2012 has seen Kenya buzz with activities in the technology scene, with some of the most important technology events held in the country.
International organisers are now recognising Kenya’s geographical and technological advantage on the continent, as a venue to hold events, as the country continues to be among the innovation leaders on the continent.
Some of the major events that took place in Kenya this year include:
DEMO Africa
This could be touted as the biggest tech event to take place in the country this year. DEMO Africa 2012 was the first ever of the DEMO events – normally held abroad-to be held in Kenya. The event saw more than 40 top startups on the continent meet in Nairobi to present their ideas to thousands of attendees, who included some of the biggest investors and venture capital firms on the continent.
DEMO has been held in other continents for close to two decades now, and has been the launching pad for many recognisable products and services including Adobe Acrobat, WebEx, E-Trade among others. By coming to Africa for the first time ever, DEMO recognises the potential in Africa’s technology.
Mobile Web East Africa
This returned to Nairobi for the second year running as of a series of mobile technology events that include Mobile Web Africa 2009, 2010 and 2011, Mobile Web West Africa 2011 and Mobile Entertainment Africa 2011.
The two days gaveapp developers another chance to win great prizes and be able to present their applications to the leading persons in Africa’s mobile ecosystem. The conference also evaluated the players in the sector, their successes and the challenges they are facing. 2013’s event is set to be held in Nairobi again, come February 20 and 21 at the SouthernSun.
Social Good Summit
This was the first time the event was being held in Africa, and Kenya was the proud host on September 24. Hosted by Mashable.com people from all over the world met in person and online, to find ways of changing the world together – using internet technology.
A series of panel discussions were held and streamed live, where eminent personalities in the tech sector, from Kenya and the rest of Africa, shared their views and hopes for the continent.
Freedom Online conference
This was the first time the event was being held in Africa, being the second event after the inaugural one held at The Hague, in Netherlands last year. It brought together more than 400 stakeholders from the global ICT industry to discuss issues affecting freedom of internet users in Kenya and across the world and came come up with policy recommendations for possible enactment by respective governments.
Cyber Security Convention
This event was held in Nairobi in December 4 and 5, where new trends in cyber crime in East Africa were discussed, with various players from Kenya and the international scene attending.
The event was organized by UK-based company, Cyber Security Africa, with operations in Kenya, and the conference was aimed at educating, informing and giving direction on issues dealing with online and digital insecurities.
