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Viewpoint: The Next Big Idea May Be Growing Far From Silicon Valley
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made his first trip to Africa this summer with stops in Nigeria and then Kenya. In June, the Chan Zuckerberg initiative—the philanthropic foundation of Zuckerberg and his wife Dr. Priscilla Chan—invested $24 million in Andela, a company that trains top software developers in Kenya and Nigeria. This trip and investment is a departure from the prevailing mindset in Silicon Valley, where top venture capital firms are investing in companies making products and services—like monthly deliveries of cannabis products or on-demand set-up of personal karaoke parties—to address increasingly minor “first world” problems with some of the country’s best talent.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- philanthropy
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Digital Payments Could Boost Tax Revenue by Nearly $500 Million Each Year and Drive Economic Modernization in Tanzania
Many emerging economies are grappling with how to modernize their economies, improve transparency, drive sustainable growth and advance financial inclusion. This study on Tanzania’s digital payment initiatives reveals the very strong results achieved by the government so far.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- digital payments, fintech
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Looking To Leapfrog the Power Grid, d.light Raises $22 Million for Solar in Emerging Markets
The development of mobile payment platforms, increasing options for providing debt, and cheaper and better off-grid solar power systems are presenting countries around the world with a chance to leapfrog the archaic electricity infrastructure that defined the twentieth century.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- renewable energy, solar
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KCB, Safaricom Lower Mobile Loans Interests After COFEK Pressure
KCB and its mobile money partner Safaricom have finally bowed to pressure to lower mobile money interest rates.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- lending
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Safaricom Pioneers Adoption of UN’s SDG’s in Kenya’s IT Sector
Safaricom’s has successfully integrated a customised shared prosperity and responsible business initiative across the firm making the telecom the first IT local company to adopt the United Nations fronted Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) in Kenya.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Smarter Farming Could Cut Hunger in Drought-Hit Southern Africa
Southern African farmers facing hunger as a result of worsening drought know a lot about climate change but lack the resources to put solutions that work into place, agriculture and development researchers say.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Tanzania Becomes 1st Globally Achieving Full Mobile Money Interoperability
The interoperability means mobile phone subscribers transfer money across multiple networks thus enabling the country becoming first in the area. Bank of Tanzania Governor Prof Benno Ndulu said today that mobile phone active account represents 21.9million out of 62.8million accounts registered by five major tele-financial service providers.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- fintech
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MTN Shuts Down Mobile Money Service in South Africa, Plans to Start Selling Insurance
In a country where more than 75 percent of people have bank accounts, South Africa-based mobile phone operator MTN Group has pulled the plug on its mobile money service there, saying it’s not viable.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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