6 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE BUYING NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR YOUR BUSINESS Deciding which new technology to buy for one’s business is always a daunting task. Especially when you do not have much technical expertise with the many different technologies out there. These technologies can range from different types of software or hardware. The influx of technologies requires a buyer to seek the answers to certain salient questions prior to purchasing. Hence whatever decision that is made must be well informed. Business owners must seek the answers to the seven (7) questions below before investing in any new technology for their business: 1. Which parts of your business need the technology? Ask yourself; which part(s) of my business really need(s) the technology in order for the company to work better? Knowing the exact part(s) of the business which needs the technology will prevent you from wasting money. This might be the case if in your business there are some processes which are done manually such that you spend much of your time doing these tasks, for example; report writing, stock taking, business trend analysis and the like. In this case to reduce the amount of time to complete a task, you might consider purchasing soft wares that are automated and speed up these business processes hence, saving you time and money. Also note that if a technology you desire to purchase would be rarely used in your business, then avoid purchasing it since there wouldn’t be any or little returns on investments. 2. How does it work? Knowing how to operate the technology you desire to purchase is extremely important. Understanding the functionalities of the technology and the benefits it brings to your business processes is paramount to your purchasing decision. You will need to ask yourself; ‘is the technology easy to learn? Do I and my staff need a special training on the technology prior it purchase? You will need to factor the cost component on any training and under cost that comes with understanding and knowing how to operate it before making a decision to purchase. 3. What are the indirect costs of this technology? Usually, when buying new technology, one is tempted to only consider the capital cost of the technology and little attention is given to the total costs of ownership during the life time of the technology. These indirect costs may include; maintenance costs, additional support for the technology. You might relate to this situation where you are purchasing a software system for your business and the software vendor is the only one who knows the technicalities of the software. The vendor becomes the sole repository of the maintenance know-how of the technology and takes advantage to charge throat cutting prices. Certainly this would be very costly and might adversely affect your bottom-line. Even though this is a crucial question to ask, getting the accurate feedback to make an informed decision on purchasing the new technology often becomes stressful. Vendors of the said technology rarely provide all the needed information to the question. A good number of people purchasing the technology would only discover these costs after the actual purchase. Try to do more of online research on the technology. The internet has made it possible to solicit a lot of information on any product or service. Also, speak to an array of IT professionals who might readily provide the needed information. 4. How often will the technology change? It is believed that technology changes every six months. Prior to purchasing any new technology, ask yourself; ‘How soon will this technology become obsolete? How soon will there be an upgrade? Is the version I am purchasing the latest? For instance, users of Microsoft would clearly see that their soft wares keeps on evolving. It was then Windows XP and its now Windows 10 These technological changes makes it very difficult to take a decision on purchasing technologies. More so, the questions of whether to buy a completely new one or to upgrade the existing one often becomes a dilemma. Mostly, the right decision to make will depend on the type of technology you desire. 5. How will the new technology make or save money for your business? Any new technology that is decided on should always be in sync with your business strategies. The new technology adopted must align with the business strategies of your firm to ensure high revenue and profit generation. Always analyze the new technology to understand how it enhances your business strategies. If the two do not sync, you will be wasting your time and money purchasing a technology that wouldn’t benefit your business operations. However if a technology investment will improve the efficiency of operations then it is worth it. 6. How long is the payback period? The duration for returns on investments is very critical. It is important to clearly consider the length of time required to recover the cost of technological investment. They payback period of any investment is a very important determinant of whether purchase a new technology. Often technologies with longer payback periods are typically not desirable but they are often worth it. Brief Profile of Writer" Bridget Nyirongo, Malawi. Bridget Nyirongo is a young Malawian female Computer Scientist (Software Developer) passionate about using her technical expertise to see and realise a high representation of females in the male dominated field of Information and Communication Technology(ICT) in Africa. Since 2012, she has been working as the Assistant Systems Engineer (software development) for the University of Malawi, Chancellor College ICT Centre . She has technical expertise in Computer Programming (Ruby on Rails, PHP, HTML,JavaScript, HAML), Software refactoring, Plugin development for ECLIPSE IDE, database administration (MySQL, SQL), and Networking (LAN, WAN). During her free time she likes baking, reading inspirational articles or books and swimming. REFERENCE 1. www.businesszone.co.uk/do/people/five-questions-to-ask-before-buying-new-tech 2. http://katecarruthers.com/2010/02/7-questions-business-technology 3. www.investopedia.com/terms/p/paybackperiod.asp

WOMEN IN TECH AFRICA (WiTA) 2017 CALL FOR APPLICATIONS – GLOBAL CHAMPIONS   Women in Tech Africa (WiTA), the largest technology based women group in Africa, is seeking applications from passionate, creative women and men who believe in the course of pushing Africa’s growth agenda through technology and entrepreneurship to be part of its Global Champion Programme.   Women in Tech Africa (WITA) has the sole mission of supporting female leadership and creating a pipeline for girls to choose technology. It believes that, though the technological field is currently male dominated, there is a great opportunity for many women and girls to thrive in this same field. This programme is an opportunity for you to apply your skills and gifts to make a difference in the general developmental growth of Africa with special focus on technological development and entrepreneurship. Women in Tech Africa (WiTA) believes that everyone has a role to play in realizing the developmental growth of Africa starting from our communities with our unique set of skills and gifts. All you need is internet and your willingness to be part of the Global Champion Programme.  Apply now to become a WiTA Global Champion.   WHO IS ELIGIBLE? Individuals (women, girls, men and boys) from different professional backgrounds and skill sets qualify to partake. Applicants below eighteen (18) years are encouraged to apply but will need to provide a parental/ guardian approval and consent in a formal letter.   WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

1. Certification/ testimonial for being a WiTA Global Champion.
2. Work closely with the team at Women in Tech Africa (WiTA) head office (Ghana) on projects.
3. Recognition and visibility on all WiTA platforms.
4. Publication of all write ups by Global Champions to over 500,000 audience from more than thirty (30) countries.

