Author Archives: Africa Business

Why a wave of technology giants will come from Africa

Ian Lessem, Managing Partner at HAVAÍC, investors in early-stage, high-growth technology businesses, notes a significant increase in investment demand for African technology startups. He says startups on the continent are at a distinct advantage because they compete out of necessity. As a result, they can, and very often do stand toe to toe with startups in […]

Siemens, the German Government and the Solidarity Fund hand over a 100-bed modular hospital solution

Download logo A 100-bed modular solution donated to Cecilia Makiwane Hospital; The modular solution will be equipped with Siemens Healthineers medical technology; The modular hospital will be powered with a solar modular configuration to enable a decentralized and clean power supply. At a ribbon cutting ceremony, Siemens South Africa, the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation […]

European Union (EU) contribution of EUR8 million will strengthen gains in Desert Locust fight

The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, has welcomed an €8 million contribution from the European Union (EU) that will enable countries in the Horn of Africa to maintain a state of readiness in the face of a possible resurgence of Desert Locusts. The European Commission announced […]

Coronavirus – Ethiopia: COVID-19 reported cases in Ethiopia (12 May 2021)

Daily: Laboratory test: 5,722 Cases: 695 Severe cases: 659 New deaths: 27 Recovery: 2,241 Total: Laboratory test: 2,634,674 Active cases: 45,619 Total cases: 264,367 Total deaths: 3,938 Total recovery: 214,808 Total vaccinated: 1,397,647 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Health, Ethiopia. Media filesDownload logo

The value of digital transformation for SMEs

Digital Transformation refers to the overall change of organisational activities aimed at leveraging opportunities created by digital technologies and data. This requires companies to profoundly transform their business models, infrastructure, processes and culture, in order to steer them toward finding new sources of customer value. The use of digital technologies has transformed commerce and how […]

Robots in the Workforce: No, the Machines Aren’t Taking Over

Robots aren’t here to replace humans, but to create a human-machine collaborative model for a more efficient and productive way of operating, says Yaskawa Southern Africa’s Managing Director, Andrew Crackett. Ever since robots were introduced in the science fiction genre, there’s been a fear that machines will take over and that soon, the days of humans […]

Mastercard partners with Billetera to offer cutting-edge digital payment solutions in Democratic Republic of Congo

Millions of unbanked and financially excluded residents in DRC to gain access to formal financial and digital services   Mastercard’s technology to enable development of diverse digital payment solutions   Partnership is aligned with DRC’s National Digital Plan (NDP)  Mastercard has partnered with Billetera – a digital payments technology company headquartered in Kenya – to provide millions […]

The Legatum Center for Development & Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA) launches the inaugural Legatum Foundry Fellowship for entrepreneurs in Africa

Fellowship applications open on May 3, 2021 for entrepreneurs working and living in Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal. The Legatum Center for Development & Entrepreneurship at MIT has launched the Foundry Fellowship, a first-of-its-kind leadership program for accomplished entrepreneurs who are considering their role in shaping the future of the African innovation ecosystems in […]

African Energy Chamber calls for more US-Africa Energy investments with series about unjustified risk perceptions on Africa

Following President Biden’s Interim National Security Strategic Guidance signalling for continued growth in partnerships with African economies, at the African Energy Chamber (“AEC”), we believe it is vital to engage U.S. companies and investors to counter the often-wrong preconceptions about investing in the continent, as Africa has some of the fastest-growing economies globally and possesses […]

IBM Unveils World’s First 2 Nanometer Chip Technology, Opening a New Frontier for Semiconductors

New chip milestone to propel major leaps forward in performance and energy efficiency  IBM has unveiled a breakthrough in semiconductor design and process with the development of the world’s first chip announced with 2 nanometer (nm) nanosheet technology. Semiconductors play critical roles in everything from computing, to appliances, to communication devices, transportation systems, and critical […]

New report outlines shifting patterns of infrastructure funding in Africa

Baker McKenzie’s latest report – New Dynamics: Shifting Patterns in Africa’s Infrastructure Funding – shows the state of the African infrastructure market, and how the major global players’ approach infrastructure lending on the continent is changing. While the IJ Global data shows a decline in the value of infrastructure lending, it is expected that as economies recover, new types of […]

