Author: Wanjiku Njugunah

• Google CEO Sundar Pichai says Africa has the opportunity of exporting technologies to the rest of the world, but a heavy investment is required to make the dream a reality
• The CEO noted that Africa is on the cusp of a digital transformation, adding that 300 million more people are coming online in Africa over the next five years
• Sundar has urged other companies to make their investments and recommends focusing on four key areas that will ensure that the digital transformation benefits every African

Africa has the opportunity of exporting technologies to the rest of the world, but a heavy investment is required to make the dream a reality. Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that despite the continent has 18% of the global population, it only accounts for 0.4% of high-tech exports.

Further, Sundar said the continent accounts for only 2% of the world’s broader service exports.

“Boosting these …

• Land prices in Nairobi’s suburbs and towns maintained a mild upward growth in the fourth quarter of 2021
• Prices in the suburbs increased by 0.34 per cent over the quarter, while in the satellite towns, growth stood at 1.4 per cent
• The appreciation was on the back of several factors including the implementation and conclusion of vast infrastructure projects promoting accessibility and opening up areas for Real Estate investments
• Gross loans advanced to the Real Estate sector increased by 3.2 per cent to KSh 463.0 billion in the third quarter of 2021, from KSh 448.0 billion in the first half of 2021

Land prices in Nairobi’s suburbs and towns maintained a mild upward growth in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Data collected by property experts HassConsult indicated that prices in the suburbs increased by 0.34 per cent over the quarter, while in the satellite towns, growth stood at 1.4 per …

• SEACOM will acquire selected infrastructure assets from Africell Uganda, which are essential for connecting enterprise customers searching for Internet services
• By taking established infrastructure from the company, SEACOM said it could expand further into East Africa and seamlessly integrate its services for clients across Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania
• The deal will also help the company reduce its reliance on third-party last-mile providers to deliver connectivity solutions
• The expansion follows SEACOM’s recent acquisition of Kenyan service provider Hirani Telecom’s metro fibre network.

SEACOM will acquire selected infrastructure assets from Africell Uganda, which are essential for connecting enterprise customers searching for Internet services.

By taking established infrastructure from the Ugandan company, SEACOM said it could expand further into East Africa and seamlessly integrate its services for clients across Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.

The deal will also help the company reduce its reliance on third-party last-mile providers to deliver connectivity solutions. These …

• BasiGo has received a $4.3 million Seed funding round, led by Novastar Ventures, to commercialise its electric bus business model and launch a local assembly of electric buses in Kenya
• The company also revealed that it had brought two 25-seat electric buses to Kenya which are currently undergoing performance and reliability testing in Nairobi
• The company entered the Kenyan market in November 2021, to provide electric buses for purchase by public transport providers
• BasiGo’s aim is to offer Kenyans a more environmentally sustainable solution that is also cheaper to maintain than current diesel buses

BasiGo has received a $4.3 million Seed funding round, led by Novastar Ventures, to commercialise its electric bus business model and launch a local assembly of electric buses in Kenya.

The Kenyan-headquartered company also received funding from several Silicon Valley investors, including Moxxie Ventures, Nimble Partners, Spring Ventures, Climate Capital, and Third Derivative.

The company’s CEO …

• Google has unveiled the Google Hustle Academy to train SMEs and entrepreneurs across Africa 
• The Academy is a practical educational platform with interactive activities and instruction by subject experts
• It also provides access to a global network of mentors and alumni

Business training

Google has announced that 5,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa will receive free training to help their business thrive via the newly launched Hustle Academy.

Google Hustle Academy is a Bootcamp-style training program designed to help entrepreneurs and small businesses owners position their businesses for investment opportunities and build viable business models for the future.

The Hustle Academy is a practical educational program with interactive activities and instruction by subject experts. It also provides access to a global network of mentors and alumni.

