Orange S.A. is gradually implementing its digital skills development strategy in Africa. Initiated in 2019, the strategy has already benefited millions of people on the continent.
Orange S.A. inaugurated one of its Orange Digital Centers (ODC), in Rabat, Morocco, yesterday, March 23.
The center is the result of a partnership between Orange Morocco and the German Agency for International Development Cooperation (GIZ). It hosts four strategic programs: a coding school, a digital fabrication program (FabLab Solidaire), a start-up accelerator (Orange Fab), and Orange Ventures, Orange group’s investment fund.
Young Moroccans with tech business ideas and innovative projects or those willing to acquire digital skills can access coaching and mentoring resources at the center.
Alioune Ndiaye, CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa, says ODC Rabat further enhances the network of 32 Orange Digital Centers the group plans to build in all the African and Middle Eastern countries where it operates, but also in Europe.
“This project is a key step in our social responsibility plan to promote digital inclusion, for young people and women notably,” adds Elizabeth Tchoungui, Executive Director CSR, Diversity and Philanthropy, and Deputy Chair for the Orange Foundation.
In the framework of its strategic plan Engage 2025, which focuses on developing connectivity, energy, education, and financial inclusion, Orange is committed to deploying an ODC in each African country where it operates by 2025. Besides Rabat, the group has inaugurated ODCs in Tunisia, Senegal, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mali, and Egypt. It also plans to inaugurate more ODCs this year.
According to Hendrik Kasteel, CEO of Orange Morocco, to impact Moroccan society more, Orange will complement its ODC Rabat investment with support to higher education institutes in the country. To this end, several “ODC Clubs” are expected in the country, starting with Hassan II University in Casablanca.
Muriel Edjo
Africa’s digital transformation comes with threats of escalating cyber attacks. It is therefore crucial for the continent to take appropriate measures to protect itself from such attacks.
Togo is currently hosting an international cybersecurity summit. Started on March 23, the summit -the first of its kind in Africa- was organized by the Togolese government and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).
According to the organizers, the event aims “to initiate high-level dialogue on avenues of cooperation and coordination to address the pressing challenges and issues of cybersecurity.” Above all, it will serve as a medium to “boost cooperation and agree on a cybersecurity strategy for Africa.”
Nearly 600 participants are attending the summit, including officials from a dozen countries, experts, private sector leaders, and civil society actors.
"The issue that brings us together today is one of the major challenges of our time. Africa must be ready for it and even play an active part [in the fight against cyberattacks],” said Faure Gnassingbé (photo), President of Togo, in his opening speech.
After this speech, the Head of State received the symbolic award of UNECA Champion for Cybersecurity in Africa for his commitment to cybersecurity.
“Africa offers economic opportunities in virtually every sector. The digital economy is a key asset to unlocking these opportunities. (...) Also, cybersecurity is an important pillar for any digital transformation,” said UNECA Executive Secretary, Vera Songwe.
Alarming figures
For the UNECA, the cybersecurity summit -whose organization was postponed in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic- is necessary given the numerous challenges the continent will have to face. As the Addis Ababa-based institution explains, even if Africa has been quick to jump onto the 4th industrial revolution’s bandwagon, it is increasingly faced with cyber governance and cyber security issues.
Over the past two years, cybercrime incidents have escalated in Africa. In June 2020, South Africa became the third country in the world with the highest number of cybercrime victims. The same month, the Ethiopian Information Network Security Agency (INSA) announced that it thwarted a major attack. Also, in the first half of 2021, South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria recorded about 80 million cyber-attacks.
Meanwhile, “more than 90% of African firms operate without adequate cybersecurity procedures,” the UNECA reminds.
Octave A. Bruce
World-leading tech firms’ interest in Nigeria has been growing since 2020. One of those firms is Microsoft. The group has made several commitments to the government. The Africa Development Center is the fulfillment of one of those commitments.
Microsoft's first Africa Development Center (ADC) was officially launched last Monday, March 21, in Lagos. Located at the Kings Tower in Ikoyi, it is Microsoft's 7th ADC worldwide. The about US$100 million infrastructure is dedicated to the development of technology and engineering solutions that will have “local and global impact.” In that regard, it will help build a continental “talent pipeline” and boost innovation in various strategic areas. Also, it will provide employment opportunities to millions of young people.
