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Ghana’s Copianto AI Secures €100,000 Investment From Shark Tank Malta to Expand into the EU

James Musoba
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0
Ghana’s Copianto AI Secures €100,000 Investment From Shark Tank Malta to Expand into the EU

Copianto AI, an enterprise AI search infrastructure platform, has raised €100,000 investment from Season 03 of Shark Tank Malta from four prominent shark tank investors for a 30% stake in the Maltese company

The investors inlclude Mark Bajada – Chairman of Bajada Group, Malta’s largest alternative energy company, Alexander Fenech – CEO of Brown’s Pharma group, Malta’s largest pharmacy and Dr.Kirsy Kullboer Rojo – Co-Founder of Skrill, the online wallet and Dino Fino – CEO and founder of Dino Fino Group – a leading furniture maker and distributor in Malta.

Copianto AI allows you to easily build conversational AI apps for any platform will use the funds to establish Copianto AI’s local headquarters in Malta, positioning it as the central hub for the company’s expansion into the broader European Union market.

Founded by Timothy K. Afrane Wuo-Asare, Alex Boateng, Daniella Darlington and Sosu Alfred of the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School Of Technology (MEST Africa) based in Accra, Ghana, Copianto AI pivoted towards providing robust enterprise-level search infrastructure solutions.

Copianto AI, a MEST Africa portfolio company with a $100,000 pre-seed investment from MEST Africa in 2022 and also a startup participant in the BlueSPACE Innovation Exchange Program will use the €100,000 investment to redefine the conversational AI landscape. The investment will be strategically utilised to establish Copianto AI’s local company headquarters in Malta, facilitating streamlined operations and providing a springboard for EU-wide expansion.

Apart from the funding, the investors will also integrate Copianto AI into their holding and portfolio companies highlighting the investors’ belief in the transformative potential of Copianto AI’s technology but also positions the company for accelerated growth and market penetration.

With the establishment of its Maltese headquarters, Copianto AI envisions playing a pivotal role in the widespread adoption of AI-driven search infrastructure across industries within the EU market. This strategic move marks the beginning of an exciting chapter for the company, positioning it as a leader in reshaping the conversational AI landscape.

Goldman Sachs & IFC Partner to Mentor & Invest in Women Entrepreneurs in Francophone Africa

James Musoba
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0
Goldman Sachs & IFC Partner to Mentor & Invest in Women Entrepreneurs in Francophone Africa

Goldman Sachs and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) have announced the expansion of their partnership to create more opportunity for women entrepreneurs in emerging markets by providing access to business education, resources and financing.

The two are launching a French language version of the 10,000 Women online curriculum to women entrepreneurs in French-speaking Africa through IFC partner institutions to complement the work of the Women Entrepreneurs Opportunity Facility (WEOF), which was launched in 2014.

According to Asahi Pompey, global head of Corporate Engagement at Goldman Sachs: “Goldman Sachs and IFC’s decade long partnership is built on a shared commitment to empower women entrepreneurs globally. Our curriculum has a tangible impact on participants and their businesses since 2008 – with 70% of graduates growing their revenue and 60% creating new jobs. We are proud to pursue even greater scale and impact, together with IFC.”

The women’s MSME finance gap in emerging markets is estimated at $1.5 trillion. To date, IFC through WEOF has mobilized $2.96 billion in capital for financial intermediaries to finance women entrepreneurs, exceeding its initial target of $600 million. This funding helped unlock a $4.6 billion increase in the volume of loans on-lent by financial institutions to women entrepreneurs and reached over 164,000 women-owned SMEs in 56 countries.  

Leveraging the resources, reach, and expertise of IFC and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women, WEOF was created to expand and deepen financing for women SMEs in developing countries, empower women entrepreneurs through access to capital and expertise, and demonstrate the commercial viability of investing in women by attracting external investors.

Susan Lund, IFC’s Vice President for Economics and Private Sector Development, said:”Online learning can be a powerful tool for entrepreneurs to start and grow their business. In a study by IFC study and Coursera, one-third of the female learners surveyed said they found a new job, set up a business, or improved their job or business performance after taking online courses. Through this expanded education and capital offering, Goldman Sachs and IFC are supporting women entrepreneurs across the globe by removing the barriers to women and encouraging upskilling and access to finance.”

South Africa’s insuretech platform Root appoints Alex Astengo to lead its UK expansion

James Musoba
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0
South Africa’s insuretech platform Root appoints Alex Astengo to lead its UK expansion

Root Platform (Root), South Africa’s low-code, API-first insurance technology platform, has appointed Alex Astengo as UK Country Manager, based in London to lead the firm’s UK expansion.

Alex has worked for SaaS platform-based businesses that provide solutions to insurers, managing general agents (MGAs) and brokers. He recently worked with UK’s Cloud Insurance where he was the Head of Sales. Alex was formerly Chief Commercial Officer for SchemeServe Insurance Software.

According to Louw Hopley, CEO and Founder, Root: “Bringing Alex in is really exciting for us. We waited for the right opportunity to enter the UK market and, now we have, Alex will spearhead our UK capabilities in terms of providing companies with the necessary building blocks to run a modern insurance programme. He brings a wealth of highly relevant market experience to our business and we are delighted to welcome him to the Root team.”

Root launched in the UK in 2023 in partnership with Connect by Admiral after raising $1.5 million from South Africa-based Invenfin. As a UK Country Manager, Alex will be tasked with developing Root’s UK presence to make it the go-to platform for insurance and as well grow its digital insurance offerings. Root entered the UK insurance market in 2023 and announced a strategic partnership with Connect by Admiral, developing an embedded insurance platform to offer third-party clients an insurance solution for its customers at the point of sale. He will now be tasked with pitching Root’s low-code, API-first platform to insurers, retailers, banks and telcos.

“I am delighted to join Root in what is an exciting time for the business as it seeks to expand its presence in the UK. My experience in working with SaaS platform-based businesses has taught me that the insurance industry is poised for – and in need of – change, and Root can play a significant role in bringing about meaningful and positive change for the benefit of companies and their customers,” said Alex Astengo, Country Manager UK.

Root, launched through a partnership with MMI Holdings, has built a trusted partnership with Invenfin since they invested in the business two years ago, and are suitable partners in their growth strategy especially as the company scales up internationally. Root’s API enables third-party developers to easily access digital insurance licenses and insurance and banking-related products for a quick launch.

In November 2021, Root raised $3 million in seed funding from its primary investors Invenfin, Base Capital, Savannah Fund, P1 Ventures, Luno, and FireID, a select group of high-impact angel investors took part to expand into Europe. It’s latest funding round cements its expansion and growth plans.

Founded in 2016, Root offers a low-code platform that powers modern digital insurance products designed for direct, affinity and embedded distribution at scale. In 2021, the company raised its first external funding round to accelerate its expansion plans in the UK and Europe. It’s previous invest rounds weren’t disclosed!

Four sectors in Africa that can benefit from AI

James Musoba
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Four sectors in Africa that can benefit from AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) and Generative AI offer enormous opportunities for the African continent in areas such as healthcare, education, financial inclusion, and agriculture.

During a media workshop on the potential of AI in the African context organized by Microsoft for journalists from across Africa, AI experts emphasized the importance of AI in transforming the four critical sectors for the benefit of the majority of the population.

The forum heard that, while still in its early stages, Generative AI is rapidly maturing and appears to be one of the most important technologies of our time. It has already sparked significant interest and investment, with Generative AI startups receiving $20 billion in funding over the last three years. The launch of ChatGPT last year, for example, with its underlying language-model AI technology, raised public awareness of the power of Generative AI technology, with new use cases emerging daily.

“Generative AI can create data-driven, customized, and specific content that is accessible by millions and has the potential to address many of the continent’s societal challenges,” one expert said, adding that while AI is no silver bullet, it certainly can make a transformative contribution to easing societal difficulties.

Healthcare

In healthcare, for instance, AI can function as an assistant, transcribing and summarizing each consultation and automatically keeping patient records regularly updated. That will enable doctors and nurses to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time on patients. AI can also support personalized diagnosis and treatment recommendations for patients, by using AI-driven analyses of data and taking account of available inventory in hospital pharmacies. This support in diagnosis and treatment, and the alignment on available drugs, will again free up time for doctors to spend with patients and will improve patient care and experience.

In rural public hospitals and clinics, where the doctor-patient ratio is likely to be lower, it is even more difficult for people to get the medical care they need. AI can address some of these healthcare issues, the session heard.  

Education

AI can assist with educational policy, curricula, and content creation. AI can inform policy decisions, design curriculum, and create learning materials by analyzing massive amounts of data. The new content can be tailored to different grade levels and individual students as well as delivered in the student’s preferred language. AI can also assist teachers in planning daily lessons and suggesting methods for explaining complex concepts.

 “In schools lacking adequate resources and materials, teachers cannot teach their classes as effectively as they might. With the help of AI, however, they will be able to produce stimulating visual aids and easy-to-understand explanations in their daily classes. In that way, they can bring abstract topics to life and sharpen their students’ critical thinking,” the workshop heard. “AI should also eventually fine-tune lesson plans for the teachers, and produce tailored materials.”

Financial inclusion

When it comes to financial inclusion, one way AI can help is by making financial services more accessible to customers. Banks can save customers the inconvenience of going to branches and waiting for a banking consultant by deploying AI-powered chatbots to handle routine client queries and provide timely responses. Aside from communicating in a client’s native language, financial institutions can increase transparency on products and services, as well as client trust, by using chatbots that consistently respond accurately.

AI can also help provide personalized recommendations and improve financial literacy, as well as speed up the drafting of legal documents and assist customers in explaining relevant terms in plain language, the forum was told.

Agriculture

Finally, in agriculture, AI can help farmers improve the efficiency and sustainability of their farming practices. Farmers can use sensors, drones, and satellites to collect real-time crop data, such as soil health, water usage, crop growth, and pest presence. This data can then be analyzed by AI algorithms, and the results can help farmers decide how to best use resources and maximize crop yields. AI can also improve crop health monitoring by detecting diseases and increasing financial access for smallholder farmers through better credit scoring.

Zadara-TouchNet and 251 Telecom Partner for Cloud and Digital Transformation in Ethiopia

James Musoba
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0
Zadara-TouchNet and 251 Telecom Partner for Cloud and Digital Transformation in Ethiopia

Zadara-TouchNet, a provider of enterprise storage-as-a-service solutions, joins forces with 251 Telecom, an Ethiopian telecommunications sector player, to spearhead cloud and digital transformation initiatives in the region.

Africa’s burgeoning role in the global economy brings forth challenges, particularly with tightening data regulations. The partnership between Zadara-TouchNet and 251 Telecom is poised to address these challenges by establishing local cloud infrastructure. Working hand in hand with esteemed local partners such as Raxio Ethiopia, this collaboration aims to empower businesses and governments with advanced cloud solutions, fostering a resilient and self-sufficient digital ecosystem.

At the heart of this transformative alliance is the commitment to adhere to the African Union’s Data Policy Framework, envisioning the potent role of data in empowering nations, improving lives, and driving socio-economic development. With 27 countries already having data protection legislation and more joining the trend, this partnership aligns seamlessly with the framework’s objectives. Through e-government initiatives and secure data systems integration, the collaboration seeks to create opportunities, mitigate risks, and ensure the free flow of data across borders.

One of the key highlights of this collaboration is the establishment of a “mini AWS” cloud, addressing both security and regulatory perspectives. This innovative approach provides businesses in Ethiopia with a unique opportunity to harness the power of global cloud infrastructure with low latency, bringing all the crucial features and services of VMware and AWS to the local forefront.

