In 2020, the tourism sector was hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic worldwide. Amid the wave of accelerated transformation that ensued, countries, like Togo, are multiplying actions to revive the sector and make it a better instrument in their fight against poverty.
Togolese Minister of Tourism, Dr. Gbenyo Lamadokou (photo, center), inaugurated, Tuesday (September 27), the new national platform dedicated to the promotion of the tourism sector in Togo. The platform, called Togo Tourism, was inaugurated at the University of Lome, on the sidelines of the 42nd World Tourism Day.
According to Dr. Gbenyon Lamadokou, this new portal is of great importance, because it will revive the tourism sector, which was greatly affected by the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday, September 26, the Ministry of Tourism published figures showing a 49.1% year-to-year decline in tourist arrivals in Togo in 2020. According to the figures in 2020, the country recorded 481,706 tourists against 946,376 in 2019.
The figures nevertheless show a gradual recovery. Indeed, from XOF19 billion in 2020, the revenues generated by the sector rose 34%, to XOF25 billion in 2021. For Dr. Gbenyon Lamadokou, the rise was due to a “gradual deployment of the Covid-19 vaccine, the adoption of several measures, and the easing of travel restrictions.”
The new platform aims to attract even more tourists to the country. It presents the country’s cultural and tourist potential and lists the 10 reasons why visitors should visit Togo. It is part of the national strategy to attract 500,000 tourists to Togo annually and raise the contribution of the tourism sector to 6.2% of GDP by 2025.
Samira Njoya
Niger has the highest fertility rate in the world. Meeting the food needs of this rapidly growing population is a challenge for the government, organizations, and actors in the agricultural sector.
Last Tuesday, the Digital Development Agency (ADN) and the Swiss Foundation for Technical Cooperation, Swisscontact, launched an integrated digital platform in Niamey. The platform, baptized AgriShop/Rayuwa, aims to improve the skills of the various actors in the agricultural ecosystem in Niger, but also to facilitate their access to agriculture data and information.
According to ADN CEO, Wahidi Rabiou, the AgriShop/Rayuwa platform has three components. They are namely an e-commerce feature to connect farmers with potential clients and fellow farmers, an assistance feature to advise farmers, and an information feature to inform and train them.
Agriculture plays a very important role in Niger's economy. According to the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), it accounts for nearly 40% of the country’s GDP and provides livelihoods to more than 80% of the rural population. However, farmers sometimes lack the right information on seed techniques. They sometimes don’t even have loyal customers to quickly sell their products.
The e-commerce feature, Agrishop, will correct these shortcomings by offering farmers the possibility to list their products for sale. It targets "cooperatives, input or seed suppliers, individual or professional buyers, agribusinesses, agritech and also farmers, transporters, and marketers,” Wahidi Rabiou explains.
The platform can be used even without an internet connection. Thanks to a dedicated USSD code, farmers can receive information and advice via SMS messages. They can also receive remote assistance.
The project also includes an interactive voice server accessible through a short code allowing users to listen to pre-recorded messages on useful information, and agricultural advice in French, Hausa, Zarma, and many other languages.
The development of this “groundbreaking” platform is part of two programs implemented by Swisscontact. The first program is the Promel (Local entrepreneurship promotion program) financed by the Swiss Cooperation and the PEMIJ (Promotion of youth employment and labor market integration) financed by the Dutch Embassy.
Samira Njoya
In recent years, the number of startups created in Africa has risen significantly. Those ventures develop solutions to address various challenges facing residents.
VetCode is a digital solution developed by an eponymous Egyptian startup founded in 2018. It enables users to book pet grooming, obedience, behavioral and veterinary services remotely.
Its services can be booked via its web platform, by calling a dedicated number, or via its mobile app (available for Android and iOS devices). The startup behind VetCode is partnered with several vet clinics. In case of emergency, its clients can visit the nearest clinic in its network or even request a vet to visit them at home.