Business owners will undergo five days of hands-on training and receive 3,000 hours of training on …

• Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has unveiled the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) national scale-up and called on Kenyans to register for the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF)
• Kenyatta said the programme was started in the country in 2013 with the highly acclaimed free maternity programme dubbed “Linda Mama”, which currently benefits over one million mothers annually
• On health infrastructure, President Kenyatta said the government’s investments since 2013 had seen an increase of 43 per cent in public health facilities from a stock of 4,429 facilities in 2013 to 6,342 currently

Universal Health Coverage for Kenyans

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has unveiled the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) national scale-up and called on Kenyans to register for the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).

The President affirmed the government’s commitment to spreading the benefits of UHC across the country through the development of a focused policy to accelerate its implementation.

“My administration has developed …

• East African Breweries Plc’s KSh 11 billion ($96.8 million) Medium-Term Note ranked among the top corporate deals done in Africa in 2021
• The Bond and Loans Awards usually recognizes the most innovative and ground-breaking deals from Sovereign, Corporate, and Financial Institution issuers and borrowers
• The bond was issued in October and saw investors bid KSh 37.9 billion ($333 million) in the issuing round, representing an oversubscription of 275%, a record for EABL

The Bond and Loans Awards has ranked East African Breweries Plc’s KSh 11 billion ( EABL ) ($96.8 million) Medium-Term Note among the top corporate deals done in Africa in 2021.

The Awards ceremony usually recognizes the most innovative and ground-breaking deals from Sovereign, Corporate, and Financial Institution issuers and borrowers.

It named the bond the Local Currency Corporate Bond Deal of the Year.

EABL Group CFO Risper Genga-Ohaga said issuing the bond was the right decision.

“When …

• IBM Growth Markets General Manager for Africa Julia Carvalho said increased use of Artificial Intelligent is not limited to organizations and businesses
• Technology is playing a key role in crucial industries such as agriculture and said it would help to deliver data analytics and predictive insights to help farmers make better-informed decisions
• Overall,  IBM revealed that nearly half of global businesses at 43% accelerated their rollout of AI over the last year as organizations looked to virtual assistants to automate workflows

Artificial intelligence use in Africa

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the future, and experts are advising players, especially in agriculture, to incorporate the technology in their operations.

A recent IBM report revealed that nearly half of global businesses at 43% accelerated their rollout of AI over the last year as organizations looked to virtual assistants to automate workflows.

80% of companies stated they had plans to roll out some form …

• Kenyan-based health startup Afya Rekod has raised $2million in Seed funding to expand its business and speed up the launch of its patient portal
• The platform allows organisations, health providers, and medical experts to interact and connect with patients, even remotely, in real-time while providing tools to store, manage and analyse health records
• The company’s Founder, John Kamara, said the investment would help them achieve their mission of empowering patients

Health Data Platform

Afya Rekod, a Kenyan-based health data platform, has raised $2million in Seed funding to expand its business and speed up the launch of its patient portal

The company has a health record management platform built to assist users with better healthcare services.

Its platform allows organisations, health providers, and medical experts to interact and connect with patients, even remotely, in real-time whilst providing tools to store, manage and analyse health records and manage hospitals and facilities.

Its …

• Amitruck has secured $4m in a seed funding round that had the participation of investors from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States
• The company will use the new funding to expand its presence across Africa and hire new talent
• Better Tomorrow Ventures (BTV), a San Francisco-based venture capital firm that targets early-stage startups, led the funding

Amitruck receives funding

Amitruck receives funding of around $4m in a seed funding round that had the participation of investors from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States.

Better Tomorrow Ventures (BTV), a San Francisco-based venture capital firm that targets early-stage startups, led the funding.

Also in the round were supply chain and mobility venture capital Dynamo Ventures, an investor to Berlin-based Digital Freight Forwarding unicorn, Sennder GmbH.

Other investors included Rackhouse Ventures, founded by Kevin Novak, one of the early members of Uber Freight; Flexport …