AFAM LIMITED COMPANY PROFILE

Transcription

1 AFAM LIMITED COMPANY PROFILE Afam Limited P.O Box 1215, Arusha, Tanzania. Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC) Ngorongoro wing, Room 403B Phone: +255 (27) / (075) [email protected] Website:

2 Introduction Background: Afam Ltd is a private company providing a range of ICT based business solutions. Its main focus is consultancy in Information Technology. The company was founded in 1995 and incorporated under the Tanzania companies ordinance Cap. 212 certificate of incorporation no Initially Afam was founded to provide customized software business solutions for Tanzanian companies but today it manages one of the most successful ISP in Tanzania and is one of the leading in providing ICT services using Open Source solutions. One of its side businesses is manufacturing high quality clay bricks. Vision, Mission, and Values Vision Statement: AFAM will stand out in Information Communication Technology (ICT) service provision, striving to improve the social and economic well being of the Tanzanian community by employing appropriate technology. Mission Statement: To provide quality and appropriate ICT solutions that diversify how enterprises conduct their activities. Company Values: Equal employment opportunity Quality-oriented products and services Customer centric Mutual trust and respect Page 2 of 12

3 Afam Management Founder and Managing Director, Erik R. Rowberg, brought Afam Ltd to life in May Since then, the company has expanded to more than 50 full time employees, with a management team of high caliber individuals with vast experience of the Information and Communication Technology industry, and the Tanzanian market place. Board of Directors Erik Raymond Rowberg Founder, Managing Director and Chairman of Board of Directors Erik Rowberg was Afam s founding CEO and sole employee back then, and grew the company to more than 50 employees and profitably. He continues to be involved in day-to-day operations of Afam in the capacity of the Managing Director. Erik, a graduate in Mathematics from Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma USA, began his career in computers in 1988 by developing customized accounting software for Tanzanian companies and volunteering some of his time and computer knowledge in establishing Arusha Node Marie (ANM). He is one of the founding members of the Node and today serves in its Steering Committee as the Node Systems Analyst. In May 2005, Erik was nominated into the Executive Committee of Tanzania Internet Service Providers Association (TISPA), an association geared towards making the internet accessible to as many Tanzanians as possible by encouraging the proliferation of the sector. Moreover, he was a founding member of the association. Bernice Lusingu Rowberg Secretary of Board of Directors Bernice L. Rowberg is a board member of Afam Limited and the Secretary of Board of Directors. She holds a Masters of Science in Information Systems from Aspen University, Colorado USA. Currently, she works for World Vision International Tanzania office as Child Sponsorship Manager. Munka Zebedayo Killerai Board Member Munka Killerai is a board member of Afam Limited and currently works for Dorobo Tours and Safaris in the capacity of Operations Manager. Page 3 of 12

4 Management Team Erik Raymond Rowberg Managing Director Sifuni M.K Amon Finance Manager At Afam he is responsible in controlling all finance issues. Sifuni Amon holds a Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA) Finance option from Dar es Salaam University, is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) from National Board of Accountants and Auditors Tanzania. He holds vast experience in finance industry. Christopher Simon Tarimo Administration Manager Christopher Tarimo holds a MSc degree from Pacific Lutheran University. He has vast working experience and has served as Director of TPRI, Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Research Institute, and Director of Research and Planning of Tanzania Livestock Research Organization. He has also worked for the UNDP/ECA/KBO Development Project, Kigali, Rwanda as a Project Coordinator and the African Development Foundation (ADF), Tanzania as Program Officer. At Afam he manages the administration department. Kilusu Mattasia Operations Manager A network administrator and also oversees day-to-day operations of Afam. He is also involved in project write-ups and management. Ismail Settenda Technical Manager In Afam Ismail Settenda is responsible in researching for new technologies and top-level troubleshooting. He is also involved in managing the Network Operations Center and in general management. Evelyn Reward Amani Business Manager At Afam Evelyn Amani focuses on creating and maintaining lasting relationships with company customers. She handles some service requests, complaints, product Page 4 of 12

5 performance, and information requests. She also works with the Network Operations Centre of the ISP in identifying and troubleshooting network problems. Kusirie Emmanuel Senkondo DSL Network Administrator Kusirie Senkondo is responsible in researching, deploying and managing Cable and DSL network infrastructure. Esther Irafay Menda Call Center Administrator At Afam Esther Menda manages the call center. The center does inbound and outbound call-handling services including customer support, operator services, and help desk. She also works with the Network Operations Centre of the ISP in identifying and troubleshooting network problems. Peter Haygaru Wireless Network Administrator Peter Haygaru is responsible in researching, deploying and managing Cable and DSL network infrastructure. NB: - Detailed CV s for the above personnel are attached herewith. Page 5 of 12

