This UNAJUA installment features Nigerian analyst and researcher, Derin Adebayo's second "minimum actionable response" to the question:
"Is the African technology ecosystem at an inflection point?"

In this podcast (the second in a three-part series), Derin shares what he reckons the founders of Africa’s first generation of internet startups have learned and suggests what lessons might be gleaned from other emerging markets.

Have your say by clicking on the UNAJUA tab at AfricanTechRoundup.com and leaving us a 60-second voice note with your reaction to this episode. (We will include some of your audio takes in future follow-up episodes.)

Image credit: Muhammadtaha Ibrahim Ma'aji

UNAJUA S1 EP2: What have founders learned from Africa's early internet startups? feat. Derin Adebayo

This African Tech Conversations episode features Sonya Kuhnel. In 2014, Sonya co-founded Bitcoin Events, a company that hosts some of South Africa's leading cryptocurrency and blockchain events - not least, the annual Blockchain Africa Conference. Sonya is also the Co-founder at Xago, a startup offering an XRP cryptocurrency exchange, gateway and payment platform built on the Ripple blockchain. 

In this conversation, Musa Kalenga invites Sonya to leverage her enviable ecosystem vantage point and live in-trench experience to reflect on how the continent's blockchain tech landscape is shaping up and her sense of how Web3 adoption is emerging in different markets.

Editorial Disclaimer: While the Celo Community Fund supports this African Tech Conversations episode, African Tech Roundup maintains complete editorial oversight. Opinions expressed by the host, Musa Kalenga, and his guest do not necessarily reflect the views of the African Tech Roundup or the presenting sponsor, Celo Community Fund.

SUPPORT US: Value our work? Then, join our Patreon Community (https://www.africantechroundup.com/patreon/) and help the African Tech Roundup platform remain single-mindedly focused on serving Africa's tech and innovation ecosystem with robust independent insight and learning content.

ATRUC S2 EP2: Convening 'Blockchain Africa' proponents with Sonya Kuhnel

This special piece of podcast storytelling offers a compelling glimpse into the heart and mind of one of Africa's most gifted multi-hyphenate technological innovators, Babusi Nyoni. 

Babusi is a Zimbabwean creative technologist, social entrepreneur and gqom producer with an extraordinary personal story. He is a self-taught tech pro whose project credits include creating what Forbes magazine described as “the world’s first AI football commentator” for the UEFA Champions League final (on behalf of Heineken) in 2016. In the same year, he built a prototype for predicting human displacement in Africa using AI. The latter initiative led to him launching an AI project pilot for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

In 2019, Babusi built a prototype app for Parkinson’s disease early diagnosis using computer vision and presented his findings at the Skoll World Forum at  Oxford University. In 2020, he co-founded Sila Health, a healthtech startup that provides last-mile health care access across Africa using chat platforms and creates comprehensive datasets to advance healthcare in the region.

SPECIAL THANKS:  This podcast was written, produced and narrated by Andile Masuku, with invaluable editing and soundscaping assistance provided by Spike Ballantine and Rasmus Bitsch.

SUPPORT US: Value our work? Then, join our Patreon Community (www.africantechroundup.com/patreon/) and help the African Tech Roundup platform remain single-mindedly focused on serving Africa's tech and innovation ecosystem with robust independent insight and learning content.

African Tech Roundup Podcast

Gqom: The Babusi Nyoni Story

In this African Tech Conversations episode, guest host Kate Bryne chats with avid AI proponents Jania Okwechime (Partner at Deloitte - West Africa Data Analytics Leader) and Wessel Oosthuizen (AI Lead - Deloitte Analytics). Listen in for deep insights about the pros and pitfalls of AI and to grasp the profound potential impact AI might have on the Web3 universe as we build it out.

EDITORIAL DISCLAIMER: While the Celo Community Fund supports this African Tech Conversations episode, African Tech Roundup maintains complete editorial oversight. Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the African Tech Roundup or the presenting sponsor, Celo Community Fund.

SUPPORT US: Value our work? Then, join our Patreon Community (www.africantechroundup.com/patreon/) and help the African Tech Roundup platform remain single-mindedly focused on serving Africa's tech and innovation ecosystem with robust independent insight and learning content.

ATRUC S2 EP4: Can AI be trusted? with Jania Okwechime & Wessel Oosthuizen

In the third and final episode of the Future in the Humanities podcast mini-series, titled "The Gig Economy's Hidden Costs", Wits social scientist and researcher Fikile Masikane guides an exploration of the complex realities facing gig workers in the Global South, particularly food courier riders in Africa.

Featuring insights from a study conducted with Edward Webster, Andile Masuku delves into the challenges and contradictions of the gig economy, examining how promises of entrepreneurship and freedom often lead to harsher working conditions and increased precarity.

Key themes:
- Expansion of e-hailing and e-delivery platforms in the Global South
- Promises vs. realities of gig work entrepreneurship
- Impact of profit-driven policies on driver conditions
- Vulnerability of migrant and economically disadvantaged populations
- Contrast between company narratives and worker experiences
- Long-term implications of gig economy practices on labor rights and social equity

Learn more:
Click here to discover the ongoing research and work being conducted in the field of labor studies and inequality by visiting the Wits Southern Centre for Inequality Studies: https://www.wits.ac.za/scis

Production credits:
Produced by Andile Masuku and Iginio Gagliardone
Co-produced by Brendan "Spike" Ballantine
Written and hosted by Andile Masuku
Recording, editing, sound design and mixing by Brendan "Spike" Ballantine

Editorial Note: The Future in the Humanities podcast mini-series is made possible through support from the Faculty of Humanities at the University of the Witwatersrand. Views expressed by the host and contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of African Tech Roundup or the University of the Witwatersrand. All rights reserved by the University of the Witwatersrand.

Future in the Humanities Podcast Season 01

Future in the Humanities EP 3/3: Slave Ride

In this episode, Wits University media researchers Samuel Olaniran and Iginio Gagliardone guide an audio tour into the complex world of conspiracy theories in the era of social media and global crises.

Drawing from multiple research findings and expert dialogues, Andile Masuku (host) grapples with the complex function of conspiracy theories in our society. Rather than dismissing them solely as social ills, he investigates their potential as tools for challenging authority and frameworks for understanding our social environment. 

This approach acknowledges that conspiracy theories can serve as a means for marginalised groups to question power structures and make sense of confusing or threatening events.