“The ADC is a place for world-class engineers to create products and services that would power the future global economy,” commented Joy Chik, Corporate Vice President, Identity at Microsoft. She also revealed that the ADC had already surpassed the target of 500 engineers it was planning to hire, by 2023, in the identity, Mixed Reality, Microsoft 365 services as well as data services divisions.
The Africa Development Center is one of many digital investments Microsoft has made in Nigeria since 2020. It "is in line with the federal government's digital economy project," said Ali Isa Pantami, Nigeria's Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, commending the fulfillment of that promise.
In May 2021, Microsoft ha promised to support the rise of the digital economy in Nigeria through the development of connectivity, youth training, and transformation of the public administration.
Today, March 24, Microsoft will inaugurate ADC Nairobi, Kenya. Like Nigeria, the country is one of the major digital hubs that Microsoft wants to capitalize on to boost its influence on the continent.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
The mobile app bets on its community to motivate users. Unlike other apps that are sort of gym directories, Welnes can turn any place into a gym.
In 2020, Egyptian startup Welnes launched an eponymous social media app for a virtual group workout. After registering, users can access the various services offered by the platform, share their experience, meet other users online, take part in fitness challenges–routines carried out over a set period with a fixed goal–prepared by coaches. They can also discuss with nutritionists to define personalized workout programs, share appropriate cooking recipes and images of the foods they cooked.
Amr Saleh (photo, left) and Amr Diab, respectively Welnes CEO and founder, explained that the social media app was developed to push many young workers, who are too busy in the daytime and not motivated to go to the gym, to work out right from their homes.
They expect group effects to boost users’ involvement. As per their figures, the app is currently used by over 15,000 subscribers who have already shared more than 500,000 pictures of foods they cooked.
According to the CEO, most users register on Welnes because of the nutrition and workout regimens but they stay because of the community.
In January 2022, the mobile fitness app started developing its human resources. It plans to expand in the North African sub-region by 2023, thanks to the US$300,000 seed capital it raised from investors like Samurai Incubate, and UI Investments under the leadership of Flat6labs.
Ruben Tchounyabe
Thanks to a passion born after an unfortunate accident, Nathan Nwachuku is now one of the leading innovators with much room for growth. Through Klas, the start-up he co-founded, he wants to allow everyone to learn and share their knowledge.
Give everyone a chance to share their valuable knowledge and earn an income by doing so. This is the goal of 18-year-old Nigerian Nathan Nwachuku (photo) through Klas, the start-up he launched in December 2021. Specifically, his mission is to unleash the power of knowledge-sharing through technology.
He recently raised US$130,000 from a group of investors including Voltron Capital, Cabal Fund, Velocity Digital, HoaQ, Tola Adesanmi of Spleet, Odunayo Eweniyi of PiggyVest or Nadayar Enegesi of Eden Life to boost the capacities of his e-learning platform.
Through the platform, anyone can create an online school and offer live lessons. The platform integrates course planning, community management, video conferencing, and payment features. On Klas, creators can teach a variety of subjects, including coding, design, cryptography, business, and languages.
Nathan Nwachuku came up with the idea for Klas while recovering from an accident that occurred on his 15th birthday, leaving him without his right eye. During his five-month recovery, the young Nigerian started teaching physics online. Upon discovering the potential of online teaching, he decided to fully devote himself to it.
After his JAMB, he declined university admissions to devote himself to his project. He later met Lekan Adejumo on a matchmaking site. The latter later became Klas’s co-founder.
The startup claims to have already collaborated with numerous firms worldwide with over 2,000 creators still on its waitlist.
Ruben Tchounyabe
The startup ecosystem has been booming over the past few years. This boom was accelerated by the digital transformation that ensued from the Covid-19 pandemic. The popularity of that ecosystem is to such an extent that it is attracting a growing number of atypical profiles.
