A serial entrepreneur, he leverages drone technologies to collect farm data and optimize management operations.
Joseph-Olivier Biley (photo) is an Ivorian tech entrepreneur on a mission to revolutionize farm management and broaden the use of drone technologies in agriculture. He is the co-founder of JooL International, a drone startup established in 2021. The startup aims to democratize drone usage to ensure Africa has access to the necessary data for its development, particularly in the agricultural sector.
JooL International provides farmers with the ability to remotely manage their plantations, offering a range of services including Jool Lab, Jool Monitor, and Jool Audit.
Jool Lab, a drone repair and manufacturing laboratory, is proudly “made in Côte d’Ivoire.” Jool Monitor, a software suite, offers features such as agricultural plot delimitation, plant counting, aerial farm views, and plant health analysis.
Jool Audit provides an audit and analysis service, giving plantation owners insights into their plantation’s condition and factors affecting their yield. It suggests an action plan to enhance productivity and ensures transparency throughout the process.
The company has also developed the Jool Box, a smart device that allows drones to be controlled remotely from a computer or tablet. The solar-powered box is rain-resistant and capable of obstacle avoidance.
In addition to his role at JooL International, Biley heads the West Africa hub of ZEBOX, a technology startup incubator and business innovation center. He is also a co-founder of #Ci20, an association comprising Côte d’Ivoire’s most innovative and disruptive startups.
Biley, a graduate of Paris Business College and OMNES Education, was the CEO of WeFly Agri, a startup that utilized drones for remote visualization and control of agricultural plantations, from 2017 to 2021.
The entrepreneur has been recognized both domestically and internationally, receiving the Young African Personality of the Year 2020 award from Africa 35.35 and the ECOWAS Best Startup Award for JooL International in 2021.
Melchior Koba
While misinformation is not a new phenomenon, its scope has been amplified by new technologies. It now disseminates more rapidly, impacts a larger audience, and has a heightened effect.
In its Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2024, the World Economic Forum (WEF) believes that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will mark a turning point in the cybercrime landscape. Indeed, beyond attacks on computer systems, information manipulation will be one of the major challenges of the connected world.
Although attacks on critical infrastructures still represent a major security risk, they can be controlled. However, the social and political upheavals that can result from the profound manipulation of information by new technologies are likely to undermine the economic stability of various sectors, countries, and regions of the world over the long term.
Anxiety, fear, identitarian withdrawal, the crisis of public confidence, etc. are all situations that deepfakes can create, maintain, and accentuate across the planet, turning them into weapons against governments and between countries. Through this new approach, it is the hearts and minds of the people who make up political, economic, and social systems that are hacked. In a September 2023 memo, the US Department of Defense described deepfakes as a threat to national security.
Talent Shortfall
Against a global backdrop of cybersecurity skills shortages - 4.7 million people were working in cybersecurity internationally in 2022, but the global deficit stands at 3.4 million according to the non-profit organization International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC2) - the rapid emergence of AI and its impact on reality is putting further pressure on the need for cyber defense professionals.
In 2023, Gartner, the US information and communications technology research and advisory firm, predicted that the number of cyber and social engineering attacks against people will increase by 2025 due to this critical shortage of talent. It asserted that humans will increasingly be seen as the most vulnerable point of exploitation.
While AI is reinventing and intensifying cybercriminal threats, it is also opening up new opportunities for millions of young people on every continent. In Africa in particular, where the start-up ecosystem is currently dominated by the provision of services in finance, commerce, healthcare, education, energy, etc., a new generation of cyber talents capable of identifying and authenticating the real thing could emerge.
States can contribute to their emergence by thinking now about various strategies that prepare them for this new technology and its opportunities, but also for the threats. In its AI Readiness Index 2023, information and communications technology consultancy Oxford Insights reports that only three African countries have already adopted an AI strategy. These are Rwanda, Senegal and Benin. Ethiopia and Nigeria are already working on it.
Muriel Edjo
Through innovative incubation programs, specialized training, and a host of events dedicated to innovation and entrepreneurship, ANPT aims to boost Algeria's ICT sector. It has already supported hundreds of projects and startups.
The National Agency for the Promotion and Development of Technology Parks (ANPT), an initiative by the Algerian government, is dedicated to enhancing the country's technological capabilities. Established in 2004, the agency focuses on the validation, implementation, and generalization of information and communication technologies (ICT). Sidahmed Benarbia has been serving as the Managing Director since 2020.
