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12 Biggest African Tech Funding Deals In 2019
In 2019, Nigerian and Kenyan fintech and logistics firms secured major funding deals while an Egyptian startup attracted $42 million — the largest round of funding for a tech startup in Egypt to date.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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‘Are We There Yet?’: How to Deal with Delays – And Other Challenges – In Acquiring Financial Transaction Data
“Are we there yet?” It’s a familiar refrain to any parent who has taken a child on a long journey – and it's also a common dilemma for programs that promote data-driven decision-making in financial inclusion. As Karen Kühlcke at insight2impact explains, requests for financial transaction data from external organizations can involve delays of several months, even as the partner confidently claims that “the data is arriving soon.” She explores how to manage this challenge to gain faster data access.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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Big Investment in African Tech Set to Continue in 2020
2019 was the year that dealmaking on the continent got serious. Very serious. In November alone, indeed one specific seven-day period in the month, investors announced over $400m for various fintechs on the continent. This was the wildest week the sector had ever witnessed. And no, it wasn’t a flurry of announcements for modest rounds, but in fact a succession of big-ticket deals for fintech companies, both old and new.
- Categories
- Investing, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- fintech, investment, technology
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Digital Platforms for ‘Gig Economy’ Workers: An Intriguing Model Gains Traction in Africa
The government of Senegal has been working diligently to foster high-tech innovation in its economy – but there's one area in particular need of a digital upgrade. Researchers Jessica Wallach and Jill Lagos Shemin explore why the greatest potential impact of the digital revolution in Senegal may involve helping informal workers in the "gig economy" leverage digital platforms to find work.
- Categories
- Technology
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Into Africa: Tech Leaders Weigh in on Jack Dorsey’s Planned Move to the Continent
One thing is clear: Africa’s 54 countries and 1.2 billion people represent one of the last blue oceans for global tech growth.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Insights, Analysis and Debate: Vote for the Top NextBillion Article of 2019
Another year has come and gone, and it's time for NextBillion to select our most influential articles of 2019. As usual, we’re turning to you, our readers, for help. We've selected our 12 most-read articles of the year, and we invite you to vote for the one that impacted your thinking the most. You can vote up to 12 times during the voting period, which runs from Dec. 20 to Jan. 2. The winner will be announced on Jan. 3. As always, thank you for reading, contributing content to, and engaging with NextBillion!
- Categories
- Education, Energy, Entrepreneurship, Environment, Finance, Investing, NextBillion Originals, Technology
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Should Surfing the Web Count as a Human Right? The View From South Africa.
Today, roughly half the planet’s population is online, and the gap between the vast universe they can access there – from information to employment to digital money – and the analog existence of the other half is opening wider every year.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Nobody Reads Privacy Policies: Why We Need to Go Beyond Consent to Ensure Data Privacy
We all “say” we read the privacy policies when we agree to the terms and conditions on websites and apps - but up to 97% of people don't actually read them. And even if we read them, few of us can understand the legalese. Now that the age of Big Data has reached emerging markets, and digital tech makes obtaining and monetizing user data easier than ever before, this lack of data privacy is a growing concern. David Medine and Gayatri Murthy at CGAP explore the problem – and some innovative tools that can help protect the world’s newest and most vulnerable digital consumers.
- Categories
- Finance, Technology
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