Technology is indispensable for investment in Africa. It enhances access to information, streamlines processes, and improves transparency, thereby attracting both local and international investors, showcasing potential, and enabling effective participation in the global economy.
Zimbabwe’s Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA) unveiled, on February 22, its groundbreaking digital Do-It-Yourself (DIY) investment licensing system, signaling the nation’s commitment to fostering a business-friendly climate. The innovative platform streamlines investment processes, enticing both local and international investors.
Tafadzwa Chinamo (pictured), CEO of ZIDA, praised the launch as a pivotal moment, emphasizing Zimbabwe’s determination to facilitate seamless investment procedures. The DIY portal reduces the license approval timeline from seven working days to an impressive two to five days. Investors worldwide can now navigate the licensing process remotely, eliminating geographical barriers.
The automated system integrates with various government ministries and departments, ensuring a harmonized regulatory approach. Busisa Moyo, Chairman of ZIDA, underscored the portal’s strategic significance in positioning Zimbabwe competitively on the global investment stage. With swift access to the nation’s abundant opportunities, investors can explore Zimbabwe’s potential with ease.
Zimbabwe’s transition to digital platforms reflects a broader commitment to modernization and efficiency within its regulatory landscape. By simplifying procedures and enhancing transparency, the government aims to instill investor confidence and catalyze economic growth.
Martin Rushwaya, Chief Secretary to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, reaffirmed the government’s resolve to dismantle bureaucratic obstacles and bolster investor protection mechanisms. ZIDA’s digital leap represents a crucial stride toward realizing Zimbabwe’s vision of economic transformation. The nation stands poised to become a beacon of investment opportunity, attracting forward-thinking entrepreneurs and fostering innovation.
The transition to digitalization indicates Zimbabwe's openness to business, and innovation, and its support for entrepreneurship and investment. With this visionary strategy, investors from around the globe can boldly explore the opportunities Zimbabwe offers as the nation advances into the future.
Hikmatu Bilali
African digital financial inclusion remains a challenge. In that context, the new partnership seeks to expand access to financial services.
US Fintech Visa and the GSMA Mobile for Development Foundation (GSMA Foundation) launched the Digital Finance for All (DFA) initiative on Monday during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. This initiative aims to boost digital financial inclusion among 20 million individuals across Africa, Asia, and Latin America by providing targeted educational resources and facilitating access to mobile money services.
The DFA program seeks to equip women, small-scale farmers, and entrepreneurs running nano-, micro-, or small-sized enterprises with essential financial knowledge via technological tools. By doing so, it hopes to enable these groups to leverage mobile money platforms effectively within their respective nations.
"At Visa, we believe that digital payments are critical to including everyone in the digital economy by helping provide access to economic livelihood. Together with the GSMA Foundation, we seek to empower those in underserved communities across the world and provide equal access to help build better financial futures for all," said Chiagozie Nwabuebo, Vice President of Global Growth and Social Impact at Visa.
Despite progress over the past decade, Africa's bank account penetration remains low globally. As a result, many African citizens have increasingly relied on mobile money as a viable alternative form of payment. With the expansion of fintech companies throughout the region, mobile money has become an integral aspect of daily life in Africa.
As per the GSMA's "State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money 2023," the number of active mobile money accounts in Africa rose by 17%, reaching approximately 763 million, while total transactions approached $832 billion - an increase of 22% from 2021. Although growth rates were lower in Latin America and Asia compared to Africa, these markets have also seen significant increases in mobile money usage.
As stated by Ashley Olson Onyango (photo, left), Head of Financial Inclusion and Agri-Tech at the GSMA, “Mobile money can play a transformative role in advancing financial inclusion and resilience for the nearly 2 billion people who remain unbanked globally. However, poor digital and financial literacy is a key barrier to accessing digital financial services, especially for certain population segments like women, farmers, and micro-merchants.”
