The Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Africa Information and Technology Initiative (MIT-AITI) mobile phone applications development course held at the University starting 8th June ended on 20th July. Participants were taught how to programme in Java languages and develop application for SMS applications, J2ME, and Googles Android platforms.

The course ended with a business plan competition where participants formed teams top demonstrate how they can use the knowledge they had learnt in an enterprising way.

The winning team 'MobiTechno' demonstrated how mobile phone technology can increase efficiency and ease access to information such as the availability and price of household goods and real estate. It was awarded with a cheque worth $2000 and certificates.

Dr Reuben Marwanga, the Dean, Faculty of Information Technology (FIT) asked participants, many of them drawn from the faculty to employ the knowledge and skills learnt to accelerate the successful development of innovations and promote entrepreneurship.

The MIT-AITI team was led by Michael Gordon, a student at MIT. Participants were given certificates of completion. MIT-AITI was envisioned by Paul Njoroge while attending the 1998 MIT Leadershape summer program after his sophomore year at MIT. Paul teamed up with fellow classmates Martin Mbaya and Solomon Assefa (also graduates of MIT Leadershape) to plan and launch the inaugural MIT- AITI session.

The founders of AITI realized that information and communication technologies can aid development. In the summer of 2000, the program was piloted here at Strathmore and it has run every year since then. Four MIT student/instructors (Paul Njoroge, Martin Mbaya, Andrew Nevins and Eric Traub) formed the inaugural team.

By Samuel Kamangu

For more on MIT-AITI, see: http://aiti.mit.edu/