ANPT's primary objective is to stimulate the ICT sector by ensuring the availability of necessary tools, mechanisms, and skills. This aims to foster a national ecosystem conducive to the growth of an ICT industry that serves various sectors of the Algerian economy.
With offices in Algiers, Oran, Bordj Bou Arreridj, Ouargla, and Annaba, the agency offers a free incubation program to assist entrepreneurs and start-ups in creating and developing their products and businesses over an average of four years.
In addition, ANPT has introduced a Virtual Incubation Program (VIP) that provides future innovators nationwide with free access to its online services. The VIP program utilizes digital platforms developed by the agency, such as ANPT Meet for online meetings and ANPT Learn for e-learning and e-training.
The agency also designs training programs focusing on three key areas: ICT, business creation and management, and personal development. Upon request and based on need, the agency offers additional training courses in various fields.
ANPT regularly hosts activities and events centered around ICT and entrepreneurship, including seminars, conferences, workshops, and webinars. To date, it has organized over 200 events, hosted more than 45 companies, and supported over 800 start-ups and projects.
Melchior Koba
To enhance the livelihoods of farmers, technology entrepreneurs have introduced a comprehensive solution designed to optimize production and streamline marketing processes.
Ghanaian start-up Complete Farmer has developed CF Grower, an agritech solution that allows farmers to enhance their productivity, gain access to global markets, and improve their livelihoods through data-driven agricultural tools and techniques. The Accra-based company, founded in 2017 by Charles Ofosuhene, Desmond Koney, and Zoussi Ley, has raised over $20 million since its inception to develop its technology and facilitate growth.
The platform, which does not have a mobile application, requires users to create an account using their email address and password. Once registered, users can access various services and establish a farm within days. CF Grower provides farmland for rent, hires qualified farm managers, and offers agricultural inputs and services for purchase to optimize farm production.
Users who already own farmland can add it to the platform, along with all the necessary information for an agricultural expert to support the project. If a user chooses to engage an expert from the start-up, the expert will provide online and on-site support throughout the agricultural season. The agritech solution leverages collected data and provides information to help achieve consistently high yields and profits across various crop families.
After harvest, users can sell their produce via the Complete Farmer network. The start-up facilitates connections between farmers and local and international buyers. Additionally, CF Buyer provides buyers with access to its network of growers and allows them to track the progress of their orders with complete transparency.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
The Africa Digital Transformation Forum (FITD AFRICA 2024) is set to take place in Lomé, Togo’s capital, on May 21 and 22. The event is designed to foster digital growth across the continent. This year’s forum will center on pivotal sectors including energytech, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cybersecurity, virtual reality, and e-health, showcasing the broad scope of digital transformation.
A serial entrepreneur, he has helped set up several technology companies in Algeria and the United Arab Emirates. His latest venture, Goubba, offers a platform for businesses to enhance employee loyalty and motivation through benefits programs.
Algerian tech entrepreneur Yacine Benmosbah (photo) is the founder and CEO of Goubba, a company that provides a suite of services aimed at enhancing employee benefits, wellness, and corporate gifting in Algeria. Established in 2021, Goubba’s digital platform is designed to improve the day-to-day experiences of employees, offering services such as FitPass, Tickets-Resto, and Carte-Cado.
FitPass grants access to over 120 gyms throughout Algeria, promoting an active and healthy lifestyle. Tickets-Resto is a digital meal voucher service partnered with over 500 restaurants and supermarkets, providing a flexible solution for employee meals. Carte-Cado allows Goubba to offer personalized gift cards from a range of top brands, incentivizing and rewarding employees, partners, and customers.
Benmosbah, a serial entrepreneur, co-founded VYBZ in 2015, a social music network that bridges the gap between established artists, emerging musicians, and music fans by facilitating musical challenges and tournaments. In 2016, he launched Adoo Advertising, a UAE-based rewards and coupons app that allows users to earn points by engaging with various ads, which can be exchanged for free vouchers and coupons at their favorite restaurants and retail stores.
In 2018, he also founded Batr, an AI-powered peer-to-peer marketplace for buying and selling second-hand goods. Before these ventures, he served as a board member and CTO of VentureFin, an online platform for participatory investment and lending.
