NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

MTN Uganda, Ericsson team up on mobile money service

Ericsson has announced that MTN Uganda has deployed the Ericsson Converged Wallet platform, enabling the operator to quickly introduce relevant, new and differentiated mobile financial services offerings for seven million MTN Uganda mobile wallet users and 50,000 agents

Source

ITWeb Africa (link opens in a new window)

Categories

Technology

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

Tags

Base of the Pyramid

The Guy Who Delivers HIV Medicine On His Bicycle

Sizwe Nzima was sitting in a clinic waiting for his grandparents' HIV medicine four years ago when he had an idea: Why not start an HIV medicine delivery service?

Source

NPR (link opens in a new window)

Categories

Health Care

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

Telemedicine trend continues with new Nigerian mobile initiative

A joint telemedicine initiative between Apollo Hospitals and African telecoms company Airtel will expand access to health services for many Nigerian mobile subscribers.

Source

Business Monitor (link opens in a new window)

Categories

Health Care

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

Tags

business development

South African Bitcoin exchange debuts mobile wallet

South Africa’s largest Bitcoin exchange, BitX, has launched a Bitcoin mobile wallet that makes storing and using the cryptocurrency easier and safer for consumers in emerging markets.

Source

Tech Central (link opens in a new window)

Categories

Uncategorized

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

Tags

digital payments, mobile finance

Race to Make Ebola Vaccine Pits Crazy Timeline Against Maddening Obstacles

Refrigeration is just one of the myriad challenges for GlaxoSmithKline Plc and other companies racing to create vaccines to fight Ebola. They’re facing issues ranging from packaging the drug in tiny glass vials for distribution, to assembling fleets of trucks and motorbikes to transport it along potholed roads, to monitoring subjects in a Swiss lakeside city to test the vaccine ultimately destined for villages in the African jungle.

Source

Bloomberg (link opens in a new window)

Categories

Health Care

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

Tags

infectious diseases, infrastructure, vaccines

Viewpoint: The Entrepreneurial Mind at the Bottom of Africa’s Pyramid

Africa is a young continent with a large so-called “bottom of the pyramid” population. There has been growing interest in the continent from investors and multinationals alike, with many South African firms in particular aggressively expanding into new markets and heightened mergers and acquisitions interest from abroad.

Source

AFK Insider (link opens in a new window)

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

Tags

Base of the Pyramid

Africa: Combatting Health Risks and Promoting Better Hand Washing and Hygiene

Saraya Co. Ltd, a Japanese manufacturer of hygiene and sanitation products, joined the Business Call to Action (BCtA) with an initiative to decrease healthcare associated infections in Uganda.

Source

All Africa (link opens in a new window)

Categories

Health Care

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

Tags

business development, public-private partnerships

PRESS RELEASE: Accion and MasterCard Foundation Partner to Strengthen Board Governance in Africa

The Center for Financial Inclusion at Accion today announced a $6.1 millionpartnership with The MasterCard Foundation to launch the Accion Africa Board Fellowship program.

Source

PR Newswire (link opens in a new window)

Categories

Uncategorized

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

Tags

Base of the Pyramid, financial inclusion, poverty alleviation