South Africa remains the best African start-up ecosystem, ahead of Mauritius, Kenya, Nigeria, and Egypt. Lagos is the only African city in the Top 100 of "start-up friendly" cities worldwide.
Fifteen African countries feature in the top 100 ecosystems conducive to the emergence and development of ecosystems worldwide, according to a report published by startup ecosystem map last May 30. To establish this ranking, the research firm focused on more than 30 indicators divided into three main categories.
The first category is quantity, which uses indicators like the number of start-ups, coworking spaces, accelerators, start-up-related meetings, etc. The second is quality, using indicators like total investment in start-ups, number, and size of unicorns, presence of R&D centers set up by major international technology companies, the presence of subsidiaries of multinationals, etc. The last category is the business environment, which is measured using indicators like Internet speed, R&D spending, tax rates applied to start-ups, availability of various technological services such as electronic payment and cryptocurrencies, level of corruption, etc.
The report, entitled "Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2023", reveals that South Africa (53rd in the world) has the best startup ecosystem in Africa, despite falling four places in the global ranking compared with 2022. The Republic of Mauritius (61st worldwide) occupies second place in Africa, ahead of Kenya (62nd worldwide), Nigeria (64th worldwide), and Egypt (67th worldwide).
They are followed by Ghana, Cape Verde, Senegal, Namibia, and Tunisia, closing the African top 10. The report also points out that five African countries have improved their overall ranking. Mauritius and Senegal made the strongest progress compared with the 2022 edition, gaining 10 places each. The two countries entered the Top 100 best start-up ecosystems in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
The biggest declines were recorded by Morocco, which dropped 14 places compared with 2022 to 93rd position worldwide this year, and Rwanda (-11 places). Uganda is the only African country to re-enter the index in 2023 after it dropped out of it in 2022.
The report also ranked 1,000 startup cities worldwide. Lagos (82nd worldwide) is the only African city in the Top 100. The Nigerian economic hub owes its ranking to its highly dynamic ecosystem, with over 400 start-ups, including unicorns Jumia and Flutterwave, and 35 active incubators.
The best-represented countries in the ranking of the 1,000 cities with the best start-up ecosystems in the world are Nigeria (5 cities), South Africa (4 cities), and Kenya (2 cities). Victoria (Seychelles) made the greatest progress, moving up 592 places to the 232nd position. It was followed by Port-Louis (+269), Dakar (+155), Tunis (+57), Cairo (+36), and Accra (+28).
The first edition of the digital summit GITEX Africa was held from May 31 to June 2 in Marrakech, Morocco. During the technology trade show, which brought together tech companies and start-ups, government delegations, global investors, international speakers, and tens of thousands of technology executives from more than 100 countries, We Are Tech Africa spoke with Freddy Mpinda, advisor to the Congolese minister in charge of the Digital Sector.
WAT: President Félix Tshisekedi expressed his ambition to leverage digital technologies to improve integration, good governance, economic growth, and social progress. What are the main projects underway to achieve this?
Freddy Mpinda: Indeed, the DRC has undergone a decisive digital turning point since the arrival of President Tshisekedi, who is advancing his vision to leverage digital technologies for integration, economic growth, and good governance. This vision is set out in the National Digital Plan (PNN) Horizon 2025 and implemented in a government program called the Digital Transformation Program (PTNRDC), implemented by the Ministry of Digital Affairs. The PTNRDC focuses on 8 priority projects (the digital code, e-Gouv (e-Citoyen, e-Cadastre), National Data Center, Government Intranet, Electronic Payment Aggregator, Tele-medical expertise, e-Education).
Currently, we have several projects underway. We have infrastructure projects because we're a big country and we want to connect as many Congolese as possible. We've expressed the need for 50,000 km of fiber optics because recent studies have shown that over 40 million of the country's 100 million people are not connected to anything. After all, mobile operators are set up in economically profitable regions, and rural areas are sometimes left out. So, we need fiber optics to connect as many Congolese as possible. Apart from this, we have e-governance projects, projects to teach digital skills to the youth and to support entrepreneurs, build data centers, deploy the national bar-coding platform that generates codes with the national prefix (605), and so on… So, projects are ongoing and we are trying to implement them with several partners.
WAT: As you mentioned earlier, DRC has a 2025 digital plan. Can you tell us the goals of that plan and what the government hopes to achieve by that timeline?
