TechCabal Daily – Huawei’s US$60m technology park in Angola

ANGOLA’S TECHNOLOGY PARK

Chinese multinational tech company Huawei, is investing

more than US$60 million in a technology park in Angola. The park is expected to be completed in 2021. In addition to introducing cutting edge technology experiences to the Central African country, the park will also serve as a vehicle to train more than 1,500 Angolans. The Chinese company has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Angolan Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the field of training talent in information and communication technologies (ICT) to this effect.

Angola’s technology industry has not quite taken off but technology startups are increasingly on the rise driven by young Angolans looking to stir away from the country’s reliance on oil and agriculture. China has been a major funder of the country’s infrastructure and socioeconomic development and as at lat year, Chinese investments in Angola had exceeded US$20 billion.

Of the country’s 30.8 million, only 8.90 million use the internet representing about 17% of the population. About 14 million are mobile telephony users.

ACQUISITION

German online food ordering and delivery platform, Delivery Hero, has acquired MENA online grocery marketplace InstaShop for US$270 million. The startup is now valued at US$360 million. InstaShop serves five countries in the region: United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt and Lebanon. Through its network of 1,500 vendors, customers can order for groceries and have it delivered on average, in 45 minutes. The startup grew 330% in Q2 2020 year-on-year and will continue to operate independently under its current leadership. Delivery Hero says it is championing a new kind of commerce referred to as quick-commerce (q commerce) where customers can receive small sized orders in timely fashion. The acquisition is one more step towards building out a global brand of quick online purchases of food, groceries, pharmaceuticals and sundry.

TECH FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE

To tackle sexual and gender-based violence in tertiary institutions, Kenyatta University’s Centre for Gender Equity and Empowerment has developed an Android app using a £1,000 (Sh143,000) grant it secured from the Association of Commonwealth Universities in 2019. On the app, victims can anonymously report incidents, provide relevant data that is securely captured and get information about where to receive medical or psychological help. The extent and prevalence of sexual abuse in higher institutions was brought to light last year following BBC Africa Eye’s investigative documentary Sex for Grades, an open secret. Prof. Grace Wamue-Ngare who is the Director at Centre for Gender Equity and Empowerment and initiator of the app project hopes that the app can become one more weapon in the centre’s arsenal in tackling gender-based abuse.

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