Apps that make life better in Ghana

There are several applications that exist in recent times with more being developed at a rapid pace. These apps which are mainly web and mobile phone applications can most commonly be found on platforms such as Google play store for Android and the app store for IOS. Mobile phone apps cover categories from such as games to health and finance to organisation. Nonetheless each app has its own relevance and plays diverse roles for the millions of users that troop the app stores.


With the sharp rise of mobile penetration in Ghana, many apps have been developed in and outside Ghana that are enhancing the quality of life in Ghana. These apps are enhancing the quality of life in areas such as communication, education, agriculture, finance, governance etc. This article will look at some of my personal favourites.




MPower (Finance)





MPower is a payment system that is built to work with any preferred wallet or bank account in Ghana to offer a safe and convenient payment experience. These wallets could be in the form of Airtel mobile money, MTN mobile money, Tigo cash, master card, speed banking or Visa electron to name but a few. This app offers online and mobile payment transactions to enable consumers and businesses send, spend and receive payments.


Money can be loaded from any preferred electronic wallet that operates in Ghana or bank account to MPower to shop online. Money can also be sent from a PC or mobile phone device to be transferred and from anyone in Ghana. Individuals and business owners just have to integrate MPower into a website, phone or store to start accepting payments.


It’s sometimes a hassle accessing one’s money but with MPower there is a payment system that helps offer a solution to this by giving Ghanaians the platform to perform many types of transactions with ease.


As a witness to its achievements, MPower emerged as the most innovative new app of the year with the Top app award 2013
ESOKO (Agriculture)





Esoko began in 2005 as “Tradenet” and was renamed Esoko in 2009. The name is derived from “soko” which is Swahili for “market” and the “e” represents “electronic”. It is a Ghanaian innovation that uses a text messaging system and online platform to bridge the information gap faced by farmers within Africa. There are currently 6000 farmers using the Esoko platform across 16 countries in West Africa.


Due to high transportation costs, some farmers in rural areas have problems selling their crops at the local market centres. They are then left with the option of selling to other local sellers around them who most at times buy at low costs since these farmers have no idea of the current prices at the markets. Esoko seeks to provide solution to this by providing news of current prices of produce via SMS to farmers and keep them updated with current prices. This goes a long way to prevent them from being cheated once they decide to sell to other sellers around instead of going to the local markets.


In addition, Esoko sends weather forecasts and market trends to farmers to help them make informed decisions regarding what to plant at what times. Aside these, farming tips are also sent via SMS to educate them on good farming practices. This platform helps farmers stay informed with consistent and accurate knowledge of the supply chain they are part off.


Farmers who use Esoko have reported 10%-30% extra income annually. Esoko is therefore a great application that enhances lives of farmers and helps boost productivity in the agricultural sector of Ghana.


Esoko emerged as the winner of the agricultural app category of the Top apps award 2013
Easy Taxi





Easy Taxi is a taxi booking app in Ghana which helps people (passengers) to get connected to a taxi when they need it. Once the app is installed on your mobile device, a cab can be booked anytime and anywhere in Ghana. This app finds an ideal taxi for you when you tap the app button and confirm your location. Easy Taxi has a cool feature which allows you to see the identity of the driver and car as well as their location relative to your position.


There are times when finding the right cab to your destination can be frustrating and hectic, this is where Easy Taxi comes in, offering a convenient solution to that problem. Ghanaians have so far embraced and are patronizing it due to its safety nature and the fact that one can get back items left behind in Easy taxis with ease. You may also be in for a treat from Eaxy Taxi if you ever see a Roverman productions play by Uncle Ebo White (our proposed Nobel prize laureate)


Easy Taxi is available for Android, iOS Blackberry and on Windows phone devices.




Snoocode





Snoocode is a mobile application that solves the problem of poor address systems in developing countries like Ghana. It provides everyone in rural or urban areas with a unique geolocation based code which can be used to provide directions to any location in the country. In a robust and easy way, SnooCode uses a GPS enabled phone avoiding costly bureaucracy, even where there is no telephone infrastructure.


