The World Wide Web Foundation has announced intentions to set up a mobile entrepreneur laboratory in Ghana to boost the country’s mobile entrepreneurship and innovation.
The foundation aims to gather ideas from the community, and use the lab in addition to other initiative to improve innovation and enthusiasm, a move expected to put Ghana on the map as a top African mobile innovation hub.
“Mobile penetration and the demand for mobile services and value added services is increasingly growing in Ghana.After almosttwoyearsof operating mobile Web Ghana activities at various locations, we’ve recently secured a single home-base where we can convene, nurture and incubate the various mobile apps ideas thatare generated during (and outside of) our training programs,” said Florence Toffa, Web Foundation Regional Coordinator in Ghana.
The lab is set to provide a convening force for the entire Ghanaian mobile enthusiasts. It will also offer events and space for other players in the broader mobile developer community.
“We can now transfer all that effort to find new lab space into exploring new mobile technology applications to develop and test,” said Toffa.
The lab will also provide a central meeting point for developers to conduct regular mobile entrepreneurship training programs, organize regular monthly mobile events and meetings, incubate our mobile entrepreneurs, nurture projects and grow ideas.
Other activities set to take place at the lab include holding meetings with investors and entrepreneurs, nurture mobile innovation and creativity and launch new products, host regular forums for mentors and entrepreneurs, direct potential clients with application development requests to mobile entrepreneurs.
“Finding and establishing this lab is major boost for Mobile Web Ghana, as it will finally offer a proper incubation space, a space where we can host events, where trainees and mentors can meet. We look forward to hosting more training sessions in this space, and to becoming a fixture in the community,” Max Froumentin, Web Foundation Program Manager, told GhanaNewsAgency.
Timothy Berners-Lee established World Wide Web Foundation in 2009 with the objectives of accelerating mobile technology development in developing countries.