6 Afam Business Model Afam business model is based on three revenue streams: information technology consultancy, information technology and networking, and manufacturing clay bricks. Information Technology Consultancy ISP Management Provision of IT consultancy is our primary business. From 1995, we have been managing an Internet Service Provider (ISP) Arusha Node Marie (ANM) ( which has a client base of over 800 or over 20,000 computers attached to its network. ANM is an ISP with a difference. It is a non-profit society of members offering internet service at cost since You can hardly separate the name AFAM from ANM. We were there when ANM was born, it was born in our hands, evolved in our hands, and we continue to strive to make it the leading and most reliable ISP in Arusha and perhaps in Tanzania. Afam provides ANM with all the technical and administrative staff, and hence all the know-how required in managing an ISP successfully. It is worthwhile to note that ANM s membership and subscription level has been growing consistently since its establishment in year By year 2005, its subscriptions had reached Tshs.639 million from Tshs.56 million in Based on 1997 figures, ANM s subscription has increased 11 times. It would be fair enough to say ANM s success as an ISP is highly attributed to the efficient and professional management skills provided by Afam. Help Desk and Call Centre We maintain a help desk and provide on site professional and personalized IT support. We provide both inbound and outbound services for individuals and companies. Such services include: Technical support for Internet and applications Desktop support and troubleshooting Regular maintenance is the key to keeping PC's running smoothly and preventing bigger repair expenses down the road. At a flat fee we perform maintenance tasks for companies on a routine and regular basis. These tasks include: o Updating Operating System, Anti-Virus and other software s o Malware (viruses and spy-ware) check and cleaning o Disk clean up o Dusting computers o Backing up data Page 6 of 12

7 Information Technology and Networking Afam Limited is highly experienced in providing network solutions to the local market. We put a lot of emphasis on using quality materials and providing quality service in the first place. We realize latest technology is not necessarily the right technology for the local market and therefore adopt appropriate technology that is affordable by the local market yet capable of revolutionizing the way companies go about doing their activities. Structured cabling We install UTP / STP (Cat. 5e and Cat. 6) and optic fiber cable networks. We design and install everything from the communications room to the terminals. With over 20 intranet installations in the past 2 years alone and with four Siemon certified Installers no company really matches our standard. We insist on: Quality Do it right the first time Cable for the future On the importance of building cable networks that support high connectivity and advanced business applications VoIP, streaming IP video and Audio, IP video conferencing and any other application that can be encoded in the IP packet. Reliability Wireless networking solutions A wireless network is a flexible data communication system deployed as an extension to, or as an alternative for a wired network. We have over 7 years experience in managing an ISP with a wireless network of over 150 units. We offer both indoor and outdoor wireless solutions based on 2.4 and 5.4 GHz band spectrum. We design, install and support both Metropolitan Area Networks (MAN) and Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN). Our major vendors for wireless products are Alvarion and ZyXel. Other vendors include Smart Bridge and Trango. Open Source Solutions Afam Limited offers a range of services based on flavors of UNIX (FreeBSD) and Linux, and other Open Source software s. We pride ourselves as early pioneers of the Open Source Software Solutions provider in the Tanzanian market. Open Source software s provide scalable, secure, manageable, and low cost computing environment. Using Open Source software we are able to bring to you the best in terms of network servers and desktop solutions. We install and support: Mail servers Gateway servers / routers Page 7 of 12

8 Web and web cache servers File servers Dial-in / Remote Access Servers VPN servers Voice Over IP (Internet Telephony) servers Linux Desktops Domain name registration Afam facilitates registration and renewal of domain names both local and international domains. DNS Hosting Afam is very experienced in DNS. It runs its own DNS servers and secondary s for other DNS hosts. Manufacturing Clay Bricks Afam manufactures high quality clay bricks. Currently has a kiln with a capacity of burning over twenty seven thousand bricks. Page 8 of 12

