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Why Silicon Valley’s money can’t solve Africa’s tech problems
“Parachute investing is a problem. If you’re investing in early-stage companies from an airplane, you should consider philanthropy"
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Up to 2.5 Billion People Need Glasses: Can This Hardware Innovation Deliver?
Roughly 25 percent of the global population needs glasses, but lacks access. The problem isn't cost: Affordable glasses are readily available in emerging markets. What's lacking are trained eye care specialists. The social startup PlenOptika is tackling that issue with a device called the QuickSee: a binocular-sized autorefractor that non-specialists can use to scan a patient’s eyes and produce an eyeglass prescription within seconds. Paul Scott, director of engineering for ASME, discusses the innovation, and the challenges and rewards of running a social hardware startup.
- Categories
- Health Care, Social Enterprise, Technology
- Tags
- partnerships
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Pew: Social media still growing in emerging markets but stalled elsewhere
In 2015-16, roughly four-in-ten adults across the emerging nations surveyed by Pew said they used social networking sites, and as of 2017, a majority (53%) use social media.
- Categories
- Technology
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Breaking down France’s new $76M Africa startup fund
The $76 million (or €65 million) will divvy up into three parts, according to AFD Digital Task Team Leader Christine Ha.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Region
- Europe & Eurasia
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Inspiration, Ideation and Implementation: How Design Thinking Can Build Robust and Sustainable mHealth Ventures
Design thinking can help mHealth ventures develop their value propositions and potential impacts, meet customer needs, and shape business models that stand the test of time. In the final post in his series on making mHealth businesses sustainable, Khanjan Mehta provides a structured framework that helps these enterprises determine their viability, particularly in the early conceptualization phase.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
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Why Africa May – or May Not – Be the Next Major E-Commerce Market
Research firm Statista estimates that the ecommerce sector in Africa generated $16.5 billion in revenue in 2017 and forecasts revenue of $29 billion by 2022.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- digital payments
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Blockchain international aid player Aid:Tech raises €1m
Dublin-based start-up Aid:Tech revolutionises how governments, enterprises and NGOs deliver aid to refugee camps.
- Categories
- Technology
- Tags
- blockchain, refugees
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Rising wave of e-frauds puts Nigerian economy at risk
Recently, Nigerian banks were among the ones targeted by the North Korean hacker, Lazarus. The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, rates e-fraud as the biggest risk in the sector which has widely incorporated electronic payment solutions such as Automated Teller Machines, ATMs, NIBBS Instant Payment, NIP, and mobile banking.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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