Melchior Koba
Liquid C2, a subsidiary of the pan-African group Cassava Technologies, revealed a new partnership with Google Cloud and Anthropic, a U.S.-based artificial intelligence firm, on Wednesday, March 6. The collaboration aims to deliver advanced cloud solutions, cybersecurity, and generative AI capabilities to businesses throughout Africa.
Over the years, mobile money has emerged as a crucial payment method across Africa. Concurrently, e-commerce platforms, experiencing swift growth in the region, are incorporating mobile payment solutions to streamline transactions on their sites.
TillPaid, a fintech solution developed by a Beninese startup, allows owners of e-commerce platforms running on Woocommerce and WordPress to integrate mobile money payments on their sites. The startup, based in Cotonou, was launched in 2022 by Bilal Enangnon.
“The development of e-commerce in Africa cannot be achieved without mobile money payment. This vision is at the core of TillPaid, a young start-up that aims to provide e-merchants with simple and easy-to-configure payment modules for their online stores. [...] The service aims to support small and medium-sized businesses by providing them with mobile money payment methods on their e-commerce websites,” Enangnon said in 2023.
The fintech has several programming interfaces that enable e-commerce platforms to accept mobile money payments from various telecom operators. While it does not charge commissions on sales from the online stores where its solutions are installed, it should be noted that these solutions are not free. They are offered in packs of two or three solutions.
TillPaid integrates various solutions, including Orange Money via its OrangePaid solution, and Celtiis with its CashPaid solution, among others. The solution supports several telecom networks operating in most French-speaking African countries including Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Cameroon, Congo, and Togo.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
Competition is intensifying in Africa's data center market. Local and international companies invest in infrastructure to meet the growing demand for cloud services.
EcoCloud, a leading Kenyan data center solutions provider, and G42, an Emirati technology group specializing in artificial intelligence, signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday, March 6, in Nairobi. The agreement aims to tap into Kenya’s vast untapped geothermal potential by establishing the country’s first geothermal-powered data center.
“This geothermal-powered data center is a milestone towards realizing Kenya's potential as a global digital hub and fulfilling our mission of making intelligence accessible to everyone, everywhere,” said Peng Xiao, CEO of G42 Group.
The new data center will commence with an initial computing load of 100 MW, which will be ramped up over the years to 1 gigawatt. It will be suitable for use in telecommunications and other sectors. Its implementation is part of the country’s digital strategy to position Kenya as a leading technology hub in the East African sub-region and the continent at large.
The MoU between the two entities will herald a new era of cloud computing and AI services. The initiative promises to unlock unprecedented economic opportunities, drive innovation, and advance the digital economy, positioning Kenya as the center of technological innovation in Africa and a competitive player on the global stage.
In response to environmental demands, the facility will also reduce Kenya’s reliance on fossil fuels, cut carbon emissions, and contribute to environmental conservation. “By harnessing the power of geothermal energy, we are not only meeting the region's data needs but also setting a new standard for eco-friendly infrastructure. This partnership underscores our dedication to a greener, more sustainable future for Africa and beyond,” said Amos Siwoi, CEO of EcoCloud.
Samira Njoya
Broadband is central to Zimbabwe's development agenda, which is centered around digital transformation. In collaboration with the private sector, the government aims to bolster the national telecommunications infrastructure to ensure affordable Internet access for all citizens.
The Zimbabwean government announced on Thursday, March 7, the commencement of the second phase of the fiber optic rail project. The project, executed by wholesale telecoms infrastructure provider Bandwidth & Cloud Services Group (BCS), aims to enhance connectivity within Zimbabwe’s cities by deploying fiber along national railroads.
This phase will extend fiber optics over 800 km, connecting the village of Somabhula to the capital Harare via the town of Gweru. It will also span the Bulawayo - Plumtree and Harare - Mutare routes. The first phase of the project, initiated in 2022, has already laid 1,180 km of fiber from the border town of Beitbridge in Matabeleland province to the city of Victoria Falls, in the north of the country. The network infrastructure costs $18 million, and the second phase is projected to incur a similar expense.
