The final phase of the AfricaTech Awards was held in Paris, on the sidelines of Viva Technology 2022. Three start-ups were awarded out of the 45 competing since May 2.
Weee Centre, Chefaa, and Click2sure are the winners of the first edition of the AfricaTech Awards, respectively in the climateTech, healthTech, and fintech categories.
The winners were selected last Saturday in Paris, France during an event hosted by Proparco and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) while New Energy Nexus, Cassava Technologies, and Orange S.A sponsored specific categories.
According to IFC’s Managing Director Makhtar Diop, “Africa is buzzing with innovative tech solutions that can help address climate change, promote food security, and expand financial inclusion. [...] Yet over 80% of African startups report difficulties in accessing funding. Initiatives like the AfricaTech Awards, which bring together entrepreneurs, governments, and investors, are key to attracting the resources and support that tech startups need to scale their innovations across the continent and beyond,” he adds.
Weee Centre, the winner in the climate tech category, is a Kenyan start-up founded in 2012. It provides e-waste management services and carries out "safe" green operations to protect the environment and human health.
Chefaa (winner in the healthtech category) is an Egyptian startup founded in 2018. It makes it easy for people suffering from chronic diseases to order drugs from pharmacies and get them delivered to their doorsteps or renew medical prescriptions.
For Click2Sure, the winner in the fintech category, it is a South African startup founded in 2015. It is a software as a service (SaaS) startup created to make life easier for companies operating in the insurance sector.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
In 2010, he returned to his native country because of family issues. During that period, he identified needs he could help with and created Famib Group with the ambition of contributing to digital transformation. Some dozen years later, that ambition is still much intact.
Amadou Diawara (photo) is a Franco-Malian computer scientist, an entrepreneur, and the founder of FAMIB Group, a Bamako-based software company. In 2010, he was working as an office manager for WFS (Worldwide Flight Services) in France when family issues forced him to return to Mali. Once in his native country, he became aware of the various needs in the local market, so he established Famib Group to answer them. Over the years, the group has grown significantly with a presence in Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Niger, Rwanda, Canada, and the USA.
Through Famib Group, Amadou Diawara heads several subsidiaries including Famib Consulting (specialized in consulting services), Delta Challenge (develops integrated digital solutions), and incubator FAMIB Labs. He also launched the Kingui Express marketplace and the Kingui Social network, the e-wallet payment system Xaalisi (creator of the Xaalisi and Mali Wari cryptocurrencies), and the Kingui Coin exchange platform, the Mali Virtual University, and Cluster Digital Africa whose aim is to improve the African digital ecosystem.
The Knight of the National Order of Mali considers himself one of Africa’s “digital transformers.” He is also committed to innovation research for the development of Africa because, “with everyone’s help, we can create unprecedented opportunities,” on the continent.
Melchior Koba
The lack of technical services in health facilities in many low- and middle-income countries makes it even longer to provide effective care to the population. Digital technology is presented as a solution to address this challenge.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), a UK government agency that funds health research, has approved the disbursement of £3 million ($3.6 million) to support the development of digital diagnostics in health systems in seven African countries. Imperial College London, which released the information on Tuesday, June 14, explained that the money was made available to its researchers and 13 collaborating institutions in Burkina Faso, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, the Netherlands, Sudan, Uganda, the United Kingdom, and Zambia.
Dr. Aubrey Cunnington, Division Head of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Imperial College London, who will lead the research program, explained that “We will evaluate the potential of digital diagnostic technology to tackle common problems including malaria and other childhood infections. The researchers in the project have a wide range of expertise, from electronic and design engineering to clinical medicine, health systems research, and mathematical modeling.”
“At present, less than half of the population of Africa have access to essential, accurate diagnostics. This makes it difficult to identify and administer the correct treatments, and to target disease prevention where it is most needed,” he said.
