On Monday, April 22, Djibouti’s Minister of Labor, Omar Abdi Said, met with the Moroccan Minister of Digital Transition during his official visit to Morocco. The two officials discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation, focusing on digital transition, administrative reform, and social protection. They expressed satisfaction with the relations between their countries and agreed to promote the exchange of expertise and best practices for the mutual benefit of their populations.
Despite the ongoing funding challenges in the African technological landscape, the platform 'Africa: The Big Deal' maintains an optimistic outlook for a resurgence in the near future.
Equity funding mobilized by startups in Africa accounted for less than 1% of all funds raised globally in the first quarter of 2024. This was reported by Africa: The Big Deal, the database that tracks over $100,000 deals captured by African startups, on Tuesday, April 23.
The total funding for these startups was $332 million, compared to the global startup funding of approximately $58.4 billion during the same period. This represents a 47% decrease in funding for Africa compared to the same period in 2023, while a global decrease of 21% was also noted. All regions, except Europe, experienced a decline.
"If we compare Q1 2024 funding to the funding heatwave peak (in late 2021/early 2022), start-ups are currently raising 5x times less quarterly than they were when fundraising peaked in Q3 2021. This is a more serious contraction than the global average (3.1x), which is very much influenced by Europe and US numbers (2.7x). It is in line with the Asian trend though, and much less dramatic than the gap registered in Latin America (14x)," explains Africa: The Big Deal.
Despite the challenging performance of African startups, ‘Africa: The Big Deal’ remains hopeful for the upcoming months. The platform notes: "...We have seen in the past that the trends observed in the US and Europe usually take a couple of quarters before they impact Africa." It anticipates that the recent resurgence of funding in the United States and Europe will eventually ripple through to Africa.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
Securing people's identity through digital technologies is a current concern in Africa, where millions of people remain legally "non-existent". This is a key issue for economic and social development.
The Belgian group SEMLEX, which specializes in the production of secure identification documents using biometric solutions, has started building its headquarters and ultra-modern factory in the Nokwane Special Economic Zone. The works were launched by King Mswati III on Wednesday 17 April 2024. The initial amount released for this investment is estimated at 810 million emelangini ($42.2 million).
[PHOTOS]: His Majesty King Mswati III cuts the sod at the construction site for Semlex Group's state-of-the-art Africa head offices & plant at Nokwane Special Economic Zone. pic.twitter.com/EgNxaKrGUR
— Eswatini Government (@EswatiniGovern1) April 17, 2024
“The creation of a local factory for the production of secure identity documents offers hope for the African region in terms of locating highly specialised services, which will enable Eswatini to develop its skills and reduce production costs for all secure identity documents. The advanced technology and rigorous security features built into these documents will ensure the integrity of our national identification systems, strengthen border control measures, and enhance the safety and protection of our citizens and residents,” said the King.
According to the African Centre for Statistics (ACS) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), reliable digital identity can contribute to economic growth in Africa. At the 12th StatsTalk-Africa webinar held on 20 February 2024 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, under the theme "Building inclusive national identity systems - Interconnecting digital and legal identity", Mactar Seck, head of technology and innovation at UNECA, said that "each country could unlock economic value equivalent to between 3% and 13% of GDP in 2030 through the implementation of digital identification programmes."
Stressing the important role of identification in social and economic inclusion, civic participation, etc., William Muhwava, head of demographic and social statistics at the ACS, deplored the fact that almost 542 million people in Africa do not have an identity card. Of these, some 95 million children under the age of five have never had their births registered, and 120 million children have no birth certificate.
The King also stated that in addition to securing documents and personal identity, the SEMLEX production plant "will have a transformative impact on our economy. It will create employment opportunities for our people, promote skills development, and contribute to the transfer of knowledge and technology.”
Satellite Internet adoption is vital for Africa's economic growth, especially amid recent fiber optic cable disruptions. It offers a resilient alternative, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity and sustaining essential digital services, fostering economic development.
