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The tech entrepreneur leads Qwiper, a Niamey-based digital solutions startup.
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The company offers AI-powered tools, cybersecurity, and cloud infrastructure services.
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Its locally built super-app centralizes key digital services for users and businesses.
Issoufa Abdou, a Nigerien computer scientist and tech entrepreneur, is the founder, CEO, and CTO of Qwiper, a digital transformation startup launched in May 2024 and headquartered in the Lazaret district of Niamey.
Qwiper develops technological solutions to help organizations and individuals advance their digital transformation. The company designs tools to streamline processes, improve efficiency, and support business growth.
The startup provides artificial intelligence solutions and application security services to protect infrastructures and sensitive data. It manages the design, migration, and administration of optimized infrastructures, secure backups, and managed services for servers, emails, files, and databases.
Qwiper has also created a fully homegrown national super-app powered by AI, which centralizes essential digital services to simplify daily life. The app offers access to news, local networks, messaging, a marketplace, job offers, and events. A business-oriented version, Qwiper POS, supports sales tracking, inventory management, finance monitoring, and employee oversight.
Abdou holds a master’s degree in software engineering from the Private School of Engineering of Niger, earned in July 2025. His professional journey began in 2020 at Karatou Post Bac, an educational technology startup, where he worked as a software developer.
He later joined Novatech Niger as a web and mobile developer from 2020 to 2024 and moved to Otechma in 2022, where he became a software developer before being promoted to technical director in 2024. In 2023, he also served as a trainer in artificial intelligence, robotics, and the Internet of Things (IoT) for the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in Niger.
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The new body will oversee and promote electronic sports in the country.
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The initiative highlights esports as a driver of innovation and youth opportunity.
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It follows major national gaming tournaments backed by Orange Guinea.
Guinea has officially launched its Esports Federation, the national body overseeing electronic sports. Rose Pola Pricemou (pictured, right), Minister of Posts, Telecommunications and the Digital Economy, attended the official launch ceremony on October 11 alongside several government officials and representatives from the digital, sports, and cultural sectors.
“This initiative marks an important step in recognizing esports as a promising sector that combines digital inclusion, innovation, creativity, and economic opportunities for Guinean youth,” the ministry said in a statement on its Facebook page.
The launch comes about three months after the first national tournament, “FIFA Champions Guinea 2025,” held on June 27–28 at Chapiteau By Issa. Telecom operator Orange Guinea is also set to organize the “Orange FC Championship 2025” from October 25 to 26 to crown the country’s best EA FC 26 player. The winner will represent Guinea at a grand final in Morocco, featuring champions from 16 other Orange subsidiaries across the Middle East and Africa.
During the launch event, Minister Pricemou emphasized the need to support this growing sector, mobilize partners and sponsors, and encourage Guinean youth to seize new opportunities. According to a report by African game publisher Carry1st and market research firm Newzoo, Africa’s video game market reached $1.8 billion in 2024, up 12.4% from the previous year, compared with global growth of 2.1% over the same period.
In a world where artificial intelligence is reshaping entire sectors, some entrepreneurs are successfully transforming traditional industries by connecting cutting-edge technology with consumers' everyday needs.
Ahmed Badaoui Badis is a Tunisian entrepreneur specializing in artificial intelligence (AI) applied to health and wellness. He is the co-founder and CEO of Vistasy Clinic, a company that develops technology to provide accessible, personalized dermatological analysis.
Founded in 2021, Vistasy Clinic employs AI algorithms, combining image processing, computer vision, and cloud computing, to analyze facial and skin characteristics. This approach generates personalized diagnoses comparable to those performed in a medical setting, but accessible via a smartphone or smart mirror.
The analysis process uses a simple, intuitive user interface, delivering detailed reports to help consumers understand their skincare plans. The method is intended to democratize access to advanced dermatological analyses typically confined to specialized clinics.
Vistasy Clinic targets both professional and consumer markets with tailored solutions. For the professional market, the company offers smart mirrors for use in cosmetic brand retail spaces. For general consumers, a mobile application allows users to perform personalized facial analyses from home.
Badis graduated from the National School of Engineers of Tunis (ENSIT), where he earned a master's in industrial computing and automation in 2015, followed by a Ph.D. in electrical engineering in 2019.
