During Buhari's presidency, Isa Pantami, the former Minister of Digital Economy, succeeded in making Nigeria shine on the international technological and digital scene. His successor wants to do even better in the next four years.
Bosun Tijani (photo), the Nigerian Minister of Digital Economy appointed last August, plans to lead Nigeria into the ranks of thriving digital nations. To this end, on August 2, 2023, on X (formerly Twitter), he unveiled a draft strategic plan that would serve as a catalyst for the development of the technology economy over the next four years.
The plan, entitled "Accelerating our collective prosperity through technical efficiency", is built around five key economic pillars: Knowledge, Policy, Infrastructure, Innovation, entrepreneurship & Capital (IEC), and Trade.
According to the Minister, the plan has been carefully drafted based on extensive engagement with stakeholders from the Ministry of Digital Economy, departments, units and parastatals, ecosystem stakeholders, and his immediate team.
Among other things, the plan in its implementation calls for the training of 3 million tech talents by 2027, increasing the digital literacy level of the population to 70% by 2027, and positioning Nigeria in the top 25th percentile of research globally in 6 key areas: artificial intelligence (AI), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), IoT, robotics, blockchain, and additive manufacturing.
In terms of infrastructure, the government's ambition is to provide data download speeds of 25 Mbps in urban areas and 10 Mbps in rural areas by the end of 2025. Coverage will also be increased to 80% of the population, with a particular focus on underserved and unserved populations.
Aware that startups play a vital role in the development of the digital economy, the government plans to increase to 100% the number of technology startups with access to public procurement opportunities in Nigeria. To this end, the Ministry and its partners are committed to supporting programs focused on AgriTech, HealthTech, EdTech, MediaTech, CleanTech, CreTech, among others.
Speaking of commerce, which is the final axis of the strategy, the federal government plans to increase spending on e-commerce to $75 billion by 2025. The aim is to boost Nigeria's participation in global technology trade over the next four years.
The plan, which will be continually refined, is in line with President Bola Tinubu's program unveiled last May. The program is based on seven strategic axes, including the creation of one million jobs in Nigeria's ICT sector within the next two years.
Samira Njoya
Founded by a team of enthusiasts, iRise Hub is the first collaborative workspace in Mogadishu, Somalia. With CEO Abdihakim Ainte at its helm, the center aims to become the premier hub for the exchange of new ideas and solutions that can create a sustainable ecosystem in Somalia and beyond.
Since its inception in 2016, iRise Hub has implemented several initiatives aimed at strengthening and building a sustainable local ecosystem. These initiatives range from local governance to the Rise Academy coding school, which aims to invest in the next generation of software engineers. Each initiative offers a unique solution that combines innovation and social impact.
With its core mission being to boost access to information, iRise Hub works with all players in the community, whatever their economic or social status. It takes a person-to-person approach, builds partnerships then designs personalized programs that enable each startup to immediately enter the market.
Some of its initiatives include the Mogadishu Tech Summit, an annual event designed to showcase local technology talent and recognize the merits of technology.
It has also initiated the Kobciye Program, a 10-week mentoring program designed to transform ideas into businesses or startups in their early stages to gain traction through deep mentor engagement, rapid iteration cycles, and fundraising readiness.
In terms of achievements, iRise Hub has empowered over 3,000 young people, incubated over 100 entrepreneurs, organized over 50 events and more than 10 programs. It has also impacted over 150 startups.
Its partners include the UNFPA, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, the Somali Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education, Funzi, and SOS Children's Villages Somalia.
Melchior Koba
She has over 20 years of experience in the fields of information technology and information security. She leverages her expertise to help organizations protect their data against cyber attacks in Africa.
Betsy Mugo Bevilacqua (photo) is the co-founder and head of business strategy at Tabiri Analytics, a cybersecurity company based in Rwanda. Born in Kenya, she moved to the USA to pursue her higher education, earning a Bachelor’s in Information Systems and a Master’s in Business administration from Canisius College.
In 2018, she co-founded Tabiri Analytics with Edwin Kairu, Victor Kagimu, and Savannah Kadima. Through that cybersecurity company, she provides affordable and effective cybersecurity monitoring for organizations in underserved markets, particularly in Africa. Her company uses hardware sensors, open-source software agents, and cloud computing to quickly detect and respond to cyber threats that might otherwise be ignored by IT staff focused on other tasks.
