Recognizing the need for structured learning in the AI boom, this Egyptian entrepreneur is developing a systematic method for integrating artificial intelligence tools into daily workflows.
Nabil Khalifa, an Egyptian entrepreneur based between Chicago and Cairo, is the co-founder and CEO of Meska AI, a 2024 startup that aims to make artificial intelligence accessible to individuals and organisations. The company offers training, consulting and events focused on practical uses of AI.
Meska AI positions itself as a resource for professionals who want to use AI without needing a technical background. It provides skills training, guidance on how to integrate AI into daily work and tailored support for organisations adopting these tools.
Training is a core part of its activities. Meska AI offers certifications and courses built around hands-on use of co-pilots and other AI applications, with an emphasis on real-world workflows. Alongside online and in-person classes, the company runs events and retreats that mix learning with networking.
Meska AI also advises organisations on how to build an AI strategy, choose the right tools and set internal rules for their use.
Outside Meska AI, Khalifa is Investment Director at ZeroCarb LYFE, a U.S. restaurant business. He is also co-founder and CEO of Sigma Fit, a fashion company. His entrepreneurial work began in 2015 with Menidy, an e-commerce platform for Egyptian handicrafts, and continued in 2016 with Hive Analytics, a performance-marketing agency.
Khalifa graduated in 2013 from the Institute of Aviation Engineering and Technology in Egypt with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He worked between 2014 and 2015 as a measurement engineer for drilling operations at Schlumberger, the U.S. energy-technology company.
Melchior Koba
He created a solution that integrates the entire automotive lifecycle onto a single platform. This brings a much-needed organizational structure to a market segment traditionally hampered by scattered and complex procedures.
Younes Benboujida, a Moroccan entrepreneur with a background in finance, is the founder and co-CEO of Autocash, a 2024 startup that helps users buy, sell and finance used cars.
Autocash combines three services: the sale of certified pre-owned vehicles, support for sellers looking to resell their cars and assistance with securing financing, including for vehicles found on other platforms. The company handles the full process from vehicle choice to final handover.
Its listings feature cars vetted by professional inspectors before being posted, ranging from small city models to SUVs. Each listing includes year, mileage, transmission type, fuel type and price in dirhams.
For sellers, Autocash conducts an inspection, issues a detailed report, provides an estimate of the car’s market value and can obtain an immediate purchase offer through a partner. For buyers seeking credit, the platform helps arrange financing and manages the administrative steps of the loan application.
Benboujida has held several senior roles in the financial sector. He is a Managing Partner at B6 Capital, a Moroccan venture capital and private equity firm. He holds a postgraduate degree in accounting and financial management from Montesquieu University Bordeaux-IV. He began his career in 1998 as a director at PwC France, became Deputy General Manager of Société Générale in Morocco in 2004 and was appointed General Manager of EQDOM, a Moroccan consumer credit company, in 2018.
Melchior Koba
In Ghana, Soko Job has launched an AI-powered recruitment platform designed to assist job seekers in their search and help employers find qualified candidates.
Soko Job, a digital hiring tool built by the Ghanaian startup of the same name and led by Roberta Mensah, has launched an AI-based platform designed to speed up recruitment for employers and make it easier for candidates to find jobs. The platform was first introduced in 2024.
“We built SokoJob because we believe that finding a job or talent shouldn’t be a lengthy and painful process. Our goal is to become a catalyst for economic opportunity in Ghana by enabling fast and accurate matching of talent with opportunities,” Roberta Mensah told Disrupt Africa.
Available through its website, Soko Job lets applicants create profiles, upload their CVs or enter their information directly. An AI engine reviews the data to deliver personalized suggestions and highlight openings that match a user’s skills and goals.
The service also offers automated tools for employers. In addition to posting vacancies, companies can use AI-generated pre-screening questions to filter applicants. An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) built into the platform’s messaging interface allows recruiters to handle the hiring process end-to-end, from receiving applications to evaluating candidates.
