BusyLab is a software company engaged in building innovative products for the african market. They are currently supporting and extending africa's largest market information service (www.tradenet.biz) which delivers commodity prices via web and SMS in 17 countries and will soon enable mobile commerce. They are also building a C++ application that manages cybercafes and acts as a service delivery channel for bill payment, money transfer, advertising, distance education and more.

With a range of events, training, debates, as well as a growing community of IT entrepreneurs, the BusyInternet story has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and is a key Ghanaian initiative focused on transforming the local economy to meet the opportunities of the digital age.

Click here for the BBC article on Busy Lab's founder and CEO.

Click here to see an interview with Busy Lab's founder and CEO.

Available Position

You will be working in the offices of BusyLab's sister company BusyInternet. Established in Ghana in 2001, BusyInternet is the largest privately owned & operated ICT centre in Africa. With a unique mission to provide both commercial services as well as social and economic development, Busy has been featured as a promising ‘hybrid’ model for Africa. Located in a 14,000 square foot former gas-bottling factory in the heart of Accra, Busy is a collaboration with two local investment companies (Fidelity Investment Advisors Ltd and Databank).

They are willing to cover air travel, accommodation and spending money whilst in Ghana. Accommodation would be in a spacious quiet three bedroom house in the centre of Accra, with cook, cableTV, airconditioning, wireless broadband.

Requirements:

• At least five years of software development experience
• Experience in managing & collaborating with other developers
• Knowledge of PHP, C++, MySQL.
• Good understanding of code management, code authoring, specification process, scheduling, testing, release practices, bug management
• You must have good knowledge of PHP (or Java) and SQL databases (MySQL, Postgress, Oracle or other), and familiarity with web-related technologies (HTML, Javascript).
• You will need to be flexible and tolerant, show initiative and enthusiasm to face the many hurdles and challenges that you will encounter.

Documentation Requirements:

• A completed application form - required for application.
• An up to date CV (Resume) - required for application.
• A personal or professional reference given by an employer, teacher, lawyer or doctor. This reference must include detail of the context in which the referee knows you, verifying your CV and stating that he/she knows of no reason why you should not volunteer. The referee should also provide their contact details in order that Ikando can contact them prior to your departure to confirm the reference given. This reference should be emailed by the referee to info [at] ikando.org.
• A copy by email to info [at] ikando.org of your travel (including medical) insurance certificates.
• Information on your travel arrangements (flight number, airline, arrival and departure time and dates). We always recommend volunteers who book online to email us their booking.
• A copy of the photo page of your passport to be emailed to info [at] ikando.org.

All Documentation must be sent to us at least two weeks before arrival.

Important Details

What’s included?
• Flights
• Accommodation
• $2,000 per month.

Health and Safety
Ghana is one of the safest countries in Africa. In the Global Peace Index it is ranked above both the United Kingdom and the US. It is the perfect introduction for first time volunteers to Africa. It has a democratic electoral process and a stable economy. Our ten-strong team in Ghana is there to ensure your health and safety at all times and you'll have emergency support 24/7.

Food
Food is not included in our placements as in our experience volunteers prefer to cater for themselves. Western-style supermarkets and the bustling markets can be found nearby. A weekly vegetable & fruit shop can cost as little at $10, however shopping at the western-style supermarkets can be quite dear as most goods are imported.

Flights
You must arrange their own flights to Accra Airport (ACC). Please be aware that you should aim to arrive on the day your placement is due to start. If you are unable to do so please just check first with your volunteer coordinator whether the new dates also work for us. The following airlines fly into Accra:

• Alitalia (Lagos, Rome-Fiumicino)
• British Airways (London-Heathrow)
• Delta Air Lines (New York-JFK)
• EgyptAir (Cairo)
• Emirates (Abidjan, Dubai)
• Ethiopian Airlines (Abidjan, Addis Ababa, Lagos, Lome)
• Ghana International Airlines (London-Gatwick, Dusseldorf)
• Kenya Airways (Nairobi, Freetown, Monrovia)
• KLM (Amsterdam)
• Lufthansa (Frankfurt, Lagos)
• South African Airways (Johannesburg)