Kenya’s PesaPal, an online payment system allowing buyers to pay for goods and services online via mobile money and credit cards, has today launched in Malawi.
Founded in may 2010, and dubbed as Africa’s PayPal, the 2012 Forbes top 20 African startups aims to make payments in Africa convenient by allowing merchants to accept payments via mobile money and credit cards. Africa is a big market for mobile money, PesaPal allows merchants to power their shops using its platform.
Announcing the move, Agosto Liko updated his Facebook status saying, “PesaPal Malawi #Done PesaPal now covers a population of 170 Million. Next, Nigeria, Ghana & Zambia – 400m – license to change payments in Africa#GameChanger … #smallball.”
Apart from proving a simple, safe and secure way for individuals and businesses to make and accept payments in Africa. PesaPal also works with banks, Mobile Network Operators and payment card firms to give consumers as many payment options as possible. It also has PesaPal SchoolPay, to allow parents pay for their kids school fees from their comfort of their homes. It’s other platform Ticketsasa, an online ticketing platform helps event organizers accept payments days before the event itself.
PesaPal is available in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Botswana, Zimbabwe among others. The firm’s expansion challenges local African firms to serve the pan-African market than just their neighbors. Kenya’s Seven Seas Technologies has also expanded across the continent.
Mobile social network Eskimi has announced it will be a media sponsor of the 4th Mobile Money Expo, the leading event in promoting mobile money in Africa set to be held at the Lagos Orientals Hotel on February 12 – 13.
The event is expected to attract Nigeria’s leading Application and platform providers, mobile network operators, Financial institutions, Micro Finance organizations, Telecommunications and Financial regulators, international remittance organizations, Regional governments, Embassy Trade office, support services providers, mobilemoney providers and many others.
According to Emmanuel Okoegwale, the Principal Associate, MobileMoneyAfrica, “The 2014 edition will focus on promoting financial inclusion via innovative policies, agent banking,mobile financial services, technologies, applications, agency network,card services and many other innovative channels of promoting the frontiers of financial inclusion in Africa”
In a statement, Okoegwale added the event is an avenue to explore new cooperation and partnerships that will unleash the potentials of mobile financial services in Africa. At the conference, a new forum dubbed the East – West be launched to promote collaboration, knowledge sharing and partnerships between East and West Africa, cutting across mobile money providers,policy makers, innovators , sotfware providers to up financial inclusion.
Rocket Internet’s Jumia has launched in Uganda as the company promises to provide its new customers with a wide range of products including: fashion, electronics, home appliances, mobile devices and beauty.
The launch in Uganda makes JUMIA available in six African countries (Kenya, Nigeria , Morocco, Egypt and Ivory Coast ) beating Konga.com, its closest competitor by storm.
According to a statement made available to TechMoran, after the purchase has been completed online it will be delivered directly to the customer’s doorstep. With ‘Cash-On-Delivery’ (COD) customers will be able to make payments in cash once the goods have been received and if they feel they want to return the item, they can do so easily as Jumia offers an easy and stress-free returns policy.
In a statement, Co-founder of JUMIA, Jeremy Hodara said, “We want to offer all Africans a variety of assortments with a high quality for best prices. After our launch in Nigeria, Morocco, Kenya, Egypt and Ivory Coast in less than one and a half years we are eager to expand our success story to Uganda. We see the same potential here and are more than happy to provide every citizen in Uganda with a secure, convenient and stress-free online shopping experience.
Jumia has done so much in just a few months after its launch. Last year alone, the firm launched its first mobile application, created its own ecommerce campus in West Africa and won “The Best New Retail Launch of the Year” at the World Retail Awards – being the first African company to win an award at the prestigious conference.
FrienditePlus is back online after a 3-month site overhaul. Set to unveil its new look site, Emmanuel Okeke, CEO of FrienditePlus said the social network has new features, powered functionalities and its user experience is better.
“Yes indeed, we have been receiving comments addressing to us as Facebook copycat, so that’s why we have decided to come up with a different look and present to our users something very unique and totally different from Facebook and even better than what Facebook could offer,”said Okeke.
“In 2weeks time the site would be live, we can’t wait any longer to see how our users react to the wonderful and extraordinary designs”
FrienditePlus is currently ranked position 14th in Nigeria according to “startupranking”
Launched last year, the social network allows users to chat,upload,share articles or photos or other docs with friends, families online. The platform was inspired by LagBook, the then fastest growing social network founded by the Nwaougu twins which was sold.
In August FrienditePlus recorded over 201,367 users and Okeke told TechMoran he had raised $40,000 from Ranok Oil International $ Sons Limited to rebrand and launch across Africa.
To start this off, the MoCT coordinated a Ministerial Roundtable with IBM to identifying technology adoption opportunities in the country and promoting the exchange of ideas between key government officials and IBM’s senior leadership team.
IBM earlier identified several “Grand Challenges” of concern to much of Africa and Nigeria in the areas of water and sanitation, energy management, financial services, human mobility (including transportation) and public safety, healthcare and agriculture.
The roundtable was aimed at initiating conversations between IBM subject matter experts and a high level Government team with the Ministries’ most affected by these “Grand Challenges” represented by their Ministers or Permanent Secretaries.
They focused on the various processes necessary for facilitating the adoption of Smart Government solutions to develop Nigeria’s healthcare delivery, government to citizen engagement, transparency and accountability in government and deploying ICTs for inclusive development.
Minister of Communication Technology, Omobola Johnson, said: “Technology is a key driver of economic and social development that should be adopted to facilitate the development of key sectors of the economy for the benefit of Nigerians.”
She added that the ministry has the commitment of ensuring that ICT is leveraged to enhance and facilitate the transformational development of Nigeria in critical sectors of the economy.
Ginni Rometty , IBM’s chairman and CEO, highlighted IBM’s historic ties to Africa’s most populous nation, and expressed support for Nigeria’s technology development agenda being coordinated by the Ministry of Communication Technology (MoCT).
“Technology innovation is a key ingredient for social and economic transformation, and critical for crossing the innovation divide. I am encouraged to see the Ministry of Communication Technology spearheading technology reforms in Nigeria, encouraging investment in key building blocks of growth such as education and skills, digital and physical infrastructure and scientific and technical research,” said Rometty.