Since January 2020, she has been the vice president of information security at Chainalysis Inc., a company that provides blockchain analytics and investigation solutions to governments and financial institutions worldwide.
Between 2011 and 2014, she was the Senior Manager of Information Security Risk Management for online retailer eBay. She was later hired by Facebook (now Meta), where she successively held the positions of Information Security Policy and Risk Manager and Head of Information Security Programs and Operations.
Melchior Koba
Inspired by the Russian instant messaging platform Telegram, two Ethiopian entrepreneurs decided to set up a similar platform more suited for local users. The platform was almost an instant hit.
Hulugram is a mobile application developed by an Ethiopian startup. It enables users to access several services such as instant messaging, online payment solutions, online marketplaces, and even translation into over 20 languages.
Users can create their Hulugram accounts, through its Android-only app, with just their phone number. To create that account, a user needs to input his/her phone number, receive the verification code, and then configure the profile. Among other things, a user can share stories like on Instagram, and exchange messages with contacts and people near their location.
Thanks to its “People Nearby” feature, the platform allows users to discuss with nearby users. "To display details about the people, users can tap on the avatar icon. Users can enable or disable their profile visibility by tapping on the icon that is on the top right of the screen," the platform indicates.
Its "Marketplace" feature allows users to buy or sell online. When a user chooses to sell goods through Hulugram, he/she needs to create a store and add the item to be sold. On the other hand, when the user chooses to buy, he/she will be able to browse the online stores and the items they are selling.
Hulugram also allows its users to listen to music and get text translated. Since its launch, the application has been downloaded more than 500,000 times. In 2023, it was selected for the summer cohort of the Techstars Toronto accelerator.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
On Tuesday, September 26, P1 Ventures, a venture capital firm investing in high-potential African companies with a regional or even global client base, announced the first close, at $25 million, of its second investment fund.
P1 Ventures, which has been in operation for 3 years and has backed some 20 African companies, intends to continue its financing activity, focusing more specifically on startups that rely on AI to develop their businesses.
To accelerate the implementation of “Digital Egypt 2030”, its digital transformation strategy, Egypt bets on international cooperation. In its bids, it is supported by several strategic partners.
On Saturday, September 28, Microsoft Egypt and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation to advance sustainable development and promote digital innovation in Egypt.
Under the agreement, UNDP and Microsoft will work together to promote digital skills and skills enhancement for future jobs and employability, with a focus on empowering women and girls, among other things.
"We are thrilled to enter this strategic partnership with Microsoft Egypt. This collaboration signifies our joint commitment to harnessing the power of digital innovation and technology for sustainable development in Egypt. By combining our expertise and resources, we aim to empower Egyptian youth, and promote gender equality," said Alessandro Fracassetti (photo, center), UNDP Resident Representative in Egypt.
According to the UNDP press release, the agreement also highlights progress in agro-technology and the transformation of the food system. In this sense, the agreement will enable the implementation of agritech solutions that address food security challenges and promote sustainable agriculture in Egypt. Both parties will also share expertise and best practices to support the digital transformation of the public sector, improving service delivery and governance processes. The partnership also aims to advance digital transformation programs in the public sector, including the integration of AI.
The MoU adds to the international cooperation actions undertaken by the government to successfully implement “Digital Egypt 2030,” its digital transformation strategy. According to Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, the Ministry's development cooperation portfolio included 34 projects in the fields of innovation, digitization, and entrepreneurship. They are valued at one billion dollars, representing 4% of the overall portfolio.
The ongoing digital transformation has shown its potential to accelerate development across Africa. Recognizing that potential, most countries on the continent are embracing it to speed up the achievement of development goals.
Kenya has joined the Pan African Payments and Settlement System (PAPSS), Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria announced on X (formerly Twitter) on September 29.
According to the government official, the "Central Bank of Kenya has signed the instruments that have finally seen Kenya join the Pan African Payments and Settlement System (PAPSS)."
Kenya's participation in PAPSS is a significant step towards promoting smoother and cost-effective intra-African trade and enhancing economic collaboration across the continent.
The move further strengthens the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) initiative as it enables Kenyan companies to settle trade transactions with other countries in the PAPSS network using local currencies.
PAPSS, launched in January 2022, is a digital centralized payments and settlement system designed for intra-African trade. It is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt, and is overseen by African Central Banks. With more than 25 leading banks across Africa, including Ecobank, Zenith Bank, and Stanbic, connected to it, the system simplifies payment transactions. It enables companies to settle trade transactions in their local currencies, helping save on foreign exchange costs and the liquidity challenges companies would have faced if they were to rely on non-African correspondent banks for trade settlement.
