anyone who met a minimum qualification – essentially delivering technology for technology’s sake. The key to avoiding this mistake is to really do the hard work and create a truly valuable offering for the end user. For example, don’t just give the agricultural worker a PC. Create a network of information (market prices, seed data, fertilizer schedules, weather forecasts, etc.) that they can access with the PC, using this information to create plans and actions. Once the technology becomes instrumental in their core activities, they will use and benefit from the technology – not just look at it in wonder. While this seems obvious, it’s the difficulty in executing this that creates challenges. It’s quite hard to get the ancillary investments made to create the solutions that make the technology valuable, to rally the training, and to create the sustainable elements that make the solution successful for years—not just weeks.

The second element I see as critical is access. And, I like to define access broadly- for me, access includes not only the obvious connectivity, but also the access to training, support, and fulfillment that make a program successful. It’s very important to create or leverage local partners in the countries we work in. They know the supply chains, the lead times, the needs of the people. And bringing them in creates the synergies these programs need.

Finally, the solutions must be affordable. By this, I mean not just the “low cost” that most people think when they hear affordable, but also the other elements that make something affordable – credit, ease of use, connected to other key expenditures or investments. In all of our work with PTA, we always bring in some elements to make the purchase of a PC more affordable. This could be through a retail partner, or even the bank. Sometimes we can get really creative here—such as the work we do with communities of overseas workers and their remittance payments.

Recently, I’ve been working with the government of Botswana on a PTA deal for civil servants and unemployed IT graduates – a solution that puts the purchase of a PC within reach of those two populations. We brought in several private companies, the Ministries of IT, Youth and Finance and Microsoft to create the solution and help the government fulfill its objectives of making the right investments for the future of the country. To learn more about the work we’ve been doing with the Botswana program, you can watch a video here, or just contact me directly at mnogbou@microsoft.com. And for more information about PTA solutions and Microsoft, just visit www.microsoft.com/PTA.

Cheers –

Martial

UNIDO Joint Initiative with Microsoft Announced Today

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 18:35:57 GMT

Hello -

I feel that the initiative on refurbished computers that we signed with Microsoft today at the ICT Best Practices Forum is a symbol of our partnership and steadfast commitment to uplift entrepreneurs in Africa. The vision is to establish a pilot refurbishment centre in Uganda that will give small and medium enterprises access to affordable technologies and PCs. As an extension of our initiative, we will also look into the possibility to create an e-waste facility in East Africa to mitigate the problem of e-dumping on the continent.

Barbara Kreissler

UNIDO Industrial Development Officer

READ THE PRESS RELEASE>

Introduction: Orlando Ayala

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 22:50:37 GMT

Hello-

This week, I am pleased to be taking part in a groundbreaking event here in Burkina Faso. The ICT Best Practices Forum for West and Central Africa is a positive step towards achieving sustained social and economic opportunity in the region. Only when we have the right stakeholders working in partnership, discussing the issues and working hard to turn ideas into action, can we expect to see widespread results.

In a region as economically, politically and ethnically diverse as Africa, enabling the productive use of ICT across society is incredibly complex. To do so will require public and private sector organizations to work closely to integrate and align economic and social agendas. Microsoft executives, including my colleague Dr. Cheick Diarra, have worked over the past year to meet with government leaders, customers and NGO organizations to understand the real needs for technology in Africa. Through best practice sharing, brainstorming and networking, the Best Practices Forum will allow for solutions to be more easily replicated across nations, forge and strengthen local partnerships here in Burkina Faso, and encourage an increase in technology investment overall.

Among other topics, the Forum will address the importance of effective ICT solutions for youth IT training and development, capacity building of regional African NGOs, and government capacity building, in particular e-government programs. By bringing together public and private partners to address youth unemployment issues among African youth through targeted high-quality ICT and skills training, they can be given the opportunity to interact, work, collaborate and compete on a local and international level. Increasing institutional ICT capabilities in partnership with local NGO organizations can help drive regional job and economic development. And enabling local governments with e-government solutions will allow institutions and services to become more efficient and transparent.

