Tech (830)
The final phase of the AfricaTech Awards was held in Paris, on the sidelines of Viva Technology 2022. Three start-ups were awarded out of the 45 competing since May 2.
Weee Centre, Chefaa, and Click2sure are the winners of the first edition of the AfricaTech Awards, respectively in the climateTech, healthTech, and fintech categories.
The winners were selected last Saturday in Paris, France during an event hosted by Proparco and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) while New Energy Nexus, Cassava Technologies, and Orange S.A sponsored specific categories.
According to IFC’s Managing Director Makhtar Diop, “Africa is buzzing with innovative tech solutions that can help address climate change, promote food security, and expand financial inclusion. [...] Yet over 80% of African startups report difficulties in accessing funding. Initiatives like the AfricaTech Awards, which bring together entrepreneurs, governments, and investors, are key to attracting the resources and support that tech startups need to scale their innovations across the continent and beyond,” he adds.
Weee Centre, the winner in the climate tech category, is a Kenyan start-up founded in 2012. It provides e-waste management services and carries out "safe" green operations to protect the environment and human health.
Chefaa (winner in the healthtech category) is an Egyptian startup founded in 2018. It makes it easy for people suffering from chronic diseases to order drugs from pharmacies and get them delivered to their doorsteps or renew medical prescriptions.
For Click2Sure, the winner in the fintech category, it is a South African startup founded in 2015. It is a software as a service (SaaS) startup created to make life easier for companies operating in the insurance sector.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
In several low and middle-income countries, healthcare is still delayed by the poor technical services offered by health centers. The funding will help address the situation by improving medical diagnosis, which comes first before any medical intervention.
UK government agency National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) recently released about US$3.6 million to support the development of digital diagnostic tests for infectious diseases in seven African countries. The information was disclosed by the Imperial College London, in a release published, Tuesday (June 14). According to the release, the funding was awarded to researchers at the Imperial College London and those of 13 collaborating institutions in Burkina Faso, the Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, the Netherlands, Sudan, Uganda, the United Kingdom, and Zambia.
“We will evaluate the potential of digital diagnostic technology to tackle common problems including malaria and other childhood infections. The researchers in the project have a wide range of expertise, from electronic and design engineering to clinical medicine, health systems research, and mathematical modeling,” explains Dr. Aubrey Cunnington, Reader in Paediatric Infectious Diseases and head of the digital diagnostic test development project.
“The project addresses a huge unmet need for access to accurate diagnostics in low- and middle-income countries. [...] At present, less than half of the population of Africa has access to essential, accurate diagnostics. This makes it difficult to identify and administer the correct treatments, and to target disease prevention where it is most needed,” he stressed.
The NIHR funding is part of its Global Health Research Group (GHRG) program, which supports research partnerships between research institutions in the United Kingdom and in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The GHRG aims to generate scientific evidence that can improve health outcomes for low-income people by helping improve health practices and guide policies.
“Over the next four years, the funding will enable the GHRG to develop and evaluate next-generation digital diagnostic tests for infectious diseases,” the Imperial College indicates. To develop the tests, researchers will use Lacewing, a hand-held device developed by an Imperial College team. The device performs highly sensitive detections with an accuracy similar to that of large lab machines but it is portable, low-cost, and rapid, we learn. “The results are immediately linked to a smartphone which enables data transmission to monitor the real-time detection of different diseases in different locations,” the Imperial College London concludes.
Ruben Tchounyabe
Some ten years ago, Cameroon quicked-off plan to shift to e-governance. Some administrations are not making enough efforts to digitize their services but others are stepping up investments to keep up with trends in an increasingly connected world.
Cameroon’s Ministry of Public Service signed, Monday (June 13), a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with incumbent telecom operator Camtel. The aim of the MoU is to ensure the optimal availability of the online services offered to users and data security.
According to Minister of Public Service, Joseph Le (photo, left), under the MoU, Camtel will facilitate the Ministry’s staff access to the files and applications submitted by users thanks to its secure and redundant internet connection as well as broadband interconnection (via specialized optical fiber or radio waves). The incumbent operator will also permit the public to easily submit applications for civil service competitions online and allow the quick issuance of civil service certifications and the optimal management of the integrated payroll management system SIGIPES in regional offices.
During the signing ceremony, Camtel’s MD, Judith Yah Sunday (photo, right), explained that the incumbent operator would provide the various services expected by the Ministry of Public Service by leveraging its data centers. Indeed, the MoU was being worked out since May 4, 2021, when Minister Joseph Le carried out a guided tour at Camtel’s Zamengoé data center. The visit was called by Judith Yah Sunday in preparation for the operationalization of the integrated payroll management system SIGIPES.