FM: Well, the plan has a deadline, which is 2025, because we’ve learned from other African countries and we wanted a time-bound plan. If you go through it, you will notice that it mentions that in 2025, it will be reviewed, amended, and relaunched. We're well aware that the projects we're working on, particularly infrastructure, can’t necessarily be completed by 2025. Nevertheless, we decided to launch as many projects as possible and take stock in 2025. So 2025 will be an evaluation phase. We'll see what has worked, and then we'll roll out a new plan. The Ministry of Digital Affairs has already achieved a great deal in a very short period, notably the adoption of the Digital Code, digital norms and standards in the DRC, the Startup Act (a law dedicated to start-ups, with a wealth of incentives and opportunities, editor's note), and the recruitment of career civil servants to the General Secretariat for Digital Affairs.
WAT: Over the past two years, your country has signed several partnerships with Estonia and China. What has the DRC gained from these partners, and what has it given in return?
FM: Well, that's easy to say. What did the DRC give in return? The DRC has given everything in return and provided the main inputs for the digital revolution. We hold almost 60% of the world's raw cobalt, Coltan, which is used in cell phones, and Niobium... We have all these metals. The real question is what the DRC is going to get in return because we've been contributing our minerals to this fourth revolution for many years now. And that's why our policy is to be open. We discuss as much with the Chinese, the Estonians, the Emiratis, and also with our African partners like the South Africans, the Zambians, and so on. What we need is to transform locally some of our raw materials, which today are just potential wealth-generating sources but are not yet generating real wealth. We have joint projects with African countries and countries around the world, but projects that must be profitable for the DRC, because, over the past 60 years, we've been giving away our raw materials and receiving very little. As far as digital transformation is concerned, feedback is vital for us and our partners. There's no need to reinvent the digital sector.
WAT: What does the DRC stand to gain from digital development?
FM: Digital technologies should be seen as a tool. The proof is that [the Ministry of Digital Affairs] is a transversal ministry, in other words, one that serves everyone. Today, at the GITEX Africa panel, I pointed out that the priority is to solve Africa's main problems. Digital technology is a powerful tool for solving our problems. Our top priority, as the Covid-19 crisis has shown, is to produce our food as close as possible to consumers. So for us, agriculture is a priority. The second priority is education. In March and April 2020, we found ourselves with 18 million Congolese schoolchildren forced to stay at home, with no possibility of learning remotely. So for us, digital technology must enable distance learning. The same goes for healthcare. We found ourselves with a pandemic overnight, and we had to find respirators, masks, and so on. Digital technology must help us improve our health strategy, particularly our vaccination strategy. We need to know who's been vaccinated and who hasn't. We're a fortunate country. Fortunately, we are a country that has already experienced a pandemic before, Ebola. Digital technology must be at the service of health and epidemiological surveillance. Agriculture, education, and health are our priorities.
WAT: In short, you mean that digital technologies are tools to enable DRC to achieve its sustainable development goals and more. But do you have the digital skills needed to keep up?
FM: when you read the plan, you will notice that it is based on four pillars namely infrastructure, content, applications, and governance and regulation. We do have a fifth pillar, which is education, but we decided that it couldn’t be a pillar by itself because for instance, to develop infrastructure, we need education. We need engineers, we need technicians, and so on. In terms of content, those who will develop applications, i.e. coders and so on, need education. In terms of application use, those who will be working to enable the State to become increasingly digital need education. Civil servants need to be brought up to speed. Governance regulation needs education. So education is everywhere. In reality, our plan is based on four apparent pillars and one invisible pillar, which is education. The Minister for the Digital Economy has made the development of digital skills a major focus of his action. The development of Congolese digital skills is a recurring theme in the latest memorandum of understanding signed in China by the two digital ministers.
Interview by Adoni Conrad Quenum
Cassava is one of the most widely consumed foods in sub-Saharan Africa. It is easy to cultivate and can be processed into many things. It nevertheless faces threats that can be overcome with technology.
On Tuesday, June 6, smart farm management software provider FarmERP announced the deployment of its FarmGyan platform based on AI, machine learning (ML), and computer vision in Nigeria.
According to the provider’s release, the platform aims to boost cassava cultivation in the country to improve productivity, profitability, and predictability.
"FarmERP [...] brings a specialized focus on helping Cassava farmers by extending the crop life [...] in Cassava plantations up by 40% through its tech-enabled platform," the release said.
Nigeria's cassava industry is the largest in Africa. For several years, the country has been the world's leading producer of cassava, accounting for 21% of global output. However, cassava plantations face several challenges, including the proliferation of pests, the presence of diseases, and extreme weather conditions.