VetCode also has a pet store where customers can buy, sell or adopt a pet. Currently, it operates in a dozen Egyptian cities, with hopes to enter new markets in the coming years. To fulfill its ambitions, it has already raised more than US$450,000 since its inception.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
In Africa, access to quality healthcare still proves challenging for many residents. To address the situation, tech entrepreneurs are developing solutions to complement government initiatives.
Damu-Sasa is an e-health solution developed by a Kenyan startup Damu Sasa System Limited (DSL), founded in 2017. It supports blood supply, inventory, and transfusion management. It also helps improve haemovigilance.
To easily create its blood bank database, the solution has an Android app, allowing donors to join an e-community of blood donors and discuss with them through the chat feature.
Through the app, donors can access their blood donation records and check whether a blood donation appointment is scheduled. Thanks to that approach, Damu-Sasa can supply blood to hospitals, even in case of emergency. Currently, it claims a database of 44,527 donors in 38 counties, 34,161 lives touched and 179 hospitals supported.
In 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, it received a US$20,000 grant from Villgro Africa, an incubator and impact investor operating in the health sector, to enhance its capabilities. At the time, DSL chairman, Matunda Nuancham explained that the funding would help “improve potential blood donor numbers and hence help alleviate, to the degree possible, the perennial blood shortages.”
In June 2022, the University of Nairobi announced a partnership with DSL for a project aimed at improving the management of blood transfusion services in Kenya. Months later, in September, DSL made it to the list of the 30 African healthtech startups to participate in the first cohort of the i3 innovation program sponsored by several foundations, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
In Africa, the volume of funds attracted by fintech startups is growing rapidly. Those startups come up with alternative solutions to address some of the pressing challenges faced by businesses and individuals.
myStash is a fintech solution developed by an eponymous Nigerian startup, founded in 2021. It automatizes the savings process, allowing users to save a preset percentage of their earnings and expenses.
Through its web and mobile apps (the mobile app is available for Android and iPhone users), users can manage their finances and set the percentage of expenses and earnings to save. To do that, they must first register by providing personal information, then link their bank cards to their myStash accounts.
The startup assures that the process is secure and it has no access to sensitive information. On its website, it claims that it has helped over 25,000 customers and hundreds of businesses “make better money moves by helping them save bit by bit in Naira or Dollars.”
The startup also offers a 5-12% interest on the amounts saved. In addition, it enables users to receive part of their salaries in US dollars. Its services are free. This year, it is among the 43 African startups selected for the Social and Business Camp sponsored by the French Development Agency to help startups get themselves known to potential investors for their growth.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
The 2-year program launched by Southbridge A&I and its partners aims to uncover homegrown innovations that have the potential to change the way healthcare supply chains and systems work.
On Monday, Sept. 26, Investing in Innovation Africa unveiled the list of 30 African startups selected for the first cohort of the Investing in Innovation (i3) program.
The selected startups include seven Nigerians, five Kenyans, three South Africans, three Moroccans, two Zimbabweans, two Ugandans, one Cameroonian, one Angolan, one Congolese, one Ivorian, one Ghanaian, one Rwandan, one Senegalese, and one Tunisian.
All of them are in the start-up or growth phase and offer innovative solutions for the distribution of medicines and medical equipment, stock management and financing, authentication, traceability, and medical waste management. They will each receive a US$50,000 grant and support to catalyze growth-oriented partnerships with donors, industry leaders, and institutions. Their market access will also be improved with the various events they will attend throughout the year.
According to Efosa Ojomo, member of the i3 Steering Committee, “i3’s focus on African ingenuity is long overdue – supporting locally-led, market-creating innovations to scale will equip the continent to achieve health gains, generate prosperity and weather future crises.”
Samira Njoya
The difficulties in accessing traditional banking services have motivated African entrepreneurs to develop a multitude of fintech solutions to help both individuals and businesses.
Paiement Pro is a fintech solution developed by Ivorian start-up Amira Global Technologies, founded in 2019. It allows users to collect or issue mobile money and credit card payments online. It also helps them develop their online businesses.
Apart from its web platform, the solution also has an Android app allowing users to register an account by providing a set of information, including name, contact details, geographic location, etc. The startup will later dispatch a sales representative to check users’ activities. After registration, users can access all the features required to set up their online payment or issue payments.