The introduction of this system will help African nations save close to $5 billion annually in trade transaction costs.
Hikmatu Bilali
Thanks to the regional fiber loop it is building by interconnecting with its neighbors, Tanzania aims to form a large regional loop that will enable it to offer its population high-quality, affordable, and ultra-high-speed connectivity.
Tanzania will connect Uganda to its National Fibre Optic Cable network named National ICT Broadband Backbone (NICTBB). This is one of the terms of a memorandum of understanding signed between Tanzania Telecommunications Corporation (TTCL) and the National Information Technology Authority Uganda (NITA-U) on Friday, September 29, to strengthen the ICT cooperation between the two countries.
The 15-year agreement will be implemented by NITA-U and TTCL, costing $28.8 million.
"ICT connections with Uganda will create another connection opportunity with other countries. The government will continue investing in infrastructure management to increase productivity,” said Nape Nnauye, Tanzania's ICT Minister, adding that the agreement offers an important opportunity to establish a connection between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan in the coming months.
This ICT partnership between Tanzania and Uganda is the result of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan's visit to Uganda in May 2022. During that visit, she agreed with her Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni to integrate the two countries' ICT backbones for improved internet services.
According to Chris Baryomunsi, Uganda's Minister of ICT and National Orientation, the MoU will transform people's lives by providing them with opportunities. It will also stimulate economic growth in both countries through the use of ICT.
Tanzania's fiber optic link with Uganda will follow that currently underway with Malawi. Earlier this month, Tanzania signed an agreement with Malawian authorities to extend its national fiber optic infrastructure to the border town of Kasumulo. Once the interconnection is complete, Uganda will join the list of countries with which Tanzania shares an interconnection. These include Burundi, Kenya, Mozambique, and Rwanda.
Samira Njoya
French telecommunications group Orange is stepping up its investments to facilitate digital transformation in its operating countries. The lab inaugurated is its third in Africa and the 19th worldwide.
Orange, a French telecoms group operating in 16 African countries, inaugurated its 5G lab in Antananarivo, Madagascar, last Thursday, September 28. The lab was inaugurated during a trade fair organized to showcase the 5G internet speed. It enables various players in the technology sector to discover 5G, demonstrate its use cases, and assess the potential of 5G in their products and services.
"This fair marks the launch in Madagascar of an Orange 5G Lab, which is based at the Orange Digital Center Madagascar premises in Ankorondrano. The Orange 5G Lab Madagascar program aims to help digital and economic players better understand the opportunities, value, and usefulness of 5G," Orange indicates in a press release.
5G offers higher upload and download speeds and more consistent connections, revolutionizing the technology sector in many ways. With its labs and similar investments, Orange is increasingly establishing itself as a key player in the acceleration of digital transformation in Europe, Asia, and Africa. The Antananarivo-based Orange 5G Lab is the third it inaugurated in Africa. In June and September 2022, it respectively inaugurated Orange 5G Labs in Dakar (Senegal) and Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire).
Adoni Conrad Quenum
His entrepreneurial career is a testament to his commitment to social innovation. His achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, making him a leading figure in the field of social entrepreneurship.
Kelvin Ogholi (photo) is the CEO and one of the co-founders of Cotrust Equity, a finance and credit company that offers unique credit plans to small and medium-sized businesses (both banked and unbanked) in the rural and peri-urban areas of Nigeria, and sub-Saharan Africa in general.
Born in Nigeria, he began his academic career at Abia State University, graduating with a Bachelor’s in statistics, in 2012. Between 2015 and 2016, he trained in social entrepreneurship and community development at Cambridge University, England.
The social entrepreneur co-founded Cotrust Equity, in 2021, with his partners Alero Sandra and James Okeiyi. Through that credit company, he assesses customers' creditworthiness and offers credit solutions tailored to clients’ needs and culture. Cotrust Equity aims to give over 40 million African businesses the financial means to develop their activities.
Before Cotrust Equity, Kelvin Ogholi co-founded AgroVie, serving as its CEO from 2017 to 2018 and as a non-executive board member for the following three years. AgroVie is a social enterprise that recycles food waste from breweries, catering organizations, and farms into low-cost animal feed and bio-fertilizers.