To solve these problems, the FarmGyan platform will digitize the growth path. It will also monitor plants and quickly identify weed infestation by using drone images and AI models.
The platform will also be able to detect crop and soil moisture, crop water requirements and irrigation, and manage diseases through satellite-based crop health monitoring tools. Overall, FarmGyan will contribute to effective and efficient crop management.
After Nigeria, the company will extend its services to other African countries, notably Angola and Ghana. The aim is to help as many stakeholders as possible to practice Agriculture 4.0 to achieve profitable and sustainable agribusiness.
Samira Njoya
Digitization is a major development challenge for WAEMU countries. Despite the ambitious national strategies and progress made, digital transformation in the region is still lagging compared to the global performance.
On Wednesday, June 7, the West African Development Bank (WADB-BOAD) and the Smart Africa Alliance signed a framework agreement to accelerate digital transformation in WAEMU countries.
The agreement was signed by WADB President Serge Ekue (photo, right) and Lacina Koné (photo, left), Director General of the Smart Africa Alliance, in Lomé, Togo.
The new agreement aims to support the development of the e-commerce industry in the WAEMU region and support the implementation of financial inclusion projects to advance subregional integration in line with Point 1 of Djoliba, the WADB’s 2021-2025 strategic plan, reveals Togolese media outlet Agence togolaise de presse.
"The vision is to transform our Africa, to ensure that all our populations can project themselves into the future in a very concrete way by using digital technology in various fields, notably agriculture, and energy," said Ekue.
Since its creation in 2014, Smart Africa Alliance -comprising 35 out of the 54 African countries- has been working to make digital transformation a tool for economic development by involving the private sector and member countries in concrete initiatives.
With this agreement, the WADB partners with an alliance whose aim is to leverage digital technologies for development in Africa. The two parties will implement several projects to support innovation. They will disseminate startup toolkits in member countries, enhance capacities and upskill actors in the WAEMU region while scaling up the Smart Africa Digital Academy (SADA).
Samira Njoya
In recent years, Rwanda has implemented numerous reforms to advance economic competitiveness. One of the strategies it employed to achieve this feat is the provision of quality services and customer care in the public and private sectors.
The Rwandan government will digitize more than 400 additional administrative procedures by June 2024. The plan was announced by ICT Minister Paula Ingabire, during a session on ICT development with the Senate on Thursday, June 1.
The new administrative procedures will be added to the 103 services already digitized and available on the Irembo portal set up by the government for this purpose. According to Minister Ingabire, the next stage of digitization will be transformational. It will involve digitizing all remaining services, "enabling time efficiency and removing unnecessary costs and processes that come with paperwork or transport as citizens make trips to different government offices.”
To achieve this goal, Rwanda will be supported by a range of partners, including the French Development Agency (AFD), which granted a €37 million loan to support the digitization of public services and innovation in the country earlier this year.
According to Irembo CEO Israel Bimpe, the launch of the Irembo public services platform in December 2015 has enabled the processing of more than 25 million service requests to date. This has saved over 100 million man-hours for both civil servants and Rwandan residents.
The portal employs 7,700 agents in different regions of the country, and more than 1,500 government officials use it to approve and deliver necessary services. As a result, the government has been able to collect RWF 300 billion ($265 million) in service fees.
This new initiative is part of a RWF 13 billion project that began in March this year with the identification of the services concerned. The project is one of the priorities of Rwanda's National Transformation Strategy (2017-2024).
Samira Njoya
Congolese authorities are keen on bringing better connectivity, including the 5G that presents numerous opportunities to African economies, in a context where demand for digital services is booming.
On Tuesday, June 6, telecom operator Orange announced the launch of the first test of its 5G network in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The country, which has been connected to Orange's fiber optic network since February, already benefits from superior bandwidth, which will certainly be multiplied with the advent of 5G.
By launching the tests for this new technology, "Orange is expressing its desire to offer its business and individual clients an ultra high-speed mobile Internet connection [...] to meet the ever-increasing need for connectivity,” Orange informed via a press release.
Beyond improving connection speeds, the 5G network will facilitate the emergence of a huge IoT (Internet of Things) ecosystem, improving internet access for billions of connected objects thanks to a balanced compromise between speed, latency, and cost.
This improvement in responsiveness will also open up new prospects for users. These include the emergence of cloud gaming, enabling users to access gaming platforms directly on their smartphones with a smooth, enjoyable experience.
