A local news site in Cameroon is planning on giving journalism students the chance to write for online media and providing a platform for marketing local startups.
Molyko.info has formed in the town of Molyko – Buea in Cameroon, of which over 70 percent of the population is comprised of youth and 60 percent of students. There are 500 students of journalism in the town.
The site aims to provide “rich and nourishing” content for the people of the town, informing the population of the latest happenings as well as provide a platform for local startups to advertise.
“There are a couple of startups in Buea,” founder and CTO Otto Akama told HumanIPO. “The problem is that the products that these startups produce are hardly known or consumed. These young guys have limited funds for marketing.
“I intend to make people know about startups by reporting press releases, interviews and new products releases. If a startup wants to advertise, I will provide cheaper ads, especially if the startup is owned by a student. I will get normal businesses in town to advertise.”
Akama is working on making sure that Molyko.info is available to the people of the town at a reasonable cost. The site has partnered with HotSpot providers and will next week have the website locally hosted.
“To get our content consumed by the people of Molyko at very low costs, we are moving the site to be hosted and available locally in town and accessed through local HotSpots,” he said. “With this in mind, people in Molyko who have Wifi devices will be able to access the website without paying for internet. It will be free content.”
“It’s all about young people – empowering youths,” he said. “I am aimed at students because I want to promote startups built by students using my system. I want students to know what other students are doing. I want a situation where students embrace the startup culture.
“Many students already have the hardware to consume online content. They have laptops, smart phones, and tablets. The students also are already internet savvy.”
Akama already has his eye on expansion.
“Buea is my pilot area. Once it succeeds in Buea, I will move from university town to university town in Cameroon and out of Cameroon.”
