Africa’s largest inter-university hackathon brings students together on Zindi for data science, for good

UmojaHack Africa 2021 was an unprecedented success, bringing more than 1000 students from 126 universities across Africa to compete on Zindi in a virtual machine learning hackathon on the weekend of 27-28 March. More than $10 000 USD in prizes were awarded to data science students from 9 African countries, and more than 8500 submissions […]

Why a Plastics Pact is recipe for better environmental management practices

The year is 2016, outside a busy supermarket in one of Nairobi’s estates. Shoppers flow in and out carrying their groceries and other shopping items with plastic carrier bags. These are the order of the day, but their pollution to the environment is devastating. A year later in 2017, the Kenyan government would enact the […]

Top Tech Companies Driving Africa’s Growth – Africa Tech Week

On May 5th and 6th, Topco Media and partners will be presenting a robust networking experience aimed at kick-starting economic growth in Africa, using technology. Africa Tech Week is alive with gleaming opportunities to shape fruitful connections, forge clearer paths to digital transformation and inspire collective and personal growth. Enjoy the Inside Scoop from Top-Tech […]

Airtel Africa’s Mobile Money Business Gains $100m Investment from Mastercard

Airtel Africa, a leading provider of telecommunications and mobile money services, with a presence in 14 countries across Africa, today announces the signing of an agreement under which Mastercard, a leading innovator and global technology company in the payments industry, will invest $100m in Airtel Mobile Commerce BV (“AMC BV”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Airtel […]

Improving energy efficiency and interconnectivity in Africa through regional economic integration

Adedeji Adeniran  Chukwuka Onyekwena  Sone Osakwe  CSEA AFRICA – CENTRE FOR THE STUDY OF THE ECONOMIES OF AFRICA March 2021  Affordable and efficient energy supply is essential for enhanced welfare and better development outcomes.  However, African states suffer from huge deficits in energy generation and distribution, resulting in unreliable power networks, frequent power outages and […]

South Africa needs over 28 GW of flexibility to reach 100% renewables at lowest cost

Wärtsilä launches agile balancing technology – capable of ramping up to 10+ MW in two minutes – to bridge South Africa to renewable energy future The technology group Wärtsilä has highlighted a striking need to scale up flexibility in South Africa, in the form of energy storage and flexible gas technology, to enable a 100% renewable energy future. 28 […]

Artificial Intelligence in Africa: These are the top 5 in-demand technologies in 2021

Its widely accepted that artificial intelligence (AI) technologies will add trillions to global GDP in the next 20 years, making it the one of the world’s most powerful technology trends on par with the disruption and opportunities being created by cloud computing and blockchain. However, the Oxford Insights AI Readiness Index 2020, paints a somewhat bleak […]

Mozambique holds the key to Southern Africa’s clean energy transition

By Fhedzi Modau, Mozambique Country Manager, Wartsila Energy Business With its massive gas reserves and billions of dollars of investment flowing in to monetize them, Mozambique has a unique opportunity to deploy a flexible power strategy that will bring major benefits across both its domestic and regional electricity markets. Countries across Southern Africa have established […]

Justice Accelerator calls on innovative Southern African startups changing lives and creating social impact

EUR 10,000 grant for technology-driven finalists to grow their business The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL) is calling on all game-changing justice startups that want to grow their social impact and business to participate in this year’s HiiL Innovating Justice Challenge. Successful applicants will earn a place in the prestigious international HiiL Justice Accelerator programme, […]

G4S binding together technology and security at Bamburi Cement, Kenya

By G4S Nicholas Mbithi, Contract Manager, in Kenya tells about how G4S is working with Bamburi Cement, the largest manufacturer of cement in Eastern Africa Bamburi Cement, based in Kenya, is the largest manufacturer of cement in Eastern Africa, producing around 5,000 tonnes of it every day. Its operations are vast, with two mega plants […]

Engen Namibia receives coveted Diamond Arrow Award

Engen Namibia received a Diamond Arrow Award, at the annual Professional Management Review (PMR) awards ceremony which was held on 15 March 2021 in Windhoek at the Safari Court Hotel.   Engen Namibia was recognised as the “The most admired petroleum/diesel brand in Namibia”. Managing Director of Engen in Namibia, Christian Li, says the award recognises the hard work, […]