She underscored IBM’s capacity to plug into the local technology ecosystem, supporting e-commerce and e-government initiatives, spurring the transfer and commercialization of new technologies from academia to industry, and deploying IBM’s proven assets and research capabilities to help resolve some of Africa’s most pressing challenges such as energy, water, human mobility, agriculture, healthcare, financial inclusion and public safety.
Government and IBM officials will work together through IBM Research Africa Lab.
Online superstore Jumia has picked a list of top five gifts for this romantic season to help you say I love you to your special one. The amazing gifts will make your love remember you days after all the valentine candles have been blown out and the roses have faded away.
The move also aims to simplify the pain we all go through at picking the right gift.
“This is usually not easy, says Jumia. “Leave the gift picking to us while you arrange the plans for restaurant, for the long weekend getaway this valentine. Our gift guide include some of the best gifts you can get for your partner even if they come in the smallest packages they make the perfect statement for him or her. ”
For him
Men’s gifts are a lot harder to pick out especially these days when men are more fashion forward and tech savvy. Nothing says I love your more for a man like the latest Samsung smartphone, A dolce & Gabbana perfume, the latest PlayStation 4 game console, Rotary wristwatch and A bottle of the finest Veuve clicquot la Grande dame brut champagne. All for your classy man this valentine.
For Her
Women’s valentine’s gifts are different from your everyday gifts. It has to make her feel unique and special, like Hand made Jewelry from Le Reve pieces for the elegant and stylish woman or Coco Chanel perfume to spray love all over her. Also Color her red in a red-hot dress to make the valentine day dinner look complete. Let her walk in style in those killer shoes pro-founding her new found self with you.
To top it up, if you have found the ONE, seal your love this valentine with the DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING Jumia is giving away this valentine to one lucky couple.
With every valentine gift you buy on Jumia with your Paga account, you get a 10% cash back in the ‘Paga Give love get love promotion.
JUMIA is offering you free shipping in Lagos this valentine so start your valentine shopping early to take advantage of the free shipping. All your gifts can be delivered to you and your love this valentine.
SEACOM’s CEO Mark Simpson is leaving the company in pursuit of personal interest, announced SEACOM.
The company had this to say about their CEO: “Mark has led the business from a successful project finance initiative into a dynamic broadband subsea cable operator. SEACOM Founder and original CEO Brian Herlihy has agreed to assume the leadership role at SEACOM.”
The SEACOM business is well known to Brian given his role in establishing SEACOM. Brian is tasked with continuing the expansion of SEACOM’s product offering and world class customer service offering into Africa and beyond.”
Angola’s minister of Telecommunications and Information Technologies, José Carvalho da Rocha, says that the introduction of the mobile library services as well as the launch of new networks of mobile multimedia libraries across the country will ensure that the students have a much greater access to various IT and multimedia content to develop their research, which will have a great impact the their lifestyle.
The minister said in inaugurating the Mobile Media library for Luanda that internet access would increase students’ knowledge and may decease the time at which is spent on their research. He said the project would be extended to all counties, giving free access students who register to use the multimedia services.
GSMA mWomen is in the verge of celebrating the winner of the 2014 GSMA Global Mobile Award for “Best Mobile Product or Service for Women in Emerging Markets”, it aims at saluting an innovative product or service specifically designed to meet the wants and needs of underserved women in developing countries.
The nominees of this year have already been shortlisted and winners are to be announced on Tuesday, 25th February. The 2014 shortlist for “Best Mobile Product or Service for Women in Emerging Markets” come from around the globe, all with offerings that increase women’s access and use of mobile phones:
Easypaisa
Etisalat for Etisalat’s mWomen program – Weena
Millicom for Tigo Ghana Market Women MFS project
Vodafone Foundation in India, the Self Employed Women Association (SEWA) and the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women (CBFW) for RUDI Sandesha Vyavhar (RSV) project
Yesteam Solution Private Limited for SHG E Bookkeeping
In 2013, Ooredoo’s Asiacell won the prestigious prize with the Almas Line, it is a deep and comprehensive consumer insights research allowed Asiacell to understand the wants and needs of women in its market and to tailor Almas Line offerings to the demands of Iraqi women for mobile technology. It Included “step charging,” which offers a 50 percent discount after the third minute; freedom for women to choose their own off-peak hours; discounted rates for off-network calls; and a free “bye-bye” service that blocks potential harassers from calling or texting.
Since the launch of the product in April 2011, the proportion of Asiacell’s female customers has grown to close to 40 percent and about 1.8 million women in Iraq have been connected to friends and family, allowing Asiacell to significantly increase its customer base while strongly contributing to closing the mobile gender gap in Iraq.
The Commercial Bank of Africa and leading integrated communications services provider in Kenya, Safaricom have announced plans to increase the number of M-Shwari customers in the coming months.
M-Shwari is a paperless banking service offered to M-PESA customers. It enables them open and operate an M-Shwari bank account through a mobile phone, via M-PESA, without having to visit banks or fill out any forms.
The two organisations aspire to grow the number of people using the revolutionary service that allows them to save and borrow loans against their savings, from the current 6 million, with a view to fulfilling the country’s Financial Inclusion agenda.
The move will boost the number of Kenyans in the formal financial fold from 21.12 million giving them a chance to access formal financial services.
“M-Shwari has registered immense success since it was launched in November 2012. So far loans amounting to over Kshs. 7.8 billion disbursed, out of the more than Kshs. 24 billion that has been deposited into customers M-Shwari accounts. One wonders where these amounts would have been had it not been for M-Shwari,” said Bob Collymore, during the launch of a consumer promotion for M-Shwari customers.
The Chief Executive Officer, CBA, Jeremy Ngunze said: “Until Safaricom introduced this service the number of people who were in the formal financial fold remained low. We are optimistic that the consumer promotion we have launched today we’ll see more people save and borrow loans for their economic activities.
Over 30 million will be up for grabs during the three-month promotion that will target existing and new M-Shwari customers.
One customer will scoop Kshs. 5 million Grand Prize, while each week, one customer will win Kshs. 1 million and 15 customers will win Kshs. 100,000. Every day, 100 randomly selected customers will have their M-Shwari savings doubled during the duration of the consumer promotion.
All prizes will be paid directly to the customers M-Shwari accounts, during the promotion that starts today and runs until March 20th, 2014.