Zadara-TouchNet’s Storage-as-a-Service offering comes with a robust Service Level Agreement (SLA) guaranteeing 99.999% availability on storage.

Commenting on the collaboration, Charly Bahous, CEO of Zadara-TouchNet, stated, “This partnership represents a commitment to local empowerment and digital sovereignty. By combining Zadara-TouchNet’s cutting-edge technology with 251 Telecom’s infrastructure, we aim to catalyze a new era of digital innovation in Ethiopia.”

251 Telecom, as a B2B company, is set to play a pivotal role in delivering agile, reliable, and secure cloud computing services tailored to the unique needs of Ethiopian businesses. 251 Telecom offers comprehensive managed cloud computing services, allowing businesses to focus on their core operations while entrusting their cloud infrastructure to seasoned experts.

“As a telecommunications provider in Ethiopia, we recognize the transformative potential of advanced cloud solutions in fostering economic growth and innovation. Our partnership with Zadara-TouchNet is a strategic move to provide our clients with world-class cloud services that ensure data sovereignty, security, and performance,” said Addis Alemayehu, Chairman of Kazana Group, the holding company of 251 Telecom.

The Zadara-TouchNet and 251 Telecom collaboration signals a new chapter for Ethiopia’s digital landscape, promising unparalleled cloud solutions that empower businesses, protect digital rights, and drive equitable socio-economic development. This partnership not only propels Ethiopia into the forefront of cloud and digital transformation but also paves the way for a thriving, self-sufficient digital ecosystem in Africa.

Kenya’s Jobzy wants to build a marketplace for your blue collar trade & simplify talent search and recruitment

James Musoba
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Kenya’s Jobzy wants to build a marketplace for your blue collar trade & simplify talent search and recruitment

Jobzy, is a Kenyan professional recruitment and skill matching platform for informal, blue collar workers that wants to build the right tools and infrastructure to simplify talent search and recruitment in the country.

Co-founded by Matt Magera and Boru Duba, as CEO and CMO respectively, Jobzy was inspired to solve Kenya’s youth unemployment challenges.

“Finding employment is a big problem in Africa and so we felt we could deliver a meaningful solution that could tackle this very real challenge in Kenya and in Africa as well. This has been a major part of my tech journey,” Magera says adding he started out professionally as a website developer, held a few roles in some organizations then choose to focus on Jobzy.

Jobzy platform aims to link millions of Africans working in the informal sector with demand for their services to help them earn from their skills and talents. The platform links cleaners, photographers, mechanics, plumbers, barbers, tutors e.t.c. directly to their demand and receives the payments for the work done via its escrow system. The platform also allows them to save their income and get access credit, loans and financial services to grow their businesses.

According to the World Bank, 75% of the Kenyan population is aged below 35 years old and nearly 38% of the youth are unemployed or roughly 4.5 million young men and women compared to the overall national unemployment rate of 10%. With such challenges to the youth, who are mostly tech-savvy, Magera and Duba realized they could do something about job finding as their contribution to Kenya’s economy and the overall GDP.

The other vertical of Jobzy is the Talent section that helps people looking for jobs and internships find them faster online. It has a list of jobs and openings on the app and allows users to search through and apply for jobs openigs in the tech as well as other sectors. Jobzy is also focusing on the professional recruitment space plans to build tools and provide infrastructure that makes it easier to find the right talent and professionals for any job. Some of the new features the platform is working on include screening, background checks, vetting etc.

At the moment, Jobzy has 500 downloads and growing steadily and is working on a number of new features for recruiters to help with identification and verification among others. Jobzy is not the only such platform in Kenya. Juakali, a blue collar job directory and a meeting place for workers in the informal sector and construction companies, corporate empowers, home owners and later individuals has been around for sometime and recently, Fursa, an innovative app, was officially introduced to the residents of Mombasa, offering them a unique gateway to a world of diverse job opportunities, encompassing casual, blue-collar and white-collar roles.

Another platform dubbed M-WAKS which promised to connect individuals or corporate employers or SMEs to blue-collar employees looking for employment in their area or from around the country has since shut down. Recently, Eden Life, Nigeria’s home concierge services scheduling platform acquired Lynk, a Kenyan gigs marketplace in a move that shows how attractive the Kenyan blue-collar marketplace sector is becoming. Eden Life will utilise Lynk’s successful platform, which connects informal laborers with end customers through automated job matching and standardized processes.

Apollo Agriculture secures $10 million investment from Swedfund and ImpactConnect to fuel rapid expansion and impact

James Musoba
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0
Apollo Agriculture secures $10 million investment from Swedfund and ImpactConnect to fuel rapid expansion and impact

Apollo Agriculture, a Kenyan agri-fintech startup dedicated to helping small-scale farmers across Africa increase their profits and farm more sustainably, has raised $10 million from Swedfund and ImpactConnect to further accelerates its rapid growth, enable increased earnings for farmers, faster adoption of sustainable practices, and increased food security across Africa.

According to Eli Pollak, CEO of Apollo Agriculture, “This collaboration with Swedfund and ImpactConnect is a significant milestone for Apollo Agriculture. The investment positions us to rapidly scale our operations, enabling more farmers to access the essential products and financial services they need to feed their families and communities and adapt to climate change. This funding unlocks the potential to serve 400,000 additional farmers during the loan’s term, accelerating Apollo’s growth. We are grateful for the trust and confidence that both Swedfund and ImpactConnect have placed in our vision, and we look forward to achieving transformative growth together.”

In May last year, the firm signed a $9.5 million 10-year loan from U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (“DFC”) to expand across Africa to deliver on its mission to enhance food security and build climate resilience among small-scale farmers and rural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.

Earlier on, it had raised $1 million in debt funding from the Agri-Business Capital Fund (ABC Fund) and a further $40 million in a Series B funding round led by Softbank Vision Fund 2 in an equity round from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Yara Growth Ventures, Endeavor Catalyst, CDC, and existing investors including Anthemis Exponential Ventures, Flourish Ventures, Leaps by Bayer, SBI, Breyer Capital, and TO Ventures Food.

Launched in Kenya in 2017 and Zambia in 2022, Apollo Agriculture has been expanding rapidly, empowering more than 170 thousand farmers to date, nearly half of them female farmers. The platform builds financial and climate resilience as well as improves food security among small-scale farmers and rural communities. With Apollo, farmers are able to get access to financing and all the tools they need to farm profitably, increasing their crop yield by approximately 2.0-2.5x times.

Apollo Agriculture’s machine learning-powered credit models and automated operations technology enable them to scalably serve small-scale farmers to access the high-quality farm products, optimized financing, and digital advice they need to succeed. Apollo’s technology has enabled it to provide essential farm input products and financial services to over 350,000 small-scale farmers across Kenya and Zambia since its launch.

Financing provided by the Swedish development finance institution and ImpactConnect will be utilized to expand Apollo Agriculture’s activities across Kenya, enabling more small-scale farmers to farm more profitably and sustainably and increase their resilience to climate change.

iHub selected as the implementing partner for the Spark Accelerator Program

James Musoba
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iHub selected as the implementing partner for the Spark Accelerator Program

iHub Nairobi has been selected as the implementing partner for the Spark Accelerator Program, the three-month accelerator program recently announced by Safaricom, M-PESA Africa and Sumitomo Corporation.

iHUB Kenya, a globally recognized innovation center, has been the main catalyst for regional technology acceleration and a role model for tech hubs in emerging markets since 2010. iHUB is wholly-owned by Co-creation Hub (CcHUB) which runs CcHUB Nigeria, CcHUB DesignLab Rwanda, CcHUB Namibia, Growth Capital by CcHUB and CcHUB Syndicate.

According to Ojoma Ochai, Managing Director, CcHUB, “We are thrilled to spearhead this groundbreaking collaboration with Safaricom, M-PESA Africa, and Sumitomo Corporation.  The Spark Accelerator serves as a launchpad for forward-thinking founders to shape and scale their enterprises. We encourage startups with dynamic and impactful solutions to join us on this exciting journey, where together with our esteemed partners, we are excited to catalyze innovation empowering digital ecosystems.”

In 2023, iHub Kenya and Mastercard Foundation under the Mastercard Foundation Ed-Tech Fellowship Program launched an accelerator program to support and amplify the impact of  36 EdTech startups in Kenya over the next 3 years. The Mastercard Foundation Ed-Tech Fellowship Program, seeks to support Ed-Tech companies across Africa that are addressing learning challenges across K-12, tertiary education, and in vocational training as an urgent and critical response in addressing many of Africa’s long standing challenges that have affected enrollment, quality and availability of effective educational options for the continent’s young population. 

Other supporting partners for the program include Vodacom and AWS. 

Safaricom, M-PESA Africa and Sumitomo Corporation say the Spark Accelerator program will accelerate early stage startups to grow and scale their businesses. The three-month accelerator program will provide a blend of training, mentorship, funding and go-to-market support to spark the growth and scale of ventures that come into the accelerator and set them up for long-term success.

“The Spark Accelerator program is in line with our ambition to be a purpose-led technology company. With the accelerator, we are offering more than just capital injection which is what we did previously with Spark Fund. We have restructured the program to address the challenges that hinder early startups from growing to scale,” said Peter Ndegwa, CEO, of Safaricom.

The Spark Accelerator will benefit Fintech and Content startups in the initial phase. It will take an ecosystem-based approach to identify and accelerate the startups by leveraging a team of experts who understand market dynamics, emerging tech and who are keen to enable continuous innovation.

Participating startups are set to benefit with access and technical support to develop mini-apps embedded into Safaricom’s M-PESA Super App, empowering them to reach more than 4 million customers who use the app. 

“M-PESA connects more than 60 million customers and 5 million businesses across eight countries, providing a unique opportunity for startups in Africa looking to grow and scale rapidly. We have therefore partnered with Sumitomo and Safaricom to launch the Spark Accelerator to provide funding, technical expertise, resources and mentorship to the next generation of the continent’s leading tech startups. In turn, the startups will create innovations that connect customers and businesses on M-PESA to more opportunities while providing them with even more value,” said Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, MD – M-PESA Africa.  

In addition,  M-PESA Africa will offer expertise,  market research and insights, and other capacity support for startups looking to expand their reach to other countries. The support will continue beyond the three-month program enabling startups in the program to tap into more than 60 million customers and 5 million businesses across M-PESA’s eight markets. 

The accelerator program will culminate in an investor demo day for the startups to pitch for investment from Safaricom and partner venture capital firms.

The call for applications will run from 12 January 2024 to 16 February 2024 on https://www.safaricom.co.ke/sparkaccelerator

OPPO Reno11 launches in Kenya

James Musoba
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0
OPPO Reno11 launches in Kenya

OPPO has finally launched the OPPO Reno11 Series in the Kenyan Market at a recommended retail price of Ksh67,999 for the Reno11 5G and Ksh85,999 for the Reno11 Pro 5G.

The smartphone come with Ultra-Clear Portrait Camera System, spearheaded by a 50MP Main Camera with OIS, the latest ColorOs14 based on android 14 to a day-long battery life and best-in-class charging speeds.

 OPPO Reno11

The Reno 11 comes in Wave Green and Rock Grey colors and has lightweight 3D curved body weighing just 181g and measuring 7.99mm and specially-designed camera decoration area with dual Sunshine Rings and features an Ultra-clear Portrait Camera System featuring a 50MP Ultra-Clear Main Camera, a 32MP Telephoto Portrait Camera, a 112° Ultra-wide-angle Camera.

For selfies it comes with a 32MP Ultra-Clear Selfie Camera to guarantee enhanced image quality in all kinds of lighting situations.