Key themes:
- Historical context of conspiracy theories
- Impact of social media on the spread and study of conspiracy theories
- The role of global events like the COVID-19 pandemic in shaping conspiratorial narratives
- Technological advancements in studying conspiracy theories in real-time
- Conspiracy theories as a form of social commentary and sense-making
- The balance between critical thinking and supporting conspiratorial claims

Learn more:
Click here to discover more ongoing research and work being conducted in Wits University's Department of Media Studies: https://www.wits.ac.za/mediastudies

Production credits:
Produced by Andile Masuku and Iginio Gagliardone
Co-produced by Brendan "Spike" Ballantine
Written and hosted by Andile Masuku
Recording, editing, sound design and mixing by Brendan "Spike" Ballantine
Voice acting by Nkululeko Sibiya and Damilola Oladokun

Editorial Note: The Future in the Humanities podcast mini-series is made possible through support from the Faculty of Humanities at the University of the Witwatersrand. Views expressed by the host and contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of African Tech Roundup or the University of the Witwatersrand. All rights reserved by the University of the Witwatersrand.

Future in the Humanities EP 2/3: Everybody Gets a Conspiracy

In the opening episode of the Future in the Humanities podcast mini-series, titled "Touching Brains", Wits University research collaborators Sahba Besharati and Victoria Williams let us in on their multidisciplinary exploration of the complex impact of COVID-19 on human interaction and touch. 

Featuring insights from various studies and discussions around the experiences of parents and caregivers during the pandemic, Andile Masuku (host), examines the significance of physical contact, the resilience of human beings and the potential long-term effects of altered social interactions.

Key themes:
- Perception of touch across societies: We pose the question: Is touch perceived differently across cultures? This episode examines how various societies interpret and engage in physical contact, influenced by factors like cultural norms and societal structures.
- COVID-19 and proximity: We discuss how the pandemic has reshaped perceptions of proximity and touch, as health protocols and safety measures have altered traditional practices and interactions.
- Humanities and neurosciences connection: The episode connects the humanities and neurosciences, demonstrating that a greater understanding of localized experiences can enhance rather than challenge universal principles. Most of the world is not 'WEIRD' (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic), yet much research in fields like psychology and neuroscience has historically been conducted in WEIRD contexts. This raises questions about the applicability of such research to diverse populations.
- Resilience of families: Despite the challenges, we explore the resilience of families in fostering connections during the pandemic and how lockdowns may have strengthened bonds.
- Long-term implications of touch: We address the significance of touch in maintaining social relationships and contemplate the potential long-term effects of social deprivation on mental health and development.

Learn more:
Discover the ongoing research and work being conducted in the field of humanities and neuroscience by visiting the Wits Neuroscience Research Lab: https://www.witsneurl.com

Production credits:
Produced by Andile Masuku and Iginio Gagliardone
Co-produced by Brendan "Spike" Ballantine
Written and hosted by Andile Masuku
Recording, editing, sound design and mixing by Brendan "Spike" Ballantine

Future in the Humanities EP 1/3: Touching Brains

In a rapidly evolving financial services landscape, traditional African insurers are racing to modernise their operations and product offerings to meet changing consumer needs. This episode explores how one of East Africa's largest insurance providers is navigating this transformation.

Episode overview:
In this first instalment of a special two-part miniseries on digital transformation across Africa's insurance and healthcare sectors, Andile Masuku, sits down with Evah Kimani, director of partnerships and digital at Britam. With over 18 years' experience spanning telecommunications, ICT and financial services, Evah provides unique insights into how legacy insurers are embedding their products into everyday consumer touchpoints.

Key topics:
• Digital transformation strategies in traditional insurance
• Embedding insurance in daily consumer moments
• The influence of cultural practices on financial innovation
• Product development in the digital age
• Partnership strategies for insurance providers
• The role of telco in modern insurance
• Innovation in East African insurance markets
• Traditional vs digital distribution channels
• Consumer behaviour and insurance adoption
• The future of African insurtech

Notable points:
1) Kimani shares how Britam is modernising its product development approach to meet evolving consumer needs
2) The discussion explores how cultural practices like 'chamas' and 'harambees' are shaping financial services innovation
3) Insights into embedding insurance products within everyday activities like buying airtime or hailing rides
4) Analysis of how traditional insurers can compete in an increasingly digital marketplace
5) Perspectives on the intersection of telecommunications and insurance services

Listen in for valuable insights into how Kenya's market-leading insurer is adapting to serve the next generation of African consumers whilst maintaining its commercial dominance.

Editorial Note: This episode is part of a special two-part miniseries made possible through the support of the International Federation of Health Plans (iFHP). It was recorded at the fringes of the iFHP Big Ideas Workshop 2024 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Whilst supported by iFHP, African Tech Roundup maintains complete editorial independence, and the views expressed by the host and guests are entirely their own.

Image credit: Nappy / Unsplash

Britam Director Shares Strategy on Modernising Insurance for Africa's Digital Age

This episode features an illuminating dialogue with Lanre Kolade, Chairman of ConnectedCompute, CEO of Koltronics Nigeria and former CEO of CSquared, exploring the intricate dynamics of infrastructure development and digital transformation across Africa.

Episode overview:
Andile Masuku engages with Kolade to unpack his 26-year journey in African broadband connectivity, examining the delicate balance between commercial viability and developmental impact in major infrastructure projects.

Kolade shares profound insights on building sustainable digital infrastructure in African markets as he reflects on his experience leading groundbreaking initiatives at CSquared, including the Google Equiano Cable landing in Togo in 2022.

Key topics:
• Blended finance models for infrastructure development
• Digital colonisation and sovereignty
• Public-private partnerships in African markets
• Infrastructure's role in ecosystem development
• Patient capital versus commercial funding
• Long-term impact versus short-term returns

Notable points:
1. The landmark Google Equiano Cable landing in Togo through CSquared
2. Innovation in blended finance structures combining government, development, and private funding
3. The transformative impact of strategic infrastructure investments
4. The role of patient capital in African digital development
Perspectives on emerging technologies like Starlink

Listen in for practical insights into infrastructure development, innovative financing, and digital transformation across Africa's evolving technology landscape.

Editorial Note: This podcast conversation was recorded at the fringes of NOVACOM Africa 1-to-1 Telco Summit 2024 in Franschhoek, South Africa, where African Tech Roundup's executive producer Andile Masuku attended as an independent media guest. African Tech Roundup maintains complete editorial oversight and is not affiliated with the event organisers.

Koltronics Nigeria's Lanre Kolade and the inside story of Google's Equiano cable landing in Togo

Ambar van der Wath—who leads investor relations at one of Africa's leading accelerator slash VC firms, Baobab Network—discusses with Andile Masuku how the firm is creating accessible entry points for cautious investors interested in early-stage African tech startups.

Episode Overview: 
Picture this: You're an international investor curious about African tech, but you're not quite ready to write million-dollar checks or commit to a 7-year fund lockup. That's exactly the puzzle Baobab Network is solving with their new-ish investment vehicle - allowing investors to back a batch of startups for as little as $20K.

