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Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Ibrahim Musana Slapped with Charges for Insulting Buganda Kingdom Royalty

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (CID) has slapped four charges against Ibrahim Musana, a 27-year-old TikTok sensation from Kauga, Mukono district, accused of hurling abuses at the Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II and the Katikiro Charles Peter Mayiga of Buganda Kingdom.

In a swift crackdown orchestrated by the Directorate of Crime Intelligence, Musana found himself ensnared over the weekend as detectives pounced on him, following the viral dissemination of his venomous video clips across social media platforms. 

Fred Enanga, the police spokesperson, revealed that Musana's missteps had landed him in the confines of the Criminal Investigations Directorate in Kibuli, where a litany of charges awaits him: misuse of social media, hate speech, offensive communication, and incitement to violence.

Musana's reckless antics reverberated across the digital media, particularly on TikTok and the once-renowned Twitter, drawing widespread anger from the population. Enanga noted that a wave of discontent  swept through Buganda, ignited by these repugnant diatribes, deemed disrespectful and embarrassing.   "Our laws stand firm against such transgressions," Enanga said. 

Emphasizing the gravity of the situation, Enanga vowed relentless pursuit of individuals peddling toxic ideologies, whether directed at the Kabaka of Buganda or any Ugandan and visitors to the country.  He said they will not stand idly by as the societal fabric is torn down. All offenders will be prosecuted, be they homegrown or foreign, Enanga declared with resolve.

In a swift response to Musana, the Buganda Kingdom's Minister of Information, Israel Kazibwe, issued a stern warning, signaling unequivocally that Buganda will not entertain insolence or disdain towards the Kabaka and the institution he represents - Buganda Kingdom.

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

OSC Launches GreSIS Digital Platform to Democratize Access to Knowledge Across the Global South

The Secretary-General of the Organisation of Southern Cooperation (OSC), Sheikh Manssour Bin Mussallam, inaugurated the Greater South Information System (GreSIS) digital platform today at a ceremony hosted at the Ethiopian Science Museum in Addis Ababa.

This momentous event marked a significant step forward in making knowledge more accessible across the Global South. 

Dr Bayissa Bedada, the State Minister of the Ministry of Innovation and Technology of Ethiopia, along with officials from Member States, representatives of the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Ambassadors of Member States of the OSC, educational institutions, civil society organisations, development agencies, intergovernmental agencies, researchers, instructors, and students, graced the occasion.

GreSIS represents a pioneering digital platform, designed to serve as an open-access repository of academic and indigenous knowledge. Developed by the Organisation of Southern Cooperation (OSC), GreSIS aims to democratise access to knowledge in the Global South, fostering collaboration among educational institutions, researchers, instructors, students, government officials, and Indigenous peoples' organisations.

The launch event provided an opportunity to introduce the GreSIS platform to Member States, Associate Members, and other stakeholders. A demonstration session highlighted the platform's features, capabilities, and benefits, showcasing its extensive collection of publications from various sources, including academic, non-academic, and indigenous knowledge. 

With plans for exponential growth, GreSIS will soon host hundreds of thousands of publications, accessible to subscribed individuals, institutions, and entities.

Established on 29 January 2020 during the International Summit on Balanced and Inclusive Education in the Republic of Djibouti, the Organisation of Southern Cooperation (OSC) serves as an intergovernmental body representing and supporting the Global South.

As a proponent of the "Third Way of Development," the OSC fosters intellectual, technical, and financial cooperation and solidarity among its Member States and Associate Members.

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Stablecoins: Africa's Preferred Choice for Secure and Cost-Effective Digital Transactions

As Africa advances towards widespread adoption of digital assets, there's a growing demand for exchanges to provide more cost-effective methods for buying, selling, and transferring digital assets.

Stablecoins, particularly, have emerged as a preferred choice for investors, remitters, and those engaging in cross-border transactions due to their pegged value to major fiat currencies like the dollar.

Yellow Card, the largest licensed stablecoin on/off ramp in Africa, is poised to introduce USDC, a digital stablecoin on the Stellar network. This move aims to revolutionize cross-border payments, remittances, and treasury management globally.

