Brief (381)
On December 18, the African Development Bank announced a $10 million investment from its Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) to support the Persistent Africa Climate Venture Builder Fund (ACV Fund) in advancing climate technology entrepreneurship across Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Fund will address critical financing needs for early-stage climate technology entrepreneurs, focusing on key sectors, including solar energy solutions, energy efficiency technologies, electric mobility, agricultural technology, and circular economy innovations.
The initiative emphasizes supporting African entrepreneurs, particularly women-owned and -managed businesses, including the creation of over 66,000 jobs, with a significant portion benefiting women.
The seventh edition of the Africa Tech Summit Nairobi, powered by Nigerian fintech Raenest, will take place on February 12-13, 2025, at the Sarit Expo Centre.
It will feature a B2B summit, exhibition, and awards ceremony, focusing on four key tracks: Africa Money & DeFi Summit; Africa Climate Tech & Investment Summit; Africa Startup Summit; and Africa Mobile & App Summit.
The event will bring together over industry leaders, corporates, investors, and international delegations to explore Africa’s tech landscape.
Veeam Software and ITWeb will co-host a free webinar on Data Resilience for Africa on February 5, 2025, focusing on innovative solutions for secure and reliable data management.
The webinar will cover the new Veeam Data Cloud Vault v2, its Zero Trust Data Resilience approach, secure off-site cloud storage, and predictable cloud storage costs. It is aimed at CIOs, IT managers, backup administrators, SMB system administrators, and network administrators.
The event will showcase how Veeam’s tools enhance data backup, recovery, security, and availability across cloud, virtual, physical, SaaS, and Kubernetes environments.
Eyone, a Senegalese company specializing in digital healthcare, has raised $1 million to strengthen its position in the sector and expand across Africa.
The funding, announced on December 6, includes $855,000 from the Sonatel Group through its VIF (Véhicule d’Investissement et de Financement) fund and $145,000 from Banque Internationale pour le Commerce et l’Industrie du Sénégal (BICIS).
This funding will support Eyone’s plans to expand to other African countries, develop AI-powered medical solutions, and include more specialized healthcare professionals.
Qualcomm has opened applications for the 2025 Qualcomm® Make in Africa Startup Mentorship Program. The initiative empowers early-stage startups using advanced connectivity and processing technologies.
The program offers business coaching, engineering consultations, and IP guidance to help turn ideas into market-ready solutions. Participants will receive personalized mentorship from Qualcomm leaders, gaining insights into product development and market strategies.
The application deadline is February 16, 2025.
InternCity Hub, a platform empowering young African tech enthusiasts, launched virtually on December 10 with an 8-week virtual bootcamp aimed at bridging the gap between education and industry demands.
The program provides hands-on experience in Frontend Development, Backend Development, Product Design, Product Management, Data Analysis, and Digital Marketing.
The initiative addresses youth unemployment by equipping participants with practical skills tailored for the tech industry. The next Cohort starts January 30, 2025.
TelCables Nigeria, a subsidiary of Angola Cables, has launched a new Point of Presence (PoP) at the Lagos Rack Centre to improve low-latency interconnectivity and Cloud access across West Africa.
The PoP provides direct access to the South Atlantic Cable System (SACS) and West Africa Cable System (WACS) subsea cables, streamlining data traffic to South America, the U.S., and Europe, with added redundancy for better reliability.
This will strengthen the digital infrastructure of West Africa, providing faster, more reliable internet access.
Paystack has partnered with Vendy, a marketplace that helps merchants create customizable WhatsApp Shops, to simplify mobile commerce and streamline sales directly on WhatsApp, techcabal reports.
Buyers can browse catalogs, place orders, and pay without needing additional apps or sign-ups. Merchants can choose from over 60 shop templates tailored to their needs, ensuring a personalized and efficient setup.
This collaboration marks a major step in advancing mobile commerce in Africa, leveraging WhatsApp’s popularity to create seamless and trusted buying experiences while helping businesses grow.
Africa’s domestic payment card scheme Verve International has announced its cards are now accepted on AliExpress, one of the world’s largest online retail platforms.
This collaboration marks a significant step in Verve’s global expansion efforts, providing millions of cardholders access to AliExpress’s extensive product offerings.
By adding their Verve card details during checkout, cardholders can pay in local currency for a wide range of products.
Namibia’s Communications Regulatory Authority (CRAN) has issued an order for Starlink to cease operations in the country, citing the lack of a required telecommunications license, according to Reuters.
The cease-and-desist order, issued on November 26, 2024, follows an investigation confirming unauthorized network activities by Starlink.
Starlink has applied for a license in Namibia, but CRAN stated the application is still under review. Meanwhile, the regulator has advised consumers against purchasing Starlink equipment or subscribing to its services, calling such actions illegal.
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Egyptian digital payment provider e-finance has partnered with UK-based Cassava Technologies to drive digital transformation across Africa.
The agreement, signed at the 28th Cairo ICT Exhibition and Conference held Nov 17- 20, aims to enhance Egypt’s digital landscape while introducing advanced solutions across the continent.
The collaboration focuses on fostering financial inclusion and supporting digital economies across Africa.
Kenya will host the 61st Biannual Plenary Session on the FinTech Revolution in Africa on December 1, 2024. The forum will bring together FinTech leaders to discuss banking sector advancements and the integration of financial technology.
Organized by the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) in partnership with the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), the event will highlight Africa’s growing role in financial innovation and its potential to drive inclusive growth and transformation.
This plenary aims to position Africa as a global leader in digital finance, fostering financial inclusion and economic transformation.
On November 26, Huawei handed over smart boards and other technology to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, received by Permanent Secretary Maambo Hamaundu.
This move reaffirmed Huawei’s commitment to supporting Zambia's digital transformation through enhanced collaboration with the government.
The equipment, featuring video conferencing and wireless sharing, aims to boost connectivity and streamline operations, reducing the need for travel.
Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) briefed stakeholders, on November 26, about the upcoming Communications Electronic Equipment Type Approval Regulations, set to take effect Dec. 1, 2024.
The initiative is part of a broader effort to enhance Malawi's communication infrastructure. This approach is intended to facilitate interoperability among communication networks and equipment while also protecting public health.
Stakeholder sessions were also held in Blantyre, with another planned for Mzuzu.