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The 2026–2030 strategy aims to build an inclusive and competitive e-commerce sector.
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It targets women, youth, and small traders through digital integration and job creation.
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Implementation faces challenges including low Internet access and financial inclusion.
The Mauritanian government, through the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Innovation and Administrative Modernization and with support from German cooperation agency GIZ, officially approved its National E-commerce Strategy 2026–2030 on Tuesday, October 28. The plan marks a key milestone toward developing a more inclusive, sustainable, and competitive digital economy.
The roadmap seeks to improve access for women entrepreneurs to online markets, create jobs for young people through freelancing and digital platforms, integrate small traders into the formal economy via digitization, and enhance government tax revenues through better transaction traceability. These goals are built on an emerging market where Internet penetration reached 37.4% in 2025.
The strategy comes amid a period of rapid digital transformation, with Africa’s e-commerce market expected to grow by 105% by 2030—from $55 billion to $112.73 billion—according to TechCabal Insights. Mauritania aims to leverage this momentum to strengthen its competitiveness and position its economy within regional digital value chains.
Success will depend on the country’s ability to overcome key structural challenges, including uneven mobile and Internet coverage, reliance on cash payments, and low banking penetration. According to UNCTAD, financial inclusion in Mauritania remains limited to 20.9%, with notable disparities between women (15.5%) and youth (13.1%).
The strategy aims to create a favorable environment for the growth of national e-commerce by promoting digital inclusion, expanding access to online platforms for marginalized economic actors, improving financial transparency, and increasing public revenues through formalized trade. Ultimately, it seeks to build a structured and competitive e-commerce ecosystem capable of supporting sustainable growth.
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ChipChip connects farmers directly with urban consumers through group-buying technology.
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The company pays “group leaders” to organize collective orders and deliveries.
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Amir Redwan previously founded Tikus Delivery, a bicycle-based food-delivery service in Addis Ababa.
Ethiopian software engineer and entrepreneur Amir Redwan is using technology to connect rural farmers to urban consumers. He co-founded ChipChip to allow buyers to pool orders and cut distribution costs.
Founded in 2023 by Redwan and European entrepreneur Mateo Klemmayer, ChipChip operates a group-purchasing platform that links customers with agricultural producers outside traditional supply chains. The company aims to provide competitive prices while supporting farmer incomes.
ChipChip groups customers into buying clusters to reduce acquisition costs. Farmers benefit from direct access to the market. The company pays “group leaders” to form and manage purchasing groups and oversee coordination and delivery.
Before ChipChip, Redwan co-founded Tikus Delivery in 2020 and serves as its CEO. The service offers mobile food ordering and home delivery in Addis Ababa using electric and non-electric bicycles.
Redwan graduated in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in software engineering from Addis Ababa Science and Technology University. He completed an internship at Kifiya Financial Technology before becoming a software engineer in 2019. He worked for Modern Cyber Intel Consultancy and Med Innovation in Ethiopia’s technology sector.
This article was initially published in French by Melchior Koba
Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum
- Fintech startup Katutu Pay, founded by Beninese entrepreneur Yaovi Ghislain Siate, simplifies financial operations for individuals and freelancers across Africa.
- The UK-based platform offers users unique prepaid virtual cards for secure online transactions and instant, fee-free user-to-user transfers.
- Siate maintains parallel roles as Principal IT Consultant for APEC Congo and as a full-stack developer, demonstrating broad technical engagement across the continent.
Katutu Pay, a UK-based company founded in 2022 by Yaovi Ghislain Siate, operates a platform that acts as an intermediary. The company partners with licensed banks and providers to offer payment services and prepaid cards. The application allows its users to generate a unique virtual prepaid card for every online transaction, enhancing security.
Katutu Pay also authorizes instant, fee-free transfers between platform users. Furthermore, it provides the ability to top up mobile credits for users or third parties across mobile operators. The platform manages payments for utility bills, including water, electricity, and Internet. For freelancers and small entrepreneurs, Katutu Pay offers a professional invoice creation tool based on customizable templates.
Siate previously founded Caddieverse, a pan-African marketplace dedicated solely to digital products. This decentralized social-commerce network enables creators, trainers, and digital entrepreneurs to sell, buy, and share content like e-books, software, training courses, or graphic templates.
He also developed Smart QR Link, an integrated solution for professionals to create, share, and manage their digital identity. The tool combines digital business cards, dynamic QR codes, and mini-showcase websites to strengthen users’ online visibility.
