Non-fungible tokens – or NFTs – could help South African creatives better control the rights to their intellectual property, give them access to a broader market and improve their earnings. This is according to John Singh, non-executive director of the Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa (IITPSA) and chair of the IITPSA Blockchain Special […]
Author Archives: Africa Business
Fintech, Uganda News
Uganda-based fintech offering onboarding-as-a-service receives scale-up funding
Laboremus Uganda, the B2B fintech that enables onboarding at scale, has received a funding boost from DOB Equity and FCA Investments to grow the company’s fintech platform in Uganda and neighboring markets. Laboremus’ platform helps banks and fintechs verify their customers’ identities and onboard them as customers. This alleviates one of the key bottlenecks in […]
Technical Leapfrogging could Position African Cities for Sustainable, Smart Growth Africa’s urban population is booming. At 3.5% per year[1], the continent’s urban growth rate is the highest in the developing world over the last twenty years. Within the next twenty, research suggests that every second person in Africa will live in a town or a […]
Fintech
Cryptocurrency scams are on the rise in SA: How crypto cons work and how to protect yourself
The digital gold rush is here. As more people attempt to make money from cryptocurrencies, criminals and con artists aren’t far behind. Make sure you know how to recognise the biggest schemes that want to part you from your digital coins says Carey van Vlaanderen, CEO of ESET South Africa. The world seems to have […]
Ryan Silberman, Group CEO at Webfluential and YPO Africa member examines what is driving SA’s wave of Covid-catalysed resignations – and how businesses need to adapt The Great Resignation, a term coined by psychologist Anthony Klotz, is a post-pandemic movement that saw a wave of resignations take hold across the United States (US) and other parts […]
Jiji, the largest online marketplace in Kenya, announced on 13th April tremendous company growth led by doubling its year-over-year performance. Jiji Kenya penetrated the market in 2020 when there were over ten online platforms in the market. It has since become the fastest growing e-commerce with over 6 million users and 2 million ads in […]
Once a niche criminal enterprise, ransomware has become big business, complete with R&D departments and sales and marketing divisions. The deeply layered onion that is today’s ransomware attack landscape has been wreaking havoc in large enterprises in South Africa and across the globe. Patrick Evans, CEO of SLVA Cybersecurity, says it only takes two hours to […]
Cloud is a hot topic, with seemingly everyone making the change to cloud. But the numbers don’t add up. What’s happening behind the scenes? In a recent survey by large-scale tech learning platform O’Reilly, 90% of respondents said their organisations are using cloud, and 30% said they’re fully cloud native. This makes it clear why ‘cloud’ is […]
Speaking last week at the Smart Energy Forum in Lagos and Abuja in the presence of Nigeria’s top energy decision-makers, senior energy experts from Wärtsilä presented the latest results of an in-depth study that models the most cost-effective and reliable energy mix that can be built each year in Nigeria. Nigeria is the largest and […]
Fridays for Future activist and Time magazine cover star Vanessa Nakate joins activists calling for international banks and insurers to rule out financial support for the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) French oil giant Total and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation’s controversial planned pipeline across Uganda and Tanzania will have catastrophic environmental and […]
Baker McKenzie’s Africa-focused Banking & Finance team advised on one of Global Trade Review’s (GTR) Best Deals 2022 . The team advised Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited and certain of its subsidiaries (Aspen Group) on this winning deal, which comprised a joint financing package for the amount of €600 million (around ZAR 10 billion) that was finalised by the […]
The Covid-19 pandemic has undoubtedly been the catalyst to drive broad-based digitisation and spearhead the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). This digital revolution is reshaping consumer behaviour and creating opportunities for innovative new digital communications tools to attract and drive greater customer engagement. Across industries – corporate, finance, retail, technology, healthcare, education, and others – today’s […]
Kippa, the fast-growing fintech start-up offering digital business and financial management solutions for SMEs in Africa, today announces the launch of its second product, ‘Kippa Payments’, a digital payments solution enabling users to send and receive payments from customers and perform extended payments transactions automatically. Kippa Payments, which will be available to access within the […]
The pandemic has driven home the high value of personal data to the global economy, while also highlighting its vulnerability to abuse and attack. In response, governments around the world, including those in Africa, have been reviewing their data privacy and protection laws and regulations to ensure they are adequately protected. Lawyers in Ghana, Kenya, […]
Payment fraud is a nightmare scenario for any business. Irrespective of size, companies face substantial financial and reputational harm resulting from fraudulent activity. Depending on the severity of the crime and the losses incurred, the very survival of the business may be at stake. Ryan Mer, CEO at eftsure Africa, a Know Your Payee™ (KYP) platform […]
The ongoing issues surrounding electricity supply in South Africa – not to mention climate-related discussions around the viability of the energy sector in general – has many businesses and building owners reconsidering whether those precious kWh units are going to waste unnecessarily. And just in case the obvious waste of money and energy that bad […]
South African proptech leader Flow has won the Best Late-Stage Startup award at the 2022 AfricArena Summit, held in Johannesburg last week. The summit was a side event to the South African President Investment Conference and supported by the Technology Innovation Agency and VC firm Edge Growth. Over 140 in-person attendees and more than 1 […]
Tushop, the Kenyan social-commerce platform that enables communities in Nairobi to buy groceries more cheaply with free delivery, has secured $3M in a pre-seed funding round, led by 4DX Ventures and with participation from JAM Fund, Breyer Capital, Chandaria Capital, TO Ventures, Golden Palm Investments, FirstCheck Africa, and DFS Lab. Wasoko (formerly Sokowatch) also joined […]
The Swedish AI Fund (SAIF) is an NGO with the purpose of providing financial aid, grants, and scholarships globally to those who are working, researching, and/or involved in the AI industry towards equality, safety, and security in the field of AI. To achieve this end, several public and private actors are collaborating in SAIF. In […]
Ekurhuleni Municipality has approved the connection of a large solar PV plant and battery system, marking a landmark moment in renewable energy projects in South Africa. The PV and lithium-ion battery system will form one of South Africa’s largest microgrids: a 1.8 MW solar PV facility alongside a 2.9 MWh battery, whilst being grid-connected […]
Set SMART goals which stand forSpecific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. For this reason, a SMART goal will include these criteria to assist you in focusing your efforts, while increasing the likelihood of achieving a goal. Prioritize your goals. Your goals should be defined according to urgency and importance. Timebox your tasks. Each task should […]
Technology industry veteran and Group President of Flooid – a leading unified commerce platform for the retail and hospitality sectors – joins Omnisient’s Advisory Board to support and accelerate international expansion plans. Omnisient, Africa’s privacy compliant data collaboration platform, welcomes Tony Houldsworth as member of its Advisory Board. Tony has consistently been at the forefront […]