In its pilot phase, Soko Job helped several Ghanaian firms fill technical and operational roles. The company says it prioritizes user privacy by keeping personal information confidential unless candidates choose to share it. Only verified employers can publish job ads or invite applicants to apply.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
- Smart Africa signed multiple digital cooperation deals at TAS 2025 in Conakry
- Visa, Ascend, and others to support payments, data exchange, and youth programs
- Agreements aim to build digital skills, inclusion, and a Digital Single Market by 2030
Smart Africa signed a series of cooperation agreements on Thursday at the Transform Africa Summit (TAS) 2025 in Conakry. The deals include several memoranda of understanding and a contract with public and private partners aimed at advancing the continent’s digital transformation. The agreements focus on youth, digital skills, financial inclusion, data exchange, internet domain management and women’s leadership, with the longer-term goal of building African digital sovereignty and a Digital Single Market by 2030.
Digital payments and data exchange
Smart Africa signed an MoU with Visa to promote digital services and electronic payments as a driver of economic development. The agreement, signed by Smart Africa CEO Lacina Koné and Mina Abdo, Visa’s Head of Partnerships for Sub-Saharan Africa, covers the digitisation of public services, expansion of payment infrastructure, financial inclusion, support for e-commerce, and measures to facilitate trade and entrepreneurship across member countries. The parties say the aim is to strengthen Africa’s digital economy and support plans for a Digital Single Market by making electronic transactions easier within and between states.
Smart Africa also signed a contract with Ascend Digital Solutions to pilot the Smart Africa Data Exchange (SADX) platform. The system is intended to provide a secure, interoperable data exchange framework based on open standards. It is designed to support cross-border digital services, digital identity verification and data sharing between states. A pilot will be rolled out in Benin, Ghana and Rwanda under the Smart Africa Trust Alliance (SATA) initiative, as a first step toward wider deployment of cross-border digital services.
Youth, skills and internet governance
An MoU between Smart Africa and YouthConnekt Africa aims to support youth-led digital transformation. The two organisations plan to use existing Smart Africa Youth Chapters and YouthConnekt Country Chapters to connect young innovators, promote mentoring and entrepreneurship and highlight African digital solutions. They also intend to run joint programmes during major events, including TAS and the YouthConnekt Africa Summit, to give more visibility to youth initiatives.
To address digital skills gaps, Smart Africa signed an MoU with the government of Gambia on the deployment of the Smart Africa Digital Academy (SADA) in the country. The partnership will organise and coordinate digital training programmes for public decision-makers, young people, women and civil servants, in line with Gambia’s digital transformation priorities. The goal is to put in place long-term mechanisms for continuous training supported by national infrastructure.
Smart Africa also signed an MoU with the Africa Top Level Domains Organisation (AFTLD) to strengthen management of critical internet resources. The agreement covers capacity building on country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) management, work on policy alignment and measures to reinforce cybersecurity related to domain name systems. It also seeks to present a more unified African position in global internet governance forums.
In addition, an MoU with Women Political Leaders is intended to place gender considerations at the centre of digital policy. The partnership aims to promote a gender-sensitive digital transition, support women’s leadership in the digital sector, back women’s digital entrepreneurship and increase women’s influence in digital policy and governance.
Smart Africa says the deals signed at TAS 2025 are meant to deepen cooperation between governments, the private sector and international organisations around the alliance’s digital agenda. The next step will be turning the commitments into concrete projects in member states.
Muriel EDJO
- Guinea launched Simandou 2040’s third pillar to boost digital infrastructure
- Focus areas include public service digitalization, connectivity, and tech sovereignty
- Over 12,000 km of fiber deployed; AI, education, and data hosting prioritized
On the sidelines of the Transform Africa Summit (TAS) 2025 in Conakry, the Guinean government launched the third pillar of its Simandou 2040 program on Thursday, November 13. This new phase focuses on strengthening transportation, improving digital connectivity, and broadening access to essential services.
The pillar aims to position digital technologies as a key driver of national competitiveness. The objective extends beyond merely adopting digital tools to building a sovereign technological foundation: reinforced infrastructure, an updated regulatory framework, and redesigned public services intended to support growth, administrative efficiency, and inclusion.
