Africa – Page 2 – Africa Tech Digest

Hearing impairments and technology, ReelFruit’s $3m raise, Apple Pay on Paystack

25Sep

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Africa, Health Tech

Hearing impairments and technology, ReelFruit’s $3m raise, Apple Pay on Paystack

Thursday, September 23, 2021, was the International Day of Sign Languages. And according to the United Nations, September 23 every year is an opportunity to support and protect the linguistic identity and cultural diversity of all deaf people and other sign language users. The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) estimates that there are more than 70 million deaf people worldwide and more than 80% of them are from developing countries. How do people with hearing impairments communicate? Depending on the degree of severity, they use hearing aids, speech-to-text tools and sign languages to communicate. Continue reading Image: Speaking Fingers

What will commerce look like in Africa over the next decade?

25Sep

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Africa, ecommerce

What will commerce look like in Africa over the next decade?

With Covid-19 restrictions forcing more people to shop online, e-commerce companies and platforms on the continent have enjoyed a surge in activity. Jumia, for instance, saw a significant uptick in major indicators in the second half of last year. Also, retailers that did not previously have an online presence were compelled to do so. The pandemic essentially propelled widespread growth in African e-commerce. However, there are questions of whether that growth can be sustained in the long run. Juliet Anammah, Group Chief Sustainability Officer and Chairperson of Jumia Nigeria thinks it can. Continue reading Image: Business Fights Poverty

KFC South Africa Launches Own Delivery Service – KFC Delivery PLUS

25Sep

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Africa

KFC South Africa Launches Own Delivery Service – KFC Delivery PLUS

KFC South Africa has launched its very own in-house delivery service – KFC Delivery PLUS, enabling consumers to place their orders via the KFC mobile app or website. To get the service off to a running start, KFC is also offering free delivery until the end of the year. People wanting to get KFC delivered would usually have to turn to 3rd party services like Uber Eats or Mr D, but now it seems the Kentucky Fried Powerhouse is set to launch its own delivery service similar to that of McDonalds. This addition is a key expansion of the brand’s eCommerce commitment and comes just a month after the launch of its WhatsApp ordering platform – a first for the QSR sector locally. Continue reading Image: Business Tech

Zola Electric closes $90M funding round to scale technology and enter new markets

24Sep

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Africa, Start-ups

Zola Electric closes $90M funding round to scale technology and enter new markets

Millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa and emerging markets continue to live without access to electricity. Some reports peg these numbers between 500 million and 2 billion people despite the prevalence of renewable energy providers in these regions. Zola Electric, one such provider, is announcing today that it has closed $90 million in new funding to enter new markets and drive distributed renewable energy. When Zola Electric was launched in 2011 by Erica Mackey, Xavier Helgesen and Joshua Pierce, the company provided solar home solutions to off-grid rural communities in Tanzania. Continue reading Image: ZOLA

Africa Data Centres unveils its latest world-class data centre at their Midrand Campus in Johannesburg, South Africa

22Sep

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Africa

Africa Data Centres unveils its latest world-class data centre at their Midrand Campus in Johannesburg, South Africa

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, September 22, 2021/APO Group/ -- Africa Data Centres (www.AfricaDataCentres.com), the only pan-African network of interconnected, carrier-and cloud-neutral data centres on the continent, has completed its new Johannesburg data centre, based in its Midrand Campus which is one of the largest in Africa. This state-of-the-art facility, designed with the latest global standards is the ideal location for technology companies and enterprises to secure IT infrastructure in an interconnected environment. This ultra-modern facility continues to strengthen the leading position that Africa Data Centres has in the South African market. Continue reading Image: africa-newsroom.com

Netflix launches free plan in Kenya to boost growth

21Sep

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Africa, Apps, Mobile

Netflix launches free plan in Kenya to boost growth

Netflix said on Monday it is launching a free mobile plan in Kenya as the global streaming giant looks to tap the East African nation that is home to over 20 million internet users. The free plan, which will be rolled out to all users in Kenya in the coming weeks, won’t require them to provide any payment information during the sign-up, the company said. The new plan is available to any user aged 18 or above with an Android phone, the company said. It will also not include ads. Netflix, available in over 190 countries, has experimented with a range of plans in recent years to lure customers in developing markets. For instance, it began testing a $3 mobile-only plan in India in 2018 — before expanding it to users in several other countries. Continue reading Image: Krisztian Bocsi /...