Siate maintains concurrent professional commitments alongside his entrepreneurial activities. He works as Principal IT Consultant for the Professional Association of Credit Institutions of Congo (APEC Congo). He also serves as a full-stack developer at Websoft-Enterprise Engineering, a Beninese digital services firm, and as an IT consultant for Banque Postale du Congo.
Siate graduated from the Haute École de Commerce et de Management (HECM) in Benin. He earned a professional license in IT system technology in 2014. Between 2014 and 2015, he worked as a web developer at Head Lines, a firm specializing in IT engineering and communication.
This article was initially published in French by Melchior Koba
Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum
- Senegal launches 2025 Gov’athon to modernize public administration digitally
- Over 2,000 participants submitted 812 innovation projects for selection
- Hackathon supports national tech goals under 2025 “New Technological Deal”
The Senegalese government launched the second edition of Gov’athon, a national hackathon dedicated to digitally modernizing public administration, in Dakar on Friday, Oct. 24.
The initiative marks an important step in identifying and supporting practical solutions to improve public service efficiency and promote citizen-driven innovation.
The 2025 edition drew a strong response, with 812 projects submitted over 10 days by more than 2,000 participants from academic, entrepreneurial, and civic backgrounds. A total of 104 projects advanced to the final phase , 72 in the Student category, 11 in Startups, and 21 in Citizens.
The final round, scheduled for December, will follow an intensive mentoring and training program to help refine the shortlisted projects. A panel of experts will then select the winning teams in the Student and Startup categories. The winners will receive tailored support to transform their prototypes into operational tools for public administration.
Gov’athon is part of Senegal’s “New Technological Deal”, a national strategy launched in February 2025 to position the country as a leading player in Africa’s digital economy by 2034. The plan targets the creation of 500 certified startups, the training of 100,000 young people in digital professions, and a 95% connectivity rate.
The 2024 edition produced several high-impact projects, including AI Karangué, Firndé Bi, and Agri-Drone Vision, which received awards of 20, 10, and 5 million CFA francs, respectively. These projects highlighted Gov’athon’s key role in modernizing public administration and promoting local digital innovation in education, health, and agriculture.
With this new edition, the government aims to deepen the connection between citizen innovation and public governance while supporting homegrown tech entrepreneurship. The initiative is expected to make public services more efficient, accessible, and aligned with user needs.
Samira Njoya
- Morocco signs deal to boost inclusive digital entrepreneurship in Rabat-Salé-Kénitra
- Partnership supports startups via training, infrastructure, and strategic guidance
- Initiative aligns with “Digital Morocco 2030” goals of jobs, exports, and innovation
Morocco's Digital Development Agency (ADD) and the Management Association of the Center for Solidarity-Based Very Small Enterprises (CTPES) signed a partnership agreement on Monday, Oct. 27, in Salé to promote innovation and inclusive digital entrepreneurship.
The agreement focuses on the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region and will be implemented through the Digital Solidarity Incubator (IDS).
Under the partnership, the two organizations plan to pool resources and expertise to support high-potential project leaders. They will ensure access to the IDS infrastructure, including its FabLab, provide technical and strategic support to digital startups, offer targeted training, and integrate supported projects into digital systems and platforms developed by the ADD.
The collaboration aligns with the "Digital Morocco 2030" strategy, the kingdom's roadmap for digital transformation. That plan aims to create 3,000 certified startups by 2030, mobilize 7 billion dirhams (about $758 million) in funding, and generate 240,000 direct jobs in the sector. It also targets raising digital exports to 40 billion dirhams by 2030, up from 13.4 billion dirhams recorded in the first quarter of the current year.
The partnership comes amid a dynamic entrepreneurial context. In the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, 6,399 companies were created during the first seven months of 2024, according to the Moroccan Office of Industrial and Commercial Property (OMPIC).
Nationally, Morocco's startup ecosystem is also progressing. The country ranks 88th globally and ninth in Africa in the Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2025 by U.S. consultancy StartupBlink, with growth estimated at 23% in 2025.
Beyond supporting entrepreneurship, the agreement marks a significant step in regionalizing the national digital policy. By connecting support mechanisms with young project leaders and local stakeholders, the initiative aims to boost digital inclusion, foster value creation, and encourage the emergence of a regional entrepreneurial base capable of contributing sustainably to Morocco's economic growth.