The solution integrates several plugins such as Pro Shop, Pro Agenda, Pro Event, etc. To enable seamless performance, each of the plugins has dedicated features like the QR Code scanner that allows users to authenticate tickets sold using the Event Pro plugin.
To facilitate the processing of transactions carried out via its platform, Amira Global Technologies has partnered with the United Bank of Africa (UBA), mobile operators, Visa and Mastercard. Currently, it operates in Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, and Senegal. It also eyes the Cameroonian, Congolese, DR Congo, Ghanaian, Nigerian and Togolese markets.
In 2021, it received the National Award for the Women's Digital Initiative of the Year. It was also among the top 50 finalists of the Africa’s Business Heroes competition. This year, the startup is also one of the 43 African start-ups selected for the Social & Inclusive Business Camp sponsored by the French Development Agency.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
As a media and ICT enthusiast, she has over 30 years of professional experience in mentoring, consulting, and venture financing. Her expertise has been honed through the many senior positions she has held in many countries.
Biola Alabi (photo) is a Nigerian businesswoman. Since September 13, 2022, she is a venture partner in Egypt-based venture capital firm Cairo Angels Syndicate Fund (CASF), which focuses on startup tech firms based in the MENA region. With CASF, Mrs. Biola is responsible for origination, investments, portfolio management, and investor relations.
For Biola, who is excited to bring “regional ecosystems together”, when the opportunity came to join CASF, the answer “was a no brainer.”
As an angel investor, advisor, and even member of the board of several startups, Biola Alabi is a global leader. Her certificate in Global Leadership and Public Policy, obtained at Harvard University in 2013, and her certificate in Transformational Leadership obtained at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School in 2016, illustrates her global leadership ambitions.
In January 2022, she co-founded Atika Ventures, a women-led venture capital firm. Since 2021, she is the deputy chair of the Lagos Angel Network, which is “committed to providing seed funding, mentoring and access to their business networks to Lagos area start-up entrepreneurs and their early-stage businesses.”
Her professional career began, in 1999, with Bigwords.com, a textbooks search engine. That year, she joined the online platform as a regional marketing manager. In 2003, she joined Sesame Workshop as regional director for sub-Saharan Africa. Five years later, she was appointed general manager for Africa for South African TV channel M-Net Africa.
In 2015, she established the Grooming for Greatness Foundation, a scholarship and mentoring program for promising young talent and entrepreneurs. She then founded Biola Alabi Media and Entertainment, a production company where she is the Senior Advisor and Executive Producer.
In addition to her numerous occupations, she is also a non-executive director of telecom service provider Monty Mobile Holding, since 2015. She is also a non-executive director of Unilever Nigeria Plc, which specializes in the manufacturing of consumer goods.
Melchior Koba
Entrepreneurship is a key component of strategies aimed at addressing youth unemployment in Africa. However, entrepreneurs still face challenges in accessing financing. Several programs are ongoing to address that issue.
U.S. Tech corporation Microsoft recently strengthened its partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB). According to the press release received by We are Tech on Monday, September 26, the objective of this new partnership is to boost young Africans’ entrepreneurship spirit. It comes after the implementation of the African Development Bank's Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Bank (YEIB) Initiative.
“The strengthening of our partnership with Microsoft on the Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Banks (YEIB) is an important development in our journey towards harnessing Africa’s demographic dividend and facilitating the creation of millions of jobs for young Africans by 2025,” said Solomon Quaynor (photo, left), the African Development Bank’s Vice President for Private Sector, Infrastructure, and Industrialization.
Africa has the youngest population in the world. According to the AfDB, the continent’s population, which is growing fast, is expected to double to over 830 million by 2050. Of the estimated 420 million young Africans aged 15-35, one-third are unemployed and discouraged, another third are in precarious employment, and only one in six has paid employment.
This collaboration, through the Microsoft Africa Transformation Office (ATO), will contribute to the development of youth entrepreneurship ecosystems, but also the creation of new jobs. It will also support digital inclusion in Africa.