In the past five years, the Ministry of Public Service carried out a number of digital transformation reforms to improve the services it offers users. The digitization reforms are carried out in line with the country’s strategic plan Digital Cameroon by 2020, which has “modernization of the public administration” as one of its key aims.
Ruben Tchounyabe
In 2020, the Orange Group accelerated initiatives to become a multiservice operator in Africa. In that regard, it made strategic investments, which are gradually contributing to the expansion of its service offerings.
Telecom operator Orange Côte d’Ivoire launched, Monday (June 13), its e-health platform. Baptized Orange santé, the platform was launched in partnership with DabaDoc, a Moroccan heathtech backed by Orange Group in June 2021.
Currently, with Orange Santé, users can only book medical consultations. However, additional services will be added by 2023, allowing the diaspora to pay for e-consultations or users to carry out medical consultations online.
Orange Santé is specially dedicated to Ivorian health centers and professionals. It allows them to list their services, digitize their management, and create digital health records. It also offers health professionals more visibility and helps optimize their schedules.
The launch of Orange Santé is part of Orange Group’s strategy to become a reference operator and a key actor in the e-health segment in the Middle East and Africa. With the service, DabaDoc -which has been operating in the Maghreb for about eight years now- helps Orange address the doctor shortage ongoing in Africa and sustainably impact rural areas.
By 2023, Orange Group plans to launch Orange Santé in other Sub-Saharan African countries in addition to Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and Côte d’Ivoire, where the service is already operational.
Muriel Edjo
Currently, there are over 1.3 million kilometers of subsea cables in the world. By 2030, those cables will be replaced and the network expanded. The ITU wants to capitalize on that network to enhance climate protection.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is currently developing two standards regulating the operations of SMART cables. SMART here is an acronym for “Scientific Monitoring And Reliable Telecommunications.” Therefore, the cables being regulated by the new standard will provide scientific sensing in addition to telecommunication signals.
SMART cables are the upgraded version of subsea cables. They “include tried‑and‑tested environmental and hazard‑monitoring sensors in cable repeaters, which house devices amplifying the optical communication signals at intervals along a submarine cable,” the ITU explains.
“Three sensors measure ocean‑bottom temperature as an indicator for climate trends; pressure for sea‑level rise, ocean currents, and tsunamis; and seismic acceleration for earthquake detection and tsunami alerts. Sensors should be operational at all times, and all detected data will be transmitted to cable landing stations at the speed of light,” it stresses.
The ITU's standardization efforts are based on the minimum requirements established by the Joint Task Force on SMART Cable Systems, which was formed in 2012 with the support of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (UNESCO-IOC) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The new standards are expected to be completed by 2024.
According to a release published by the ITU last June 8, the first cable system to dedicate a commercial telecom fiber to environmental sensing was EllaLink, the Brazil‑Portugal trans‑Atlantic cable system. It illustrates how telecom technologies can be leveraged for development.
Muriel Edjo
In Africa, the poor internet penetration rate is partially due to the high cost of electronic devices. A Malian joint-venture framed by French and Malian groups wants to tackle that issue.
Malian joint venture Danew Talla Electronics will soon set up a laptop and tablet assembly plant in Bamako. The information was disclosed by its CEO, Renaud Amiel, at the end of an audience with Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maïga last Monday (June 6).
According to Renaud Amiel, the plant will supply the local and West African markets. For Choguel Kokalla Maïga, who promised the government’s “full support”, the various products assembled will eventually help reduce the digital divide and create job opportunities for the youth.
In Africa, the high cost of electronic devices is one of the obstacles to internet access and the development of the digital sector. To address the situation, Danew Talla Electronics will sell quality laptops and notebooks at about XOF65,000 (US$106.3) with models going for sale at about XOF100,000.
The plant’s estimated production capacity is 600,000 tablets and laptops annually and the production phase is expected to start by September 2022. The venture is expected to create at least 200 direct jobs and up to 1,000 indirect jobs in the long term.
Renaud Amiel explains that the Danew Talla Electronics will also train 1,000 Malians in laptop repairing and maintenance. “We will create a national network of about 1,000 people with tablets and all the tools and software necessary to repair and service our products,” he said.
Ruben Tchounyabe
The new center is in line with the ambition of Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, to make the country Africa’s tech hub. It is the German group’s first subsidiary in Africa.
