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Microinsurance penetration set to increase in Tanzania
In March Jamii, a local start-up offering micro-health insurance services, announced ambitious plans to expand into East and Central Africa this year.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Feature phones made a comeback in Africa as smartphone growth slowed last year
After a decade of strong growth, the expected crossover of smartphones finally overtaking feature phone usage in Africa did not happen last year. In fact, feature phones had a bit of a surge. Smartphone shipments to the continent grew by only 3.4% year on year—a sharp slump compared to double-digit growth rates recorded in recent years according to data from IDC, a technology research firm.
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- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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DRC: Running against time
Brazilian administrator Fabio Biolchini has just returned from a year with Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF)'s emergency team in Democratic Republic of Congo, responding to epidemics and other crises across the breadth of this vast country.
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- Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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How poor vaccine supply systems put thousands of Kenyans at risk
Outdated vaccine supply and distribution systems are delaying and limiting the impact of vaccines, placing the health of millions of people at risk, according to new articles published in Vaccine journal. The researchers note that one in every three countries in the world experiences at least one stockout of at least one vaccine for at least one month, while 19 to 38 per cent of vaccines worldwide are accidentally exposed to freezing temperatures, potentially compromising the potency of those vaccines.
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- Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Kenyan mobile government bond sales cross 50% uptake
The Kenyan government's mobile phone-based bond, M-Akiba, has crossed the 50 percent subscription rate, raising optimism that it will hit the target ahead of time, reports Business Daily. By 14:30 hrs on 29 March, at least 61,000 people had registered on the platform, and bought KES 75.2 million worth of the bond through M-Pesa and Airtel Money.
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- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Vodacom launches mobile solutions for expecting mums
Vodacom through one of their platforms, Siyakha which means ‘we are building’ in isiZulu, has launched a mobile solution called Mum and Baby that offers maternal support to expectant mothers.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Study: Many South Africans ill-equipped to make sound money decisions
A considerable portion of South African adults may not be adequately equipped to make key financial decisions, a new financial literacy study has found. While there was broad evidence that South Africans had a positive attitude towards saving, personal and macroeconomic realities often hindered their savings behaviour, Benjamin Roberts, senior research manager at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), said.
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- Uncategorized
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Homegrown technology is being used to help millions at risk from a devastating famine in Africa
Two weeks ago, in Stockholm, Mohammed Omer and four of his friends gathered to talk about the biting drought ravaging their home country, Somalia. Beyond donating funds, the tech developers and social activists came together to discuss ideas to assist those in need of immediate relief. Eventually, they decided to use Ushahidi the Kenyan open source software to develop a platform that would allow responders to connect with drought victims.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa