Tech (443)
The Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie announced the opening of several digital training courses for young Africans. The program, which first targets Tunisia and Togo, is part of the pilot phase of the institution’s "D-CLIC, train yourself in the digital" initiative.
The training targets people aged between 18 and 35. In Tunisia, the first course focuses on the development of multiplatform video games while the second addresses the production of augmented reality / virtual reality applications. The courses are organized in partnership with NetInfo and will be held in the cities of Nabeul and Tunis, starting from February 11, 2022, for 12 weeks each. Registrations are open until February 10.
In Togo, the training will be held in Lome on web and mobile application development. The courses, led by the pan-African organization Energy Generation, will be held over 6 months.
Ten countries overall are targeted by the "D-CLIC, train yourself in the digital" program. These are Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Gabon, Haiti, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, DR Congo, Togo, and Tunisia. While several of these countries have already hosted training, and will soon host additional modules, Djibouti and Gabon are expected to soon host their first courses.
"D-CLIC, train yourself in the digital" is aimed at strengthening the technical and professional digital skills of young people and women in the Francophone area to increase their chances of accessing decent jobs in business and entrepreneurship.
Vanessa Ngono Atangana
The Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) and the Investment Promotion Center (CEPICI) in Côte d'Ivoire are working to digitalize their services. The local company Snedai Technologies is providing its technical assistance to help in the process.
The contract with the Ministry of Finance, on behalf of the Observatory of the Quality of Financial Services (OQSF), concerns the development of web and mobile applications that will enable the public body to better ensure financial education of the population. These digital tools will also serve as a financial mediation platform that will further promote the amicable settlement of individual disputes between financial organizations and their clients.
The digital services company will also provide the OQSF with a website to compare the offers of financial services providers. The goal is to promote transparency, ensure user understanding, and enhance the comparability of services. The deal with CEPICI focuses first on the development of a modern digital and responsive platform for electronic mail management (EML), followed by project management, performance management, investor monitoring, and dashboard management through business intelligence.
The acquisition of digital tools is in line with the government’s ambition to digitalize public services in the financial sector, through the Project to Improve Governance and Delivery of Basic Services to Citizens (PAGDS).
Launched in 2019 and financed by the World Bank, the project has already enabled, among other things, the deployment of the electronic revenue payment platform -Net collect- in 54 communities; the operationalization of the Treasury's e-payment platform -Tresor pay- for the online collection of state revenues; and the operationalization of the road contract management platform -ageroutemarche.ci.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
Ranked in 2020 among the least prepared nations in Africa for e-government, Madagascar received $140 million from the World Bank in 2021 to improve its score.
The UK is ready to help Madagascar accelerate its digital transformation. The subject was discussed recently between Tahina Razafindramalo (photo, right), Madagascar's Minister of Digital Development, and the British ambassador to Madagascar, David Ashley (photo, left). The exchanges focused on the digitalization of public services, cybersecurity, and data protection in Madagascar.
David Ashley says his country will offer expertise in this domain to help Madagascar better meet the multiple needs identified for the promotion of e-governance and support the digital transformation process. A possible collaboration with the British private telecommunication sector was also discussed.
With the Covid-19 pandemic, the dematerialization of public services is accelerating worldwide and particularly in Africa. Madagascar ranked 172nd out of 195 countries, according to the UN's E-government development index 2020, with a score below the East African and African average. In September 2021, the country received $140 million from the World Bank to streamline and digitize key services and improve the government's capacity.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
Over the past decade, ICT has been touted as an asset for the modernization of several business sectors. In the security sector, there are many applications for law enforcement.
On Thursday, February 3, the Gabonese technical and scientific police received, in Libreville, a batch of technical equipment from France. The equipment was handed over by the French ambassador to Gabon, Alexis Mikhaël Lamek, and received by the Minister of State, Minister of the Interior, Lambert-Noël Matha. It will help Gabonese authorities better fight crime, document fraud, or child and women abuse by contributing to the establishment of a digital criminal database.
Among the equipment received are scanners, an episcope for the coding and reading of analytical characters of fingerprints, various equipment for the biometric signaling of persons in custody. "This new equipment will especially help to boost the functioning of the Directorate of Technical and Scientific Police, making it more efficient when searching for objective proof of guilt or innocence," said the Minister of the Interior.
Last year also it should be recalled, France gave similar equipment to the Gabonese police, notably as part of the French-Gabon internal security partnership.
The digital criminal file will enable the Gabonese police to link criminals to their crimes more easily. It will do so by helping them rapidly identify matches and differences between prints, marks, and clues secured on crime scenes or from the victim(s) during a police investigation.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
Already operational in Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya, the mobile app’s founders now prospect in Europe, India, and Australia. They want to make the app a reference in the car industry.