Key topics:
Innovation in early-stage investment vehicles
Market education and investor development
Secondary markets and exit opportunities
Equity considerations for early-stage founders
The strategic role of venture debt
Risk management across African markets

Notable points:
1. Baobab Network is spreading bets across 16 markets (and counting)
2. Their portfolio has hit 60 companies, with half joining in just the last two years
3. They're actively hunting for founders who didn't go to Harvard (their words, not ours)
4. Sometimes they even manage early exits - Van der Wath shares about a secondary sale just 14 months post-investment

Through their innovative batch investment approach, Baobab Network is creating what Van der Wath describes as a "trusted layer" between international capital and African startups. Listen in for her insights on secondary markets.

The episode provides valuable insights for anyone interested in African tech investment, especially newcomers exploring the ecosystem for the first time.

Image credit: Nerene Grobler via Unsplash

Ambar Van Der Wath Unpacks Baobab Network's $20K Toe-Dipping Investment Proposition

Meet Chijioke Dozie, the co-founder steering Carbon through Nigeria's increasingly noisy neobank scene. In this candid chat with Andile Masuku, Dozie makes a case for zigging while others zag—specifically, charging for value while competitors burn cash on free services. 

It's a stance that might raise eyebrows in Nigeria's price-sensitive market, but as you'll hear, it's backed by 12 years of hard knocks and savvy iteration.

Episode Overview: 
Carbon spotted a massive gap in Nigeria circa 2012 - imagine a market of 180 million people where barely 200,000 had credit cards. It's the kind of statistical disparity that makes you do a double-take. The conversation reveals how this reality shaped Carbon's contrarian approach to building a licensed digital bank in Africa's largest economy.

Key topics:
- The distinction between neobanks across different markets
- Trust-building in digital banking through institutional frameworks
- The evolution from free services to value-based pricing
- The impact of founder experience on investor confidence
- Market size challenges in African banking

Notable points:
1) Carbon achieved profitability in 2018 and 2019, having raised only $12 million in equity
2) The company has processed loans for over 5 million Nigerians across three economic cycles
3) Nigeria's credit-to-GDP ratio was only 6% compared to South Africa's 70% when Carbon started
4) The company is shifting away from digital-only to include offline touchpoints

Be sure to listen out for a particularly candid moment when Dozie reflects on two key decisions made during pivotal moments in Carbon's history—choices he admits he would reconsider if given the chance.

Why Carbon CEO Chijioke Dozie Is Ditching Nigeria's Free Banking Playbook

As we wind down 2024, we're diving into our archives to serve up some memorable throwback conversations.

Whether you're a long-time listener revisiting these gems or discovering them for the first time, these conversations capture pivotal moments in Africa's tech journey. In today's episode, we're rewinding to 2018...

Episode overview:
Join us as we eavesdrop on a fascinating corridor conversation from Afrobytes Tech Marketplace in Paris featuring Amadou Daffe, who has since transformed Gebeya from an Ethiopian tech talent marketplace into a pan-African hybrid organisation connecting African developers with global opportunities, and Adewale Yusuf, who went from leading the tech media platform Techpoint to founding AltSchool Africa, which is now expanding online tech education from Africa into Europe.

What makes this chat particularly relevant today is how it foreshadowed Ethiopia's emergence as a tech talent powerhouse and Nigeria's developer compensation dynamics.

Critical insights:
1. The "Andela Effect" on developer salaries in Nigeria and its impact on local startups
2. Ethiopia's unique developer culture characterised by quiet confidence and humility
3. The stark contrast between Ethiopian and Nigerian developer mindsets
4. An unexpected revelation about Paga's Ethiopian development roots

Standout moments:
- Daffe reveals why he chose Ethiopia over Nigeria and Kenya for his tech venture
- A surprising disclosure about Ethiopian developers' role in programming Sophia the robot
- The parallel drawn between Nigeria's music industry success and its tech ecosystem

Market intelligence (circa 2018):
- Ethiopia: 43 universities offering computer science degrees
Nigeria: Developer salaries reaching $50,000, pricing out local startups
- Ethiopian developers' competitive advantage: Similar quality at $10,000/year

Looking back, looking forward:
As we revisit this conversation in 2024, it's fascinating to see how many of these observations played out. Has Ethiopia realised its potential as a tech hub? Have Nigeria's developer salary dynamics stabilised?

We're curious...
- Did this episode resonate with your current experience in either market?
- Should we get Daffe and Yusuf back on the show to discuss how things have evolved for them as founders?
- Are you a developer from either country? We'd love to hear your perspective!

Talent Tales: Ethiopia's Quiet Tech Rise vs Nigeria's Developer Gold Rush (2018)

This episode features a brief check-in with Ochuko Ogra, Chief Transformation and Strategy Officer at Backbone Connectivity Network (BCN), sketching Nigeria's digital infrastructure landscape.

Episode overview: 
BCN has over 1,000 km of wholly-owned fibre infrastructure, primarily in the North-Central and North Eastern parts of Nigeria. Citing its stronghold in Northern Nigeria to its expanding national footprint, Ogra shares how BCN is leveraging its two decades of experience in Nigerian telecommunications to drive the country's digital transformation agenda.

Key insights:
- Nigeria currently has 8 subsea cables landing in the country
- The country's 200+ million population presents significant opportunities across retail and enterprise segments in country and to its West African neighbours
- A young, digitally-native population is driving content creation and digital service adoption
- BCN's approach emphasises customer value creation across both enterprise and end-user segments
- The company's strong presence in Northern Nigeria positions it well for national expansion
- Strategic focus encompasses education, healthcare and public sector digitalisation
- Government commitment to digital transformation includes a 92,000km fibre network initiative
- Emphasis on business collaboration over competition in emerging technology integration

Editorial Note: This podcast conversation was recorded at the fringes of NOVACOM Africa 1-to-1 Telco Summit 2024 in Franschhoek, South Africa, where African Tech Roundup's executive producer Andile Masuku attended as an independent media guest. African Tech Roundup maintains complete editorial oversight and is not affiliated with the event organisers.

Image credit: Nova Summits Limited

Ochuko Ogra On Backbone Connectivity Network's (BCN) Nigeria Growth Strategy

Episode Overview: 
This episode features a deep conversation with Joshua Bicknell, co-founder of Balloon Ventures, exploring how the organisation evolved from a non-profit connecting young people with informal entrepreneurs to becoming a financial institution that's deployed over $14 million in loans to SMEs across Kenya and Uganda, while openly sharing portfolio data to prove the viability of SME lending as an asset class.

