₦airaland Forum

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Kizz Daniel, Reekado Banks, Simi and Teni have been selected by YouTube to receive career support at a recent event tagged “A celebration of Afrobeats” held in Lagos.

The streaming service will provide the artists with tools to take their music to the next level, increase their presence on YouTube and boost their global audience.

This announcement comes after YouTube's commitment to Nigerian Afrobeats talent that was made at the Google for Nigeria event back in July. At this event, YouTube disclosed that it will provide support to 10 emerging Nigerian artists through Mr Eazi’s emPawa program.

These four selected artists will be engaged in a series of workshops and content creation sessions, experimenting with content formats on YouTube. They will develop their music and visual content, becoming experts at building deep connections with their fans.

In addition, they will receive marketing promotion and education on best practices for growing and engaging their audience on an international scale.

The artists will also serve as models for other African artists on utilising the global power of the YouTube platform to expand and build a global audience. Leanings from their experience will be gathered as feedback to be shared with the entire artist community.

Speaking at the event, Addy Awofisayo, YouTube Content Partnership Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa, said, “We are very excited to partner with these amazing artists to support their journey as their music travels across borders and they expand their audience globally.”

“YouTube has been a mainline for African artists to connect all over the world, from Yemi Alade’s “Johnny” hitting over 100 million views on YouTube or Davido’s “Fall” at over 150 million views, there is no doubt that global audiences are dancing to an African beat,” Awofisayo adds.

https://www.techawkng.com/2019/12/04/kizz-daniel-reekado-banks-simi-teni-get-youtube-support/

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ColdHubs, a Nigerian startup that operates solar-powered walk-in cold rooms, has been named the winner of stage 2 of the UK Aid-funded Global LEAP Awards Off-Grid Cold Chain Challenge (OGCCC).

For emerging the winner, ColdHubs was rewarded with a cash price of £75,000.

The OGCCC is an international competition to identify and promote the most energy-efficient, sustainable and cost-effective off-grid technologies and business models that can meet the cold storage requirements for fresh fruits, vegetables and dairy products in off- and weak-grid areas of sub-Saharan Africa.

The OGCCC was run as part of the Ideas to Impact programme, which is funded by UK Aid delivered by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and implemented by IMC Worldwide.

Stage 2 winners

In June 2018, 10 companies were selected to progress to stage 2 of the OGCCC. Each finalist was given £10,000 to help defray deployment costs of their cold rooms.

For stage 2 of the competition, products underwent rigorous field-testing consisting of the technical performance captured through remote monitoring equipment and qualitative surveys administered on-site and over the phone. Temperature and energy performance was captured on some units for as long as six months.

Of the 10 finalists selected to move on to stage 2, six were able to set up their cold storage units on location. Of these, only four could put their cold units to productive use. Three out of four were local manufacturers.

An expert panel of four judges selected a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place solutions. The judges’ selections and the corresponding prize amounts awarded to each company are as follows: 1st Place – ColdHubs (Nigeria) £75,000, 2nd Place – EcoZen - £35,000, 3rd Place – FreshBox (Kenya) - £25,000 (India) and Runner Up – Ecolife (Uganda).

The OGCCC program team supports the expert judging outcome. Each of the four judges that participated has strong technical backgrounds in off-grid solar and cooling value chains.

The judges selected ColdHubs as the 1st place solution primarily due to the impact the company’s cold rooms had on women farmers and market vendors. ColdHubs’ cooling as a service business model was identified as highly scalable and innovative.

https://www.techawkng.com/2019/12/03/coldhubs-wins-off-grid-cold-chain-challenge/

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Migo formerly known as Mines.io has expanded to Brazil after raising $20 million Series B investment led by Valor Group Capital. This follows a $13 million Series A round in August last year.

Also participating in the funding round are new investors Africinvest and Cathay Innovation as well as existing backers Velocity Capital and The Rise Fund.

Migo, a cloud-based firm that was launched in 2013 in Nigeria; enables companies to offer credit to their customers, growing traditional bank and payment card infrastructure.

Businesses like banks, telecommunications operators and merchants integrate Migo in their apps and Migo underwrites customers to provide them with a digital account and credit line.

The customers can use this credit line to make purchases from a merchant or withdraw cash without the need for point-of-sale hardware or plastic cards.

With Migo underwriting customer loans and credit, it helps to boosts the courage of these businesses to offer loans to unbanked Nigerians who normally won't have access to these credit lines.

Presently, in the biggest economy in Africa, 60 million people lack access to financial services which also include loans and credit.

As of 2017, Migos has initiated more than 3 million loans to more than 1 million customers in Nigeria and counts Interswitch and MTN as clients.

“The global social inequality challenge is driven by a lack of access to credit. If you look at the middle class in developed countries, it is largely built on access to credit,” Migo founder and CEO Ekechi Nwokah.

“What we are trying to do is to make prosperity available to all by reinventing the way people access and use credit,” he explained.

Migo which has signed on some clients in Brazil is the latest fintech startup to secure funding in Nigeria. It joins OPay and PalmPay that recently raised funds from Chinese investors.

https://www.techawkng.com/2019/12/03/migo-raises-20m-investment/

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The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) — Africa’s leading philanthropy dedicated to empowering African entrepreneurs has announced that applications for the 2020 cohort of the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, will commence on January 1, 2020.

Applications are made through TEFConnect, the digital networking hub for the African entrepreneurship ecosystem, created by the Foundation.

The TEF Entrepreneurship Programme is open to entrepreneurs from across Africa, either with new startup ideas or existing businesses of less than 3 years of existence, operating in any sector.

Successful applicants will join the over 9,000 current beneficiaries, from 54 African countries, and receive business training, mentoring, a non-refundable $5,000 of seed capital and global networking opportunities.

Last year, the Tony Elumelu Foundation received about 216,000 applications, with 42% coming from women entrepreneurs, from every country on the continent.

The Programme is a 10-year, $100 million commitment to identify, train, mentor and fund 10,000 young African entrepreneurs.

The goal is to create millions of jobs and the revenue required for the sustainable development of the continent, implementing the philosophy of Africapitalism, which positions the private sector as the growth engine for Africa and emphasises the importance of creating social and economic wealth.

According to the Tony Elumelu Foundation’s 2018 Impact Report, 70% of the total number of businesses in its alumni network were still operational two years after benefitting from the Programme.

The report also identified an increase of 189% revenue generated and 197% increase in the number of additional jobs created by beneficiaries post-graduation from the Programme, as well as a 100% commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Source: https://www.techawkng.com/2019/12/02/tony-elumelu-foundation-2020/

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The Lagos motorcycle hailing scene has been waiting since May when it was announced that SafeBoda will join ORide, Gokada, and Max Okada in Nigeria

Today, Techawk can now report that SafeBoda from Uganda and the leading motorcycle hailing business in East Africa has finally launched in Ibadan, Oyo State and not in Lagos like many expected.