Snoocode allows you to obtain a private code that one can share with the general public (eg. restaurants, shops,laundries etc), send privately to friends and family( inviting them over), share with service providers ( food delivery, Ambulance, police etc) and navigate easily to these addresses using a smartphone.





Once you have your code, it serves as your address. You can also use your code when opening a bank account, by simply providing the code to the bank to serve as your address!.


One can easily find his way wherever to his or her destination in Ghana as long as he/she uses the unique snoocode generated by the app and available to the person. As such aggregating these codes can greatly improve logistics in everything from eCommerce to public health.


Snoocode has been selected as part of the 40 great apps from 178 UN-member countries by the World Summit Award-mobile Global Champion 2015.
Bibioo Expense Tracker





Bibioo is a simple smart expense tracker and manager which helps an individual to able track his/her expenses on a daily basis. With this, one would have to input his daily expenditure within various categories ranging from food, clothing, entertainment, airtime, automobile, fuel, groceries etc . Bibioo expense tracker has an inbuilt notification and transaction reminder. Bibioo keeps a summary of users transactions and alerts the user especially in situations where more than 80% of their budget is spent before a set time (14:00 hours) and also when they spend beyond the set budget.


This is a handy app which helps Ghanaians regulate spending, thanks to the ability to not only track your expenses but also what you spend on.


This is a selection of my personal favourites, will like to hear about your favourites.

Autism

Autism (or Autism Spectrum Disorders) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that affects the way a person views and interacts with the world around him. It is a wide spectrum disorder that challenges a person’s communication and interactive skills, which means that no two people with autism will show the exact same combination and degree of symptoms. Some may have mild symptoms whereas others will present severe symptoms. Although the condition occurs in both sexes, it is about 5 times more common among boys (1 in 42 boys) than among girls (1 in 189 girls).

Like most conditions that affect brain and behaviour, there is not an exact cause of autism, however autism risk factors can be narrowed down to genetic and/or prenatal causes.

GENETIC FACTORS: Genetic factors may be the most significant cause for autism spectrum disorders. The genetics of autism are complex and more than one gene may be involved in different individuals. Furthermore the genes may interact with each other or with environmental factors with differenct consequences and this could be the reason why the disorder has a wide spectrum. Several candidate genes have been located within which mutations increase the risk of autism and the study of these mutations remains an active research area.

PRENATAL ENVIRONMENT: The risk of autism is also associated with several prenatal risk factors which occur during pregnancy or delivery. Advanced age in either parent may increase gene mutations that lead to autism, use of psychiatric drugs by the mother during pregnancy, bleeding and diabetes could all contribute to the child been born autistic. Autism has also been linked to birth defect agents acting during the first eight weeks from conception, though these cases are rare.

With such a broad spectrum, the Autistic symptoms can only be identified in a person by looking at the various areas of life where a child with autism may behave differently. Some of these areas include:

SOCIAL SKILLS

People who have autism are socially clumsy. They have difficulty with social interaction and usually prefer to be alone to the extent of been uninterested in other people at all. The person with ASD might give the impression that he is talking at people, rather than with or to them because they hardly make any eye contact. In addition, autistic individuals are very likely to miss the subtle social cues used in everyday society. They are not the “people-kind” and seem to be in their own world mostly sometimes struggling with the playing and talking skills we have come to accept as a norm.

EMPATHY

An autistic child may also find it very hard to be aware of and understand the feelings of other people. Unlike most people, autistic individuals have a weaker ability to instinctively empathize with others. In spite of this, their ability to take other people’s feelings into account can improve tremendously if they are frequently reminded of this. Nonetheless, empathy does not come natural to most.

REPETITIVE BEHAVIOURS

Routine is one thing an autistic individual can get comfortable with. Most love to go through doing the same things over and over again, for example drawing the same picture again and again, page after page or jumping from one end to another again and again.

DEVELOPMENT

Autistic children do not develop at a relatively harmonious rate. It is common to find that while cognitive skills may develop fast, language skills may trail behind or while language may develop rapidly, motor skills are lacking. Social skills of an autistic child will not develop at the same pace as other people.