The NIHR funding is part of its Global Health Research Group (GHRG) program, which funds research, and supports research partnerships between researchers and institutions in the UK and in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The GHRG aims to generate scientific evidence that can improve health outcomes for low-income people by improving practice and informing policy. It also strengthens research to support its future sustainability in partner countries.
The funding will allow GHRG to develop and evaluate next-generation digital diagnostics for infectious diseases over the next four years. These digital diagnostics will use a handheld electronic device developed by a team of researchers at Imperial College London. Called Lacewing, it detects nucleic acids such as DNA on the surface of a microchip.
According to experts, the tests have similar accuracy to large laboratory machines but are fast, inexpensive, and portable. Results are sent to a smartphone that allows data transmission to monitor the real-time detection of different diseases at different locations.
Ruben Tchounyabe
Apart from internet connection, the availability of qualified human resources is the key challenge delaying digital transformation in Africa. So, Kenya is moving to prepare students for the connected world.
Last week, Kenya officially launched the first coding curricula to be taught in primary and secondary schools. The curricula were developed in partnership with Kodris Africa, an online publishing company that teaches learners how to code. The curricula include hands-on lessons that will help young people develop their problem-solving skills.
“Adding coding to the school curriculum will enhance students’ technological skills and put them on the scope in the ever-growing world of technology,” explains Kodris Africa CEO Mugumo Munene.
According to ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru, “the world is changing and everyone is going digital and Kenya will not be left behind as the globe goes digital.” For George Kinoti, Director of Criminal Investigations, it is important to give children IT skills because nowadays, everyone uses information technology, even criminals. “Equipping our children with IT skills in schools is very important because in today’s world even the police must be well trained in computer technologies to fight criminals who are now tech-savvy. Technology helps us bust crime in real-time and stay ahead of the criminals,” he said.
The curricula were approved by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) on April 19, 2022. The development of those curricula is in line with President Uhuru Kenyatta's Digital Literacy Program (launched in 2016) and the National Digital Master Plan (2022-2032), which provides for an improvement in the country’s digital skills. At the time, CEO Mugumo Munene had already indicated that it would be highly valuable for students to learn to code. “When students learn to code, they can become producers in this 21st Century digital age rather than merely consume what is created by others," he said.
Ruben Tchounyabe
In several low and middle-income countries, healthcare is still delayed by the poor technical services offered by health centers. The funding will help address the situation by improving medical diagnosis, which comes first before any medical intervention.
UK government agency National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) recently released about US$3.6 million to support the development of digital diagnostic tests for infectious diseases in seven African countries. The information was disclosed by the Imperial College London, in a release published, Tuesday (June 14). According to the release, the funding was awarded to researchers at the Imperial College London and those of 13 collaborating institutions in Burkina Faso, the Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, the Netherlands, Sudan, Uganda, the United Kingdom, and Zambia.
“We will evaluate the potential of digital diagnostic technology to tackle common problems including malaria and other childhood infections. The researchers in the project have a wide range of expertise, from electronic and design engineering to clinical medicine, health systems research, and mathematical modeling,” explains Dr. Aubrey Cunnington, Reader in Paediatric Infectious Diseases and head of the digital diagnostic test development project.
“The project addresses a huge unmet need for access to accurate diagnostics in low- and middle-income countries. [...] At present, less than half of the population of Africa has access to essential, accurate diagnostics. This makes it difficult to identify and administer the correct treatments, and to target disease prevention where it is most needed,” he stressed.
The NIHR funding is part of its Global Health Research Group (GHRG) program, which supports research partnerships between research institutions in the United Kingdom and in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The GHRG aims to generate scientific evidence that can improve health outcomes for low-income people by helping improve health practices and guide policies.
“Over the next four years, the funding will enable the GHRG to develop and evaluate next-generation digital diagnostic tests for infectious diseases,” the Imperial College indicates. To develop the tests, researchers will use Lacewing, a hand-held device developed by an Imperial College team. The device performs highly sensitive detections with an accuracy similar to that of large lab machines but it is portable, low-cost, and rapid, we learn. “The results are immediately linked to a smartphone which enables data transmission to monitor the real-time detection of different diseases in different locations,” the Imperial College London concludes.