The launch follows a period during which Guinea multiplied structural projects in the digital sector. The country established a Tier III Data Center for local hosting of public data, thereby strengthening its technological autonomy. Furthermore, the national.GN domain name was restored, signaling a commitment to consolidating the country's digital identity. These efforts include the progressive digitalization of the administration, with solutions such as FUGAS for public employee management and TELEMO, the public procurement platform launched on November 12 through collaboration with Rwanda.
In terms of infrastructure, Guinea has significantly expanded its connectivity capacity, deploying over 12,000 kilometers of fiber optic cable across the territory. The country is also investing in digital skills development through the creation of Digital Spaces, training programs, and school inclusion initiatives, including the GIGA project which has already connected more than 500 educational institutions. The design of a national technology park and a recent ecosystem assessment for artificial intelligence, conducted with the UNDP, are contributing to the elaboration of a national AI strategy.
The launch of Simandou 2040’s Third Pillar is expected to mark a new stage in structuring the overall project and developing a cohesive digital ecosystem. By combining infrastructure, modernizing public services, and strengthening skills, the initiative is positioned to reinforce Guinea's technological sovereignty, stimulate economic attractiveness, and prepare its youth for emerging digital careers.
Samira Njoya
- Côte d’Ivoire seeks Algeria’s expertise in postal, telecom, and ICT sectors
- Officials discussed investment ties; no concrete projects announced yet
- Côte d’Ivoire aims to grow digital sector to boost long-term economic output
Côte d’Ivoire wants to draw on Algeria’s experience in the postal, telecoms and ICT sectors, the Algerian government said. The announcement followed a November 13 meeting between Post and Telecommunications Minister Sid Ali Zerrouki and Ivorian Ambassador Alphonse Voho Sahi.
In a statement posted on its Facebook page, the Algerian ministry did not provide specific details on concrete bilateral cooperation projects or the exact areas in which Algeria would share its expertise. However, both parties discussed investment and partnership opportunities between Algerian and Ivorian companies.
The talks come as Côte d’Ivoire expands its digital sector to support economic growth. The World Bank says digital activities could add 6 to 7 percentage points to the country’s growth rate. The sector’s contribution, estimated at 5.5 billion dollars by 2025, could rise to 20 billion dollars by 2050 if investment and reforms continue.
Algeria ranks 116th on the UN’s 2024 E-Government Development Index with a score of 0.5956, above the African average but below the global average. It is also classified in Tier 3 of the International Telecommunication Union’s Global ICT Index. The country scored 86.1 out of 100 on the 2025 ICT Development Index, up from 80.9 in 2024, and placed sixth among 47 African countries, according to Ecofin Agency. In 2023, its 2G, 3G and 4G coverage reached 98.5%, 98.2% and 90.4%. Mobile penetration stood at 93% and internet penetration at 76.9%.
Côte d’Ivoire ranks 124th on the EGDI with a score of 0.5587 and is also listed in Tier 3 of the Global Cybersecurity Index. The ITU highlights the country’s strengths in legislation and institutional organisation but says technical capacity, training and cooperation need improvement. Côte d’Ivoire scored 69.5 on the 2025 ICT Development Index, up from 65.3 a year earlier. In 2023, 2G coverage reached 98.9%, 3G covered 98.3% and 4G reached 93.7%. Mobile penetration was 66.5% and internet penetration 40.7%.
Isaac K. Kassouwi
The Scale32 initiative, run by the Enovation Factory incubator and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Cameroon, has opened applications.
The programme provides both incubation to help entrepreneurs develop their business ideas and an acceleration phase to support early-stage companies in strengthening their business models and scaling up. Entrepreneurs and startups can apply online.
Government officials, development partners and private-sector actors will meet in Cotonou on Nov. 17-18 for a regional summit on digital transformation in West and Central Africa.
Organized by the Beninese government and the World Bank, the event will focus on narrowing the digital divide, building artificial intelligence skills and expanding digital job opportunities. It is expected to end with a “Cotonou Declaration” calling for a more inclusive regional digital market.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has given digital lending operators in Nigeria until January 5, 2026 to meet new regulatory requirements for digital credit services.
Platforms must submit their applications and follow strict rules on transparency, data protection and ethical debt recovery. The FCCPC said non-compliance could lead to penalties, including suspension of operations and fines.