Over the past decade and more, the old fashioned way of making money in the music business has been selling recorded albums. Many pop stars have switched their focus to selling concert tickets, but its gotten trickier now that everyone else is having the same idea.
Now they have to be more creative and here are the ways they do this: 1. Touring artists
They sell their products like caps and shirts. Artists like One direction have had a pay day of $225,000 per show for these sales.
2. Licensing fees from movies, commercials & TV shows
It says it all, imagine all the movies, commercials and TV shows that musicians have featured in or their songs have been themes. Artists like Wahu have ventured this way with the Rexona advert, am sure she has gotten a huge pay.
3. Marketing your name as a brand
Artists have made money by marketing products with their names. Example is Jessica Simpson, she has a collection of hats and jeggings named Jessica Simpson Collection. The downside to this venture is going to fashion shows, sitting in meetings and evaluating new products, which has proved to be time consuming.
4. Fragrances
Want to smell like Justin Beiber, Beyonce, Britney Spears or J Lo, well you can always buy their fragrances at any beauty shop. Artists have licensed their names to fragrances, like the Beibs “Someday” which netted $3 million in its first 3 weeks on sale.
5. Investing in Tech companies
Imagine investing in facebook and Twitter, with the profits that they earn. If the local artists can invest in the local companies, it will be a good payday for both parties. The only downside to this is that its a risky venture as it varies wildly.
Obutu Anyona lost his dad in 1998, when he was just 13 years and in class seven, as any normal teenager he knew that putting their dad’s photo among the obituaries in a newspaper did cost money, they gave up.
16 years later, moved by the Westgate Attack deaths, Anyona has launched Lovefied.com an online obituary and memorial site so as just about everyone can honor a lost loved one. He told TechMoran that it’s painful to see a loved one go, even more painful not to afford an obituary, his platform therefore aims to be the go-to place for everyone who feels they need not pay for expensive print obituaries which last for just a short while.
“Things are getting online, so are services, people need not spend anymore on newspapers which do not reach everyone. With Lovefied users can set up an account quickly, launch a profile for their lost loved ones and add photos, eulogies and condolences, he told TechMoran.
“Apart from just being an online obituary site, Lovefied also has a service providers section for insurance companies, funeral homes, flower providers and transport companies to advertise their services and connect with those that need them,” he added.
Though he has just launched it in Kenya, the BSC Software Engineering graduate from Kenyatta University says the platform is accessible world over. He says he aims to charge users to post obituries on the site but the charges won’t be as high as they are in print. The platform is expected to be the cheapest, permanent way to share memories with family and friends from anywhere in the world.
The online memorial website also has a blog, for users to post their views and help heal the bereaved and honor and celebrate the the dead. It seeks to keep the memories of the dead alive by creating personalized pages and also allowing users to talk about their loss, share messages of support and remembrance and support each other
Lovefied has a forever premium package and an annual package where users pay for the profiles of loved ones to be online for just one year. The site’s sections include Obituary section, Transport Arrangements section, Upcoming Memorials, Upcoming Celebrations, Support Module – for fundraising, Photo Gallery and a yet to be launched Candles, Timeline, Music, Video section.
Anyona says creating a profile on lovefied.com will cost a user between Ksh 3,999.00 and Kshs 6,999.00 for the Annual and Premium Package respectively or daily packages of between Shs10 or 20/day by paying via Mpesa, Airtel Money, Yu Cash, Equity Bank Eazzy247, Co-Op Bank Mobile Banking, Visa, MasterCard and PayPal.
‘House of Cards’ stars Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright will get another season of their hit Netflix series to bring on the drama.
Netflix says its acclaimed drama “House of Cards” will get a third season.
The online video provider had previously been cagey about the future of the series, which initially received a two-season order of 13 episodes apiece.
‘HOUSE OF CARDS’ Season 2, TO RETURN IN FEBRUARY 14th
Netflix offered no details concerning production start or release date for the third season’s 13 episodes.
“House of Cards” stars Kevin Spacey as a diabolical former U.S. senator now risen to vice president.
A two-time Oscar winner, Spacey is also a producer of “House of Cards” and just like Netflix doesn’t disclose how many people watch the series or any of its originals, but said that — according to the numbers he has seen — “‘House of Cards’ is the most-watched show in the history of Netflix in every country that Netflix is in.” He did shed some light on how video streaming services have forever changed the relationship between the audience and the television they watch. While he doubts everybody now binge-watches television shows, he concedes that business models are changing and have changed for quite some time now. “I think that maybe the days of appointment viewing are behind us.”
The first season instantly made Netflix a force in the arena of original video content and snagged nine prime-time Emmy nominations. Robin Wright won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Spacey’s scheming wife.
Asked by a reporter about how many seasons he thinks “House of Cards” can be extended to, Spacey didn’t take long to reply, if jokingly, but in a serious tone: 37.
EY today announced a three year sponsorship agreement with Mara Foundation – a social enterprise that has been set up to support Africa’s emerging entrepreneurs in a move that will see EY provide mentors, monitoring and evaluation systems to improve Mara’s efficiency and general structuring, governance and operational advice.
This is aimed at boosting the chances of entrepreneurs turning their business ideas into reality and a shared belief that SMEs will act as a fundamental channel for increasing employment and building economic growth in Africa.
According to Ajen Sita, CEO for EY, Africa, “EY is passionate about supporting entrepreneurship and partnering with Mara Foundation in this regard is a perfect fit for us. It allows us to continue living our purpose of ‘Building a better working world’ through nurturing and developing entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are important to a nations’ economic health and by uplifting them we are giving back to the communities in which we live and serve.”
The sponsorship comes just one week after the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) announced a shake-up of aid programmes in Africa – shifting away from traditional priorities such as fighting disease and hunger and doubling funding in investments that boost growth and create jobs. Last month, Japan also announced a greater focus on Africa, as did the US who revealed plans to host a US-Africa summit in August to further strengthen ties with “one of the world’s most dynamic and fastest-growing regions”.
Mara Foundation, part of Mara Group, was established in 2009 to help create sustainable economic and business development opportunities for young business owners through a variety of initiatives including Mara Mentor – an online mentoring platform developed by Mara Online and Mara Ad-Venture Fund – a micro venture capital vehicle.
