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Digital Inclusion

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Hot startup of the month: Rwanda's Smart Ikigega
  • Matshepo Sehloho
This month's hot startup, Smart Ikigega, wants to revolutionize the rural agricultural trade ecosystem in Rwanda by helping farmers access finance and harvest insurance.
Deep dive into East Africa's tech startup ecosystem
  • Africa Tech Perspectives
New survey reveals a lack of access to investors, reliance on international VCs and global recession trends as the biggest barriers for East African tech startups to access funds.
Omdia View: February 2023
  • Connecting Africa News
In February 2023 key events in the Middle East and Africa included a major Internet project for Africa's underserved by Liquid Intelligent Technologies and Microsoft as well as a 5G launch in Tanzania – that and more in this month's Omdia View.
GSMA backs African climate resilience startups
  • Connecting Africa News
GSMA opens applications for grants backing projects that use mobile and digital technology to improve climate resilience and help with adaptation in selected regions, including Africa.
BFS to manage Burkina Faso's fiber route
  • Matshepo Sehloho
Burkina Faso has contracted Bridge Fiber Solutions (BFS), a subsidiary of Telecel Faso SA, to manage and operate its 3,000km national fiber optic backbone network.
SA power cuts knock $38M off MTN Group earnings
  • Paula Gilbert
Extensive power cuts in South Africa impacted MTN Group's earnings by R695 million ($38 million) as the operator plans to ramp up installation of more power backups for towers across the country.
Orange, OneWeb ink deal to connect Africa's underserved
  • Matshepo Sehloho
Pan-African telecoms operator Orange has partnered with UK-based LEO satellite company OneWeb to use its burgeoning constellation to provide fronthaul and backhaul connectivity to the telco's African customers.
Kenyan enterprises lag in leadership gender parity – IBM
  • Matshepo Sehloho
Tech giant IBM has released a report claiming that Kenyan organizations are lagging when it comes to female representation, with only 11% of C-suite jobs held by women, while 41% of junior professional/specialist roles are filled by women.
Challenges and opportunities for women's tech careers
  • Africa Tech Perspectives
A new survey reveals that COVID-19, the cost-of-living crisis, skills shortages and a lack of mentorship have negatively affected women's career development over the past two years.
Massive BCS fiber route & Orange digital center coming to DRC
  • Matshepo Sehloho
Telecoms company Bandwidth and Cloud Services (BCS) has signed an agreement with the European Investment Bank to build a 1,200km fiber network in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Orange has also launched its 15th African digital center in the country.
Hot startup of the month: Egypt's Plstka
  • Matshepo Sehloho
Egyptian startup Plstka is helping companies and consumers in the Delta region exchange their recyclable trash for discounts and coupons for everyday services like food, healthcare, and transportation.
Five sustainable startups to watch in 2023
  • Matshepo Sehloho
Connecting Africa has compiled a list of five sustainable startups that are making innovative impacts in the lives of the communities they serve.
Namibia kicks off spectrum auction
  • Matshepo Sehloho
The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) has commenced an auctioning process for radio frequency spectrum in the 700MHz and 800MHz bands.
Bolt to invest $530M in Africa
  • Matshepo Sehloho
Ride-sharing platform Bolt has announced that it will be investing €500 million (US$530 million) in its operations on the African continent over the next two years.
SA networks given deadline for 4G/5G completion
  • Paula Gilbert
South Africa's Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, says that telecoms operators have five years to complete the rollout of 4G and 5G networks in the country – including to all rural areas.
MTN, Airtel sign roaming deal in Congo
  • Matshepo Sehloho
Congo's Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Post (ARPCE) has announced that mobile operators MTN and Airtel have signed a roaming deal in the country.
Survey: Opportunities for Women in Tech
  • Africa Tech Perspectives
Take our new survey for women across Asia, Europe and Africa looking at the biggest challenges and opportunities for women-led enterprises and trends in tech careers for women.
2Africa reaches the shores of Madagascar
  • Paula Gilbert
The 2Africa subsea cable system has made another step forward, this time landing in the island nation of Madagascar as it works its way up Africa's East Coast.
Orange opens Digital Center in Sierra Leone
  • Matshepo Sehloho
Pan-African operator Orange and the German Development Cooperation have opened an Orange Digital Center in Sierra Leone's capital city Freetown, making it the 14th center of its kind across the Middle East and Africa.
Bigger stake in Ethio Telecom now up for grabs
  • Paula Gilbert
Ethiopia will sell up to 45% of state-owned Ethio Telecom, an increase on the 40% stake it previously publicized, as the country moves forward with further liberalization of its telecoms sector.
2Africa subsea cable makes final SA landing
  • Paula Gilbert
The 2Africa subsea cable system has made its fourth and final landing in South Africa, this time in Amanzimtoti near Durban in KwaZulu-Natal and installed by WIOCC.
Liquid, Nokia partner on Kenya-SA fiber route 
  • Industry Announcements
Liquid Intelligent Technologies has partnered with Nokia to deploy innovative transport network technology in the new terrestrial fiber route connecting Mombasa (Kenya) to Johannesburg (South Africa).
Lagos launches first AWS Local Zone in Africa
  • Paula Gilbert
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced the launch of a new AWS Local Zones location in Lagos, Nigeria, its first on the continent with others planned in Johannesburg and Nairobi.
Elon Musk's Starlink to enter Kenyan market
  • Matshepo Sehloho
SpaceX's satellite Internet company, Starlink, has announced that it will launch in Kenya in the second quarter of 2023, pending regulatory approval.
Raxio building data center in Angola
  • Connecting Africa News
Pan-African data center developer and operator Raxio Group continues with its African expansion, announcing a new investment in Angola.
Djibouti to build $1B spaceport
  • Matshepo Sehloho
Djibouti and Hong Kong Aerospace Technology Group (HKATG) plan to develop an international commercial spaceport that will cost US$1 billion.
Zimbabwe's rail fiber optic project kicks off
  • Matshepo Sehloho
Dark Fiber Africa (DFA) and Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group (BCS) have completed the first stage of their long-haul fiber backbone project running along Zimbabwean rail tracks.
MTN MoMo to offer personal loans in SA
  • Paula Gilbert
MTN Mobile Money (MoMo) is offering personal loans in South Africa of up to R180,000 (US$10,540) as it moves to meet a rising demand for mobile fintech services on the continent.
Hot startup of the month: Nigeria's Womenovate
  • Matshepo Sehloho
This month's hot startup is a Nigerian female-focused online learning platform that offers women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture and Mathematics (STEAM) access to resources, training courses and jobs globally.
Safaricom launches M-Pesa Go for youth
  • Matshepo Sehloho
Kenyan telecoms operator Safaricom has launched a youth-oriented service, M-Pesa Go, which aims to teach digital financial skills to young people.
Podcast: SES CTO on software-defined satellites
  • Connecting Africa Video
CTO Ruy Pinto met up with Light Reading on site at Boeing Satellite in El Segundo, California, earlier this month with an update on the scheduled O3b mPower satellite launch.
OneWeb expands African satellite reach
  • Paula Gilbert
Global telecoms and satellite provider OneWeb is growing its presence in Africa, announcing three partnership deals on the continent during November 2022.
Orange launches 5G in Botswana
  • Paula Gilbert
Orange's new commercial 5G network in Botswana is the company's first in Africa, with six more countries in the pipeline for 2023.
SA's Isizwe launches Kayamandi low-cost prepaid fiber project
  • Paula Gilbert
South African Internet company Isizwe has launched a prepaid, low-cost fiber network in the Kayamandi township in Stellenbosch, with ambitions to roll out connectivity to tens of thousands of previously unconnected residents and spread similar projects across Africa.
Connecting Africa Podcast: S2 Ep. 1 – Talent wars
  • Paula Gilbert
The Connecting Africa Podcast is back with a new season. We welcome new co-host Matshepo Sehloho to the team and discuss Africa's tech skills pipeline and the battle between startups and global tech giants to recruit and keep African talent.
AWS to open office in Nigeria
  • Paula Gilbert
Nigeria will become the second African country with an Amazon Web Services (AWS) office, with plans for a Lagos office announced by the cloud giant.
Mastercard eyes African fintech potential
  • Paula Gilbert
Mastercard VP Muhammad Nana spoke with Connecting Africa on the sidelines of MWC Africa about the growth potential in Africa's fintech sector and how Mastercard is partnering and investing in local fintech companies.