SPEECH

The higher the severity of the autism, the more affected the person’s speaking skills. They will often repeat words they hear (echolalia) and this is one way they learn to engage effectively with the surrounding environment.

PHYSICAL CONTACT

Some kids with ASD do not like to be cuddled or touched. Not all autistic kids are like this though; some will greatly appreciate a hug from a relative and may actually find more comfort in this than most other children will. In this case only a parent, carer or sibling will know best. One thing is for sure though, isolating an autistic child is never a good idea.

SENSORY SENSITIVITY

Some autistic children find loud noises unpleasant and quite shocking, the same can happen with some smells and sudden changes in light intensity. This level of sensitivity can be reduced by warning a child of  of what is to happen,  he or she can then cope with it better than when it happens out of the blue.

AUTISM IN GHANA

In Ghana having a child with autism is viewed by most as a curse on the family, or worse still in certain places the mother is labeled a witch which may cause mother and child to be shunned by certain quarters of society. A lack of education in this area means that many are not seeking the necessary help that they need; instead they are hiding these children at home, locking them up in their rooms. Many children in mainstream schools who have autism but can somewhat express themselves suffer discrimination and teasing from peers.

AUTISM AWARENESS CARE AND TRAINING CENTRE

The Autism Awareness Care and Training centre [AACT] Accra seeks to fill in this much needed gap in education and service provision. The centre was set up by Mrs. Serwah Quaynor about 15 years ago when she returned to Ghana from the USA after her son had been diagnosed with autism at age 2. At her return, searching for autism services for her child proved difficult, thus she began autism awareness in Ghana.

“Nortey, my son, was sixteen years old with raging hormones, many challenging behaviors, ranging from self-injurious behaviours, aggression and insomnia, to mention a few. Sleep at night was a luxury (I was lucky if I got two (2) hours). What was I to do in a country where there were no services for children with autism? I felt like an outcast, dejected, alone, and petrified!” Mrs. Quaynor explains. Since then, through fifteen years of service, it has assisted hundreds of children and their families.  The centre provides many services and encourages inclusion into mainstream education and society. AACT’s training focuses on behavior management (which is the core of the entire training programme), functional academics, music and art therapy, speech and occupational therapy and life skills training.  Resources to train these children simply aren’t available here in Ghana, however, the centre is fortunate to receive speech/language and occupational therapy resources from international volunteers. They use local materials like the dry seed of the flamboyant tree as music shakers and Djembes drums for drumming to teach music and dance.

The centre has been successful in spite of challenges such as unavailability and insufficient resources. They currently work with close to forty autistic people, ranging from preschoolers to young adults (Find out more about the centre here).

TIPS FOR RELATING WITH AN AUTISTIC CHILD

• Routines are easier to work with so establish them early and change them rarely.
• In the first moment you want to teach a new behavior you must use consistency and continuity or you will fail.
• Isolating an autistic child is never a good idea and only enforces their condition.
• Praise positive behaviour no matter how minute
• Involve them visually and physically, the more animated and fun the better
• Most of all be patient and know that there are other parents out there who could help you with any and all challenges

FAMOUS PEOPLE WITH AUTISM

With all this been said, there are many historical figures who are believed to have had varying degrees of Autism and have also been extremely gifted and talented. These include Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart [Composer], Sir Isaac Newton [Physicist], Albert Einstein[ Scientist], Michelangelo [Artist, Architect, Engineer, and Donna Williams [artist, sculptor, composer and screenwriter]

GOOD DIET, LUSCIOUS HAIR

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Ghanaian ladies lately seem to have gone back to the earlier days of their mothers and grandmothers when growing and keeping natural hair was the order of the day. Back then, it was the usual thing to keep virgin natural hair till permed hair became the new thing. Most ladies followed the perm trend, but the story is different now.

For sometime now, I have seen lots of young ladies in Ghana go through the big chop to start growing natural hair. Don’t get me wrong, they don’t keep outmoded styles from the past, but rather modern and very stylish ones. Trust me, I am always awed when I come across well kept and stylish natural hair.