In the DRC, the introduction of 5G, combined with new technologies such as big data, AI, and augmented reality, aims to increase the telecoms sector's contribution to the country's economy. According to the telecom regulator’s mobile market observatory, this high-potential sector grew by 7.18% in the third quarter of 2022.
Samira Njoya
Senegal wants to digitize some 700 administrative procedures by 2025. To achieve that ambitious goal, it tasked the public IT agency SENUM S.A to work with specialized partners to reach the target.
On Thursday, June 1, Sénégal Numérique SA (SENUM SA), the state agency in charge of the management of Senegal's digital infrastructure, and digital company Elm signed a memorandum of understanding in Morocco, on the sidelines of Gitex Africa.
The memorandum lays the groundwork for Elm to support SENUM SA in its mission to leverage technology to stimulate economic growth, improve public services, empower Senegal's citizens, and consequently promote digital inclusion.
"We look forward to developing digital services in Africa. This will open up expansion opportunities, provide innovative services and solutions to strengthen the digital infrastructure and meet the needs of stakeholders," said Majed bin Saad Al-Arifi (photo, left), Elm’s spokesperson and director of marketing.
As part of the partnership, Elm will create advanced digital platforms offering a diverse range of consulting services. The two parties will also build short- and long-term strategic plans to exploit the opportunities available in the market as well as define joint initiatives and projects aimed at strengthening their cooperation over the specified period.
This agreement is part of Senegal numérique SA's efforts to multiply partnerships to further develop its public services platform. For Elm, the protocol is a godsend for achieving its objectives, notably the creation of business opportunities in Africa and the expansion of its regional and international presence.
Since the beginning of the year, SENUM SA has signed several partnerships, including one with the esports promotion agency CONAPES, another one with the national statistics agency, and two others with Transnumerik.
Samira Njoya
On the sidelines of the Cyber Africa Forum 2023 held in Abidjan last April, Clément Domingo, co-founder of Hackers Without Borders discussed with We Are Tech Africa and Ecofin Agency the specificities of an ethical hacker and his vision for cybersecurity in Africa.
We Are Tech: What is an ethical hacker?
Clément Domingo: An ethical hacker is someone who already likes to tinker, who likes to discover things. Above all, in the digital age, we are now in 2023, it's someone who is going to help companies and governments better secure the data of citizens and users of banks, financial institutions, and large companies.
WAT: How did you become an ethical hacker?
CD: I have an atypical background. I didn’t study to become a hacker per se. I have a classical background. I discovered it bit by bit while studying and I started discussing it with people with good ethics. I can’t stress this part enough because I think that had I come across people who were to send me on the wrong path, maybe I would have become a cybercriminal, not the ones I track daily in my various missions.
WAT: How does Hackers Without Borders work?
CD: Hackers Without Borders was founded in January 2022. The idea stems from the fact that more and more international organizations, NGOs, and humanitarian associations have absolutely no means of ensuring the security of their information systems. Let me give you a concrete example. Presently, there is no one thinking about a specific mother in remote Africa who may be unable to afford even CFAF1000 or 5,000 to feed her children.
So, we asked ourselves how we, in cyberspace, people working in the digital and cybersecurity sectors can provide solutions so that that specific mother can get that money every week or month, through an association, without even realizing that there are complex things behind it. So we founded Hackers Without Borders to do humanitarian work in cyberspace just like Reporters Without Borders, and Doctors Without Borders. Hackers Without Borders helps any NGO, any humanitarian association, anywhere in the world, to better protect its data.
WAT: Do you ever take the initiative of testing the limits or data protection systems of certain organizations to draw their attention to their flaws?
CD: No, not at all. We don't intrude on systems; we intervene when called upon. We always respond to a need or a request. For example, when there are health or natural disasters involving victims, Doctors Without Borders is called in. The organization will never intervene on its own. It's much the same with Hackers Without Borders. We mainly respond to requests, and sometimes, in the course of certain conversations, certain NGO or humanitarian association managers say to us: "We'd still like to test the limits of our system, to find out whether we're secure or not...". Only then do we delegate some of our brilliant members all over the globe, including Africa, to do so.
WAT: In a world where every socioeconomic, and political… sector is connected to cyberspace, how would you sum up your organization's ultimate goal?
CD: The ultimate goal of Hackers Without Borders is to work for cybersecurity, which is not discussed quite often. Right now, things are happening that the general public and even some organizations, companies, and states have no idea about, and even more so in Africa.
