Africa Business, Author at AfricaBusiness.com

Africa’s most active startup investor, Techstars, Announces 12 new investments through its Africa- focused program in partnership with ARM Labs

15Dec

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Startups

Africa’s most active startup investor, Techstars, Announces 12 new investments through its Africa- focused program in partnership with ARM Labs

Techstars, the most active startup investor in Africa, has announced its second cohort of 12 companies to participate in its pan-African accelerator program in partnership with Lagos-based innovation program, ARM Labs. Following a successful inaugural program, the ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator will build upon its commitment to helping entrepreneurs that are changing Africa and the world. The 2023 cohort, selected from over a thousand applications, delivers tech-enabled solutions across various verticals in Sub-Saharan Africa. The sourcing and selection was led by Managing Director for the accelerator, Oyin Solebo. It culminated in a screening committee joined by fellow directors at Techstars, executive leaders at ARM - Jumoke Ogundare, Sadiq Mohammed, Wale Odutola, Uche Azubuike a...

7Dec

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Medicine, Zambia News

Africa CDC Youth Pre-Conference at CPHIA 2023: African Youth Gather to Champion Youth Leadership for a Safer and Healthier Africa

The second Africa CDC Youth Pre-Conference kicked off on 25 November 2023 ahead of Africa's largest public health conference, CPHIA 2023, in Lusaka, Zambia. Convened by Africa CDC, in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation, GIZ and Unicef, the conference witnessed participation of over 250 African youth from 51 African countries and diaspora. The Director General of Africa CDC, His Excellency Dr Jean Kaseya, opened the conference by calling on young people to take an architectural position in providing guidance towards a safer and healthier Africa and to play a pivotal role in this task. The First Lady of the Republic of Namibia, Her Excellency Monica Geingos set the participants alight with words of inspiration, emphasizing on the significance of Public Health to African youth as ...

Africa’s Crypto Boom: Insights from Cape Town Gathering

6Dec

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Fintech, South Africa News

Africa’s Crypto Boom: Insights from Cape Town Gathering

Crypto Fest 2023 blasted into Cape Town, celebrating the next evolution of digital assets and locally built solutions. International headlines may be applauding the fall of some of the first crypto superstars, but a strong attendance at Africa’s premier crypto industry meetup demonstrates that digital solutions can still make a meaningful, positive difference on the continent. Crypto Fest 2023 invited Web3 enthusiasts to experience Cryptopia at Cape Town’s exclusive Cabo Beach Club and hundreds answered the call, a testament to the resilience of the community that is facing a harsh reality. Hannes Wessels, General Manager of Southern and Francophone Africa at Binance – the Title Sponsor of Crypto Fest 2023 – reiterated the role of blockchain as a tool for innovation in the event’s openi...

6Dec

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Business

When the heat is on: Stress and psychological safety in high-risk work environments

By Lani van der Merwe, Senior Consultant at OIM Consulting In 2013, I found myself working on a project at a mine, where I was part of a team tasked with cadet assessment in a worker training programme. My job was to perform a series of assessments on the cadets, and based on their results, decide whether or not they should be hired by the mine. One morning, I started a little earlier as I had a great deal of people to see that day. When I arrived at the mine, I was told I couldn’t enter as the police were on their way. After some asking around, it came to light that members of that mining community had cut a hole in the fence, entered the mine after hours, and burned the offices down of those of us doing the assessment. While my office was found with a petrol bomb inside it, it had luck...

6Dec

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News, Tech

BCX Releases Digital Innovation Index Report 2023. Offering Strategic Insights for South African Businesses

BCX, a leading technology company, in collaboration with EY-Parthenon, has unveiled the much-anticipated BCX Digital Innovation Index Report 2023. This comprehensive report aims to guide businesses by evaluating their innovation strategies and shedding light on the dynamic landscape of digital transformation in South Africa. Jan Bouwer, Chief Solutions Officer, and Innovation Sponsor at BCX expressed enthusiasm about the partnership with EY-Parthenon, saying, “Digital technologies are growing exponentially, and as leaders, we need to understand the innovation landscape to ensure our businesses are future-fit for growth and sustainability. Encouraging our organisations to think creatively about harnessing the power of technology is essential if we are to grow our businesses and the economy...

tappi Raises $1.5M in Oversubscribed Pre-Seed Round to Digitize and Build Online Trust for Africa’s SMEs

