Kenyan technology experts have been invited to apply for a $1 million (KES 132.4 million) grant, known as the Africa Online Safety Fund (AOSF).
The AOSF has been organised by Impact Amplifier (IA), a South African-based capital advisory firm, with financial support from Google.
The fund aims to address challenges such as cyberbullying, harassment, terrorist recruitment and promotion, fake news, and financial scams in Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa.
Africa’s increased access to the internet has brought new opportunities for socio-economic development but has also brought new challenges. The AOSF is divided into three categories of funding: Transformative, Maturing, and Catalytic.
The Transformative projects are expected to be larger in scale, reaching multiple geographies, and potentially large numbers of beneficiaries. The Maturing projects aim to test ideas at a larger scale, try new ideas within existing projects, and reach new audiences. The Catalytic projects are expected to be smaller, targeted, and potentially only locally or culturally specific.
Transformative projects can attract up to $50,000 (KES 6.6 million), while Maturing and Catalytic projects can receive up to $25,000 (KES 3.3 million) and $10,000 (KES 1.3 million), respectively.
The AOSF aims to support projects that promote online safety for individuals, particularly women and children, and to address cybercrime in the region.
Kenya has a high rate of internet penetration, with approximately 43.3 million internet users, representing 87.2% of the population. However, there has been a surge in cybercrime in the country, and this grant is expected to provide much-needed support to address these challenges.
The AOSF will help promote online safety and tackle cybercrime in the region. This initiative will provide a platform for Kenyan technology experts to develop innovative solutions that can help protect internet users, especially women and children.