Smart Africa has made a strong case for adopting satellite technology to address internet connectivity challenges in African countries. This was revealed during the opening meeting of the 13th Smart Africa Council of African Regulators in Lilongwe, on April 17.
Director General of Smart Africa Lucina Kone emphasized the importance of collective efforts in adopting satellite technologies to overcome the challenges posed by internet connectivity issues in Africa, where the distribution of cables has been inadequate.
"Most African countries are surrounded by internet cables but it has been a challenge to make these cables move across the continent. We, as Africans, should strive to making sure that they move so that internet connectivity challenges can be addressed,” Kone said at the meeting.
Thokozani Chimbe, Director of Legal Services at the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA), highlighted the significance of projects like One Africa Network (OAN) in enhancing digitization and addressing data roaming and charges.
In his “African Wireless Communications Yearbook 2022,” Paul Hamilton of Hamilton research reveals that as of June 2021, 57.1% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa (669 million) was within a 25km range of an operational fibre optic network node, compared to 55.9% (620 million) in 2020, 41.8% (371 million) in 2013, and 40% (345 million) in 2012.
Despite these advancements, the communication infrastructure in interior African regions remains inadequate, limiting access to more populations. This gap can be effectively addressed by satellite technology to boost connectivity which is now more crucial for development given the role of the digital in economic growth.
Hikmatu Bilali
She embodies the spirit of innovation and commitment to a more sustainable future in Africa. In just one year of existence, her startup has already received national recognition.
Cynthia Umutoniwabo (photo), co-founder and CEO of Loopa, is on a mission to create a cleaner and smarter Africa. Hailing from Rwanda, she launched Loopa in 2023 under the Jasiri Talent Investor program in Kigali. The startup is quickly becoming a significant force in the climate technology sector, with its focus on transforming waste management through circular economy solutions.
Loopa targets organic waste and uses an innovative technological process to transform this waste into nutrient-rich organic fertilizers. These fertilizers are not only accessible but also affordable for small-scale farmers in Africa. By harnessing the power of the Internet of Things (IoT), Loopa optimizes this conversion process, offering an efficient and sustainable solution.
Cynthia Umutoniwabo has been serving as the deputy administrator of Cornwine, a Rwandan audiovisual production company, since September 2022. She is a software engineering graduate from Moringa School in 2021 and also holds a certification in tourism and service excellence from Cornell University.
Her professional journey includes a stint at the American hair salon Abby Hair Salon, where she worked as the operations manager from 2012 to 2018. In January 2022, she joined the Rwandan creative agency Dutch Tembo as the sales and marketing manager, a role she held for seven months.
Cynthia’s dedication to innovation was recognized in December 2023 when she was awarded the Innovator of the Year by Rwandan President Paul Kagame. This award acknowledges her exceptional contribution to the development of sustainable solutions in Africa.
Melchior Koba
The solution was launched by a tech entrepreneur on a mission to democratize legal expertise and make it accessible to everyone. It has become even more relevant with the adoption of electronic signatures in Tunisia in June 2023.
e-Tafakna, a Tunisian startup founded in 2022 by Norchen Mezni, offers a legaltech solution that streamlines the process of accessing, customizing, and finalizing legal documents online. With its mobile app, available on both iOS and Android (the Android app has been downloaded over 500 times from Play Store), users can electronically sign contracts to finalize agreements between different parties. The app offers a variety of contracts in French, English, and Arabic, including employment, real estate, certificates, and quotes/invoices.
Users can tailor documents to their specific needs, add relevant details, and send them out for signatures. The startup has also integrated artificial intelligence into its platform, offering recommendations for different contract clauses. This feature can be activated simply by scanning the document with a smartphone.