The reason for choosing Ibadan as its launchpad in Nigeria may be connected to the harassment of riders of motocycle ride-hailing firms in Lagos by area boys and the proposed 25 million operating fees the Lagos State Government is planning to slam on them. In Ibadan, they are not likely to face some of these aforementioned problems.

The startup prior to this expansion to Nigeria had raised an undisclosed Series B funding round from Indonesia’s ride-hailing firm GOJEK and Allianz X, the digital investment arm of the global insurance group Allianz and appointed Babajide Duroshola as Country Head, Nigeria.

Speaking on their proposed expansion to Lagos a the time Duroshola was appointed, the co-founder and co-CEO, Alastair Sussock said “We are exploring Lagos and other markets and Babajide is leading the efforts for SafeBoda in Nigeria. Really excited for the future and the super-strong talent we now have on our team”.

For Duroshola, “SafeBoda is more than a ride-hailing company to me, the brand has an aura of emotion which I felt when I had my onsite with them. They have changed how people perceive Boda (Okada) drivers in Uganda and how they perceive themselves. And I’m looking to help them replicate that in Nigeria, starting in Lagos.”

SafeBoda like other motorcycle ride-hailing firms will be identified by the colour orange.

Correction: SafeBoda Launched in Ibadan and not Lagos like we earlier reported

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Kwik Delivery and Winpart announce today a partnership to ensure smooth, on-demand and flexible last-mile delivery of light auto spare parts to customers in Nigeria.

“The goal of Winpart, a division of CFAO Motors with a spread in several other African countries is to make available to motorists, quality auto parts from the Original Equipment (OEMs) Manufacturers like Denso, Bosch, Valeo, Philips, C-works, Riken, and a host of others explains Olivier BUISSON, General Manager, Winpart.

“The heavy circulation of fake automotive spare parts in the Nigerian market has not only accounted for a great number of road accidents but also has led to the loss of lives and resources. We are changing this narrative.

“As we commence operation in Nigeria, we need a flexible, reliable and last-mile logistics partner that can adapt to the needs of each customer while delivering in less than two hours upon pick up of parcel. Kwik ticks all the right boxes and we are happy that this partnership will work for our customers”.

“In Nigeria as in anywhere else, auto spare parts are fast-moving consumer goods. Thanks to Kwik, Winpart will be able to supply gas filling stations with their orders within 2-hours declares Romain POIROT-LELLIG, Founder & CEO of Africa Delivery Technologies, who operates the Kwik platform. “The goal is to support Winpart and their customers grow their business while managing their inventory with quasi just-in-time leanness.”

Winpart provides auto spare parts to the Total gas station network in Nigeria, among others.

https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/28/kwik-delivery-partners-with-winpart/

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The Next Einstein Forum (NEF) is looking for African Sciencepreneur with a breakthrough innovation that is solving a critical problem in Africa, to apply for the NEF Investor Meet Up.

If selected, the Sciencepreneur stand a chance of receiving a $25,000 cash prize.

The NEF Investor Meet Up which is a partnership between The Next Einstein Forum (NEF) and Cc Hub, will run concurrently with the third edition of the Next Einstein Forum Global Gathering which will be held between 10 and 13 March 2020 in Nairobi, Kenya.

The objective of this meetup is to support some of the exceptional African science entrepreneurs (Sciencepreneurs) with pitch preparation and investment readiness sessions and thereafter, connect them to investors.

What we are looking for?

1. Sciencepreneurs with ideas/ solutions that fall under the following  categories in line with the AfDB High 5s:

a.) Integrate Africa

b.) Light up & power Africa

c.) Feed Africa

d.) Industrialize Africa

e.) Integrate & improve the quality of life for the people of Africa

2.) Adequately researched problem with a clear picture of the target segment it affects

3.) The solution should be at the idea stage or MVP stage [proven/tested scientific solutions]

4.) Early-stage companies and scientists interested in commercializing their solution

5.) The innovation/ breakthrough idea could be from an individual or an existing company. It must improve on an existing process or be completely new [i.e. hasn’t been done in the Sciencepreneur’s region/in Africa]

Benefits of the NEF Investor Meet Up to Sciencepreneurs

1.)Scientists will gain knowledge of how they create and deliver value

2.) Gain a deep understanding of how to transition from lab to market

3.) Be prepped on pitch preparation & investment readiness

4.) Have an understanding of funding options & valuations

5.) Be connected to investors at the NEF Global Gatherings in Nairobi, Kenya

6.) Pitch your idea for a chance to win $25,000 per category [AfDB High 5s]. Beyond the winning prize per category, startups will be matched with investors for a chance to raise funding.

7.) Receive a free ticket and accommodation to attend the NEF Global Gatherings in Nairobi Kenya in March 2020; the largest science and innovation gatherings on the African continent.

Who is eligible?

1.) Be a  holder of a passport from an African country

2.) Africans/people of African descent living on the continent

3.) Be 42 years of age or less as of 31 December 2019

4.) You are passionate about raising Africa’s profile in STEM globally

5.) You are able to clearly present your work to an audience in English or French

6.) Hold a Bsc/MBA/ PhD in a field of science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics or the Social Sciences

7.) Available to travel from March 5 to March 13, 2020

https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/28/apply-for-next-einstein-forum-investor-meet-up/

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It was widely reported yesterday that Ayuba Gora, the Abuja Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), had said that using Google Map while driving is a serious traffic offence.

Mr Gora said this at the launch of the 2019 Ember Months Campaign by Lugbe Unit Command of the FRSC in Abuja on Wednesday. According to him, the law forbids motorists from using mobile phones in any form while driving, as it can lead to an accident.

This comment by Ayuba Gora generated tons of reactions on social media as many users tweeted their displeasure about tagging the use of Google Map while driving an offence.

However, Bisi Kazeem FSI Corps Commander Public Education Officer FRSC has now released a statement saying that Gora was quoted out of context.

The statement reads in part: The Corps wishes to state that the Sector Commander must have been misquoted and his statement outrightly misrepresented because the Federal Road Safety Corps as a technology-driven organisation is not and has never stood against the use of google map by a motorist.

“To state the obvious, we have always enlightened the public on the position of the law on the use of phone while driving which the Sector Commander tried to emphasize during the flag off.

"The statement he made during the flag off buttresses the position of the Corps, which is that any driver who intends to deploy the use of Google map while driving must have it set on the phone before embarking on the journey, not while the vehicle is already in motion as this could be dangerous to the driver and other road users, and can lead to road traffic crash.

“We say this because, available records have shown that use of phones for whatever purpose; be it text, voice calls, chats, browsing, setting google map to find location etc while driving could be distractive and can easily lead to loss of concentration. This has led to many road traffic crashes with attendant loss of lives and properties.

“On the strength of this, the Federal Road Safety Corps wishes to reiterate its position on the use of phone while driving as a dangerous and hazardous road traffic behaviour which has led to unwanted and avoidable road crashes.