Reno11 comes with a 67W SUPERVOOCTM Flash charge and an extra-large 5,000mAh battery and is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 7050 platform, the large 12GB + 256GB memory and storage configuration, and up to 12GB of RAM Expansion, all working together to keep the phone running as smoothly as possible.

Reno11 comes with LinkBoost enabling users to have stable and fast connections no matter where they are, and Dual Stereo Speakers with Ultra Volume Mode enhance your immersive entertainment experience while making sure you never miss a call.

The Reno11 Pro: Thin, Light and Beautiful

Just as the Reno11, OPPO Reno11 Pro comes in two colours Pearl White and Rock Grey, inspired by nature. These colours are complimented by a lightweight 3D curved body with a 93% screen to body ratio and weighing a mere 181g   that make the Reno11 Pro both a delight to see and to hold. As a Studio in Your Pocket, the Reno11 Pro brings you a flagship-level camera experience across the board, helping you transform even the smallest moments into lifelong memories.

The Ultra-Clear Portrait Camera System features two cameras with flagship sensors — the IMX709 on the 32MP Ultra-Clear Selfie Camera and the IMX890 on the 50MP Ultra-Clear Main Camera. The camera system comes with the incredible 32MP Telephoto Portrait Camera for professional-level portraits with ultra-realistic light and shadow effects, while enhanced AI Portrait Retouching features help to bring out the best in your natural beauty, so you can capture stunning portraits every time.

The 80W SUPERVOOC ensures faster charging for its large 4,600mAh battery paired with Battery Health Engine. The Reno11 Pro runs the powerful MediaTek Dimensity 8200 platform and a large memory and storage configuration 12GB + 512GB memory, and up to 12GB of RAM Expansion bringing you a guaranteed silky-smooth experience.

LinkBoost helps to improve connectivity to give you a smoother and more stable experience even in environments with poor network signal.

ColorOS 14 for Effortless Work and Play

 The Reno11 series comes with ColorOS 14 based on Android 14 seeking to give exceptional experience, fusing beauty, security, productivity, reliability, and longevity.

With File Dock, easily save images, text or files for quick drag-and-drop access across your apps. Smart Touch captures images, text, and even text within images from a screenshot with ease. Finally, Smart Image Matting easily, quickly cuts out up to six subjects from a photo and saves the image in File Dock, so you can turn it into a sticker or share it directly with another app.

Pricing and Availability

The Reno11 Series is now available to purchase across OPPO stores country wide, OPPO Kenya Website and on e-commerce partners, Jumia, Kilimall at a recommended retail price of Ksh67,999 for the Reno11 5G and Ksh 85,999 for the Reno11 Pro 5G.

Customers who pre-order between 26th January -31st February 2024 for either the Reno11 5G or Reno11 Pro, will get a special OPPO branded gift box.

From 1st February 2024 the OPPO Reno11 series will be available for purchase at all OPPO stores country wide, OPPO Kenya website and e-commerce partner.

West Africa’s Sonatel raises funding from IFC to expand 4G in the region

James Musoba
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0
West Africa’s Sonatel raises funding from IFC to expand 4G in the region

Sonatel, owned by Orange MEA and the Government of Senegal, which operates in five countries in West Africa, has raised funding from IFC to help expand reliable 4G coverage in Senegal, especially to rural and underserved parts of the country.

Through two bonds issued by a securitization vehicle, the funds will support Sonatel’s expansion of 4G coverage and fiber connectivity in rural parts of Senegal, increase bandwidth, and improve digital infrastructure, supporting job creation, including in the digital economy.

“I would like to thank all the subscribers, both national and international, who have once again responded to the request of the leading market capitalization via the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) Regional Financial Market by securitizing its receivables in an increasingly difficult global and regional economic context,” said Sékou Drame, Chief Executive Officer of Sonatel Group.

IFC invested XOF 25 billion (about EUR 38 million) in the two bonds out of the total XOF 75 billion, representing a third of the total issuance in Senegal’s local currency while the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF), a Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) company, the co-anchor investor, invested XOF 23.5 billion (EUR 36 million).

“IFC is proud to support the first ever securitization in the telecoms sector in West Africa. Through this partnership, we will help reduce the digital divide and position Senegal as a hub for digital transformation in the region, providing new growth opportunities for stakeholders and creating thousands of jobs in the telecoms sector,” said Olivier Buyoya, IFC Regional Director for West Africa.

 
At the end of the subscription period on January 12, the total subscriptions mobilized from investors excluding IFC and EAIF amounted to XOF 26.5 billion. This includes 57 percent from investors in Senegal; 42 percent from investors in the WAEMU zone (excluding Senegal), and 1 percent from investors outside the WAEMU zone.

The transaction garnered interest from a diversified pool of participants including banks, individual investors, pension funds, and insurance companies, among others.

This project falls under the World Bank’s Joint Capital Markets Program (J-CAP) to develop and deepen WAEMU’s capital market. J-CAP’s work in WAEMU is supported by the governments of Germany and Norway.

IFC’s investment will also be supported by the International Development Association (IDA) 20 Private Sector Window Local Currency Facility, which helps provide longer-term local currency funding that is not readily available in the market.

LG Shines at CES 2024 | Receives over 200 Awards for its tech innovations

Sam Wakoba
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LG Shines at CES 2024 | Receives over 200 Awards for its tech innovations

LG Electronics (LG), has received more than 200 awards and recognitions for different innovations and technologies across the home appliance, home entertainment and B2B categories of the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas USA.

The LG SIGNATURE OLED T – the world’s first 4K wireless transparent TV – which was regarded as the Best TV or Best in Show by a wide range of press outlets. Utilizing the wireless technology introduced in last year’s M3 TV, LG’s 77-inch LG SIGNATURE OLED T is considered the next step in the evolution of OLED TV technology and was recognized by major tech publications including CNET, Digital Trends, TechRadar, Tom’s Guide, Forbes, The Verge, Wirecutter, PCMag and Mashable.  

The LG OLED evo series featuring a new 144Hz refresh rate and LG’s Alpha 11 AI processor was also applauded by CNET, TechRadar Pro, PCGamer and BGR. Additionally, Digital Trends highlighted the LG UltraGear OLED gaming monitor 32GS95UE in its lineup of best monitors seen at CES 2024 noting its one-of-a-kind ability to toggle between 4K at 240Hz and FHD at 480Hz with the press of a button.

USA Today and Tom’s Guide applauded the new LG Wash Combo™ All-In-One with Heatpump™ Technology. Marking LG’s commitment to a greener world – the new Wash Combo uses 60 percent less energy than a vented model.1 The cutting-edge home appliance was widely recognized for its compact ventless design and ability to complete a wash-and-dry cycle in under two hours.

Named as a winner of Reviewed’s Accessibility Awards for CES 2024 –  LG’s Universal UP Kit – a collection of innovative home appliance accessories and add-ons embracing universal design has been crafted to enhance usability for individuals facing physical challenges. It was also recognized in Apartment Therapy’s Best Home Design Products from CES 2024.

From the Consumer Technology Association’s (CTA) CES Innovation Award program alone, LG won 34 CES Innovation Awards including two Best of Innovation Awards given to the LG 4K Transparent OLED T and the 83-inch 4K OLED Zero Connect TV (M4).

See below the highlights from LG’s over 200 awards and recognitions earned at CES 2024 include:

LG SIGNATURE OLED T (77-inch)

·         CNET: Best TVs of CES 2024

·         Digital Trends: Top Tech of CES 2024 Awards

·         PCMag: The Biggest (and Coolest) TVs at CES 2024

·         Engadget: Best of CES 2024

·         Reviewed: The Reviewed Awards: CES 2024 – Home Theater

·         TechRadar: Best Gadgets of CES 2024 – Best TV

·         The New York Times: Wirecutter: Best of CES 2024

·         Tom’s Guide: Best of CES 2024 Awards – Best Design

·         The Verge: The Verge Awards at CES 2024 – Best in Show

·         CNN Underscored: Best of CES 2024 – Best TV

·         NBC News: Best of CES 2024

·         Fox News: Top 10 Tech of CES 2024

·         The Hollywood Reporter: Best of CES 2024 – Best OLED TV

·         Variety: Best of CES 2024 – Best 4k TV

·         Popular Science: Best New Gadgets and Tech from CES 2024

·         Rolling Stone: Best of CES 2024

LG OLED TVs (M4, G4, C4 and B4)

·         Tom’s Guide: Best TVs of CES 2024 – LG OLED evo G4

·         Reviewed: The Reviewed Awards: CES 2024 – LG OLED evo G4

·         TechRadar Pro: 2024 Pick Awards – LG OLED evo M4

·         Tech Advisor: Best of CES 2024 – LG OLED B4

·         Gear Patrol: Coolest TVs and Monitors Revealed at CES 2024 – LG OLED evo G4, C4, and OLED B4

LG QNED TVs

·         Tom’s Guide: Best TVs of CES 2024 – LG 98 inch QNED TV

·         Residential tech today : CES 2024 Reflections and Superlatives- LG 98 inch QNED TV

LG gram Pro Laptops

·         Digital Trends: Best and Most Exciting Laptops at CES 2024 – LG gram Pro

·         Inverse: Best Laptops Announced at CES 2024 – LG gram Pro 2-in-1

·         Laptop Mag: Best of CES 2024 – Best 2-in-1: LG gram Pro 2-in-1

·         Live Science: CES 2024: Best Laptops for Coding & Programmers – LG gram Pro 2-in-1

LG CineBeam Qube Projector

·         PCMag: Best of CES 2024 – Best Projector

·         WIRED: Best of CES 2024 – Best Home Theater

·         Gizmodo: Best, Coolest, and Weirdest Gadgets at CES 2024

·         Yanko Design: Best of CES 2024

LG UltraGear OLED Gaming Monitor

·         Digital Trends: Best Monitors of CES 2024

·         Inverse: Most Eye-Popping Gaming Monitors from CES 2024

·         The Shortcut: The Shortcut CES 2024 Awards

·         Windows Central: Best of CES 2024 – Best Gaming

LG Wash Combo™ All-In-One with Heatpump™ Technology

·         Reviewed: The Reviewed Awards: CES 2024

·         Tom’s Guide: Best Smart Home Gadgets of CES 2024 – Best Smart Appliance

·         Tom’s Guide: Best of CES 2024 – Best Home Appliance

·         Good Housekeeping: Coolest Gadgets at CES 2024

 LG Smart Home AI Agent

·         Reviewed: CES 2024 – Top 9 New Gadgets You Need To See

·         Mashable: The Best of CES 2024

·         The Washington Post: The Best (and Strangest) Tech We Found at CES 2024

·         T3: Best of CES 2024 Awards – T3’s Top Tech from This Year’s Show

Chimoney Partners Corpay to Enable Cash-Out to Bank Accounts, Mobile Money, Airtime & Gift Cards in 130+ Countries

James Musoba
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Chimoney Partners Corpay to Enable Cash-Out to Bank Accounts, Mobile Money, Airtime & Gift Cards in 130+ Countries

Chimoney, a Toronto-based global payments platform on a mission to connect all payment systems in the world, has partnered with Corpay, a FLEETCOR brand and global leader in business payments to reshape the landscape of cross-border transactions and global payouts.

Through the integration of Corpay’s innovative solutions with Chimoney to enhance Chimoney’s service, enabling cash-out to Bank Accounts in more countries to complement Chimoney’s offering of cash-out to Bank Accounts, Mobile Money, Airtime, and Gift Cards. 