Through the recently expanded Microsoft Unlimited Potential, we are renewing our commitment to reach the estimated 5 billion people who are not yet realizing the benefits of technology through programs and products that will transform education, foster local innovation, and enable jobs and opportunities. By working in close partnership with local governments, NGOs, and educational leaders, Microsoft can provide solutions that are relevant, accessible, and affordable for everyone. Sixteen countries in Africa have received more than $5.5 million in grants through our Partners in Learning program. Our Local Language Program has enabled African citizens to realize the benefits of technology in languages such as Kiswahili, Afrikaans, Setswana and IsiZulu, and we are working with local partners to introduce even more languages in the coming year. And Microsoft’s Community Technology Skills Program, focused on adult learning and job training, has impacted over 700,000 people in 43 countries across Africa and the Middle East in collaboration with 40 NGOs, IGOs and 900 local partners.

This represents only a sampling of the ongoing work Microsoft has been doing in recent years in cooperation with local and international partners to foster digital inclusion in Africa—you can learn more through videos, news, and case studies at our Microsoft Unlimited Potential Info Center.

Over the next several days, this space will serve as a means to present news, commentary, photos, and learnings from the ICT Best Practices Forum. We’ll be featuring onsite postings from Microsoft executives and event partners—explaining more about their work to bring ICT access to Africa, providing an on-the-ground view of their personal experiences at the Forum, and offering a unique behind-the-scenes perspective on the event. I look forward to continuing this dialogue, here at the Forum and as we push towards a prosperous future for Africa.

— Orlando Ayala, Senior Vice President, Emerging Segments Market Development Group, Microsoft

The ICT Best Practices Forum - West and Central Africa

Tue, 29 May 2007 22:49:04 GMT

The first ICT Best Practices Forum will be held the 7th through the 9th of June, 2007 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

In Africa, the level of interest in technology solutions to critical development challenges is high. At the same time, there is an essential need to accelerate the penetration and application of technology on the continent, particularly at the public sector level. Based on feedback received from government leaders and donor institutions, the best way to achieve this objective is to provide the conditions necessary for African governments and advisory institutions to share their own best practices, subsequently creating a roadmap for the future. In this way, African leaders and the institutions that support them can assist in improving efficiency and effectiveness of public sector institutions through the use of technology, creating the enabling environment for Africa to increase its own competitiveness.

LEARN MORE>

Photo Album: Six Imagine Cup Finalist Teams Selected

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 16:41:02 GMT

Six Imagine Cup Finalist Teams Selected

Austria SDI Finalists: Project INTOI

Ireland SDI Finalists: Project Signal Sign Language

Jamaica SDI Finalists: Project CADI

Joe Wilson, Microsoft Academic Director, announces the finalists

Korea SDI Finalists: Project Finger Code

SDI Finalists

Serbia SDI Finalists: Project DriveOn

Thailand SDI Finalists: Project LiveBook!

Photo Album: ICT Best Practices Forum

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 16:19:09 GMT

ICT Best Practices Forum

The ICT Best Practices Forum

More Photos...

Photo Album: UNIDO and Microsoft sign joint initiative

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 12:58:39 GMT

UNIDO and Microsoft sign joint initiative

Photo Album: Event Partners

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 18:43:05 GMT

Event Partners

African Development Bank Group

Goverment of Burkina Faso

Microsoft

Economic Commission for Africa

The African Capacity Building Foundation

ECOWAS

UNIDO

Photo Album: Microsoft Programs in Africa

Thu, 31 May 2007 22:37:24 GMT

Microsoft Programs in Africa

Custom List: Links & Resources

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 21:36:00 GMT

Links & Resources

Custom List: Biographies

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 21:35:02 GMT

Biographies

Custom List: Event Partners

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 18:34:54 GMT

Event Partners