“We, therefore, call on all motorists who intend to deploy the use of google map on their phone especially during the festive season when traffic density is high, to activate such before setting the vehicle in motion so as to ensure 100 per cent concentration on the wheels.”

https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/28/frsc-using-google-map-while-driving-is-not-an-offence/

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Vatebra Tech Hub, powered by the Bank of Industry established to support startups and technology development in Nigeria has announced the call for its 6 Months Incubation program.

The Tech Hub is a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative sponsored by Bank Of Industry to promote skills development, youth entrepreneurship and job creation in new technology and innovations.

During the Incubation Program, startups will be provided with the resources and support they need to validate and get to product-market fit for their businesses.

Selection Criteria

We are interested to work with startups:

1.) Solving a major Chronic Problem with a Minimum viable product

2.) Clearly Identified target market with growth potential

3.) Clearly defined revenue model or maybe generating revenue

4.) Significantly leverages technology/internet

The Incubation Program will be mentorship-driven. Core Modules during the Incubation program is designed to fill in any gaps in the skills, startup founders need to know to be successful: Customer development, Business strategy, Entrepreneurial Finance, Startup Legal and Product/ Technology Development and Growth etc.

Benefits from the program Include

1.) Shared Office Space and the Internet for teams

2.) Hand on Business advisory support

3.) Access to funding from the Bank of Industry

4.) $10,000 in AWS Credit

5.) AWS Business Support (up to $5,000).

6.) Office Hour with Mentors

7.) International Market Access

8.) Access to a wide network of Investors

Partners for the Program Include
1.) Bank of Industry

2.) Amazon Web Service- Cloud services for Start-ups.

3.) HubSpot- a platform of marketing, sales, customer service, and CRM software.

4.) Ringcaptcha- SMS Marketplace that offers highly reliable SMS, OTP/voice providers.

Timeline

The application will be open from November 18, 2019, to January 3, 2020. The Incubation Program is scheduled to run from January 20, 2020, to July 24, 2020.

Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis so startups are encouraged to apply early. Interested entrepreneurs can apply here – /vthub-incubation. We look forward to working with all the entrepreneurs.

https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/28/vatebra-tech-hub-launches-6-month-incubation-program/

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While the workers of Jumia Cameroon are still digesting the news of operations being 'suspended' in the country, the biggest eCommerce startup in Africa has closed another of its business in Tanzania.

According to a statement obtained by Techawk, the 'Amazon of Africa' has shut down its operations in Tanzania in order to focus resources on other markets.

The statement reads: "Based on our review of the path to success, we have made a difficult decision to cease our operations in Tanzania as of 27th Nov 2019.

"While Tanzania has strong potential and we’re proud of the growth we’ve collectively seen stemming from Jumia’s adoption, we have to focus our resources on our other markets. This decision isn't easy but will help put our focus and resources where they can bring the best value and help Jumia thrive."

Like in Cameroon, the statement adds that: "Jumia will continue to support buyers and vendors through our classifieds portal, previously called Jumia Deals, which will now be the main portal jumia.tz. Thousands of buyers and vendors transact through this portal and we believe it will continue to become increasingly relevant in the future."

The Alibaba of Africa appears to be desperately looking for ways to cut its losses and become profitable. One of the ways it thinks it can achieve this is to close down businesses that strategic to these objectives.


Jumia's 3rd quarter report shows that it is nowhere near profitability despite making a revenue of $44.2 million. Regardless, the losses keep rising. For the Q3, the loss stood at $55 million, which is higher than the $45 million it recorded in the same quarter in 2018.


The million-dollar question on the minds of the thousands of Jumia employees is which country is next? It is still present in Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Tunisia, Algeria, Ghana, Senegal, Uganda and Rwanda.

https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/27/jumia-closes-business-in-tanzania/

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uLesson, a Nigerian EdTech startup founded by Sim Shagaya has raised a $3.1 million funding round led by TLcom Capital. Omobola Johnson and Ido Sum who are TLcom partners will now join uLesson’s board.

Shagaya founded uLesson this year and the edtech startup aims to provide adaptive and interactive tests that help students master concepts intimately. Recommending lessons, prompting practice sessions and working closely with students to achieve the kind of growth that transforms lives both in and out of the classroom. The service is expected to deliver learning outcomes that are positive and measurable for learners, parents, and teachers.

Shagaya who is also the founder of Konga and ad firm, E Motion-recently acquired by Loatsad Promomedia Limited, said: “We have this massive gap. We’re adding more babies in this country nominally than all of Western Europe. Even if the Nigerian government was super efficient, it couldn’t catch up with the educational needs of the young people that are coming up."

To bridge this gap, uLesson will use part of the investment to develop an app-based education package that students can access by either subscribing for a year (N25,375 or $70) or simply pay as you go. The product pack will have a dongle, SD card, and a set of headphones to connect to Android devices.

For the uLesson Curriculum, it will include practice tests and tailored content around math, physics, chemistry, and biology and the startup, which has a studio in Jos, has already created 3000 animated videos for these subjects.

Although the product is still in the development phase, plans are in the pipeline to launch in February 2020 in Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia.

Additionally, uLesson would not be wholly app-based. There would be human interaction with subscribed students, whereby counsellors will be sent to major distribution areas to direct students on how to use the app and follow lesson plans.

https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/26/ulesson-raises-3-1m-from-tlcom/

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HelpMum, Ecobarter, and Edupoint have all been rewarded with N1 million each at the just concluded Social Innovators Program which is an initiative of Leap Africa and supported by Union Bank.

The three Nigerian startups were named outstanding fellows after successfully completing the 2018/19 Social Innovators Program and Awards and demonstrating the highest growth in their enterprise, they each won the grand prize of 1Million Naira from Union Bank to support their efforts and sustain their impact.

Also, at the Social Innovators Program and Awards, Dr. Emmanuel Owobu, co-founder MObiCure was named the winner of Dr. Pamela Hartigan for Social Innovation Award Winner.

The Award recognizes an outstanding SIP Alumni who have translated the learning and professional insights acquired from the fellowship into channeling innovative solutions to address critical social problems in society.

Meet our 2018/19 SIP Outstanding Fellows

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HelpMum

Adereni Abiodun founded HelpMum to reduce the maternal mortality rate in Nigeria. Having trained 20,000 registered nurses and 700 traditional birth attendants, Helpmum has reached women across 50 remote communities in 5 states in Nigeria. HelpMum has raised $225,000 in revenue to date.

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Ecobarter

Ecobarter is an incentive-based recycling scheme. Users get rewarded every time they recycle or upcycle their waste. This scheme promotes sustainability. Idehai Rita Oluwakemi is the MD, Ecobarter, Her initiative has raised $11,306 in funds, employed over 60 waste workers, reached over 3,500 direct beneficiaries within Abuja, Nigeria.

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Edupoint

Edupoint is an innovative online platform that connects students with verified local teachers who deliver one-on-one lessons in any subject, skill or exam. The founder is Lilian Uka and recently won N500,000 at the recently concluded She Leads Africa Accelerator Program.