The deal will see EY to connect with entrepreneurs via Mara Foundation across Africa and further facilitate the opportunity to offer them concerted support in their growth.
“By 2040, Africa will be home to 1 in 5 of the world’s young people, and will have the largest workforce globally, at 1.1bn people. If Africa truly wants to compete internationally, we must seize the opportunity now to develop a workforce that is competent, confident and creative. Mara Foundation has been set up for this very reason, and I’m delighted that EY are on board to support us in our endeavours. Their insights and expertise will be invaluable to the entrepreneurs we work with,”Ashish J Thakkar, Founder of Mara Group and Mara Foundation.
Former Mayor of New York City, Michael R. Bloomberg has launched a $10 million Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa, a three-year pan-African program to build media capacity, convene international leaders and improve access to information in order to advance transparency, accountability and governance on the continent.
According to a release statement, the initiative aims to support timely and accurate reporting of business and financial matters which play a critical role in advancing efficient markets and pushing economic and social growth through news coverage, expanding training programs for journalists and providing greater access to reliable data about Africa.
The Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa will work with the University of Nairobi’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications and Strathmore Business School in Kenya; the University of Lagos’s Department of Mass Communications and the Pan Atlantic University’s Lagos Business School in Nigeria; and the Rhodes University’s School of Journalism and Media Studies and the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science in South Africa to develop and deliver educational programs focused on business, economics, public policy, finance and journalism to enhance the skills and knowledge of media professionals.
“Reliable data and financial analysis bring transparency to markets and promote sound economic development – and they can help keep Africa growing and creating opportunity,” said Michael R. Bloomberg. “The Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa will foster collaboration, support professional growth and nurture the leaders who are contributing to the continent’s very bright future.”
“The Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa is not only topical, timely, relevant and useful, but it is also contemporary both in structural and conceptual pluralism,” said Dr. Ralph A. Akinfeleye, Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Lagos in Nigeria. “By providing rigorous training from best-in-class faculty, media professionals and other stakeholders from the South, East and West African countries, the initiative will positively impact transparency, accountability, good governance and sustainable economic growth on the continent.”
Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa will also provide scholarships to the next generation of media professionals and experiential training opportunities to graduate students.
Linus Gitahi, CEO of the Nation Media Group in Kenya, said, “More and well-trained journalists serve the public interest by enabling the media to provide fuller coverage of key development issues. We applaud Bloomberg for making this welcome investment in the education and training of African journalists.”
In collaboration with partners including the Ford Foundation, Bloomberg will host annual forums for African leaders and international experts to examine emerging trends and discuss media best practices. There will be a fellowship program to reward and enhance excellence in media.
“This effort to deepen the coverage of complex issues holds the promise of advancing good governance and transparency, strengthening civil society organizations and providing the citizens of South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria with crucial information to bolster their democracies,” said Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation. “We have collaborated with Bloomberg on many important initiatives in the United States, such as urban development and the transformative power of arts and culture with impressive outcomes. The ability to bring about substantive change puts Michael Bloomberg in a distinct class embodying the best of philanthropy.”
Other partners include the Ibrahim Foundation and ONE, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Mahindra Comviva, a provider of mobility solutions, has been named as the mobile financial solution of 2013 at the third edition of Frost and Sullivan Growth Leadership award for its mobiquity® platform.
The award is a validation of Mahindra Comviva’s commitment to transform lives through mobile financial transactions for the banked and unbanked. Globally, Mahindra Comviva’s platform has successfully processed more than 10 billion transactions, impacting 7% of the world’s population.
According to Srinivas Nidugondi, Senior VP & Head of Mobile Financial Solutions, Mahindra Comviva, “We are extremely honored to be a recipient of the popular Frost & Sullivan Awards. Our mobiquity® platform is a result of our constant effort to innovate and create a safe, secured, convenient environment to provide instant non-cash transactions at any time and from anywhere. It validates our unequivocal market leadership in the mobile financial space.”
The Frost & Sullivan awards seek to recognize companies that have pushed the boundaries of excellence, rising above the competition and demonstrating outstanding performance. Mahindra Comviva is among top 3 mobile financial providers, handling millions of transactions every day and empowering over 700 million consumers globally.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practice Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development.
Awards are based entirely on the merit of the product, service, or technology being evaluated. The first phase of our research process focuses on key industry challenges. Once these are determined, it is then possible to identify applicable measurements that address those challenges.
Earlier I ran a story about M-Kazi, an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) job application service connecting job seekers to employers, which has shut down. I unethically went live without hearing from the founders and out of good faith, I have pulled down the story.
To clear the several angles from our tipsters, to answer your questions and protect everyone involved including our readers, co-founder Lino Carcoforo has volunteered facts on why the firm shut down its operations.
M-Kazi raised a total of USD200,000, NOT $660,000.Main reasons for winding down:1. Billing issues with Safaricom – Having negotiated rates through Craft Silicon to ensure better margins on SMS and USSD, M-Kazi was not able to bill Safaricom directly due to a lack of a tripartite agreement.2. Lack of cash flow due to not being able to bill3. Discrepancy between M-Kazi system sms sent and Safaricom delivery reports4. Failure to close subsequent funding as a result of not showing adequate growth in user acquisition – again, directly tied to lack of marketing spend.Below is our email conversation.
IBM has dedicated $100 million to improve Africa’s quality of life through a 10 year technology project called ‘Project Lucy’.
This name was given in honour of the oldest human ancestor found on the continent and the project will include the artificial intelligence in IBM’s famous Jeopardy-playing supercomputer, Watson.
“In the last decade, Africa has been a tremendous growth story — yet the continent’s challenges, stemming from population growth, water scarcity, disease, low agricultural yield, and other factors are impediments to inclusive economic growth,” said Kamal Bhattacharya, director of IBM Research in Africa. “With the ability to learn from emerging patterns and discover new correlations, Watson’s cognitive capabilities hold enormous potential in Africa – helping it to achieve in the next two decades what today’s developed markets have achieved over two centuries.”
Watson represents a new era of cognitive computing in which systems and software are not programmed but rather improve by learning so they can discover answers to questions and insights after analyzing massive amounts of data.
The new Africa Research lab will use Watson technologies to provide researchers with the resources they need to develop commercial solutions in healthcare, education, water and sanitation, human mobility, and agriculture.