Samira Njoya
- Algeria launches expert digitalization committee to guide national tech policies
- Committee supports “Digital Algeria 2030” goals with expert recommendations
- Strategy targets 500,000 ICT jobs, 20% GDP from digital economy
The Algerian government, on Oct. 23, 2025, officially launched the Scientific and Technical Committee of the High Commission for Digitalization (CSTHCN) in Algiers. The new advisory body will help guide the country’s national digital policies.
Meriem Benmouloud, the High Commissioner for Digitalization, hosted the ceremony and described the committee as a new milestone in Algeria’s digital transformation, part of the structured process leading to the “Digital Algeria 2030” vision.
The 15-member committee, including three experts from the Algerian diaspora, brings together specialists in information technology, artificial intelligence, mathematics, economics, and financial systems. Its main tasks include providing recommendations, reviewing draft legislation and regulations on digitalization, and conducting research to anticipate technological trends and their economic impacts.
The committee’s creation marks the final step in establishing the High Commission for Digitalization, which was set up in 2023 to spearhead the nation’s digital transformation.
Two years later, the “Digital Algeria 2030” strategy has been finalized and is expected to begin implementation soon. The plan aims to train 500,000 ICT specialists, connect all public institutions, and raise the digital economy’s contribution to 20% of GDP by 2030.
Digital technology is playing an increasingly central role in Algeria’s economy. While the potential is significant, analysts point to a gap between major investments and tangible returns, highlighting the need for stronger oversight.
Through this committee, Algeria aims to accelerate the implementation of its digital policies, improve public service efficiency, promote digital inclusion, and unlock greater economic value from the sector.
Samira Njoya
- Fintech raises $7.5 million to scale operations across the continent
- Offers instant liquidity and growth financing via Hapa Cash and Kazi Cash
- Uses behavioral and transactional data for real-time credit scoring
Kuunda, a South African fintech founded in 2018 by Andrew Milne, provides digital lending solutions for individuals and small businesses through its platforms Hapa Cash and Kazi Cash. Earlier in October, the company announced a $7.5 million funding round to support its expansion across Africa.
Hapa Cash offers instant transactional liquidity to meet the short-term financial needs of agents and consumers, including airtime purchases, mobile money transfers, and e-float top-ups. Kazi Cash focuses on growth financing for micro-merchants, providing term loans, inventory funding, cash advances, and fuel credit.
“We are unlocking access to finance for Africa’s productive class: the agents, merchants, and small businesses that are the backbone of these economies, whilst helping consumers build up resilience by accessing credit when they need it the most,” said CEO Andrew Milne.
Operating under a B2B2C model, Kuunda partners with established mobile money operators, banks, and fintechs in emerging markets. Its proprietary algorithms use behavioral and transactional data for dynamic, real-time credit scoring.
By embedding finance into partner platforms, Kuunda enables clients to access instant liquidity and tailored funding, helping mobile money agents and small merchants unlock value chains in the informal economy, improve transaction efficiency, and advance financial inclusion.
- Founder and CEO of Nuru Solutions, launched in 2024
- Platform uses real-time data and predictive analytics to guide farmers
- Operates in Kenya, Nigeria, Malawi, and Zambia with tailored agri-finance tools
Agnes Kanjala, a Malawian entrepreneur, is the founder and CEO of Nuru Solutions, a company using technology to enhance agricultural sustainability and productivity across Africa.
Founded in 2024, Nuru Solutions integrates digital tools into sustainable farming through data platforms, financing solutions, and services adapted to African realities. Its core product is a data collection and analytics platform that aggregates information from farms to deliver personalized insights to producers.
Operating in Kenya, Nigeria, Malawi, and Zambia, the company leverages real-time data and predictive analysis to help farmers make faster, data-driven decisions. It also offers insurance products designed for farmers and cooperatives, with conditions based on risk assessments derived from collected data.
Before founding Nuru Solutions, Kanjala co-founded The Farm in 2021, a Malawian start-up offering livestock trading, training, veterinary services, and market access. She also works as a consultant in business innovation and entrepreneurship.
Kanjala holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the Bunda College of Agriculture at the University of Malawi and a master’s in business administration from ALU School of Business in Rwanda.
Her career began in 2013 at One Acre Fund, where she served as head of headquarters, monitoring and evaluation manager, and project specialist. In 2016, she joined fintech firm Zoona as innovation research manager in Malawi and Zambia. Between 2019 and 2020, she worked at agritech start-up Pula as regional manager for Malawi and Zambia, returning in 2021 as international field operations director before becoming expansion director in 2022.
