Built In Africa

We spoke with Kwabena Boadu, senior full stack developer at The Weather Network. Kwabena discusses the challenges of building The Weather Network's first cross-platform product Storm Centre, the importance of empathy when working with other developers, and what it takes to be a successful developer in Africa.

Timestamps:

0:00: What does Built In Africa mean to you?

1:00: Challenges him and the team faced building Storm Centre, The Weather Network’s first cross-platform application.

2:33: The importance of empathy when working with other engineer?

5:22: Why technical skills, communication, and professionalism are the key attributes of being a successful developer in Africa.

Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/from-offshore-to-in-house-a-senior-developer-who-moved-from-ghana-to-canada

We spoke with Vuyisile Ndlovu, a Software Developer based in Zimbabwe. Vuyisile discusses creating PyPI in a Box; a Raspberry Pi with Stack Overflow and PyPI cloned onto it. His experience as an open source developer and the value in a pan-African approach to Africa’s tech ecosystem.

Timestamps:

0:00: What does Built In Africa mean to you?

1:00: Creating PyPI in a Box to help devs gain access to tech tools without an internet connection.

2:52: Experience as an open source contributor to Mozilla Firefox.

6:10: Attending PyCon Africa and the power of pan-African tech collaboration.

7:30: Tips for being successful as an African dev.

Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/vuyisile-ndlovu-pypi

We spoke with George Madjitey co-founder of GEM Industrial Solutions a Ghanaian based commercial unmanned aerial systems (UAS) service delivery provider, focused on agriculture. George shares how he got from Houston to Accra, the value GEM provides to the marketplace, and the impact drone technology will have on Africa.

Timestamps:

1:12: How Drone technology is benefiting Ghana’s agriculture industry.

2:42: Thoughts on Ghana’s commercial drone space.

4:36: From Houston to Accra. Tips for entrepreneurs in the diaspora moving to Africa.

Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/george-madjitey-gem-industrial-solutions

We spoke with Eugene Bos Digital Experience Designer at Adidas. Eugene shares the challenges of building and selling Wero, getting his job at Adidas, and what do you believe are the keys to being a successful UX designer in Africa.

Timestamps:

0:57: Selling his startup Wero, a donation platform for millennials.

2:58: Journey to becoming a Digital Experience Designer at Adidas.

5:24: Advice for UX designers in Africa

Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/eugene-bos-wero

We spoke with Usheninte Dangana Digital Product Manager at Nullnow Computing. Ninte shares his journey transitioning into software development, what he learned during his time at MEST Africa, and the importance of resilience as a software developer.

Timestamps:

0:58: Ninte shares how he transitioned to software development.

2:48: How MEST Africa helped him grow as a software developer.

6:05: The importance of resilience as a software developer in Africa.

Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/usheninte-dangana-jiditrust

We spoke with Susan Were, Software Developer at Microsoft and creator of the YouTube channel Tech Space. Susan shares what led her to create Tech Space and the role Rails Girls Mombasa played, the importance of soft skills in tech, and her experience as a woman in tech.

Timestamps:

0:58: How the Rails Girls Mombasa community played a role in creating Tech Space.

2:27: How Tech Space is helping Kenyan developers with their technical and soft skills.

4:11: Testimony on the impact of Tech Space.

6:20: How joining Andela changed her perspective on being a woman in tech

Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/tech-space-susan-were

We spoke with Naoufal El hassnaoui Technical Lead at Eutech Maroc in Tangier, Morocco. Naoufal shares why companies are coming to Morocco and other African countries to hire tech talent, what it takes to be a technical lead, and provides some advice for software engineers and college students looking for jobs.

Timestamps:

1:00: Why foreign companies are coming to Morocco and other African counties for tech talent.

2:28: What it takes to be a technical lead.

6:05: What to do when you get stuck on a software problem.

7:36: How to land your first or next job as a software developer.

Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/naoufal-el-hassnaoui-eutech-maroc

LetaFood the online food delivery service based in Eldoret, Kenya, promoting local and healthy food alternatives to its users. We spoke with Marvin Collins Hosea CEO of Apps:Lab, the software development company with a vision to become the leading solution provider in Africa, about the inspiration behind LetaFood, building an online food delivery platform focused on healthy eating, and the importance of customer support.

Timestamps:

1:05: What led Apps:Lab to create a food delivery service.

3:27: How focusing on healthy and local food has impacted their business both positively and negatively.

5:59: The importance of customer support in tech.

Check out the full article:

https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/marvin-collins-letafood-kenya

Africa's Talking is a Kenyan based enterprise software company that developers access telco infrastructure with their SMS, USSD, Voice, Airtime, and Payments APIs.

Since 2016, Africa’s Talking has expanded to 18 countries around Africa and supports about 5,000 businesses ranging from early-stage startups to large organizations.

We spoke with Wiza Jalakasi, former International Expansion Lead about his three years at Africa’s Talking, working across different regulatory environments, and how he married his technical skills with business acumen.

Timestamps:

1:10: How Wiza’s tech journey started and how he got to Africa’s Talking.

2:38: transitioning from software development to business development.

5:39: Expanding Africa’s Talking to 17 African countries.

Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/wiza-jalakasi-africas-talking

Africa's Talking is a Kenyan based enterprise software company that developers access telco infrastructure with their SMS, USSD, Voice, Airtime, and Payments APIs.

Since 2016, Africa’s Talking has expanded to 18 countries around Africa and supports about 5,000 businesses ranging from early-stage startups to large organizations.

We spoke with Wiza Jalakasi, former International Expansion Lead about his three years at Africa’s Talking, working across different regulatory environments, and how he married his technical skills with business acumen.

Timestamps:

1:10: How Wiza’s tech journey started and how he got to Africa’s Talking.

2:38: transitioning from software development to business development.

5:39: Expanding Africa’s Talking to 17 African countries.

Check out the full article: https://www.builtinafrica.io/blog-post/wiza-jalakasi-africas-talking