Real cyber attacks are paralyzing entire countries. There are real groups of cybercriminals, hackers, what we call state-sponsored hackers, attacking strategic companies in certain countries, attacking states to destabilize them. We aim to talk a little about peace in cyberspace, and how to pacify this fourth dimension that cyberspace has become today. We're working on cybersecurity so that tomorrow we can live in a much more secure connected world. So that when you go to your bank's website or application, all your data is protected. When you download applications, they will be safe.
WAT: I'm assuming that Hackers Without Borders does not count every ethical hacker around the globe in its membership and that some of them take personal initiatives. As the co-founder of Hackers Without Borders, what do you think the role of an ethical hacker should be in society in general?
CD: To answer this question, I'd like to quote Elazraïe, a hacker residing in Israel. She said that today's hackers are the Internet's immune system. I think this formula pretty well represents the very spirit of hacking. We're here to prevent cyber-attacks, to inform the general public, to talk about subjects that are sometimes very complex, but which we simplify and disseminate to make them accessible. For example to my parents who know absolutely nothing about digital technology, to some of my friends, to our children. I think this is one of the main roles of hackers today. Some work in the shadows, others a little more to the forefront to explain all this to ensure our data is safe.
WAT: Can you give us a concrete example of a project or action you carried out as an organization?
CD: During the conflict in Ukraine, we carried out dozens of actions, but there was one that particularly impressed me and some of our members. It was at the very start of the conflict, in the month that followed, when there was a lot of talk about the displacement of populations from Ukraine to the rest of Europe, as I'm based in France, among other places. At the time, several associations and NGOs were also mobilizing to try and connect Ukrainian families with French families. But what many people didn't realize was that filling in a simple form meant providing a whole lot of information that was critical for French families wishing to host other Ukrainian families. On the Ukrainian side, some information also had to be provided. Imagine what would happen if these files and systems were hacked. We were able to help an NGO and two humanitarian associations that were planning to connect French families and Ukrainian families. That had a big impact on me, because we may have saved them the worst. Other ill-intentioned people could have used this data to exploit the digital misery of these families, or even to blackmail French families. It's an action that may speak to everyone, but the importance of which we don't directly realize.
WAT: During the Cyber Africa Forum, there were talks about attacks on banks, public institutions, and so on. How does your organization work with companies to improve their security?
CD: Hackers Without Borders doesn't work with companies at all. But we do have partnerships with them. We aim to help all the NGOs and humanitarian associations in the world, free of charge. But we don't step on the toes of other companies specializing in cybersecurity, because that's not our role. To do that, we have other channels. Hackers Without Borders is focused specifically on NGOs and associations. But, indeed, there's also a real need among banks and businesses. But that's not our job at Hackers Without Borders.
WAT: How does your organization train its members?
CD: First of all, anyone can help, or at least contribute to the cause. If only for a day, an hour, a week, a month, a year. But today, there's a real challenge. It's how to engage people, to ensure that these people are trustworthy. It's a real issue that we don't talk about much, but it is nevertheless a key issue. When we work for organizations, they open all their doors to us. We have access to everything.
So how can we be sure that the person we're working with will remain ethical from start to finish and won't steal data? That's why it's a bit slower to set up an organization like this, which, I'll remind you, is barely a year old. It's a lot more complex than we expected.
WAT: When Ethical Hackers join your organization, do you rely on their raw skills and talents, or do you try to upgrade them so that everyone has the same skills?
CD: First of all, let me remind you that anyone can join Hackers Without Borders but ethical hackers alone cannot run an NGO. Other skills are needed. For ethical hackers who join us, both those who know their way around and those who don't are mentored and coached by others. We have a Discord channel for that and we also hold private or small group exchanges. We have various profiles. Those who are more into attack and others into defense and others more into monitoring. There are a whole lot of jobs in cyber security. I've brought along a special guide to cyber-security professions to this event (Cyber Africa Forum, editor's note). Nowadays, when we say cybersecurity, we're talking about no less than 40 professions. Young people need to know that they can be a cybersecurity consultant. At Hackers Without Borders, we have a bit of everything.
WAT: What challenges are you facing today as co-founder of Hackers Without Borders?