- CEO and cofounder of Dojah, a 2021-founded KYC and ID verification firm
- Platform offers API and no-code tools for fraud detection and compliance
- Company supports secure user onboarding and real-time risk monitoring
Oluwatobiloba Ololade (pictured), a Nigerian tech entrepreneur, is the cofounder and CEO of Dojah, a company specializing in identity verification and Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance Founded in 2021, Dojah describes itself as an anti-fraud infrastructure for the Internet. It enables businesses to verify customer identities, detect fraud, and meet regulatory requirements through APIs and no-code tools, ensuring secure and seamless user onboarding.
The company’s services are structured around two main areas. The first, Identity Hub, focuses on verifying individuals and businesses through document validation, biometric checks, and address confirmation. The second area covers fraud prevention and transaction monitoring, featuring real-time fraud detection, anti–money laundering tracking, risk assessment, and credit scoring tools. A centralized dashboard allows case management, alert configuration, access control, and detailed analytics.
Ololade graduated in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University. He began his career in 2012 as a lead developer at Elta Solutions. In 2015, he joined Kedesa, a Nigerian all-in-one messaging software company, as director.
From 2017 to 2021, he served as technology lead at TradeBuza, which uses tech to help firms manage contract farming and commodity trading programs. During the same period, between 2019 and 2021, he also worked as head of engineering at Moneymie, a U.S.-based fintech company.
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The University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) has digitized over 1,000 online courses accessible to 39,000 students across multiple campuses.
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The initiative is part of the Higher Education for Economic Transformation (HEET) program, which is over 80% implemented.
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UDSM’s digital infrastructure now includes a 10 Gbps high-speed network to support hybrid and remote learning.
Tanzania is accelerating the integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) to drive socio-economic development, with education at the forefront of this shift.
Speaking at a meeting with the Tanzania Editors Forum in Dar es Salaam on October 21, William A. L. Anangisye, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), said the Higher Education for Economic Transformation (HEET) program represents a new stage in higher education reform.
Already more than 80% implemented, HEET aims to make digitalization a strategic tool for academic competitiveness and innovation.
The project reached a milestone with the launch of more than 1,000 digital courses, now available to 39,000 students across UDSM campuses in Dar es Salaam, Lindi, Kagera, and Zanzibar.
This digital offering relies on a 10 Gbps broadband infrastructure designed to support hybrid learning platforms and strengthen remote teaching capabilities.
Liberato Haule, Deputy Coordinator of the program, said the infrastructure “modernizes learning environments and enhances partnerships between universities and businesses.”
HEET, funded by both public and private partners, aims to foster collaboration between universities and the private sector in designing curricula focused on digital skills, engineering, and innovation.
Deodatus Balile, President of the Tanzania Editors Forum, praised the program as “a national benchmark in educational transformation.”
This initiative comes as the World Bank reports that only 9% of young Africans have access to higher education. By equipping its universities with cutting-edge digital tools, Tanzania seeks to position itself as a regional hub for training and innovation, aligning education more closely with employment and industrial growth.
This article was initially published in French by Félicien Houindo Lokossou
Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum
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Net is a new Ivorian job platform helping young people access employment.
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The startup uses AI-based matching to link candidates with suitable opportunities.
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Founder Sébastien Kouassi is a two-time national award winner for digital innovation.
Ivorian software engineer and entrepreneur Sébastien N’Goran Kouassi is the founder of EmploiRapide.Net, a digital startup dedicated to improving youth employability in West Africa.
Launched in April 2025, EmploiRapide.Net offers an online job platform designed to make access to the labor market easier. It aggregates and centralizes thousands of job offers from both local and international companies.
The platform features an intelligent search engine that matches users with opportunities aligned with their skills, experience, and location. Candidates can upload their CVs and apply directly to suitable positions. Less than a month after launch, the site had already recorded more than 30,000 job searches.
In 2018, Kouassi created Mwaou, a web and mobile app for reconnecting with former classmates, followed in 2021 by mjChrist, a site for sharing Christian testimonies. He holds a master’s degree in computer systems and software engineering from the African School of Information and Communication Technologies (ESATIC) in Côte d’Ivoire, earned in 2021.
Alongside his entrepreneurial ventures, Kouassi has worked with several companies and institutions. In 2021, after an internship as a web developer at Inetum Côte d’Ivoire, he became a vTiger CRM consultant for the National Investment Bank (BNI) and SNEDAI.