In addition to providing legal documents, e-Tafakna offers legal and accounting expertise and assists users in setting up limited liability companies and sole proprietorships. They offer a range of pricing plans, starting from $3.99 to $34.99, to cater to different user needs.
e-Tafakna won the StartUp’Act label in July 2022, a legal status that provides benefits for startups in Tunisia. In April 2024, e-Tafakna was selected to participate in the fourth edition of the Lab Innova for Tunisia 2024, along with 21 other Tunisian startups.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
She is dedicated to bridging the health gap for women. Her leadership and the impact of her company have earned her several awards and recognitions.
Berabose Aline Joyce, a tech entrepreneur from Rwanda, is the co-founder and CEO of Luna, a startup that offers digital health and wellness services for women across Africa. As Berabose described in 2023, Luna serves as a secure community platform where women can access reliable and safe products and services. Launched in 2022, Luna enables women to anonymously engage with other women and experts on key topics such as mental health, sexual and menstrual health, and maternity. Its mission is to simplify women’s access to trusted health specialists.
Luna’s primary services include Luna Health, a platform for consultations with certified doctors, and Luna Shop, an e-commerce platform that provides essential health and wellness products for women.
Before Luna, in 2016, Berabose Aline Joyce co-founded the African Dream Movement, a Pan-African organization dedicated to sustainable development and people’s well-being, where she served as the program director until 2019.
Berabose Aline Joyce completed her bachelor’s degree in Business and International Relations from Kigali Independent University in 2023. She also earned a diploma in Gender Studies, Menstrual Equity, Hygiene, and Management from the Clinton Global Initiative University in 2021.
She embarked on her professional journey in 2017 at AC Group Rwanda, a firm offering smart and interactive IT solutions, where she held the position of a marketing manager. In 2020, she transitioned to a consultant role for the Westerwelle Startup Haus Kigali incubator, powered by Evonik Stiftung. Her diverse career has seen her traverse multiple fields. In 2021, she took on the role of Head of Strategy at Right Venture Creative, a creative and communication agency.
In addition, she serves as the CEO of Kunda Eco — Arts Space, a company that creates and promotes recycled art and craft objects in Rwanda. In 2022, she joined Simbuka Technological Innovation, a social enterprise specializing in water-related technologies and solutions.
Berabose Aline Joyce’s exceptional leadership has been recognized widely. In 2023, she was named among the 32 Rwandan women changemakers, and in 2024, she received the prestigious Women in Leadership (WIL Award) in the health and wellness category.
Melchior Koba
The Algerian government adopted a pharmaceutical and industrial policy aimed at making this sector a strategic pillar of the economy, capable of generating wealth. To achieve its ambitions in that sector, it implemented several initiatives.
Algeria’s Health Minister, Abdelhak Saihi, announced on Monday, April 22, the country’s plans to launch a digital platform dedicated to managing community pharmacies nationwide in the coming months. The announcement was made during the opening ceremony of the 17th national symposium of the Algerian National Union of Community Pharmacists (SNAPO).
According to Saihi, the platform “will establish a new, modern, efficient, and transparent mode of managing all aspects related to community pharmacies, thus contributing to the prevention of self-medication and the control of the traceability of psychotropic drugs, while anticipating shortages and stockouts of pharmaceutical products.”
The development of this platform is being supervised by a committee that includes the General Directorate of Pharmacy and Equipment of the Ministry of Health, the Order of Pharmacists, and SNAPO. This initiative is part of the Health Sector Digitization Strategy, which aims to digitize all its aspects, including pharmacy management.
The platform will act as a dashboard for managing pharmacy activities across the country, facilitating the digital management of drug availability, duty rosters, and the traceability of psychotropics and antibiotics. It will also help anticipate shortages and stockouts of pharmaceutical products, thereby ensuring better access to medications for the population. The platform will also enable authorities to identify pharmacists who are practicing unlawfully.
According to the latest figures from SNAPO, there are currently 12,500 community pharmacies distributed across the country, equating to one pharmacy per 3,000 inhabitants.
Samira Njoya
In 2023, there was a noticeable downturn in fundraising for African startups compared to the previous year. However, to counter this trend and foster recovery, various supportive initiatives for these businesses are currently being implemented.