CD: I'm going to take off my Hackers Without Borders co-founder's hat and put on my Ethical Hacker's hat instead. Two days ago, I was in Montreal. I returned to France and got on another plane to come here to Abidjan to talk about cybersecurity differently, because our companies, leaders, and governments don't understand at all what's going on. I'll take the case of ARTP [Senegal's telecom regulator] in Senegal, the West African Bank, which made headlines in Africa and Europe, but also other banks and financial institutions that continue to be attacked. Something is happening in Africa right now. If we don't react by the end of this decade, by 2030, it'll all be over. I may be an alarmist, but we're at a real turning point.
Cybercriminals, who used to concentrate much more on Europe and the Americas, are starting to attack Africa, where there is almost no protection. But we can still reverse the trend and change things.
My main challenge today is to make all our leaders, as well as small, medium, and large companies, aware of the need to arm themselves. Internationally, there's the alliance formed by the FBI, Europol, and Interpol to track down cybercriminals. Why not have similar cooperation with similar agencies in Africa? The realities of West Africa are different from those of Central Africa, the Maghreb, or Southern Africa. But I'm convinced that we can work together. I'm going to mention a reality that speaks to me a lot. The September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States could have been avoided because everyone had the information, except that no intelligence service or national agency in the United States shared the information, and we saw what happened. Similarly, in Africa, if we don't share information through strong partnerships, we will continue to be attacked again and again.
WAT: How do you see the future of cybersecurity and the role of ethical hackers with the advent of new technologies?
CD: First of all, I would like to say that the youth is the future of cybersecurity. It is another battle I care about. There's much talk about digital technologies, a lot of investment, and a lot of jobs, but what are we doing for young people? I'm trying, on a very modest but very concrete scale, to do things here for young people, and above all to encourage our politicians and government officials to join the movement and get things done.
Talking about the evolution of cybersecurity, I can't fail to mention artificial intelligence. It will profoundly change the way we consume digital content. If we don't raise our level of vigilance through training around artificial intelligence, we'll find ourselves 10-15 years behind. It's happening now. There's a profound digital transformation taking place, and we don't realize that, even if we're not in the digital business, we still have a very strong attraction, a very strong adherence to the digital world.
Concerning artificial intelligence, I have a little anecdote about a cybercriminal group I've been monitoring and infiltrating for a few months now. They've set up a new thread with a new topic where they disclose techniques to get around artificial intelligence, which is ChatGPT. For example, when you ask how to create a bomb or how to create a weapon, or how to organize a cyber attack from the ground up, they can easily get you answers to those questions. We need to be aware of this, and so do our politicians, and press for the necessary safeguards to be put in place.
Interview by Moutiou Adjibi Nourou and Muriel Edjo
The new law allows investors to acquire assets such as land and mining concessions using cryptocurrencies. It follows the adoption of Bitcoin as a legal tender in the country and the launch of a national cryptocurrency called Sango coin.
In the Central African Republic, the National Assembly passed, on Monday, May 29 a bill on the "tokenization" of natural resources, which allows investors to acquire assets such as land and mining concessions using cryptocurrencies.
The approval follows the adoption, in April 2022, of Bitcoin as a legal tender in the country and the launch of a national cryptocurrency (Sango Coin) a few months later. The new law "sets the framework for the use of bitcoin and Sango virtual currencies in the investment process, including by foreign nationals wishing to invest in mining, agrarian and forestry titles,” the bill reads. states
The bill adds that investors who purchase these titles "have the right to transfer all accruing annual profits abroad once they pay taxes and various duties.”
"The bill complements the law on cryptocurrencies and, by streamlining [the process], it makes it easy to raise funds for [...] the State [...] and local communities,” explained Guy Samuel Nganatoua, Chairman of the National Assembly's Economy and Finance Committee.
In July 2022, Central African President Faustin-Archange Touadéra announced that Sango coin would catalyze the tokenization of the country’s vast natural resources.
The bill that tokenizes natural resources is not supported by everyone, however. Opposition MPs on the joint commission boycotted the plenary session during which the bill was reviewed. They accused the government of facilitating the sales of the country’s natural resources to “mobs” instead of focusing on improving control to better capture revenues from those vital economic sectors.
In August 2022, the constitutional court ruled that it was “unconstitutional” to buy citizenship, e-residency, land, and natural resources in the country using Sango Coin. But, in October 2022, the president of this court, who also invalidated the presidential decrees setting up a committee to draft a new constitution, was nevertheless retired by an order of the Minister of Public Service.
Sango coin, whose launch coincided with the collapse of the global cryptocurrency market, has so far failed to attract much investor interest. The project also attracted criticisms from the IMF, the World Bank, and even the regional central bank (BEAC).