Edupoint has employed 7000 tutors and has footprints of impact in 100 schools across 5 cities in Nigeria. With thriving partnerships with public and private investors, Edupoint has raised $30,000 in revenue.

https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/23/leap-africa-social-innovators-programme/

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Two Nigerian entrepreneurs have been shortlisted for the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation 2020. They are Aisha Raheem, Farmz2U and Victor Boyle-Komolafe, Garbage In Value Out (GIVO).

These Nigerian entrepreneurs will be joined by 14 other founders from across six countries on the continent. They are Kenya (5), Ghana (4), Uganda (3), Nigeria (2), Malawi (1) and South Africa (1).

A unique package of support will be provided to the shortlisted entrepreneurs over the next eight months to help them accelerate their businesses.

The benefits of selection for the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation include comprehensive and tailored business training, bespoke mentoring, funding and access to the Academy’s network of high profile, experienced engineers and business experts in the UK and across Africa.

Following this period of support, four finalists are selected and invited to pitch their improved innovation and business plan to the judges and a live audience. A winner is selected to receive £25,000, and three runners up receive £10,000.

Meredith Ettridge, Head of Sustainable Development at the Royal Academy of Engineering, said: “Nurturing thriving commercial companies has a significant role in enabling sustainable development, supporting entrepreneurs to deliver greater job creation, prospects and prosperity in their communities and contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It is these benefits, on a local, national and continent-wide level in Africa, that the Prize aims to accelerate.”

The shortlisted technologies and candidates are:
Nigeria

1.) Farmz2U, Aisha Raheem from Nigeria – tech solutions that help farmers and families prevent food waste and enhance nutrition

2.) Garbage In Value Out (GIVO), Victor Boyle-Komolafe from Nigeria – automates and digitises the collection, processing and sale of recyclable materials

Kenya

3) Aquaprotein, Jack Oyugi from Kenya – an affordable protein supplement for animal feed, made from invasive water hyacinth

4.) Safi Organics, Samuel Rigu from Kenya – a novel chemical process that turns crop waste into a range of affordable fertilisers

5.) Solar Jiko, Justine Abuga from Kenya – a heat storage system that allows rural schools to cook food quickly and easily without firewood

6.) Tree_Sea.mals Mini-Grid, Tracy Kimathi from Kenya – a solar system that powers communal refrigeration storage spaces in rural Kenya

7.) CIST Ethanol Fuel, Richard Arwa from Kenya – a clean cooking ethanol made from invasive water hyacinth

Ghana

8.) BACE API, Charlette N’Guessan from Ghana – a system that uses live facial recognition technology to verify identities and prevent financial and online identity fraud

9.) EcoRide, Bernice Dapaah from Ghana – bamboo bicycles made by Ghanaian women and youth from sustainable materials and recycled parts

10.) GrainMate, Isaac Sesi from Ghana – a simple handheld meter to accurately measure the moisture content of grains to prevent rotting, insect infestation and quality reduction

11.) Lab and Library on Wheels, Josephine Godwyll from Ghana – a mobile, solar-hybrid cart with gadgets and e-learning resources to encourage reading and teach STEAM subjects in under-resourced schools

Uganda

12.) Eco Water Purifier, Timothy Kayondo from Uganda – a digital system that turns bones, cassava peelings, coconut shells and other waste into an activated carbon water filter

13.) PapsAI, Dr William Wasswa from Uganda – a low-cost digital microscope slide scanner and platform that diagnoses and manages cervical cancer in resource-constrained areas

14.) Remot, David Tusubira from Uganda – a digital platform that connects to off-grid solar systems to allow users to manage and pay for them remotely

Malawi

15.) CATHEL, Catherine Tasankha Chaima from Malawi – an affordable antibacterial soap made from agricultural waste and other plant-based extracts

South Africa

16. DryMac, Adrian Padt from South Africa – a containerised drying system that uses burning biomass instead of electricity to dry and preserve crops

Launched in 2014 by the Royal Academy of Engineering, the annual Africa Prize awards crucial commercialisation support to innovators who are transforming their local communities across Africa.  The Prize supports innovators who are developing life-changing technologies that may otherwise have gone unrecognised and under-resourced.

https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/23/africa-prize-for-engineering-innovation/

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Google Docs is easy to use, free of charge and accessible to anyone with a Gmail account, it has made pretty much anything that involves word processing much easier.

But even the smoothest software can be tweaked, and there’s more than a handful of ways to use Google Docs to work better for you. Here’s how to get the most from Google Docs, from organising your files to the tips and tricks to make you more efficient.

Organise your documents within Google Drive

If you get into a document and find that it’s floating around in your Google Drive without a specific folder, you can move its location without leaving your Google Doc. Click on the grey folder icon – near the title of the Google Doc you want to move, and you can move the location of the document within your Drive.

Use an outline

Occasionally, you’ll find yourself confronted with a huge document with no conceivable structure. Using the inbuilt outline tool for Google Docs is useful for longer documents, particularly if you’re working collaboratively. Go to View, then press show document outline. This will create a document outline on the left-hand side of the Google Doc, which you can use to navigate through the document. It’ll help you organise your thoughts easier – and can also make the process of writing long reports, articles or letters somewhat less daunting. To add new headings, select the phrase you want as a heading, and use a heading option on the toolbar.

Customise your preferences

Even the most convenient software won’t be able to read your mind. If you find yourself using a phrase often – something with quirky spelling, or a trademark – add it to your shortcuts so that Google Docs doesn’t automatically correct it. Go to Tools, then Preferences. It’s also handy for words that are a little tricky, phrases that Google Docs might draw a red line under and brand or place names that don’t need to be capitalised. Similarly, you can double-check that the shortcuts built into Google Docs actually work for you. If you know you use some commands way more often than others, you can remove the inbuilt shortcuts which are more annoying than convenient. Go to Help, then press Keyboard Shortcuts, and edit to your heart’s content.

Edit your document offline

Sometimes you’re working to a tight deadline and you could really use those extra two minutes on the tube to tighten something up. Turn on offline editing to make sure your changes save and give yourself that extra breathing room – go to File, then press Make document available offline. This means that your edits will save automatically, and when you connect to the internet again, those changes will be automatically applied. You have to turn this on manually in each document. If you want to extend this to all of your documents – and make it a default setting, go to Google Drive, press the cog symbol in the top left-hand corner and tick the necessary box. Your changes will update automatically once you’re connected to the Internet again.

Navigate the internet without leaving your Google doc

Sometimes you’ve got 30 tabs open and you just need to check one date or find one link. You can even do so from the comfort of your Google Doc – just go to Tools, then Explore. A search bar will pop up – with your default search engine – and you can do your research from there. If you need to add some generic images in – like clip art, or an icon – you can find those in the explore tab too and add them in easily. Just make sure you double-check the URLs.

