YoungAfricaLive, a mobile platform community for the youth, has made its entrance into Kenya after launching in Tanzania in December. YoungAfricaLive (YAL) is an initiative of Praekelt Foundation and aims at informing and engaging young people in Africa on social issues through mobile and internet platforms.
Praekelt Foundation has partnered with Vodacom to launch the service in South Africa and Tanzania. YAL is now available through the SafaricomLIVE portal on www.safaricom.com/wap.
Safaricom’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Nzioka Waita, said the partnership would be critical to the digital inclusion agenda.
“We believe that the best way to improve the utility and therefore take-up of the internet among the youth of Africa and Kenya in particular, is by having relevant content on it and making it accessible to them,” said Waita.
Gustav Praekelt, the founder of the Praekelt Foundation, expressed confidence that young Kenyans will embrace the mobile platform with the same passion that their counterparts in Tanzania and South Africa have to create a community that informs, supports and entertains.
“To follow-up a very successful launch in Tanzania late last year, YoungAfricaLive: Kenya is a great way to start 2012.”
Launched in 2009 in South Africa, YAL started out as a way of providing young South Africans with free access to information on love, sex, relationships in a time of HIV/Aids through mobile device.
It has now turned into a community of engaged young people who use YoungAfricaLive to gain reliable information, discuss issues, have fun and gain the support and input of their peers.
Praekelt Foundation was acknowledged for the success of YoungAfricaLive by winning the regional and global gold awards for Social Impact at the Mobile Marketing Awards for Innovation, Creativity and Leadership in Los Angeles in November, 2011