Critics deem the project unrealistic in a country where internet penetration is around 11% and the electrification rate is just 14.3%.
The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the digital summit GITEX Africa, which gave several companies the opportunity to bag agreements.
On Wednesday, May 31, Hicham El Habti, President of Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique (UM6P), and Safia Faraj, CEO of French company Atos signed a collaboration agreement on the sidelines of digital summit Gitex Africa in Marrakech. The agreement aims to strengthen collaboration in the fields of research, innovation, and education, and to support the development of digital talents in Morocco and Africa.
"The two institutions will collaborate on research and development projects, as well as on the organization of scientific conferences or seminars, or the sharing of material and human resources [...] Atos will organize events, open houses, and training courses for UM6P students. It will also connect them with Internship and recruitment opportunities. Similarly, Atos employees will be welcomed at UM6P for engineering and management training courses," reads the press release issued on June 1.
The Moroccan university is multiplying its partnerships to establish itself as a reference in fields relating to digital transformation. With its Stargate incubator, the institution facilitates the emergence of start-ups in the country. In that context, thanks to this new partnership with Atos, it can help the Moroccan tech sector address the tech skills and talent gap.
Let’s note that during GITEX Africa, Atos, a leading digital transformation player in Africa, also signed agreements with Togo to implement a national electronic identification system.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
The United Nations now considers the Internet as a basic necessity in the same category as water and electricity. For some governments, the tool, which demonstrated its importance during the coronavirus pandemic, can become a threat to national security.
On the afternoon of Sunday, June 4, Senegal decided to “temporarily” suspend mobile Internet access. According to the Ministry of Communications and the Digital Economy, access is restricted during certain timeframes due to "the dissemination of hateful and subversive messages in a context where public order is disrupted in some areas.”
Since Thursday, May 1, riots have been taking place in several Senegalese towns. Thousands of young people have clashed with the police and gendarmerie to protest against the two-year prison sentence handed down to Ousmane Sonko, leader of the main opposition party (Pastef). The main opponent to President Macky Sall is considered by the Senegalese youth as the favorite for the February 2024 Presidential election. He was convicted for “perverting the youth” although he was brought before courts over rape and death threats charges.
For his sympathizers, the conviction which renders him ineligible for the upcoming election is a conspiracy to prevent him from running in an election in which he has a high chance of winning with flying colors.
VPNs can no longer be used to circumvent the measure
The temporary suspension affects 17,227,783 subscribers -per the latest figures from the national telecom regulator ARTP. This represents 96.78% of Internet users in Senegal, where the service is essential for cabs, delivery drivers, hairdressing salons, restaurants, online clothing stores, and so on.
In a press release, the association of ICT businesses called on the government to lift all the usage restrictions on instant messaging platforms to guarantee economic freedom since those tools are used by thousands of entrepreneurs to seek “life-saving incomes.”
The temporary mobile internet restriction comes two days after social media access was blocked in the country. The social media ban was issued to restrict the publication of mobilization calls and videos of clashes in several districts of Dakar, Ziguinchor, etc. The restrictions did not produce the desired effect, with most youth using VPNs to circumvent it.
On Friday, June 2, Proton VPN, a virtual private network service developed by Swiss company Proton Technologies AG, noted a huge 30,000% and counting increase in VPN registrations from Senegal.
"This is in line with what we've seen during unrest or geopolitical crises in recent years in Iran, Turkey, and even Russia. The figures we're seeing are comparable to those we saw in Senegal in March 2021. At that time, similar censorship led to a 20,000% increase in registrations," said the company.
Muriel Edjo
Nowadays, social networks are no longer simple chatting tools. They can become powerful propaganda tools. Fearing the use some may make of it, governments have sometimes taken extreme measures like banning those networks.
Since the night of Thursday, June 1, access to the social networks Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Youtube is restricted in Dakar and several other cities across Senegal. By the afternoon, people were already experiencing difficulties in communicating easily on these platforms. Some users thought that it was caused by network disruptions. However, the social media block was confirmed by NetBlocks, an Internet governance watchdog, on its Twitter account.
The ban comes as clashes between security forces and youth groups have escalated in several districts of Dakar, Ziguinchor, Mbour, and Kaolack since yesterday. This conflict came after the announcement, on Thursday morning, that Ousmane Sonko, president of the opposition party Patriotes africains du Sénégal pour le travail, l'éthique et la fraternité (Pastef), had been sentenced to two years in prison for corrupting the youth. Ousmane Sonko has been on trial since 2020 for rape and death threats against one Adji Sarr. He was acquitted of the rape charges and sentenced for another crime, making him ineligible for the February 2024 presidential election.