Use an add-on

If you’re only using Google Docs for basic document editing and collaboration, add-ons might not be necessary for you. But if there’s something specific missing, try installing an add-on – the Add-ons button on the toolbar, between Tools and Help. Some are best for specific uses – like Google Reports for Google Classroom, which is best suited for teachers, while others like Code Block make copying blocks of code easier. If the add-ons become too cumbersome, just go back to Add-ons and select the option to Manage Add-ons.

Use and create your own templates

A blank page can be intimidating, and sometimes, it’s just not what you need. Google Docs has a fairly comprehensive selection of templates that you can use – from business letters to resumes to proposals, which you can use as a starting point to build exactly what you want. Simply find the template you want in the gallery of templates. You can also save your own templates if there’s a standard you want to keep returning to, in your Google Drive.

Import images and edit them too

Inserting images into your Google Doc doesn’t have to be a difficult process. You can drag and drop images from your desktop, and if it’s an image with a URL, you don’t even have to save it. Go to Insert, then Image, and then By URL. If you need an image and don’t have one, you can navigate around the Internet to find the right one – go to Insert, then Image, then press, Search the web.

If you have an image you need to use but it just doesn’t look quite right on the page, you can edit it within the document. You can drag and drop images from your desktop, and then double click – a menu will pop up with options to crop, edit and resize your image within the document itself.

https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/22/how-to-use-google-docs-to-make-you-more-efficient/

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LifeBank Founder, Temie Giwa-Tubosun has received a congratulatory message from President Muhammadu Buhari for winning the inaugural Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative (ANPI).

The President’s congratulatory message was communicated through a statement by Femi Adeshina, Buhari's  Special Adviser on Media and Publicity.

According to him, the Award, accompanied by a cash prize of 250,000 dollars, is only the latest in a series of inspiring wins by Giwa-Tubosun in recent years.

He added that the award was a testament to the vision and doggedness which had helped grow the Startup she founded, LifeBank, into an organisation to reckon with on Nigeria’s and Africa’s healthcare and technology landscapes.

The President acknowledged the huge impact LifeBank had made ”in a relatively short time, by delivering blood, oxygen and other medical products to hospitals in a timely and efficient manner, thus helping save countless lives”.

President Buhari reiterated the commitment of his administration to creating the right environment for business and innovation to thrive in the country.

He assured that the efforts put in place so far, ”which have seen Nigeria rise a total of 39 places on the World Bank’s Doing Business Index in the last three years, will be pursued even more vigorously”.

The President added that the administration would continue its active engagement with leading minds in the technology and creative sectors including through the Advisory Group on Technology and Creativity, under the National Industrial Policy and Competitiveness Advisory Council chaired by the Vice President.

He urged Nigerian youth to emulate Giwa-Tubosun’s can-do spirit and problem-solving approach, as well as her firm belief in the potential of her fatherland.

President Buhari further wished her greater successes in the months and years ahead, and urged her to use ”this latest recognition as a stepping stone to even more impactful and transformative work”.

https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/21/buhari-congratulates-temie-giwa-tubosun/

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Funke Akindele, who is popularly known for Jenifa's Diary, has launched 'Jenifa Spells', an educative spelling app. According to Akindele, 'Jenifa Spells is built around the Jenifa character.

The 42-year-old attributed the creation of the game to the immense support from her husband, Abdulrasheed Bello aka JJC Skillz.

She said, “I (Jenifa) am out with a game now. We are launching the ‘Jenifa Spells’ which teaches people how to spell. It is an educational game that was developed by our team.”

In 2008, the director and producer wrote and co-produced a comedy-drama, with the major character being ‘Jenifa’.

After the huge acceptance of the film, which saw Akindele-Bello winning the Best Actress in a Leading Role at the Africa Movie Academy Awards, the leading actress made a sequel to the film, ‘Return of Jenifa’ in 2011.

Jenifa is available for download (43mb) on the playstore and has so far been downloaded more than 1,000 times.

https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/21/funke-akindele-launches-jenifa-spells-an-educative-spelling-app/

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Nufaesah, Simbi Interactive, and EduPoint, all-female led startups have emerged winners in 2019 She Leads Africa Demo Day. The Demo Day was the culmination of 3 months She Leads Africa Accelerator Program.

These 3 startups alongside 13 others were selected for the She Leads Africa Accelerator Program.

They were mentored and trained by seasoned experts and business coaches on topics relating to entrepreneurship, branding, finance among others during the 3 months Accelerator boot camp.

On Demo Day, the top five startups namely: Nufaesah, Simbi Interactive, EduPoint, Oncopadi and Street waste pitched  a panel of judges that included Damilola Teidi – Director of Incubation at Co-creation Hub, Wonuola Okoye – Founder of Big Startup Co, Dayo Koleowo – Partner at Microtraction and Bode Abifarin – COO at Flutterwave.

Supported by the Work in Progress! Alliance (VC4Africa and Oxfam), the judges named Nufaesah founded by Nafisah Oseni Wahab the winner and was rewarded with a cash prize of N2 million while the second-place winner went to Simbi Interactives and the third-place winner was EduPoint. They were rewarded with N1 million and N500,000 respectively.

Meet the winners

Nufaesah

Nufaesah founded by Nafisah Oseni Wahab aims to provides workwear for the urban Muslim woman – to help them keep within the Islamic guidelines of dressing, yet look fashionable. Her products range between pants, dresses, skirts, jumpsuits, shirts/blouses, jackets/blazers, scarves, and turbans.

Simbi Interactives

Founded by Oyindamola Adesina, Simbi Interactives is looking to solve the problem of poor education in Africa through her AI-powered product – Simbibot.

Edupoint

Edupoint is an innovative online platform that connects students with verified local teachers who deliver one-on-one lessons in any subject, skill or exam. The founder is Lilian Uka.

https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/21/nufaesah-wins-she-leads-africa/

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Heetch, a ride-sharing app focused on Francophone Africa, has raised $4 million from AfricInvest to complete its $42 million Series B.

The ride-sharing app aims to build friendly and fair mobility solutions for their drivers and passengers. In 2018, the startup launched its operations in Casablanca, Morocco, in partnership with the country’s major taxi unions.

Heetch has already become the market leader, establishing itself as the only legal ride-sharing app in the country and is now active in all the major cities (Rabat, Marrakech, etc.).

Following its last fundraising round, a couple of months ago, Heetch successfully launched in 2 more countries: Algeria and Cameroon.

Heetch plans to launch in six new African countries next year (Tunisia, Senegal, etc.). Depending on the local regulation, Heetch will work with private, taxi or moto-taxi drivers.

Teddy Pellerin, the co-founder of Heetch, said: The Maghreb and French-speaking Central and West Africa represent major opportunities for Heetch.

"In fast-growing cities with limited public transport infrastructure, our service can greatly improve mobility for city dwellers. Since we share a common language, it’s a bit easier for us to understand and adapt our offer to local specificities.

"Besides, we always prefer to partner with a local entrepreneur to create a business that is partly French and partly local.

Yassine Oussaifi, Partner at AfricInvest, said: Heetch has developed an ambitious Africa strategy in order to offer innovative, inclusive, safe and reliable mobility solutions for millions of urban Africans, developed by one of the brightest management teams in the industry.

