News (1352)
As of December 2021, the internet penetration rate was about 43% in Africa, according to the Internet Society. Some of the covered population do not even have access to quality internet. Nevertheless, telecom operators are beefing up their broadband infrastructure to better address this.
Mauritius Telecom, the largest Internet service provider and cellular service distributor in Mauritius, announced on Friday, March 24, that it has laid the T3 fiber optic submarine cable in Mauritius. The first end of the new infrastructure landed on Thursday, March 23, 2023, at the Baie-du-Jacotet landing station in the Bel Ombre region. The other end will land later this year in Amanzimtoti, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.
"With the rapid adoption of applications and services such as cloud computing, connected objects, video streaming, and others, it was essential for Mauritius Telecom to put in place the required infrastructure and capacity," said Kapil Resaul, CEO of Mauritius Telecom.
The 3,200 km long T3 cable has a capacity of 18 terabits per second, providing Mauritius Telecom with a more reliable, robust, and redundant network. It is scheduled to be commissioned by the end of 2023 and has an estimated lifespan of 25 years.
T3 is a partial takeover of the IOX submarine cable project that was to connect Mauritius to South Africa and India. First announced in 2017, it was abandoned in 2019. It will therefore join Mauritius Telecom's existing submarine cables, namely South Africa Far East (SAFE) and Lower Indian Ocean Network (LION), commissioned in 2002 and 2009 respectively.
Let’s note that Mauritius Telecom is 40% owned by Orange SA through Rimcom Ltd. Its remaining shareholders are the Mauritius government ( over 30%) and the local bank SBM (about 19%).
Samira Njoya
Agrifoodtech: The mechanization segment raised lower funding in 2022 despite its importance (Report)
In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic highlighted problems in the African food supply chain. It then sparked strong investor interest in technology as a potential solution to satisfy consumers in an increasingly digitalized world.
In 2022, African agrifoodtech startups attracted $640 million in investment, up 22% from 2021 when the volume of funds attracted was $536 million. The figures are disclosed in a report released by venture capital fund AgFunder, in collaboration with Singaporean sovereign wealth fund Temasek.
During the period, the mechanization segment attracted the lowest amount in that category. Indeed, startups in agricultural robotics, mechanization, and equipment that integrates connected tractors, drones, and automatic agricultural machines attracted only $10 million. That is 1.56% of all investments mobilized by African agrifoodtech startups.
Investment by start-up category in 2022 ($)
Source: AgFunder
Yet, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), agricultural mechanization is essential in Africa because it alleviates tedious tasks, increases agricultural productivity, improves income, and contributes to food security. In 2019, the organization lamented that 65% of smallholders were still using human muscle power to prepare soils while 25% of them were using animals against only 10% using mechanized means for the task.
In comparison, in South Asia, human muscle power use has already fallen to 30 percent for land preparation work, compared with 40 percent for motorized machinery, while in Latin America and the Caribbean motorized machinery was used by 50 percent of farmers.
Investment in mechanization by region in 2022 ($)
Source: AgFunder
According to AgFunder, four agrifoodtech segments captured the bulk of the sector's funding in 2022. In-Store Retail & Restaurant Tech startups attracted $197 million. Midstream Tech startups, which operate in the food safety, traceability, logistics, transportation, and processing segments, among others, have raised $170 million.
Meanwhile, start-ups offering marketplaces and financing solutions attracted $131 million, while start-ups specializing in cloud computing technologies that produce, among other things, ghost kitchens and autonomous delivery robots raised $44 million. These are much larger sums than those raised by startups that offer production improvement tools.
Muriel Edjo
To improve administrative and financial efficiency, the Seychelles public administration bets on digital transformation. To this end, it has launched projects in several sectors.
The Port of Victoria will digitize all of its services by next October for its 50th anniversary. Last Monday, Seychelles Transport Minister Antony Derjacques launched the Victoria Port Management Information System (PVMIS) project at the New Port in Victoria.
“The system will streamline processes before the vessels' arrival, optimize cargo flows, and improve the efficiency of operations by giving all stakeholders access to quality information via a single web-based application,” explained Egbert Moustache, deputy chief executive of the Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA), as reported by Seychelles News Agency.
The project is the result of a collaboration between the SPA, InfoPort and 4SH -two companies based in Reunion, a French overseas department- and the European Union under its Africa RISE initiative.
With funding from the European Union, consultants will carry out the business mapping process in the coming days to obtain information from all SPA stakeholders. They will then proceed to develop the system thanks to funding from InfoPort. According to the Seychelles News Agency, it will cost SPA €400,000 to buy the system.
Once operational, the system will allow Seychelles to comply with the FAL Convention -the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Convention for the Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic- by 2024.
