-
Coffee, Cocoa, and the Cutting Edge
Deforestation is threatening crop diversity and jeopardizing the livelihoods of millions of poor small farmers around the world. But innovative technologies and better access to financing can help farmers to counter some of these risks.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment, Finance, Technology
-
MTN, Ericsson extend mobile money deal
MTN and Ericsson have signed a five-year contract extension to deploy new products and provide managed services for mobile money services in 13 countries across Africa and the Middle East.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
-
Digital Inclusion by Way of Backpack: A Q&A with Imcon International CEO Rob Loud
Internet access has the potential to transform livelihoods in a myriad of ways – and financial inclusion, entrepreneurship and education are just a few of the sectors that stand to benefit. However, despite growing global internet use, billions in rural, hard-to-reach areas still lack access, representing a massive missed opportunity. In this Q&A, Imcon International CEO Rob Loud shares how his company is partnering with governments and NGOs to increase connectivity in the last mile through an affordable, simple device – the humble backpack.
- Categories
- Education, Social Enterprise, Technology
-
African Internet Connectivity Gets A Mobile World Congress Boost
The continent's first live 5G network in South Africa, the world's first 400Gbps backbone network in Kenya and a 750 kilometer (km) fiberoptic network in Nigeria's Edo and Ogun States were announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week.
- Categories
- Technology, Telecommunications
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
Mastercard and Angaza shine for payments in emerging markets
San Francisco-based Angaza provides a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) embedded metering and monitoring technology, while Mastercard brings its digital payment solutions and infrastructure including QR technology.
- Categories
- Energy, Finance, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
-
Press release: Hello Tractor and CTA launch partnership to support smallholder farmers access mechanisation
Across sub-Saharan Africa, farmers face some of the lowest rates of mechanisation. Despite the benefits of tractor mechanisation, cost and access have been key impediments to its widespread adoption.
- Source
- Press release
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
The Promise (and the Absence) of EdTech: Why Countries Aren’t Adopting It More Widely – And What Can Be Done
Despite decades of promises and false starts, consistent, large-scale EdTech programs to address under-skilled or absent teachers remain frustratingly elusive in many emerging economies. Why are local Ministries of Education – and donors from rich countries – reluctant to embrace nationwide programs to address teacher gaps through technology? Dalberg analysts are asking the question, and the answers may lie in a lack of actionable evidence.
- Categories
- Education, Impact Assessment, Technology
-
Smart feature phones with “light” operating systems are the future of Africa’s mobile growth
Africa’s young and fast-expanding markets are increasingly seen by the telecoms industry as the future of growth. Various African governments, operators, and entrepreneurs have announced or launched plans to develop their own home-grown phones.
- Categories
- Technology, Telecommunications
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter, "NextBillion Notes"
Published each Wednesday, our e-newsletter features NextBillion's latest original articles, along with a selection of news, jobs, bizdev opportunities and events from our recent coverage — and regular conference ticket giveaways.
We respect your privacy. Your information is safe and will never be shared.
Don't miss out. Subscribe today.