He is recognized as an influential and innovative young leader on the African continent. In 2015, he was one of the winners of the Queens Young Leaders Award, making him one of the young visionaries impacting life in Commonwealth countries. In 2020, his company AgroVie was one of the seven finalists of the Elevator Pitch Contest organized by UNITLIFE and Sight and Life.
Melchior Koba
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Pan-African firm Cassava Technologies announced on Thursday, September 28 its partnership with Atlas AI, a US platform using artificial intelligence to analyze data. "AI and data analytics are a core part of our digital transformation journey across all Cassava Technologies business units. Our clients across Africa will benefit from access to quality data and analytics that will help them better serve their customers," said Hardy Pemhiwa (photo, right) president and CEO of Cassava Technologies Group.
The healthtech startup is taking that difficult decision four years after its creation with some $45 million in funding attracted and numerous strategic partnerships.
For several days now, startup 54gene's website has been inaccessible. According to sources close to the company quoted by Nigerian media outlet Techcabal, the company is winding down operations. The process, initiated in July 2023, was prompted by financial challenges and internal conflicts.
In early 2023, Abasi Ene-Obong, the figurehead of healthtech specializing in genomic research, tendered his resignation following accusations of financial malfeasance. Ron Chiarello, who was appointed in March 2023 to replace him, left three months later. Last July, he said the company “could not continue to operate financially.”
Founded in 2019 by Abasi Ene-Obong, Damilola Oni, Gatumi Aliyu, and Ogochukwu Francis Osifo, 54gene had a grand ambition: to bridge the genomics research gap in Africa with the aim of discovering new healthcare solutions for the continent's populations and those of African descent. Strategic collaborations have been initiated to this end.
In May 2022, 54gene signed a memorandum of understanding with the Académie Nationale des sciences et techniques du Sénégal (ANSTS), the human genetics department of the Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Odonto-stomatology at Dakar's Cheikh Anta Diop University. The aim of the collaboration was to gain a better understanding of hereditary diseases and improve medical monitoring of the Senegalese population.
SEN-GENOME, a study of the genetic heritage of populations, was scheduled to start in July 2022. It was to trace the history of Senegalese populations and identify genetic risk factors for diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, certain infectious diseases, and rare genetic diseases. Initial results were expected in December 2023.
This research will probably be concluded by the Senegalese party unless Abasi Ene-Obong, the former CEO of 54gene who had materialized this cooperation, takes it over. On September 15, on social media, he announced the launch of his new company Syndicate Bio. This company is also focused on genomic research and precision medicine.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
South African fintech startup Revio announced, Tuesday (September 29), the successful completion of a $5.2 million funding round. The deal was led by QED Investors and Partech, with the participation of former fintech investors such as Speedinvest, RaliCap, and Everywhere VC. Founded in 2020 by Ruaan Botha, the fintech startup wants to use the funds to, among other things, improve its technology, broaden its offerings, and expand into new markets on the continent.
With digital transformation accelerating worldwide, interest in cloud services is intensifying. Other continents have made considerable progress in that field while Africa barely accounts for 1% of the data centers installed globally.
Chinese tech giant Huawei will invest $200 million to create Africa's first public cloud center, offering over 200 cloud services. Terry HE, President of Huawei Northern Africa (North, West, and Central Africa), made the announcement at the opening of the 8th edition of "Huawei Connect", held from September 20 to 22 in Shanghai, China.
"Every technological evolution is the result of perseverance, exploration, and investment," said Terry HE (photo), before adding that "to expedite intelligent transformation in Northern Africa, Huawei will intensify its investments in technologies, ecosystems, and talent."
The $200 million investment announced is part of the $430 million the company plans to invest in Africa over the next five years. Under that investment plan, Huawei will make a further $200 million available to support 200 local software partners and strengthen 1,300 distribution partners. The remaining $30 million will be injected to train 10,000 local developers and 100,000 digital professionals, creating a skilled workforce to drive smart transformation in the region.
This initiative is part of Huawei's new strategy to assist Africa toward a "smart, connected future". In addition to improving deployment capacity, reducing costs, and securing data storage, Huawei's public cloud will also provide services capable of supporting extensive, efficient, and high-quality digital coverage, while reducing carbon emissions.
It should be remembered that Africa's share of the cloud market is still relatively marginal compared with the global market, which reached $445 billion in 2021. According to the report "Global Cloud Computing Market (2021 to 2028)", that market will triple to $1,200 billion by 2028. To improve its share in the market, Africa needs significant investments.
Samira Njoya