On May 8, Sonko's eligibility for the presidential election was jeopardized by an initial six-month suspended prison sentence for defamation against the Minister of Tourism, Mame Mbaye Niang.
In a statement by Interior Minister Antoine Félix Abdoulaye Diome, the social network access restrictions were to prevent "the dissemination of hateful and subversive messages". In a press release issued on Thursday afternoon, the Pastef national office called on "the Senegalese people" to "take to the streets" and asked the army and national police to join them.
By blocking access to social networks, the government wants to prevent any mobilization by Ousmane Sonko. Indeed, throughout his legal battle in the Adji Sarr case, he used those tools to rally his supporters, claiming that the rape case is a plot by President Macky Sall's government to oust him from the race for power.
Facebook and Twitter were used on several occasions to relay the demonstrations and grassroots actions carried out by his young supporters. The videos published have sometimes contributed to escalations, resulting in deaths and material destruction during demonstrations.
Muriel Edjo
The Kenyan government is stepping up its efforts to accelerate the country's digital transformation. To achieve its objectives, the executive is counting on the support of international partners.
Korea Trade Centre (KOTRA) will support Kenya in the development of a master plan to guide the creation of the five digital cities selected by President William Ruto (Lamu, Dongo Kundu, Athi River, Sagana, and Naivasha). For that purpose, on Monday, May 29, in Nairobi, the Kenyan Ministry of ICT and Digital Economy and the KOTRA signed a memorandum of understanding.
The agreement also provides for the implementation of a smart mobility system encompassing an intelligent transport network using smart driving licenses.
According to ICT Principal Secretary John Tanui, the partnership is part of the government's strategies to create an enabling environment for innovation and emerging technologies. The Kenyan government "has played an enabling environment through various legal and regulatory frameworks to spur Kenya’s digital economy such as the National ICT Policy, Digital Economy Blueprint and National ICT Master Plan (2022-2032), among other policy interventions,” said John Tanui.
Indeed, when he came to power in September 2022, President William Ruto vowed his ambition to leverage digital tools for socioeconomic development. To this end, he planned various investments aimed at making the country a benchmark for digital transformation in Africa by 2027. Digital investments supporting this vision have been estimated at Ksh40 billion ($334 million).
The Smart Cities project should not only improve citizens' quality of life but also provide fertile ground for economic growth and job creation. It will offer solutions to the country's energy challenges by, among other things, implementing the Internet of Things (IoT) to strengthen ecosystems and enhance new technologies.
Samira Njoya
To grow and compete with their counterparts around the world, African businesses need stable, low-latency connectivity and digital tools to optimize their activities. Projects are being implemented to enable access to what they need.
Liquid Dataport, a subsidiary of connectivity company Liquid Intelligent Technologies, announced on Wednesday, May 31 the launch of its new fiber optic route linking Mombasa, Kenya, to Muanda in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) via Uganda and Rwanda.
According to the release announcing the launch, this is the shortest route between East and West Africa and will reduce data transmission latency by 20 milliseconds.
“We have a significant number of wholesale, enterprise, and hyperscale customers along this route, and we fully support them in operating their global networks. The availability of our latest and shortest East to West route brings many proven economic and social benefits – from providing access to online educational resources to creating more jobs and driving the adoption of new technologies,” said David Eurin, CEO of Liquid Dataport.
This latest fiber optic route complements Liquid's previous achievement, completed in 2019, linking Dar es Salaam to Muanda on the west coast of the DRC via Zambia. It will bring more reliable and affordable broadband connectivity to over 40 million people who live and work in all the major cities along the route.
The partnership is part of Liquid Intelligent Technologies' "One Broadband Africa" initiative. The company is pursuing its strategy of conquering the African and global markets for broadband connectivity and digital services. In recent months, it has strengthened its presence in Africa by expanding into Nigeria, Egypt, and Algeria. On Thursday, May 25, the company signed an agreement with satellite telecom services provider Viasat to provide high-speed Internet connectivity services in West Africa.
According to Hardy Pemhiwa, CEO of Liquid Intelligent Technologies, this east-west axis will promote digital inclusion by bringing global traffic to the continent, but also by reducing the cost of broadband Internet access across the continent.
Samira Njoya