German electronics group Rohde & Schwarz opened its new software development lab in Kigali, Rwanda, last Monday (June 6). The lab was inaugurated during a ceremony attended by Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, on the sidelines of the 2022 ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference.
The recently inaugurated lab is both the Munich-based company's first subsidiary and research and development site in Africa. In the continent, the German group renowned worldwide for investments in future technologies (the 6G, quantum tech, IIoT, and AI) used to only carry out commercial activities.
Rohde & Schwarz will continuously expand the new laboratory as it did for its Singapore subsidiary, which has become a major Asian hub over the past 25 years. It will notably expand the scope of its operations to include cybersecurity and support to local students and engineers.
“Africa is an enormous growth market and Rwanda is a trailblazer in digitalization. Rohde & Schwarz is making a long-term commitment for sustainable growth and stability. We want to develop products for the global market together with our team in Rwanda,” said Peter Riedel President and COO of Rohde & Schwarz
Ruben Tchounyabe
With the memorandum, the two parties intend to join forces for effective digital actions. It demonstrates their understanding of the likely failure of unconcerted actions.
Smart Africa Alliance and the Digital Cooperation Organization inked, Monday (June 6), a memorandum of understanding to accelerate digital transformation in Africa. Under the memorandum, the two parties notably intend to exchange digital solutions and knowledge, create a commercial environment conducive to the development of innovative firms and empower women, the youth, and innovative entrepreneurs.
The intended actions will complement the measures already taken by Smart Africa Alliance and DCO member countries to boost connectivity (a basic requirement for effective digital transformation), accelerate digitalization in strategic socio-economic sectors, develop local digital talents and facilitate digital inclusion by 2030.
According to Lacina Koné (photo, right), CEO of Smart Africa Alliance, the MoU “will increase a lot to south-south cooperation, specifically with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.” He praised the partnership with a “like-minded organization” with whom the Smart Africa Alliance can collaborate on common objectives to enhance the growth of member countries’ economies.
As for Deemah Alyahya (photo, left), DCO Secretary-General, she expressed her belief “in the power of collaboration with like-minded organizations to enable digital prosperity for all.”
“We are very excited to activate our relationship and partnership. The digital economy is very fast in growth. We expected that by 2030, it is going to be more than 25 percent of the global GDP and now we know that by 2030, it is going to be 70 percent of the global GDP,” she added.
The memorandum was signed on the sidelines of the 2022 ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference currently being held in Kigali, Rwanda. The conference, which opened on June 6, will end on July 16. Smart Africa Alliance is a network of 32 African countries that share the common goal of leveraging the digital sector for development on the continent. Similarly, the Digital Cooperation Organization was founded by Bahrain in 2020 to facilitate a global and inclusive digital economy. Its membership includes Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia.
Ruben Tchounyabe
In Africa, the stigmatization of HIV-positive people hinders the effective control and prevention of AIDS. In Nigeria, where nearly 1.9 million people are HIV-positive, technology has demonstrated its ability to improve their care.
Nigeria’s institute of human virology (IHVN) and healthtech startup Vantage Health Technologies revealed, Thursday (June 2), their successful implementation of an AI-powered project to keep HIV-positive people on effective and sustained treatment. Thanks to an AI-powered solution developed by Vantage, the IHVN was able to predict and “positively influence the behavior of high-risk HIV/AIDS patients.”
“The Patient Retention Solution is an AI-driven model that uses data from patient history to predict if patients will miss their next clinic appointment with the assumption that missing the appointment means the patient will drop off treatment as they are not present to collect their medication,” explains Annika Lindorsson Krugel, Solutions Manager of Vantage Health Technologies.
Once the prediction is completed, a list of the patients most likely to miss their appointments is transmitted to clinical staff who would then take action to prevent the likely outcome. They for instance call or send SMS to patients, and even visit the patients that do not have phones. Interviews are also carried out to provide psychological support to every at-risk patient before an appointment.
For Mercy Omozuafoh, Programme Manager for Care and Support with the IHVN, “the project has demonstrated the effectiveness of proactive tracking of Patients Living with HIV (PLHIV).” It “has made us understand the importance of interventions we are implementing,” she adds.
“The predictive model was rolled out to about 30,000 patients at the General Hospital Kudwa at Bwari in the Federal Capital Territory, the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital in Lafia in the Nasarawa State, and General Hospital Ahoada in the Rivers State,” a press release informs.
“Our estimate shows that between 1.8 to 1.9 million Nigerians are currently living with HIV/AIDS. Of this number, 1.6 million are already on treatment. So, we have 300,000 more to go,” the national AIDS control agency NACA’s boss Dr. Gambo Gumel Aliyu told The Guardian ahead of World AIDS Day 2021.