Tesla backed ZOLA Electric is solving Africa’s energy shortage by digitising energy

21Sep

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Africa, Energy

Tesla backed ZOLA Electric is solving Africa’s energy shortage by digitising energy

Access to reliable, affordable, and constant power supply has continuously been a problem in sub-Saharan Africa for a long time, impairing economic growth. As the population in the region increases, the enormity of the problem becomes more evident. InEnergy in Africa Challenges and Opportunitiesby Manfred Hafner and Simone Tagliapietra Lucia de Strasser, in 2018, about 600 million people out of 1.07 billion in sub-Saharan Africa did not have access to electricity. While there are efforts to increase access to electricity, population growth outpaces these efforts. Interestingly, some parts of Africa have high connection rates. According to Afrobarometer, Egypt has a 100% connection rate, South Africa, 95%; and Nigeria, 90%. Continue reading Image: techpoint.africa

Datacentrix Partners OutSystems to Expand Rapid App Development in Africa

20Sep

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Africa, Apps

Datacentrix Partners OutSystems to Expand Rapid App Development in Africa

Hybrid IT systems integrator and managed services provider Datacentrix has signed a partnership agreement, for both Africa and the Middle East, with the OutSystems industry-leading application development platform. “The OutSystems modern application platform was designed to accelerate the development and deployment of critical applications, while also delivering flexibility and efficiency. This allows us to assist customers in their application modernisation strategies, with a cloud engagement strategy that aligns to Datacentrix’ vision,” says Ahmed Mahomed, Datacentrix CE. OutSystems was recently named a leader in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Multiexperience Development Platforms (MXDP). Continue reading Image: Shutterstock

54gene’s Series B, Vilsquare’s founder’s journey, Techpoint Africa’s Privacy Roundtable

18Sep

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Africa

54gene’s Series B, Vilsquare’s founder’s journey, Techpoint Africa’s Privacy Roundtable

On Thursday, September 16, 2021, African genomics research startup 54gene, announced a $25 million Series B round. The funding will be used to expand the startup’s sequencing, target identification and validation, and precision medicine clinical trial capabilities, enabling drug discovery in Africa for Africans and the world.Advertisement Cathay AfricInvest Innovation Fund led the round. Existing investors like Adjuvant Capital, KdT Ventures, Plexo Capital, Endeavor Capital, and Ingressive Capital participated in the round. Launched in 2019 by Dr Abasi Ene-Obong (CEO), 54gene is a healthtech company centred around unlocking scientific discoveries and enhancing diagnosis and treatment outcomes across Africa and the rest of the world. Continue reading Image: techpoint.africa

Safaricom to Bank $481-Million from Kenya Power Meter Deal

18Sep

By Africa Tech DigestNo Comments

Africa, Telecommunications

Safaricom to Bank $481-Million from Kenya Power Meter Deal

Kenya’s top telecom is set to make $481-million (Ksh53.5-billion) for installing smart electricity meters to Kenya Power’s largest consumers in a new deal meant to curb power theft, and electricity leakages while also fixing significant weaknesses on the utility firm’s transmission network, reports Business Daily. Safaricom is planning on spending $281-million to install an intelligent system that will connect 333,300 electricity meters to a central location and track electricity use, power outages and load on transformers. The system will allow the reading of the meters remotely, as well. The system will help bring down the share of electricity bought from generator firms like KenGen that does not reach homes and businesses, known as system losses, from 23.93% to around 8%, which wi...