Yellow Card, renowned for its user-friendly platform and expansive presence across 20 African countries, is set to enhance user experience by integrating USDC on the Stellar network.

This integration combines the robust features of the Stellar network, such as low transaction fees and lightning-fast transactions, with the rapid growth of USDC, offering users a seamless, near-instant, and cost-effective solution for financial transactions. With this integration, Yellow Card users can now send USDC on the Stellar network directly from the Yellow Card app.

Chris Maurice, CEO of Yellow Card, expressed enthusiasm about the integration, highlighting its potential to simplify global payments and make digital dollars more accessible worldwide. The partnership leverages the Stellar blockchain's speed, scalability, and sustainability, catering to everyday financial products and services.

One of the key benefits of the Yellow Card-Stellar integration is the ability for consumers to instantly send and receive digital dollars globally, even without a traditional bank account. This addresses a major challenge in Africa where hidden charges often diminish the value of cross-border payments.

Yellow Card users stand to benefit significantly from this collaboration as transferring USDC to other USDC-supported exchanges on the Stellar network incurs lower fees compared to other blockchain networks.

This partnership further solidifies Yellow Card's position as a facilitator for fintechs and exchanges seeking to leverage the efficiency and speed of the Stellar network for various use cases, from remittances to real-time payments.

To incentivize users, Yellow Card plans to award $5 USDC to customers who send at least $3 USDC using the Stellar network on the app, introducing them to the network's fast transaction speeds.

This initiative not only promotes the adoption of USDC on Stellar but also enhances user engagement and experience on the Yellow Card platform.

Thursday, June 15, 2023

Vintage Health Technologies combines Artificial Intelligence (AI) with real-world experience to boost the Nigerian health system

 Nigeria’s health system is getting a major boost from Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology through a new international health partnership. 

Vantage Health Technologies, an international health technology provider – part of the BroadReach Group - is teaming up with Nigeria’s Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED), a public health and development non-profit organisation.

NHED harnesses the power of AI and long-term in-country contextual expertise in health advocacy to build strong governance and health systems across Nigeria’s public health system.

 “Our combined experience, local knowledge and relationships with the government of Nigeria enable us to offer high impact technical assistance and best-in-class, AI-driven, technology-enabled solutions," says Dr Emmanuel Sokpo, Managing Director of NHED.

"Our expertise and solutions bring about organisational change, improved performance, and better program, population, and individual health outcomes. We are excited to see the impact that this joint effort will make in Nigeria – not only for health administrators and caregivers, but most importantly their patients, the people of Nigeria.”

The Nigeria health system is overburdened and resource-constrained resulting in poor health outcomes. Nigeria experiences a high prevalence of HIV, TB, and Malaria, ranking fourth worldwide in terms of HIV burden, accounting for 35% of cases in East and West Africa.

Additionally, Nigeria ranks sixth globally in contributing to TB cases, comprising 4% of total TB cases worldwide. Moreover, Nigeria faces the highest malaria burden globally, with an estimated 51 million cases annually, representing approximately 30% of Africa's total malaria burden.

To address these challenges, the partnership between NHED and Vantage plays a crucial role in providing the necessary support to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the healthcare system, its managers, and workforce within the available resources.

Vantage’s AI-powered solutions specifically help health organisations achieve cost and operational efficiencies, improved organisational performance and better health outcomes through “next best action” workflows to empower healthcare workers at all levels with deep experience in HIV, TB, malaria and other related diseases treatment and care.

NHED, in turn, specialises in delivering high-impact public health advocacy, governance and primary health system interventions across the continent. Specifically, within Nigeria, they have driven successful interventions across nutrition and primary healthcare programmes.

“Together, we’ll bring new efficiencies into the Nigerian public health system, to overcome challenges in health service delivery, workforce empowerment, patient retention, data interoperability, health information management and data-driven leadership,” says Paul Bhuhi, Managing Director of Vantage Health Technologies.

“Vantage offers proven AI-driven, data-centric, technology-enabled solutions and innovation that empowers human action. Our goal is to enable public health systems to achieve Universal Health Coverage by 2030. We believe this is possible in Nigeria too.