IBM is setting up a new pan-African Center of Excellence for Data-Driven Development (CEDD) and it is recruiting research partners such as universities, development agencies, startups, and clients in Africa and around the world.
“For Africa to join, and eventually leapfrog, other economies, we need comprehensive investments in science and technology that are well integrated with economic planning and aligned to the African landscape,” said Prof Rahamon Bello, vice chancellor at the University of Lagos.
IBM expects to evaluate data such as food price patterns, poverty, gross domestic product, and disease outbreaks then take that data and turn it into actions.
“The next wave of development in Africa requires a new collaborative approach where nonprofit and commercial organizations like RTI and IBM work together to consolidate, analyze and act upon the continent’s data,” said Aaron Williams, executive vice president for international development at RTI International. “Data-driven development has the potential to improve the human condition and provide decision makers with the insight they need to make more targeted interventions.”
IBM will give partners in Africa access to its cloud computing technologies through Project Lucy. Two of the first areas of focus are healthcare and education.
Big Blue will open innovation centers in Lagos, Nigeria; Casablanca, Morocco; and Johannesburg, South Africa. IBM is also opening its software-as-a-service portfolio to African universities.
Sony has decided to sell off its VAIO PC and Laptop arm to Japan Industrial Partners (JIP), the deal will be sealed at the end of March this year. The electronics company said that the demand for their computers had dropped in prior financial statements.
The company has worked hard in reforming its TV arm ad splitting it into a standalone entity by June of this year. Sony has decided to focus on those post-PC products which include smartphones and tablets. The company reported that in the third quarter of 2013 the mobile arm increased its sales, but still forecasts an annual loss of around $1.1 billion for the full year as it had previously projected a 30 billion yen profit.
The PS4 sold 4.3 million units and 9.7 million games in its first six weeks. The games arm also saw a “dramatic increase” in PlayStation Plus subscriptions.
Sony will now focus on its high-end sets and 4K screens and hopes that changes will ensure the TV business makes a good profit in the next financial year.
Sony will cut a total of 5,000 jobs worldwide (1,500 in Japan) by the end of the 2014 fiscal year, while the new PC company has stated that it will hire around 250 to 300 Sony employees, encompassing design, development manufacturing and sales.
The company is promising to fulfil all its aftercare warranties. Sony is signed up to invest 5 percent of the new company’s capital to support its launch and smooth over the transition. Restructuring costs across both the TV and PC segments are now set to cost an extra 20 billion yen.
Kenya’sM-KOPA Solar has raised $ 20 million (Ksh 1.72billion) in debt funding led by Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, LGT Venture Philanthropy, clients of Imprint Capital, and Netri Foundation.
The $20 million funding includes grants from DFID UK, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Shell Foundation. And there is re-investment by lead equity investors Gray Ghost Ventures.
The funds will be used to scale up sales and operations in East Africa, expansion into other markets, R&D and business intelligence. Expand their customer base from 50,000 homes to one million homes by 2018. M-KOPA Solar is an innovative asset financing company that sells solar home systems to off grid households, on an affordable 12-month mobile money payment plan.
The funding includes a $10 million(Ksh 860 million) commercial-grade syndicated debt facility fronted by a leading The system is sold in partnership with the Safaricom dealer network, and the consumer payment plan is offered through Safaricom’s mobile money platform, M-PESA.
Mr. Jesse Moore, Co-Founder and Managing Director, M-KOPA Solar says, “The M-KOPA Solar model makes world class solar systems affordable for low income consumers – most of whom live below the poverty line. It’s a model that is also proving attractive to investors. At the heart of our business is our patented technology platform that combines embedded GSM with mobile payments to revolutionise asset financing.
“We know Kenyans spend over $ 1 million (Ksh 86 billion) a year on kerosene. We also know Kenyans would prefer brighter, healthier and safer alternatives. We’ve developed our technology and business model precisely to meet that consumer need.”
The collateral for the CBA-led loan is M-KOPA Solar’s future cash flows from its customer payment plans. This innovative lending structure involves the securitisation of a loan book composed of low-income consumers, sometimes without bank accounts or fixed abode, paid entirely through the Safaricom M-PESA system. This is different to most collateral packages that are backed up by assets – like land.
Mr. Jeremy Ngunze, CEO at CBA says, “As a group, we understand the aspirations and realities of African economies and this investment in M-KOPA Solar makes sound business sense for us.
“There is very little formal credit or financial information on how off grid households consume and pay for energy. We’re very impressed with M-KOPA Solar’s technology platform, which allows them to extend credit to customers who are otherwise lacking formal collateral or credit histories. And it is clear that there is an enormous, creditable market that wants to be empowered by cutting-edge energy, telecommunications and financial solutions.”
Mr. Bob Collymore, CEO, Safaricom Limited says, “We’re incredibly proud to have been an anchor partner for M-KOPA Solar and to see this Kenyan success story starting to go global. Our technology, fantastic customers and dealer network have provided a unique environment to scale up the M-KOPA Solar model.
“Every day there are people coming into our shops looking to revolutionise their access to energy by acquiring M-KOPA Solar. And each day we’re seeing more and more people successfully complete their M-PESA payment programmes. By providing this service, we are not just lighting homes, but we are also enabling children to do their homework at night as well as providing convenient unlimited mobile charging at home.”
Gartner Inc. believes that the consummation of IT and business bring your own device (BYOD) programs have resulted in potential security problems for IT leaders.
People tend to be more concerned with simplicity and clarity of the phone rather than the security, and the same valuable data guarded by complex passwords and security measures on PCs can be left vulnerable on mobile devices.
Gartner predicts that, by 2016, 30 percent of organizations will use biometric authentication on mobile devices, up from five percent today.
“Mobile users staunchly resist authentication methods that were tolerable on PCs and are still needed to bolster secure access on mobile devices. Security leaders must manage users’ expectations and take into account the user experience without comprising security,” said Ant Allan, research vice president at Gartner.
The increased number of devices in play also exacerbates the exposure of critical information. Implementing standard power-on password policies is made much more complex by the acceptance of BYOD practices, with the inevitable clash over user rights and privacy.
While complex passwords can be especially problematic for users to type on mobile devices, if these devices hold corporate data or provide access to corporate systems such as email without further login, even a default four-digit password is inappropriate.