On Feb 4, 2022, the South African start-up secured $1.3 million in a follow-on round that recorded the participation of Kalon Venture Partners, Launch Africa Ventures, IDF Capital, Allan Gray E2 Ventures, and AlphaCode. The first three investors had already contributed an undisclosed amount during Carscan’s seed round in October 2020.
Carscan is an augmented reality (AI) mobile application with integrated artificial intelligence (AI). It creates an accurate, reliable, complete, and traceable exterior or interior scan of a car. Launched in 2019 by Obins Choudhary and Chander Prakash, it helps actors of the car market buy, sell, lease, maintain, insure, finance, and auction cars with confidence.
With a database of over two million pictures of cars in different conditions, the app's technical inspection of cars helps detect modifications, dents, scratches, etc., estimate the overall condition of a car and estimate the extent of repairs needed in real-time. The app is also useful for insurers and individuals.
Chander Prakash, the co-founder of Carscan, said the company “is working with some local and international clients and has been developed in conjunction with one of the largest players in the automotive sector in South Africa.”
Explaining their interest in Carscan, Clive Butkow, CEO of Kalon Venture Partners, said the startup has demonstrated exceptional talent and its solution solves a large problem across industries. He said the new round is “testimony to the growth of the company and the Carscan’s team’s ability to deliver a solution solving a large problem across industries.”
Within three years only, Carscan has grown considerably. The App is already available in Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya. This, its founders hope to expand to the European, Indian and Australian markets.
Ruben Tchounyabe
Under the digitalization process it initiated in recent years, the Ghanaian government announced the launch of an electronic travel card for public officials and envoys.
According to Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, who introduced it last February 4 at the closing ceremony of the Annual Conference of the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) in Cape Coast, the new instrument aims to bring further transparency and accountability in the use of public funds.
“Since independence, public officials were provided cash for their impress when they travel. This system had many associated problems, including the risks of carrying cash and fraud in the disbursement of impress […] Today, that era is coming to an end with my launch of the e-Travel Card to facilitate the cashless disbursement of travel allowance and other payments for local and foreign trips of public officials,” he said.
The Vice President said the solution will eliminate the risk of carrying cash, enable the timely retirement of accountable impress, and ease improved monitoring and control of budgetary allocations for all official travel to avoid overspending. The e-travel card was developed in partnership with Fidelity Bank. It aligns with the government strategy in place since 2006 to improve governance and development through ICTs.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
Several African countries have taken on extra debt last year to improve their digital migration readiness. Investing in the right sectors is now the next important step to hit the target. To help the countries better identify the priority sectors and make the best choices in terms of investments, Sundar Pichai (pictured), Head of the US tech giant Google, suggests four steps to follow.
In an op-ed published yesterday February 7, he reported that Africa, like India a few years ago, has the potential to boost its development by investing smartly in ICTs. He says the continent is already on the right path as it enjoys a large, full-of-energy, and ICT-savvy youth.
The very first step, according to him, is to expand affordable and reliable connectivity across the continent. He believes that many Africans will be left out if they do not have access to connectivity. “We have seen during the pandemic that digital connectivity is a lifeline, helping people find essential information and connect to critical services,” he said.
He secondly suggests that governments and relevant authorities support businesses of all sizes in their digital migration processes so that the digital divide is closed. “Closing that gap means enabling businesses to move online, training more people to pursue careers that depend on technology, and ensuring that companies take advantage of cloud computing,” Sundar Pichai added, stressing that “companies should invest in products and solutions that are fit for Africa, and African governments need to adapt regulatory environments and their own development strategies to be digital-first. Small businesses need to be at the center of digitization and training efforts, as they employ around two-thirds of the continent’s formal workforce.”
A third step will be to invest in African entrepreneurs to stimulate innovation and growth. He finally called on African governments to support nonprofits and institutions striving to address communities’ challenges through technologies.
In 2021, Google made a $1 billion investment in Africa to back the continent's digital transformation. This comes in addition to several other investments made on the continent over the past four years by the company.
In its joint report with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), "e-Conomy Africa 2020 - Africa's $180 Billion Internet Economy Future," Google points out that Africa's Internet economy has the potential to grow to $180 billion, or about 5.2% of the continent's GDP, by 2025 with an economic potential of $712 billion by 2050.
Muriel Edjo
Barely two years after launching, Amitruck already has over 8,000 vehicles registered in its database, completed 100,000 deliveries, for more than 300 corporate clients.