"We appreciate the pragmatic approach of the team that will build and adapt the service to the local context, in close partnership with entities on the ground."

https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/20/heetch-completes-series-b/

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Asset and Resource Management (ARM) and Ventures Platform have launched Labs by ARM 2.0, a fintech-Focused Accelerator Program designed to support the best early-stage companies solving the hardest problems in the financial industry.

This program is designed to get them to some level of product-market-fit and to massively acquire more users. This time, Labs By ARM 2.0 is targeting post-MVP fintech startups to advance the growth of their companies and ensure their investment-readiness.

Other criteria are:
1.) Should be operating in the fintech space
2.) Should be post-revenue
3.) Startups should have a well-rounded, complementary team
4.) Startups should be solving an important problem
Key Areas of Interest are
Solving problems in customer experience, process automation and improvement (including transaction and customer care response speeds), and operational cost reduction.

Benefits

This is an amazing opportunity for startups in the FinTech space as they get an opportunity to receive $20,000+ funding, access to support, mentorship, ARM/VP networks, valuable industry insight, and more.

During the 12-week program, ARM and Ventures Platform will work intensively with each startup; primarily on product, market, and team.

They will also be provided them with capital, office space, and carefully selected mentors from the FinTech industry who will provide hands-on support, and valuable introductions.

The application closes on 30th December 2019. Click here to apply and for more details.

https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/19/apply-for-labs-by-arm/

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Orange, a multinational telecommunications corporation with, has announced the winners of the Orange Social Venture Prize 2019.

The winners were unveiled at AfricaCom, the largest technology trade show in Africa, held in Cape Town on 12-14 November.

They are:

1st prize: Chaque souffle compte (every breath counts) manufactures interactive neonatal incubators that can be remotely controlled via a physician’s smartphone. They are used to decrease preventable deaths among premature babies in Cameroon and across Africa.

2nd prize: J-Palm Liberia sets up and operates mini palm oil processing plants in rural areas. This has increased palm oil extraction rates by 50% while reducing processing time, to improve the incomes of smallholders.

3rd prize: Flit Ride connects passengers and taxi drivers in Madagascar.

They were rewarded with €25,000, €15,000 and €10,000 respectively, and will benefit from over three months of personalised support from Orange experts or partners to develop their project.

The competition, which is held in 17 of the countries where Orange operates, was organised in two stages. During the first stage, out of 1,333 applications received, 48 innovative projects were chosen as winners and rewarded in the relevant country.

Then 10 projects were selected and presented to an international jury made up of professionals, investors and institutions. Of the ten projects, three were chosen as finalists.

This year for the first time, five countries - Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Morocco - created a prize for innovative digital projects by women or targeting the female population.

For the ninth year running, Orange awarded the Orange Social Venture Prize in Africa and the Middle East at a special ceremony at its stand at AfricaCom.

Since 2011, the Orange Prize for Social Entrepreneurship in Africa and the Middle East rewards innovative and responsible company projects that have a concrete social or environmental impact in fields as diverse as education, health, agriculture, mobile payment, and sustainable development.

https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/19/orange-social-venture-prize/

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OPay, the Africa-focused fintech firm owned by Opera has revealed that it is launching its car-hailing service tagged OCar in Nigeria. With the launch, it brings OCar in direct competition with already established car-hailing services like Uber and Bolt.

This announcement which was made in a Tweet comes a day after OPay secured $120 million Series B investment from Chinese investors including Meituan-Dianping, GaoRong, Source Code Capital, Softbank Asia, BAI, Redpoint, IDG Capital, Sequoia China and GSR Ventures.

With the new investment, OPay will scale its business offerings in Nigeria thus the introduction of OCar and expand its payment products to South Africa, Kenya and Ghana in the coming days.

OCar which is still in Beta on Opay's super app (update your app if you cannot find it) is currently available in Lagos, Owerri, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Benin, Kaduna, Abeokuta and Ibadan.

As expected, OPay is offering massive discounts to its prospective OCar customers to drive patronage. For as low as 200 naira, you go anywhere in the aforementioned cities.

OPay prides itself as a super app that offers almost every day services that the average Nigerian needs. These services include ORide, ride-hailing, OFood, it’s food services, Olist, its classified platform, loans and subscription services, airtime purchase among others.

https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/19/opay-launches-ocar/

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Lifebank, a Nigerian medical delivery startup, has announced that it has commenced the delivery of medical supplies through Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) known as drones.

Temie Giwa-Tubosun, the founder and CEO of LifeBank made this disclosure at the sidelines of the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative held in Accra, Ghana. The startup was rewarded with $250,000 for winning the Prize powered by the Ma Foundation. Giwa-Tubosun said the decision to add drones to their mobility fleet was to get blood to patients in places that are hard to reach.

At the event, Giwa-Tubosun spoke about LifeBank’s findings while researching the best situations to use drones for blood delivery.

She said: “After running our operations for three years we knew that there were some patients we could not reach on time. Like areas where there are bandits on the road so we need to fly.” According to her, the drones will only supply blood in emergency situations where patients are hard to reach.
LifeBank partnered with the Information Network Security Agency (INSA), the Ethiopian government agency tasked with exploring technology, to successfully test run drone delivery in Ethiopia in October.

Beyond Ethiopia, LifeBank’s drone delivery services will also be tested and launched in other regions including Nigeria.

The introduction of drone delivery by LifeBank, will no doubt further boost its business and operation of medical delivery and help it cover areas where motorbikes and boats ordinarily cannot access.

https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/19/lifebank-commences-drone-delivery/

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Jumia, the leading eCommerce platform in Africa, has suspended eCommerce Operations in Cameroon.

The startup, which recently released its 3rd quarter report, said in a statement that after a thorough review of its investments in Cameroon, they concluded that its transactional portal is not suitable for the current context in the country.

The statement continues: "This is why we took the difficult decision to suspend our e-commerce operations in Cameroon effective on 18th Nov 2019."

Despite its exit from Cameroon, the NYSE listed company said it will continue to provide support its classified portal-Jumia Deals.

"We will continue to support buyers and vendors to do business online on our classifieds portal, previously called Jumia Deals and which will now be the main portal jumia.cm - thousands of buyers and vendors get in touch every month on this portal and we believe it will continue to become more and more relevant in the future."

The suspension may be as a result of the fact that it wants to streamline its business offerings in Africa, eventually break even and finally become profitable.

https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/18/jumia-suspends-operations-cameroon/

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Jumia and Facebook are empowering small and medium scale enterprises in Nigeria by offering them free masterclass on business growth accelerators, effective customer engagement strategy, and how to advertise their businesses and ultimately grow their businesses.

The empowerment programme which recently held at Facebook’s NG_Hub was attended by hundreds of sellers and featured talks by Jumia and Facebook representatives.

Attendees learnt how to sell & list products on the eCommerce platform via the seller centre, factors that affect sales on Jumia and top factors that determine pricing. Other topics covered also included how sellers can build and create content for their business pages on Facebook and how they can advertise their businesses on Facebook.