He began his professional career in 2016 at Datavora, an e-commerce data company, working as a data scientist and data science consultant. In 2018, he joined the Finnish company Recon AI as a data scientist and computer vision engineer. The following year, he held the same roles at Incubit, a technology company based in Japan. Most recently, in 2020, he worked as a computer vision engineer at the Tunisian software development firm Panthera.
Melchior Koba
The Algerian engineer has established himself in recent years as a leader in bridging the gap between scientific research and practical application. His work explores how technology can address local needs without relying on imported solutions.
Adam Debba is an Algerian technology entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Qareeb, a company specializing in artificial intelligence (AI), edge computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Founded in 2023, Qareeb designs AI solutions engineered to operate locally without transferring data to remote servers. This edge computing approach processes information directly on site, enhancing data security while reducing cloud reliance and costs.
The company's flagship product, Q-Farming, is a smart agriculture system that helps farmers optimize water usage and improve yields. Utilizing LoRa technology, Q-Farming can transmit data over distances up to 30 kilometers, even in areas without mobile coverage. Soil-installed sensors continuously measure moisture, temperature, and soil composition. A central system analyzes this information to automatically determine irrigation needs.
Qareeb is also expanding into smart security. Q-Vision is a surveillance system designed to identify unusual behavior and send real-time alerts. Meanwhile, Q-Access offers a multifunctional access control solution. The system is compatible with various equipment and can perform facial recognition, read RFID cards, scan QR codes, and analyze fingerprints.
Debba holds an engineering degree in hydraulics from the National Polytechnic School of Algeria and earned a doctorate in fluid mechanics from the French engineering school IMT Atlantique in 2017.
His professional career includes roles as a research engineer at the French research organization Armines, starting in 2013. In 2018, he joined Altran (now Capgemini Engineering), where he worked on air circuit modeling before becoming a systems engineering team leader a year later. From 2020 to 2023, he served as a technical manager at Expleo Group, a French engineering and technology consulting firm.
In 2024, Debba received several awards, including first place at the Algeria Startup Challenge Greentech Challenge and first place at TechWadi. Representing Algeria, he also took second place at the Arab IoT & AI Challenge and won the Innov'Up award at the TotalEnergies Startupper Challenge.
Melchior Koba
• Cameroon launches Climate Innovation Hub to boost green solutions
• CAMCIH to support research, startups in renewable energy, agriculture
• Aims to cut climate risks, train youth for green economy jobs
Cameroon Climate Innovation Hub (CAMCIH), a non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting climate innovation and sustainable development, was officially launched on Thursday, October 2, at the ICT University in Yaoundé.
Housed within the institution, the hub aims to strengthen research, technology, and green entrepreneurship to deliver practical solutions to Cameroon’s environmental and economic challenges.
CAMCIH will function as an incubation and collaboration platform for researchers, young innovators, businesses, and public policymakers. It will support the development of local solutions in key areas such as renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, waste management, and urban resilience. The center also plans to offer training and capacity-building programs to equip young people with the technical and entrepreneurial skills required for green technologies.
The launch comes as Cameroon faces worsening climate impacts, including recurrent flooding, droughts in the North, and declining agricultural productivity. According to the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), the country could lose between 4% and 10% of its GDP by 2050 if effective adaptation measures are not adopted.
The main objective of CAMCIH is to position Cameroon as a regional leader in climate innovation, able to turn scientific research into economic opportunities. By focusing on green technologies and young innovators, the initiative aims to reduce the country’s climate vulnerability while promoting sustainable and inclusive growth.
Samira Njoya
The South African entrepreneur is proposing a simple solution tailored to local realities. His approach is transforming payment practices across Africa in a context where hurdles are slowing financial inclusion.
South African technology entrepreneur and blockchain engineer Julian Kanjere is co-founder of Mandla Money, a company reshaping how people transact across Africa by focusing on simplicity and accessibility.
Founded in 2019, Mandla Money operates on an alternative model, bypassing complex applications and bank cards. Instead, users can send and receive digital money via WhatsApp or SMS, making transactions possible even for those who only own basic feature phones.
Mandla Money has expanded beyond simple digital wallet functionality to address concrete needs on the continent. Its web application allows governments and humanitarian organizations to quickly distribute financial aid simultaneously to thousands of recipients.
The technology also facilitates cross-border money transfers. This enables a worker in South Africa to send funds to family in Zimbabwe or Mozambique, circumventing traditional, often costly and slow, transfer services.
