| A startups masterclass in Nairobi, pitch night in Harare, here are the events you can attend this week across the continent. |
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| Egyptian mobility startup Swvl, which launched in Kenya early this year, has announced its new venture in its new market: long-distance travel. The company has announced plans to launch SWVL Travel this week with 60% discounts on travel rides from Nairobi to Naivasha (47 miles north west of Nairobi) or Nakuru (106 miles away from Nairobi). Since launching in Nairobi, the company has been at loggerheads with local operators who are now working to impose some regulation on operators like Swvl come next year. |
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| Uber has launched in its third West African country, Cote d’ Ivoire. In line with their new mandate, the launch comes after a year of negotiations with the country’s regulators and authorities. Uber says they are optimistic about the opportunity to operate in Abidjan, the country’s capital. Uber believes that prior to it launch, 50,000 people had already tried to use their app over the past year, an indication that the service is not only needed but has been anticipated for some time now. |
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| If you are reading us from Lagos, the Financial Service Innovators Association of Nigeria (FSI) invites you to the launch of its Fintech Industry Innovation Sandbox and the Fintech Development and Advocacy Initiative. It’s happening today at 4:00pm at Eko Hotels and Suites in Victoria Island. The goal behind both initiatives is to encourage more product developments in the sector to solve real market problems. You can learn more here. |
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| Applications are now open for the 2020 TechWomen Program, an Initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program aims to support the growth of women in STEM by providing the access and opportunity needed to advance their careers, pursue their dreams and inspire the younger generation. 2019 Fellow from Nigeria, Adejoke Adekunle, is hosting a meetup to help guide would-be applicants and answer any burning questions they have about the program. AIt’s happening in Lagos on the 14th of December. If you’d like to attend, reserve a seat here. |
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| Congratulations to Co-founder and CEO of Kobo360, Obi Ozor, who was last night named ‘Young Business Leader of the Year’ and ‘Innovator of the Year’ at the CNBC All Africa Business Leaders Awards [AABLA] 2019. The annual award is an empowerment driven initiative intended to distinguish and uphold the achievements of inspiring corporate front-runners on the African continent. With over six years of logistics and supply chain experience, Obi Ozor manages all key aspects of Kobo360 including operations, investments, compliance risk management, and product growth. We profiled Ozor in October for our new profile series, My Life In Tech. So, learn more about the man behind one of Africa’s leading logistics businesses here. |
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| The #JollofRoad team is currently making its way back to Lagos from Sokoto having re-entered Nigeria through Niger. I would never have imagined the Sultan as ”telling joke after joke with a deadpan face” but Toke says that’s the man they met during their visit to the Sultan. The little discoveries the road brings. Here’s the exciting part: the team is working on the possibility of an encore and you just might get a chance to go on a road trip like this one. If you are dying of wanderlust, like I am, sign this form. Now! |
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| The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced the launch of its Smart Agro Business platform which is aimed at bringing together farmers, government agencies, Agric experts, banks and micro-lenders, extension services, hardware solution providers, software developers, customers, marketplace and other stakeholders in the Agric value chain. The NITDA DG, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, says the platform is part of government efforts to drive the digital economy and end hunger in line with the SDGs. |
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| The Fintech Association of Nigeria is hosting the 6th edition of its Social Meet on Thursday, 12th December at 2 Glover Road, Ikoyi by 6:00 pm. Mr. Sam Okojere, Director, Payment System Department of the Central Bank of Nigeria will be there to discuss fintech regulations and provide answers regarding licensing, regulations, and support systems of the central bank towards fintechs in the country. Request an invitation via this link. |
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| Global cybersecurity company Kaspersky says ransomware attacks in 2019 were at an alarming high. But 2020 will be worse. According to the company, in 2020, “threats will grow in sophistication and attacks will become more targeted, diversifying under the influence of external factors”. The threats of making private data public will also become an even bigger bait for cybercriminals. |
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| Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, alongside his deputy and other top state functionaries, have unveiled the much expected Lagos State Innovation Masterplan. The governor also announced a N250 million ($689,000) seed fund to encourage innovation, research and development towards the actualization of the Lagos Smart City. The fund will be administered by a council chaired by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe. The masterplan is the government’s template for addressing 4 areas it considers key to the development of the state: access, talent, infrastructure and funding. |
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Do have a great week!
We’ll be back tomorrow
– Kay
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