Through this collaboration, Chimoney’s customers will be able to gain access to and utilize Corpay’s Cross-Border’s innovative solutions to help Chimoney mitigate foreign exchange exposure risk as it enables businesses to pay anyone in the world using just an email, phone number, and social media username. Additionally, with Corpay’s award-winning trading platform, Chimoney’s customers can now effortlessly access payouts to more countries and currencies.

According to Frank Mannarino, Vice President and head of Channels and alliances, at Corpay Cross-Border Solutions, ““Corpay is very pleased to announce our commercial partnership with Chimoney. I have no doubt that Chimoney’s customer base can benefit greatly from our specialized service and access to our comprehensive cross-border payments and currency risk management solutions. We are excited to build long-term business partnerships with customers and power their international payments, help them execute their plans to manage their currency risk, and support their growth internationally.”

Chimoney’s vision for global Payments is to connect all Payment networks, currencies, and rails globally to enable people everywhere to simply get paid with minimal complexity. By working with partners like Corpay, Chimoney can ensure compliance with local regulations and leverage Partner expertise to help manage foreign exchange risks, drastically reducing foreign exchange and regulatory risks for its users and corporate clients.

“As Chimoney’s mission has always been to unlock economic opportunities globally, this collaboration with Corpay amplifies our vision of creating seamless access to more payout options and countries. With Corpay’s expertise and platform, we are poised to offer our customers access to a more expansive and efficient payout ecosystem. This is not just a partnership; it’s a synergy where innovation meets scale. For businesses and investors, it’s clear: Chimoney is setting new standards in fintech, constantly pushing boundaries, and striving for excellence,” added Uchi Uchibeke, Founder and CEO of Chimoney.

Village Capital Invests $150,000 into Benacare & Mighty Finance, Standard Chartered’s Women in Tech Program Alumni

James Musoba
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Village Capital Invests $150,000 into Benacare & Mighty Finance, Standard Chartered’s Women in Tech Program Alumni

Village Capital has partnered with Standard Chartered Bank to invest in the Bank’s Women in Tech program alumni with a focus on early-stage, impact-focused startups led by women.

As part of the deal, Village Capital has announced its inaugural investment in two women-led start-ups: Bena Care, a Kenyan start-up delivering affordable clinical and supportive care to patients with life-limiting illnesses in the comfort of own homes, and Mighty Finance, a Zambian fintech start-up with a compelling mission to provide access to capital for primarily women-led businesses. Benacare will receive USD 75,000, while Mighty Finance will receive USD 75,000, bringing the cumulative investment to $150,000.

Since its inception, Standard Chartered’s Women in Tech program has successfully completed six cohorts where 64 women led businesses have participated in the programme. Thirty-two of the businesses have been awarded grants totalling KES44 million.

The new partnership showcases Standard Chartered and Village Capital’s shared commitment to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in impact investing.

By leveraging Village Capital’s extensive experience unlocking capital for impact-driven start-ups operating in underserved markets and Standard Chartered Bank’s dedication to empowering women entrepreneurs, this collaboration is poised to make a meaningful and lasting impact on the global entrepreneurial landscape.

“We’re extremely excited to partner with Standard Chartered Bank to support their vision to lift participation of women globally by driving more investment capital to impact-driven women founders,” said Heather Matranga, Vice President, Impact Investments, Village Capital.

Village Capital has been developing systems and processes for over a decade to improve equity in investment decision-making and ultimately unlock more opportunity and capital for women-founded and led ventures. Through this pilot facility, Village Capital intends to provide innovative and catalytic financing that truly meets the needs of women entrepreneurs across a range of business models and markets.

Bena Care offers skilled nursing, care giver services, training of family caregivers, physiotherapy services and free screening and health education though a network of healthcare workers, who through a mobile app are geo-mapped according to geography, and connected, to patients nearest to them.

According to Bena Care, Healthcare and hospitalization in Kenya is very expensive, bankrupting families both financially and emotionally. Fueled by the rise in prevalence of non-communicable diseases like cancers and cardiovascular diseases, the crisis has 1 Million Kenyans pushed below the poverty line each year. It’s therefore bridging this gap by delivering quality affordable and reliable clinical and supportive care at the patient’s own home. We achieve this by building a network of healthcare workers who are connected to patients in need of care nearest to them.

The platform empowers patients and their families to take care of themselves through training on basic caregiving skills as well as health education at 2USD per day and connects buyers of homecare equipment to sellers of used and affordable homecare equipment.

“We are excited to be able to partner with Village Capital to bolster our successful Women in Tech program, which has trained more than 70 women-led businesses by providing them with critical support to help scale their businesses to international standards,” said Joyce Kibe, Head, Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing, Standard Chartered.

“We believe by supporting more women in business, we are stimulating more robust and resilient economic activity, while providing support for inputs that are often neglected for start-up businesses,” said Ms. Kibe.

Furies Enterprise Unveils “Baharia Ninja”: A Board Game Battling Plastic Pollution and Climate Change

Diana Mutheu
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Furies Enterprise Unveils “Baharia Ninja”: A Board Game Battling Plastic Pollution and Climate Change

Games developing startup, Furies Enterprise has taken a bold step into the world of board games with its latest creation, “Baharia Ninja.”

The game, designed to be both engaging and enlightening, is set to tackle the pervasive issues of plastic waste and climate change.

Speaking to TechMoran, Valentine Gechiko, the co-founder of Furies Enterprise and the creative mind behind “Baharia Ninja,” expressed enthusiasm for the project’s potential impact.

Ms Gechiko stated, “At the heart of Furies Enterprise’s mission is a commitment to using the power of gaming to foster awareness and understanding of pressing environmental challenges. We believe in the power of gaming as a tool for education. Baharia Ninja is not just a game; it’s a journey that allows players to have fun while gaining valuable insights into the critical issues of our time.”

The game itself promises an enjoyable experience, blending entertainment with education seamlessly. This was evident at the Keya Innovation Week 2023 as tech enthusiasts at the event had an opportunity to play the game, the startup being among the exhibitors.

The Mombasa-based company has established regular game nights under the name Furies Rafiki Game Night. Additionally, the firm has forged partnerships with local schools, picking the students as ambassadors of Baharia Ninja.

“Players navigate through challenges and scenarios that mirror real-world environmental dilemmas, making decisions that directly impact the fate of the virtual world they inhabit,” Ms Gechiko noted.

Through this interactive process, the firm noted it aims to instill a sense of responsibility and awareness regarding the consequences of plastic pollution and climate change.

With plastic waste reaching alarming levels globally and climate change emerging as a paramount concern, “By merging the worlds of entertainment and education, we hope to captivate audiences of all ages and backgrounds, fostering a greater understanding of the urgent need for sustainable practices.”

Baharia Ninja is poised not only to provide hours of entertainment but also to catalyze conversations around environmental issues.

Nigerian edTech startup AltSchool Africa expands into Kenya

Diana Mutheu
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Nigerian edTech startup AltSchool Africa expands into Kenya

Nigerian edtech startup AltSchool Africa, akin to the US coding bootcamp BloomTech, has broadened its operations to Kenya, its second-largest market, with a revenue contribution from Kenya being the second-highest.

The founder of AltSchool Africa, Adewale Yusuf, confirmed this expansion, stating that the startup will now provide increased hands-on support to its Kenyan customers, aiming to facilitate local payment processes.

Mr Yusuf mentioned, “We’re not new to the people, but this will give us the opportunity to expand.”

The firm’s Kenyan operations will be overseen by Country Manager, Tabitha Kayvu.

Established in 2021 as an online platform offering diplomas in engineering, data, and business analytics, AltSchool Africa has extended beyond Nigeria, establishing its presence in the US and Rwanda, with the Norrsken hub office opening in 2023.

The successful expansion in Kenya is attributed to key partnerships with local stakeholders, as AltSchool Africa engages in negotiations with various agencies to ensure Kenyans have access to globally sought-after skills.

Diversifying its offerings, AltSchool Africa now provides short courses on sales, content, and music creation in English.

The startup plans to continue these courses in the country and expand to offer courses in Swahili.

Founded by Mr Yusuf, Akintunde Sultan, and Opeyemi Awoyemi, the firm addresses the skills deficit in Africa, offering skill-building programs in business, data, engineering, media, and the creative industry.

The startup offers courses at flexible rates ranging from $20 to $50 monthly, adopting the income-sharing agreement (ISA) model popularized by companies like ALX.

Mr Yusuf notes that AltSchool has assisted approximately 60,000 learners across 105 countries, generating $3 million in Annual Recurring Revenue.

The startup has plans to intensify its presence in current markets, having received funding from the $30 million Rwandan Innovation Fund and raised nearly $3 million in May of last year, along with $1 million in pre-seed funding in 2022.

Looking ahead, Mr Yusuf expresses the desire to “deepen our presence in existing countries.”

Kenya Kwanza Government to inject Sh5B into a Centralized Digital Medical Insurance Platform

Diana Mutheu
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Kenya Kwanza Government to inject Sh5B into a Centralized Digital Medical Insurance Platform

The government intends to invest Sh5 billion in creating a unified digital platform for handling medical insurance claims within the mandatory social health plan.

According to the Ministry of Health (MoH), the proposed Centralised Healthcare Provider Management System (CHPMS) outlined in the draft Social Health Insurance (General) Regulations, 2023, will manage claims and counteract fraud in the healthcare sector.

This initiative is expected to collect substantial monthly contributions from Kenyans.

“In its regulatory impact disclosure, the Ministry of Health reveals plans for CHPMS, a system designed for hospitals to submit, verify, and receive payments for claims as part of the State’s ambitious healthcare program. Kenyans will fund this initiative with a 2.75 percent deduction from their monthly income, contributing a total of Sh133 billion annually,” Business Daily reported.

The MoH states, “The proposed regulations aim to establish a centralized digital platform accessible to empanelled and contracted healthcare providers for claims administration, beneficiary data recording, healthcare service delivery data input, and maintaining providers’ data.”

Additionally, the system will grant authorized user rights, with applications for access aligning with the Data Protection Act 2019 and the Digital Health Act, 2023.

The comprehensive CHPMS will encompass beneficiary data, hospital information, and services provided.

This development is part of Kenya’s efforts to combat medical insurance fraud, incorporating features such as maintaining an audit trail for all processes and facilitating data retrieval.

The Ministry estimates that implementing this system will reduce fraud-related losses to 10-20% of total claims paid, aligning with global estimates where errors and fraud typically account for 3-15% of claim costs.

Injini Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship opens applications for its 2024 cohort in South Africa

Milcah Lukhanyu
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Injini Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship opens applications for its 2024 cohort in South Africa

Injini has opened applications for the 2024 iteration of the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship after the resounding success of the inaugural cohort.

Last year, Injini and the Mastercard Foundation launched the EdTech Fellowship for South Africa-based start-ups. This initiative empowers eligible start-ups with direct grant funding, product quality evaluation, intensive skill development, coaching, mentorship, bespoke market research, and market access.

Krista Davidson, Executive Director of Injini said, “Injini’s distinct approach and extensive experience in delivering EdTech acceleration support have been integral to the success of our 2023 EdTech Fellowship, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. Our dedication to cultivating collaboration, facilitating continuous learning, and promoting knowledge-sharing within the educational innovation ecosystem has shown positive results. This success has provided us with valuable insights that are shaping our strategy as we gear up to welcome applications for the 2024 program.”

The South African cohort of start-ups that participated in the 2023 Fellowship surpassed expectations in their outreach, reaching over 1.9 million new learners during the acceleration period. The program set the Fellows up for notable sales growth, profit, and funding opportunities. Collaboration proved to be a cornerstone in the Fellowship, with strategic partnerships cultivated, new relationships facilitated by the Mastercard Foundation, and meaningful cooperation fostered among Fellows. Crucially, a significant impact was observed on specific demographic groups, including persons with disabilities, young people, women and girls, and rural communities.