The project aligns with the government’s strategic goal of transforming Zimbabwe into a self-sufficient and prosperous upper-middle-income society by 2030, leveraging digital technology. It also corresponds with the national broadband program for 2023-2030, which encompasses several state and privately financed infrastructure deployment projects. This program is expected to accelerate broadband penetration in the country and reduce costs.
Ultimately, the fiber optic system will cover the country's entire rail network, from Rutenga to Chikwalakwala, before extending into Zambia and other regions. According to the Honourable Owen Ncube, Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Decentralization, this project ensures that Zimbabwe will be connected to the rest of the world, marking a positive stride in the “Leave no one behind (LNOB)” principle enshrined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Samira Njoya
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Broadband is central to Zimbabwe's development agenda, which is centered around digital transformation. In collaboration with the private sector, the government aims to bolster the national telecommunications infrastructure to ensure affordable Internet access for all citizens.
The Zimbabwean government announced on Thursday, March 7, the commencement of the second phase of the fiber optic rail project. The project, executed by wholesale telecoms infrastructure provider Bandwidth & Cloud Services Group (BCS), aims to enhance connectivity within Zimbabwe’s cities by deploying fiber along national railroads.
This phase will extend fiber optics over 800 km, connecting the village of Somabhula to the capital Harare via the town of Gweru. It will also span the Bulawayo - Plumtree and Harare - Mutare routes. The first phase of the project, initiated in 2022, has already laid 1,180 km of fiber from the border town of Beitbridge in Matabeleland province to the city of Victoria Falls, in the north of the country. The network infrastructure costs $18 million, and the second phase is projected to incur a similar expense.
The project aligns with the government’s strategic goal of transforming Zimbabwe into a self-sufficient and prosperous upper-middle-income society by 2030, leveraging digital technology. It also corresponds with the national broadband program for 2023-2030, which encompasses several state and privately financed infrastructure deployment projects. This program is expected to accelerate broadband penetration in the country and reduce costs.
Ultimately, the fiber optic system will cover the country's entire rail network, from Rutenga to Chikwalakwala, before extending into Zambia and other regions. According to the Honourable Owen Ncube, Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Decentralization, this project ensures that Zimbabwe will be connected to the rest of the world, marking a positive stride in the “Leave no one behind (LNOB)” principle enshrined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Samira Njoya
Following a philanthropic stance, Zafy Tody provides its expertise and financial support to a select group of Malagasy startups annually, without seeking equity or future ownership rights in the supported companies.
Zafy Tody, a Malagasy tech startup incubator and business angel, offers free incubation and funding to selected startups without taking equity stakes. Founded in 2019 by Andréa Zafitody Li-Sai Chimento and CEO Manambina Ramaroson Vandewalle, the incubator aims to boost Madagascar's startup ecosystem.
Each year, Zafy Tody offers free incubation to 5 to 10 Malagasy startups, providing financing without any equity investment or future ownership stake in the company. For other Madagascar-based start-ups, the incubator offers a paid program for personalized support.
Its 12-month incubation program allows beneficiaries to validate their business plan, test their product, bring it to market, and prepare for fundraising or competitions. Incubated startups also gain access to Amazon Web Services' AWS Activate program.
In 2023, Zafy Tody supported startups selected for the Miary Digital program, including E-voyage, Andao Share, NextFoodAfrica, and Zion. Partners include Orange Fab Madagascar, NextA Accelerator, LivePlan, the Center for Excellence in Entrepreneurship, and the French Embassy in Madagascar.
To cater to companies or individuals seeking to enhance their skills in entrepreneurship and digital transformation, the incubator offers professional training programs. These include training in UX & UI (user experience and interface), entrepreneurship, and the tech tools and solutions offered by the AWS cloud platform.
Zafy Tody has established several partnerships to aid in its mission. It is supported by Orange Fab Madagascar, NextA Accelerator, LivePlan, a business planning solution, the Center for Excellence in Entrepreneurship, and the French Embassy in Madagascar, among others.
Melchior Koba
Moroccan fintech startup Tookeez said on Thursday it secured $1.5 million in a funding round. The company plans to use the proceeds to expand its presence in Morocco before entering North Africa, the Middle East, and ultimately the broader African continent.
Nigerian e-health startup MDaaS Global announced Wednesday it has raised $3 million in a pre-Series A funding round. The company plans to use the capital to enhance its technology and expand its BeaconHealth Diagnostics network across all 36 states of Nigeria.