Key topics:
- The false gospel of universal entrepreneurship
- Defining and creating "good jobs"
- Blended finance and return expectations
- The power of boring businesses
- Data transparency in impact investing
- Cash-based economies and digitalisation

Notable points:
1. Their portfolio businesses represent 8% of Eastern Uganda's GDP—approximately 0.5% of the country's total GDP
2. The institution provides loans of $10,000-$200,000 bundled with 6 months of business support
3. They're helping validate that SME lending can be viable with the right approach to data and risk
4. Their model challenges the "have your cake and eat it" narrative in impact investing
5. They're open-sourcing portfolio data to encourage other institutions to enter the space

Listen in for practical insights into how traditional brick-and-mortar businesses can drive meaningful economic development and job creation in East Africa's emerging markets.

Image credit: Balloon Ventures

Joshua Bicknell On How Balloon Ventures' 'Boring Business' Portfolio Drives 0.5% Of Uganda's GDP

This episode features an engaging conversation with Rob Bergman, Chief Investment Officer at Unicorn Factory, exploring the nuanced intersection of digital infrastructure investment and internet connectivity ecosystem development across Africa.

Episode overview:
Andile Masuku engages with Bergman to unpack his 12-year journey in African investment, examining how Unicorn Factory's distinctive two-pillar approach combines operational expertise with strategic advisory and deal brokering services to accelerate digital infrastructure development across the continent.

Bergman reflects on his transition from traditional M&A in Europe to impact-driven infrastructure investment in Africa through Unicorn Factory, a family office and permanent capital vehicle focused on long-term investments across four main business segments, including digital infrastructure and communication technologies. He advocates passionately for his firm's vision for a highly-collaborative and mutually-beneficial carrier neutral setting for digital transformation in African markets.

Key topics:
- Carrier-neutral infrastructure development
- Ecosystem-driven investment strategies
- Digital infrastructure value chain dynamics
- Market liberalisation and regulatory frameworks
- Infrastructure financing models
- Sustainable profitability versus charitable approaches

Notable points:
1. The strategic importance of carrier-neutral infrastructure in African markets
2. Unicorn Factory's two-pillar business model combining operations and advisory
3. The catalytic role of WorkOnline as an IP transit provider
4. Current advisory mandates approaching $900 million for continental infrastructure
5. South Africa as a case study for successful market liberalisation

Image credit: Unicorn Factory

Carrier Neutral: How Unicorn Factory Aims to Open Up Africa’s Internet Infrastructure

Episode overview: 
In this conversation, Fatu Ogwuche shares insights into her transition from working at Meta and consulting for Nigeria's Electoral Commission to launching her own media platform, Big Tech This Week. She discusses her entrepreneurial spirit, creative approach to storytelling, and the unique position independent creators hold in today's media landscape.

Andile Masuku describes Ogwuche as "low-key the industry's head of intelligence" - a title earned through her knack for asking the right questions, journalistic research methods, and ability to get people comfortable enough to share meaningful insights about the African tech ecosystem.

Key topics:
- Transitioning from corporate roles to independent media ownership
- The power of personality-driven content creation
- Building authentic connections with interview subjects
- Research as a foundation for compelling storytelling
- The growth and evolution of Africa's tech media landscape
- The balance between reporting ecosystem challenges and celebrating wins

Notable points:
1. Ogwuche started Big Tech This Week as a hobby while working at Meta during the pandemic, seeking creative expression outside her corporate role
2. Her experience representing Nigeria's Electoral Commission on television at age 24-25 shaped her understanding of effective communication
3. The African tech and media ecosystems are both relatively young—many major startups and publications are only 10-16 years old
4. Independent creators are increasingly collaborating across borders to tell stories in fresh, compelling ways
5. Thorough research and genuine curiosity are central to Fatu's interview approach, allowing for deeper conversations with tech leaders

Projects mentioned:
- The Crossover Show 2024 - Ogwuche's year-end review featuring conversations with ecosystem leaders about significant trends and looking ahead to 2024 | Link: https://youtu.be/s31x58-EnJU?si=dvGqM9PDDnHFkSJP

- "If Weekend Go Sweet" - A collaborative op-ed between Ogwuche and Masuku examining African tech's 2024 "Wednesday signals" | Link: https://www.africantechroundup.com/op-ed-if-weekend-go-sweet-fatu-ogwuches-reading-of-african-techs-2024-wednesday-signs-2/

- Backstories with Fatu - Ogwuche's interview series featuring tech entrepreneurs who don't typically do many interviews | Link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFFlwhyjoaXiZl0M34txzp8ACjqAQt8wC&si=v3XWNApO8Hik1rWo

Fatu approaches her work with an authenticity that makes interview subjects comfortable sharing insights they might not reveal elsewhere. As both she and Andile note, what sets her apart is her combination of strategic intelligence, legal background, natural curiosity, and creative spark—along with a commitment to presenting information in ways that engage and inform.
As the African tech ecosystem continues to develop alongside its media landscape, voices like Fatu's provide not just reporting but vital context and nuance, helping audiences understand both challenges and opportunities in a balanced way.

From Policy to Independent Media: Fatu Ogwuche on Creative Storytelling in Tech

Meet Marie Lora-Mungai, expert advisor in African creative industries and sports business and founder of Restless Global - whose 20-year journey from CNN journalist to production company founder to industry advisor gives her a unique vantage point on Africa's creative economy.

In thought-provoking conversation with Andile Masuku, Lora-Mungai makes a compelling case for African filmmakers to stop seeking funding for traditional productions and instead leverage AI tools to create content independently.
Episode overview:

The discussion stems from Lora-Mungai's viral Linkedin post warning African filmmakers about AI disruption. She points to a jarring disconnect: while some creators are still trying to raise millions for conventional productions, others are creating professional-quality content using AI tools on a laptop. The conversation explores how this technological shift is redefining what it means to be a filmmaker in 2025 and beyond.

Key topics:
    - The widening gap between traditional film projects and AI-enabled production
    - How AI tools are eliminating conventional barriers to content creation
    - The shift from specialised roles to comprehensive creative vision
    - Why traditional fundraising may be obsolete for many productions
    - The changing landscape for talent, especially voice actors and performers
    - Emerging regulatory needs for protecting creative identity in an AI world

Notable points:

    1. Many Nollywood filmmakers are not yet leveraging AI, though the first AI-themed movie releases this month in Nigeria
    2. Independent filmmakers Hussain Sambal are creating professional-quality content using AI with minimal resources
    3. Lora-Mungai advises creators to "build in public" rather than spending time seeking traditional funding
    4. AI tools are making traditional film specialisations like editing and visual effects increasingly obsolete
    5. Blockchain and Web3 technologies may become essential for tracking and monetising creative assets in an AI-dominated landscape

Be sure to listen out for a particularly candid moment when Masuku reveals he recently turned down offers from companies wanting to replicate his voice using AI, and Lora-Mungai's forthright response about the inevitability of this transformation.

