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Kenya’s M-Pesa platform is so successful regulators worry it could disrupt the economy
A sizable portion of Kenya’s economy is now deeply ingrained in the platform to levels that are starting to concern officials on the economic consequences in the event of system-wide collapse or compromise.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Kenya’s Online Shopping Space Gets More Competitive
Kenya’s online shopping space is bracing for more competition in 2017 with more investors rolling out platforms to make buying and selling of goods and services easier.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Aavishkaar to raise $150 million fund for Africa investments
Impact investment firm Aavishkaar Venture Management Services (AVMS) plans to raise up to $150 million to invest in Africa, said a senior executive. “We are looking to raise between $100 million and $150 million for the African fund. We will start the fund-raising around the middle of 2017 and we expect to close it in 2018,” said Vineet Rai, founder of Intellecap-Aavishkaar group.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Zimbabwe Off-Grid Solar Start-up Lands Kiva Direct to Social Enterprise Loan
Off-grid solar start-ups are cropping up across sub-Saharan Africa, conveying the advantages and benefits of reliable, affordable, safe and environmentally friendly electrical power to local communities at an unprecedented rate. It’s not the sort of “big” business that makes major business news headlines, but Africa’s solar start-ups are having an outsized, positive impact and proving that a little bit can go a long way.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- solar
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Online HMO and the Future of Nigerian Healthcare System
The advent of online health insurance system in Nigeria by AVON HMO promises to change the Nigerian health sector for good.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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OPIC Grants USD$5million to Venture Capital Group in Emerging Markets
The U.S. government’s development finance institution, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) has announced $5 million financing to support Unreasonable Capital Fund. Elizabeth L. Littlefield, OPIC’s President and CEO said, “OPIC is delighted to support Unreasonable Capital as the fund invests across several regions and in a variety of sectors, from energy access to financial technology, that will have a positive development impact.”
- Categories
- Impact Assessment
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Health workers can be wildly successful at saving lives when they have a profit motive
The preventable death of children in poor countries remains one of the world’s greatest scourges. Close to 3 million children under the age of five die each year, mainly in the developing world, from diseases that are easily treated.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Community Tablet set to accelerate digital inclusion in rural Mozambique
The internet is a key enabler of social development and education. While internet services have shown phenomenal success in other parts of the world, access to the internet remains low in Africa, especially in the rural communities. According to the Internet World Stats for Africa 2016, only 9.3% of people across the African continent are internet users.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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