Innovation hub

Story

Hot startup of the month: Rwanda's Smart Ikigega

This month's hot startup, Smart Ikigega, wants to revolutionize the rural agricultural trade ecosystem in Rwanda by helping farmers access finance and harvest insurance.

Story

Deep dive into East Africa's tech startup ecosystem

New survey reveals a lack of access to investors, reliance on international VCs and global recession trends as the biggest barriers for East African tech startups to access funds.

More Innovation hub

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Africa Tech Perspectives

Story

Deep dive into East Africa's tech startup ecosystem

New survey reveals a lack of access to investors, reliance on international VCs and global recession trends as the biggest barriers for East African tech startups to access funds.

Story

Challenges and opportunities for women's tech careers

A new survey reveals that COVID-19, the cost-of-living crisis, skills shortages and a lack of mentorship have negatively affected women's career development over the past two years.

Story

Survey: Opportunities for Women in Tech

Take our new survey for women across Asia, Europe and Africa looking at the biggest challenges and opportunities for women-led enterprises and trends in tech careers for women.

More AfricaCom perspectives

Guest Perspectives

Story

Omdia View: July 2022

By Omdia Analysts

Kenya and Zambia move towards 5G with new spectrum allocations while Tunisie Telecom plans to shut down its 3G network - that and more in this month's Omdia View.

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Omdia View: June 2022

By Omdia Analysts

5G was the major news trend across Africa in June, as Orange became the first operator to launch 5G in Réunion and operators in Senegal accelerated their 5G plans despite spectrum delays.

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