Adoni Conrad Quenum
The digitalization of education in Africa holds significant promise for revolutionizing educational systems and enhancing learning results. Yet, obstacles persist, including inadequate infrastructure and the imperative to equip educators with proficiency in these emerging technologies.
The University of Johannesburg (UJ) has been awarded a grant of approximately 8.1 million rand ($422,000) by the European Union (EU) to implement the Promotion of Technology Enhanced Learning and Digital Education (Pro-TELDE) project in South African Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges. The project, funded by the EU’s Erasmus program, aims to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to transform education and foster a culture of continuous learning and innovation.
"Project Pro-TELDE reflects UJ’s commitment to advancing digital education and empowering educators for success in the digital era, driving positive societal change through transformative educational initiatives," said Professor Tankiso Moloi, 4IR Research Chair at Johannesburg Business School, UJ.
The EU funding aligns with UJ’s dedication to digital education. The university has recently made significant strides in AI, ranking sixth among African universities for its contributions to AI research.
As part of the project, vocational education will be offered, as well as training of educators, to equip them with the necessary tools to navigate and excel in this new era. An online repository of validated digital educational resources, specifically designed for South African educators, will be established to serve as a hub of knowledge and innovation, providing them with access to a wealth of information and tools to refine their teaching methods.
This initiative, by equipping educators with the tools and knowledge to adapt to digital advancements and incorporate them into their teaching practices, aims to pave the way for a brighter and more technologically advanced future for South Africa’s education sector.
Samira Njoya
For three days, global telecommunications and technology sector stakeholders will meet to discuss an ever-smart and connected world and exchange insights and innovations.
The Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona, Spain, has drawn nearly 96,000 registrants for this year’s event, which opened on February 26, according to Mats Granryd, Managing Director of the Global System Operators Association (GSMA). This marks an increase from last year’s attendance of approximately 90,000.
The Mobile World Congress 2024 (MWC 2024), officially inaugurated by King Felipe VI, is focusing not only on connectivity but also on all related sectors. "As connectivity brings us together, technology opens possibilities – with connectivity driving a fusion of technology and purpose across all sectors, enabling new possibilities. This week is all about exploring the future's potential for businesses and society," said Mats Granryd.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the most prominent segment at this year’s event, with public adoption of generative AI, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, gaining traction since its introduction in November 2022. The tech community and governments are currently considering the practical applications, economic implications, ethical use regulations, and safety concerns of generative AI.
Other key topics to be discussed at the event include connected and electric cars, cloud computing, 5G and 6G technology, and the transformation of telecom operators.
MWC 2024 also presents an opportunity to explore the latest tech gadgets, including wrist smartphones, connected watches, laptops, and tablets. Major broadband industry players such as Orange, Vodafone, Telefonica, and China Mobile will be in attendance, along with leading tech companies like Huawei, Samsung, Microsoft, Intel, Amazon, Infobip, and Nokia.
The startup ecosystem is well represented, with a dedicated space for tech entrepreneurs and an African delegation featuring companies like Ghana’s Farmerline, Benin’s FedaPay, and Senegal’s Lafricainemobile.
The event, which concludes on February 29, is expected to foster numerous partnerships for the advancement of global connectivity and digital transformation among private, public, and public-private entities.
Muriel Edjo
At just 15 years old, a serious accident left Nathan Nwachuku sidelined from school for six long months. During his recovery, he discovered the potential of online classes and decided to fully devote to it, by setting up Klas.
Nigerian start-up Klas, co-founded by Nathan Nwachuku and Lekan Adejumo in 2022, has developed an edtech solution that allows users to establish their online schools on its web platform. Since its inception, the start-up has raised $1.3 million to enhance its technology and foster growth.
For Nwachuku, Klas is similar to the e-commerce platform Shopify but for online courses. “What they are doing for online stores where anyone can set up their stores and sell anything online is what Klas is trying to do for its users by helping them set up online schools and run classes,” he told TechCrunch.