“An eight-digit numeric password will require hours to recover, and that will discourage casual hackers with toolkits,” said John Girard, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner. “However, even a six-character lowercase alphanumeric password can provide billions of values. For most practical purposes, hackers are not prepared to pursue this large a set of combinations due to the relatively slow speeds involved in brute force attacks against smartphones and tablets.”
Gartner recommends that a password policy requiring use of at least six alphanumeric characters, and prohibiting dictionary words, is enforced on devices with access to corporate information via mobile device management (MDM) tools.
“The best practice is to use encryption that is not tied to the primary power-on authentication, meaning the key cannot be recovered from the device after a soft wipe operation has been performed.”
In addition, Gartner recommends that a further authentication method, at a minimum, another password — should be used for access to sensitive corporate applications and data.
In some cases, higher-assurance authentication is required. In PCs (traditionally), a standalone device may be used to provide a hardware token that might be used to provide additional authentication.
“Traditional authentication of this kind is often spurned in mobile use cases, because of the poor user experience with most kinds of hardware tokens,” said Allan.
Software tokens, such as X.509 credentials on the endpoint, provide options in this case, but often need MDM tools to be implemented properly and still require additional controls to provide the higher-assurance authentication necessary in some organizations.
Nigeria’s telecommunications service provider, Etisalat, and ThistlePraxis Consulting have come together for the fourth edition of the thought leadership session, Sustainable Conversations which will take place on February 8.
Sustainable Conversations is a quarterly thought leadership breakfast series that focuses on policy formation, and private/public synergies in the attainment of development for Nigeria.
This quarter’s theme discussion is “Education: Building Viable Frameworks for Sustainability,” and would feature Prof Pai Obanya as Lead Discussant.
Enitan Denloye, director, Brands and Communications, Etisalat Nigeria, said the company is pleased to support this initiative because as it addresses critical sectors that require urgent attention and intervention.
“Etisalat is throwing its weight behind this initiative because it would help address the critical needs of education via intellectual and analytical discussions that would point the way forward, assisting those who can and would want to intervene to know where to channel their resources to the benefit of the education sector,” he said.
Ini Onuk, lead consultant/CEO of ThistlePraxis Consulting Limited, said the quarterly thought leadership is focusing on education because economies across Africa recorded weak investment in education in the 1980s and this has had a negative impacted on the quality of education and the infrastructure needed to sustain knowledge.
“Reversing this trend and investing in Africa’s people point to a central nexus: redevelopment in Africa’s higher education sector. If Nigeria must move out of its current situation, the private sector must support through the funding of intellectual research and inventions, and be a source for collaboration and sustainable partnerships.” She said.
The renowned international education strategist is currently Chairman of Council of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). Dr. Modupe Olateju, CEO, The Education Partnership Centre (TEP Centre) will be moderating the discussion, while other discussants include: Chrystina Russell, Chief Academic Officer, Kepler; Prof. Ngozi Osarenren, Professor of Counseling and Psychology, University of Lagos and Misan Rewane, Chief Executive, West Africa Vocational Education.
Ado Bayero Mall is now under India’s first mall management company, Beyond Squarefeet. The ultra modern mall is the biggest in the country situated in Kano, Northern Nigeria.
Alpine Investment Services, through Beverly Development & Realties Limited is developing the mall, named after the city’s longest serving monarch, His Royal Highness Alhaji (Dr). The developer has created and implemented the best international infrastructure, systems and equipment.
The mall is still under construction and on opening which will come very soon will house big names like Shoprite and Game. it will also have an entertainment centre and well as multiplex and many more. The upcoming mall will offer international shopping experience and international cuisines to its customers.
“In our goal to create a mall of international stature, we have put in the best available resources and service providers to ensure that this would become a benchmark for all upcoming malls not only in Nigeria, but in West Africa,” said Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.
Siddharth Sahgal, mall mechanic and chief managing officer at Beyond Squarefeet, said: “Having worked with more than 20 malls in Asia, we are now establishing ourselves in developing markets of North and Western Africa. Our international exposure in mall management will help us in creating landmark and successful malls in these markets. Our intention is to create maximum returns for both the stake holders and retailers, while keeping in mind the socio-economic factors too.”
Three-play pay TV firm Zuku will in March launch its Zuku Fibre services in Kenya’s coastal towns in a bid to strengthen the firm’s data provision services in other cities across the country.
According to Richard Bell, Non-Executive Vice Chairman of the Board, Wananchi Group, “Given the great reception and progress Zuku is experiencing in our local markets, we are keen on increasing investment in expanding our fibre services to residents across the country. Parts of Mombasa will now access Zuku internet services and plans are underway to cover the rest of Nairobi and Mombasa and eventually the rest of the region.”
The firm says it March launch at the coast is due to increasing demand of similar services in the region, and Zuku’s readiness to meet the demands.The move by the Kenyan government to set timelines for digital migration has also paid off for the firm as TV viewers seek the best of content and broadband internet speeds.
The imminent switch has contributed to growth in the local Pay TV industry, to tap into the season, Zuku has invested in Digital Migration Educational Centres in Nairobi, to provide the public with necessary information relating to the switch even as the firm aims to popularize its provisions of satellite TVand cable services.
“The digital switch is a reality for Kenyans and as a home-grown company, we are keen to provide the public with much needed information on the importance of the exercise such as better picture and sound quality, opportunities for increased local content among other notable benefits,” Bell said.
At the end of 2013, the firm embarked on a countrywide promotion that saw drastic cuts in prices that served as a welcome reprieve for consumers at a time when the country was rushing to beat the digital migration deadline then for December. The move has resulted in the growth of subscriber base and increased Zuku’s footprint across the country. The firm also cut installation fees, previously at Kshs. 8500 to Kshs. 5600 for the full Zuku kit, installation and one month subscription to the Zuku Classic package.
Launched in March 2007 by Kenya’s Safaricom, M-PESA has over 17 million customers and over 60,000 Agent outlets countrywide and is the most successful such service anywhere in the world. However, questions have been raised over its origin, and to date, several of the questions remain unanswered, even to us. This is set to end.
