The systems engineer considers the digital sector a goldmine of opportunities for the Chadian youth. Instead of using words to convince the youth of that reality, he chose to take action and led the way. To succeed in his bid, he even took courses to ensure he can offer effective support.
Hamid Khayar Defallah (photo) is the founder and CEO of incubator Chad Innovation. The software engineer created Chad Innovation in 2018 to help young people improve their living conditions. The incubator organizes training sessions, debates, and forums to let participants present their ideas, pick up project ideas and get support for the implementation of their various projects.
Although Chad Innovation was created in 2018, it started breeding in its founder’s mind in 2014 when he made an appalling realization as a teacher at the University of N’Djamena. Indeed, it dawned on him that after graduation, it was difficult for most students to get jobs. So, he started reflecting on how such laborforce can be absorbed. “That is how I got the idea to create an innovation space where ideas can be discussed to detect the most innovative,” Hamid explains.
He started maturing the idea in 2016 after he completed an entrepreneurship training program at the University of Texas. Two years later, the incubator was officially launched. However, it is not the first venture launched by Hamid. In 2013, the latter co-founded the IT service firm Africatech World of Technology, after years of polishing his skills in the digital sector considered a goldmine of opportunities for the youth.
After an internship at the Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA), he joined the now-defunct public broadcasting corporation ONRTV in 2012 as a technical support engineer.
He left ONRTV in 2015 and joined the Chadian research and development center CNRD as a research assistant and IT manager. While still officiating at the CNRD, he completed a two-month internship at the Global Entrepreneurship Network, learning how to build a startup ecosystem. When he left the CNRD in 2017, he was recruited as an IT manager for Radisson Blu Hotel N'Djamena.
Since December 2020, the tech entrepreneur is the director general of the Chadian digital transition agency.
Melchior Koba
The number of solutions connecting artisans and individuals is growing in Africa. With those solutions, entrepreneurs are trying to facilitate their compatriots’ living conditions by using tech solutions.
Iya is a Togolese digital platform that networks artisans with individuals who need blue-collar workers. It also includes a specialized e-store. The digital solution was launched in 2021 but, it was being developed since 2020.
“Iya.com is a company that provides artisans for all kinds of repair or renovation works. It aims to offer individuals, companies, and craftsmen the easiest way to identify and carry out all kinds of work,” the startup behind it explains.
The platform has a mobile app, available for Android devices only. Users who want to hire artisans can open a “client account” and select among the artisans available. As for blue-collar workers, they can create a free “worker” account and apply for the offers available in the nearest neighborhood.
Iya lists more than two hundred artisans working in several sectors. It also has an online store where fashion accessories, furniture, paintings, and sculptures are sold. The objective is to promote the artisans present on the platform.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated digital transformation in most African countries. Nowadays, investments that were previously concentrated in urban areas are increasingly channeled to the development of rural areas, which house most of the population.
Nigerien Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Hassane Baraze Moussa, presided over the launch of the first edition of the Smart Village Innovation Forum (FIVI) last Monday. The forum, which will be concluded tomorrow (July 22), serves as a framework for reflection on rural areas’ digital transformation. Its theme is “Tec4Dev through Carpooling for Development.”
According to Minister Hassane Baraze, the end goal of the reflections will be to help materialize the government’s commitment “to connecting the rural areas by supporting state institutions and agencies.” It will also help “achieve the state agencies and institutions’ strategies, and end the digital isolation of Niger’s administrative villages.” The reflection is also expected to help “promote the use of e-services in urban and rural areas to notably improve financial inclusion, as well as create an ecosystem that is conducive to the development of local digital content and facilitates support to local startups.”
The plan currently set in motion for the digital transformation of rural areas in Niger is in line with the government’s commitments in its Renaissance Program Act III. The program notably provides for the modernization of rural areas by developing production and human capital as well as improving financial inclusion. By leveraging information and communication technologies, the country can quickly reach those goals.
In 2021, the country’s internet penetration rate was around 30% with low public services digitization scores. According to UN data, in 2020, it was among the countries with the lowest e-governance index, ranking 188th out of 193 countries. Developing broadband connectivity that supports digital services and information is one of the key requirements for the government of Niger to realize its "smart villages" ambition.
Niger "has a predominantly young population living in rural areas. [..] Our youth are our main asset. By training them and allowing them access to information, we will create better conditions to achieve our development objectives,” said Hassane Baraze Moussa.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
A few years ago, Ghanaian authorities initiated digital transformation projects to boost the adoption of digital technologies and promote innovation in key productive sectors.
Ghana inaugurated, Monday (July 18), its national e-pharmacy platform. The platform, dubbed “National Electronic Pharmacy Platform,” is the convergence of licensed local pharmacies. It “will enable Ghanaians to have access to prescribed medicines and buy them by making an order with a mobile phone through the ePharmacy app, website, or a shortcode, and have the medicine delivered to a requested location,” the government indicates.