To use Klas, users must visit its website and create an account by providing their first name, last name, phone number, and email address. After setting up a password, users can proceed to create their online school in a field of their choice, with options ranging from coding and finance to art and foreign language learning. Klas provides a variety of course formats, including live courses, pre-recorded video content, and ebooks.
Unlike other edtech companies that integrate tools like Google Meet or Zoom for classroom experiences, Klas has developed its tool, KlasLife. Nwachuku explains that KlasLife, built from scratch with a unique video architecture, does not use a video programming interface. He emphasizes Klas’s focus on a closed ecosystem, contrasting it with other large companies that are essentially integration toolkits with fully integrated platforms.
Klas offers a free package that includes services such as recorded courses and ebooks, along with two paid packages priced at $29/month and $99/month (yet to be launched). The company also plans to introduce additional services for businesses, such as employee development, to increase revenues. As of February 2024, Klas boasts over 5,000 online schools and more than 300,000 students, intending to reach 100,000 online schools by 2027.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
As a social entrepreneur, she is committed to bridging the gender gap in technology.
Barbara Mutabazi (photo) is a Ugandan social entrepreneur working to bridge the technological gender divide across Africa as the founder of Women in Technology Uganda (WITU). Established in 2014, WITU empowers young and underprivileged women in Uganda through hands-on training, resources, and employment prospects to foster tech innovators, leaders, and entrepreneurs contributing to local and regional economies.
WITU imparts diverse professional, commercial, and digital skillsets, encouraging participants to initiate revenue-generating activities and develop comprehensive business plans by analyzing community needs. The organization further promotes collaboration among its members, aiming to nurture a culture of creativity and achievement while supporting startup growth in Uganda.
Mutabazi is also a co-founder and director of Hive Colab, a hub promoting experimental concepts with significant societal and economic impacts in Uganda. This initiative aims to establish a conducive environment for innovation and excellence, thereby enhancing the success rate of emerging businesses.
A graduate of Makerere University in 2011 with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Computing, Mutabazi continued her education at the University of Salford, England, earning a Master's Degree in Information Systems Management in 2018. Her extensive experience includes serving on the Board of Directors of AfriLabs Foundation from 2014 to 2017 and acting as the National Director of the SPRING Accelerator in Uganda from 2014 to 2017. Additionally, Mutabazi served as an associate at the British Council's Business Creation Service from 2018 to 2021, providing business development support to more than 50 creative entrepreneurs throughout Africa.
For her efforts, she received the Anita Borg Institute's Change Agent Award in 2014 and became a Fellow of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Mandela Washington program in 2017.
Melchior Koba
Moove Africa, a mobility company operating in six sub-Saharan African markets, is currently in talks with Uber regarding a potential investment. The funding would support Moove Africa's continued expansion across the continent.
Uber Technologies, the American ride-hailing giant, is poised to invest $100 million in African vehicle financing startup Moove, according to a Bloomberg report. The investment is part of a new funding round that could increase Moove’s enterprise value from $650 million to around $750 million.
This funding round follows a recent $76 million financing round that included participation from U.S. asset management firm BlackRock and Emirati investment firm Mubadala Investment Company. Moove aims to use these funds to build the world’s largest technology-enabled financial services platform for mobile entrepreneurs.
Moove, which is already a funding partner of Uber in Africa and India, could see its partnership with Uber strengthened if the $100 million investment is confirmed. This could potentially enable broader vehicle financing on a global scale.
Currently headquartered in Amsterdam, Moove operates in several African cities, including Lagos, Accra, Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Nairobi, as well as in London, Dubai, and three major Indian cities: Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bangalore.
Samira Njoya
In line with its mission to help startups and entrepreneurs grow, Bamako IHub, a Mali-based innovation hub, offers a range of resources including financial support, coworking spaces, and R&D laboratories.
Bamako IHub, a Malian incubator, is dedicated to fostering a conducive ecosystem for technology start-ups and green industry companies in Mali and Africa. Established by the non-governmental organization Mali Folkecenter Nyetaa, the tech hub aims to equip startups, entrepreneurs, and aspiring entrepreneurs with the necessary tools, expertise, and training for their growth.