"The purpose of this training is to enable our sellers and partners to grow their businesses online. This means allowing the sellers to not only be successful on Jumia but also to fetch customers and bring them to their stores through Facebook. We expect that the sellers will implement what they learnt from this training to boost their sales and drive more traffic to their stores,” said Charles De Moucheron, Head of Jumia Force (J-Force) Africa.

"The Facebook boost with Jumia programme is about empowering small businesses by making it possible for them to take advantage of the endless opportunities that are available online. I believe this training has given the Jumia sellers the ability to reach people where they spend their time,” Elizabeth Ajala, Senior Community Trainer, Facebook Small Business Team stated.

Ndidi Nwankwo, a new Jumia seller who sells hair products, commended the partnership adding that she had learnt so many things which she hopes to implement in her business to get a good return on investment.


Source: https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/18/jumia-partners-facebook/

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OPay, the African fintech startup has announced that it has raised a $120 million Series B from Chinese investors include Meituan-Dianping, GaoRong, Source Code Capital, Softbank Asia, BAI, Redpoint, IDG Capital, Sequoia China and GSR Ventures.

OPay will use the funds to scale in Nigeria and expand its payments product to Kenya, Ghana and South Africa according to Opera’s  CFO Frode Jacobsen.

This Series B raised by OPay comes five months after it raised $50 million investment led by Sequoia China, IDG Capital, and Source Code Capital. Opera also contributed to the funding round in the payments venture it established in 2018.

These are interesting times for the Nigerian fintech space as it appears foreign investors are racing to play a key role in promoting financial inclusion and reaching the country's unbanked population for a profit.

Recently, Visa reportedly invested $200 million in Insterswitch, a leading technology-driven company focused on the digitisation of payments in Nigeria and other countries in Africa, and China's mobile phone maker Transsion led a $40 million investment in the UK headquartered PalmPay.

“Opay will facilitate the people in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya and other African countries with the best fintech ecosystem. We see ourselves as a key contributor to helping local businesses thrive, from digital business models,” Opera CEO and OPay Chairman Yahui Zhou, said in a statement.

On how Opay will ration the $120 million across its new markets, Opera CFO Frode Jacobsen said OPay looks to capture volume around bill payments and airtime purchases, but not necessarily a priority.  “That’s not something you do every day. We want to focus our services on things that have high-frequency usage,” said Jacobsen.

Those include transportation services, food services, and other types of daily activities, he explained. Jacobsen also noted OPay will use the $120 million to enter more countries in Africa than those disclosed. Since its Series A raise, OPay in Nigeria has scaled to 140,000 active agents and $10 million in daily transaction volume, according to company stats.

OPay prides itself has a super app that offers almost every day services that the average Nigerian needs and these includes ORide, ride-hailing, OFood, it's food services, Olist, its classified platform, loans and subscription services, airtime purchase among others.

Source: https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/18/opay-raises-funding/

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LifeBank, a Nigerian medical distribution startup, has been named the winner of the first-ever Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative whose grand finale was recently held at the Netpreneur Africa Summit in Accra Ghana.

The startup which was founded by Temie Giwa-Tubosun in 2015, beat 10 other startups from across Africa that pitched to a panel of high-powered judges including Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma, Econet Group Founder and Executive Chairman Strive Masiyiwa, First Bank of Nigeria Chairman and The Chair Centre Group founder Ibukun Awosika and Alibaba Group Executive Vice Chairman Joeseph Tsai.

Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative
For her winning pitch, Temie Giwa-Tubosun of LifeBank was rewarded with a cash prize of $250,000. This said the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative is not a winner takes all competition. The first runner up got $150,000 which went to Dr. Omar Sakr, founder and CEO, Nawah-Scientific (Egypt), the second runner up received $100,000 which went to Christelle Kwizera, founder, Water Access Rwanda (Rwanda) while the 4th-10th placed startups will get $65,000 each.

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The road to the finals

The road to the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative started on March 27th when the prize was launched simultaneously in partnership with different hubs across Africa. TECHAWK was present at the Lagos launch.

The hubs are the Network of Incubators & Innovators in Nigeria (NINE), the West African partner for the prize, RiseUp (Egypt) for North Africa, 22 On Sloane (South Africa) for Southern Africa and Nailab (Kenya) for East Africa.

From more than 9,000 African entrepreneurs that applied for the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative (ANPI), founded by the Jack Ma Foundation; the 10 startups were shortlisted which culminated in the finals won by LifeBank.

LifeBank by Temie Giwa-Tubosun

LifeBank is a medical distribution company that uses data and technology to help health workers discover critical medical products, saying it has saved over 5,7 96 lives in Nigeria.

Founder Temie has over 10 years of health-management experience with the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Development Program, and Nigeria’s Lagos State.

In 2014, BBC listed her as one of the 100 women changing the world. She was also recognized by Quartz and World Economic Forum.

LifeBank started back In July 2012, when she founded the One Percent Project, which promoted voluntary blood donation across Nigeria and collected more than 3,100 pints of blood until December 2015, when it morphed into LifeBank.

In a 2016 interview with Newsweek, Temie said that she launched LifeBank to address blood shortage by connecting blood banks with hospitals in Lagos.

The app allows medical professionals to order blood from about 25 blood banks in Lagos. Orders are filtered by blood type, location, and urgency according to the report.

The report added that LifeBank’s logistics team then stores the blood in a cool chain system—keeping it at 10 degrees Celsius—and transports it in Bluetooth-padlocked boxes that only the intended recipient can open.

The company also only transports blood that has been screened by state-run clinics, reducing the possibility of blood-transmitted infections entering the chain.

Also, we must not fail to mention the support LifeBank received from Co-Creation Hub, one of Africa’s biggest tech incubation hubs, in its early stages. It received $25,000 in pre-seed funding, and the company has since raised a further $15,000 from a private investor.

The Africa Netpreneur Prize

The Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative aims to invest US$10 million and recognize 100 African entrepreneurs over the next 10 years. The Prize powered by the Jack Ma Foundation wants to support and inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs who are building a more sustainable and inclusive economy for the future.

Every year, 10 finalists will be selected to compete in a final pitch competition that will be broadcast across the continent. All ten finalists will gain access to the Netpreneur community of African business leaders to leverage the community’s shared expertise, best practice, and resources.

Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba Group, created the prize after he made his first trip to Africa in July 2017.

https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/17/lifebank-africa-netpreneur-prize-initiative/

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Itanna, the accelerator and investment vehicle of Honeywell Group has rounded off its second cohort with 3 startups pitching at the Demo Day held on Thursday 14th November. They spent 4-months being trained and mentored by industry experts on how to grow their business.

At Demo Day, the 3 startups that participated in the Itanna Accelerator Program pitched their innovative and scalable startups made up of seasoned entrepreneurs, founders and venture capitalists among others.