The port of Victoria is Seychelles’ most important port and its main hub for trade with the rest of the world. The port handles about 95% of the country's imports.
Samira Njoya
Kenya, which is at the forefront of Africa's young technology scene, is increasingly attracting international companies looking to tap into the potential of its burgeoning IT sector. In that context, authorities are developing resources to facilitate the liaison between the various parties.
Last Friday, the Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) officially launched the Kenya Innovation Bridge, a digital marketplace to connect innovators, inventors, researchers, and start-ups with funders, customers, and users, in Mombasa.
This marketplace aims to enable as many innovations as possible to scale up by attracting appropriate funding and partnerships.
According to George Masila (photo, left), KeNIA's head of communications and partnerships, the marketplace was set up because there was a gap between innovators and people interested in their innovations.
“What we did is we developed a platform that would enable them to have that direct connection with those people who will be interested in whatever they are doing. [...] The innovation platform is just a simple interface that people of all levels of education can easily interact with. It’s almost like a LinkedIn or Facebook version,” he said.
Recently dubbed the "Silicon Savannah" because of its thriving technology ecosystem, Kenya is one of the fastest-growing economies in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the Swiss Business Hub Southern Africa, this technology ecosystem is estimated to be worth $1 billion and is an attractive environment for businesses, investors, and high-tech professionals. It is already host to subsidiaries of leading companies such as Facebook, Microsoft, IBM, and Intel.
With the launch of the Kenya Innovation Bridge, the Kenyan executive wants to further foster innovation in the country. The platform will link to investment/partnership and capacity-building opportunities that will turn innovations into commercially viable products and businesses, thereby contributing to job creation and overall economic growth in the country.
Samira Njoya
The rapidly changing world is powered by emerging technologies such as AI, 5G connectivity, and the cloud. It is, therefore, crucial to build public authorities' capacities in those technologies to enable them to participate in the ongoing digital transformation.
Last Friday, the Commonwealth Secretariat and U.S. tech company Intel launched a digital learning platform to enable public servants from the 56 Commonwealth member countries- including 21 African countries- to understand and harness emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.
The program, titled "Digital Readiness for Public Sector Leaders," aims to demystify AI for senior Commonwealth officials and raise awareness of its potential applications in various sectors, reports the release issued by the organization.
Unveiling the platform at the Commonwealth's headquarters in London, Commonwealth Secretary-General Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland (photo) said, "this course is a new and important milestone achievement, which the Commonwealth has developed for our member countries in close collaboration with Intel. It provides a unique opportunity for public sector workers and leaders in member states to be trained in the fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning."
Recent developments have forced governments to drive national digital transformation to improve services to citizens and maintain competitiveness by appropriately designing and using technology solutions. However, any digital transformation requires leadership training, and according to Gartner's "Transition to Digital Government in 2022," 80 percent of public sector leaders say they are lagging behind the private sector.
As such, the new program will enable governments to develop strategies, scalable solutions, and action plans for digital transformation in their communities. It covers topics such as digital governance, technology, infrastructure, and inclusion.
Samira Njoya
Gabon’s digital transformation strategy provides for the creation of several digital infrastructures to develop the ICT industry. Several players have recently sent proposals to help the government successfully implement that strategy.
The Gabonese Minister of Digital Economy, Jean Pierre Doukaga Kassa, received Thursday, an American delegation led by Dilawar Syed, Special Representative to the United States Office of Economic and Business Affairs.
On social media, the Ministry of Digital Economy said that the delegation came "to [express] U.S. [companies’] will to support Gabon in its major digital investment projects.”
The two parties reviewed the areas of cooperation between Gabon and the U.S., but also U.S. companies’ support in the development of the Gabonese digital ecosystem through the construction of infrastructure (backbone and data center), innovation (start-up and training), as well as the improvement of the legislative and regulatory framework specifically in the fight against cybercrime and cybersecurity.
The visit comes in a context where Gabon is working to further develop its digital sector so that it can make a greater contribution to the transformation of its economy. Since 2009, through the strategic plan Emerging Gabon 2025, the government is working to make Gabon a model in the African digital sector by 2025.
Over the past few months, the country is visited by foreign investors who are offering to support the country in achieving its goal. Earlier this month, the Minister of Digital Economy also received a delegation of Indian businessmen who offered their expertise for the construction of data centers in the country.
On Twitter, Dilawar Syed said that the visit of U.S. investors comes in the wake of the U.S.-Africa summit and responds to the willingness of U.S. President Joe Biden to assist African countries in their digital transformation.
Samira Njoya
![Factor[e] Ventures launches an Africa-focused startup studio](/media/k2/items/cache/cbbcf4fa489d61b42aa4a35932850e0b_S.jpg)
Africa is attracting a rising volume of venture capital but, most of the funds go to startups in a handful of countries.