The incubator provides a coworking and networking space, fablabs for R&D, and a range of programs including pre-incubation, incubation, acceleration, and financial support for seed-stage start-ups. Our mission “is to provide startups, entrepreneurs, and aspiring entrepreneurs, primarily in the tech and green sectors, with the essential tools for their growth, the expertise and training they need to develop their businesses and themselves, as well as technical and financial support tools tailored to the needs of project leaders and the African entrepreneurial and financial ecosystem in general, and Mali in particular,” it informs on its website.
Bootstrap-Mali, the hub’s pre-incubation program, offers a three-month professional technical training course introducing tech entrepreneurship and the green industry in Mali to students, start-ups, and entrepreneurs.
BoostUp-Mali, the incubator’s incubation and acceleration program, assists tech and green startups and entrepreneurs in structuring their startups, organizing their initiatives, building their teams, and accessing the market and initial financing.
Through its BuildUp-Mali program, Bamako IHub provides members access to experimentation labs, coworking and collaboration spaces, and devices with pro versions of sought-after software in the sector. The incubator’s fablab offers a range of devices, including 3D and PVC card printers, and state-of-the-art work tools such as computers and high-speed internet.
Melchior Koba
E-commerce growth in Africa is projected to accelerate over the next decade, fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic. To support and sustain this expansion, there is an urgent need for regulatory frameworks.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) and World Bank have launched "Digital Trade for Africa," a project aimed at boosting e-commerce growth and job creation on the continent. The announcement came during the WTO's 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi last Saturday.
The initiative seeks to address limited digital infrastructure and regulatory frameworks hindering Africa's e-commerce potential, according to WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. “Digital trade is one of the fastest growing segments of trade in the world today. Young people and women on the African continent have shown that they are able to take advantage of these opportunities. Africa has only 1 percent share of digitally delivered services trade, but I see it as an opportunity for the continent to grab on,” she stated.
The project builds on a July 2023 joint WTO-World Bank policy brief that urged the creation of a regulatory environment conducive to digital trade on the continent.
As part of the project, the WTO and World Bank will support select African countries in developing digital infrastructure, including payment systems, and in addressing barriers to digital trade participation.
The aim is to enable Africa to lift its economy through e-commerce in a context where E-commerce platforms in Africa are forecast to reach $59.18 billion in sales by 2027, up from $32.49 billion in 2022, according to a report by digital economy consultancy TechCabal Insights.
Samira Njoya
Nigeria's government is pursuing a strategic partnership focused on digital transformation and job creation through technology skills development.
The Nigerian Ministry of Youth Development has announced plans to partner with American Tower Corporation (ATC) Nigeria, a leading provider of telecommunications and technology infrastructure, to offer free Information and Communication Technology (ICT) training to young people in the country.
The announcement was made on Friday, February 23, in Abuja by the Minister of Youth Development, Ms. Jamila Bio Ibrahim (pictured center), during a visit by a delegation from ATC led by Mr. Ehize Ilozavbie (pictured right), Head of Public Affairs for Africa at ATC.
"The ministry’s major mandate is to create an enabling environment for the youth to thrive and to prepare them for the 21st century economy just as President Bola Tinubu has emphasised severally in most of his engagements. We are ready to partner with you in the area of information communication technology, which is the main area of partnership with your corporation that our youths can benefit from," the Minister said.
In the wake of the technological revolution, digital skills have become a necessity rather than an option. The Nigerian government, through the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, has implemented several ICT training programs to enable the local population to acquire these essential skills. These initiatives allow Nigeria, one of the most mature technology ecosystems on the continent, to support its digital transformation and foster creativity among the country's youth.
ATC operates in 33 states across Nigeria and, according to Mr. Ilozavbie, it has already trained over 50,000 Nigerians.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
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Through his company Hilt Technology Engineering, Sissoko provides consulting and technology solutions to help businesses of all sizes digitize their operations and stay ahead of the curve.