  • Growth-stage, impact-driven EdTech companies working to improve educational outcomes in South Africa are invited to apply before 13 February 2024.Selected start-ups must be prepared to participate in a rigorous six-month program, beginning in early April.

The 2024 program will offer:

  • Dedicated support from specialists in education innovation, fundraising, impact M&E, commerce, and more.
  • Pedagogical evaluation and certification by EdTech Impact and Education Alliance Finland.
  • Customised market research support from Injini’s team of education innovation researchers.
  • “Sponsored Skills” to rapidly meet team needs, produce targeted outputs, and bolster your long-term business success with external consultants.
  • Networking, knowledge-sharing, and learning opportunities with key ecosystem contributors and industry experts.
  • Access to a selection of courses and office hours from the Human-Computer Interaction Institute faculty members at Carnegie Mellon University – a world leader in education technology and applied learning sciences.
  • The chance to contribute to a growing body of evidence documenting “what works” in African EdTech.
  • Equity-free venture funding exceeding R1,000,000.

Joseph Nsengimana, Director of the Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning said, “We are committed to supporting the growth and development of the education sector in Africa, so this fellowship is an excellent opportunity for South Africa EdTech companies to access mentorship, networks and other resources to facilitate product improvement and scaling of their solutions.”

EdTech companies eligible are encouraged to read more about the program and apply here. Applications close on February 13, 2024.

Here are some testimonials from Injini’s 2023 cohort of EdTech Fellows:

Ambani Africa: “Participating in the Program has been a game-changer for us. The mentorship, resources, and networking opportunities have accelerated our growth and provided invaluable insights. If you’re an EdTech company looking to scale and thrive, I highly recommend applying. It’s a transformative experience that will take your business to new heights!”

Reflective Learning: “The Mastercard [Foundation] EdTech Fellowship program run by Injini has been terrific! We have been exposed to so many opportunities for learning and business development. I would highly recommend startups to consider the program for 2024.”

Resolute Education: “This isn’t your typical acceleration. It’s a full dive into legitimate growth of your business, connection with like-minded EdTechs and a plethora of opportunities to grow in various skill sets.”

Apptivate Africa and Dime Credit Collaborate to Enhance Employee Financial Wellness

Val Lukhanyu
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Apptivate Africa and Dime Credit Collaborate to Enhance Employee Financial Wellness

Apptivate Africa, a leader in innovative workplace solutions, has entered into a strategic partnership with Dime Credit, a distinguished financial services provider. This partnership aims to introduce a revolutionary employee benefit program, empowering workers with convenient access to salary advances on behalf of their employers.

Following the escalating cost of living, and according to recent surveys, over 68% of employees report experiencing financial stress, impacting their overall well-being and productivity, hence there is a rising demand for employer-supported financial solutions, with over 80% of employees expressing interest in salary advance programs.

The collaboration between Apptivate Africa and Dime Credit signifies a strategic alliance aimed at addressing the financial well-being of employees. This program will provide employees with a seamless process to access salary advances, helping bridge financial gaps and promote stability.
“We are delighted to join forces with Dime Credit to launch this transformative employee benefit program. These statistics underline the critical need for accessible financial solutions, and through this collaboration, we aim to make a meaningful impact on the lives of
employees,” said Neil Ribeiro, CEO, Apptivate Africa.

Apptivate Africa is committed to redefining the employee experience by offering cutting-edge workplace solutions. With a focus on enhancing financial well-being, Apptivate Africa consistently seeks impactful partnerships to bring valuable benefits to the workforce.
“Dime Credit is excited to partner with Apptivate Africa to address the growing demand for employee-focused financial solutions. These statistics underscore the urgency of providing accessible salary advances, contributing to a financially empowered workforce,” added
Fernandes- Director, Dime.

Dime Credit is a trusted financial institution known for its dedication to providing accessible and flexible financial solutions. Aligned with Apptivate Africa’s vision for a financially resilient workforce, Dime Credit brings expertise and reliability to the partnership.

Key Features and Statistics of the Program:
Convenience: Over 90% of surveyed employees expressed a preference for convenient and digital solutions for accessing financial benefits. The program offers a user-friendly platform integrated into the Apptivate Africa ecosystem.

Swift Processing: The streamlined application process ensures quick approval and disbursement of funds, with 85% of advances processed within 24 hours.

Transparent Terms: Transparency is a cornerstone of the program, with 95% of surveyed employees expressing the importance of clear terms and conditions for financial benefits.

Old Mutual announces sale of full stake in UAP insurance Tanzania

Val Lukhanyu
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0
Old Mutual announces sale of full stake in UAP insurance Tanzania

Old Mutual Limited today announced the sale of its full stake in UAP Insurance Tanzania, its short-term insurance business to a group within its current Minority Shareholding, pending regulatory approval.
 
This decision follows a thorough strategic review of the businesses relative to the immediate-to-long-term objectives of the broader Old Mutual Group.
 
Old Mutual Holdings CEO, Arthur Oginga commented: “Since acquiring UAP Insurance Tanzania in 2015, it has been our ambition to scale and grow in a way that would position us as one of the leading financial services providers in the market. Along the way, we made
strategic investments to ensure that our business remained on the right footing and was able to compete successfully. However, the business in Tanzania has faced challenges in meeting expected return on capital for various operational and environmental reasons. We have evaluated various options to attaining market leadership in Tanzania, however, we no longer see a clear path to achieving this strategic objective. We believe that the various options require substantial further investment and carry significant risk to attaining the objectives of market leadership and real returns in the medium term. As a result, we have decided to sell our stake in our short-term insurance business to Strategic Ventures Company Limited, a grouping from the existing minority shareholders of UAP Insurance Tanzania Limited.”
 
While Old Mutual will sell its stake in its the short-term insurance business, it confirmed that it intends to partner with local players in Tanzania to offer products and services in the medical insurance space, albeit through its Kenya operations.  UAP Insurance Tanzania said that it does not foresee any impacts to the policies and relationships with its customers and stakeholders in Tanzania and will collaborate with the incoming owners to ensure a smooth transition.
 
“We are communicating with our customers and key stakeholders, and the reassurance we are giving is that they can expect continued excellent service.” 
 
Old Mutual’s commitment to growing in East Africa remains firm. However, this growth needs to be sustainable, in the best interests of its stakeholders and pursued responsibly. 
 
“Over the last two years, we adopted a phased approach in rebranding our businesses in the region to Old Mutual to leverage the heritage of our brand and entrench Old Mutual in East Africa. In the coming year, this exercise will continue, and we will strengthen our investment to grow our corporate and retail propositions and position the business as a leading integrated
financial service provider,” added Oginga. 
 
Oginga concluded: “We would like to thank the people of Tanzania for embracing UAP Insurance and the Old Mutual group so warmly over the years. We are incredibly proud of the business we have been able to build in the country with the commitment of our local teams.” 
 

Healthcare among top 4 sectors to benefit from AI integration in Africa

Val Lukhanyu
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0
Healthcare among top 4 sectors to benefit from AI integration in Africa

Artificial intelligence (AI) and Generative AI offer enormous opportunities for the African continent in areas such as healthcare, education, financial inclusion, and agriculture.
During a media workshop on the potential of AI in the African context organized by Microsoft for journalists from across Africa, AI experts emphasized the importance of AI in transforming the four critical sectors for the benefit of the majority of the population.The forum heard that, while still in its early stages, Generative AI is rapidly maturing and appears to be one of the most important technologies of our time. It has already sparked significant interest and investment, with Generative AI startups receiving $20 billion in funding
over the last three years.

The launch of ChatGPT last year, for example, with its underlying language-model AI technology, raised public awareness of the power of Generative AI technology, with new use cases emerging daily.
“Generative AI can create data-driven, customized, and specific content that is accessible by millions and has the potential to address many of the continent’s societal challenges,” one expert said, adding that while AI is no silver bullet, it certainly can make a transformative contribution to easing societal difficulties.
In healthcare, for instance, AI can function as an assistant, transcribing and summarizing each consultation and automatically keeping patient records regularly updated. That will enable doctors and nurses to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time on patients. AI can also support personalized diagnosis and treatment recommendations for patients, by using AI-driven analyses of data and taking account of available inventory in hospital pharmacies.

This support in diagnosis and treatment, and the alignment on available drugs, will again free up time for doctors to spend with patients and will improve patient care and experience.In rural public hospitals and clinics, where the doctor-patient ratio is likely to be lower, it is even more difficult for people to get the medical care they need. AI can address some of these healthcare issues, the session heard.
AI can assist with educational policy, curricula, and content creation.

AI can inform policy decisions, design curriculum, and create learning materials by analyzing massive amounts of data. The new content can be tailored to different grade levels and individual students as well as delivered in the student’s preferred language. AI can also assist teachers in planning daily lessons and suggesting methods for explaining complex concepts.
“In schools lacking adequate resources and materials, teachers cannot teach their classes as effectively as they might. With the help of AI, however, they will be able to produce stimulating visual aids and easy-to-understand explanations in their daily classes. In that way, they can bring abstract topics to life and sharpen their students’ critical thinking,” the workshop heard. “AI should also eventually fine-tune lesson plans for the teachers, and produce tailored materials.”
When it comes to financial inclusion, one way AI can help is by making financial services more accessible to customers. Banks can save customers the inconvenience of going to branches.

Egypt-based DXwand secures $4 million Series A to fuel regional expansion

Milcah Lukhanyu
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0
Egypt-based DXwand secures $4 million Series A to fuel regional expansion

Egypt-based AI startup DXwand has closed a Series A funding round of $4 million, led by Shorooq Partners, Algebra Ventures, and existing investor Dubai Future District Fund.

Founded in 2018 by Ahmed Mahmoud and Mahmoud Gomaa, DXwand is an AI-driven software that automates text and voice conversations between customers and businesses in call centres, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, SMS, or on a website.

Commenting on the news, Ahmad Mahmoud, CEO of DXwand, said: “This significant investment marks a pivotal moment for DXwand, enabling us to propel our regional expansion and intensify our commitment to advancing Gen AI and RAG technologies. We are excited about the possibilities this funding opens up for DXwand and the broader landscape of conversational AI.”

DXwand will be using this investment to fuel its regional expansion and amplify its research and development in cutting-edge Gen AI and RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) technologies.

This ongoing growth and innovation are poised to benefit consumers and industry alike, with the anticipation of expedited releases of advanced technologies that will ultimately enhance efficiency and productivity for both the private and public sectors’ enterprises.

Tamer Azer, Partner at Shorooq Partners, stated: “At Shorooq Partners, we have always believed in this region’s ability to produce new market innovations, and our investment in DXwand is a continuation of this thesis. DXwand enables companies to grow not just faster but also smarter, and enables governments to become far more efficient. Through technology that mines institutional knowledge to deliver superior access to information, DXwand enables a far more efficient engagement between governments and companies and their stakeholders, be they citizens,employees, or customers. Ahmed and Mahmoud’s vision of using artificial intelligence to streamline access to information is one that started five  years ago and is a vision we are exceedingly excited to underwrite. “

“The DXwand team has built a unique and comprehensive suite of AI tools that solve real-world problems for their clients at scale, as evidenced by their impressive and growing roster of satisfied customers, including many of the region’s leading corporations and government clients.  We are delighted to partner with the DXwand team to help further expand their regional base and drive further product innovation,” added Karim Hussein, Managing Partner at Algebra Ventures.

DXwand’s innovative AI-driven software automates text and voice conversations between customers and businesses as well as different citizen-facing government services across various platforms, including call centres, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, SMS, and websites.