After interacting with a few ladies to find out why they decided to go natural, I found some responses which summed up recurring sentiments:

•  “Perm chemicals are harmful in nature”
•  “Perm is so painful, I don’t know if it is worth it”
•  “Did you know perm leads to baldness?!”
•  “Natural hair is versatile. You can do numerous thing with natural hair that perm can’t do. I could have it wild and crazy one minute, then tame the next with a scarf or in a bun.”
•  “No pretensions. I think African ladies should know ourselves as we came into the world.”
•  “I think natural hair just has a genuine texture and look. Really interesting and authentic.”

Talking about well kept hair, let me quickly drop some maintenance tips in case you decide to switch too. Switching from perm to natural hair isn’t really difficult, it’s simple.

Natural Hair Maintenance.

1. Keep your hair in braids for at least 2 months before the big chop. The big chop is cutting off the remains of the perm of your hair to stay natural.
2. Try to ignore comments from “unnatural” advisors, just do your thing.

After the big chop, you can observe the following tips to make your hair look great.

3. Co-wash your hair every week if you can. Co-washing is using conditioner to wash your hair.
4. Use conditioner instead of shampoo because shampoo strips your hair of moisture.
5. Use products with organic contents and avoid products with petro oil and mineral oils. Opt for products such as jojoba, coconut oil and almonds.
6. Minimize heat. Lots of heat applied to your hair may cause breakage. I can bet you wouldn’t want that.
7. Detangle your hair regularly. Be patient when detangling, washing, twisting, do it with care.
8. Use the right products! There are various brands so every natural needs to find the ones that works best for their hair.
9. Do protective styles like twists, cornrows or braids.

If you want great and very healthy hair, you ought to know how your hair works, grows and what to eat or not eat. Let’s get to know more about the science of hair now.

Hair is a very common component of the human body. It is a protein filament that grows from a skin organ called follicles and goes through three main stages when growing, namely: Anagen, Catagen and Telogen.

Anagen Stage

It is the primary phase of hair growth also known as the active stage and right now about 85% of your hair is at this stage. Hair can be in the Anagen stage for 3-6 years and in this stage hair grows approximately 4 inches per year. The longer your hair stays in this stage, the longer it will grow.

Catagen Stage.

Hair gets to the Catagen stage once the Anagen stage ends. This is also known as the maturation stage. Here, the lower part of the hair is destroyed, the follicles shrink and the hair gets pushed out of the skin in preparation for the last stage. This phase last about 2 weeks.

Telogen Stage.

This is the resting stage of hair growth and at any given time, about 10% of all hairs on your head are resting. At this stage, hair is capable of shedding.

Food Nutrients That Boosts Hair Growth

What you eat has a say in how your hair turns out or looks. Nutrients play an important role for hair growth and not all kind of foods support good and healthy hair growth. To boost hair growth and make hair luscious, look out for some of these nutrients in your diet:

Protein

Proteins are life’s basic building blocks allowing repair and replacement of hair. Inadequate protein in diet can slow the rate of new hair growth and cause your hair to be weak/ brittle. Some sources of protein are eggs, legumes and dairy products.

Zinc

Zinc is an important nutrient in relation to hair growth as it maintains function of the oil glands around  the hair follicles.  When zinc levels fall, hair loss, slow growth and dandruff follows.

Zinc can be found in oysters, lobster, crabs, sunflower seeds, skinless chicken and cashew.

B Vitamins (foliate, B6,B12)

These vitamins are vital in the creation of red blood cells which carry oxygen and nutrients to all body cells including those of the scalp, follicles and growing  hair.  Lack of these vitamins can cause shedding or slow growth as well as promote hair breakage.

Essential B vitamins can be found in bananas, tomatos, groundnut paste, watermelons, shrimps and strawberries.

Iron

Iron is one big thing in hair growth, helping a great deal in the overall growth and wellness of hair. Low levels or lack of iron can cause hair to fall out and lead to even baldness.

Iron can be derived from egg yolks, whole grains, chicken, dried fruits and beans.

If you ever wondered whether what you eat has an effect on the quality of your hair, well it does! Including these nutrients in your diet will go a long way of keeping your natural hair healthy, luscious and strong!