6Dec

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Business, Kenya News

tappi Raises $1.5M in Oversubscribed Pre-Seed Round to Digitize and Build Online Trust for Africa’s SMEs

Funds to Accelerate Trust in Digital Commerce Ecosystem, as tappi Achieves 19% MoM Growth with $3M in Verified Consumer Transactions tappi, an end-to-end digital commerce SaaS solution tailored for small and medium-sized businesses, has raised $1.5M in an oversubscribed Pre-Seed round led by Mercy Corps Ventures and Chui Ventures. With participation from Digital Currency Group, SOSV, Resilience17, growX ventures, Orbit Startups and Reflect Ventures, the investment also saw contributions from angel investors and advisors from global tech companies, including Google, Salesforce, Zendesk and the financial sector. The early-stage funding will further tappi’s mission to empower SMEs to gain visibility and build trust in the digital commerce ecosystem as the company broadens its footprint acro...

Tough economic headwinds provide exciting opportunities for agile, customer-centric fintechs

6Dec

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Fintech, South Africa News

Tough economic headwinds provide exciting opportunities for agile, customer-centric fintechs

By Andy Jury, CEO at Mukuru At this time of the year there is usually a flurry of articles attempting to lay out trends to look out for in various industries over the coming months. This is a good exercise as it gets one thinking about industries broadly and technology specifically. However, it would be remiss to embark on this exercise without first taking stock of where we are now. The fintech ecosystem is currently in a period of stress, less so for incumbents but noticeably for newcomers. This stress is a direct result of macroeconomic pressures piling up to generate headwinds for new market entrants. As we all know, when the macro picture is less than rosy it affects play out on the ground. In summary, there is less money floating around – less money from investors and most notably,...

5Dec

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Business, Energy

With Huawei Digital Power solutions, the Northern Africa region is expanding its activities to addresses the challenges of energy transition across the continent

[Shenzhen, China, December 5th, 2023] Huawei announces the appointment of Philippe Wang as the new President Digital Power for Huawei Northern Africa (North, West and Central Africa). This strategic move aligns with the company’s accelerated commitment to developing energy efficiency optimization solutions for the continent while supporting its green transition. Philippe Wang, remaining Executive Vice-President, Huawei Northern Africa, will lead the Digital Power division at a pivotal moment for global energy and climate discussions, coinciding with the opening of COP28 in Dubai on November 30. Founded in June 2021, Huawei Digital Power has expanded its portfolio to include Smart PV, Data Center Facility, Site Power Facility, FusionCharge, and DriveONE. These solutions leverage digital te...

Acumen Launches New Hardest-to-Reach Initiative to Achieve Universal Energy Access

4Dec

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Energy

Acumen Launches New Hardest-to-Reach Initiative to Achieve Universal Energy Access

Hardest-to-Reach is the First Blended Finance Initiative Exclusively Dedicated To Expanding Clean And Affordable Energy Access In Africa’s Underserved Markets Today, Acumen launched Hardest-to-Reach, a $250 million initiative to activate clean energy markets in Africa’s underserved geographies. Critical to achieving universal energy access, the initiative was unveiled at the SDG7 Pavilion at COP28 alongside key supporter the Green Climate Fund (GCF). It will build on Acumen’s success of providing energy access to low-income communities living beyond the grid in sub-Saharan Africa. Hardest-to-Reach is the first blended finance initiative exclusively dedicated to expanding clean and affordable energy access for low-income people in neglected markets in Africa. Additional key funders includ...

Sustainable Luxury: Genesis Planners Garners Accolades for Two Outstanding Projects

4Dec

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Real Estate

Sustainable Luxury: Genesis Planners Garners Accolades for Two Outstanding Projects

Genesis Planners Pvt. Ltd., an architectural firm renowned for its innovative design solutions and visionary approach to architecture and urban planning, proudly announces its double victory at the Luxury Lifestyle Awards, 2023. The company received recognition in two distinct categories: Best Luxury Commercial Property Architecture for their outstanding work on Aparna Technopolis and Best Luxury High Rise Architecture for the awe-inspiring Jayabheri The Peak. These awards underline Genesis Planners' devotion to redefining luxury living through ingenious design and sustainability. Jayabheri The Peak: Showcasing Luxury and Sustainability Jayabheri The Peak emerges as a truly remarkable residential project that sets new standards in luxury living. Spanning across a sprawling 3-acre expa...