Africa Business, Author at AfricaBusiness.com

France number one destination for SA travellers wanting snow holidays

26Feb

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

France number one destination for SA travellers wanting snow holidays

From November to April each year, travellers from South African embrace the evolving trends in Alpine destinations, transforming the once-elusive snow holiday into an immersive experience for adventure seekers and winter enthusiasts. With this in mind, pioneers in all-inclusive holidays and leaders in worldwide snow holidays, Club Med Southern Africa have just released their South African Ski Report for the 2023/2024 season. The report was compiled following a comprehensive survey capturing insights to discern key trends in South Africa's snow holiday preferences, expectations, and booking profiles. The geographical distribution of respondents revealed that 45% were from Gauteng, 30.7% from the Western Cape, 14.3% from KwaZulu Natal, and 10% from other regions. The skier profile highlig...

12 African Startups draw full house as Techstars hosts Demo Day in Lagos

25Feb

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Nigeria News, Startups

12 African Startups draw full house as Techstars hosts Demo Day in Lagos

Event unveils category-defining innovations across Africa Techstars, the most active startup investor in Africa, held its second pan-African Demo Day in partnership with Lagos-based innovation program, ARM Labs. The ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator Demo Day was held on 20th February at Balmoral Convention Center, Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos. The event featured presentations from Techstars’ stellar second cohort from across the continent, marking the end of an immersive three-month accelerator program. The startups presented to Techstars' vast network of investors, mentors, senior operators, and ecosystem leaders, unveiling achievements and future plans whilst vying for strategic partnerships and commercial collaboration. In addition to the startups’ presentations, the event feature...

25Feb

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Tech

When is sharing oversharing on social media?

The recent “get to know me” trend on Instagram and TikTok may seem harmless, but cybersecurity experts have warned of the potential pitfalls of giving away too much of your personal information, particularly as it makes it easier for hackers to compromise your accounts. Alexandra Hoang, better known as @lille.hoang to her almost 82,000 followers, has no problem sharing a bit more about herself on Instagram and TikTok. The Norwegian-Vietnamese influencer, who offers interior design advice and loves couture fashion, participated in the recent “get to know me” challenge on social media. The diminutive beauty says she’s 29 years old, 157cm tall, wears size 36 shoes and has a son called Theo. A few of her favourite things include sushi, whiskey, the colour yellow and listening to Beyoncé. The...

21Feb

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Fintech

In the race to digital wallets, don’t forget cash

Success in the digital payment space will hinge on the ability of new players and incumbents to converge the physical and digital experience into a seamless continuum for the customer. Extending the digital solution to a cash-based customer requires a “phygital” approach, writes Juan Seco, Chief Growth Officer at Mukuru. Digital wallet use, especially in Africa, makes sense when so many people live in rural areas where there isn’t easy access to another way of accessing money, such as through ATMs. Bank of America predicts that by 2026, digital wallets will be used by more than 5.3-billion people, which is more than 50% of the world’s population. Other estimates suggest this number may even be as high as two-thirds of the world’s population, growth that is being driven by emerging market...

15Feb

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Tech

Tech First Gulf and Invicti Security Join Forces to Strengthen Cybersecurity Across Africa

Tech First Gulf (TFG), a prominent value-added distributor in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, proudly announces a ground-breaking distribution partnership with Invicti Security, a global leader in web application and API security testing. As Africa undergoes a digital transformation, adopts new technologies, and experiences rapid economic growth, the region faces an unprecedented surge in cybersecurity threats. Invicti Security, renowned for enhancing web application and API security posture, brings forth a formidable mix of accuracy, coverage, speed, automation, and scale, shaped by years of investment and catering to the needs of thousands of customers. The official agreement, sealed in January 2024, marks a pivotal moment in advancing cybersecurity solutions tailored to the u...

14Feb

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Business

Decision-Making: Key to Powering Business Continuity

by Tosin Eniolorunda As leaders in the corporate world, we understand that every outcome traces back to a decision. Our organizations are built on the choices we make, both big and small. This underscores the primal nature of decision-making and its profound impact. The path we chart for our companies stems from the judgment calls we make each day. What products do we can or take to the market? How do we enter this new market? When do we react to an impending regulatory change? The art of decision-making is a skill that can make or mar any organization. Each decision, whether small or monumental, will have an effect that reverberates across the organization. Mastering effective decision-making is the bedrock for success in any enterprise and might very well determine the longevity of you...

14Feb

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News

Carefully balancing technology and people can elevate retailers and benefit SA. The Human Face of Retail

By Peter Ludi, Business Development Executive at redPanda Software There’s widespread acceptance that improving customer experience will go a long way towards attracting and retaining customers, especially at a time when there’s increased competition for valuable consumer spend. Naturally, all eyes turn to technology to remove friction, add convenience, automate, drive personalisation and much more. However, the deeper we move into the digital age it isn’t technology and automation that will save and grow retail, it’s the people. The theme that technology should not replace humans but augment them is well understood, but there’s more here than ordinarily meets the eye. Balancing technology with investment in people isn’t just a morally prudent approach, it is fundamental to a retailer’s...

Durban to Dublin — Irish Tech Challenge South Africa 2023 Winners to Showcase SDG Innovations in Ireland

13Feb

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News, Startups

Durban to Dublin — Irish Tech Challenge South Africa 2023 Winners to Showcase SDG Innovations in Ireland

The Irish Tech Challenge South Africa is excited to announce that the 2023 winning cohort is set to travel to Ireland for a 10-day curated immersion and networking programme with access to top industry leaders and potential for further funding. The Irish Tech Challenge is a prestigious competition that seeks to unearth high-impact South African start-ups that have developed innovative, SDG-aligned solutions. The winning five start-ups emerged from 266 applications and were unveiled on 21 November 2023. From AgriTech to BioTech to HealthTech, their innovations demonstrate the depth and diversity of talent in the South African tech landscape. The five winning start-ups: Thato Schermer — Founder, Zoie Health (HealthTech) Neo Hutiri — Founder, PeleBox (HealthTech) Vuyo Pakad...

13Feb

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News

Your hot date may be a hotline to becoming a scam victim

Technology has disrupted many aspects of traditional life. When you are sitting at dinner and seeing a couple going out on a "first date", consider that this may be their first in-person date and that they have been interacting (dating) online for months. According to global data and business intelligence platform, Statista, the number of online dating users in South Africa is expected to reach 6.7 million users by 2028. The report adds that the current user penetration rate of dating websites is believed to be 8.0% and may increase to 10.4% by 2028. This is good news for nervous daters. However, people must be aware of a darker side to online dating, warns Nazia Karrim, Head of Product Development at the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS). There are a lot of romance scams...

Ilara Health Secures $4.2M Pre-Series A to Digitise Fragmented Primary Healthcare in Africa

12Feb

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Business, Medicine, Startups

Ilara Health Secures $4.2M Pre-Series A to Digitise Fragmented Primary Healthcare in Africa

Kenya-based start-up to scale investment in thousands of Primary care clinics through new technology and enhanced business model Ilara Health, the healthtech company digitising and consolidating highly fragmented primary care in Kenya, has today announced the close of a $4.2M pre-series A round of equity and debt. Led by DOB Equity, the round also sees follow-on equity investment from AAIC INVESTMENT, Angaza Capital, Black Pearl Investments, Perivoli Innovations, as well as debt investment from Alphamundi and Kiva Capital. New to the round are Philips Foundation and Boehringer Ingelheim. The new partners are strategic healthcare investors that bring their deep experience working with and investing in companies in the global healthcare industry. Ilara Health will use the latest capital ...