Hello again!
Welcome to the African Tech News Roundup for this week. Have a good read…
Have you applied for MAN Impact Accelerator?
Mobility startups are invited to apply for the MAN Truck & Bus 2019 edition of MAN Impact Accelerator program. It is an eight months mentorship program which includes an all-expense-paid trip to Munich, Sao Paolo, Lisbon and Johannesburg. Registration ends on the 1st of October, 2019. Interested? Apply here.
Rwanda Sets to Host Africa Drone Forum 2020
Both the World Bank and the World Economic Forum is partnering with the government of Rwanda to organize the Africa Drone Forum. The event will take place by February 2020 and it promises to be dope. Startups that leverage drone technology stands the chance to showcase their products and share their experiences. Application for the Flying Competition will close on the 30th of September, 2019. Interested? Apply here.
Uber Bus is Finally Coming to Lagos Nigeria!!!
Uber, one of the popularly recognized ride-hailers in Lagos State has announced plans to launch its bus service. This will be rolled out in partnership with the Lagos Bus Service. So when next in Lagos, look out for Uber Buses on the move! More Details Here
The First Digital-only Bank in Nigeria has raised $1.6 million
Yes, Kuda has raised pre-seed funding to launch out of its beta stage. In the fourth quarter of 2019, expect the first digital-only bank to be fully operational. It also plans to offer online savings and P2P payment options alongside Kudimoney lending service. A big congratulations to the team! Learn More
Good news! Passengers can now access Wi-Fi on Ethiopian Airlines
Wi-Fi services would now be available to passengers onboard the Airbus A350 of Ethiopian Airlines. It was announced this week that the service will be available in a few aircraft and others will follow suit. This shows that even airlines are leveraging technology to offer value-added services to passengers. Way to go guys!
Good news!! You can now monitor the Nigerian Stock Market
This week, the Nigerian Stock Exchange has launched X-Mobile, a mobile app to boost investor participation. Prospects and Investors can now monitor stock market activities in real-time. Just name it! Market snapshots, stock prices market analytics, financial news, trade stimulations and even members directory can be viewed on the app. Learn More
Kenya Brace up yourself! Huawei DigiTrucks are coming!!!
Huawei has chosen the rural communities in Kenya to execute its “Tech4All” digital inclusion initiative. The DigiTruck project aims to boost the awareness of digital technology in rural communities via mobile digital classrooms from truck containers. The trucks are powered by solar energy and equipped with VR items, laptops and smartphones. With this, Huawei plans to train 7000 people on digital literacy, entrepreneurship and online job opportunities within a year. Learn More
The Central Bank of Egypt to invest over $50 million in Fintechs
You read right! The Central Bank of Egypt would invest this sum in the coming year. The Minister of Communication and Information Technology revealed that the bigger goal is to transform the country into a regional centre for digital financial services. Also, the sum of $60.8 million have been invested in building seven technological parks in different universities across the country. Learn More
Luminate Invests $1 million to Fund Journalism in Kenya
Omidyar Group wants to build a $1 million worth media lab for journalists in Kenya through Luminate, its philanthropic arm. The lab dubbed Baraza Media Lab would serve as a media hub for journalists, publishers and media entrepreneurs. It will also run training that focuses on the rudiments of quality journalism. Read More
A new way to Fight Cybercrime
Internet Solutions has provided KES 20 million to set up a Cyber Threat Intelligence Center (CTIC) in Kenya. The facility would be used to monitor, prevent, analyze and even fight any form of cyber threat faced by African companies. Learn More
Thank you for stopping by. We look forward to having you read the next edition. Please checkout our social media handles @techgistafrica for interesting reviews and articles written by our very own writers.
Have a restful weekend.
Sincerely,
Team TechGist Africa