Profile of African Innovation: Herman Chinery Hesse

Herman Chinery Hesse has been called the ‘Bill Gates of Africa’ but we would like to believe that he is his own man. An African with the opportunity to develop software that caters to the needs of Africans and African business. He was recently profiled on CNN International’s African Voices.

His story is interesting and inspiring. This is our hope for the future of the African continent. In the midst of the global technological revolution, Africa has been mentioned few times because of the scarcity of Internet service which forms the backbone of modern technology. However with the introduction of high speed Internet service in the recent past, Africans are beginning to see the vast opportunity that exists in this domain.

Herman Chinery-Hesse is a 43 year old entrepreneur who is seeking to maximize his opportunity in this technologically driven world. He was one of the founders of the largest Internet Cafe in Ghana and now serves as Executive Chairman and controlling shareholder for SOFTribe a company he founded.

About SOFTtribe Limited (www.sofftribe.com)

SOFTtribe Limited (SOFT) is Ghana’s leading software developer based in Accra, with vast experience in the design and implementation of computerized business application systems. SOFT has been providing cost efficient and practical business solutions to both the private and public sectors in Ghana and parts of the West African sub-region for the past 20 years.
Our expertise is focused on delivering business systems and include:

• Requirements specification, Systems Development and Analysis.
• Project planning and management involving a multi-disciplinary consultancy team that cover all areas of systems development and deployment.
• Design, development and implementation of business systems, within the constraints of the Ghanaian and West African environment and infrastructure.
• Software solutions that provide adequate business process controls.

Since 1991 SOFT has grown steadily to become the number one business management systems provider in Ghana today. In year 2003 SOFT decided to partner leading global players in the IT industry to enhance its products and services to its customers.

Our Mission

Our mission is to provide technology consultancy, solutions and advisory services to the African market. We are committed to ensuring that we are responsive to rapidly changing Information Technology and to changes in our clients’ environments. We want to enable our clients to leverage and exploit technological advances to give them a competitive advantage in the market place.

Our Key Values & Achievements

Our ability to provide our clients with a professional support service better than any local or international competitor is the key to our success—this is what differentiates us
Some of our achievements include:

• Tropically Tolerant Solutions & Products that work in Africa
• Over 300 satisfied clients
• Export of software
• Outstanding international references
• Dedicated and energetic staff
• Support capability across W- Africa