Factor[e] Ventures, a team of company builders that invests in early-stage startups in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, has launched Delta40, a startup studio specifically focused on Africa.
Per its website, Delta40’s “mission is to increase incomes and tackle climate change in Africa by building high-impact, technology-enabled energy, agriculture, and mobility ventures led by diverse, experienced founders.”
“A decade of investing in energy, agriculture, mobility, and water innovations in emerging markets has affirmed that there is a great opportunity at the formation stage to support local and diverse founders as they connect their technologies and markets,” said Factor[e] Ventures co-founder, Morgan DeFoort.
The startup studio will invest between $100,000 and $600,000 to create and support African startups specializing in energy, agriculture, and mobility –the sectors that captured 8% of the overall VC funding attracted by Africa in 2022, according to Partech Africa.
With the launch of Delta40, Factor[e] Ventures aims to boost the volume of VC financing attracted by African startups and encourage investors to fund even more startups in the targeted sectors. In addition to providing capital, Delta40 will also act as a co-founder, offering product testing, technology brokering, early-stage commercialization, and accelerating company creation.
Delta40 has secured funding and support from several private and public institutions, including the Autodesk Foundation, the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, and the climate technology law firm Wilson Sonisi. The startup studio will be based in Kenya, with operations in Nigeria.
Samira Njoya
Liberia's financial sector faces several challenges, including inadequate ICT infrastructure. The existing payment infrastructure deployed in 2016 has served the country well over the past six years but requires urgent upgrading.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) will finance the Liberia Payments Infrastructure and Systems Upgrade Project. For the said project, the Board of Directors of the African Development Fund, the AfDB's concessional lending window, approved a $3.9 million grant on Friday, March 17.
“The modernization of Liberia’s payments infrastructure and systems to improve payments efficiency will not only strengthen the formal financial sector but contribute to greater financial stability and improved private sector development,” explained Benedict Kanu, African Development Bank country manager for Liberia.
According to an AfDB release, the financing will target the automated check processing and automated clearing house systems, as well as the real-time gross settlement systems that form the backbone of payment processing in the country's financial sector.
It will also finance the upgrading of the Central Bank of Liberia's main data center and “impact the institution and government ministries involved in the payment.”
The main objective is to strengthen Liberia's payments ecosystem for increased efficiency and to foster growth and innovation, as well as financial inclusion, which currently stands at 44.2 percent according to the World Bank's Global Findex 2021 database.
Samira Njoya
With the improvement in internet access, the rise in smartphone adoption, the drop in the costs of sensors, the development of the cloud, etc… Africa has the opportunity to become a real player in the development of the internet of things. In that context, Nigeria is upping its investments in the sector.
E-Space, a global satellite communications company, announced, Monday, it has secured landing rights in Nigeria for its upcoming constellation of low-orbit satellites.
The approval issued by the Nigerian Communications Commission gives E-Space the right to deploy its satellite system, which will "provide communications services and connect Internet of Things (IoT) devices throughout Nigeria in many of the hardest-to-reach parts of the country, particularly those areas currently unserved by terrestrial providers."
Nigeria is among the many nations that are leveraging the Internet of Things to address a wide variety of national challenges while implementing solutions to grow their economy. In 2018, U.S. giant IBM and agritech company Hello Tractor, which has a presence in Nigeria and Kenya, partnered to develop an AI and blockchain platform for African farmers. The partnership has enabled the installation of connected objects equipped with sensors in farms to collect and transmit data on rainfall, plant predators, input use, etc.
The landing right opens a new era in the field and paves the way for future collaboration between E-Space and the country's government, businesses, and communities. The collaboration can lead to the development of the ecosystem and applications needed to develop the local economy and create new jobs in a range of fields, including engineering, and data analysis.
The youth needs digital skills and opportunities to make a productive contribution to the digital future envisioned by leaders. To that end, authorities in various countries are implementing actions to develop talents and open new horizons.
Last Monday, Malagasy First Lady Mialy Rajoelina (photo, left) inaugurated a digital incubation center funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Antananarivo to support young people with innovative ideas and projects.
According to Ms. Rajoelina, the "center will go a long way in ensuring access to digital education, especially for [...] young girls.”
“Education is not only a fundamental human right. It is also the guarantor of the sustainable development of our society and our country," she said
In Madagascar, young people still face significant hurdles in their bid to access digital education. Apart from internet access challenges, they also face inconsistent electricity supply and a lack of ICT tools to learn, develop, and share digital solutions.
According to data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in 2018, for every 100 people in Madagascar, only 0.12 had a fixed internet subscription, which is about 33,600 people in a country with a population estimated to be 28 million.