The platform understands slang in both Arabic and English, extracting valuable insights from conversations and presenting them on dashboards for businesses to make informed decisions. The analytical platform and dashboards, equipped with deep business insights, support business growth by transforming conversations into leads and sales, with a focus on customer retention and acquisition.

The company’s AI-riven software also allows companies with deep technical execution teams, such as aviation ground crews and oil and gas remote crews, to fully engage with institutional knowledge to better perform their duties and fulfil their responsibilities more efficiently and accurately. 

Warren Buffet-Backed China’s Electric Car Maker BYD Launches in Rwanda

James Musoba
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0
Warren Buffet-Backed China’s Electric Car Maker BYD Launches in Rwanda

China’s BYD, the world’s leading seller of pure electric vehicles beating Tesla by shipment has launched in Rwanda, East Africa, its very first African market in a move set to disrupt auto car sales and manufacturing in Africa.

Rwanda recently saw the launch of another electric mobility startup BasiGO in the country. The electric bus firm has designed buses that can seat 36 passengers with the option of  18 standing passengers and other buses that can hold 33 to 41 passengers. The busses can be recharged in 2 hours at BasiGo’s DC Fast charging depots and can drive up to 400 km per day with a mid-day charge.

Another firm, Ampersand, Rwanda’s electric motorcycle battery producer recently raised $19.5 million in funding to ramp up electric motorcycle battery production, expand swap station network and accelerate R&D on battery tech, software and swap systems.

“Exciting News from Rwanda!,” the firm announced on its X account. “Thrilled to announce BYD’s new entry into Rwanda with the stylish electric model, illuminating a new star on the BYD Middle East and Africa map! Get ready to ride into the future with BYD – where innovation meets sustainability!”

With over 526,409 all-electric cars sold tween October and December 2023, BYD surpassed Tesla’s 484,507 in the same period. BYD saw record-breaking sales volume in 2023 which surpassed the 3 million annual sales target and made it the global new energy vehicle (NEV) sales champion, for the second year in a row. Tesla made 1.84m cars in 2023 compared to BYD’s 3,024,417 vehicles sold throughout the year.

With more than 3.02 million cars sold last year, including both pure electric models and plug-in hybrid ones, BYD is one of the many NEV producers that have seen booming sales as China, boasting the largest number of motor vehicles in the world, transitions toward greener technologies.

Established in 1995 as a battery producer, BYD was an early starter in the pursuit of NEV manufacturing in China. In 2004, when BYD’s new energy cars made their debut at Beijing’s international auto show, the company was the only carmaker there to exhibit NEVs.

“When we first announced our electric vehicle production plan, not many people had confidence in us,” recalled Wang Chuanfu, chairman of BYD.

“But we had confidence in our prediction that the traditional auto market would have a market size ceiling due to environmental and climate change factors,” Wang said.

On the manufacturing end, BYD has benefited from the mature NEV industry chain in the city of Shenzhen, ranging from battery packs and intelligent cockpits to charging piles. The southern tech hub also boasts many internet and artificial intelligence companies that are making inroads into the intelligent driving sector, said Yu Xiquan, head of the city’s bureau of industry and information.

As the world’s largest producer and market of NEVs, China had more than 18 million NEVs in use as of September last year, accounting for more than half of the world’s total. This vast and burgeoning domestic market, coupled with the government’s push for low-carbon development, is believed to have pushed Chinese NEV companies to the global forefront of innovation.

German carmaker Volkswagen Group in July reached an agreement to buy a 4.99 percent stake in the Chinese electric vehicle startup Xpeng and co-develop two NEV models for the Chinese market. The deal attracted much attention as it gave Volkswagen access to Xpeng’s technologies, including the advanced driving assistance system (ADAS), breaking the mold of one-way technological transfer from foreign auto firms to Chinese ones.

The Chinese government has also rolled out a range of policy incentives in recent years to promote research, pilot new NEV applications and construct more charging facilities, especially in the vast countryside.

The Rwanda launch of BYD, which stands for Build Your Dreams, which produced 3.02m new energy vehicles in 2023 in China means a lot for the African EV consumer market. BYD which made 1.6m battery-only cars, and 1.4m hybrid cars sells its cars at a lower price point than Tesla, meaning it will not be a struggle for buyers in Rwanda or Africa to buy either the full electric models or the hybrid models with less importation duties and taxes involved.

BYD, which sells five models in Europe and has plans to launch three more had plans to build a new factory in Hungary and another in the UK with a target to sell about 800,000 cars sold annually in Europe by 2030. The Hong Kong-listed BYD, has a big chance of being the darling of Africa as the first mass EV manufacturer.

On a recent visit, Chairman and President of BYD, Wang Chuanfu, underscored the strategic importance of the MEA market with a visit to Dubai. Engaging with authentic dealer Al-Futtaim, the visit signals BYD’s commitment to the region.

Twiga Foods and Incentro Africa Resolve Google Cloud Service Dispute, Look Forward to Strengthened Partnership

James Musoba
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Twiga Foods and Incentro Africa Resolve Google Cloud Service Dispute, Look Forward to Strengthened Partnership

Twiga Foods and Incentro Africa on Tuesday announced they had resolved their liquidation dispute issues and announced a renewed and strengthened partnership.

The breakthrough comes on the back of a statutory demand in September 2023 on Twiga Foods by Incentro Africa over sums relating to Google Cloud Services provided by Incentro. Twiga Foods had disputed the amounts and filed an application in court to set aside the statutory demand.

The resolution, led by Twiga’s new management team followed negotiations between the two firms following Twiga’s management changes announced in Q4 2023. This follows the significant recent investment, led by Creadev and Juven, into Twiga in December 2023.

Welcoming the resolution over the Google Cloud Services, Dennis de Weerd, CEO of Incentro, said: “I would like to commend the exceptional work of Twiga’s Chief Financial Officer, Zuber Momoniat. His commitment and decisiveness have been instrumental in resolving the dispute and rekindling our partnership. This collaboration marks a significant step towards a stronger and more productive relationship between Twiga Foods and Incentro Africa.”

Looking forward to a bright future for both partners, Mr. de Weerd added: “We regret the difficulties that arose in 2023, which placed both Twiga Foods and Incentro Africa in a challenging position. However, we are pleased to announce that these issues have been resolved to our mutual satisfaction and are excited to recommit to our partnership. We look forward to continuing to collaborate in providing innovative and cost-effective cloud services to Twiga Foods.”

Appreciating this important breakthrough, Twiga’s CFO, Zuber Momoniat said: “In light of the settlement arrived at between Twiga Foods and Incentro Africa, and the renewed commitment from both parties, Incentro Africa has agreed to withdraw the statutory demand filed in September 2023. This step is a testament to our restored faith. Mr. Momoniat added that both Twiga Foods and Incentro Africa recognised the need to renegotiate the terms of the Google Cloud contract in light of the current global economic climate. As a result, he concluded, “both parties acknowledge that a renegotiation with Google Cloud is essential to align with the current business environment”.

Following the resolution of the dispute, the firms are optimistic about their future collaboration through renewed partnership, not only as “a significant step towards resolving past challenges but also a strong foundation for future growth and success.”

Understanding the DMV Permit Test: What to Expect

James Musoba
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Understanding the DMV Permit Test: What to Expect

Embarking on the journey to become a licensed driver is an exciting and significant milestone in one’s life. The first crucial step in this process often involves taking the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) permit test. This examination is designed to evaluate a prospective driver’s knowledge of traffic laws, road signs, and safe driving practices. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore what aspiring drivers can anticipate from the DMV permit test, including the format and structure of the exam, the types of questions asked, and valuable insights on how to prepare effectively.

The Purpose of the DMV Permit Test: Fostering Safe and Informed Drivers

The primary purpose of the DMV permit test is to ensure that individuals seeking a driver’s license possess the necessary knowledge to operate a vehicle safely and responsibly. By testing applicants on traffic laws, road signs, and general driving knowledge, the DMV aims to create a foundation for safe driving practices.

Additionally, the permit test serves to assess an individual’s awareness of the rules and regulations that govern the road, promoting a shared understanding among drivers. This knowledge is crucial not only for personal safety but also for the well-being of others on the road.

Format and Structure of the DMV Permit Test: A Closer Look

Multiple-Choice Questions:

The DMV permit test predominantly comprises multiple-choice questions. Test-takers are presented with a question and a set of possible answers, and they must choose the correct response. This format is chosen for its effectiveness in assessing a wide range of topics within a reasonable time frame.

Number of Questions:

The total number of questions on the DMV permit test can vary from state to state. However, a common range falls between 30 to 50 questions. Understanding the specific requirements of your state is essential to tailor your preparation accordingly.

Passing Score:

To successfully pass the DMV permit test, applicants are required to achieve a passing score. The passing score is usually expressed as a percentage of correctly answered questions. While the passing score can differ, a common benchmark is 80% or higher.

Time Limit:

Some jurisdictions impose a time limit for completing the test, typically ranging from 30 minutes to an hour. It is crucial to be aware of any time constraints that may apply to your specific DMV permit test. Effective time management is vital to ensure all questions are answered within the allocated time.

Types of Questions on the DMV Permit Test: Comprehensive Overview

Traffic Laws:

Questions related to traffic laws assess an individual’s knowledge of the legal regulations governing the operation of motor vehicles. This may include inquiries about right-of-way rules, speed limits, traffic signals, and other fundamental aspects of traffic laws.

Road Signs and Symbols:

Given the critical role of road signs in guiding and regulating traffic, a significant portion of the DMV permit test focuses on assessing one’s ability to recognize and interpret road signs. Expect questions that require you to identify the meanings and implications of various road signs and symbols.

Safe Driving Practices:

Questions on safe driving practices evaluate an applicant’s understanding of behaviors that contribute to overall road safety. This may include maintaining a safe following distance, using turn signals, and adhering to basic defensive driving principles.

Emergency Situations:

A section of the test may include questions related to handling emergency situations on the road. This could encompass responses to breakdowns, accidents, or unexpected hazards. Knowing the appropriate actions to take in such scenarios is fundamental to responsible driving.

General Knowledge:

Some questions may assess general knowledge related to vehicles, road conditions, and basic maintenance. Topics may include the effects of alcohol on driving, the importance of seat belt usage, and understanding vehicle components.

Preparing Effectively for the DMV Permit Test: Tips and Strategies

Review the Driver’s Manual:

The driver’s manual provided by the DMV is an invaluable resource that outlines the rules and regulations relevant to the DMV permit test. Thoroughly reviewing this manual will give you a comprehensive understanding of the material that may be covered in the exam.

Take Practice Tests:

Practice tests are a highly effective tool for preparation. Numerous online platforms offer practice exams that simulate the conditions of the actual DMV permit test. These tests help familiarize you with the format, identify areas of weakness, and gauge your readiness.

Focus on Weak Areas:

After taking practice tests, pay close attention to the questions you answered incorrectly. This process allows you to identify weak areas that require additional study. Devote extra time to reinforcing your knowledge in these specific areas.

Understand the Test Format:

Familiarize yourself with the format and structure of the DMV permit test. Knowing the number of questions, passing score criteria, and any time limits will help you approach the test with confidence and strategic awareness.

Utilize Online Resources:

Leverage the multitude of online resources available for DMV permit test preparation. Video tutorials, interactive quizzes, and mobile apps cater to various learning styles, making the studying process more engaging and effective.

Create a Study Schedule:

Develop a study schedule that allocates time for reviewing different topics. Breaking down your study sessions into manageable segments prevents overwhelm and ensures comprehensive coverage of all necessary material.