“We believe much can be done to help foster youth entrepreneurship by collaborating with the African Development Bank, driving greater economic inclusion for this key segment of the population, and ultimately building a more prosperous society,” said Microsoft Africa Regional Cluster's General Manager, Wael Elkabbany (photo, right).
The partnership will also facilitate the establishment of national institutions through a public-private collaboration model that will increase technical and financial support and capacity building benefiting young entrepreneurs.
Samira Njoya
In the past 30 years, internet connectivity has been the main focus of most countries’ digital transformation programs. With the fourth industrial revolution, priorities have evolved but, many nations are still not ready.
Netherlands-based VPN services provider Surfshark recently unveiled the top 10 African countries whose digital experience improves the quality of life. According to its "2021 Digital Quality of Life Index", those countries are namely South Africa, Mauritius, Kenya, Tunisia, Nigeria, Morocco, Algeria, Ghana, Senegal, and Côte d’Ivoire.
The ten countries were ranked based on five criteria: Internet affordability, Internet quality, electronic infrastructure, e-security, and e-government. By taking action in those five segments, countries modernize public and private services, rendering them more efficient. They also improve their business environments, promote innovation, improve the dynamism of the startup ecosystem, making it more attractive for investors, encourage the population to be actively involved in the development of the digital economy, and promote human development.
Digital quality of life is still modest in those ten countries compared to the global average. Indeed, while the global average -for the 110 countries ranked- is 0.53 out of 0.90 points, the African leader -South Africa- collected just 0.49 points.
Let’s note that some countries perform best in specific index criteria. For instance, Angola, which is not in the top 10 African countries with the best digital quality of life, was the African country with the most affordable internet. Globally, it ranked 17th out of 110 countries.
Similarly, Algeria was the African country with the best internet quality (28th worldwide). Kenya took the lead in “electronic infrastructure” on the continent, coming 58th on the global stage. When it comes to e-security Nigeria was the best African country, the 46th worldwide. Finally, Mauritius has been the African country with the best e-government. In that segment, it was ranked 53rd out of 110 countries worldwide.
Muriel Edjo
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In Africa, access to quality healthcare is still quite challenging for a number of reasons. Authorities are implementing programs to help their populations. At the same time, tech entrepreneurs are leveraging technology to offer interesting alternatives.
mTomady is a digital platform developed by an eponymous Malagasy startup. It facilitates access to healthcare for its users by enabling them to subscribe to health insurance via mobile money accounts.
The digital platform was launched in 2019 to provide pregnant women and young mothers access to a portfolio of mobile health services and digital vouchers for subsidized care. Later, in 2020, its legal entity was formed by Elsa Rajemison, Julius Emmrich, and Samuel Knauss to serve everyone.
mTomady “builds and implements technology that lowers financial barriers to healthcare and accelerates progress towards universal healthcare coverage.” It “provides low-income, remote, or otherwise vulnerable families with access to a variety of health financing mechanisms through mobile phones.”
To benefit from its services, users must enroll by dialing a dedicated USSD code or by getting in touch with healthcare providers. Once registered, the user can start paying his/her contributions -either by installments or at once- via mobile money. When the user needs healthcare, he/she will receive funds in his/her mTomady mobile portfolio. That fund, which is different from the mobile money account, will be exclusively used for healthcare services, the purchase of medication, or even pay contributions.
In 2020, mTomady won the Global Health Hub Germany’s innovation award. This year, it is on the list of the 43 African startups that will participate in the Social & Inclusive Business Camp sponsored by the French Development Agency. Its plan is to expand to other African countries, namely Uganda and Ghana where it will be integrated into the national insurance fund’s digital platform.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
Over the past nine years, he has been active in youth education and counseling. His expertise in that path was strengthened by the numerous associative and consulting positions he held during all those years.
Omar El-Barbary (photo) is the co-founder and CEO of OBM Education, an edtech startup that provides academic guidance, training, and professional development courses to young graduates and non-graduates. Thanks to online and face-to-face tools, the startup -founded in 2013- guides young people into sectors and professions most suited to their skills and potential.
