Africa By Region
How AfChix and USAID Are Helping African Women Connect Their Own Communities to the Internet
Image sourced from AfrikaTech. AfChix – a network of African women in technology – is enabling women in rural Kenya, Senegal, Namibia, and Morocco to take the lead in connecting their communities to the internet for the first time. The organisation is one of the winners in the third round of the WomenConnect Challenge, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The WomenConnect Challenge WomenConnect is a global call for solutions to improve women’s participation in everyday life by meaningfully changing the ways women access and use technology. As a winner in the first round of the WommenConnect Challenge, launched in 2018, AfChix has already built four community networks by installing communications infrastructure in rural areas. AfChix trains local women t...
3 Important Reasons for African SMEs to Revise their Business Models Post-COVID
Image sourced from CodeXtra Trends, /* custom css */ .tdi_4_3b6.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_3b6.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } For every company, innovation is tremendously important, but in many cases, innovation is only associated with new products or technical renewals. However, business model innovations can be significantly more profitable, and current pandemic-driven changes in customer behaviour and technological innovations have created a window of opportunity for companies to explore new business models. Every company has a business model, but at times, this must change to ensure the company’s ongoing success and ultimately, its survival. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_a9d.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_a9d.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Even minor ...
Investing in STEM Crucial for African Countries to Benefit from 4IR
Image sourced from STEMpedia. To ensure African economies benefit fully from the fourth industrial revolution (4IR), and the data economy it will bring, there are several trends that industries on the continent need to fully embrace. These include artificial intelligence, cloud, machine learning and the Internet of Things. Enabling the utilisation of these, however, requires two pivotal focuses. The first is an investment in infrastructure. The second is Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) skills development, so that African economies have the core competencies needed to participate in the data economy, says Adesh Nathalal, Education Manager at SAS in South Africa. The clock is ticking. By 2030, the above needs to be accomplished to ensure African economies can leapfrog devel...
Startup “Unicorns” Help Mobile Money Soar in Africa
Image sourced from WeeTracker. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_c6c.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_c6c.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } A recent GSMA report reveals that there are 1.2 billion registered global mobile money accounts. 560-million of these registered accounts are in Africa. The GSMA, which represents several mobile network firms, states that “Sub-Saharan Africa has been at the forefront of the mobile money industry for over a decade, and in 2020 continued to account for the majority of growth.” FinTech Unicorns Running Wild in Africa Now, five African fintech startups, Flutterwave, ChipperCash, Interswitch, Paga and OPay are now being identified as “unicorns” by investors, the business media and analysts following the surge of mobile payments. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_4...
MTN to Launch OpenRAN Network in Africa
MTN Group is leveraging its expansive footprint across Africa to test and ultimately deploy OpenRAN – an innovative technology that will enable it to launch new services more quickly, cost-effectively and seamlessly, supporting future strategies in line with the company’s Ambition 2025: Leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress. MTN plans to modernise its radio access networks using OpenRAN. This is in line with one of five vital enablers of MTN’s strategy: to build technology platforms that the company believes are second to none, thereby allowing for the rapid expansion of 4G and 5G population coverage across its markets. With up-to-date technology, MTN expects a reduction in its power consumption and associated carbon emissions. This, in turn, supports its plans to decarbonise its...
Standard Bank Partners with Microsoft to Boost Innovation and Drive Growth in Africa
Image sourced from Regent Lighting. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_3c0.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_3c0.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Yesterday, Standard Bank and Microsoft announced a strategic partnership to accelerate the digital transformation of Africa’s largest financial institution and further drive the continent’s growth. The Bank’s growing investment in the Microsoft Cloud will enable the innovation, efficiencies, and resilience required to respond to market dynamics and customer needs. This partnership builds on the 30-year relationship between the two companies and involves migrating workloads, applications, and platforms to Microsoft Azure to drive organisational efficiencies, as well as workforce collaboration with Azure, PowerApps, Workplace Analytics and Micros...
