My presentation slides at a two-day media conference hosted by the Partnership with Africa Foundation e.V. focused on today’s rapidly changing media worlds and related opportunities for new media avenues for German-African relations. The background to this is the fundamental change in the way media are used by recipients and producers alike, both on the African continent and in Germany. Does the increase in information simultaneously offer some innovative channels for more participation and engagement? How can new media lead to positive changes in government and society? What can be learnt from the form and content of such media reporting to improve our perceptions of one another and break down prejudices?

1. Creating a New Image of Africa by
Communicating, Collaborating, and
Creating @ Hamburg, Germany.
September, 2013

2. Creating a New Image of Africa
by Communicating, Collaborating and
Creating! - Hamburg, Germany.
September, 2013

3. MAC-JORDAN DEGADJOR
FOLLOW ON TWITTER: @MACJORDAN

4. ABOUT MAC-JORDAN DEGADJOR
• Blogger & Social Media Entrepreneur –
7yrs
• Communications & PR – Blogging Ghana
• Sandbox Africa Ambassador – Ghana
• Bertelsmann Future Challenges Regional
Editor
• Contributing Author – Global Voices
Online
• TEDx & Barcamp Event Organizer
• IT Support Geek by Day; Blogger by
Night

6. “The major problem I see is that Africa’s story is
written from somewhere else and not by Africans
themselves. That is why the rest of the world looks at
Africa and Africans and want to define us. They want
to shape the perception about Africa. The best thing
we can do for ourselves is own our problems, own our
solutions and write our own stories.” – President Paul
Kagame of Rwanda @ WEF, Davos.

7. “Until the lion has his own
storyteller, the hunter will
always have the best part
of the story.” African
Proverb

9. Here is a FACT;
The world’s impression of Africa is hopelessly outdated.

11. There is countless evidence of
progress, growth, as well as
political and economic vibrancy
and stability on the African
continent.

12. Africa is rich in opportunities and
potentials. It is home to 7 out of 10
of the world’s fastest growing
economies.

13. Africa has a middle class that’s
almost as big as the entire
populations of Russia and Brazil.

14. CONTINUOUS GROWTH ACROSS MAJOR AFRICAN CITIES…

15. AFRICANS ARE TAKING OWNERSHIP OF THEIR OWN FUTURE
IN THE PERIOD BETWEEN 2003 AND 2011, THERE HAS BEEN 23% COMPOUND
GROWTH IN INTRA-AFRICAN INVESTMENT INTO NEW FDI PROJECTS (437% GROWTH
IN ABSOLUTE TERMS), WITH THE COMPOUND GROWTH RATE ACCELERATING AT 42%
SINCE 2007.

16. AFRICA RISING…. THE STORY CONTINUES

17. Blogging for Social Change – Role of Blogging
Ghana

19. Objectives of BloggingGhana:
• Serving as a forum for bloggers in Ghana to
network and exchange ideas
• Building capacity among bloggers in Ghana
& Ghanaian bloggers in the Diaspora
• Accessing new audiences for our blogs
through a mutual website (aggregator) and
other activities
• Promoting citizen journalism in Ghana
Educating the general public in Ghana on the
opportunities of social media

20. BlogCamp 2012 & 2013 by
BloggingGhana

21. Ghana Decides: An Election
Monitoring Project by
@BloggingGhana

22. OUR VOTE; OUR VOICE CAMPAIGN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-N1qx-k6mc

23. Ghana Decides Focused on:
• Developing a better informed electorate for a free, fair and
safe 2012 elections using the collaborative platform of
social media.
• Extensively sensitizing and educating a broad group of
stakeholders on the use of social media for Ghana 2012
Elections and its related activities. (Social Media
workshops)
• Deploy and comprehensively utilize social media tools to
cover and address Elections 2012 activities, monitoring
issues and results.

24. MOBILE TECHNOLOGY SCENE IN AFRICA

25. LETI GAMES: EYRAM TAWIA & WESLEY KIRINGA –
BRINGING TRADITIONAL FOLKLORE CHARACTERS
BACK TO LIFE THROUGH GAMES

27. SAYA MOBILE: ROBERT LAMPTEY – BRINGING MODERN
MESSAGING TO FEATURE PHONES IN AFRICA

28. PLATFORMS >> BLACKBERRY, ANDROID, IOS AND JAVA

29. CLAIMSYNC: ISAAC MCSEY + SETH AKUMANI – Healthcare facilities software
automating patients’ records and process medical records electronically.

32. ESOKO - A RURAL MARKET INFORMATION SYSTEM THAT
SEEKS TO IMPROVE INCOMES OF FARMERS BY BUILDING
HEALTHY MARKETS.

33. MPAWA: MAXWELL DONKOR - CONNECTING AFRICA’S
JOB MARKET VIA MOBILE

36. MPowerPayment: Ghana’s Mobile Payment
Provider.

38. M-FARM – A MARKET TRANSPARENCY TOOL FOR
FARMERS. KENYAN FARMERS SIMPLY SMS THE
NUMBER 3535 TO GET INFORMATION PERTAINING TO
THE RETAIL PRICE OF THEIR PRODUCTS.

39. M-FARM STARTED FROM AKIRACHIX – AN ALL GIRLS DEVELOPERS
NETWORK FROM NAIROBI, KENYA FOUNDED BY JAMILA ABBASS.

40. AFRITICKETS:OLAOTAN TOWRY-COKER - TO BECOME THE
TICKETMASTER OF AFRICA FOR ALL EVENTS

41. TECHNOLOGY IN GOVERNANCE &
ACCOUNTABILITY
2 PLATFORMS: ODEKRO + MZANLEDO
MONITORS PERFORMANCES OF YOUR
ELECTED LEGISLATORS IN PARLIAMENT
IN GHANA & KENYA RESPECTIVELY…

43. WHAT DOES ALL THIS
START-UPS HAVE IN
COMMON?

44. TECH & INNOVATION HUBS ACROSS AFRICA

45. Africa’s information and technology sector is
shaping up to become a major driver of
development across the continent.
African tech hubs and incubators are giving birth
to new ideas and innovations helping solve
various socio-economic problems.

47. MEST– Accra, Ghana

48. ACTIV SPACES– CAMEROON

49. BongoHive– Zimbabwe

50. iceAddis– Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia

51. CC-HUB– LAGOS, NIGERIA

52. JOKKO LABS–
SENEGAL

53. iHub –
Nairobi, Kenya

54. HIVE COLAB –
KAMPALA, UGANDA

55. AFRILABS – An association linking all the hacker-spaces and innovation
hubs across the continent for learning, growth, and to provide greater
mass for the entrepreneurs that work from them.
AFRILABS provides mentorship, partnership with other hubs/spaces and
also foster collaboration on social projects.
AFRILABS – The Mother of ALL Innovation/Hacker-spaces/Tech Hubs in
Africa.

56. AFRILABS – NETWORK OF TECH &
INNOVATION HUBS ACROSS AFRICA.

57. AFRICA RISING SERIES by DHL Africa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvIdqmq4o
z8

60. CONTACT:
TWITTER: @MACJORDAN
BLOG: HTTP://WWW.MACJORDANGH.COM
FACEBOOK: HTTP://FACEBOOK.COM/MJDEGADJOR