👨🏿‍🚀TechCabal Daily – E-SIMs are coming to Egypt

M&As

Mbappe has finally been unveiled as a Real Madrid player. Over the years there has been uncertainty over the move, with football fans across the world constantly monitoring the news in every transfer window to see if the deal had happened.

You’ll certainly feel the same way if you’ve been following the news about the proposed merger between two of Africa’s largest e-commerce startups, Kenyan’s Wasoko and its Egyptian counterpart, Max AB. We first published news of the merger in December 2023.

After a reported fallout between both companies, talks about the merger are starting to pick up again. Yesterday, one publication reported that Wasoko and Max AB merger could happen in a few weeks. 

The merger which will create a new entity named Maxoko has a clear promise: creating an e-commerce leader with sufficient runway. If finalised, the merger will be one of the biggest on the continent, and the new entity will have over 450,000 merchants serving over 65 million consumers in eight African countries.

The deal which was expected to have finalised by Q1 2024 stalled due to extended due diligence, per TechCrunch. Wasoko also refused to share its merger plans with employees for over six months, fearing that leaks could jeopardise the deal. 

While other parts of the deal have been agreed (Wasoko will own 55% of the new entity, and 45% will go to MaxAB, overlapping areas of both businesses have been streamlined through layoffs), only one question remains: when will “Maxoko” finally be unveiled?

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Telecoms

eSIMs have been around since 2016. When it was introduced, it was touted to replace physical SIM cards quickly. This prediction is yet to come to pass. As of 2023, there were only 986 million eSIMs connected, with most in European and American countries.

However, like most new technologies, eSIMS only made its way into Africa in 2019. In fact, Airtel only launched its eSIM service in 14 countries in February 2023. 

But it’s not all gloom. Egypt has announced that it will join 18 other African countries to provide eSims to mobile subscribers.

Egypt’s minister of communications, Amr Talaat, noted that government-owned Telecom Egypt and other telcos plan to launch eSIMs by Q4 2024. The only thing left is the approval of the government regulator, the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA).

One e-SIM to access them all: Egypt’s eSim plan is unique because it will allow interoperability with all four major telcos operating in the country. Talaat says that these e-SIMs will allow smartphone users to switch between telecom operators without needing to remove or exchange SIM cards in their phones. This is bound to increase competition for the telecoms market in Egypt. Users will likely see a drop in data prices as the four major telecoms strive for user attention. Switching costs become lower.

Furthermore, Egypt is set to launch a mobile 5G network after Telecom Egypt, in partnership with Nokia, obtained the country’s first 5G licence. This is timely as the 5G network, used in e-SIMs, will offer faster internet speeds.

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Economy

South Africans are getting “smarter” Smart ID cards to strengthen their fight against passport fraud which has haunted the country since 2022.

“Lebogang Ndlovu from Bangladesh,” is an inside joke for the scam that rocked South Africa in 2022. A Pakistani citizen, Arfan Ahmed, was caught issuing fake South African passports to Pakistani and Bangladeshi citizens to travel to South Africa. Corrupt officials in the government arranged for South African locals to sell their identity to these foreigners. The crackdown led to the arrest of the culprits and the sacking of 12 government agents. 

The case resurfaced again in June last month after Ahmed was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment for allegedly bribing government officials. 

Now, passports are getting smarter: Following the development, newly appointed Democratic Alliance (DA) Home Affairs minister, Leon Schreiber, says South African smart IDs and passports will be encrypted with additional security features to prevent identity theft and ensure the biometric data and photograph of the passport handler matches. 

In his address, Schreiber said, “Both the passport and smart ID card will be refreshed and updated in order to enhance the security features of these documents, with the aim of building trust by more countries and organisations worldwide.”

Smart IDs were introduced in 2013 to replace the old green ID books. But it seems the development has only compounded the woes of South Africans. The country could learn a thing or two from Ethiopia’s Fayda ID which hasn’t reported a passport fraud case since 2016.

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Economy

Trade by barter is an old economic concept, but its principles still apply today. Just as villagers once swapped goods like vegetables for bread, currency swaps enabled countries to exchange their currencies to facilitate international trade.

Think of it like a simultaneous exchange of loans in different currencies. Country A lends euros to Country B. Country B promises to pay back the euros, plus interest. At the same time, Country B lends dollars to Country A. Country A also promises to pay back the dollars, plus interest.

Yesterday, the United Arab Emirate and Ethiopia signed one of such deals, a local-currency swap agreement worth around $817 million

The agreement comes as Ethiopia seeks ways to pay off its debts. Last year the country defaulted on a $33 million interest payment on a $1 billion Eurobond that matures later this year. The country is currently negotiating a $10.5 billion aid package with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to boost its ailing economy. 

The currency swap agreement with the UAE will allow both countries to local currencies worth 3 billion Emirati dirham ($817 million) and 46 billion Ethiopian birr ($795 million), according to a joint statement.

Both countries will also use their respective local currencies to settle cross-border transactions. As part of the agreement, Ethiopia and UAE will also link their instant payment systems, national card switches UAESWITCH and ETHSWITCH, and messaging systems.

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Opportunities

• The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation is open to African innovators creating engineering solutions to local challenges. Innovators from sub-Saharan Africa should pitch viable engineering products or services that will have social or environmental benefits to the continent. Apply for the chance to get up to $25,000 in funding. 
• The Future of Capitalism Tech Startup Competition is offering $1 million to one lucky tech startup that can transform how businesses today operate. If your tech can save costs, boost efficiency, increase productivity or customer satisfaction, then apply by September 30 for a chance to win. 
• Applications are now open for the 5th cohort of Microsoft’s GrowthX Accelerator Programme. AI Startups can apply to join the eight-week incubator that will provide $25,000 worth of azure credits, mentorship from some of the biggest tech corporations and investor readiness lessons. Apply by September 2, 2024.

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Written by: Emmanuel Nwosu & Faith Omoniyi

Edited by: Muyiwa Olowogboyega & Timi Odueso

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