Saturday, May 18

Author: Africa Tech Digest

Founded in 2018, Africa Tech Digest is the go to destination for a collection of tech news coming out of Africa and her Diaspora.
30Dec By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments
AI, East Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa

Drones driven by AI will track illegal fishing in African waters

Across the African continent, drones are finding innovative uses -- from monitoring displaced populations to delivering critical medical supplies. Moroccan technology startup ATLAN Space is developing artificial intelligence (AI) to guide autonomous drones so they can scan large areas for "environmental crimes" like illegal fishing, poaching or deforestation. In June, ATLAN Space won the National Geographic Society's $150,000 Marine Protection Prize to implement a pilot project to combat illegal fishing in Seychelles. Drones will be armed with information about illegal fishing hotspots, explains Badr Idrissi, CEO and co-founder of ATLAN Space. Once a drone detects a boat, AI will enable it to verify whether it is a cruising boat, tanker or fishing vessel. The drone will then est...
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Meet the 19-year-old tech genius coding at Ethiopia’s first AI lab
30Dec By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments
Africans in Tech, AI

Meet the 19-year-old tech genius coding at Ethiopia’s first AI lab

At 19-years-old, Betelhem Dessie is perhaps the youngest pioneer in Ethiopia's fast emerging tech scene, sometimes referred to as "Sheba Valley."Dessie is coordinating a number of nationwide programs run by robotics lab iCog, the Addis Ababa based artificial intelligence (AI) lab that was involved in developing the world famous Sophia the robot. She has four software programs copyrighted solely to her name - including an app developed for the Ethiopian government to map rivers used for irrigation.And it all began when she was just 9.She recalls: "On my 9th birthday I wanted to celebrate so I asked my father for money." When her father said he didn't have any to give her that day, Dessie took matters into her own hands.Making use of the materials around her - her father sold electronics...
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30Dec By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments
Space, West Africa

Why NASA chose Senegal to observe a frozen world beyond Pluto

On a night in August, an object called 2014 MU69 passed in front of a star and blocked its light. This phenomenon, called a stellar occultation, lasted just a second and was visible only in certain regions in Africa (more exactly in Senegal, Mali and Algeria) and in South America in Colombia.MU69 is an icy object of the Kuiper Belt, (informally named Ultima Thule) which was discovered in June 2014 with the Hubble Space Telescope.NASA is pursuing this object to learn more about the origins of our solar system. Senegal was chosen to observe this occultation, because of its political stability, and the existence of a community of amateur astronomers and scientists.The choice of Senegal was made despite the challenging climatic conditions in August (rainy season), which offered a proba...
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How Africa’s Tech Generation Is Changing the Continent
30Dec By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments
Trends

How Africa’s Tech Generation Is Changing the Continent

DESIGNING FOR AFRICA is the objective of many new technology ventures. The continent is still a largely untapped market, particularly in remote, off-the-grid places. Mark Kamau, director of user-experience design for BRCK in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, holds a prototype for a mobile weather station.PHOTOGRAPH BY CIRIL JAZBEC Inspired by Silicon Valley, young entrepreneurs are bringing life-improving innovations to sub-Saharan communities. ONE DAY IN 2004, in the Kenyan farming village of Engineer—so named because an Englishman once ran a mechanical repair shop there—a slight and nearsighted boy was walking past the only printing shop when his eyes fell on something he had never seen: a computer. The boy watched as the owner stabbed at his keyboard. Edging closer, he saw pages ...
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Why Mali has its own homegrown version of Facebook
29Dec By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments
Social Networks, West Africa

Why Mali has its own homegrown version of Facebook

Lenali is a social media app created for non-literate, oral-based communities In 2017, it was reported that Facebook had 170 million users in Africa --  seven out of every 10 Africans on the internet log into Facebook.  Platforms like WhatsApp, Viber and Instagram have become vitals tools of communication: for news, elections and, of course, selfies. Social media companies are eyeing Africa as a big growth market, with Facebook set to launch its first community hub in Nigeria this year.  However, platforms like Facebook largely center on written posts and conversation, as well as video. For those in the continent from oral-based, spoken language (non-literate) communities with little formal education, these platforms can be inaccessible. This is the case ...
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Venture capital, global expansion, blockchain and drones characterize African tech in 2018
29Dec By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments
Trends

Venture capital, global expansion, blockchain and drones characterize African tech in 2018

2018 saw Africa’s tech sector become more dynamic and international. VC firms on the continent multiplied. There were numerous investment rounds. And startups pursued acquisitions and global expansion. Here’s a snapshot of the news that shaped African tech over the last year.   Surge in VC funds A notable 2018 trend was Africa’s VC landscape becoming more African, with an increasing number of investment funds headquartered on the continent and run by locals, according to Crunchbase data released in this TechCrunch exclusive. Drawing on its database and primary source research, Crunchbase identified 51 viable Africa-focused VC funds globally with at least 7-10 investments in African startups from seed to series stage. Of the 51 funds, 22 (or 43 percent) were hea...
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The Technology Space Is Rapidly Evolving in Africa, and It’s Not All Good News
29Dec By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments
Cybersecurity, Opinion, Tech Policy

The Technology Space Is Rapidly Evolving in Africa, and It’s Not All Good News

The lack of technology policy and its poor implementation can lead to economic and political instability, and the effects of this are magnified in African countries with weak rule of law. One of the poorest countries in Africa is getting serious about going digital. In October, the Malawian government announced it would require businesses to offer options for digital payments in an effort to expand the digital economy and tax base. Like Malawi, many African countries now find themselves at the forefront of global conversations around how to compete in an increasingly digital economy and govern online spaces, but few are rising to the challenge of safeguarding digital rights in the process. Rapid population growth across the continent and the anticipation of millions of...
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East Africa Top 10 Tech Startups to Watch
29Dec By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments
East Africa, List & Guides, Start-ups

East Africa Top 10 Tech Startups to Watch

The tech startup scene in the African continent is experiencing record-breaking growth and increased international attention. In 2017, African tech startups received over $560M in investment according to research by Partech Ventures (a 53% increase from $367M in 2016). While South Africa and Nigeria still lead in attracting tech investments for the continent, East Africa is rapidly grabbing diverting more attention and investment dollars, catalyzed by strong innovation hubs and incubators. Nairobi stands as the pillar and anchor of East Africa’s interest, attracting 26% of total investments into Africa. Results from I-DEV East Africa Tech Survey showed strong evidence that Kenya continues to take a the lead in attracting attention and growing the ‘hottest’ companies to watch in East Af...
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The big tech and innovation trends in Africa for 2018
28Dec By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments
Trends

The big tech and innovation trends in Africa for 2018

This year, as is the case almost every year, the availability of funding proved a major talking point among African tech founders and innovators. In 2018, however, there was reason to cheer as halfway through the year, startup funding had reached $168.6 million—surpassing last year’s total. Crucially, there was more venture capital closer to home for startups as Partech Ventures launched a $100 million pan-African fund. Indeed, much of that increased investment was largely thanks to the hot streak of  fintech companies, including big-ticket investment deals like Cellulant’s $47.5 million Series C round. Fintech companies across the continent providing key services in loans, savings and payment, have been increasingly rewarded wit...
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