Through our health systems approach, this partnership and its unique combination AI-enabled technology, deep contextual knowledge and expertise in health leadership and governance, can help address healthcare system challenges with speed and agility,” says Bhuhi.

To introduce this powerful partnership, a round table event on “Technology enabled Health Systems Strengthening” is being co-hosted by the partnership on 20 July in Abuja, for high-level government, donor and private sector health stakeholders.

Friday, May 12, 2023

Kenya Tea Development Agency brews perfect technology mix

Over 600,000 smallholder tea farmers affiliated to the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) are reaping the harvest of a technological rollout that has streamlined the operations of their factories, making the tea business more efficient and technology driven.

The deployment of SAP by KTDA and its managed factories has provided analytical tools that are used for better decision making while making payment for farmers’ green leaf efficient and quick. 

It has also drastically improved payment processing and enhanced end-to-end visibility for better controls and safeguards.

“We wanted a solution to bring all our factories into a single system that would improve every aspect of our operations, from production planning and quality management to sales, distribution and payroll,” says KTDA CEO Wilson Muthaura.

More than 600,000 farmers paid every month for green leaf are suppliers to KTDA as well as over 10,000 employees working across the organisation. 

However, following this rollout, all farmers are now paid through the SAP system, reducing processing time by more than 80 per cent, said Muthaura.

KTDA Holdings Ltd is a wholly owned farmers company which has invested in various subsidiary companies along the tea value chain in Kenya. 

Through the KTDA Management Services company, the operations on 71 factories are seamlessly managed and SAP has come in handy in enhancing operational efficiencies with the aim of increasing transparency and profitability in the businesses.

The Agency has seven subsidiaries and a Foundation providing specialised services across the tea value chain, including factory management, engineering, insurance, tea trading and warehousing, credit provision and power production.

In late 2021, KTDA revised its monthly green leaf payment timelines to the first week of the following month. Payments for deliveries had previously been made on the third week of the following month. 

The change, aided by efficient payment processing through SAP, translated to faster access of farmers’ cash to meet their daily needs and align the payment to farmers’ monthly obligations.

The system also allows the Agency to easily incorporate other items like loans and inputs (like fertilizer) issued to the payment process allowing for easy and seamless recoveries.

Martin Mwarangu, Group General Manager for ICT Services at KTDA, says: “We worked with experienced SAP partner, OneConnect Technologies, to implement SAP ERP Central Component and Business Intelligence, covering end-to-end processes across KDTA's operations.”

System unlocks benefits across value chain

Besides payment processing, different modules of SAP have delivered multiple benefits including production planning and management and a full visibility of tea sales.

“SAP has digitally transformed the KTDA business and made it technologically ready to adopt any future solutions that would further enhance business efficiencies. The wealth of data generated is important in decision making and forecasting,” says KTDA Management Services Managing Director Julius Onguso.

Plant maintenance has also been enhanced with a solution that ensures proper maintenance and provides greater visibility over costs associated with equipment. 

In addition, all transactions are now updated to general ledgers and relevant cost/profit centres in real time, giving the finance team full visibility over the organisation’s operations.

The Agency has also rolled out a sales and distribution module that allows all tea selling processes to be done on one system; from raising sales orders; tea dispatch and revenue management.

The SAP solution generates a wealth of data and has embedded business analytical tools that generate reports and dashboards extensively used by decision makers to glean insights and make better decisions for the business.

Thirty-two KTDA-managed factories are currently running on the SAP solution, making reporting and intercompany integration easier. The deployment of SAP also means there is a uniformity and consistency in how each of the factories are run. The Agency is working to have all other factories deploy the solution for group-wide benefit.

Hardeep Sound, Regional Sales Director for East Africa at SAP, adds: “Facing inefficiency and a lack of visibility over critical business processes, KTDA embraced the benefits of the latest technology to completely transform their end-to-end business functions. 

As KTDA continues to play a vital role in in the broader Kenyan economy as well as directly in the lives of more than smallholder farmers, having real-time visibility over the entire organisation’s processes will bring vast improvements to its operations benefitting all stakeholders.”