In August 2022, Omar successfully led a six-figure raise, from EdVentures, for OBM Education.
The new “investment is quite strategic for our ambitious expansion plans as we will use it to launch our new application, Taleb, which will enable us to provide extended services for our users and to fulfill our mission in ensuring an exceptional career advising experience for the Egyptian students,” Omar said at the time.
The new app, Taleb, has already been launched. It enables access to a wide range of services for students, teachers, and institutions. It also allows students to take remote courses, improving the quality of education.
Apart from his entrepreneurial career, Omar El-Barbary also has a fulfilling and enriching associative and project management career. In February 2015, he was appointed Career Development Manager for the US-based NGO Population Council. Concurrently, he was also the Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sports’ Youth Skills Project Manager.
In 2017, in Russia, he was the Egyptian representative of Future Team Finland, a network of young professionals working to change the world. Two years later, he became the contractual operations manager for BiznEX Egypt, a trade show for investment and commercial agencies in Egypt and the Middle East. In 2020, he became President and CEO of IQ E-Learning, an educational website.
Melchior Koba
In recent years, many investors have positioned themselves in the African technology market. This influx motivates local tech entrepreneurs to devise interesting solutions for daily life problems.
Abjad Teach is an AI e-learning platform developed by Libyan ed-tech startup Abjad Limited, founded in 2018. It helps schools find the best teachers for their students.
The solution has a mobile app, available for Android and iOS devices. Teachers looking for their first work experience can sign up and showcase their profiles to schools looking for them. "Abjad will provide everything you need to know about your assignment, Contact details, expected pay, school profile, and other important information. You only see the jobs that suit your profile and interests. Get the best match by selecting your favorite schools, geographical area, subjects, and much more," the platform indicates in its welcoming message.
Thanks to artificial intelligence, schools that have open vacancies for teachers will see only the profiles that match their needs. “All you need to do is complete your school profile, upload jobs as required and Abjad will handle the rest of the application and recruitment process,” Abjad explains.
In 2022, Abjad was selected among 43 African start-ups that will participate in the social and inclusive Business Camp program sponsored by the French Development Agency. It is also among the winners of the Emerging Mediterranean program and will participate in the Emerging Valley summit in November.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
With the emergence of digital technologies in Africa, governments are increasingly realizing the importance of the creative economy, which can generate more business opportunities, have a positive impact on livelihoods, and boost the overall economy.
The African Development Bank (AfDB), the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and the French Development Agency (AFD) have invested US$618 million in Nigeria's Investment in the Digital and Creative Enterprises (i-DICE) program.
Speaking at the Nigeria International Economic Partnership Forum in New York on Thursday, September 22, AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina (photo) said the funding will support the creation of 225 creative start-ups and 451 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the technology sector.
“The future is not just digital, the future will be driven by digital revolution. Today, Nigeria has five of the seven unicorns in Africa and raised almost $1.4 billion of the total of $4 billion raised by fintech companies across Africa in 2021,” Akinwumi Adesina said.
The program's funding is aimed at offsetting the economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic by expanding the financial and technology sectors in Nigeria. According to the AfDB, in the fourth quarter of 2020, ICT contributed 15.06% of gross domestic product (GDP), compared to 13% during the same period a year earlier. Similarly, the vibrant creative industries generated US$14.4 million in revenue between 2015 and 2018.
Despite such performance, several systemic issues including lack of funding, insufficient infrastructure, skills gap, and limited access to the internet hinder the development of the concerned sectors. The i-DICE launched by the Federal Government of Nigeria, last January, aims to tackle those systemic issues. It targets more than 68 million Nigerians aged 15-35 who are recognized as leaders of innovative, early-stage technology start-ups, as well as leaders of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in the creative sector. For AfDB president Akiwumi, these businesses could create 6.1 million jobs and contribute US$6.4 billion to the Nigerian economy by 2027.
According to Premium Times Nigeria, the AfDB financing “will help the Government initiative further consolidate Nigeria’s position as Africa’s leading start-up investment destination and as a youth entrepreneurship hub.”
Samira Njoya