Browsing: Technology in Africa

• Liquid Intelligent Technologies has acquired Telrad, an Israeli-based technology firm, subject to customary closing conditions, including Telrad shareholder approval
• The pan-African technology firm said it has agreed to acquire the company and said the move would complement its operations
• It described Telrad as an innovative technology business with an extensive B2B offering and said it would add to its infrastructure and digital solutions offerings

Liquid Intelligent Technologies has acquired Telrad, an Israeli-based technology firm, at an undisclosed amount.

In a statement seen by The Exchange Africa, Liquid Intelligent said it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the company and said the move would complement its operations.

Liquid Intelligent described Telrad as an innovative technology business with an extensive B2B offering and said it would add to its infrastructure and digital solutions offerings.

“Telrad provides and maintains high-quality technology products and services for global business and governments. The …

I ended my May 2021 essay with the hypothesis “…leading fintechs might turn around and start acquiring the banks” and, sure enough, on the 12^th of May 2021, the Competition Authority of Kenya in a gazette notice approved the acquisition of 84.89% stake in Century Microfinance Bank by Branch International Limited – a leading global fintech with operations in Kenya[1]. One of the signs of a maturing ecosystem is home grown ventures mature into unicorns[2], gazelles and zebras[3], increased mergers and acquisitions[4] and the entry of global tech giants hungry for a piece of the action – the subject of this essay. So, whilst the Branch acquisition was unexpected, it was unsurprising when Twitter announced on 14^th April 2021 that they are setting up their Africa HQ in Ghana[5]. On the very same day Amazon announced an investment of …

Data centers are Information Technology (IT) facilities responsible for the management of data in an organization. Data centers house state-of-the-art computing infrastructure with very powerful machines. Traditionally, data centers were associated with extensive use of space and a lot of hardware components to support big data storage and management services. 

As technology evolves, the use and development of software-based data centers requiring less space are increasingly becoming more common. 

Cloud computing, a modern model used for data centers is growing in popularity in Africa. This technological innovation allows for an integrated approach to data management services such as storage, applications, and servers. Cloud-based data centers have lower costs compared to traditional physical data centers. Most cloud computing services are outsourced from well-established companies that have the resources and experience to do so. Companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Teraco continue to invest significantly in cloud infrastructure, globally.

High growth

Our world has changed, and we need to adapt accordingly. Science is all around us and technology is expanding faster than we could have imagined. In the past few decades, STEM occupations have risen, with STEM degree holders earning higher incomes even if they are not employed in STEM-related professions. With a lot of professions becoming redundant, it is crucial to make informed decisions to stay ahead of the game.

Some of the world’s leading economies have significantly invested in STEM, and this has had a direct impact on the sustainable growth and stability of their economies. Countries that are lagging in the STEM revolution end up being high importers of new technologies, with the export countries being the dominant players on the economic front.

STEM education creates active thinkers and not passive observers. The early introduction of such an education system will encourage innovative thinkers that will be relevant …

China has a well-established presence on the African continent. On the positive side, a lot of infrastructure development taking place is a direct result of Chinese funding. In addition, several big Chinese companies have taken root in Africa becoming significant contributors to employment and GDP. Examples include Citic Constructions, Sunshine group, and FAW. Mckinsey and Company research group estimates that in 2012 there were over 10000 Chinese-owned companies operating in Africa, the number has since increased. 

However, there has long been suspicion around Chinese funding, especially through debt as most deals are shrouded in mystery and hidden behind closed doors. One example is Zambia’s current debt conundrum, in which reports indicate the country owes China large sums of money but circumstances around the debt are unclear in terms of the duration and the cost. 

Additionally, indications are that some of the debt facilities come with collateralized arrangements in which Africa …

The agricultural sector is considered one of the most critical industries for the African continent due to its economic potential. There has been significant growth in the past two decades leading to a level of production three times higher than before, and the sector is projected to become a US$1trillion industry in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030. However, despite this increase, the African continent is still a net importer of agricultural commodities to meet its population’s basic food needs. 

Nearly 600 million hectares of uncultivated arable land is in Africa; this shows that there is a lot of untapped potential in African Agribusiness. 

Boosting Agriculture Through Technology 

The application of technological innovations in Agribusiness is vital in sustainably boosting productivity, increasing profits, and ensuring food security in the continent and beyond.

Mobile Phones

The foremost benefit of using mobile phones is as a platform for exchanging information through calls, SMS, or …

The last decade (2010-2020) was an important experiment in African tech ventures moving out of the “labs” and becoming real businesses that saw investors backing them with so much capital that from 2014 to 2019, the total number of VC deals doubled every year until the advent of COVID-19, which disrupted global economic activities in 2020.[1] However, 2020 saw some notable exits including World Remit’s acquisition of Sendwave for $500M[2], Network International buying DPO for $288M[3] and Stripe taking over Paystack for $200M[4] to enter the African market as Egypt’s Fawry gain unicorn status.[5] The IPO of Fawry the third Africa tech venture reach market capitalization of over $1 billion to after Jumia[6] and Interswitch[7] was overs subscribed 30 times. 2020 ended with another notable exit, with two initial shareholders in Ghanaian fintech startup, Zeepay, exiting from an initial investment of about …

It feels very appropriate to talk about investing in disruptive innovation at a time when all of our lives have been so seriously disrupted by Covid-19.  

Many investors are drawn to the “retail” investments peddled by banks and insurers. Huge amounts of money are given to East African governments in the form of Treasury Bonds and Bills that pay between 9% and 15% per annum before withholding taxes are applied. And post-Covid what will your KES, UGX, ZAR, TZS or RFR actually be worth? And how safe do you think East African government debt will actually be? The default investment for many East Africans has traditionally been property but in a damaged economy property looks like the most illiquid of assets – and a likely victim of a global correction in prices.   

Of course there is a place for retail investments – low risk, short and fixed terms, average …