Monday, April 24, 2023

South Korea K-Startup Global Accelerator Program Invites Applications from Tech Startups

The K-Startup Grand Challenge (KSGC), South Korea's largest accelerator program, has opened applications for its 2023 edition. 

Overseen by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and organized by the National IT Industry Promotion Agency, KSGC is accepting startup applications from April 10 to May 18, 2023. 

The program aims to assist foreign startups looking to enter the Korean market and explore business opportunities in Asia. The 2023 edition of the accelerator, running from July 25 to November 10, will focus on deep tech startups.

Lim Jungwook, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups said, “It is a great pleasure to experience the gradual increase in the level and quality of startups applying to the K-Startup Grand Challenge program every year." 

This year, through the Follow-up program after Demoday, KSGC 2023 offers further support to the Top 20 teams, including commercialization funds such as a PoC(Proof of Concept) project with Korean companies for approximately 8 teams with a maximum funding of $25,000, which will help startups take their innovative ideas to the next level. 

"I encourage global startups to join K-Startup Grand Challenge 2023 and be a part of this innovative journey," he said.

The program will select 60 startups that are less than seven years old, whose representatives hold foreign nationalities and wish to establish an innovative technology business in Korea. Startups with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) or specific plans to relocate their headquarters or establish a company in Korea will be given preference.

The K-Startup Grand Challenge program evaluates startups and pre-startups through a two-step process (document evaluation and global audition evaluation) including criteria such as problem recognition, feasibility and differentiation, expansion plan, and team. 

The application period is from April 10 to May 18, 2023, and the program excludes startups that copy or steal others' ideas or violate contracts.

The 2023 edition is designed for startups operating in deep tech, focused on eight sectors: e-Commerce & Retail, ESG & Green Tech, Food Tech & Agri Tech, Healthcare & Bio, IT & Software, Mobility & Robotics, Manufacturing & IoT, Metaverse & Media.


What can startups expect at KSGC 2023


International startups participating in KSGC 2023 can expect several benefits including commercialization support through mentorship from Korean startup experts and accelerators, assistance with fitting their business model more closely in the Korean market, participation in meetups, and consultation and seminars related to commercialization, contract, tax, law, and policies related to doing business in Korea.

Secondly, they will receive settlement support, including administrative assistance related to incorporation, visas, and living arrangements. The program will help obtain a Business Startup Visa (D-10-2) and open bank accounts.

Thirdly, startups will have opportunities to meet Korean companies and investors through business meetings and events organized throughout the program.

Fourthly, startups will be provided with office space in Pangyo Techno Valley, easily accessible by public transportation. A Korean intern, fluent in English and Korean, will help the startups in their Korean operations.

Fifthly, each startup in the program will receive financial benefits, including settlement funds to cover living expenses over the 15-week program period ($10,840 per team). 

The final Demo Day in November 2023 will select five promising startups for grand prizes. On the final Demo Day, prizes worth approximately $270,000 will be awarded to the top five startups.

The top 20 startups from the program will receive additional follow-up support, including a 15-week paid extension in Korea from December 1, 2023, to March 29, 2024. These startups will receive all support, including issuing a business startup visa, networking opportunities, office space, finding interns, etc. 

The selected startups will also be subject to follow-up financial support of $10,840 only. Additionally, eight startup teams will have the opportunity to get further assistance of $25,000 and support with commercialization funds such as a PoC(Proof of Concept) with Korean companies.

Successful KSGC Alumni

In 2022, KSGC attracted 2,653 teams from 122 countries worldwide, recording the highest-ever
competition rate of 52:1. 51 startup teams were selected through screening and auditions for the final 15-week program. German food tech startup Koralo won the coveted ‘2022 K-Startup Grand Challenge' as the best foreign startup team at the Demo Day.

"We believe that Korea has excellent technology as well as opportunities. It takes work to enter the Korean market. But in the end, if you have the right business partner, if you connect to the Korean ecosystem, and you enlarge that network and add some value to them and also show that you are interested in staying in Korea long term, then people are super excited to work together," said Sina Albanese, co-founder of Koralo.