Here's a link to Marie Lora-Mungai's inciting Linkedin post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/marieloramungai_african-filmmakers-we-need-to-talk-about-activity-7312399340570918912-uVie?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAGwgRYBG52bgfG6IE0hzny7wKy24y4L_74)

Image credit: Restless Global

Adapt or Be Left Behind: Marie Lora-Mungai on AI and the Future of African Filmmaking

Episode overview:
In this conversation, David Ogundeko shares the journey of Funema, an impact-focused alternative investment firm operating for nine years across Nigeria, South Africa, and the US. He discusses his approach to venture building for early-stage founders, why Africa needs a unique investment approach, and how his firm addresses the "chicken and egg" challenge that idea-stage founders face: needing traction to raise funds while needing the right talent to gain that traction.

Andile Masuku engages Ogundeko on the evolution of venture building in Africa, from being "mocked" five to six years ago to now becoming an essential element in the ecosystem. Throughout the conversation, Ogundeko makes a compelling case for why Africa's tech ecosystem requires patient capital with 15-25 year horizons rather than traditional 10-year VC fund lifecycles.

Key topics:
- The evolution of Funema's venture building model over nine years
- Why service-based businesses can evolve into stronger tech companies
- Misalignment between traditional VC timelines and African market realities
- The importance of founder emotional connection to problems they're solving
- How AI is democratising education and knowledge across the continent
- Funema's ambitious plans to scale venture building across Africa

Notable points:
1. Ogundeko developed his venture building thesis after working at Seedstars in 2016, flipping their model to focus on founders with their own ideas
2. Funema has a portfolio of 20+ companies built over nine years of operation
The firm prefers working with founders who start with service models to develop deeper market understanding before scaling with technology
3. Traditional 10-year VC timelines are insufficient for African tech development, with Ogundeko advocating for 15-25 year investment horizons
4. Funema is planning to reach 1,000 founders over the next two years and train 100,000 venture builders over five years

What makes Funema's approach distinctive is his patience and belief in deep market understanding: "We didn't exactly start out with a very sexy business model. But the learnings that we've been able to get from the market, which we've automated into a platform, is becoming a product that you can call a pure tech business."

Innovating Venture Building Support: David Ogundeko on Funema’s Vision for Backing African Ventures

Episode overview:
In this conversation, Verto co-founder and CEO Ola Oyetayo shares the journey of building a cross-border payments platform that tackles the unique challenges African businesses face when making international transactions. 

Since graduating from Y Combinator in 2019, Verto has established itself as what Oyetayo describes as a profitable and cashflow positive fintech serving multiple African markets. Incidentally, the company recently made headlines after winning the prestigious $1 million Milken-Motsepe Prize in FinTech.

He discusses his team's pragmatic approach to addressing payment barriers in emerging markets, why traditional financial institutions have failed to serve these regions effectively, and how technology can disrupt traditional banking networks that have historically excluded certain markets.

Andile Masuku engages Oyetayo on the evolution of fintech in Africa, the role of privilege and networks in business success, and the future potential of stablecoins to revolutionise cross-border payments in ways that might prove more transformative for emerging markets than developed ones.

Key topics:
- Verto's position in the cross-border payments landscape
- The strategic decision to focus on B2B rather than consumer payments
- The untapped $286 billion trade flow between Africa and China
- Why 96-97% of business cross-border payments still go through traditional banks
- The innovator's dilemma Verto faces with the rise of stablecoins

Notable points:
1. In 2018, Oyetayo launched Verto's business model alongside his co-founder Anthony Oduu after spotting a solutions gap for African businesses making international payments outside of traditional banks
2. Verto has been profitable and cash flow positive for approximately 18 months
3. How a chance meeting with legendary VC Vinod Khosla at YC in 2019 first turned him on to the stablecoin investment opportunity—years before they became mainstream
4. The company operates in Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and the Francophone region
5. Despite previous experience in institutional finance, Oyetayo admits "ignorance is bliss" helped him tackle a problem others saw as too risky
6. The potential of stablecoins to solve liquidity, volatility and capital control challenges in emerging markets

Listen out for Oyetayo's take on Paystack's B2C play Zap, the fintech ecosystem implications of Moniepoint's "unicornification," and his contrarian insight that stablecoins will revolutionise emerging markets while having minimal impact in developed economies: "This is not a popular opinion... There's just no case for stablecoins in developed markets. People talk about, oh, it's going to disrupt Visa and MasterCard... I don't see that coming anytime soon." 

Image credit: Verto

Ola Oyetayo of Verto: Building a Profitable Cross-Border Fintech for Emerging Markets

Episode overview: 
In this conversation, South African strategist Wabo Majavu, executive strategy and business operations leader at Africa Data Centres, unpacks how technical expertise at organisations like MTN and Intelsat laid the foundation for her distinctive approach to strategic leadership and digital activism.

From building radar applications at the CSIR to optimising cellular networks through late-night, township-sourced sheep's head dinners with seasoned veteran technicians, Majavu's journey illustrates how hands-on technical experience and savvy adaptation becomes the bedrock of strategic thinking. She discusses navigating workplace discrimination, helping transform organisational culture at state-owned Sentech, and her prescient work in AI before it became a global phenomenon.

Andile Masuku explores with Majavu how strategists shape a company's future direction, the delicate balance between commercial viability and digital inclusion, and her current mission to democratise coding through native African languages.

Key topics:
- From radar systems at CSIR to RF optimisation at MTN: building the technical foundation for strategic leadership
- How experiences at Intelsat shaped her understanding of managed services and market transformation
- The Sentech years: leading digital transformation while learning that culture can eat even the best strategy for breakfast
- Studying AI and signal processing before the global AI boom, and formative educational experiences in Malaysia that shaped future vision
- Strategic stakeholder management: converting union leaders into product managers and building collaborative ecosystems
- Balancing commercial imperatives with digital inclusion through long-term strategic thinking
- Where to start learning AI: practical advice for breaking into the field

Notable points:
1. Majavu's radar applications work at CSIR and cellular network optimisation at MTN provided the technical depth that informs her strategic decision-making today
2. At MTN, she overcame racial barriers by building relationships with Network Operations Centre (NOC) technicians through after-hours learning sessions, bringing sheep's head delicacies from Mamelodi township to earn their trust and knowledge
3. At Sentech, she learned firsthand that "culture can eat strategy for breakfast," successfully converting a well-respected, highly influential union leader into a turnkey product manager spearheading the roll-out of new digital services
4. Majavu studied signal processing and then AI before it became mainstream, building web crawlers and predictive systems
5. Her approach to change management involves understanding each stakeholder's agenda and finding areas of alignment, demonstrated through her successful transformation of adversaries into collaborators

Listen for Majavu's insights on how strategists inform a company's trajectory, why patient capital and technical depth are essential for Africa's digital transformation, and how past experiences become the lens through which strategic leaders view future possibilities.