In addition to his entrepreneurial activities, Kanjere is a blockchain engineer at South Africa's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). He also serves as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Cape Town, where he teaches on financial technologies and cryptocurrencies.
Kanjere began his professional career in 2013 as a software developer at the investment management firm Allan Gray Proprietary. From 2015 to 2020, he held roles as a software engineer and later as a technical sales and projects manager at the technology company Hexagon Asset Lifecycle Intelligence.
Melchior Koba
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South African fintech Sticitt streamlines school payments and money use
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App helps parents track spending and teach financial responsibility
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Partnership with Paymentology expands financial literacy among students
South African entrepreneur and financier Theo Kitshoff is the co-founder and CEO of Sticitt, a fintech company dedicated to transforming financial management in schools. Founded in 2017 with partners Mitch Dart and Dennis Wevell, Sticitt provides digital solutions to simplify payments within the education system and promote financial responsibility among children.
Through its mobile application, Sticitt Wallet, parents can fund a digital account from their phones, allowing students to pay for school meals, field trips, or tuition using a QR code, card, or payment wristband. The system gives parents full visibility over expenses and allows them to set spending limits, helping families guide children’s use of money.
For schools, Sticitt eliminates the burden of handling cash by automating and securing transactions, which reduces administrative workload and financial risk. This enables school staff to focus more on teaching and student engagement.
In February 2025, Sticitt partnered with fintech Paymentology to strengthen financial literacy among South African students through a Mastercard debit card program designed to encourage responsible financial habits from a young age.
We’re proud to announce our partnership with @sticcit
— Paymentology (@Paymentology) February 4, 2025
Together we are building a financially empowered future for South Africa’s by shaping the next generation of financially responsible individuals while making school #payments effortless.https://t.co/rqkVgG1E9K pic.twitter.com/6Q4patqESx
A member of the international OPUS collective of founders and entrepreneurs, Kitshoff holds a bachelor’s degree in financial mathematics from Stellenbosch University (2011). He began his career at Absa Capital in 2012, working in capital management and balance sheet optimization, before joining Fundi SA in 2016 as product manager and later head of new business development.
- New Generation Academy to launch on October 13 for top-performing students
- Program offers hands-on training in coding, robotics, and STEM fields
- Initiative aims to equip youth with skills for Africa’s digital economy
Kigali is now home to New Generation Academy, the first accredited school in Rwanda offering professional training in software programming and embedded systems. The program, set to launch on October 13, targets students who have completed Senior 3 with strong results in the 2024/2025 national exams.
New Generation Academy stands out for its practical, project-based approach. From the early years, students receive training in coding, robotics, and STEM subjects science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The school emphasizes hands-on learning, offering programs aligned with both national and international systems through an equivalence certificate issued by the Higher Education Council (HEC).
The school’s opening comes as coding and tech education gain momentum across Africa. Its mission is to meet the continent’s growing demand for digital skills and prepare young people for careers in the emerging digital economy. According to the “Foresight Africa 2025–2030” report by the Brookings Institution, around 230 million jobs in sub-Saharan Africa will require digital skills.
New Generation Academy’s program is designed to equip students with advanced programming abilities, practical project experience, and exposure to innovative technologies. Such initiatives are helping to train a new generation of tech talent capable of supporting start-up growth and driving Africa’s digital transformation.
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Nigeria’s CBAAC signed a partnership with DigitA to accelerate the digital transformation of African arts and heritage institutions.
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The agreement makes DigitA the CBAAC’s official digital advisor, focusing on capacity building, innovation, and infrastructure.
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The initiative aims to turn culture into a driver of economic growth and global influence through technology.
The Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC), a Nigerian parastatal institution, has signed a memorandum of understanding with DigitA, an African digital strategy firm, to strengthen the role of technology and innovation in preserving and promoting African culture and heritage.
At the signing ceremony last week, Aisha Adamu Augie, Director-General of the CBAAC, said the partnership reflects the centre’s ambition to use technology as a bridge between Africa’s cultural legacy and global audiences.
“Cultural preservation and promotion in the 21st century must go hand in hand with innovation. This partnership with DigitA reflects our vision to bring African cultural heritage to the world through technology,” Augie said.
Under the agreement, DigitA becomes the official digital advisor to the CBAAC. The firm will design and implement digital transformation strategies, develop technology infrastructure, and deliver capacity-building programs for cultural actors.