In the past, global startups participating in the KSGC program have had definite success in the Asian market. Since 2016, 360 teams from 168 countries have participated in KSGC, and 167 Korean subsidiaries have been established. 

Bear Robotics, a Silicon Valley startup founded by ex-googlers, participated in KSGC 2017 and is now revolutionizing self-driving serving robots tailored for Korean cuisine internationally. The startup has attracted over $100 million in investments since 2017, with an $81 million Series B round in 2022.

Saturday, December 24, 2022

Brastorne Connects the Unconnected in Africa

Digital inclusion is not universal and a growing digital divide is excluding entire segments of our society from the potentially limitless benefits.

In Africa, 650 million of the continent's one billion people own mobile phones, but the majority lack meaningful digital access.  About 760 million people are unconnected in Africa. 

Economic realities are driving this digital divide. Africans use feature phones in large numbers, leaving only a few people who have both smartphones and the data plans required to be online. 

Yet more and more aspects of modern life have moved online - access to information, economic opportunities, and how we interact with our social circles are all reliant on access to the internet. 

Access to this near-limitless online world leads to empowerment for those with ready access. When they have a smartphone, digital access comes at a crippling cost. 

One gigabyte of mobile data costs an average of $6.44 in Africa, which is equivalent to a week's wages for the majority of the continent's rural poor. There are many efforts globally to promote digital inclusion, but Africa is still left behind. 

Brastorne acknowledges these realities and has implemented disruptive solutions to dissolve the barriers to digital inclusion in Africa. Using existing infrastructure, standard telco networks, Brastorne’s technology turns the continent's ubiquitous feature phones into internet portals for less than $0.05 per day. 

For these feature phone users, Brastorne's solutions provide an experience similar to that of a smartphone mobile app. This is accomplished through a suite of technology solutions including USSD, IVR, or Voice to promote digital inclusion through Brastorne’s applications Mpotsa, mAgri and Vuka.

Mpotsa, which translates to "ask me how?" in English, is a two-way telephone-based question/answer platform that aims to provide users with information on almost anything. It provides information to users by acting as a Google-like service that uses the user-friendly technology of Voice/IVR. 

Farmers use mAgri to access advisory services, wikipedia, weather/pest alerts, crop prices, and financial services, as well as trade, chat, and email in their native language. 

Vuka facilitates and accelerates convenient communication through USSD, allowing users to chat, send in-person messages, or broadcast messages on both low-end phones and smartphones. 

These solutions empower numerous communities that rely on feature phones by giving them access to essential information such as employment opportunities, health advice, and legal services.

Through Brastorne’s flagship product Smallholder Farmers experience increased access to communications and Women Smallholder Farmers see increased Crop Yield and increased revenue. 

In 2021, 36 000 farmers gained access to information, markets, & communication in Botswana through mAgri. 

Furthermore Brastorne users realized 85% Monthly Savings in costs of information and communication access compared to alternatives (data bundles, physical travel costs etc), which can cost $15+/month. 

Brastorne users in total have realized $3.4 million total annual savings across all 60,000 subscribers in 2021. 

These savings can now be put to use to improve their farm, feed their families, or buy much-needed personal items. 

Brastorne’s information access service Mpotsa has brought the power of the internet to new users, giving them increased access to information, medical treatment, COVID vaccinations, and access to jobs. 

The service is a literal lifeline with an estimated 60% of Mpotsa subscribers who cannot otherwise afford digital information. 

In 2021, Mpotsa connected 25,231 total youth, over 15,000 of whom would otherwise have remained unconnected. This resulted in $60,554 total information access cost savings. 

With its mission of connecting 760 million Africans who lack meaningful access to today's digital world, Brastorne plans to expand its solutions to 19 different African countries. 

Brastorne is currently operational in Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and most recently Cameroon (https://bit.ly/3VBXhNM), having launched in October through partnerships with mobile network providers such as Orange. 

It plans to address the realities of Africa's lack of connectivity by enabling digital inclusion and its dividends through mAgri and Vuka.