Author Archives: Africa Business

Hybrid cloud and multicloud – is there a difference and does it matter?

Vendor neutral cloud infrastructure provider, Routed, says that the archetypal hybrid or multicloud concept has become needlessly complicated. Managing Director, Andrew Cruise, explains: “Ultimately no-one ever takes a pure route and even pure public cloud does not exist. So, let’s just call it cloud and understand that it covers a variety of scenarios.” Cruise adds […]

New study on the causes of Cerebral Palsy may have far-reaching impact on medico-legal outcomes

A new paper on Cerebral Palsy, published in the South African Medical Journal, challenges commonly held views on the subject and suggests that the causes of this tragic condition may be far more complex and multi-faceted. Commonly held assumptions that CP arises as a direct result of preventable adverse events during childbirth inform the current […]

New thermal battery and solar tech help mining companies get rid of diesel

247Solar launches HeatStorE™, a long duration thermal battery made for adding more renewables to remote mining operations, industrial and grid solutions than is feasible with conventional batteries Great Falls, VA, USA, June 24th, 2021 – A robust new battery from 247Solar Inc., a spinoff of MIT, operates almost like an electrochemical battery but has significant […]

An Oil and Gas Drive for Cape Town and Multi-Sectoral Growth

Taking place in Cape Town, African Energy Week 2021 ensures Africa-focused events benefit African tourism and associated sectors. African concerts, sporting events, and even oil and gas events are beginning to take shape in 2021 after a significant period of inactivity due to COVID-19 restrictions. African cities including Cape Town in South Africa and Dakar […]

Ministry Of Petroleum Launches First Oil Licensing Round Political Progress And Stability Sees South Sudan Open Up Energy Sector For Investment

Juba, South Sudan, June 23rd, 2021 – The Ministry of Petroleum (MoP) of the Republic of South Sudan, is honored to announce the launch of the country’s first Oil Licensing Round. The MoP has identified new exploration blocks with potential hydrocarbons and has compiled crucial data to provide to interested investors, operators and counterparties. According […]

Unlocking Sustainable Investment in AFRICA through AIM-AFRICA

AIM AFRICA will be a powerful impetus in strengthening AFRICA’s economic stability, sustainability, and growth. The African continent has immense untapped economic potential that presents innumerable opportunities for investors. The continent is also emerging as one of the preferred destinations for investments. According to data released in 2020 by the United Nations Population Division, 56.2% […]

Somaliland: Solar Power and Microgrid Intelligence for an Urban Power Grid

DHYBRID Technology Improves Supply Security to City and Port of Berbera Berbera (Somaliland)/Gauting (Germany), June 22, 2021. As of April 2021, the citywide power grid supplying the city of Berbera, home to the largest port in the area, is being monitored and controlled using DHYBRID microgrid technology. For this purpose, two solar plants with a […]

Fintech, Ofin, tackles behavioural changes needed to address financial inclusion

It is a common belief that financial access should lead to financial prosperity. According to the World Bank, financial inclusion is defined as all people and businesses having access to useful and affordable financial products and services that meet their needs. Sakhile Mabena, CEO, Ofin, a venture-backed fintech startup specialising in Behavioural Data Analytics, Financial Process […]

Digital Lab Africa calls on Video Game creators

Video Game category is now open to all prototypes/concepts of video games for any type of device The second phase of the Digital Lab Africa (DLA) call for applications is now open after a successful first phase for animation and immersive experience categories. The focus of this phase is on Video Games. The destabilising impact of the pandemic […]

Africa Energy Week 2021, Taking Place in Cape Town; Will Focus on Investment, Oil and Gas, Renewables and Energy Transition

The African Energy Chamber is set to host the first-ever African Energy Week (AEW) in Cape Town on 9th – 12th November 2021. Replacing Africa Oil Week, the four-day interactive conference seeks to unite industry stakeholders, international speakers and movers and shakers from the African oil and gas sector. The conference comprises high-class networking events, […]

Building resilience into the Supply Chain

The supply chain sector, and the adjacent global freight and transport spaces, are complex as well as crucial. A reliable supply chain prefigures a nation’s overall economic competitiveness and is a key enabler at the macro-economic level, as most other industries rely on the inflow of various goods. Since last year, the Covid-19 pandemic has […]

GSMA Study Reveals That The Gender Gap In Mobile Internet Use Is Shrinking, Despite The Onset Of The Covid-19 Pandemic