Image credit: Konecta

Strategy Diaries: Wabo Majavu on Balancing Commercial Success with Digital Inclusion

Episode overview:
Guidione Machava has a confession: he's tired of being called an "African designer." The Mozambican product designer, now based in France and fresh from stints at Shopify and Paris-based 23point5, reckons that geographic qualifiers automatically strip away a third of your professional value before you've even started.

It's a provocative stance from someone who's built his career bridging African markets and global tech giants. Since launching- MozDevz - Mozambique's largest developer community - over a decade ago, Machava has been methodically executing what he calls his "Maria Sharapova strategy": a systematic approach to becoming world-class that he lifted from a Tim Ferriss podcast.

The strategy worked. From building communities across six African countries to creating a business directory that attracted 300,000 SMEs, to founding Kabum Digital (Mozambique's leading tech publication), Machava has consistently punched above his weight class. His secret? "Piggybacking" on successful people and refusing to let his environment dictate his ambitions.

Andile Masuku probes Machava on the realities of designing for African versus Western markets, why physical product development taught him to appreciate software's forgiving nature, and his mission to prove that world-class design talent can emerge from anywhere, provided you're strategic about how you position it.

Key insights:
- On strategic positioning: Despite building African communities and solving African problems, Machava deliberately brands himself as a "world-class designer" rather than a "world-class African designer." His reasoning? International clients and collaborators unconsciously devalue geography-qualified talent, even when they won't admit it.

- On market realities: Designing for Western markets versus African markets isn't just about different user needs, it's about fundamentally different quality bars. "In Africa, designing a product that works well is a plus. In France, it's the bare minimum," he observes.

- On the intersection economy: His time at 23.5—building design tools for made-to-order, sustainable fashion—taught him that the intersection of digital and physical economies is where the hardest, most rewarding innovation happens. Unlike software, physical products offer no "rollback to previous version" option.

- On manufactured serendipity: Rather than waiting for opportunities, Machava systematically identified people in positions he wanted to occupy, then found ways to provide value to them. The approach landed him interviews with executives from IDEO, Google, and Facebook for his World Class Designer podcast.

Notable moments:
1. How a Tim Ferriss interview with tennis champion Maria Sharapova became Machava's career template for achieving world-class performance in design

2. Why Shopify's hierarchy of priorities—solve merchants' problems first, make money second, never reverse that order—fundamentally changed how he approaches product design

3. The brutal economics lesson he learned at 23point5: physical product margins are tiny, error tolerance is minimal, and mistakes literally end up in landfills

4. His unconventional path from economics degree to postgraduate design studies, convincing Open Window Institute for Creative Arts & Technologies to let him skip three years of undergraduate work

The contrarian take:
Machava's most provocative insight centres on geographic positioning. Whilst celebrating African innovation has become fashionable, he argues that leading with continental identity in global markets is a strategic error. "If you say just 'world-class designer,' it's a completely different perspective," he notes, drawing from conversations with international colleagues who've confirmed his suspicions about unconscious bias.


World-class Design: Guidione Machava on Why 'African Designer' Is a Limiting Label

Episode overview:
Bernard Laurendeau has a mission: to stop African business leaders from asking for "patient capital." The Ethiopian-French management consultant, now operating from Tokyo, believes this standard pitch fundamentally misunderstands how global investment works and fails African markets.

It's a contrarian stance from someone who's spent 15 years advising Fortune 50 clients and building institutions across three continents. After co-founding Arifpay, Ethiopia's first licensed Payment System Operator, and serving as senior advisor to Ethiopia's jobs creation commission, Laurendeau has repositioned himself in Japan's corporate heartland with Laurendeau & Associates and Enkopa Lab.

From his Tokyo base, Laurendeau delivers what he calls "execution horsepower" to both African governments and Japanese corporations seeking African market entry. His client portfolio spans Google and Cisco to UAE's Ministry of Finance, applying strategic frameworks honed at BNP Paribas to emerging market challenges.

Key insights:
    - On financial sovereignty: Despite supporting fintech innovation, Laurendeau advocates fiercely for African countries maintaining control over their financial services infrastructure.
    - On Japanese business culture: Japanese organisations bring uncompromising quality standards to everything—"there's no such thing as downgrading." Whilst this limits their market share compared to Chinese competitors offering multiple price points, it creates superior knowledge transfer opportunities for African partners.
    - On data-driven decisions: Investors don't want to "think long-term"—they want confidence in their decisions. Laurendeau's experience with big data analytics in Silicon Valley informs his approach to providing real-time, actionable intelligence rather than outdated World Bank reports.
    - On innovation vs infrastructure: African entrepreneurs risk becoming "lazy" by chasing trendy technologies whilst neglecting "boring" fundamentals
    - On institutional building: African countries need people willing to do "Gov-preneurship": embedding with governments to build policies, institutions, and strategic frameworks. Most leaders are "lonely" and welcome diaspora expertise, contrary to corruption narratives.
    - On execution over ideology: Management consulting in emerging markets requires output orientation, not retainer relationships. Clients want expert advice immediately, not consultant armies producing fancy acronyms and quadrant analyses.

Notable moments:
 1. Why Laurendeau switched from mechanical and aerospace engineering (ENSTA France, Georgia Tech) to management consulting after realising security clearance barriers would limit his US career prospects
 2. His observation that at Africa-focused investment conferences in Japan, "people were talking about Africa...with no Africans in the room"
 3. Reflections on Arifpay achieving profitability and dividend distribution, proving African fintech could build sustainable, high-performing teams rapidly
 4. His frank assessment that young Africans show more "thirst" for knowledge and change than their counterparts in developed economies, despite having fewer resources

The contrarian take:
Laurendeau's most provocative insight challenges the "patient capital" narrative that dominates African investment discourse. Rather than asking investors to adopt longer time horizons, he argues African markets should provide the confidence and data quality that enables rapid decision-making.

Image credit: Enkopa Lab

East Meets Africa: Bernard Laurendeau on Curating African Opportunity For Japanese Investors

Episode overview:
Andrew Hall faces a unique challenge: building profitable telecommunications infrastructure across one of Africa's largest countries with one of its smallest populations. As managing director of Paratus Namibia, Hall oversees operations spanning vast distances where traditional business models struggle to pencil out.

Andile Masuku invites Hall to share on the realities of building networks where "you'll see three fibres running next to the road" instead of shared infrastructure, why COVID accelerated their consumer business, and how recent oil discoveries are reshaping Namibia's economic landscape.