Simulate Test Conditions:

When taking practice tests, replicate the conditions of the actual DMV permit test. Set a timer, eliminate distractions, and approach the practice tests with the same level of seriousness as the real examination. This simulation can help alleviate test anxiety.

On Test Day: Tips for Success

Arrive Early:

On the day of the test, arrive at the DMV testing center early. This allows you to complete any necessary paperwork and approach the test with a calm and focused mindset.

Stay Calm:

Test anxiety is normal, but staying calm is crucial for optimal performance. Take deep breaths, focus on the questions one at a time, and resist the urge to rush through the test.

Read Carefully:

Carefully read each question before selecting an answer. Some questions may contain subtle details or nuances that can impact the correct response. Taking the time to understand the question is essential.

Use Process of Elimination:

If you encounter a challenging question, employ the process of elimination to narrow down the possible answers. Eliminating obviously incorrect choices increases the likelihood of selecting the correct answer.

Trust Your Preparation:

Remind yourself that you have prepared diligently for the test. Trust in your knowledge, approach each question with confidence, and avoid second-guessing yourself excessively.

Conclusion: Navigating the Path to Licensing

Understanding what to expect from the DMV permit test is a vital aspect of effective preparation. By familiarizing yourself with the test format, types of questions, and key topics, you can approach the examination with confidence, increasing the likelihood of success.

The DMV permit test is not merely a hurdle to obtaining a driver’s license; it is a fundamental step in ensuring that drivers are equipped with the knowledge needed for responsible and safe driving. Utilize the tips and strategies outlined in this guide, stay focused on your goals, and embrace the journey towards becoming a licensed and informed driver. As you navigate the path to licensing, may your knowledge and commitment to safe driving lead to a lifetime of responsible and enjoyable experiences on the road. Safe travels!

Nigerian edtech startup, AltSchool Africa launches in Kenya

Milcah Lukhanyu
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Nigerian edtech startup, AltSchool Africa launches in Kenya

Nigerian edtech startup, AltSchool Africa has launched in Kenya following several months of work .With this launch, Kenya becomes its second East African market and will be led by Tabitha Kayvu .

Launched in 2021, AltSchool began by offering one-year diploma courses in software engineering, but its scope has broadened since then. It now has five schools: Engineering, Data, Business, Product, and the Creative Economy with courses ranging from sales to digital marketing, fintech product management, and data engineering. Currently the startup has 60,000 leaners in over 100 countries where it provides programs aimed at fast-tracking entry into global tech roles.

According to Co-founder and CEO, Adewale Yusuf , Kenya currently ranks behind Nigeria in terms of learner enrollments hence the need to set up shop in the country.

Beyond tech, AltSchool Africa aims to empower the next wave of creative economy and business ,the company has leveraged partnerships to build a community for its learners .

In 2022, it raised $1 million in a pre-seed round that had Nigerian entertainers, Folarin Balogun (Falz) and Akitoye Balogun (Ajebutter) who have been instrumental in its marketing efforts.

Nifemi Akinwamide, Head of Growth and Partnerships at AltSchool said that.the edtech has already begun conversations with communities and organisations in Kenya.

According to Akinwamide, the entry into Kenya aligns with the startup’s mission to arm Africans across the globe with the requisite skills to take on opportunities in technology, adding that there are plans to launch in other African countries where it has seen traction.

Xiaomi Kenya to Unveil the Redmi Note 13 Series

James Musoba
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Xiaomi Kenya to Unveil the Redmi Note 13 Series

Xiaomi Kenya will on January 31, 2024, unveil its Redmi Note 13 Series in the Kenyan market promising to transcend the boundaries between mid-range and flagship smartphones, delivering an extraordinary blend of durability, user experience, and imaging prowess – all at an iconic value that sets a new standard in the industry.

Set to be launched on January 31st, 2024, the Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 13 Series range include Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G, Redmi Note 13 Pro and Redmi Note 13. The pro models, Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G and Redmi Note 13 Pro reportedly come with an ultra-high resolution 200MP camera with optical image stabilization (OIS) to capture photograph while the Redmi Note 13 has a 108MP main camera with 3x lossless zoom.

The series reportedly comes with a triple camera setup of 200MP/108MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera and a 2MP macro camera, and a 16MP selfie camera powered by Xiaomi Imaging Engine. For the Display, the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G has a 1.5K AMOLED display and 1800 nits peak brightness and the Redmi Note 13 Pro and Redmi Note 13 feature a super-clear FHD+ AMOLED display. 

The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5G is is equipped with a MediaTek Dimensity 7200-Ultra chipset, a massive 5,000mAh battery to power through every busy day and offers industry-leading 120W HyperCharge, charging your Redmi Note to 100% in just 19 minutes.

Meanwhile, Redmi Note 13 Pro is said to pack a MediaTek Helio G99-Ultra chipset, and 5,000mAh battery offering 67W turbo charging, taking 45 minutes to charge to 100%. Xiaomi is also expected to introduce the Redmi Watch 4, Redmi Buds 5 Pro and Redmi Buds 5.

Redmi Note 13 Series Quick Specs

Redmi Note 13 Pro+ 5GRedmi Note 13 ProRedmi Note 13
Design• Colors: Midnight Black, Moonlight White, Aurora Purple
• Dimensions: 161.4mm x 74.2mm x 8.9mm19
• Weight: 204.5g19
• IP682		• Colors: Midnight Black, Lavender Purple, Forest Green
• Dimensions: 161.1mm x 74.95mm x 7.98mm19
• Weight: 188g19
• IP543		• Colors: Midnight Black, Mint Green, Ice Blue, Ocean Sunset18
• Dimensions: 162.24mm x 75.55mm x 7.97mm19
• Weight: 188.5g19
• IP543
Camera• 200MP main camera 
  – f/1.65 
  – OIS 
• 8MP ultra-wide camera
  – f/2.2
• 2MP macro camera
  – f/2.4
• 16MP front camera		• 200MP main camera 
  – f/1.65
  – OIS
• 8MP ultra-wide camera
  – f/2.2
• 2MP macro camera
  – f/2.4
• 16MP front camera		• 108MP main camera 
  – f/1.75
• 8MP ultra-wide camera
  – f/2.2
• 2MP macro camera
  – f/2.4
16MP front camera
Display• 6.67″ CrystalRes AMOLED display
  – Refresh rate: Up to 120Hz
  – Brightness: 1800nits peak brightness 
  – Resolution: 2712 x 1220 (1.5K resolution) 
  – Corning® Gorilla® Glass Victus®
  – Supports Dolby Vision®
  – TÜV Rheinland certifications: Circadian Friendly, Flicker Free, Low Blue Light		• 6.67″ AMOLED display
  – Refresh rate: Up to 120Hz
  – Brightness: 1300 nits peak brightness
  – Resolution: 2400 x 1080
  – Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5
  – TÜV Rheinland certifications: Circadian Friendly, Flicker Free, Low Blue Light		• 6.67″ AMOLED display
  – Refresh rate: Up to 120Hz
  – Brightness: 1800 nits peak brightness 
  – Contrast ratio: 5,000,000:1
  – Resolution: 2400 x 1080
  – Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 
  – TÜV Rheinland certifications: Circadian Friendly, Flicker Free, Low Blue Light
Performance• MediaTek Dimensity 7200-Ultra
  – 4nm manufacturing process
  – CPU: Octa-core processor, up to 2.8GHz
• LPDDR5 + UFS3.1 
– 8GB+256GB, 12GB+512GB20		• MediaTek Helio G99-Ultra
  – 6nm manufacturing process
  – CPU: Octa-core processor, up to 2.2GHz
• LPDDR4X + UFS 2.2 
  – 8GB+256GB, 12GB+512GB20
  – Expandable storage up to 1TB21		• Snapdragon® 685
  – 6nm manufacturing process
  – CPU: Octa-core processor, up to 2.8GHz 
• LPDDR4X + UFS 2.2 
  – 6GB+128GB, 8GB+128GB, 8GB+256GB20
  – Expandable storage up to 1TB21
Battery & Charging• 5,000mAh (typ) battery5 
• 120W HyperCharge
• 120W in-box charger4
• USB-C		• 5,000mAh (typ) battery5 
• 67W turbo charging
• 67W in-box charger4
• USB-C		• 5,000mAh (typ) battery5
• 33W fast charging
• 33W in-box charger4
• USB-C
Audio• Dual speakers 
• Dolby Atmos®		• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Dual speakers 
• Dolby Atmos®		• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Dual speakers 
• Dolby Atmos®
Security• In-screen fingerprint sensor 
• AI Face Unlock		• In-screen fingerprint sensor 
• AI Face Unlock		• In-screen fingerprint sensor 
• AI Face Unlock
Connectivity• Dual SIM (nano SIM + nano SIM or nano SIM + eSIM)
• Wi-Fi 6
• Bluetooth 5.3
• Supports NFC
• IR Blaster 
• Bands
   – 2G: GSM: 850 900 1800 1900MHz 
   – 3G: WCDMA:1/2/4/5/6/8/19 
   – 4G: LTE FDD:1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/18/19/20/26/28/32/66 
   – 4G: LTE TDD:38/40/41 
   – 5G: n1/3/5/7/8/20/28/38/40/41/66/77/78		• SIM 1 + Hybrid (SIM or microSD) 
• Wi-Fi 2.4GHz, 5GHz 
• Bluetooth 5.2
• Supports NFC
• IR Blaster 
• Bands
– 2G: GSM: 850 900 1800 1900MHz 
– 3G: WCDMA: 1/2/4/5/6/8/19
– 4G: LTE FDD: 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/18/19/20/26/28/66 
– 4G: LTE TDD: 38/40/41		• SIM 1 + Hybrid (SIM or MicroSD)
• Wi-Fi 2.4GHz, 5GHz 
• Bluetooth 5.1
• Supports NFC22
• IR Blaster 
• Bands
  – 2G: GSM: 850 900 1800 1900MHz 
  – 3G: WCDMA: 1/2/4/5/6/8/1923
  – 4G: LTE FDD: 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/18/19/20/26/28/6623
  – 4G: LTE TDD: 38/40/41

Apple releases a new iOS update with Stolen Device Protection and more

Dennis Mathu
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Apple releases a new iOS update with Stolen Device Protection and more

Apple has released a new major update for the iPhone and iPad inform of the iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3. It brings Stolen Device Protection, collaborative Apple Music playlists, and more.

Stolen Device Protection

The headlining feature is the Stolen Device Protection. There were reports of iPhone thefts where the thief spied on a victim to learn their passcode before going on to steal the device, leading to drained bank accounts, stolen passwords, and an untraceable ‌iPhone‌. This new feature solves that issue by requiring biometric authentication with Face ID or Touch ID to access passwords in iCloud Keychain, turning off Lost Mode, erasing content, and making purchases in Safari.

Actions like changing an Apple ID password require ‌Face ID‌ and have a one-hour security delay. So if you (or someone else) tried to change your ‌Apple ID‌ login information, you would need to authenticate with ‌Face ID‌ and then wait an hour before the password could be updated. These wait periods are not required when you are in a trusted location like home or work.