Amitruck is a digital trucking logistics service launched in 2019 by the eponymous Kenyan startup. On February 2, 2022, the firm raised $4 million in seed funding. Led by Better Tomorrow Ventures (BTV), with participation from Dynamo Ventures, Rackhouse Venture Capital, Flexport Inc, Knuru Capital, Launch Africa Ventures, Uncovered Fund, and strategic angel investors, the round will allow Amitruck to speed up its expansion in Africa and hire new talent.
Founded by Mark Mwangi (picture), Amitruck connects businesses and individuals, who need to move their goods, with truck owners and logistics companies. Mwangi came up with the idea after realizing that the informal logistics sector, which uses archaic manual systems, was fragmenting and unnecessarily increasing operating costs.
By integrating new technologies in transit operations, the Kenyan founder aimed to modernize and make the sector safer in Kenya. Plus, the service dealt with the issue of middlemen who raise costs of services, enabling customers to deal directly with the selected carrier. All drivers and vehicles are checked, and goods in transit are insured against loss and damage to ensure safe operations.
Barely two years after launching, Amitruck already has over 8,000 vehicles registered in its database, completed 100,000 deliveries, for more than 300 corporate clients. To access the service, customers must first log in to the platform's web address or download the app from Play Store. Once that is done, they must create their account, which will be approved. With this account, users can book a truck, van, motorcycle, bicycle, among others, to transport their goods. Once validated and initiated, users can track their goods as they move. Payment is made only after goods are delivered and the client is satisfied.
The startup - which joined, in 2021, the Ninja Accelerator program of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Google’s Black Founders Fund Accelerator, and AbInbev's Budstart Accelerator program - wants to "attract more carriers and shippers" in 2022.
Muriel Edjo
They are among the 19 finalists picked, out of 300 applications, for the 10th edition of the Les Margaret Awards by JFD (Journée de la femme digitale), a movement that promotes innovation by women. There are eight of them listed in the Entrepreneur, Intrapreneur, and Junior categories for Africa.
JFD will reveal the laureates of its 10th Les Margaret Awards on February 10, 2022, at La Sorbonne, Paris. The African finalists include an Egyptian, a Ugandan, a Senegalese, an Ivorian, two Gabonese, a Kenyan, and a South African in the three categories mentioned above.
Entrepreneur
- Farah Emara, from Egypt, runs for the awards with FreshSource, an agricultural platform that connects farms to businesses and provides last-mile solutions. With it, she wants to rationalize the fresh produce value, empower farmers, and cut food waste.
- Shamim Nabuuma Kaliisa, from Uganda, founded Chil AI Lab, a startup that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to expand essential health services to the poor and marginalized, women especially, in her country.
- Ariane Akeret, from Gabon, runs as a finalist with her CaPay project. CaPay is an App that facilitates the payment of salaries, amongst other financial transactions, via mobile money. This digital payment solution targets employees, retirees, workers with no bank account, social security funds, organizations, associations, and public administrations.
Intrapreneur
- Adjaratou Wakha Aidara, from Senegal, is executive director at Partners West Africa-Senegal. She has developed a clean, safe, sustainable, and connected mobility project with motorbike taxis.
- Patricia Ndikumana, from Kenya, head of partnerships at Sokowatch, an e-commerce platform whose goal is to help informal retailers easily secure essential goods, without relying on wholesalers or banks.
- Ivoirian Cleo Ngokoudi is the CFO of Anka, a platform that provides local merchants with integrated digital management solutions, and facilitates international financial transactions.
Junior
- Maylis Kouakoua, 13, is from Gabon. She developed Scratch, a quiz-based game to raise teenagers' awareness about the internet’s dangers, cyber-bullying notably.
- Malebina Tsotsotso, 15, is from South Africa. She built MTutor, an e-learning platform designed to provide an adaptable, scalable, safe, and secure learning tool.
According to Delphine Remy-Boutang, CEO of the Bureau & JFD, the projects selected were the best out of hundreds. “We received over 300 applications. This is a unique opportunity to bring out our future European and African tech champions. All their projects address major societal issues.”
She then stressed the need to “direct more investment towards female entrepreneurship, which also provides solutions to digital transformation by putting it at the service of our societies and the environment.”
For this year’s edition, the vote of the general public will count for one. Launched in 2013 by JFD, Les Margaret Awards rewards female entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs, in Europe and Africa, every year. The laureates’ projects are innovative and address major social issues. The Awards is named after Margaret Hamilton, former director of the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, which developed on-board flight software for NASA's Apollo program.
Brice Gotoa