Egypt venture capital firm Beltone Holding, announced a partnership agreement between its subsidiary, Beltone Venture Capital (BVC), and CI Venture Capital, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi-based investment management company Citadel International Holdings, on Wednesday, April 17.
The collaboration aims to manage a $30 million fund dedicated to investing in promising startups in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. “The Fund will typically invest in pre-seed and seed funding rounds and will continue to support the best-performing portfolio companies in follow-up rounds; in addition to potentially investing in attractive opportunities at different funding stages,” said Ali Mokhtar, CEO of Beltone Venture Capital.
The launch of the fund aligns with the shared ambitions of the two companies to support the expansion of startups and stimulate innovation in the MENA region, with a focus on high-margin sectors and exponential growth driven by technology.
The fund is expected to bolster support for young businesses in the region. In recent months, the fund has started investing in leading startups such as Bosta, Trella, Qlub, and Ariika. According to data from the specialized platform Africa the Big Deal, startups in the MENA region raised $254 million in March, bringing the total for the first quarter to $429 million.
Samira Njoya
Collaborations to enhance digital adoption and growth are crucial for Africa's economic advancement, modernizing infrastructure, fostering innovation, and promoting secure data exchange, among others. These partnerships facilitate seamless digital interactions, unlocking economic potential, and contributing to inclusive growth and prosperity in Africa.
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) have unveiled a strategic partnership to address challenges in identity management, payment systems, and data exchange. This collaboration, in alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, was announced on April 17 by NITDA on X (formerly Twitter).
“Today, we have agreed to set up a technical working crew to look at how we can harmonize and implement national public key infrastructure, how we can work together to build the Nigerian DPI stack, how we can work together on the data exchange platform and to strengthen our enterprise Architecture across MDAs to give a 360 view of all government investments in IT,” said NITDA Director-General Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi.
This partnership focuses on integrating Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) to enhance data security and enable seamless digital exchanges in Nigeria, fostering innovation and economic growth across sectors within the country's digital landscape.
The collaboration between the two agencies is contributing to efforts to digitize public administration. The UN E-Government Survey 2022 revealed that Nigeria ranked 140 out of 193 countries, with an E-Government Development Index (EGDI) of 0.4525, indicating its readiness to utilize information and communication technologies for public services.
While Nigeria's EGDI falls below the global average of 0.5824, it marks a slight improvement from its 2020 ranking of 141. The E-Government Development Index (EGDI) gauges a nation’s preparedness and ability to utilize information and communication technologies for the provision of public services.
The initiative marks a significant step forward in Nigeria’s digital journey, signifying a transformative era for the nation’s digital economy and societal progress. It is expected to bring about a paradigm shift in the way digital interactions are conducted in Nigeria, paving the way for a more secure and efficient digital future.
Hikmatu Bilali
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The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, recently hosted Dr. Matteo Prosperi and Roland Ruhumuriza, respectively CEO and Africa Area Manager of De Lorenzo SpA, at the agency's Abuja headquarters, NITDA announced on its Facebook page on April 16.
The meeting centered on discussions regarding potential partnerships and collaborations aimed at bolstering Nigeria's digital economy.
Upon concluding his academic journey in Canada, he made his way back to Côte d’Ivoire, fueled by a vision to transform the agricultural landscape of Africa. His technological innovations in this realm have earned him numerous accolades and honors.
Aboubakar Karim is an Ivorian agroeconomist and entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and CEO of Investiv Group, dedicated to developing innovative solutions to support small-scale farmers in Côte d’Ivoire and throughout West Africa. Founded in 2017, Investiv Group specializes in precision agriculture and the use of drones in the agricultural sector. "With Investiv, we aim to contribute to building the future of African agriculture by focusing on digital transformation and precision agriculture tools," the entrepreneur says.
