TechCabal Daily – Google’s $1m fund wants to make the internet safer for African children

Decagon is playing in a space which has emerging players like Semicolon. 

In this article, Alex says that on one hand, Decagon’s business is not fintech and might not have investors signing big cheques, their long term viability can’t be questioned. 

Here’s an excerpt from Alex’s article:

“Decagons’ plan, then, is to connect the top 1% of Nigerian software engineers to that second tier of global companies whose engineers will likely not come from first-tier recruitment sources like the engineering departments of Ivy League schools.”

Nigerian Telcos to begin new round of SIM registration 

The Nigerian Communications Commission has ordered Telcos to begin a fresh round of SIM card registration.

These new registration is expected to add the National Identification number to the process. 

While the NCC says the deadline for the new process is set for December 2020, a few Telcos say they are yet to hear from NCC. 

Read the report from Techpoint here. 

Google announces $1 Million Internet safety fund for African Children

Google has announced the launch of an Internet privacy and safety campaign across countries in Africa. 

The campaign is tagged “Be Internet Awesome” was launched in South Africa, Nigeria and Netherlands on February 11, 2020.

The campaign’s focus is to help minors access the Internet with safety and confidence. 

“Google is committed to a safe Internet for children. We are also passionate about the empowerment of organisations who share this commitment. The fund will be administered by a third-party partner on behalf of Google.org, and we will be sharing details on application criteria and deadlines soon,” – Fortune Mgwili-Sibanda – 
Google Africa’s head of public policy and government relations

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Egyptian healhtech startup, Vezeeta raises $40m in Series D 

Vezeeta has closed a $40m Series D raise led by Gulf Capital. It brings the total sum the company has raised to date to an estimated $63 million. 

Founded in 2012, Vezeeta is a healthcare booking platform as well as a medical practise management software.
 
With operations in over 50 cities across Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan, the company is aiming for expansion. 

Read all about the deal here

Y’ello Handshake: MTN Wants Win-Win Partnership with Nigeria

MTN has expressed its desire to enjoy a win-win relationship with the Nigerian government, while actively seeking ways to grow the country’s economy.

Pledging to invest $1.6 billion into strengthening MTN networks and telecoms systems nationwide during a recent meeting of officials of the MTN Group and MTN Nigeria with President Muhammadu Buhari, Chairman of MTN Group, Mcebisi Jonas, said the company was “fully aligned with the strategic agenda of the government, and are committed to strengthening the digital economy of the country.”

Connect Nigeria is holding the 8th edition of its annual business fair on March 6th and 7th at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), Lagos.

This year’s event is themed Vision 2020 and will feature panel sessions, pitch sessions, master classes, exhibition, networking and lots more.

This is aimed at encouraging participants to take a holistic view of their businesses.

The exhibition will host four hundred brands from various industries, showcasing their products and services to thousands of attendees. Learn more about the event and register to attend here.

On this week’s innovation maps, Africa’s entertainment sector is in the spotlight.

With over 60 startups across gaming, sports, animation, you can bet you’ll recognise most of the names here.

Take a look and let us know what you think!

It will take place on February 28, 2020, at the Zone Tech Park, Gbagada Expressway, Lagos. If you are an investor interested in meeting or learning about the startups building the technologies of the future, sign up here so we can get in touch. If you are a startup interested in meeting key investors, let us know here.

Confirmed investors attending the matching session include Binance Labs, Platform Capital and Future Africa. To attend the Townhall, click here to buy your tickets. Discounts apply for companies/individuals buying at least 5 tickets. Click here to enjoy our corporate discounts.