June 2019 – Africa Tech Digest

Using tech to improve Africa’s logistics industry

12Jun

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Uncategorized

Using tech to improve Africa’s logistics industry

Poor infrastructure is currently holding back the growth of Africa's logistics markets. Industries can make a variety of goods, but they struggle to transport them safely and quickly to customers without established networks. According to global property consultancy Knight Frank, the cost of transport takes up 50-75% of the retail price of goods. But there is hope, from both foreign investment and home-grown solutions. For example, in Nigeria, digital start-up Kobo360 developed an app that revolutionises cargo delivery by making sure that everyone in the supply chain is connected to ensure the safety and accountability of cargo in transit. A call centre of staff is able to monitor truck deliveries enroute in real-time and communicate directly with drivers, manufacturers and...

German government launches €1bn Africa fund

12Jun

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Start-ups

German government launches €1bn Africa fund

German ambassador to Ghana Christoph Retzlaff earlier today announced that the German government had launched a €1-billion Africa fund. Retzlaff (pictured above, left with former Ghanaian president John Dramani Mahama) said in a tweet last week that the fund will support African startups and small businesses, as well as German and European companies. It’s not yet clear when the fund will make its first investments or which startup verticals it will target. Ventureburn sought comment from the German embassy in Ghana on this and other details on the fund but had not received a comment at the time of publication. The fund is part of the G20 Compact With Africa initiative which was launched under Germany’s G20 presidency in 2017 to promote investment in Africa....

12Jun

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Ridehailing

Uber to remove riders with bad feedback

Uber has announced a new quality system to remove riders with persistently bad feedback. Soon Uber will begin notifying a small number of riders who have consistently received bad feedback from drivers, that they must improve their behaviour or they could lose access to the Uber app. With this new policy, when Uber sees a pattern of riders getting consistently bad feedback, they will receive a warning and will be given advice on how to improve, if they continue to receive bad feedback from drivers after warnings, the next step would be to temporarily suspend their account for one week and if still there is no improvement eventually face the possibility of full deactivation. Alon Lits, General Manager for Uber Sub-Saharan Africa explains, “We have recently updated our community guide...

Africa’s Biggest Smartphone Seller is Taking a Cue from Apple

11Jun

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Telecommunications

Africa’s Biggest Smartphone Seller is Taking a Cue from Apple

As iPhone sales continue to dip and Apple is paying more attention to its services, the Chinese phone manufacturer leading the market in Africa, Transsion Holdings, seems to be toeing the same line and developing a service portfolio for itself. Transsion’s Infinix and Tecno phone brands are already popular in Nigeria and Kenya thanks to competitive pricing that makes the phones more affordable than their biggest competitors. Actively pursuing new services to offer users could further raise interest and profits. Transsion Overtook Samsung in Smartphone Sales in Africa Source: ATLAS In January, Transsion’s Mobile Internet Centre launched a new service in Nigeria. Scooper is essentially a media platform, offering content on football, literature, politics, technology and a r...

Kenya to be Part of Microsoft Cloud Accelerator Program for Women-led Startups

11Jun

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East Africa

Kenya to be Part of Microsoft Cloud Accelerator Program for Women-led Startups

Kenya will be one of the nine countries that will benefit from Microsoft’s Cloud Accelerator Program that entails a 6-month training designed to help women-led companies start and build their business through Microsoft products and its cloud distribution channel. The program, which is currently running in the U.S., will be introduced in Kenya, South Africa, Canada, France, Germany, India, the UAE and the U.K. in partnership with IdeaGen and Women in Cloud. Generally speaking, the project is geared toward offering access to the cloud, mentorship, networking communities, and resources to women-owned tech firms. The program, which was founded two years ago, was launched to pursue a community-led initiative to empower women in tech and drive growth. Microsoft says the project has since bec...

Chinese tech giant Huawei turns to Africa to offset US blacklist

11Jun

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Telecommunications

Chinese tech giant Huawei turns to Africa to offset US blacklist

As the United States leads a drive for the West to shun Huawei over security fears, the Chinese tech giant has sought to strengthen its position in Africa, where it is already well-established. Huawei has taken a leading role in developing next-generation 5G mobile phone networks around the world. But it has been in turmoil since Washington charged its equipment could serve as a Trojan horse for Chinese intelligence services. The world's second smartphone marker fiercely denies the allegations, but the US has urged countries to avoid it and several companies have distanced themselves. They include Google, whose Android operating system runs most smartphones. And as Washington and Beijing duke it out in an escalating trade war, nations around the world are faced with the dil...

What to Expect from the Africa Tech Summit 2019

10Jun

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Events

What to Expect from the Africa Tech Summit 2019

As a part of the London Tech week, the Africa Tech summit will take place June 11, 2019. The event is the fourth of its kind, and will provide the opportunity to speak to and hear from African business leaders, as well as networking opportunities with international tech leaders and investors to drive growth in Africa. Over 250 key stakeholders from across the country will be in attendance at the 5 Star Leonardo Royal Hotel London St Paul’s, situated next to St Paul's Cathedral. The conference will host over 50 expert speakers, including Erick Yong of GreenTec Capital, Chijioke Dozie of OneFi & Caron, Tunde Kehinde of Lidya, and Tomy Davies of Lagos Angel Network (LAN). The morning will begin with Blockchain and Crypto for Africa, featuring talks from Edward George, CNO of Kle...

Diving deep into Africa’s blossoming tech scene

10Jun

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Trends

Diving deep into Africa’s blossoming tech scene

Jumia may be the first startup you’ve heard of from Africa. But the e-commerce venture that recently listed on the NYSE is definitely not the first or last word in African tech. The continent has an expansive digital innovation scene, the components of which are intersecting rapidly across Africa’s 54 countries and 1.2 billion people. When measured by monetary values, Africa’s tech ecosystem is tiny by Shenzen or Silicon Valley standards. But when you look at volumes and year over year expansion in VC, startup formation, and tech hubs, it’s one of the fastest growing tech markets in the world. In 2017, the continent also saw the largest global increase in internet users—20 percent. If you’re a VC or founder in London, Bangalore, or San Francisco, you’ll likely i...

Airtel Africa Targets $750m in London IPO

10Jun

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Telecommunications

Airtel Africa Targets $750m in London IPO

Airtel Africa Ltd, a subsidiary of India’s Bharti Airtel Ltd, on Tuesday said it will proceed with its plan to list shares on the main market of the London Stock Exchange through an initial public offering (IPO). “The offer is targeted to raise $750 million (plus primary greenshoe option of up to 15%) and will be used to reduce net debt,” Bharti Airtel said in a regulatory filing. Airtel Africa would proceed with an initial public offering for admission and listing of its shares on the main market of the London Stock Exchange (premium segment), it added. Additionally, Airtel Africa is also considering listing its shares on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Continue reading

Can Nigeria’s tech community contribute to solving the country’s energy crisis?

9Jun

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Energy, Opinion, West Africa

Can Nigeria’s tech community contribute to solving the country’s energy crisis?

Two weeks ago, I tried renewing energy credits online via my bank’s website. I got debited instantly and immediately proceeded to check if power was restored. It wasn’t and I didn’t receive a refund until a week later. Although in the past, I have successfully used the system a few times, the unreliability of the service is a problem for many. At least 30,000 electronic payment transactions fail every day, according to one Nigerian commercial bank. Nigeria is a nation where its citizens live with limited power daily. Last month, the power supply droppedfrom 4,000 megawatts to 2,039 megawatts, grossly insufficient for a nation of 180 million people. The power generated dropped due to a shortage of gas supply to power stations. If all the country’s power facilities work to the...