An estimated 112 million more women started using mobile internet last year across low- and middle-income countries, despite the onset of COVID-19, according to the fourth annual GSMA Mobile Gender Gap Report published today. Nevertheless, 234 million fewer women than men access mobile internet. Moreover, the underlying gender gap in mobile ownership persists and is […]

Cybersecurity is more than a tech issue – it’s a business problem too

A concerning number of South African companies are not prepared for the inevitability of a cyberattack despite the significant financial and reputational risks, according to Ryan Mer, Managing Director, eftsure Africa, a Know Your Payee™ (KYP) platform provider. “Too few senior managers view cybersecurity as a business problem and not just a technology problem. The reality is cybersecurity […]

Digital advertising for African start-ups

Source: Unsplash Almost 40% of Africa’s population has access to the internet, which is slightly lower than the global average of almost 60%. While this demonstrates that Africa is slightly behind the rest of the world in terms of technological advancement, their percentage of online users still equates to millions of people. Plus, with continual […]

WPF releases training video series for Africa’s poultry farmers

Better profits, better nutrition through improved poultry farming methods The US-based World Poultry Foundation (WPF) has developed a series of online training videos to help emerging African poultry farmers learn poultry farming best practice and optimise their farming operations. WPF has collaborated with local organisations such as South Africa’s Kwazulu Natal Poultry Institute for several […]

Cisco Study Reveals Top Cybersecurity Considerations for SMEs in 2021

Three Factors Highlighted as Crucial to Achieving Desired Security Outcomes: Enabling Business, Managing Risk and Operating Efficiently Cisco has published its 2021 SMB Security Outcomes Study, a derivative of Cisco’s flagship cybersecurity report, 2021 Security Outcomes Study, highlighting what SMB leaders are doing to thrive in today’s ever-evolving threat landscape, as well as offering actionable […]

$3 Million Pre-Series A Round Leads to New Digital Primary Care Platform for Africa

Following a pre-Series A round of USD 3 million, Webrock, the investment company that brought the number one digital health app in Brazil to South America, and Healthforce, a digital health company majority-owned by South Africa’s leading retail pharmacy chain Dis-Chem, will be taking the cutting-edge technology behind the second most downloaded doctor app in Europe, Doktor.se, to Africa. Doing […]

5 Principles of Collaboration- Leadership: The Exponential Effect

Dr Andy Brough presents a Masterclass on “5 Principles of Collaboration” as part of the launch of his book, “Leadership: The Exponential Effect.” #equipping4excellence #leadershipinsights #theexponentialeffect Key take-aways from the masterclass include: Collaboration Self-development Leadership elements What does effective leadership look like?  What is the relationship between self-leadership, leading others, leading teams and leading for […]

Telkom launches Africa’s first virtual card for transacting on WhatsApp

Ukheshe, Mastercard, Nedbank and Telkom collaborate to grow access to the digital economy with virtual product that enables secure e-commerce payments on phone Telkom has launched Africa’s first Mastercard virtual card for use on WhatsApp, enabling Telkom Pay customers to make e-commerce payments. This move is expected to empower millions of South Africans – even […]

Winch Energy Launches Crowdfunding For Off-Grid Renewables

New clean energy opportunities in developing countries for UK and international investors Off-grid utilities provider, Winch Energy, is seeking to secure up to £1.5 million through a crowdfunding campaign for projects to accelerate the installation of renewable energy technology in Sierra Leone and Uganda. The Crowdcube campaign is part of an overall fundraising plan over […]

Venture Capital trends shaping the African investment landscape

As the second half of 2021 approaches and Covid-19 vaccinations roll out across the globe, albeit at varying rates, Ian Lessem, Managing Partner at HAVAÍC, investors in early-stage, high-growth technology businesses, considers the trends making an impact on the African Venture Capital (VC) landscape. Homegrown solutions take on the world  At HAVAÍC, our investment thesis is […]

Digital Solutions Sought to Accelerate Inclusive Economic Growth for Businesses in the Township Economy

The COVID-19 crisis and accompanying national lockdown had a dramatic effect on all businesses, but those operating in the township economy were hardest hit, with 67% being unable to operate at all under stricter lockdown levels and 75% reporting a reduction in their sales[i]. Now, with the rollout of the vaccine putting South Africa on […]