9 Financial Strength Over the years Afam Limited market share continued to grow. By year 2005 sales turnover had reached Tshs.297 million from an asset base of Tshs 46 million. As a result the firms retained earnings increased to Tshs. 62 million. Trend over the past five years (figures in Tanzania shilling) is shown below: Year Turnover Assets under Management Retained Earnings ,128,275 20,230,011 29,924, ,340,773 28,200,458 37,880, ,797,828 40,815,662 42,397, ,777,520 42,809,287 34,894, ,159,281 46,139,929 62,291,309 Afam Limited fundamentals remain very strong and businesses continue to generate very good results every year. In 2005 revenue increased by 11.5% and retained earnings up by 78.5%. Liquidity ratio at 1.6:1 assures company s ability to meet its financial commitments. Assets turnover ranged 6 to 7 times during the period indicating quite a stable asset quality that assures a very strong business stance in the foreseeable future. Earnings per share for the year of income 2005 was Tshs.1, 767/-. Based on retained earnings, earnings per share is Tshs. 25,717/- Page 9 of 12

10 Projects Accomplished ISP Management Arusha Node Marie From 1995 Afam Limited has been managing Arusha Node Marie, an ISP with a difference. By contract, Afam is required to provide all the technical and administrative skills in managing the ISP. Over the 10 years Afam has been managing ANM, ANM s membership and subscription level has been growing consistently. By year 2005, its membership base had grown to 800 from 12 in 1994 and subscriptions had reached Tshs.639 million from Tshs.56 million in Based on 1997 figures, ANM s subscription has increased eleven fold. Structured Cabling projects Some of the more recent and major projects: Arusha Lutheran Medical Center Year 2008 We installed a Cat.6 network with over 200 outlets capable of supporting data, voice and video. We were involved the process of planning and implementation. Tanzania National Park HQ Year 2001 and 2006 In 2001 we installed a data network of over sixty nodes and in 2006 expanded it by adding another fifty nodes. The work involved running cables, terminating cables in the communications room, installing wall sockets, configuring and installing switches, and a router running on FreeBSD operating system. Ker and Downey (Tanzania Game Truckers Safaris) Year 2005 The project involved: o Installing a Cat.6 network on 11 buildings with over 200 outlets capable of supporting data, voice and video. We were involved in the processes of planning and implementation. o Internetworking 11 buildings (office, residential, recreation and workshop) sitting on over 3,000 square meters compound using fiber optic cable. We were involved in the whole process of running the cables, terminating and testing. Akiba Commercial Bank, Arusha and Moshi Branches Year 2004/05 o In Arusha branch we installed a data network of 25 points supporting their computerized banking system. We were involved in the planning and implementation process. o In Moshi branch we installed both voice and data network infrastructure of about 20 points. o We supplied all the materials. Page 10 of 12

11 Tanzania Seventh Day Adventist Church HQ Year 2005 o Installed a data and voice network infrastructure with 50 outlets. o We were involved in both the planning and implementation phases. o We supplied all the materials data cabinet, cables, switches, patch panel, etc. Selian Hospital and Clinic, Arusha Year 2004/05 o Installed a network infrastructure of 15 outlets at the clinic. The network supports their web based Hospital Management System. o Installed a similar infrastructure at the hospital. Institute of Accountancy Arusha (IAA), Arusha Year 2004 o Internetworking several classroom and administration buildings using VDSL technology. The backbone network infrastructure supports over 300 computers in labs and offices. o We were involved in recommending type of equipments to be used, installing cable network and in supplying VDSL equipments and other installation materials. World Vision International - Tanzania office, Arusha. Year 2001 o Installed a data network of 100 outlets on five office buildings. Projects based on Open Source solutions Gateway/ Web/ Mail/ File servers Afam has over 80 clients who are running stable servers on Linux or FreeBSD platforms. Most of them are corporate clients of Arusha Node Marie. The clients include: o East African Community o Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) HQ o Common Wealth Health Regional Secretariat (CHRS) o East and Southern Africa Management Institute (ESAMI) o Institute of Accountancy Arusha (IAA) o Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC) o International School Moshi (ISM) o Africa Wildlife Foundation (AWF) IP Telephony service In 2005 Afam Ltd introduced IP telephony service to Arusha Node Marie (ANM). The service runs on Asterisk, an open source PABX that provides all typical features of IP telephony systems. Asterisk provides support for SIP, H323 as well as IAX, a proprietary protocol. The Asterisk server is connected to a US gateway and therefore provides very cheap international calling service to ANM members. The server is also linked to local landline and mobile phone service. Page 11 of 12

12 Software projects Care2X project: This is an open source health management system web based program adopted by Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania health centers with the pilot project running at the Selian Town Clinic Arusha. Afam participated in installation of the software and in providing training. Afam continues to provide support and maintenance of the software in conjunction with German programmers who were hired to customize it. Clay bricks Big Clients include: o Selian Clinic - Arusha o Scanon o Arusha Community Church Arusha o New Builders Tanga o Makumira University College Arusha. o Moringe Secondary School. Page 12 of 12