According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), one of the challenges in combating the epidemic in Africa remains keeping HIV-positive people on sustainable treatment. Also, according to a case study by Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, the main barriers to treatment adherence “included stigma, side-effects, logistical challenges, economic barriers, and forgetfulness.”
“The study found that caregiver support, peer support, and understanding one’s status helped patients overcome these barriers,” it concluded (according to a release published by Vantage Health Technologies).
Ruben Tchounyabe
To add value to its economy, Morocco seeks new partnerships with international partners. Its agreement with HCL is highly strategic given its reputation as the best destination for outsourcing.
Indian multinational IT services and consulting company Hindustan Computers Ltd (HCL) will soon set up a “delivery center” in Morrocco. Indeed, last May 28, during her official visit to India, Moroccan Minister of Digital Transition, Ghita Mezzour, signed a memorandum of understanding with HCL.
According to a release from the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the memorandum states HCL’s ambition to offer high-value-added IT services to its global clients from the Morocco-based delivery center. The IT consulting company will focus notably on coding, software development, and training Morrocan talents. Ultimately, HCL plans to use Morrcoo as an outsourcing hub to conquer the African market.
“Morrocco's already high internet penetration rate is growing exponentially. The country, whose population can speak Arabic, has an educated and qualified workforce. Indian entrepreneurs can capitalize on the Moroccan population’s ability to speak French to reach African countries whose population mostly speak French,” Minister Mezzour said.
The government official’s visit to India was organized to enter into strategic partnerships with large firms. During her visit, Mezzour presented Morrocco as one of the three best outsourcing destinations in Africa because of its political stability, its commercial partnerships with European countries, and its trade openness in Africa.
Ruben Tchounyabe
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Nowadays, digital skills are important to be employable or employ one’s self. Private and public actors understand that and they want to help the youth get those skills for an end to the ever-increasing unemployment problems.
Guinean incubator Ose Ton Emploi launched, Saturday (May 28), its digital training lab dubbed Sanku Lab. The lab, funded to the tune of €55,000 by the Orange Guinea Foundation, will train up to 2,100 people for ICT jobs, notably prototyping and creating digital solutions and tools.
At Sanku Lab, the trainees will have access to every piece of equipment needed like laptops, a 3D printer, a vinyl laser cutter, a heat press, electrical tools, digital embroidery machines, etc…
During the launching ceremony, Ose Ton Emploi’s founder Danda Diallo explained that Sanku Lab would henceforth be the cornerstone of his incubator’s activities. Praising the initiative, Youssouf Boundou Sylla, Secretary-general of the Guinean Ministry of Technical Education indicated that they are “socio-economic growth drivers.”
Ose Ton Emploi, created in 2018, aims to support young innovative project owners. It has already incubated several startups and is a member of Afric’Innov, a network of African incubators. Through its works, it helped school dropouts showcase their talents and initiate their professional integration. This is one of the reasons it was backed by the Orange Guinea Foundation.
“Because of the importance of the digital sector nowadays, we support digital initiatives to allow the youth to master the usage of digital tools, discover what they are passionate about, get trained, contribute their creativity to create startups, mature them and enter markets for guaranteed self-sufficiency,” said Amina Abou Khalil Nyame, Orange Guinea Foundation’s representative during the launching ceremony.
Ruben Tchounyabe
In Africa, ICTs have proven their worth in resolving key issues in almost every sector, including the health sector. By using their tools, Senegalese authorities want to improve healthcare.
African genomics startup 54Gene and Senegal will soon launch a program aimed at assembling the reference genome of the Senegalese population. In that regard, the startup signed, Tuesday (May 24), a memorandum of understanding with the Senegal Academy of Science and Technology (ANSTS) and Cheikh Anta Diop University’s department of human genetics.
The program dubbed SEN-GENOME is scheduled to start in July 2022 and initial results are expected for December 2023. Based on results from the genomic study of the country’s main ethnolinguistic groups, it will help lay the foundation of precision medicine, and identify the hereditary risk factors of some diseases like cancer, heart diseases, and hereditary diseases. It will also allow better health surveillance for the Senegalese population.
For Prof. Aynina Cisse, ANSTS representative during the signing ceremony, SEN-GENOME is launched because researchers noticed that “the reference human genome currently used is not representative of the genetic variety of Africans as a whole and Senegal in particular.”
