Web@2011: Fuelling the Web Revolution in Ghana

Image taken from www.profy.com

There is no doubt that the Internet is fast becoming a key part of the everyday lives of Ghanaians. Many individuals and businesses are taking advantage of the reach, convenience and speed of the web to engage their friends, clients and business partners. Web 2.0 platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter are recording huge numbers of local users. Ghanaian Facebook users have increased to 970,840 from 277,600 in November, 2009 according to facebookcheck.com. This presents the case for business web users to develop effective skills to ride smoothly and speedily on the wave of the nascent web revolution. Creative Ghanaian social web maven, Maximus Ametorgoh and popOut are out to empower Ghanaian web users with the essential skills through Web@2011.

Web@2011 is a technology event which aims at unveiling all about the World Wide Web as a platform for connecting with the world, sharing information, doing businesses, engaging customers and meeting new people. It will further touch on how to design a website, optimize it for search engine, how to create rich and captivating web content, and ways to drive traffic to a web. The new 'virtual infection' called social media, as a consumer-engagement tool, will also be discussed.

Web @ 2011 Event, AITI-KACE, Accra

The first in a series of workshops was held on 3rd June at Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence. Various stakeholders in the Ghanaian Internet space were taken through interesting and insightful topics such as

• Wealth on the World Wide Web
  
• Web Product Development
  
• Web Content Development
  
• E-mail marketing
  
• Creating a Great User Experience
  
• Online Payment
  
• The Game Business on the Web
  
• Driving Traffic to a Website
  

The speakers were a unique blend of experienced, successful technopreneurs and young, talented, game-changing web professionals/entrepreneurs. The line-up included Herman Chinery-Hesse (SoftTribe), Charles Hansen-Quao (DreamOval), Edward Tagoe (NandiMobile), Maximus Ametorgoh (popOut), Sheila Bartels-Sam (inCharge Global), Eyram Tawia (Leti Games) and Michael Darkwa (NandiMobile). Read more about the Accra event on Edward Tagoe's blog.

Kumasi and Takoradi- Get Ready for the Webvolution!

Thankfully, Web@2011 is not one of those conferences scheduled for Accra only. The web revolution fever is spreading to other parts of Ghana; workshops have been lined up for Kumasi (17th June) and Takoradi (24th June). I hope these regional events will be successful and further motivate the organizers to take the webvolution to the rest of Ghana, and beyond, as I have been advocating.

Businesses and individuals who have a serious intent to use the web as an effective communication tool need to take time to learn the core skills that will help them to be successful in their endeavour. The higher the number of skilled Ghanaian web users, the higher the quality and quantity of local web content (applications, text, images, and videos), the higher the traffic to Ghanaian sites and the higher the revenue generated from the Internet!

Spotlight Takoradi: BarCamp and The Emerging Oil Industry

Takoradi is one of the biggest towns in Ghana. It is host to the oldest of the country's functioning commercial ports, and together with its twin-city, Sekondi, forms one of the most bustling and vibrant social and commercial centres in Ghana. Sekondi-Takoradi is capital of the Western Region, an area not only rich in forest and mineral resources, but also in awesome tourist attractions and well-developed beaches. There is an active fishing community there too. Find more on the official Sekondi-Takoradi website.

Takoradi has always been a good place to do business in Ghana. With the development of the country's new oil industry, there is every indication that the metropolis has become a bee-hive of intense activity, as many multinational companies plot, strategise and scramble to gain control of the black gold. Questions have been raised with regards to safeguarding the interests of the people of the Western Region and Ghana at large. That is a charge to keep by all stakeholders.

Oil is not the only exciting thing happening in Takoradi at the moment. BarCamp is going there too. BarCamps are known to provide collaboration and networking platforms for people interested in business and other endeavours. Specifically, BarCamp Takoradi aims at catalysing networking among local business people, while showcasing opportunities available in the oil industry. The keyword here is COLLABORATION. There will be great speakers such as Nana Kobina Nketsia, Amos Anyimadu and Wilson Arthur. If you're interested in attending, register online and show up at Takoradi Technical Institute(TTI) on 27th November, 2010.

This year, successful regional BarCamps have been held in Kumasi and Accra, but BarCamp Takoradi comes with its own excitement. Firstly, Takoradi offers a refreshing alternative to Accra and Kumasi as venue for events of this nature. Secondly, it'd be interesting observe the discussions that go on concerning the oil and the opportunities that will be identified and exploited thereof. I hope BarCamp's coming to Takoradi will breed local entrepreneurial and innovative success stories that would be showcased as proof for continuation of this great project. Tsoboi!