Google to host G-South Africa for developers, entrepreneurs

Some of Google’s best engineers, product managers, and business leaders will be speaking about Google’s open web and mobile technologies in Cape Town on the 8th and 9th of November.

Google is inviting Computer Science students, developers and entrepreneurs to take part in the event, called G-South Africa, which will be held at The Table Bay Hotel.

Day 1 will focus on using Google developer tools to push the boundaries of web applications. Google engineers and web development leaders will guide attendees through a full day of in-depth sessions, including hands-on code labs dedicated to cutting edge web and mobile technologies.

Day 2 will be chock-full of Google product demonstrations aimed at tech entrepreneurs and marketers. The goal is to help spur innovation and business growth in South Africa and across the region.

“South Africa has an array of promising start-up as well as front-running developers who are organising Android hackathons, leading search engine marketing companies, creating asset-tracking systems with maps, and taking advantage of open source web tools,” said Bridgette Sexton, Program Manager, Tech Outreach, Google Africa.

“We want to address the challenges and opportunities facing Africa: The exponential rise of mobile, the demand for local content, the lack of a ubiquitous form of payment, the constraints of bandwidth, the desire to export technology, and the will to innovate locally,” added Sexton.

“Our Google Africa team strongly believes that the solutions to these issues will be solved by the tech communities in Africa. Google’s G-Africa initiative is aimed at putting the tools to solve local and global needs into the right hands”.

Sexton was also at the recent Tech4Africa conference in Johannesburg and posted her thoughts and insights on Google Africa’s official blog.