In 2023, he worked as a freelance web developer for HST Protection, then as a software engineer at Y3 Audit & Conseils and Bridge Bank Group Côte d’Ivoire. Between 2024 and 2025, he served as a developer and automation tester at the Côte d’Ivoire Single Window for Foreign Trade (GUCE-CI).
His commitment to technological innovation has earned him recognition twice, as he received the second National Excellence Award for Best Young Digital Innovation Project in both 2023 and 2024.
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Telecom engineer Zara Ahmed Sedick becomes the first woman to head Chad’s AI Directorate.
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The new body was created as part of the digital ministry’s recent restructuring.
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Her career includes roles at Ericsson, Huawei, and the Chadian presidency.
On October 24, the Chadian Ministry of Posts and Digital Economy officially appointed telecommunications engineer Zara Ahmed Sedick as head of the newly created Directorate General of Artificial Intelligence (DGIA).
The establishment of the DGIA is part of the ministry’s recent restructuring led by Minister Boukar Michel. According to a statement from the ministry, it “also reflects the political commitment of the President of the Republic, Head of State, Marshal Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, as outlined in his five-year program.”
Zara Ahmed Sedick, the first woman to lead the DGIA, holds a degree in telecommunications engineering from the École Supérieure Privée d’Ingénierie et des Technologies (ESPRIT) in Tunisia and a specialized certificate in mobile radio network engineering from Paris Telecom.
She joined the Ministry of Posts and Digital Economy in 2024 as director of technology monitoring. Her professional career began in 2011 at Ericsson in Chad as a network optimization engineer. In 2015, she joined Huawei in the same country as a Node Package Manager (NPM) engineer.
In 2019, she was appointed technical adviser on Posts and Information and Communication Technologies at the Presidency of the Republic of Chad. The following year, she became director of control and inspection at the Chadian Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications and Posts, a position she held until 2024.
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The new digital platform will connect farmers and buyers to improve market access.
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Developed by the government and FAO, it aims to cut post-harvest losses and boost efficiency.
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Agriculture accounts for 14% of GDP and 80% of exports but faces structural challenges.
The government of São Tomé and Príncipe, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), officially launched on October 24, a new digital platform designed to help farmers promote and sell their products.
Developed by the Directorate of Entrepreneurship at the government’s request, the platform seeks to streamline the movement of agricultural goods from field to market, reduce post-harvest losses, and bring producers and consumers closer together. Designed to be simple and accessible, it builds on existing digital habits among local farmers, many of whom already use smartphones and WhatsApp.
The initiative forms part of a broader program to promote youth employment in agriculture. The sector remains central to the national economy, contributing about 14% of GDP and nearly 80% of export earnings, according to the French Development Agency (AFD). However, it still faces structural challenges, including limited market access, lack of price and demand information, weak distribution networks, and high post-harvest losses.
The new platform is positioned as a strategic tool to turn the country’s agricultural potential into real economic value. It aims to strengthen the competitiveness of local value chains, improve market access, diversify trade opportunities, and create new prospects for young rural entrepreneurs. Over time, this digitalization of agriculture is expected to improve traceability, raise farmers’ incomes, and modernize the rural economy of the archipelago.
- Project aims to boost transparency and revenue collection
- Full national rollout planned for January 2026
Gabon is set to launch, on October 30, a pilot project to digitize its social security and tax collection systems, according to the Ministry of Digital Economy and Innovation. The move follows a recent meeting with key institutions responsible for social contributions and public revenue.
The initiative involves rolling out an integrated digital system to automate the collection of social security and tax payments, enable real-time transaction monitoring, and improve financial transparency. The pilot, which runs until December 15, will be followed by a full rollout in January 2026. The ministry said the technical platform is already operational and will serve as the foundation for modernizing fund management systems.
The project is part of broader efforts to streamline public administration and improve oversight of financial operations. Social funds — notably the National Health Insurance and Social Guarantee Fund (CNAMGS) and the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) — have long faced problems such as payment delays, slow manual processing, and limited traceability. Digitization is seen as a long-term solution to strengthen the collection and redistribution of social funds.
The reform supports the “Digital Gabon” strategy led by Transitional President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, who has made digital technology a key driver of public sector reform. The Digital Economy Ministry has already launched complementary projects, including digitizing the civil service payroll system and linking financial management agencies through the SIGFiP platform, which is now being deployed.
In the long term, digitizing these systems is expected to enhance transparency in public fund management, boost revenue mobilization, and reduce the costs associated with manual processes. It will also give the government a comprehensive view of its institutions’ finances, helping to strengthen public and business confidence in state services.
Samira Njoya