The startup's services are diverse, including mapping, phytosanitary diagnostics, and aerial spraying, all performed by drones. It also offers customized software solutions to its clients. Its clear goal is to help farmers reduce losses due to phytosanitary issues, precisely monitor the condition and size of their lands, and conduct essential technical studies for their agricultural projects.
In addition to his entrepreneurial commitment, Aboubakar Karim is the founder and director of the Côte d'Ivoire Flying Lab, an initiative affiliated with the We Robotics Organization. This community promotes the use of drones, robotics, and STEM for development and youth empowerment.
Karim graduated from Laval University in Canada in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics. His professional career began in 2016 at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food of Quebec, where he was an agroeconomist in the agri-food marketing and regional development service. Between 2021 and 2022, he worked as a business analyst at the Society for Cooperation for International Development (SOCODEVI) in Canada.
His innovations have earned him several distinctions, including the third prize in the African Startup Competition organized by Ecole Polytechnique de Paris in 2018, and a place in the top 10 of Africa's Business Heroes in 2020.
Melchior Koba
For many African countries, digitizing administration is the key to unlocking good governance, efficiency, and a more prosperous future.
Guinea’s progress in digitizing its public administration has been sluggish, a situation lamented by Prime Minister Bah Oury during a workshop on Saturday, April 20. The workshop, attended by several government officials, focused on streamlining the digitization of public services and enhancing communication between the administration’s digital platforms.
Oury attributed Guinea’s lag in part to a lack of cognizance of the swift advancements in the field. He pointed to underutilized past investments, such as a $10 million optical fiber project along the Guinean coast, as an example.
According to the latest United Nations report, "E-Government Survey 2022: The Future of Digital Government," Guinea ranks 162nd out of 193 countries worldwide in terms of e-government administration. The country, with an index of 0.2955, falls into the group of nations with an average e-government development index. Guinea is still below the global average index of 0.6102. In 2020, the country ranked 158th, marking a regression of four places.
In response to these deficiencies, The Prime Minister called for the removal of all obstacles hindering efficient computer systems in public administration, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's office.
On the technical front, the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Digital Economy is already making strides towards the swift modernization of public administration. The Republic of Guinea’s digitalization strategy, spearheaded by the national digitization agency, ANDE, is currently in the drafting stage. By 2026, it aims to digitally transform the Guinean administration, ensuring the sustainable development of digital technology that yields social and economic benefits for citizens and both the private and public sectors.
Samira Njoya
The solution was sparked by its founder’s personal experience. In 2014, during her 30th week of pregnancy, she underwent an emergency C-section due to complications. While fortunate to recover, this near-death experience from postpartum hemorrhage fueled her desire to develop a solution.
Nerve, an e-health mobile application, is the brainchild of the Nigerian startup LifeBank. It provides a platform for hospitals and health centers to order vital medical supplies like blood and oxygen. LifeBank, headquartered in Lagos, was established in 2016 by Temie Giwa-Tubosun.
The founder explains, “We are using Google Maps to create a communication platform between blood banks, hospitals and patients, which was previously non-existent. [...] I knew from the start that donors would always be an essential link in the distribution process. Without supply, what can we deliver?”
The app, available on iOS and Android, has already been downloaded over a thousand times. It connects blood banks with various hospitals and health centers. Users place orders through the app, specifying the required blood group, and the system takes care of the rest. LifeBank maintains a cold chain infrastructure to ensure the blood is properly preserved until it is delivered within 45 minutes or less.
The startup elaborates, “We work with over 150 accredited blood banks to provide safe blood and safe blood products. Our order and inventory system ensures that every product supplied is trackable and the safety records of blood and blood products are available to patients and health providers.”
Regarding oxygen supply, the startup asserts, “We work with over 50 oxygen plants to ensure that we only source and deliver high-quality medical oxygen.”
LifeBank uses various modes of transport for delivery, depending on the situation. These include bicycles, tricycles, trucks, and even drones. In March 2023, the healthtech incorporated artificial intelligence into its system to enhance its performance.
Adoni Conrad Quenum