In that regard, the program will establish a reference genome reflecting the genetic diversity of the Senegalese population. The reference genome assembled will be used to improve the diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of the most common diseases. It will also allow anthropologists to better understand communities’ socio-cultural history.
“Modern medicine will rely on every individual's gene pool. SEN-GENOME, which is the first reference genome project in Francophone sub-Saharan Africa, will help initiate a genomic medicine plan in Senegal,” explained Prof. Rokhaya Ndiaye Diallo, head of Cheikh Anta Diop University’s department of human genetics.
"Africa has the most genetically diverse population but, those populations are poorly represented in international genomic databases. SEN-GENOME will help fill this gap and allow Senegal further precision medicine,” commented Dr. Abasi Ene Obong, 54Gene founder and CEO.
Muriel Edjo
African countries are gradually adopting the 5G, presented as the primary tool empowering the next wave of digital transformation thanks to its speed. To boost its effective use, public and private actors are moving to help African innovators develop 5G-powered apps and solutions.
Cameroonian business incubator Boris Bison Youth Empowerment Business Incubator (BB Incubator) currently plans to deploy 5G tech spaces across Africa. In that regard, it recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Pan-African video-game publisher Ludique Works and the Finnish technology learning accelerator network Start North. According to a release dated Tuesday (May 24), the tech spaces are baptized “5G Mokki Tech Spaces.”
“Our aim is [to create] a Pan-African tech space network that connects the African continent to Europe and the rest of the world, promoting the learning and adoption of technology, remote work, and entrepreneurship. In addition to promoting education, jobs, and the economic development of the regions, the network also aims to curb climate change by utilizing the latest technology,” explained Boris Ngala (photo, right), founder and CEO of BB Incubator.
Africa’s first 5G network was deployed in 2020. Up to now, less than ten countries have effectively launched the fifth-generation network technology on the continent. Meanwhile, network technology is presented as the primary tool that will empower the next wave of digital transformation by supporting virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and autonomous things. So, private actors are moving to allow the African youth to test the network while developing tech solutions.
“The 5G Mokki Tech Space network can serve international and local companies, provide creative-economy and technology-based jobs, and promote entrepreneurship based on the learning of the latest technology and hands-on projects that serve local conditions. Furthermore, this is supported by an extensive national and international collaboration with universities and companies,” said Douglas Ogeto, Ludique Works co-founder and CEO.
Developed by Start North, the “5G Mokki Tech Spaces” concept was created during an academic program organized in partnership with Finnish University Aalto to develop real-life 5G apps. According to the May 24 release distributed on behalf of Start North, Aalto is currently “in talks” with the University of Addis Ababa (Ethiopiaà and the African School of Economics (which has campuses in Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, and Benin) to deploy the “5G Mokki Tech Spaces”. “A project is underway to set up a 5G Mokki in a rural area in Zambia [...] to provide immersive learning and research in the field of agriculture,” we learn.
Ruben Tchounyabe
Egypt is one of the countries with the fastest-rising used-car market. Despite the presence of notable competitors, Sylndr wants to conquer the market and become the most-trusted retailer.
Egyptian startup Sylndr recently raised US$12.6 million from a group of investors led by Saudi VC firm Algebra Ventures. On Monday (May 23), the fundraising was announced by Omar El Defrawy, Sylndr co-founder and CEO.
With the funds secured, the startup specialized in used car retailing wants to scale operational capacity, develop its tech infrastructure, and build its retail segment. It also plans to double its workforce by the end of 2022 and update its tech to allow users to list their cars for sale. Sylndr plans to double the size of its team by the end of the year and open up to buyers in late 2022 or Q1 2023.
For Omar El Defrawy, Sylndr’s ambition is to quickly become the most trusted used car retailer in the Middle East, Egypt particularly. “The main problem that we’re trying to fix in Egypt is the complete mistrust between buyers and sellers of used cars in the markets.[…] imagine if you enable financing and make the cars much more affordable to people, that’s a core value proposition we want to ship as well,” El Defrawy told Techcrunch.
According to Ken Research, Egypt is, since 2020, one of the countries with the fastest-growing used-car market. The reason for that growth is the high cost of new cars. Popular car models cost around US$15,000, which is quite expensive for many Egyptians in a market where car financing is quite burdensome. In that context, Sylndr wants to capitalize on retail sales, auctions, dealership, B2B sales, financing, insurance, towing services, and other value-added services.
Startups like Cazoo, Cars 24, and Spinny have also seen the potential of the Egyptian market and are developing strategies to conquer it.
Ruben Tchounyabe