The startups are:

1.) Gerocare, a company that leverages technology and traditional African family values of adult children taking care of their parents to provide a structure for medical care for the elderly.

2.) Simbi Interactive, which uses interactive questioning and answering to help students learn, master and evaluate themselves in any subject.

3.) [/b]E-Estates[/b], a mobile/web solution that helps estate managers coordinate their affairs and interaction with residents effectively.

They were selected for the second Itanna Accelerator Program in Nigeria from over 200 applications received from across nine African countries and they would receive investments of up to $30,000. 

The demo day also featured a panel discussion; focused on how to choose the right funding model for businesses and was composed of leading venture capitalists and experienced founders.

The panel, which was facilitated by Charles Ifedi (Adviser, Itanna), included Ayodeji Adewumi, (President & Co-CEO, Gokada, and Director, Africa, Rise Capital), Adia Sowho, (VP of Growth at Mines.io) and Lanre Oyedotun (CEO, Fieldinsight).

On why Honeywell Group started Itanna, Tomi Otudeko, Director of Itanna and Head Innovation and Sustainability at Honeywell Group stated that “Itanna allows us to partner with the growing Nigerian tech ecosystem by identifying and supporting tech and tech-enabled businesses that can leverage our experience and network to grow.

"We allow them to stand on our shoulders, to transform themselves into strategic enterprises that would catalyze economic growth”

For Tony Idugboe, Head of Investment at Itanna, he said: “We are very thrilled with the caliber of entrepreneurs the Nigerian Tech ecosystem has to offer.

"At Itanna, we worked with each company on an individual basis to stress-test their value propositions and their core business models so they can emerge from our program as stronger companies. We believe in each of these companies and are extremely excited to see what these companies are now capable of achieving.”

The interesting thing about the second cohort of the Itanna Accelerator program is that the startups cut across different sectors compared to the first cohort whose focus was only on fintech startups.

The facilitators of the Itanna Accelerator have big ambitions as they hope to select startups from West Africa for the third cohort to participate. Presently, only Nigerian startups have been selected so far.

https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/16/itanna-accelerator/

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OBus, the bus-hailing service of OPay Nigeria has been temporarily suspended due to the activities of the Lagos Branch of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and area boys.

The bus-hailing service which was launched barely three months ago was beginning to gain some traction after it added more routes. However, it appears the business model was unsustainable coupled with the unpleasant actions of the area boys, which somewhat hampered the smooth running of OBus.

According to several reports, OPay made efforts to cushion the impact of the activities of the area boys on its bus-hailing business by assigning a police officer to a bus but couldn’t bear such cost implications.

Beyond security maintenance, OBus also spends a lot in the process of bus procurement, maintenance, and staff recruitment.

Although OPay is yet to officially confirm the suspension, a Twitter user who tweeted OPay via @getoride) complaining about his inability to book a bus ride and they replied: “Kindly be informed that OBus services have been suspended for now. Not to worry, hurry! book a ride with ORide to enjoy an amazing discount.”

Being forced to shut down business by the area boys and NURTW is not good for Lagos which prides itself as the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria and aims to become the choice destination for investors in Africa.

https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/15/opay-suspends-obus/

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Yodawy, an Egyptian medicine delivery startup, has secured $1 million Series A led by Algebra Ventures and CVentures, the recently launched corporate VC arm of Egypt’s largest private bank Commercial International Bank.

The round was also joined by ASI Ventures, an Egyptian angel investment firm.

Founded in 2018 by Karim Khashaba, Sherief El-Feky, and Yasser AbdelGawad, Yodawy enables users to browse and order medicines and other personal care products through its mobile app.

The users also have the option to order medicines by taking a picture of their prescription and uploading it in Yodawy’s app.

The orders are routed to the best-matching pharmacy from Yodawy’s network of over 2,500 pharmacies across 30 cities in Egypt. The startup claims to have completed over 500,000 orders in the last twelve months....

Continue here: https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/14/yodawy-raises-investment/

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MTN Nigeria has added mobile money to the MTN network of services. Tagged Momo Agent, the new mobile money platform will be managed by one of the MTN subsidiaries-Y'ello Digital Financial Services.

MTN will leverage on its expansive network across Nigeria to ensure that MoMo Agents will immediately begin providing safe and accessible money transfer services to underbanked and unbanked people across Nigeria.

At the launch of Momo Agent, Usoro Usoro, General Manager, Mobile Financial Services, said the Momo service in Nigeria was part of the company’s strategic plan to drive financial inclusion and reduce poverty level.

Usoro explained that the Momo agent network will solve the problem of identity and access to financial services in Nigeria’s rural communities.

According to the director, some of the services the telecommunication company will be able to provide through the Momo Agent include money transfer, purchase of data, airtime, and payment of bills.

So how do you become a Momo Agent?

Step 1: Check to affirm if you meet the requirements below

Requirements for MoMo Agents

1.) Have an existing business or willing to invest in the agency business
2.) Have a Brick & Mortar/Immovable retail shop e.g. Pharmacy Pop & Mom Shop located in high foot traffic

Continue Here: https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/13/mtn-momo-agent-nigeria/

https://www.techawk.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/drivewealth-enables-nigerian-trading-platform-chaka.jpg

Chaka, an investment firm offering customers access to Nigerian and global financial assets, has raised undisclosed funding from Iyin Aboyeji, the co-founder of Andela and Microtraction, a Lagos-based early-stage investment platform founded by Yele Bademosi.

The technology-enabled platform referred to as a digital ‘Investment Passport’ allows users to invest in stocks listed on NASDAQ, the New York Stock Exchange and the Nigerian Stock Exchange offering over 4000 assets and indexes from companies such as Apple, Alibaba, Google, the S&P 500 index and many more.

This innovative platform provides opportunities for local investors to explore international markets and diversify their portfolios into African and global capital markets.

"In addition to this, it offers global citizens access to invest in local capital markets with just a click, thus bridging the gap in accessing viable investment vehicles.

Tosin Osibodu, founder and CEO of Chaka said: “With booming growth in many nations around the world, investors can now own a stake in the growth of other economies.

"Yet, for many Nigerians, this is a daunting task. We created Chaka to fill this gap, and likewise, give the global community access to local capital markets.”

He added, “Our goal is to provide premium borderless trading and investment opportunities for Nigerian professionals and investors. Chaka facilitates access to assets listed on the Nigerian stock exchange, American stock exchanges as well as global blue-chip companies from 40+ countries around the world.”

Iyinoluwa Aboyeji who confirmed his investment in the company to TechCrunch believes progressive trends in Nigeria will open up a new investor class.

The platform which was launched in October allows prospective investors to Trade and Invest in 40+ Countries and at the same time makes it possible for investors to invest as little as 1000 Naira or $10 to create a local and global wallet to trade.

The platform has partnerships with two brokers to facilitate stock purchases: Citi Investment Capital and U.S. based DriveWealth.

https://www.techawk.com.ng/2019/11/13/chaka-iyinoluwa-aboyeji-microtraction/