Key insights:
- On geographic challenges: Namibia's vast distances and sparse population create unique infrastructure economics where covering remote areas requires careful return-on-investment calculations across extended payback periods.
- On competitive landscape: Operating alongside two state-owned enterprises creates complex market dynamics where regulatory considerations and different organisational mandates influence infrastructure deployment strategies.
- On infrastructure sharing: Despite logical benefits, competitive dynamics often result in duplicated infrastructure: "three towers standing next to each other" rather than collaborative deployment approaches.
- On consumer versus enterprise: Traditional enterprise focus (75% of business) provided stability, but consumer growth since 2016 now drives expansion, particularly accelerated during COVID-19 periods.
- On technology transitions: Moving from WiMAX limitations (4-10 Mbps) to fibre required strategic timing; balancing asset sweating against customer retention as bandwidth demands increased around 2018.

Notable moments:
1. Hall's description of infrastructure redundancy: "If you drive down the road, you'll see three fibres running next to the road. If you're driving from one town to the other, you'll see two or three towers standing next to each other"
2. The COVID-19 catalyst: Consumer business performed "very, very well" as people became "100% reliant, work-wise, education-wise, entertainment-wise on connectivity"
3. Recent oil discoveries creating positive economic outlook with increased foreign investment interest and improved business confidence

The development question:
Hall addresses the expectation that telecoms should "unlock growth economically for an entire nation" by emphasising education as the foundation. Paratus's corporate social responsibility focuses on educational sector connectivity because "for children to have access to the internet, it makes the world a lot smaller."

His perspective reflects broader African infrastructure challenges: balancing commercial sustainability with development impact, managing investor expectations whilst serving diverse stakeholder needs, and building institutional capacity in environments with limited technical specialisation.

"I think access to the internet plays a crucial role. And I think it starts at grass root level in the form of education... for children to have access to the internet, it makes the world a lot smaller."

Image credit: Paratus Namibia

Andrew Hall of Paratus Namibia: Building Networks Serving Small Populations Across Vast Distances

Think back to high school. Remember how the new dude always got all the girls whispering, or how the new girl got all the boys trying to walk her home? Now, if the newbie rolled into town with discernible signs of affluence (i.e. dope clothes, or an expensive scent), the singles market would get particularly frenzied. And when the newbie possessed a hint of exoticism (i.e. a foreign accent, or an unusual taste in music), even the kids involved in some of the most stable couplings might start feeling the pressure to reevaluate their options.

In this week's African Tech Roundup, Tefo Mohapi and I discuss the pressure African tech startups are feeling in the face of local markets being invaded by experienced and well-resourced foreign-based interests. Local incumbents in many sectors of tech now find themselves fielding competition from abroad. In everything from venture capital investment to mobile money solutions, media streaming platforms and e-commerce solutions, the race to dominate is well and truly on.

In the light of all this, we pose a simple question, "What are you going to do when they come for you?"

This week's episode will feature some insights from Nubi Kayode that may help us all find confident answers to that question. Nubi is a Nigerian Business Analyst at Accenture Ireland, and Managing Partner at DevShackAlpha.co.  He co-founded EasyAppetite.com-- Nigeria's first online takeaway site in 2012, and managed to survive railroading attempts by foreign-backed competition, and set himself up to make a successful exit in 2014 when his company was acquired by CityChops.

Be sure to catch all the week's most important digital, tech and  innovation news from across the African continent:

-- Find out about a Zimbabwean high school dropout who's built an electric powered vehicle and a hybrid helicopter,
-- Discover which two foreign money transfer firms have teamed up and become the latest to launch into Africa,
-- Learn more about Kenya's admirable obsession with building their own laptops,
-- Hear what you can do to extend the runway for struggling Cameroonian startup, KwiiziBox, and
-- Get the low-low on a South African-based video-on-demand platform that is calling it a day.

Music Credits:
All Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Music licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/





What Are You Going To Do When They Come For You? + The Week's Biggest News

Episode overview:
April Long spent two years fighting reality. The co-founder and CEO of "Afro-Asia Cross-border payment infrastructure" startup Pyxis was so determined to serve Africa's small merchants - the "bottom of the pyramid" she'd read about in Harvard Business Review - that she nearly bankrupted her fintech ignoring the bulk traders actually driving Africa-China trade.

In conversation with Andile Masuku, Long delivers uncomfortable truths about impact theatre versus impact reality. Her journey from receiving President Xi Jinping in Tanzania at 23 to finally accepting who actually moves goods between Africa and China at 35 offers a masterclass in entrepreneurial humility.

Key insights:
-On impact delusions: "I used to defend, I was like, 'No, no, no, no, no. It's that you don't get to this market.'" Long admits she lived in a bubble, desperately wanting to believe SMEs were ready for direct China trade. The truth? "90% of African trade is still happening in a more traditional way" - through the aggregators she'd dismissed as insufficiently mission-driven.

- On the cost of stubbornness: Despite zero demand after six months embedded in Nairobi's wholesale markets, Long refused to pivot. "I was quite stubborn. I was like, no, we have to work with SMEs." The result: burning 90% of her time on unprofitable small traders whilst the 10% spent on bulk traders kept her company alive.

- On acceptance as strategy: "The future is not here yet. And we need to build the future by serving who is there currently." Long's breakthrough came from accepting that Chinese trading companies scaling from $0 to IPO in a decade were the real infrastructure of Africa-China trade - not the romantic vision of empowered individual merchants.

- On being un-fundable forcing clarity: Without millions to burn on market education, Long had to face reality faster than her funded competitors. "I'm grateful I didn't have money to burn, or else I could have burned myself."

Notable moments:
1. The marketplace wake-up call: Walking through Nairobi's famous Gikomba market as a Chinese woman, traders shouted "China, China, what are you selling?" They wanted products, not payment rails. Long built the wrong solution for the right market.

2. The Eric Simanis paradox: The same Harvard Business Review article that inspired her Africa move warned against oversimplifying "bottom of pyramid" markets. Long spent years learning what she'd initially misread.

3. The three Aprils: Long describes fragmenting into Chinese April, Western April, and African April - "these narratives are so vastly different" that keeping them separate became exhausting. Building Pyxis became about reconciling these selves.

The aggregator revelation:
Long's former Standard Chartered clients - the Chinese trading companies she'd tried to convince to take loans in 2015 - transformed from traders to manufacturers to near-IPO giants in under a decade. They were the real story of Africa-China trade, moving containers whilst she chased individual merchants moving parcels.

"These Chinese trading companies making impacts in Africa, making products super affordable... because of the storytelling, they are not recognised." Her role shifted from trying to bypass them to helping them operate more efficiently.

The present tense:
Long's current focus on settlement infrastructure for bulk traders isn't the sexy SME empowerment story she'd imagined. But with a 12-person team across four countries and actual revenue, she's building what the market needs today whilst preparing for the SME future she still believes will come.