Blaise Matuidi (photo), an Angolan native and former French professional footballer, fully entered the tech world after being a business angel for some time. Last March 22, he announced the launch of a tech investment fund.
Called Origins, the investment fund will focus on supporting Web3, video games, and crypto startups. The fund was launched in collaboration with Ilan Abehassera, co-founder and CEO of Dots, Salomon Aiach, head of German fund Earlybird’s French branch, as well as Yohan Benalouane, Matuidi’s childhood friend who plays for the Greek football club Aris Salonika.
"My interest in technology started a few years ago. When I arrived in the United States, I met Ilan who helped me make some investments. Then we got the idea to create Origins. With all the individuals contributing to the investment fund and, thanks to their popularity with some 160 million fans currently, we can spearhead very beautiful stories,” says Blaise Matuidi, the 2018 World Cup Champion.
Origins brings together internationally renowned personalities. They include over 50 athletes like Paulo Dybala, N'Golo Kanté, Olivier Giroud, Presnel Kimpembe, Kingsley Coman, Miralem Pjanic, and Antoine Dupont. The fund is also supported by several figures from the business world.
"Footballers are not much engaged in the tech sector although they are large consumers [of tech products]. We are going to help them invest in that sector [...] They must be aware that footballers have short careers so they need to plan their future," says Blaise Matuidi.
Ilan, Salomon, and I are learning “every day”. “We do it stepwise like it is done for football careers. What we have to do now is to win the startup world cup,” he adds.
Origins plans to stake €100,000 to €500,000 in early-stage projects, but its overall investment capacity has not been disclosed yet. It has already invested in two projects. The first is Ugami which provides financial solutions and rewards to gamers while the second is Yumon, an NFT platform.
Muriel Edjo
Response to gender-based violence remains poor in DR Congo. To change the game, Didier Bacigale and Amisi Musada have designed SOS Secours, an application to alert and assist victims.
Didier Bacigale got the idea of such an application when he was still a student. He reported that his neighbor was always beaten by her husband but that no one ever helped her. He then worked on the project with Amisi Musada (pictured) and that is how SOS Secours was born.
The two entrepreneurs created a tech startup called Yangu in 2019 thanks to the DRC Human Rights Hackathon event, organized by Internews. They won the competition with their SOS Secours solution.
Official data showed that the DRC records an average of 1,000 cases of gender-based violence every day. With Yangu’s app, victims can now easily seek help when in danger. The user just has to shake his/her phone 5 times (after the app is installed on the phone) and immediately, an alert and a geolocation are sent by message to relatives and to a network of local associations that are partners of SOS Secours.
Beyond helping victims, the solution works as a real-time data generator for all entities engaged in the fight against gender-based violence. “Many organizations say they have trouble accessing information and especially stats about gender-based violence. There are few real-time statistics. To have data, we are obliged to resort to health centers although we know that not all victims go to the hospital,” explained Amisi Musada.
In four years, the duo has managed to attract many partners, including Internews DRC, the French Institute of Bukavu, as well as associations like Femme au Fone and AFEM. Currently, the app is only operational in the province of South Kivu where the startup Yangu is based. The founders are now working on lobbying with telecom operators for SMS alerts.
Aïsha Moyouzame
The government of Benin has in recent years made e-education a priority. The need for such a system has been highlighted with the Covid-19 pandemic, prompting the government to accelerate the process.
Benin wants to build a solid e-education system inspired by the model used in Côte d'Ivoire through the “Digital School” project. Last March 18, the Higher Education Minister, Eleonore Yayi (pictured) led a visit to the Lycée classique d'Abidjan, one of the sites where the project is rolled out.
With the Minister of Digitalization Aurélie Adam Soule, Eleonore Yayi visited two multimedia rooms and a data center. The first one is equipped with more than thirty computers, two giant touch screens, and last generation cameras and is intended for courses by videoconference. It is interconnected by optical fibers to 149 other sites across the country. The second room, equipped with computers and a high-speed Internet connection, allows students to follow courses remotely. The data center contains all the educational data produced during the courses, the teaching manuals, etc.