The new incubation center will therefore address some of the country's ICT infrastructure challenges. Located in UNFPA's Antananarivo office, it offers free access to a range of ICT tools and other support. It also has an annex in Tulear, in the Atsimo-Andrefana region.
According to the region’s governor Edally Tovondrainy, the annex will help young people build their talents and launch innovative projects to develop the region, which is the largest in Madagascar.
Samira Njoya
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To prepare its youth for the digital future, the Republic of Guinea has decided to train them by setting up an innovative project.
The Republic of Guinea will finance the construction of a digital village, to the tune of $10 million. The project was announced, Monday, by its Digital Minister, Alpha Bacar Barry (photo), at the opening of a workshop on the project aimed at transforming the national institute of posts and telecommunications into a national institute for digital skills.
According to the official, the village will offer kindergarten-to-University digital training but also host infrastructure for capacity-building and continuing education. It will also host laboratories, incubators, and coworking spaces to develop the country’s digital industry. The digital village will also host all the start-ups and be a place for all digital-related exchanges in Guinea.
With the digital village, Guinean authorities want to develop the digital economy, build local talents, attract foreign investment, export its skills, and participate in global digital exchanges.
The foundation stone of the digital village will be laid next week, Minister Alpha Bacar Barry says.
Samira Njoya
The Cameroonian platform launched three years ago has attracted investments from across the globe. In 2022, it was the Central African startup to attract the second-highest volume of funding.
Blockchain-backed accelerator Adaverse announced Monday a strategic investment in Ejara, the Cameroonian investment platform that improves financial inclusion through blockchain technology.
The investment, whose amount was not disclosed, will support Ejara's drive to empower itself and expand into new markets in Francophone Africa.
“Ejara meets a pressing need across the Francophone region, and we are excited about the business model, which we believe can be replicated across the African continent. They have shown that they understand the people and have built a bridge between crypto and traditional finance, leveraging continuity rather than disruption,” said Vincent Li, founding partner at Adaverse.
Since its launch in 2020, Ejara has completed several funding rounds. The last before this financing was in November 2022, when it secured $8 million from several investors.
To date, Ejara has served more than 33,000 people from Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, Senegal, and the Francophone African diaspora in Europe, Asia, and the United States. The fintech startup has also launched cross-border money transfers and user-to-user payments for Africans in the diaspora.
With this new funding, it wants to conquer Francophone African countries, democratizing access to crypto-currency investments by offering the average resident the opportunity to invest as little as CFAF1,000 (~$2) and earn interest daily.
Samira Njoya
17 years after its last population census, Nigeria is getting ready for the fifth census of its history. This census is particular in the country’s history as it will be its first digital census. The government is taking every possible measure to ensure smooth operations.
Nigeria has released NGN2.8 billion ($6 million) for the first digital population census scheduled for next May. This was announced by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Wednesday 15 March at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja.
According to the official, the money will be used to acquire software for the National Population Commission (NPC). "There was a memo presented by the National Population Commission, seeking some software to allow them to conduct the census in May this year. I believe because of the rescheduling of the elections, they cannot commence the census as scheduled. They sought the Council’s approval for a contract to procure software for the census at the sum of N2.8 billion," said Lai Mohammed.
Initially scheduled to take place between March and April, the digital population census will finally be held in May due to the governors' elections held from March 11 to 18. Last February, the National Population Commission (NPC) signed a groundbreaking $184 million contract with Lagos-based tech company Zinox Technologies to supply technology components and other accessories for the upcoming census.
Samira Njoya
Djibouti Poste wants to position itself as a major digital services provider. For that purpose, it has joined forces with a tech partner, which is experienced in the field.
National postal corporation Djibouti Poste will undergo profound digital transformation in the coming months. The corporation recently partnered with IT company Software Group, which will support it in its IT reforms and digitization projects.
To discuss the partnership, Djibouti Poste’s director general Bahnan Maidal Ali met with Kalin Radev, CEO of Software Group, in Sofia, Bulgaria, on March 11, 2023.
Under the agreement, Software Group will develop, among other things, email management platforms, parcel tracking systems, and online payment tools for Djibouti Post.
Over the past few years, Djibouti Poste has implemented several projects to digitize its services. The corporation has launched several new services, including the E-Suuq service, which allows customers to buy from major platforms including Amazon. It now aims to promote financial inclusion by introducing fintech solutions, starting with savings solutions in the short term.
The corporation is a model in the African postal sector, all thanks to its innovations. Between 2018 and 2019, the postal company gained 59 places in the PricewaterhouseCoopers global ranking of postal companies providing quality services to the population. In the 1st quarter of 2021, it once again jumped in the global ranking, going from the 174th spot to the 73rd.
Samira Njoya