The partnership also includes the launch of scalable digital products and innovation initiatives to showcase African arts and heritage on the international stage.
The initiative comes amid a growing push by African cultural institutions to digitize archives, artworks, and oral traditions that risk being lost. The adoption of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence and immersive reality tools, offers new ways to preserve, distribute, and monetize Africa’s cultural wealth.
Analysts say such projects could also improve global access to African art and position the continent’s creative sector as a competitive economic industry.
Beyond preservation, the CBAAC–DigitA partnership aims to make digital technology a catalyst for creative and economic development. By integrating innovation into cultural management, both institutions seek to turn Africa’s artistic heritage into a source of employment, innovation, and soft power.
The initiative aligns with Nigeria’s broader efforts to digitize its cultural assets and place Africa “at the heart of global cultural dialogue,” according to the CBAAC.
This article was initially published in French by Samira Njoya
Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum
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Nigeria to build $10B tech hub in Katsina State
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Hub supports 3M tech talent plan, digital economy goals
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$500M World Bank loan backs broadband expansion nationwide
The Nigerian federal government plans to build a $10 billion tech innovation hub in Katsina State, Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy Minister Bosun Tijani said on Monday.
Tijani announced the project during a meeting with Katsina State Governor Malam Dikko Umaru Radda. According to local media, Katsina is one of ten states selected to host the new hubs, with construction expected to begin before the end of next year.
The minister also outlined other federal projects for the state, including plans to expand satellite internet in underserved areas and scale up the federal program to train three million young tech professionals nationwide. The Katsina hub will serve as a base of operations for these trained workers.
Governor Radda said the initiative complements the state’s own digital agenda, citing the adoption of a Right of Way policy, a State Digital Law, the creation of a Digital Economic Zone, and the establishment of an ICT directorate. He added that his administration plans to extend fiber connectivity to all Local Government Areas (LGAs).
The project aligns with Nigeria’s broader digital transformation strategy, which places ICT at the heart of national development. The government aims to raise the ICT sector’s share of GDP to 22% by 2027.
To support this effort, the World Bank on September 30 approved $500 million in financing for Nigeria under the BRIDGE Project, a $1.6 billion initiative also backed by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the European Investment Bank (EIB), and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB).
The program seeks to narrow the broadband gap in underserved regions by deploying about 90,000 kilometers of fiber-optic network. The infrastructure will be climate-resilient, renewable-powered, and built around seven national rings, 37 metropolitan loops, 77 regional networks, and multiple edge data centers.
Isaac K. Kassouwi
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Sierra Leone partners with Qhala to integrate AI in government
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500 civil servants to train; 10-15 AI workflows planned
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National AI readiness study launched with World Bank support
As it struggles with major development challenges, Sierra Leone is turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to modernize public services and boost its international profile.
The country ranks 172nd out of 193 in the United Nations 2024 E-Government Development Index, with a score of 0.3042.
To close this gap, Sierra Leone signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Qhala, a Nairobi-based digital transformation firm, during the 80th UN General Assembly.
The partnership will train civil servants to apply AI in their daily work , improving efficiency, decision-making, and service delivery.
The program’s first phase targets 500 trainees and the creation of 10–15 AI-driven workflows in government operations. The goal is to build digital capacity in the civil service and embed AI into public administration to speed up and improve service quality.
In a related move, the government on October 2 launched a National AI Readiness Assessment with support from the World Bank. The study will evaluate infrastructure, human capital, and regulation needed for AI adoption in key sectors such as health, education, agriculture, energy, and security.
Preliminary results will help identify priorities and guide Sierra Leone’s AI strategy. Both initiatives are part of a wider push to make government more efficient and responsive. By integrating AI into public institutions and critical sectors, Sierra Leone hopes to address chronic inefficiency, processing delays, and limited data use.
Officials see AI , with its capacity to process vast data sets , as a potential engine of development, improving coordination across sectors and promoting more inclusive, data-informed governance.
Samira Njoya
In Ghana, new technological approaches are changing how healthcare services are managed. This entrepreneur is among those piloting solutions to make these services more structured and accessible.
Ghanaian technology entrepreneur Isidore Kpotufe is pioneering new approaches to healthcare management as the founder of RiviaCo, a health-tech company created to make medical services more accessible and integrated.