The Minister said her department is already in talks with tech giant Huawei to reproduce the Ivorian model in Benin. This measure aligns with the ambitions of President Patrice Talon, the official said. With e-education, the Beninese government wants to give young learners access to experts, the most current research, and the most advanced knowledge. With digital technology, interacting with education professionals remotely will be facilitated. This will enable the country to gradually build a strong human resource to boost growth.
Muriel Edjo
The founder of Genity Sarlu has great ambitions for his solution. He does not only want to improve healthcare system in his country but across the whole continent.
Care for people with sickle cell disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo remains poor. Patients in remote areas have more difficulties. To bring a solution to this problem, Arnold Wogbo, founder of the startup Genity Sarlu, created AnemiApp.
The promoter, a graduate in Electronic Engineering, reveals that he got the idea for his application after working with the NGO "Réseau Drépano SS" as a communication officer. He says he noticed, while questioning sickle cell patients, that they had many needs but not enough specialist doctors to answer them.
The app is available on Android. It provides users with several health tips to limit disease-related crises and improve their daily lives. The information on medicines, vaccines, screening, blood transfusions and major health events, available on the application, comes from doctors, the Ministry of Health and nutritionists. It is also possible to have directions to pharmacies and health centers that provide such care.
People who do not have a smartphone can use the service via a USSD code. Anemiapp is currently operational in Kinshasa but Arnold Wogbo plans a national coverage in the short term. Anemiapp generates revenue through various user subscriptions and commissions from its services.
Anemiapp won the 2020 award of the Pierre Fabre Foundation's Observatory of e-Health in Southern Countries and the Orange Prize for Social Entrepreneurship in Africa and the Middle East in 2018 (Poesam).
Adoni Conrad Quenum
WeMove, created in 2018 by Mariem Sellami (pictured), Hichem Ben Hmida, Mohamed Khelil, and Mejdi M'barek, is a fitness and wellness marketplace that offers its users a wide choice of sports classes via a network of gym partners across the country. Various sports activities such as yoga, dance, and boxing are offered every week by the partners. The user can combine several activities depending on his desires and budget.
Mariem Sellami explains that "many people do not practice sports activities because access to gyms is sometimes expensive. Not only is the membership quite expensive, but it’s also not reimbursed if not used.” WeMove, therefore, provides an alternative that enables on-demand sports sessions without having to pay membership fees first.
The platform uses the "pay as you go" model like telcos. The user recharges their credit account and uses it to buy unique access to the gym of their choice via the platform. When the user purchases the credit, they receive a QR code that gives them access to the gym. The app is free and available on Android and iOS. “With our startup, working out is like going to the movies! Our customers have access to a multi-room and multi-activity platform with a payment per session and on-demand, " says Mariem Sellami.
The company currently operates in Greater Tunis and wants to expand to other major cities in the country. The founders also plan to diversify the offers by proposing independent coaches and organizers of sports events in addition to gyms.
The solution that was originally a simple graduation project was nominated for the 4th edition of "Samsung Fast Track", a support program initiated by Samsung Tunisia. The company has also been labeled "Startup Act" in 2020, a status on which it capitalizes to seek support funds for its expansion. Its selection last February to join Orange Fab Tunisia will give it more technical means to achieve its goals.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
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The use of illegal drugs (also known as street drugs) has increased in Africa. Studies have found that people's limited financial means to seek medication from professional doctors are at the root of the phenomenon. With his solution, Adama Kane wants to enable poor families to have access to safe products without paying a penny.
Seven years ago, Adama Kane launched Jokkosanté, a digital community pharmacy solution, to allow more Senegalese to access quality medicines without necessarily spending money. Today, the service benefits thousands of people. It works on a system under which anyone who has leftover medicines that are still usable can deposit them in public health centers. Professionals in the centers will then sort the medicines and make them available to the neediest. The depositor must first have an account on the JokkoSanté mobile app, which, with each deposit, awards points that are equivalent to the value of the given medicine. The depositor can spend those points to acquire other medicines or transfer them to someone else.
For those who do not have medicines to exchange, JokkoSanté has set up a cross-funding mechanism. On the platform, companies, NGOs and associations can finance the donation of medicines to population segments of their choice. Recipients are informed by SMS of the name of their donating company. Such a system can enhance the visibility and social impact of companies.