Accelerated eLearning Adoption Could Contribute to More Impactful Outcomes in the Education System for Africa
/* custom css */ .tdi_4_262.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_262.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } The world of digital has broadened the play and fuelled greater expectations as it shifted the traditional perspectives around time and space. The proximity to the customer is incrementally getting shortened, while the expectation for service leans towards the now. Those who lay claim to the gift of intuition have even pondered the veracity in the statement that the world as we know it has come to an end. But it has, in the process, ushered in a new one that is full of possibilities and diverse opportunities. Never has there been a better time for the re-imagination of one’s destiny. The dexterity to meander the future is not and should not be exclusive as it was before. The perv...
INTERVIEW Africa’s Business Heroes Awarding $1.5-Million to Africa’s Next Top Tech Entrepreneurs
Image sourced from China Daily. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_240.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_240.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } The worldwide pandemic has spurred digital transformation across the African continent. Tech is booming in Africa, it is all too clear to see. Now more than ever, driven African entrepreneurs and startup founders are innovating new waves into the ocean of technology. All they need is funding. Enter: The Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) initiative – Alibaba founder Jack Ma’s flagship philanthropic program is spotlighting and celebrating the continent’s top entrepreneurs and startups. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_600.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_600.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Africa’s Business Heroes is calling for applicants to the ...
SA, Nigeria & Kenya: Top E-Commerce Drivers in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sourced from Legit.ng /* custom css */ .tdi_4_e6c.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_e6c.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } A recent Visa report has shown that the top market contributors to e-commerce in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) over the last 3 years were South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya, with Ghana also showing growth, having replaced Kenya in the top three contributors in 2020. SSA may be one of the smallest regions of e-commerce globally, but it shows steady growth potential. During lockdown, the region saw new e-commerce users rise by 5% when compared to the active base in SSA the previous year. “The three leading markets in SSA are starting to mature, providing the region with an established foundation and when twinned with the growing penetration of e-commerce, it offers p...
WHO Urges African Countries to Expand Critical Care as COVID Surges
Sourced from BBC. /* custom css */ .tdi_4_02b.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_02b.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } Bloomberg reports that the World Health Organisation (WHO) is urging African countries to expand critical care capacities as soon as possible while COVID-19 cases are on the rise across the continent and vaccine rollout in African countries are basically at standstill. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, says that efforts to augment critical care will aid health care facilities from becoming too overwhelmed. “Many African hospitals and clinics are still far from ready for a surge in critically ill COVID-19 patients,” Moeti told Bloomberg. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_b1b.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_b1b.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0;...
Liquid Becomes Largest Independent Network Provider in Africa
Digital solutions provider Liquid Intelligent Technologies achieves the 100,000 km fibre network milestone, positioning the organisation as the largest independent fibre network provider in emerging markets globally. Liquid has been manoeuvring steadily through Africa, investing in increasing its reach, which it has successfully done, moving the dial from 89,989 km at the beginning of 2021 to reach this new milestone now. With its additional fibre network connecting 14 countries, primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa, customers can now explore opportunities in Africa and across the US, Asian and European markets. The organisation’s fibre infrastructure impacts more than 100 million people across 643 towns and cities on the continent. This extensive network will create new opportunities by making...
4 Fresh Venture Capital Trends Shaping New African Investments
/* custom css */ .tdi_4_d6c.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_d6c.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } With the second half of 2021 approaches and COVID-19 vaccinations roll out across the globe, albeit at varying rates, Ian Lessem, Managing Partner at HAVAIC, investors in early-stage, high-growth technology businesses, considers the trends making an impact on the African Venture Capital landscape. Homegrown Solutions With the world having adjusted to new ways of shopping, learning, and doing business as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the appetite for solutions that solve real, tangible problems are without a doubt the best opportunities for growth. Solutions that offer people and organisations better ways of living and working with less friction will reign supreme. In the Afr...