Ruben Tchounyabe
In Gabon, the coronavirus caused a decline in blood donations, which were already not enough to meet demand. Ntchina wants to reverse the trend and help save more lives.
Ntchina is a digital platform that matches blood donors with recipients. The platform was first presented to the public by its developer (the eponymous Gabonese startup Ntchina) in 2021. On Tuesday, June 14, 2022, on the sidelines of World Blood Donor Day, it was officially launched.
Alvine Yeno, Ntchina’s founder, explained that the platform is the result of a sad experience. Indeed, one of her relatives suffering from lupus needed a blood transfusion but none of the calls for donors issued by her family yielded a result. “It was difficult finding donors. Calls for donors made on social media and to other relatives were not successful… I then asked myself what I could do to make that search more effective and help those in need. So, I started developing the project,” she explains.
The platform has a mobile app (available on AppStore and Playstore) that allows access to all of its services. Users can either register as donors or recipients by filling in a set of information including hometown and blood type. When donors with specific blood types are available, the platform can send alerts to users who activated that option. “Our mission is to facilitate blood donation for better care to those in need, notably sick people, pregnant women, accident victims, etc,” Alvine says.
Her startup also developed an online game to raise awareness of the importance of blood donation. Her initiative is highly important given that in Gabon, since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, blood donations have declined. Before the pandemic, authorities used to collect about 23,000 blood bags yearly. The volume was not enough to meet demand but, with the coronavirus-spurred decline, the gap between supply and demand has widened considerably. With Ntchina (which means "blood" in Myene), the gap could be reduced and more lives saved.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
His professional career started in 2011 when he joined his family’s business Food & Beverage Madagascar. But nowadays, he is a seasoned entrepreneur serving clients from every part of the globe.
Habib Hassim (photo) is a Malagasy entrepreneur and the co-founder of SmartOne Group, a startup specializing in data labeling and AI advisory. The startup started, in 2012, as a call center but gradually expanded its services. It now serves a broad range of industries notably mobility, e-commerce, agriculture, health, biosecurity, media, and finance. It provides those industries with smart tools that improve decision-making and management.
On June 10, 2022, Hassim signed a partnership agreement with telecom operator Orange Madagascar to implement a joint AI training program and facilitate the professional integration of Malagasy long-term job seekers and those who are no longer in the education system, being trained, or working.
His professional career began in 2011 with Food & Beverage Madagascar, the country’s largest agri-food producer and, distributor. He is now the managing director of the agri-food producing group controlled by his family. In 2019, he became the head of private equity fund manager Inside Capital Partners to “build next-generation champions.”
Melchior Koba
After a short professional career as a marketing and web strategy consultant for SQLI Group in France, he returned to his native country, Senegal. At 24, he was one of the digital marketing pioneers in his country with the creation of People Input.
Serigne Barro (photo) is the CEO and founder of consulting firm People Input. The Dakar-based firm was established in 2002. It guides firms in their strategic marketing decisions and develops innovative solutions that give those firms competitive advantages.
According to its CEO, People Input creates websites for its clients and helps them get visibility, on social media particularly. When it started operations, the startup had to face notable challenges. “When we first entered the [Senegalese] market, firms were not aware of the importance of the services we were offering and did not care much. We had to inform and convince them,” the CEO explains. He succeeded in doing just that. Nowadays, besides Senegal, the startup is also present in Cameroon, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, and Burkina Faso.
Thanks to People Input, he received several awards, including the 2012 WAEMU Award for best ICT Initiative. He also received the national award for the best ICT company in Senegal in 2012. Then, in 2016, he received the award for the best digital agency in Senegal and the best business solution in West Africa.
In 2014, he co-founded the communication agency Voice Africa, a joint-venture formed with advertising firm Dentsu SSA. Since 2018, he is the CEO of Dentsu SSA’s Francophone Hub. In 2020, in recognition of his achievement in the digital sector, he was appointed a member of Senegal’s National Digital Council.
