Jamila Abbas, is a
computer scientist
A computer scientist is a person who is trained in the academic study of computer science.
Computer scientists typically work on the theoretical side of computation, as opposed to the hardware side on which computer engineers mainly focus (al ...
,
software engineer
Software engineering is a systematic engineering approach to software development.
A software engineer is a person who applies the principles of software engineering to design, develop, maintain, test, and evaluate computer software. The term ''p ...
,
businesswoman
A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for the ...
and
entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...
in
Kenya
)
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.
She is the co-founder and
chief executive officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
of MFarm Kenya Limited, an internet-based organisation that helps farmers find the best farm implements, seeds, access to weather reports and market information.
She co-founded M-Farm in 2010.
Background and education
Jamila was born in Kenya and attended local schools for her pre-university education. She attended
, graduating with a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
degree in
Software engineering
Software engineering is a systematic engineering approach to software development.
A software engineer is a person who applies the principles of software engineering to design, develop, maintain, test, and evaluate computer software. The term '' ...
.
Career
Following her graduation from Strathmore University, Jamila was hired by
Kenya Medical Research Institute
)
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(KEMRI). She also became member at iHub, a technology community, where techies gather to exchange ideas. There, she was reconnected with Susan Oguya, a friend from university. In September 2010, Jamila and Susan decided to actively do something about the plight of Kenyan small-scale farmers, using technology.
The two women, also joined ''AkiraChix'', another forum for women with interest in information technology. There, they met three other Strathmore University students, Linda Omwenga, Lillian Nduati, and Catherine Kiguru. The five of them decided to enter IPO48, a software development competition. The event, involved 100 contestants, organised in seventeen teams. The objective was to develop a computer application, which can be turned into a marketable business, all within 48 hours.
The competition was organized by ''HumanIPO'', from
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
. In November 2011, the five women won the competition, with their M-Farm application, that connects farmers with agro-suppliers, cooperatives and enables them to access current market prices for their produce in a timely manner. The five ladies also won the top prize of KSh1 million (approx. US$10,000).
The group used their prize money to incorporate M-Farm Kenya Limited, with Jamila Abbas as
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
, Susan Oguya as
COO
COO or coo may refer to:
Business
* Certificate of origin, used in international trade
* Chief operating officer or chief operations officer, high-ranking corporate official
* Concept of operations, used in Systems Engineering Management Process
...
. Linda Omwenga and Catherine Kiguru were marketing officers and Lillian Nduati was the public relations officers.
Other considerations
Abbas concurrently serves as the country director of
New Vision Foundation, a Minneapolis-based non-profit organization.
See also
*
Susan Oguya
Susan Eve Oguya Kutalek, commonly known as Susan Oguya, is a businesswoman, designer and entrepreneur in Kenya. She is the co-founder and former chief operating officer of ''MFarm Kenya Limited'', an internet-based company that facilitates farmer ...
*
Agriculture in Kenya
Agriculture in Kenya dominates Kenya's economy. 15–17 percent of Kenya's total land area has sufficient fertility and rainfall to be farmed, and 7–8 percent can be classified as first-class land.[Economy of Kenya
The Economy of Kenya is a market-based economy with a few state enterprises, it is also an emerging market and an averagely industrialised nation ahead of its East African peers. Kenya is a middle income nation and plans to be a newly industr ...]
References
External links
Website of M-Farm Kenya LimitedStartup: MFarm Connecting Farmers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbas, Jamila
Living people
1984 births
21st-century Kenyan businesswomen
21st-century Kenyan businesspeople
Kenyan software engineers
Kenyan chief executives
Strathmore University alumni
Kenyan women business executives
People from Wajir County
Kenyan women computer scientists
Kenyan women chief executives