Ibrahima Sissoko (photo) is a Franco-Malian serial entrepreneur with a passion for driving digital transformation across industries. As the founder and CEO of Hilt Technology Engineering, Sissoko has been providing digital services since 2016, helping clients develop technological projects and digitize their businesses.
Hilt Technology Engineering, with its team of experts, offers a variety of services including technology and innovation audits, consulting, and customized training programs. The company specializes in blockchain, application development, artificial intelligence, and data.
Sissoko, an active contributor to the Francophone business community, has been serving as the President of the Economic Intelligence Commission of the Groupement du Patronat Francophone (GPF) since January 2022. The GPF is a business network present in 88 member states and governments of the Francophonie.
The serial entrepreneur holds a Master’s degree in Management and Digital Transformation from EPITA, a degree in Computer Engineering from the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM) in France, and a diploma in Accounting from Harvard Business School Online.
In addition to Hilt Technology Engineering, he has founded several other ventures. In 2019, he established Growth Ground, a London, Paris, and Dubai-based consulting firm specializing in growth strategy and finance. In 2020, he also launched Talent Factory Paris, a network of IT professionals offering product engineering services.
The same year, he co-founded NamX (New Automotive Mobility Exploration) with Faouzi Annajah and Thomas De Lussac. NamX, which designs hydrogen-powered vehicles with rechargeable capsules, showcased its prototype at the Paris Motor Show in October 2022, attracting over 400,000 visitors.
Melchior Koba
Meaning ‘Not Far’ in Wolof, Soreetul was launched to provide easy access to local products.
Soretuul is an e-commerce platform founded by Senegalese entrepreneurs Awa Caba, Idrissa Diatta, Ndèye Awa Guèye, and Bineta Coudy De, in 2013. It offers consumers access to locally sourced products, including fresh produce, cosmetics, and more. The platform aims to connect consumers with products that might otherwise be difficult to find while supporting female producers in remote areas.
"The idea for the Soreetuul project came from the fact that we had noticed that consumers had difficulty finding local products in supermarkets or stores. Women who work in the product processing sector don't have access to the market either, as they are in remote areas of the capital," said founder Awa Caba.
The web-based platform (no mobile app) allows users to find, order, and arrange delivery or pickup of items. It features dedicated sections for Tabaski shopping and gift purchases, offering convenience and curated product selections. In 2016, the startup was awarded a €15,000 grant after winning the Pitch AgriHack competition.
Burkina Faso approved, on Thursday, a draft bill to establish a unique identifier for all individuals within its borders and a national register of identifiers. The system aims to simplify access to services and will issue government-recognized IDs regardless of nationality or legal status.
In Africa, accelerating digital transformation necessitates tight cooperation among various stakeholders, leveraging their collective knowledge for faster progress.
The Southern Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Ethiopian Ministry of Innovation and Technology have signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen their collaboration in science, technology, innovation, and digitization. The agreement, signed on Tuesday, February 20, marks the beginning of a strategic alliance aimed at accelerating digital transformation, enhancing capabilities, sharing expertise, and promoting youth exchange initiatives.
The partnership will establish capacity-building initiatives for the Ministry’s professionals and public servants, leveraging the SCO’s resources and expertise. It will also provide new opportunities for youth through educational programs and scholarships, with a particular emphasis on science and technology disciplines.
This partnership is expected to be a key driver for the advancement of Ethiopia’s digital infrastructure, enhancing public services and strengthening key economic sectors through technology. It represents a significant step towards achieving the nation’s digital roadmap, “Digital Ethiopia 2025,” which aims to digitize over 300 services by 2025.
At the same event, OCS Secretary General Sheikh Manssour Bin Mussallam introduced the Greater South Learning Enrichment Resources Nexus (GreSLERN) digital platform. This open-source digital tool is designed to assist educators in member states and curriculum development centers in implementing a comprehensive and inclusive educational approach.
Samira Njoya