Founded in 2024, RiviaCo is developing a network of primary care clinics—some company-owned, others through partnerships—all linked by a uniform technology platform, common brand identity, and standardized quality protocols. The goal is to offer affordable medical consultations, prescriptions, medications, and laboratory tests without excessive delays, while providing streamlined and easy access to health information.
RiviaCo directly manages "Rivia Clinics," which are equipped and administered according to its guidelines. It also offers a "Rivia Access Card" to facilitate entry to the network’s services, including virtual consultations and certain discounts. The Rivia Clinics network has already registered more than 50,000 patients.
"In five years, half of all healthcare transactions in Ghana will flow through the Rivia Access Card, and we will take our solution to four other countries," Kpotufe stated in 2024.
A serial entrepreneur, Kpotufe first founded Westcape in 2018, where he served as CEO until 2019. Westcape operates in transportation, logistics, technology, and advertising. In 2019, he launched the mobility startup Stabus, serving as its CEO until 2021.
Kpotufe began his career in 2013 at the Imani Center for Policy and Education, a Ghanaian think tank, where he held positions as Communications Manager and Head of Imani Francophone. From 2021 to 2023, he worked for Treepz, a Canadian mobility company, first as Country Director in Ghana and later as Marketing Director.
Melchior Koba
The Kenyan entrepreneur is exploring new ways to use technology to close financial gaps for small businesses struggling to access suitable solutions.
Kenyan entrepreneur and fintech advisor Ochich Magero is tackling financial gaps for small businesses in East Africa's agri-processing sector as the co-founder and CEO of TradePulse.
Established in 2023, TradePulse is a financial technology startup focused on providing tools tailored for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that struggle with financing and cash flow management, particularly in the food and agriculture sector. According to its official website, the company aims to "streamline Raw material sourcing challenges in Agro-processing in low trust markets."
TradePulse allows businesses to forecast, track, and meet immediate liquidity needs. It offers tools for creating and managing invoices, visualizing real-time cash flow, and facilitating the search for raw material suppliers, alongside secure payments.
In addition to leading TradePulse, Magero serves as an advisor at Afrinet Capital, a Kenyan venture capital platform, and at Picha Image, an image production technology company. His first entrepreneurial venture was in 2009 with the creation of Footprintnow, a social network platform.
Magero holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the Pontificia Università Urbaniana in Italy (2008) and a master’s degree in strategic management from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in Kenya (2010), where he subsequently worked as a lecturer and researcher for three years.
His career includes a role at KNATCOM in 2012, a public institution under the Kenyan Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, responsible for implementing UNESCO programs. He later served as Head of Business Development for Africa at Kip McGrath Education Centres in 2015, and as Country Director for Think Equal, a non-profit focused on child education and development in Kenya, starting in 2017. Before TradePulse, he was the Director of Strategy and Innovation at Lawyers Hub Kenya, an organization dedicated to legal technologies, from 2019 to 2023.
Melchior Koba
• Comoros launches measles-rubella drive using digital tools
• Over 101,000 children targeted across three main islands
• Real-time data aims to boost coverage, speed up response
The Union of the Comoros launched its national measles and rubella vaccination campaign on Oct. 4, using digital tools for the first time. The initiative, supported by the WHO and partners in the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), is funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
Officials say the shift to digital tools will transform data management and improve campaign efficiency.
“This innovation gives us real-time data to make strategic decisions and ensure the campaign’s success,” said Chamsa Halidi, EPI Coordinator for the Comoros.
Health workers are now using mobile devices equipped with the Open Data Kit (ODK) application, replacing traditional paper forms. Data collected in the field is instantly uploaded to interactive dashboards and maps, allowing daily tracking of team performance, rapid identification of low-coverage areas, and immediate corrective action.
The campaign aims to vaccinate over 101,000 children across the islands of Ndzuwani, Ngazidja, and Mwali.
The digital rollout is part of a broader regional effort to improve equitable access to healthcare and strengthen health systems through innovation.
Previous vaccination drives were hindered by data delays, entry errors, and uneven coverage, limiting oversight for national authorities.
By adopting these digital tools, the Ministry of Health and its partners aim to enhance transparency, accountability, and campaign effectiveness. Real-time monitoring will help resolve issues quickly, ensure that every targeted child is vaccinated, and improve planning for future campaigns.
Beyond measles and rubella, the initiative sets the stage for lasting digital transformation in Comoros’s public health programs, potentially serving as a model for other African island nations facing similar monitoring challenges.
Samira Njoya