The Central Bank Of Nigeria’s Naira For Dollar Scheme

By Ibrahim Moshood, Associate, Centurion Law Group The “Naira 4 Dollar” Policy With a considerable amount of its population in the diaspora[1], Nigeria is one of the top three African destinations receiving the largest inflow of foreign remittances at over USD 24 Billion in the last quarter of 2020.[2]  In an effort to sustain and encourage the […]

GUUD Africa Secures Tender to Work on East African Community Single Customs Territory Solution

– Project first started in 2016 where vCargo Cloud (“VCC”) worked on a Proof-of-Concept (“POC”) platform for the project – Completion of project will see seamless transmission of trade-related documents between participating EAC SCT member authorities. KENYA, 30 March 2021: Singapore’s GUUD (Africa) Pte. Ltd, via its wholly owned subsidiary, vCargo Cloud Kenya Limited., has […]

Mobile Money Accounts Grow to 1.2 Billion in 2020

GSMA has published last week its annual ‘State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money’. It reveals a dramatic acceleration in mobile transactions during the COVID-19 pandemic as lockdown restrictions limited access to cash and financial institutions. The report found that the number of registered accounts grew by 13 per cent globally in 2020 to […]

Sustainable Entrepreneurship in Africa Webinar Series 

The Africa Centre in collaboration with Learning Connected presents a webinar series on sustainable entrepreneurship in Africa from 12-15 April 2021. The series of live, interactive webinars explore Africa-focused sustainable development challenges, practical solutions, case studies as well as emerging trends and opportunities through interactive presentations and discussions.  By connecting entrepreneurs, students, educators, makers, researchers […]

Successful Development In Africa

Economic Trends 2000-2020 by Dirk Bol March 2021 Introduction In this paper I intend to review Africa’s economic progress since the year 2000, so two decades. When I say Africa I mean  Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), 47 to 49 countries excluding the five North African ones (but including Somalia without data and South Sudan with little […]

New DIY Toolkit Will Help Protect Companies Reputation in time of Crises

Deon Binneman

New Crisis Management DIY toolkit launched to help small businesses protect their reputation and their credibility without spending huge budgets on consultants or 3rd party experts. A new DIY tool to help small businesses save money and protect their reputations in time of crisis has been launched by Reputation Management Consultant, Deon Binneman also known as […]

What Is The Best Business To Start In Africa?

It is clear as day that Africa is a potential market for investors. The continent is full of natural resources, manpower, and many sectors that need development. Africa can be the most efficient place for entrepreneurs because it has a favorable atmosphere for startups. People all around Africa face various problems and need solutions to them. […]

An Interview with Nadia Langenegger on Biodynamic winemaking

– A return to the natural art of making wine by ULLA DU TOIT Waterkloof was born in the dynamic and unpredictable forces of nature in the centre of the Hottentots-Holland and Helderberg mountains’ embrace. With its highest point at 300 metres above sea level and a scant four kilometres from the False Bay coast. […]

Africa’s Best Corporate-Startup Collaboration Accelerator Now Open for Applications from the Most Disruptive Startups on the Continent

Technology sectors such as FinTech, InsureTech, AgriTech, eCommerce, HealthTech, and CleanTech are not only solving some of Africa’s most pressing problems, they are also contributing significantly to the continent’s economy. In fact, the so-called Internet economy is set to reach 5.2% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2025, contributing about $180-billion to the African economy[1]. […]

SA Must Adopt a Human-Centred Approached to Healthcare Delivery

But Can Telemedicine Close the Gap? It’s no secret that the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the existing inequality in South Africa, and in the case of access to healthcare, it exacerbated it. This is according to Paul Cox, Managing Director of the Essential Group of Companies (which includes health insurance provider EssentialMED). The latest figures […]

The application of far-UVC as a means of disinfection

By Conrad Kullmann, MD at FAR UVC AFRICA In today’s climate and this century’s most widespread global pandemic, the need for ground-breaking sanitation solutions has never been more critical. At the forefront of modern-day hygiene and sanitation is human safe far-UVC technology. While much of the world’s focus has turned towards the introduction and distribution of vaccines, […]