A new tell-all book about M-PESA titled “Money, Real Quick- The story of M-PESA” co-authored by Tonny Omwansa, a lecturer at the university of Nairobi and Nicholas Sullivan, a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Emerging Market Enterprises with funding from Rockefeller wants to tell it all.
Using case studies, the book chronicles the evolution of M-PESA from its original concept as a micro finance tool to a complex financial transactions platform that is leading Kenya’s cash-lite agenda. The book features the accounts of those who worked on the service and how it grew to become the most successful mobile money solution in the world.
“M-PESA has earned its place as the most disruptive mobile money innovation and to date none other has come close. M-PESA has changed people’s lives in ways that could not have been envisaged by the people who created it and that is what we have captured in this book,” said Dr. Omwansa.
With 18.2 million customers, M-PESA is the world’s first and indeed, most successful mobile money transfer service. The platform moves KES 77.3 billion a month in peer to peer transactions. A further KES 9.9 billion is moved in person to business transactions while person to business transactions account for KES 7.6 billion a month.
Dr. Tonny Omwansa signing the book for ICT Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i
Launched as a simple money transfer service, M-PESA has evolved to a full payment service which now includes payment services and the Lipa na M-PESA service which is targeted at SMEs. Since launch last year, Lipa na M-PESA has so far recruited 36, 749 merchants.
“M-PESA has put Kenya and Africa at the forefront of ICT innovation and is a reference for many other countries that plan to implement a mobile money payment platform.M-PESA is indeed one of the ways that we have been able to fulfil our aspiration to Transform Lives,” said Safaricom’s GM of Financial Services, Betty Mwangi-Thuo.
Launched last evening in Nairobi and available to the public via Amazon and Kindle, the book brings to light challenges which include the regulatory environment. Despite the banks’ reservations about the scheme, once it was successful banks were able to use it to offer financial services to a new customer base. It also follows the impact of M-PESA on the poor, and the dynamics in the Kibera slum, For instance: the average M-PESA balance has gone up fivefold since 2008. The poor are clearly using the service as an alternative to the mattress or the tin under the bed.
It features use of M-PESA in ways that had not been part of the original business model. These include the national airline, the power utility and insurance companies. How Michael Joseph drove the team on to scale as well as building the agent network.
Kenya’s ICT Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i also highlighted the pivotal role M-PESA continues to play in supporting the financial inclusion agenda.
“By crystallising the M-PESA journey, this book will allow us to share with the rest of the world, this phenomenal innovation which has redefined the local financial landscape. M-PESA is a case study in the key roles that relevance and access have in resolving societal problems. Indeed, M-PESA has propelled Kenya to the pinnacle of global innovation and we as a country are proud of this landmark product,”he explained.
UpEnergy distributes household energy products throughout Uganda. They generate revenues not only from the sale of the product, but also from the sale of carbon credits associated with the use of those products, which enables them to deliver high quality products at affordable prices.
This start-up has a founding team of five people, Erik Wurster being the CEO of the company. The strong team has deep experience in social entrepreneurship, improved cookstoves, carbon finance and more traditional finance.
In an interview with Erik Wurster this is what he said about this fast growing start-up:
1.What was the inspiration behind the UpEnergy, how it began and what did it take for you to get where you are now?
Most of us were already involved in the cleantech / carbon finance sector in Africa. The goal of UpEnergy was to incorporate all of our collective lessons learned into one company that could attract private sector capital (many of us did our previous work under the auspices of non-profit organizations) and thus redouble our efforts towards maximizing impact among the households we serve.
2. What were you doing before UpEnergy
Prior to co-founding UpEnergy I co-founded a company called E+Carbon, which was a subsidiary of the non-profit cleantech investor E+Co. We developed some of the first carbon finance / cookstove projects in Africa, starting in 2007.
Nicole Ballin, Chief Operating Officer, UpEnergy
3.Did you know you were going to be an Entrepreneur all along or did it happen by chance?
It was really by chance. Entrepreneurship was a way to accomplish our goals of generating financially sustainable, scalable change in Africa among those most in need. There are very few groups doing exactly what we do, so there weren’t many places we could go if we chose a path other than entrepreneurship.
4.How successful are you in the business? Is there competition? And how do you face them
UpEnergy already has a significant track record of success, a mature distribution channel and we boast a market leading management team. We’ve proven to be able to execute more effectively and at lower cost than many of our competitors. Our branded distribution channel (we use the brand name SmartHome locally in Uganda) garners customer loyalty, while our growing list of exclusive arrangements with suppliers and distributors increases the barrier to entry for our competitors.
5.How is the response in your market, and who is your most important client?
Our response among our clients has been exceedingly positive. Not only do our Ugandan customers value our products, but we have garnered significant support within the international community for selling carbon credits from our Ugandan operations. This is best exemplified by our contract to sell 500,000 carbon credits to the Swedish government from now through 2021. This gives us full price security in a volatile commodities market, which guarantees us a reliable income stream for the duration of the contract. You can read more about this here
6.Does ICT play a big role in you organization?
We use mobile money for some of our transactions. We’ve also piloted a mobile platform to track sales in the field, so this has at this stage not gotten past the pilot phase.
7.What do you love most about your business and your life as an Entrepreneur?
The company’s ability to impact the lives of our customers is the most compelling aspect of UpEnergy to me.
Mark Mutaahi, Uganda Country Director, UpEnergy
8.What keeps you and your team motivated?
Our ability to impact the lives of our customers and partners in a positive way is what motivates us most. Since our founding, UpEnergy has served over 125,000 Ugandans through the sale high efficiency cookstoves. The environmental impact is considerable, with 30,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions avoided and over 120,000 trees saved thus far.
The households we serve save several hours per day through reduced time needed for cooking and fuel collection. These impacts are significant in aggregate, but perhaps the most compelling impact on the individual level comes from the income generating opportunities we offer our retailers and sales agents.
For example, Aaron Okello is a motorcycle taxi driver turned stove salesman whose life was completely transformed due to income from working with UpEnergy. Aaron was able to relocate his wife and three children from northern Uganda to the city, rent suitable housing for the entire family, pay school fees for all of his children and pay 50 percent of the dowry for his wife, an important step towards recognition and respect in his culture. None of this was possible for him as a taxi driver.
9.What can your team not live without?
