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The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, recently hosted Dr. Matteo Prosperi and Roland Ruhumuriza, respectively CEO and Africa Area Manager of De Lorenzo SpA, at the agency's Abuja headquarters, NITDA announced on its Facebook page on April 16.
The meeting centered on discussions regarding potential partnerships and collaborations aimed at bolstering Nigeria's digital economy.
The AgriTech4Egypt Innovation Challenge is now accepting applications from scientists and entrepreneurs with agri-tech solutions that can enhance Egypt’s agricultural system.
Selected ventures will benefit from a fully funded bootcamp, professional advice, a six-month acceleration program, and an equity-free grant of up to EGP300,000 (US$6,500) from the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT) of Egypt. The program runs from June to October, with a demo day in November. Applications are open until April 21st.
The Malawi Government has hired local ICT firm E-Tech Systems to resolve a passport crisis at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services, which began after the system was hacked. The engagement of E-Tech Systems was confirmed by Frank Namangale, the Ministry of Justice spokesperson on April 14.
This move follows the cancellation of a contract with TechnoBrain in December 2021 due to alleged mismanagement.
The Sierra Leone ICT Talent Development Program is inviting applications for a one-week intensive training on digital technologies, focusing on Cyber Security, Privacy Protection, and Digital Marketing.
The training will run from April 29th to May 3rd, 2024. Selected participants will be trained to educate secondary school students and traders across Sierra Leone. The application deadline is April 19, 2024.
Click here to apply.
Kenyan agritech company SunCulture recently announced the successful completion of a $12 million funding round. The funds will be used to introduce solar irrigation systems, leveraging the Internet of Things technology, to numerous smallholder farmers by 2030.
On Monday, April 15, Roscas, a fintech startup based in Mozambique, announced the successful closure of a funding round. The financial details of the operation, spearheaded by Renew Capital—an American investment firm with a focus on Africa—remain undisclosed. The newly acquired funds will help the company further develop its technology. Specifically, it aims to provide access to social protection products such as insurance, capitalized savings, and loans for individuals who have historically been marginalized from formal financial systems.
On Friday, April 12, the Information and Digital Systems Agency (ASIN) of Benin initiated a call for applications for a Women’s Bootcamp focused on cybersecurity. The initiative aims to equip 22 young women, aged between 18 and 25, with an in-depth knowledge of prevalent web application vulnerabilities and the methods to ethically identify and exploit them. Applications are open until April 24, with the training scheduled from April 29 to May 3, 2024.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in collaboration with FNSV Korea, has launched the ITU BSA Application Challenge to revolutionize user authentication in digital financial services. The aim is to leverage blockchain technology to create a highly secure and transparent password-free authentication system. Applications are open until April 30, with the deadline to submit solutions set for August 1, 2024.
On Thursday, April 11, Chinese tech firm Huawei announced a partnership with telecom firm MTN Cameroon. The agreement aims to enhance women’s digital skills. As part of the agreement, participants will attend training workshops on advanced technologies, including 5G, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and cybersecurity. The objective is to reduce the gender digital gap in the country.
ExxonMobil Foundation, in partnership with Junior Achievement Africa (JA Africa), a subsidiary of JA Worldwide, has recently initiated a non-profit organization aimed at empowering youth: the ExxonMobil STEM Africa initiative. This $300,000 program is designed to foster science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education among approximately 3,000 African students across Nigeria, Namibia, Angola, and Mozambique. Further details about the program are available upon request.
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In a post shared on the social network X on Thursday, April 4, the Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy, Eliud Owalo, disclosed a meeting with the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kenya. The officials discussed the digital transformation program, the empowerment of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, and the country’s startups.
Triply, a Kenyan startup that assists travel agencies in payment collection, operation automation, and providing customers with access to financial services, has been included in the Winter 2024 cohort of the California-based accelerator, Y Combinator. The announcement was made on April 1 by the American firm through various communication channels, including social networks and its online platform.
Nigerian fintech firm Thepeer announced its closure in a statement released on April 1. “Our unique service had its challenges, the first being compliance issues [...]. Faced with these challenges, we needed to make a key decision either to do a hard pivot, an M&A, or return capital to investors. After carefully weighing our options, we decided that returning the remaining capital to investors was the best decision,” the start-up explained.
Founded in 2021, Thepeer has raised approximately $2.3 million, according to Crunchbase, to develop its technology and accelerate its growth.
Digital Lab, a Libyan initiative fostering innovation and digital transformation, unveiled an innovation mapping platform in Tripoli on Monday. The platform aims to link innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, and investors nationwide.
Abdelbaset Albaor, Chairman of the General Information Authority, said the platform “reflects the collaborative efforts of the General Information Authority, Libyan institutions, and [...] international partners.”
“It showcases the major initiatives underway, laying the foundations for a thriving and innovative digital ecosystem to take root in Libya,” he added.