“'The introduction of the National ePharmacy Platform (NEPP) is meant to safely and securely make available medicines, reduce the burden of cost and save time,” explained Ghana’s Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
According to Ghana's Ministry of Communication, although cell phone penetration is over 100% in the country, people have yet to fully embrace ICT in their daily lives or business operations. Less than 10% of the population uses the internet and mobile broadband use is extremely low, the ministry informs.
NEPP is part of the e-Transform strategy launched by the Ghanaian government a few years ago. The strategy aims to boost broadband access and improve the efficiency and quality of certain digital public services. It also eyes an enhancement of Ghana's digital innovation ecosystem to help create better jobs and a better economy. In addition, it will improve the allocation of government resources, leading to the efficient use of public funds. Above all, the strategy is expected to promote entrepreneurship and create more jobs.
Let’s note that according to the World Bank, with an average of 19% growth rate annually between 2014 and 2020, the digital sector is one of Ghana’s best-performing sectors.
Jean-Marc Gogbeu
Healthtech solutions are sprouting to help the African population easily access healthcare. In Cameroon, an entrepreneur is focusing on preventive care.
Healthlane is a digital platform developed by a Cameroonian startup founded in 2020. It allows users access to quality and affordable healthcare in Cameroon and Nigeria.
The platform has a mobile app (available for Android and iOS devices), through which users can book preventive care. To keep users healthy, it allows dozens of preventive checks.
Healthlane has a range of premium health packs allowing access to its services. Its packs cost between XAF50,000 and XAF250,000. For instance, the XAF50,000 pack gives access to 48 preventive checkups against over 100 preventive checks for the XAF250,000 pack. The startup aims to help users “detect diseases before they strike.” So, even people with health insurance plans can buy Healthlane’s packs.
The startup claims over 500 preventive checkups performed, over 10,000 curative care given and 10,000 vaccines administered. In 2020, it participated in the winter cohort of Californian accelerator Y Combinator. The same year, it raised US$2.4 million to boost its development. It even announced its expansion to the Kenyan and Ivorian markets in the next few months.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
Over the past few years, he has taken numerous initiatives to empower the youth and promote digital entrepreneurship in his country, Djibouti. Thanks to his commitment to the task, he has won the trust of international and national actors.
Mohamed Guireh Galab (photo) is a Djiboutian entrepreneur. In 2018, he founded StartUp Factory, an incubator that trains entrepreneurs and invests in innovative projects, from product ideas to launch. His incubator is accessible to digital enthusiasts who want to make money from their passion, ICT, in Djibouti.
Over the years, StartUp Factory, currently present in six cities, has developed partnerships with public institutions, including microfinance institution CPEC and the private investments’ promotion agency FDED. The partnerships aim to give Djiboutians an opportunity to implement their project ideas.
Galab is very committed to youth empowerment. To drive that goal further, four years ago, he co-founded Djibouti’s young entrepreneurs’ network CJED. With CJED, he facilitates experience-sharing, networking, and value-chain-creation. “CJED offers equal opportunity for every young Djiboutian to create, develop or revive his/her company,” Galab says.
Since 2012, he is the national chairman of Junior Chamber International (JCI) Djibouti. In 2019, he became a country director for the Global Entrepreneurship Network, launched in 2008 to build a global entrepreneurship ecosystem. The following year, he was named Djibouti's ambassador to Africalink, a network of entrepreneurs operating in Africa and Europe. The entrepreneur is also a Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) alumni, who took part in the 2017 training program at Clark University, Atlanta. In 2021, he made it to Africa Digital Festival’s top 50 continental digital champions 2021.
Melchior Koba
Last year, Côte d’Ivoire’s mobile money market was shaken by a new actor, which increased competition with an aggressive pricing policy. The competition forced strategic adjustments, much to users’ benefit.
In Côte d’Ivoire, Orange Money Afrique is no longer reserved for Orange Côte d’Ivoire’s users only. Indeed, to boost financial inclusion in the country the telecom operator opened access to its platform, allowing users to carry out various financial transactions irrespective of the network they are subscribed to.
According to Mariame Diaby Touré, CEO of Orange Money Côte d’Ivoire, to carry out their transactions, users only have to download the Orange Money Afrique app, register by following the required steps, and validate their mobile money account. Then, they can send or withdraw money, carry out merchant services and pay bills right from the app.
By opening Orange Money Afrique to other networks’ subscribers, Orange Côte d’Ivoire materializes the mobile money interoperability being advocated by the government since 2020. “It is an additional step towards financial inclusion,” says Mariame Diaby Touré.