Melchior Koba
In some parts of the African continent, it is still hard to access healthcare either because of the lack of healthcare personnel or their distance to health centers. Some tech entrepreneurs are trying to fix that.
Clafiya is an e-health platform that allows access to affordable healthcare in Nigeria. It connects patients in rural and peri-urban areas to community health workers.
The platform was developed by eponymous healthtech startup Clafiya founded in 2020 by Itoro Inoyo and Jennie Nwokoye. Its goal is to allow everyone to access healthcare. As its co-founder Itoro Inoyo explains, health is a fundamental human right so, no one should be left out no matter their race, gender, or socioeconomic status.
As internet connection is not always available in the areas targetted by Clafiya founders, the platform is accessible via a USSD code (*347*58 #). Users can then dial the code, register by providing a set of information, and book primary care anytime they want.
The healthcare packages offered by Clafiya cost between US$4.9 and 12. Each of the packages allows access to different primary care and services including blood pressure and blood sugar level screening, primary care consultation, rapid malaria, and typhoid diagnostics. If the case is serious, the patient is referred to a medical specialist, either online or offline.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
Before the creation of this center, the government’s digital transformation plans used to be implemented by many actors, sometimes rendering the actions inefficient. With the center, Madagascar intends to streamline actions for more efficiency in its digital transformation plan.
Madagascar recently created a special unit for the implementation of national digital transformation policies. The unit was baptized Digital Governance Center (UGD- Unité de Gestion Digitale). On June 8, 2022, the decree creating it was approved during the Ministerial council held the same day. That decree categorized the UGD as a public industrial and commercial entity with the Presidency and the Ministry of Digital Transformation as overseeing authorities.
According to Andry Rasoanaivo (photo, left), secretary-general of the Ministry of Digital Transformation, UGD will be the government’s operational arm in the digital sector. It will implement the various digital projects (public sector digitization notably) being developed. It will particularly implement the Digital Governance and Identification Management System Project (PRODIGY) whose main goal is to have a unique digital identity for every Malagasy and create a digital civil registry accessible to every public administration by end 2022.
Overall, the digital governance center will streamline the government’s strategic and financial actions for digital transformation. It will also help efficiently manage human resources.
In 2021, Madagascar became more focused on the digitization of public administrations and companies in a bid to improve their contribution to post-pandemic recovery. The digital transformation projects are notably aimed at modernizing public administration, preventing corruption as well as boosting economic development and social/financial inclusion. The various efforts are backed by international partners.
Ruben Tchounyabe
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Some ten years ago, Cameroon quicked-off plan to shift to e-governance. Some administrations are not making enough efforts to digitize their services but others are stepping up investments to keep up with trends in an increasingly connected world.
Cameroon’s Ministry of Public Service signed, Monday (June 13), a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with incumbent telecom operator Camtel. The aim of the MoU is to ensure the optimal availability of the online services offered to users and data security.
According to Minister of Public Service, Joseph Le (photo, left), under the MoU, Camtel will facilitate the Ministry’s staff access to the files and applications submitted by users thanks to its secure and redundant internet connection as well as broadband interconnection (via specialized optical fiber or radio waves). The incumbent operator will also permit the public to easily submit applications for civil service competitions online and allow the quick issuance of civil service certifications and the optimal management of the integrated payroll management system SIGIPES in regional offices.
During the signing ceremony, Camtel’s MD, Judith Yah Sunday (photo, right), explained that the incumbent operator would provide the various services expected by the Ministry of Public Service by leveraging its data centers. Indeed, the MoU was being worked out since May 4, 2021, when Minister Joseph Le carried out a guided tour at Camtel’s Zamengoé data center. The visit was called by Judith Yah Sunday in preparation for the operationalization of the integrated payroll management system SIGIPES.