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SONABEL launched an online e-recruitment platform to modernize hiring and eliminate manual applications.
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The tool centralizes the full hiring cycle and aims to boost transparency, efficiency and equal opportunity.
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The platform raises cybersecurity concerns as public institutions face increasing digital attacks.
Burkina Faso has launched a broad plan to digitize public services. Public institutions continue to deploy digital platforms to simplify and secure administrative procedures.
The National Electricity Company of Burkina Faso (SONABEL) launched a new online e-recruitment platform on Tuesday, November 11, in Ouagadougou as part of its digital transition. The company designed the platform, named E-recrutement, to make hiring more transparent, faster and fairer by modernizing traditional methods and easing access to job offers at the state-owned utility.
The platform, available at recrutements.sonabel.bf, centralizes, automates and secures the entire recruitment cycle, from job posting to candidate selection. It replaces physical submissions and manual processing and offers each candidate a personal account and notifications throughout the application process.
Company officials said the system “saves considerable time, optimizes resource use and increases the visibility of job postings,” enabling SONABEL to attract more qualified profiles.
The initiative forms part of Burkina Faso’s wider digital public-service reform, as institutions seek to modernize operations, strengthen transparency and improve administrative performance. SONABEL had already introduced a platform for processing technical files and an e-counter for administrative procedures. The new recruitment tool expands the company’s portfolio of digital services.
The digital system aims to reinforce fairness and transparency in hiring by offering equal access to opportunities for all candidates. It also intends to streamline procedures by reducing processing times and centralizing data on a single interface.
However, the rollout raises cybersecurity challenges related to personal-data protection and authentication reliability. As cyberattacks against public institutions increase, authorities must secure data and deploy robust control mechanisms to safeguard the integrity of the recruitment process and maintain user trust.
This article was initially published in French by Samira Njoya
Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum
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- Burundi validated its first National Data Governance Strategy (SNGD) to regulate data collection, management, sharing and valorisation.
- The strategy includes seven structural pillars, from legal frameworks and infrastructure to personal data protection and innovation.
- The plan aligns with Burundi’s Vision 2040–2060 and follows its 2023 adoption of the IMF’s Enhanced General Data Dissemination System.
Burundi moved to strengthen control over its data ecosystem at a time when data increasingly drives public policy and economic decision-making. The government aims to guarantee the security and valorisation of national data assets.
The country officially validated its first National Data Governance Strategy (SNGD) last week. The UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) co-led the document through its Data Governance in Africa initiative. The strategy seeks to regulate the collection, management, sharing and valorisation of data generated by the state, businesses and citizens.
The strategy rests on seven structural pillars: governance and leadership; legal and regulatory frameworks; data management, access and interoperability; infrastructure and sharing; security and personal data protection; capacity-building and data culture; and the data economy and innovation.
The government committed to developing a legal framework aligned with international standards, modernising digital infrastructures, promoting local skills and treating data as a public good.
Authorities involved more than 60 national institutions from public, private, academic and civil society sectors in the strategy’s design.
The validation of the SNGD aligns with Burundi’s Vision 2040–2060 and with the African Union’s continental data policy.
After adopting the IMF’s Enhanced General Data Dissemination System (EGDDS) in 2023, Burundi reaffirmed its ambition to modernise its information systems and increase the reliability of public statistics.
Officials expect the implementation of the SNGD to make public administration more efficient, improve transparency, and enhance the quality of public policies.
The strategy aims to stimulate digital innovation and job creation in the data sector and to build a sovereign and inclusive data governance model capable of attracting investment and reinforcing Burundi’s digital resilience.
This article was initially published in French by Samira Njoya
Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum
- The Startup Act aims to ease company creation and support youth employment
- The law includes a national fund of funds, a startup label, and fiscal incentives
- It is part of Vision Djibouti 2035 to build a stronger digital economy
Minister Delegate for the Digital Economy and Innovation Mariam Hamadou Ali (photo, right) presented the “Startup Act Djibouti” bill to the National Assembly on Sunday, November 9. The bill aims to make it easier to create technology companies and encourage youth employment. After extensive discussions, it received a favorable opinion and proposed amendments for review in a plenary session.