Currently, the telecom operator is multiplying initiatives to remain the leader of the Ivorian mobile money market disputed with Wave, MTN Money, and MOOV Money. To get closer to its users, the operator has 41,000 kiosks installed all over the country. It also made significant investments in its network infrastructure to guarantee quality services. Thanks to those investments, Orange Money Afrique is accessible everywhere, even in remote areas.
“We are proud to be part of Orange Group, which has great network ambitions. We have covered almost every part of the country with 3G and 4G,” Mariame Diaby Touré indicates.
Internet is currently a crucial tool for students. In that regard, Algerian authorities want to improve its quality in universities.
Algeria will accelerate the digital transformation of its universities. For that purpose, the country plans to increase the internet speed in higher education and research institutes by ten by January 2023. The move was announced by Higher Education Minister Abdelbaki Benziane, during the Higher Education Conference held in Annaba, last Saturday.
According to Minister Abdelbaki, “digitalization is a strategic choice and universities are about to successfully implement it to improve management, assessment, and [learners’] performance.”
The government official recalled that an integrated information system, called “Progrès” (Progress in French), and digital platforms have already been deployed to improve educational management, research, and university life.
By increasing universities’ internet speed, the government will help students save time during their research with lower latency. The move will also allow a large number of students to access the internet and have a positive impact on their studies.
The acceleration of universities’ digital transformation is in line with the Algerian President’s instructions for the digitalization of every state institution. The country initiated its digital transformation years ago but, the coronavirus pandemic accelerated the process.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
In Africa, most workers have no access to social security coverage since they work in the informal sector. In Tunisia, an entrepreneur has decided to help rural women access that service.
Ahmini is a digital platform developed by a Tunisian startup founded in 2019. It facilitates rural women’s integration into the social security system. The startup, which developed the platform, is the result of its founder, Meher Khelifi’s personal experience.
According to Meher, in rural regions, women usually work on their husbands’ farms without leaves or rest days. Their difficult working conditions damage their health but, they are usually unable to access quality healthcare due to limited financial resources, he explains. “I don't want anybody to live my experience: see someone very close to me die and not be able to do anything,” he said.
To reach a larger number of rural women, Ahmini and hundreds of trained volunteers met with the women and explained the advantages of subscribing to social security coverage. "There were no laws providing social or health coverage to rural women. Also, municipalities were not that much supportive, but I managed to prompt an amendment of the laws and the introduction of new ones covering rural women’s insurance,” he added.
Ahmini links social security numbers to the insured women’s SIM cards, facilitating access to affordable insurance. It also offers the possibility to sponsor women in various regions in Tunisia. Currently, it claims over 15,000 women registered, including 8,360 that were sponsored. It plans to expand throughout the Arab world, starting with Algeria and Lebanon.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
After her studies in Spain, she returned home to serve her country. In the last ten years, she has overseen several large tech projects, significantly contributing to socio-economic development.
Olivia Garcia Berniko (photo) is an Equatoguinean IT engineer. She is, since March 2016, the technical director of state telecom infrastructure company GITGE, which manages the country’s fiber optic cables - ACE, Ceiba-1 and Ceiba-2, Ultramar GE, Mandji, and SAIL notably, ensuring the integrity of communication means and making sure residents have access to telecom services.
"My daily routine includes managing our ongoing projects and technical department. I am also involved in the entity's corporate social responsibility projects, which add extra motivation as they are closely related to the human factor,” Olivia Garcia Berniko said in an interview with AhoraEG in 2021.
Before joining the GITGE, Olivia worked for Everis, a Spanish firm that supplies strategic tech and outsourcing solutions. When she left the Spanish firm, she joined the GITGE as a system engineer, ten years ago, and gradually climbed the corporate ladder. In 2014, she was appointed project manager before being promoted to the head of the technical department two years later.
In recognition of her professional achievements, she is now invited to share her expertise during international events. On April 29, 2022, she shared her experience and opinions in the tech sector with female leaders at the International STEM Women’s Conference held online. Last year, she was one of the 50 African Digital Champions at the Africa Digital Festival. She is also a Knight of the Equatoguinean Order of Independence.
Melchior Koba
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Currently, just a few countries implement virtual court hearings. However, it is gradually being picked up, allowing the public to attend many court hearings at the same time.
Kenyan courts will be connected to the Google-funded National Optic Fibre Network Backhaul Initiative (NOFBI) by October 2022. The project was launched by Chief Justice Martha Koome last Friday, July 15. Overall, 300 courtrooms in 67 court stations can broadcast live.