Image credit: Pxyis

April Long of Pyxis: Why serving bulk traders beats saving SMEs in Africa-China trade

Episode overview:
Prince Nwadeyi spent years providing market research that unlocked South Africa's R600 billion (~USD 34.4 billion) informal economy for blue-chip clients. The likes of Swiss Re, Liberty, NASPERS all wanted the insights. Few wanted the execution risk.

In conversation with Andile Masuku, Nwadeyi explains why his holding company SAG Ventures stopped selling insights and started building businesses. From Mustard Finance Group (formerly Setana Capital) providing working capital to township spaza shops (micro convenience stores), to Purchase Pal embedding funeral cover into everyday groceries, Nwadeyi's ventures share a common thread: aligning incentives across entire value chains whilst playing a longer game than quarterly-focused corporates can stomach.

His journey from UCT postgrad researcher to operator deploying millions in credit with a claimed 99.9% repayment rate offers a masterclass in strategic patience and the power of granular consumer understanding.

Key insights:
- On why insights alone don't create impact: "We realised that some of the executives were not willing to take the risk, not for any risk of their own, but really just how the incentive structure set up within corporate." Nwadeyi discovered that knowing differently doesn't translate to acting differently when bonuses hang in the balance. The solution? Stop asking permission and build the innovation yourself.

- On aligning incentives to unlock impossible markets: Working capital finance to informal retailers seemed impossible until Nwadeyi mapped the ecosystem. Wholesalers wanted more sales but couldn't offer credit. They did have transaction data. "Can we build a technology solution that interprets that data at scale to enable unique insight that traditional finance institutions don't have access to?" The result: finance the stock purchase to the wholesaler, the SME repays over 14 days, everyone wins. One of their spaza shop clients recently scaled from one store to three and bought her first house for R1 million (~USD 57,400) cash.

- On thinking in decades whilst executing in months: "You don't have to think in days. You have to think in decades." Purchase Pal (what Nwadeyi claims to be "the world's first FMCG-embedded funeral insurance") represents one piece of a five-year strategy spanning multiple financial services verticals. The long game enables patient execution whilst maintaining corporate relevance. "What's my exit point? What's my entry point? Am I wanting to build this alongside?"

- On why research beats assumptions every time: A tearful interview during his MPhil research - a woman describing the humiliation of borrowing money to bury her mother whilst neighbours gossiped about her poverty - sparked the Purchase Pal concept. "What if we could unlock quote unquote, what I call, no cost insurance?" Years of ethnographic research revealed the margin structure in FMCG goods, the cost burden of traditional insurance intermediation, and the customer stickiness problem facing consumer goods manufacturers. Research made the impossible obvious.

Notable moment:
The pivot from consultant to operator: Walking through a Cape Flats township, Nwadeyi's co-founder encountered a spaza shop owner struggling for financing. "All I ever wanted to do is to feed myself, feed my family or feed my business." That human story, repeated across thousands of township retailers, shifted SAG from insight provider to solution builder. Traditional finance wouldn't touch these operators. Nwadeyi's team reportedly deployed over R100 million (~USD 5.7 million) and achieved 99.9% repayment rates.

Image credit: SAG Ventures

Prince Nwadeyi of SAG Ventures: Building solutions corporates need but won't execute themselves

Rwanda has helped Africa beat the rest of the world to rolling out a commercial drone delivery service. 

The land of a thousand hills has partnered with the UPS Foundation, Gavi, and the Californian drone startup Zipline, to start using drones to deliver life-saving medical supplies to hard-to-reach places in the country. 

Zipline's autonomous drones will now fly blood and plasma to places where poor road conditions often result in delays to time-critical deliveries of medical supplies for hours or even days. With drones, delivery time is reduced to minutes, even in bad weather. Take that, Amazon!

Also in this week's African Tech Round-up is high-profile tech investment news involving Naspers, MTN, as well as William Kirsh-led Triptech Media's 20% acquisition of the social transit application GoMetro-- a  startup which seems to be generating a fair amount of investor interest at the moment.

Music Credits:
Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Music licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

African Tech Round-up

Rwanda Launches World's First Drone Delivery Service

Anton Jooste is Dimension Data’s Global Director for the Internet of Things. In this chat, he contextualises the promise of IoT for African enterprises and citizens, and candidly outlines what's at stake if Africans don't prepare themselves to participate in the new digital economy.

Quick (Tech) Chats

Anton Jooste outlines what's at stake if Africa doesn't gear up for the new digital economy

Feyi Olubudun’s new book, The Villager: How Africans Consume Brands, puts forward a lens for helping Africa-focussed brands and businesses achieve commercial success by correcting their perception of the African Consumer, or as he posits, “The Villager”.

Feyi is the CEO of Insight Publicis Nigeria, one of West Africa’s leading creative agencies, and in this chat with Andile Masuku he unpacks insights gleaned from observing many brands fail to crack "the African opportunity". Listen in to hear him share some of the most common mistakes that foreign international businesses make in approaching African markets and how you might avoid making the same ones yourself.

Insight Publicis Nigeria's Feyi Olubodun on his book The Villager: How Africans Consume Brands

In this episode of the African Tech Roundup podcast, Andile Masuku and The Subtext’s Osarumen Osamuyi are joined by Iginio Gagliardone for a candid introductory chat about the budding Africa-China/China-Africa tech collaboration dynamic.

Iginio is an Associate Professor in Media Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand and an Associate Research Fellow in New Media and Human Rights in the Programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy (PCMLP) at the University of Oxford. He is also the author of a new book called China, Africa and the Future of the Internet, which has taken him the better part of ten years to write.

This context-setting conversation covers a lot of ground. Some of the questions discussed include: 

1) Where big-money moves in tech and innovation sector are concerned, is there an Africa-China or China-Africa dynamic at play? [12:17]
2) How committed is China to promoting mutual commercial beneficiation in Africa? [15:51]
3) Is there substance to stereotype of “Everyone has a plan for Africa, except Africa”? [20:13]
4) Are there any “good guys” left, and if so, is China one of them? [25:02]
5) Is China’s influence in African “technopolitical” circles inducing a neo-Third World psyche? [30:23] 

The episode is chock-full of fascinating real-world anecdotes, provocative ideas for how things can and should be and even a lively lightning round near the end of the show which elicited reflex takes on Africa-China tech stories that have trended over the last short while.

To view resources referenced in this episode, visit https://www.africantechroundup.com/africa-china-tech-dynamics/

Image credit: Kayla Kozlowski

Is The Africa-China/China-Africa Tech & Innovation Dynamic Win-win? feat. Iginio Gagliardone

Africa-focused technology, digital and innovation ecosystem insight and commentary.

African Tech Roundup

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