Hack the Normal | From Africa for Africa: Meet the Winning Innovations for Sustainable Living, Healthy Living and Financial Solutions in Africa

Through the Hack the Normal initiative, Defy, Africa’s stalwart home appliance company, aims to contribute to the advancement of African-led projects that  seek to secure the sustainability of trade, natural resources, and life on the continent. Defy, a leading manufacturer of home appliances, recently hosted the Hack the Normal online hackathon in partnership with ATÖLYE to inspire and […]

World Rugby and unions confirm men’s July test schedule

Twenty-five of the top 30 ranked unions to play tests in the July window; World champions South Africa and hosts Japan play first tests since Rugby World Cup 2019; The UK and Ireland set to host a number of nations, while New Zealand becomes Pacific hub; Samoa v Tonga play-off to deliver first qualifier for […]

Olympic excitement builds ahead of World Rugby Sevens Repechage draw

World Rugby Sevens Repechage (www.WorldRugby.org) draw to take place at 10:00 BST (GMT+1) on Tuesday, 11 May; Monaco set to host the final Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualification event on 19-20 June; 12 women’s teams and 10 men’s teams to compete for the final two women’s and one men’s places at the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics; Fans […]

Coronavirus – Ethiopia: COVID-19 reported cases in Ethiopia (9 May 2021)

Daily: Laboratory test: 5,303 Cases: 485 Severe cases: 740 New deaths: 17 Recovery: 1,716 Total: Laboratory test: 2,620,593 Active cases: 48,782 Total cases: 262,702 Total deaths: 3,888 Total recovery: 210,030 Total vaccinated: 1,295,723 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Health, Ethiopia. Media filesDownload logo

Team Qhubeka ASSOS and CORE advance to the next level in sports performance

Team Qhubeka ASSOS (www.TeamQhubeka.com) works with the Swiss CORE Body Temperature Monitoring technology to take training and racing performance to the next level.  As a team who has remained on the cutting-edge of technology, we are thrilled to announce our partnership with CORE Body Temperature Monitoring which will gives our athletes and coaches advanced performance insights. […]

Coronavirus – Kenya: COVID-19 update (9 May 2021)

New cases: 316 Sample size: 4,251 Positvity rate: 7.4% Recoveries: 62 Recorded deaths: 12 Cumulative tests: 1,719,289 Total confirmed cases: 163,554 Total recoveres: 111,1941 Cumulative fatalities: 2,895 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Health, Kenya. Media filesDownload logo

Nedbank and Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum Partner for the Fourth Cohort of the AWIEF Growth Accelerator

The Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) (www.AWIEForum.org) is hosting the fourth cohort of its flagship AWIEF Growth Accelerator, sponsored by Nedbank. Access to finance is the most cited challenge to the growth of women-owned businesses in Africa. Bankability and investment readiness are major impediments to attracting business finance. The AWIEF Growth Accelerator is […]

Nizzolo storms to 2nd place on stage 2 of Giro d’Italia

Team Qhubeka ASSOS (www.TeamQhubeka.com) sprinter Giacomo Nizzolo stormed to an impressive second place on stage two (179km) of the Giro d'Italia, that finished in Novara on Sunday. The stage was won by Tim Merlier (Alpecin-Fenix) with Elia Viviani following Nizzolo home to complete the podium. A relatively benign ride by the peloton in towards the finish […]

Coronavirus – South Africa: COVID-19 Statistics in South Africa (9 May 2021)

Tests conducted: 10,887,709 Positive cases identified: 1,596,595 Total recoveries: 1,516,256 Total deaths: 54,735 New cases: 1,778 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa, Department of Health. Media filesDownload logo

B-roll: African rugby teams are coming together to prepare for the Olympic Games and Olympic Repechage – Day 2

Download logo This year's Men’s Sevens Solidarity Camp brought together champions of African Sevens Rugby under one camp. Teams are South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. Currently only South Africa and Kenya have qualified for the Olympic Games in the men's category. But Uganda and Zimbabwe still stand a chance through the Olympic Repechage. The Olympic Repechage is due to take place in […]