Sanaga Peregrinations

GOOGLE has i nterviewed over 13,000 people in urban centers of 6 key African countries - Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda - to understand their habits, the usage they make of the internet and the barriers to a bigger penetration in the continent. The results are publicly available on InsightsAfrica ( www.insightsafrica.com) for free and give us a pretty good insights regarding what's driving (or slowing) the advance of internet in our continent. Their credo is simple : " Explore the media habits of consumers in Sub-Saharan Africa ". On the site, one may find information regarding online penetration rates, usage patterns amongst the online population etc... A real wealth of information to understand where Africa does stand on the digital divide equation. For example, I've learned that when it comes to emailing or using social networks and searching, people in Ghana, Kenya or Nigeria use more their mobile than their computer. The...

image source: BBC  I have read in the news today about a breakthrough in India that could benefit Africa  and people with sickle cell (via BBC News .) The device " is a pulse oximeter, a non-invasive method of monitoring the oxygenation of haemoglobin using light. The patient is attached to the machine via a finger clip." You can measure a patient's level of haemeoglobin without requiring a needle. The costs of a machine should be between $200 and $300 for a hospital. This breakthrough should also greatly benefit Africa where sicke-cell anemia is the most widespread genetic disease, the difference between this device and the others that came before it, it that it caters to local needs and just because of that, it's a major plus. Affaire a suivre...