JokkoSanté seeks to put an end to the waste of medicines; eliminate the illicit sale of medicines; and help the poorest populations to have better health. "I had my first child in 2013. A month before he was born, my wife and I were tidying up our room to make some space for him. I noticed when we were in the room that we had accumulated a lot of medicine boxes during the pregnancy, most of which we did not even use. So that’s how I had the idea of sharing my unused medicines with people who need them," Adama Kane explains.
The solution received seed funding from Orange to develop the beta application and launch the experimental phase. Orange also provided the startup with its service platforms for SMS and USSD exchanges. The service has won several awards, including the International Telecommunication Union's Recognition of Excellence certificate, the African Entrepreneurship Award for the best African project in an unexplored field, and environmental protection in 2015. In 2016, it won the Pierre Fabre Foundation's e-Health Observatory Award as well as the Grand Prize in all categories of the international e-Health Trophies competition organized by Castres-Mazamet Technopole.
Ruben Tchounyabe
Gabon will soon have a data center that will manage and store cadastral data, announced the Minister of Housing Olivier Nang Ekomie.
According to Le Nouveau Gabon, the Gabonese authorities deemed this measure necessary in an international context marked by the resurgence of cybercriminal attacks or computer hacking.
For the acquisition of supplies, installation, and configuration of the Data Center, tender documents have been prepared and sent to the Directorate General of Public Procurement (DGMP) for a no-objection opinion.
Gabon also plans to interconnect the provincial land registry offices to repatriate, centralize and process land information to carry out the work on the same information system. On this issue, tender documents have also been sent to the DGMP for a no-objection opinion.
SG
Demand for delivery services increased during the coronavirus pandemic. In Guinea, where the sector remains underdeveloped, Sékou Lamine Coyah Bangoura founded a startup to meet demand.
The service is offered via the mobile app mycolismart available only on Android. Users can buy various types of goods such as food, medicine, clothing, school supplies, etc., and get them delivered. They can schedule the drop-off and pick-up of clothes at the laundry. The platform also allows them to book the shipment of goods depending on the transport schedules and benefit from discounts. Moreover, the solution integrates a service that allows users to donate items to the needy in orphanages.
Mycolismart has more than 21 independent motorcycle drivers for deliveries within cities, and more than 200 partner vans for inter-city deliveries. To access the solution, users are required to open an account that allows them to track all of their purchase and shipping operations. Mycolismart has partnered with Orange to facilitate service payments.
Six years ago, Mycolismart won second place in the Orange Prize for Social Entrepreneurship in Africa and the Middle East (Poesam). The prize is worth 30,000,000 Guinean francs (nearly 3,000 euros).
Adoni Conrad Quenum
To increase the safety of boda boda (motorcycle cab) users in Kenya, the government has announced that it will issue biometric plates with a unique color code for each county to facilitate the identification of drivers. The decision was announced yesterday by Governor Ann Kananu.
The plates will integrate information such as the name, identification number, and telephone number of each owner and/or driver, their area of operation, etc. These biometric plates will also be equipped with anti-counterfeiting features such as holograms, watermarks, and laser markers to allow police to easily locate them.
The governor said that this measure will help reorganize the boda boda sector. “This will help us identify the real boda boda riders and the rogues who have infiltrated the industry. Some people pose as boda boda riders yet they are criminals. However, they have assured us that they will identify such elements and have them arrested,” she added. The digital identification of boda boda follows the meeting held on Thursday between the governor and the Association of boda boda on the series of new regulations applicable to motorcycle cabs. The meeting came after President Uhuru Kenyatta (pictured) called for a nationwide security crackdown on rogue boda boda drivers on March 8 after a motorist was assaulted along Wangari Maathai Road in Nairobi County.
“I have given an executive order for petty offenders with documents to have their motorcycles released. However, no boda bodas will get into the city center until we have streamlined the sector,” President Uhuru Kenyatta said, stressing that “your boda boda license is not for you to harass or to strip our women of dignity.”
Adoni Conrad Quenum