The “Startup Act Djibouti” includes several measures to support entrepreneurs and attract investors. It introduces the “Djibouti Startup” label to identify and promote young innovative companies, offering fiscal and financial incentives tailored to their needs.
The law also proposes a national fund of funds to strengthen venture capital and make financing more accessible to start-ups, along with a simplified customs window for technology companies. It also includes a “Startup Visa” to attract international talent and a unified digital platform, “Djibouti Startup,” which will serve as a support and monitoring portal for all start-ups in the country.
The bill aligns with Vision Djibouti 2035, which places innovation and digital transformation at the center of national strategy. It comes at a time when start-ups are growing rapidly but still face challenges in support and financing. It reflects the government’s plan to make Djibouti a regional entrepreneurship hub and unlock the creative potential of its youth.
Once adopted, the law will be followed by implementing decrees detailing practical measures, including label allocation, fund management, and visa eligibility requirements. For Minister Mariam Hamadou Ali, this law goes beyond a regulatory framework and represents a strong signal to young entrepreneurs and investors.
- The federal government deploys 1Gov ECM to digitize internal procedures
- The platform enables workflow automation, unified document management, and e-signatures
- The system supports Nigeria’s goal of a paperless government by the end of 2025
The federal government of Nigeria announced on Monday, November 10, the launch of the “1Gov Enterprise Content Management (ECM)” platform to modernize document management and digitize internal processes across the public service. The initiative, led by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and state-owned Galaxy Backbone Limited, aims to make the administration more efficient, transparent, and aligned with national digital sovereignty goals.
According to Didi Esther Walson-Jack (photo, left), Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the rollout marks a decisive turning point for Nigeria’s public administration. She said the move toward a digital platform aligns with the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP), which seeks to build a knowledge-based administration driven by data-focused decision-making.
The ECM system supports workflow automation, unified document management, and the adoption of electronic signatures. It replaces physical files with a secure digital environment hosted on the 1Gov Cloud, Nigeria’s sovereign infrastructure. According to official sources, more than 59,000 official email accounts have already been created.
For Galaxy Backbone Limited, the launch of the 1Gov ECM platform brings Nigeria closer to its goal of operating a fully paperless government by the end of 2025. The solution will centralize and secure government documents, automate workflows, and reduce reliance on physical records.
In a country with an online administration development index of 0.4815, ranked 144th out of 193 according to the United Nations, the system represents a major step toward modernizing public services, strengthening transparency, and improving access to digital public services for citizens.
- PortailBac centralizes registrations, online payments, and data for exams
- The platform supports automated processing and real-time, integrated management
- It aligns with Senegal’s New Deal Technologique for a fully digital education system
Senegal is advancing the digitization of its education administration with the launch on November 11 of PortailBac, a digital platform dedicated to the centralized management of the baccalaureate and the Concours général. The tool centralizes registrations, online payments, file tracking, and the production of official statistics.
“PortailBac is not only a technical tool, but a gateway that brings together the actors in the education system around a modernized and secure mission to streamline the procedures linked to the organization of the baccalaureate and the Concours général,” said Abdoul Aziz Diouf, director general of Higher Education at the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation.
Developed by the Office du baccalauréat in partnership with the National Agency for Statistics and Demography (ANSD), PortailBac enables automated registrations, centralized data collection and processing, and a major reduction in human error. The tool, which is interoperable with other public systems such as Campusen, offers integrated, real-time management of applications. Officials say it will help produce reliable statistics essential for planning in the education sector.
This launch is part of the New Deal Technologique, Senegal’s national digital transformation strategy, and continues modernization efforts undertaken in recent years, including the abandonment of USB drives, the digitization of labels, and the electronic archiving of transcripts, introduced as early as 2006.
By strengthening the traceability of procedures and the reliability of data, PortailBac is expected to transform the management of national exams. Beyond administrative simplification, the platform paves the way for more effective education governance built on updated, actionable data. It also marks a key step toward an integrated digital education ecosystem, where institutions, teachers, and students interact through connected and secure tools.