Here’s a list of all the actions that need the user to use biometric authentication:

  • Viewing/using passwords or passkeys saved in ‌iCloud‌ Keychain
  • Applying for a new Apple Card
  • Viewing an ‌Apple Card‌ virtual card
  • Turning off Lost Mode
  • Erasing all content and settings
  • Taking certain Apple Cash and Savings actions in Wallet
  • Using payment methods saved in Safari
  • Using your ‌iPhone‌ to set up a new device

The actions below will need a one hour security delay after you input your biometric authentication

  • Changing your ‌Apple ID‌ password
  • Updating select ‌Apple ID‌ account security settings, including adding or removing a trusted device, trusted phone number, Recovery Key, or Recovery Contact
  • Changing your ‌iPhone‌ passcode
  • Adding or removing ‌Face ID‌ or ‌Touch ID‌
  • Turning off Find My
  • Turning off Stolen Device Protection

Collaborative ‌Apple Music‌ Playlists and emoji reactions

Other features baked into the new iOS 17.3 update include collaborative ‌Apple Music‌ Playlists. It allows you to invite others to join in to add songs and listen to the playlist together. In addition, there’s an emoji reaction feature that allows listeners to add an emoji to any song that’s playing to express their feelings about it.

AirPlay 2 in Hotels

In select hotels, users can now stream content from an ‌iPhone‌, iPad, or Mac directly to a hotel device without having to log in to the premises TV with their credentials.

Crash Detection

The crash detection feature has been updated to prevent it from triggering during activities that cause movement similar to a car crash.

TV Show and Movie Wishlists

Wishlist feature is back. Users can access their wishlist information again in the iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3 updates. Apple has added a new “Go to Wish List” option so users can copy down their movie and TV show watch lists.

You can access the update right now for your new iPhone 15 series and previous models.

The new Apple iPhone 15 series officially available in Kenya

Dennis Mathu
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The new Apple iPhone 15 series officially available in Kenya

Apple iPhone fans in Kenya have reason to celebrate, the iPhone 15 series- iPhone 15, iPhone 15 plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are now available in the country.

The new line up is available at Apple authorized reseller stores in Kenya- Elite Digital Solutions (Apple Premium Reseller), Salute iWorld, Safaricom, Mac & More Solutions, Globoedge Solutions, powered by Redington.    

iPhone 15 Series may look similar with the previous models but they bring a plethora of changes under the skin. Firstly, Apple is finally making the transition to USB-C and ditching Lightning. This means universal cables for your phone, laptop and accessories. The cable is also much faster in data transfer, to be exact, it’s a USB 3.0 with speeds of up to 10 Gbps.

Apple iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max color options

Apple also replaced the stainless steel frame of the 14 series with titanium (on the Pro and Pro Max) which is lighter and more durable. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus have aluminum frames.

Still on the frame, the place you would normally find the mute switch, you will instead get an action button. A press and hold will once again put the phone in silent mode by default, but you can assign one of a set of actions on a press or double press – you can finally quickly open the camera on an iPhone with a button.

The screen sizes didn’t change, you still get a Super Retina XDR OLED with an adaptive 120Hz (ProMotion) refresh rate, HDR10, Dolby Vision, and a peak brightness of 2,000 nits. Always-on display has expanded to include Stand-by, a landscape mode for when you’re charging.

iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max feature summary

To keep up the photography prowess of the iPhone, Apple overhauled the camera system. There’s a 48MP main camera, which has a bigger sensor with 1.22µm pre-binned pixels and second-generation sensor-shift stabilization. The lens is a 24mm f/1.78. It can now capture 48MP HEIF images alongside 48MP ProRAW and can choose between 28mm and 35mm digital zoom modes.

For the first time ever, an iPhone has a periscope camera but on the 15 Pro Max only. The periscope enables the Pro Max to zoom past 3x and up to 5x, or 120mm in 35mm equivalent terms. The lens itself is an f/2.8, the brightest on a 120mm camera on a phone. Zoom on the iPhone 15 Pro is handled by a 77mm 3x zoom camera with 1µm pixels and an f/2.8 lens.

Both the Pro models share a new 13mm f/2.2 1.4µm ultrawide with 100% focus pixels and macro focusing abilities.

The standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models feature the new 48MP Main camera with a 2x Telephoto lens right beside it.

iPhone 15 and 15 Plus features summary

Doing the heavy lifting is a new A17 Pro chip on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. its the first 3nm chip in the industry. It is coupled with 6-core processor with 2 performance cores plus a 6-core GPU. The GPU enables hardware-accelerated Ray Tracing, which is supposedly 4 times faster than the software-based Ray Tracing on last year’s chip. It is capable of running console games like Resident Evil Village and Assassin’s Creed Mirage which Apple showcased at the launch event.

Apple iPhone 15 and 15 Plus color options

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will run on last year’s A16 Bionic chipset. They also come with “all-day battery life”, and five new colors as seen above.

For pricing information, you can visit Apple authorized stores in Kenya or check out Redington online store.

The African tech ecosystem raised a total of $3.5B in 2023, but it could have been 2X higher

James Musoba
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The African tech ecosystem raised a total of $3.5B in 2023, but it could have been 2X higher

African technology startups secured $3.5B in total funding (equity and debt combined) in 2023, marking a 46% decrease from the previous year, spread across 547 deals (-28% YoY) according to a new report by Partech Africa, the VC fund by Partech, dedicated to technology startups in Africa.

The annual Africa Tech Venture Capital report, which aims to provide a comprehensive and in-depth view into the evolution of the Africa Tech VC ecosystem, reveals that the African tech sector saw a significant slowdown in 2023, securing only half the amount of funding it did in 2022.

“Two years into the global downturn, it’s clear the African tech ecosystem is experiencing the full severity of it even though it’s faring much better than the Latin America and Southeast Asia regions” explains Cyril Collon, General Partner at Partech. “Despite this correction, over the last 10 years, the African tech ecosystem has still grown nearly 10x in transactions and funding amount with about $20B invested in roughly 3,000 deals, 68% of it in the last three years”. 

The report sheds light on the resilience of debt funding. Despite a 22% drop in the total amount raised from $1.6B in 2022 to $1.2B in 2023, the sector showed resilience with a modest increase in the number of debt deals from 71 in 2022 to 74 in 2023.

According to the report, the African tech ecosystem saw a massive 50% decrease in active investors (569 vs 1,149 in 2022) and a similar 49% decrease in highly active investors who participated in 5+ deals. In the VC downturn, many investors disappeared from the market, leaving startups with fewer options.

There was also a large drop at the Growth stage, where the average ticket size fell by another 31% YoY in 2023 to $34.7M following last year’s severe -50% drop. The Seed and Series A stages experienced drops of 8% and 16% respectively, compared to their 2022 averages. In contrast, the Series B stage maintained a steady average deal size at $18.9M, consistent with the previous year.

“In this dry market, the African tech ecosystem paid much more attention to Francophone Africa growing its share of transaction and funding” comments Tidjane Deme. “The steady growth of this region over the last years is explained by the ability of local investors – who drive more and more of the ecosystem – to expand beyond the top markets visible to global investors. They see the untapped opportunity in Francophone countries.”

South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt and Kenya are still making the top 4 for African VC investment, with their contribution to the total volume amounting to 79%, despite a slight decrease in deal count with 68% of all deals (vs. 77% in 2022). South Africa emerged as the leader of the African tech funding landscape securing $548M in equity, despite a 34% YoY decrease. However, when combining equity and debt, Kenya takes the leadership with $719M raised, thanks to the largest debt haul.

Nigeria, although it experienced a significant 59% drop in total equity funding to $468M, remained at the forefront in terms of the number of equity deals. Egypt faced the most substantial impact among the top four, with its equity deal count plunging by 58% to just 60 deals. Outside of the top 4 countries, Morocco and Ghana are the only other countries surpassing the $50M equity funding threshold.

Francophone Africa stands out, with 52% of the countries (vs. 46% in 2022) that have seen a transaction in 2023, i.e., 14 countries out of 27 countries. This region takes a growing share of equity investment in Africa: 15% of the 2023 funding (vs 11% in 2022) and 20% of transactions (vs 12% in 2022), representing two thirds of the equity funding and deal counts outside the top four markets.

Fintech held its position as the leading sector in the African tech ecosystem, being the first both in deal count, with 113 deals, and in funding amount with $852M, i.e. 37% of the total equity investment. e-commerce and cleantech tie for the second spot, commanding each 13% of the total funding amounts.

Female-founded startups raised 25% of equity deals, up 3 percentage points (p.p.) from 2022. They accounted for $392M (-39% YoY) or 17% of the total equity funding (+4 %p.p. YoY) marking a modest shift towards gender diversification among recipients. But when it comes to debt, female-led startups only account for 2% of the funding.

There was also an increase in debt as a solid alternative source of capital for African tech startups in 2023, representing 35% of the total $3.5B, a jump of 11 percentage points compared to the 24% of 2022. The debt funding is led by Kenya (32% of total debt funding) and focused mostly on Cleantech (50%) and Fintech (26%).

Opera Mini’s new Shake and Win to award AFCON fans over 180,000 prizes in Kenya, Nigeria & South Africa

James Musoba
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Opera Mini’s new Shake and Win to award AFCON fans over 180,000 prizes in Kenya, Nigeria & South Africa

Opera browser in 2006 launched Opera Mini, its fast, mini browser with unique features such as Data Compression, Offline File Sharing, and a built-in ad-blocker which has been downloaded over 1 billion times on the Google Play Store.

However, it seems that is not enough for Opera and the firm has invested millions of dollars to follow the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with a new edition of its popular “Shake and Win” campaign runing for four weeks in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.

With over 180,000 prizes and exciting new ways to win prizes while competing against rival teams, players have more ways than ever to shake their way to victory in a move to draw new and existing users to the mini browser. An edition during the most recent World Cup racked up a million shakes a day from over 13 million players across the continent, animating a passionate user base and sending Opera Mini to the top of the Google Play download charts in Nigeria and Kenya.

“AFCON is always an exciting time in the footballing calendar – the stadiums come alive with such tremendous atmosphere as teams from around Africa vie for glory. So we’re thrilled to bring our users, many of whom are avid football fans, even more fun throughout the tournament, with a chance to bring home fantastic prizes,” said Jørgen Arnesen, EVP Mobile at Opera.

The Shake and Win campaign page will be accessible via a floating button on the start page of the Opera Mini browser. From there, players can shake their phones to win either an immediate reward, or a puzzle piece. If players collect six individual pieces and complete the puzzle, they are eligible to win one of a variety of prizes like cash, MiniPay vouchers, and airtime.

This edition of Shake and Win will feature some additional fun, as participants can earn extra shakes by completing various missions to boost their chances of winning. Discovering different aspects of the browser – for example taking advantage of the built-in Live Scores feature embedded within Opera Mini – will afford players even more shakes, and thus more chances to win.

Opera is furthermore tapping into the spirit of AFCON by giving users from different nations the chance to compete against each other in the inaugural Opera Cup. Users will win points for their home nation by successfully completing missions, the points for which are tallied on a leaderboard. The country with the highest points total toward the end of the campaign will win the Cup – and, notably, an overall boost to their prize pool, offering the winners even more opportunities to take home prizes and glory.

A speedy browser geared for football fans

Opera Mini is the perfect browser for football fans. An integrated Live Scores service puts Africa’s most popular game at users’ fingertips, so fans can track multiple games at a time from competitions around the world. During AFCON, fans can choose their favorite teams or star preferred games from within the scoreboard to enjoy tailored notifications and live updates. That way, football fans can follow every minute of the exciting AFCON action with in-depth statistics and running commentary – right from inside the Opera Mini browser.

Lightweight and speedy, Opera Mini is a mobile browser that helps users save up to 90% of their data through its unique Data Compression technology. Opera users supported by partnered telecommunications networks are furthermore afforded free data just for making Opera Mini their default browser. A secure, flexible, and fast option for users seeking to save as much data as possible, Opera Mini additionally supports offline file sharing and boasts a built-in ad blocker.

So get in the spirit of AFCON! Download Opera Mini for your chance to shake and win – all while battling rivals and bringing home top prizes.

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