In the past five years, the Ministry of Public Service carried out a number of digital transformation reforms to improve the services it offers users. The digitization reforms are carried out in line with the country’s strategic plan Digital Cameroon by 2020, which has “modernization of the public administration” as one of its key aims.
Ruben Tchounyabe
His professional career taught him how important technology was for company development. Back in his native country, he wants to invest in the field to save time and streamline operations.
Henri Ousmane Gueye (photo) is a Senegalese software engineer and entrepreneur. In 2015, he co-founded (with John Diatta) Eyone, a software company based in Dakar, Senegal. His company also specializes in IT systems architecture consulting and supports businesses in their digitalization efforts.
Through Eyone, he helped digitize the operations of several Senegalese hospitals and collaborated with the Ministry of Health and Social Security on several projects.
For the software engineer, digital solutions can help streamline operations and save time. For instance, he says “when going for a health check, patients usually waste time answering the same questions and going through the same medical examinations. Also, health professionals lack quality data.” But, all of these can be addressed with digital tools.
Under Ousmane’s leadership, Eyone has expanded from its Dakar base to France, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon and Gabon. The success achieved by the startup earned the co-founder several awards, including the second prize in the national phase of the 2017 Orange MENA Social Entrepreneur Prize.
Before pursuing an entrepreneurship career, Ousmane acquired extensive professional experience. In 2006, after a Master's in software engineering (in France), he joined Capgemini as a software engineer. Three years later, he became a contractural software developer for asset manager Lyxor and later a consultant for BNP Paribas Arbitrage.
Melchior Koba
In 2020, the Orange Group accelerated initiatives to become a multiservice operator in Africa. In that regard, it made strategic investments, which are gradually contributing to the expansion of its service offerings.
Telecom operator Orange Côte d’Ivoire launched, Monday (June 13), its e-health platform. Baptized Orange santé, the platform was launched in partnership with DabaDoc, a Moroccan heathtech backed by Orange Group in June 2021.
Currently, with Orange Santé, users can only book medical consultations. However, additional services will be added by 2023, allowing the diaspora to pay for e-consultations or users to carry out medical consultations online.
Orange Santé is specially dedicated to Ivorian health centers and professionals. It allows them to list their services, digitize their management, and create digital health records. It also offers health professionals more visibility and helps optimize their schedules.
The launch of Orange Santé is part of Orange Group’s strategy to become a reference operator and a key actor in the e-health segment in the Middle East and Africa. With the service, DabaDoc -which has been operating in the Maghreb for about eight years now- helps Orange address the doctor shortage ongoing in Africa and sustainably impact rural areas.
By 2023, Orange Group plans to launch Orange Santé in other Sub-Saharan African countries in addition to Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and Côte d’Ivoire, where the service is already operational.
Muriel Edjo
During the coronavirus pandemic, the number of e-learning platforms exploded. Two Beninise techpreneurs have decided to ride on that trend and revolutionize foreign language learning.
Nors is a mobile app developed by Benenese startup Phoenix Group, allowing users to learn foreign languages. The mobile app is available only for Android phones. It has four notable menus. The first is aimed at making the user learn specific words and phrases related to topics like family, emotions, relationships, the human body, and sickness. The second menu is for those who want to learn how to converse. This menu presents a set of conversation scenarios and how to respond. The third menu shows practice videos in which actors practice the real-world conversation scenarios users learned. The fourth menu is for networking, enabling users with common learning goals to practice and converse together.
To easily attract users, Phoenix Group set a sponsorship program rewarding users with points for every user they invite. The aim is to make Nors the go-to platform for language learning in Africa in the next three years. The app is free for every user, both registered and unregistered. Unregistered users can learn the languages they want through Nors but they cannot access technical resources or interact with the learning community.
Let’s note that Phoenix Group was founded in 2020, by Serge Atchoua and Essou Fulgence. Before developing the e-learning platform Nors, it developed Gala Space, a mobile platform on which users can promote their products and events.
Adoni Conrad Quenum