“It is in appreciation of the transformative impact that this project will have on access to justice and performance of the judiciary, that I on behalf of the judiciary, extend our sincere gratitude to Google for thinking about access to justice and performance of the Judiciary as a key outcome area that Kenyan Government should target.[...] The e-courts will benefit from reliable, faster, and stable internet access that has been a challenge to the dispensation of justice through the virtual courts.[...]This project is going to solve the challenge that has stood in our way from fully realizing the full potential of virtual courts, mainly reliability, speed, and stability of the internet, ” said Martha Koome (photo).
The project aims to improve access to justice for Kenyans. It is part of Kenya's program to automate and digitize the justice system by leveraging technology as a catalyst for efficiency in the justice delivery system. It is also part of a Connectivity support program funded to the tune of Ksh500 million (US$4.2 million) by Google. In the framework of the program, apart from the 67 courts, six hospitals and eleven technical and vocational training institutions will be connected to network infrastructures across Kenya.
Samira Njoya
Despite the ongoing digital revolution, Africa’s higher education still faces a certain number of challenges. They include access to documentation. However, multifunctional centers are being built to overcome the challenges.
The World Health Organization (WHO) inaugurated, Friday (July 15), a digital information center in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. The infrastructure was inaugurated by Health Minister Gilbert Mokoki during a ceremony attended by Dr. Lucien Alexis Manga, the WHO resident representative in Congo.
The center is aimed at facilitating access to the documentary resources published by the WHO on its information platforms.
"The digital information center will facilitate exchanges between health professionals. It has several rooms, some of which are reserved for WHO teams and their partners. It also has a twenty-workstation multipurpose room that can facilitate online training,” said Dr. Lucien Alexis Manga.
The newly inaugurated infrastructure will promote research and higher education in Congo. It will also serve as a digital library with a collection of audio and video documents that can be accessed remotely. "We formerly had huge libraries that were difficult to peruse. With the [digital information center] initiative, everything is summarized and can be read easily and fast. The initiative must be shared at will so that [the center] can inspire others,” commented Gilbert Mokoki.
The center, equipped with broadband internet, adds to ARCAI, an artificial intelligence research center funded by the UNECA and its partners. The research center was inaugurated in Brazzaville last February.
Samira Njoya
He equips Djiboutians with digital skills as a sustainable solution to the steady rise of unemployment in the country.
Samatar Abdi Osman (photo) is the founder and CEO of Djiboutian incubator CTID (Centre of Technology & innovation for development), founded in 2017. His incubator supports innovative and social project owners, mainly in the renewable energies, agribusiness, environment, and social services sectors.
“We offer young people digital training to enable the creation of projects that have social impacts. Digital technology is just a means and not an end. We aim to leverage it to find solutions to improve access to water, energy, education, etc.[...], and ensure that every project leader can specialize in a specific sector and find solutions to social challenges faced by Djibouti,” Abdi Osman told Senegalese Media Pressafrik in June 2022.
Last year, the founder and his team launched Horn Digital Academy to offer web development and digital marketing training. Apart from his works with the CTID, he is also the country representative of Club 2030 Africa, a think tank that shares skills to contribute to Africa’s emergence by 2030. He is also the Head of the Natural Hazards Analysis and Modeling Laboratory at the Djiboutian research institute CERD, since 2010.
Abdi Osman started his professional career in 2006 when he joined the CERD as a Geographic information systems expert. From 2008 to 2011, he served as a part-time teacher at the University of Djibouti. Two years later, he became a consultant for the UNDP. He also consulted for the French Development Agency and the African Development Bank, respectively in 2015 and 2016.
In June 2021, he was on the 2021 list of the French African Foundation’s 100 Young Leaders that celebrates “highest potential African and French talents” aged between 28 and 40.
Melchior Koba
The coronavirus pandemic prompted the development of numerous distance-learning platforms in Africa. In Morocco, an edtech startup has decided to facilitate the process.
KoolSkools is a digital edtech platform deployed by a Moroccan eponymous startup in 2020. It enables schools to digitalize their course materials, create a content bank and deliver live classes online. It aims to help improve the academic performance of primary and secondary school students.
According to its founders, KoolSkools “helps unleash students’ creativity, lets them experience another type of education, facilitates interactions and knowledge transfer, connect schools, teachers, students, and parents while offering quality educational content.”
The platform has a mobile app (available for Android and iOS devices) that allows parents, students, teachers, and academic institutions to register an account with KoolSkools. Using the app, students can attend classes and send practical assessments to teachers. As for parents, they can monitor their children’s performance and class attendance as well as access course transcripts.
KoolSkools also aims to be a digital management tool for daily school operations such as student records, payment management, and communication with parents.
The edtech is present in several major Moroccan cities and claims to work with about 30 schools, 20,000 students, and nearly 700 teachers. Its ambition is to reach 100,000 students in the next two or three years and cover the whole of Morocco. Recently, it secured US$290,000 support from the institutional fund Maroc Numeric Fund.
Adoni Conrad Quenum