I’d have to say Ugandan Groundnut sauce. We spend a lot of time in rural Uganda selling our products, and there’s nothing better after a full day out in the field than settling down to a Ugandan meal that includes Groundnut sauce.
10.Is there a specific skill one needs to join you, if yes what is it
The skill sets we require depend very much on the specific role for which we are recruiting. However, the common theme is that we seek people who think and can work independently, and who can grab a project and run with it. We are still a small, entrepreneurial organization, which requires our employees to be flexible and self-motivated.
11.What does UpEnergy have in store for the future?
UpEnergy is aiming to serve 1 million end users in Uganda by 2015 with life-improving products. This will require investing and innovating in distribution and logistics, after-sales service, consumer and retailer finance, marketing and carbon finance. With these milestones achieved we will have created the foundation to not only become the primary distributor of clean energy products throughout Uganda, but also to replicate our model in other countries.
12.Who was the most influential person or mentor in your life?
My father; he is a successful environmental activist and academic and co-founder of the Environmental Defense Fund, a leading environmental advocacy group in the US. Many of his principles have influenced my career and my desire to create lasting change.
13.What advice would you give to any person who wants to follow your example
I think the most useful advice I ever received was to follow your passion and what interests you most rather than seeking out lucrative jobs. If you are passionate about your work and you are good at it, the money will follow, and in the end you will be far more successful in your career.
Only one out of 20 graduates from Kenya’s universities and middle-level colleges will luckily land a job after completion. The dwindling employment prospects have made Kenyan students simply ingenious.
Serah Kanyua, who features on CNN International’s ‘African Start-Up’ segment this week, was one such student. Her idea for an online fashion site, called Closet49, started in her room in the university where fellow students would stop by and select what they liked.
“I began selling clothes to friends while at University. My friends and I merged ideas to sell affordable fashion to people that didn’t want to pay too much and also give opportunity for people to sell clothes they do not want in their closet, that are still in good condition. They were able to get extra cash for their old clothes and find new cloths through this system,” Kanyua explains.
After graduating with a marketing degree Kanyua started her business, Closet49 with a friend. Together they work from Kanyua’s living room to save money and now their website connects buyers and sellers 24-7.
Kanyua launched the Closet 49 website, http://shop.closet49.com), just over a year ago.In the next two to three years, Closet 49’s goal is to make a million shillings in annual profits.
Tears, laughter, high-fives and passionate speeches were the stories at Facebook HQ yesterday as the Social media giants celebrated its tenth year anniversary.
Looking back at Facebook’s journey from a small time fun school project to its IPO, the journey to its over 1 billion user’s status has definitely been an amazing one to watch.
Yesterday, Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg in a really emotional post on his page reflected on how the journey began, asking questions like this one–>
“When I reflect on the last 10 years, one question I ask myself is: why were we the ones to build this? We were just students. We had way fewer resources than big companies. If they had focused on this problem, they could have done it”
Mark and the Facebook team want you to also reflect on your time with Facebook so far with the launch of an amazing “Look Back” video series where every user gets a video compilation that contains 15 or so of their most-liked photos, statuses, and life events set to a catchy tune. The videos are sweet(a bit cheesy), but will definitely remind you of many of your fun moments on Facebook.
Check out my own video below and create you’re here-à https://www.facebook.com/lookback/
It has been launched recently and it will open a new avenue for access to government information, this is the Federal Government which is highly supported by Omobola Johnson, the Minister of Communication Technology.
The minister said that the beginning of this process makes Nigeria the world’s first Federal Open Data initiative to collectively unveil inclusive and continuing consultations with both government and non-government communities on their Open Data priorities to develop the country’s national Open Data implementation plan.
The Nigeria Federal Open Data Initiative, supported by the World Bank and Department for International Development (DFID), aims to highlight the potential efficiency, innovations and public value that can be achieved when government uses technology to open its data.
Government expects the impact on economic growth to be colossal as analysis by global consulting firm McKinsey indicates that Open Data generates more than $3 trillion of new economic value for the U.S. economy alone. Also the weather data of the US is worth $30 billion annually, while the total worth of Global Positioning System GPS data is worth $90 billion.
The launch of the Open Data Initiative heralded by an Open Data Stakeholder Engagement Workshop brought together more than 120 representatives from across MDAs, and the private and nonprofit sectors to identify priorities and actions to inform the implementation of the Nigeria Federal Open Data.
The Workshop was designed to explore the role of Open Data in organisational innovation; highlight the public value that can be created by opening government data, as well as challenges and mitigation strategies associated with these efforts; discussing best practices and lessons learned in opening up government data from across regions and enable data user communities to identify valuable datasets that can drive innovation, investment and job creation.
Initial stakeholder consultations commenced on January 23 with a kickoff meeting hosted by the Ministry of Communication Technology, which was attended by 63 representatives from across MDAs, followed by deeper brainstorming with individual MDAs.
The governor of Nigeria’s Ekiti State will host a four-day event this week with social media influencers to connect Internet community to encourage participatory governance.
Kayode Fayemi, the governor, will be having a major interaction with social media actors such as activists, factivists, bloggers and influencers in continuation of the tradition of participatory governance.
The event will take place through February 6th to 9th this year at Ikogosi Warm Resort, Ikogosi-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
“This foremost, open and frank interactive discussion forum will look at the advancements, scorecard, challenges and shortcomings of the government under Kayode Fayemi over the past forty months”, according to the announcement.
Under the plan, the forum offers a rare opportunity for Governor Fayemi to interface with the blogosphere.
The session will feature over 100 participants both physically and virtually through the following platforms; Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Google Plus.
Outline of events includes:
• Bloggers media state tour
• #JKFeedback with Kayode Fayemi (Social media hype featuring questions and answers – Twitter, Facebook questions) & Google Hangout
To watch the live streaming event online, log on to
Kenya’s PesaPal, an online payment system allowing buyers to pay for goods and services online via mobile money and credit cards, has today launched in Malawi.
Apart from proving a simple, safe and secure way for individuals and businesses to make and accept payments in Africa. PesaPal also works with banks, Mobile Network Operators and payment card firms to give consumers as many payment options as possible. It also has PesaPal SchoolPay, to allow parents pay for their kids school fees from their comfort of their homes. It’s other platform Ticketsasa, an online ticketing platform helps event organizers accept payments days before the event itself.
