With Kenya the first African beneficiary of the investment, the initiative will provide the creation of programmes to help Kenyan software developers design tools and resources and receive expert consulting.
The company announced they will sponsor three local tech startups for an online training and mentorship programme conducted by UC Berkeley Faculty members and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs.
Intel hope to reach more than 400 developers and have 100 new applications created locally that will offer users differentiated experiences across mobile phones and tablets running on Intel Architecture.
Speaking at a developers’ conference hosted by Intel, that saw more than 250 developers in attendance, Danie Steyn, East Africa general manager at Intel, said the company recognises software is a vital element of Intel platforms and processors.
“Intel Software and Services Group seeks to enhance local innovation and provide tools to developers that enable them create applications with rich user experience on devices running on Intel technology,” Steyn said.
“We are very excited about the growing developer engagement in Africa and seek to increase collaborations with tech hubs, independent software vendors and universities.”
The US company intends to collaborate with Strathmore University and University of Nairobi to provide resources in the universities’ hardware labs, build a student Developer Partner Program and integrate High Performance Computing into the university curriculum with the aim of enhancing the ability of student developers to create rich user experiences on Intel-based hardware as well as test their software applications.
Starting from June 24, Intel and iHub will host Ideation camps on a quarterly basis.
The camps give intensive coaching sessions for developers, which seek to empower tech entrepreneur and social innovators with knowledge to turn complex problems to better business opportunities.
Intel also announced a joint programme with iHub and m:lab, where Intel Software and Services Group (SSG) will provide training to developers enabling them to create and port Android apps for Android-based devices running on Intel architecture.
Victor Kyalo, acting chief executive officer (CEO) of the Kenya ICT Board, said: “Programmes that provide opportunities for local software developers to nurture their skills, to access the latest tools and to get exposure on the global stage are critical components in the growth of our local software economy.”
Intel Software and Services Group will further enable Kenyan developers to engage with more than 20,000 independent software vendors (ISV) worldwide through a collaborative online application and software development community dubbed Intel Developer Zone.
