WAZIUP Internet of Things Project Launches In Accra

Almost everything is being hooked onto the internet now; watches, coffee-makers, cars, and even fridges. This has created the need to focus on technologies which cater to such needs and help to make sense of the numerous amounts of data these devices present us with. One of such initiatives propelling the Internet of Things (IoT) ‘movement’ is WAZUIP.

WAZIUP is an EU and African cooperation action targeting sub-Saharan African countries. It aims to accelerate innovation in Africa through cutting edge IoT cost-effective communication and big data technologies deployed on PaaS and know-how.

It is an OPEN SOURCE project addressing the IoT needs and demand of the developing countries and to tailor the IoT and Big-data PaaS platform in the context of Africa in order to offer value-added cost effective, reliable and energy efficient services.

The project offers the benefit to African developers who mostly rely on lower entry level innovations. In Accra, the project was launched in connection with iSpace and Farmerline. iSpace’s connection with makers and developers, and Farmerline’s relationship with farmers, whose data is most crucial to survival and development, make these two organisations good players to the IoT platform.

The event brought together tech enthusiasts and developers who were introduced to the WAZIUP platform which would make good use of the IoT devices, Raspberry Pi’s (which iSpace is a distributor of) and the related Cloud Platforms.

The 2.8 Million Euro WAZIUP project is being funded by the European Union. The project includes 12 partners coming from 4 African countries (Togo, Ghana, Senegal, Burkina Faso) and as many European countries (France, Germany, Portugal, Italy).

It’s great to see this discussion catching up soon in Africa. Projects like these will accelerate the growth of technological development in Africa.

Excited about the WAZIUP Project and IoT? Share you comments, and questions below.