5. Network with over 20,000 members and experts.
6. Get potential hires with our numerous corporate sponsors.
7. Business opportunities or partnerships with our numerous partners and business professionals.
8. Acquire new knowledge and learn skills

  WHAT IS THE WORK OF A CHAMPION? As Champions you will use your expertise, skills, and knowledge to promote Women in Tech Africa’s agenda and projects online and offline. Champions will be grouped into 3 Categories Social Media 1)Social Media English-2 spots 2)Social Media French-2 spots (create content calendar and promote events and women in tech across Africa, must have social media experience- 2 yrs) Operations 3)Operations offline :Helping Country lead with events in country(set up, event promotion , picture taking) 4)Operations Online: Helping manage/set up online webinar   Blog Content Creators 5)Blog Contributor –English 2 spots 6)Blog Contributor –French 2 spots 7)Blog Editor - 2 spots( French 1 - English 1) (writing a bi weekly column for the website, must be a able to share links to work they have written in the past)   WHAT IS THE REQUIRED TIME COMMITMENT? Global Champions are expected to make available at most an hour a day to fulfill their commitments.

1. In the case of special projects, Global Champions would be required for more than an hour based on the nature of the project(s).

  WILL CHAMPIONS BE PAID/FUNDED? As a Global Champion for WiTA, your involvement would be voluntary. No funds will be available to cover the costs of your participation.   APPRAISAL OF GLOBAL CHAMPIONS Champions would be appraised every quarter and given feedback. Based on the annual performance of a Global Champion, the board of WiTA would decide whether to continue with a champion or not. Apply now to become a WiTA Global Champion.   APPLICATION DEADLINE:  Application must be submitted by 3oth January 2017 at 5:00 pm GMT.   ANNOUNCEMENT OF SHORTLISTED APPLICANTS  Names of short listed applicants would informed by email on 9th February 2017     INTERVIEWS Interviews and Rally Period would start from   February 9th to February 15th The focus of the interview is for applicants to demonstrate how dynamic, creative and passionate they are in using their skill set to promote the course of Women in Tech Africa (WiTA) The Rally Period is when candidates will demonstrate their abilities through with  creating a social media campaign around #womenintechafrica and executing or creating 2-3 articles  for posting on the women in tech Africa site  or  running an independently organizes Women in Tech Africa Event or  creating video content online that helps promote women in tech Africa    PUBLICATION OF SELECTED GLOBAL CHAMPIONS The names and pictures of successful applicants would be published on the WiTA website on 30th Feb   TRAINING Applicants who qualify would be given a one week training to familiarize themselves with WiTA activities, code of ethics/conduct of Global Champions and responsibilities of Champions.

  20^th November 2016   “ Tech Innovation lab for women launches in Ghana”     The African Women Innovators Network :An initiative of the UK-based Africa Technology Business Network (ATBN) in partnership with Women in Tech Africa– the first Business Innovation Lab will take place in Ghana from January to March 2017. It will see 30 women innovators undergo a two-day innovation bootcamp giving them the tools and opportunity to work together to develop their business ideas. This will be followed by a six-week mentorship period where selected participants will have a unique opportunity to work with other founders and tech enthusiasts across the world, building a global network of valuable contacts in the process.   Finally the programme will culminate in a Demo Day on 8th March where finalists will have an opportunity to pitch their innovative ideas for a chance to win seed funding and three months of dedicated support to help them launch their business. Speaking on the initiative, Eunice Baguma Ball founder ATBN said “Technology startups in Africa are a rapidly growing sector, with an emerging innovation-driven ecosystem that is serving a growing consumer base and helping to create local solutions to social challenges. The Business Innovation Lab will put women at the forefront of contributing to innovation on the continent and empower them to building a better future not only for themselves but also for other women and girls in Africa”. Ethel Cofie founder Women in Tech Africa added “Supporting women entrepreneurs is imperative for economic growth in Africa. We are therefore delighted to be part of this collaboration dedicated to supporting female entrepreneurs to succeed across Africa” Applications are now open for the Business Innovation Lab Ghana! Apply here: http://www.awinafrica.org Notes to Editors:   About the African Women Innovators Network The African Women Innovators network is an initiative of the Africa Technology Business Network working in partnership with Ghana-based Women in Tech Africa and is funded by Comic Relief and DFID under the Common Ground Initiative fund.   About Africa Technology Business Network The Africa Technology Business Network (ATBN) is a social enterprise working to support technology and entrepreneurship as tools for addressing key challenges in Africa. We work with entrepreneurs, organisations and investors to accelerate innovative solutions that unlock new market opportunities and help to drive sustainable development in Africa. Visit www.africatbn.com to learn more.   About Women in Tech Africa: Women in Tech Africa is a pan-African network of women in over 30 countries that is dedicated to supporting African women to leverage technology to positively impact their communities. Visit www.womenintechafrica.com to learn more.