Zoie Health raises pre-seed round to build out women-focused digital clinic
A conversation with Thato Schemer, co-founder of South African women-focused healthtech startup Zoie Health. Zoie Health is a South African healthtech startup which recently raised an undisclosed pre-seed round to build out its product offering, “a holistic digital wellness platform for women by women”. The platform offers virtual and at-home consults, subscriptions for medications, resources and a community of women to support one another through healthcare issues. TechCabal talked to co-founder Thato Schemer about the startup’s approach to healthtech, the challenges healthtech startups currently face in the VC funding crunch, how Zoie Health intends to deploy its raised capital, and more. TC: Please tell us about Zoie Health and the problem you are trying to solve through your product offering. Thato Schemer: Our key insight was that healthcare is a space where women make majority of the decisions. 80% to 90% of all households have a woman making healthcare decisions even if it’s not for themselves. And what that really showed us was that women were the decision-makers within healthcare. They are the buyers of healthcare. As a result of that, we said, what if we bought a product that’s really focused on this particular target market of women and their families, especially because women have unique healthcare needs, given their biological makeup. Off the back of those two key insights, we said to ourselves, there are currently no services or products that can offer the same benefits in the market using technology. And so through a process of research, we connected with hundreds of different women who gave us many different insights that confirmed our hypothesis, giving birth to Zoie health which provides affordable and accessible health care for women. TC: What challenges would you say you have faced in trying to provide this solution to your target market? TS: Firstly, it’s a new solution right? So this idea of a women-focused healtech product is a very new type of solution. So just helping people understand what it is that we actually do, and how it’s differentiated, I think, has been a massive challenge for us. I would say we have made significant traction in addressing this information gap and now that we have built what I would say is a solid product, the education goes on so we can grow and scale this. TC:What was your experience in raising capital during a VC downturn? The downturn did not make things easy. We contacted many, many different investors and from those calls, I would say what investors are looking for right now is models that are sustainable and scalable. For us, what was quite helpful is that we did target investors that understand how to invest in healthcare and healthtech, and really wanted to see the solution come to fruition. The second thing is that we really were fortunate enough to partner with investors who believe in the mission and vision of bringing equitable healthcare to the continent. TC: How will Zoie Health deploy the capital you have raised? TS: We are currently in a growth phase so it’s really important that a lot of that funding is spent on our current projects. They include expanding our B2B offering to target businesses and provide them with our service. That’s a massive one for us as we look at product expansion and growing our product range. We really want to make sure that we deploy the capital in a responsible and thoughtful way and ensure that we are getting the financial position of the company to a strong place as well. TC: What would you say is the current state of healthtech in South Africa at the moment and how does Zoie Health intend to play a part in accelerating its growth? TS: I think it has really been interesting post-COVID. Pre-COVID, healthtech was an industry that was still very small and did not stoke that much interest. I think what the COVID pandemic showed was that people were able and willing to access healthcare services online given that they weren’t able to do anything else. That definitely increased the adoption of healthtech services not just in South Africa, but across the continent. In 2020 and 2021, we saw healthtech companies really do exceptionally well on the continent. I think what’s interesting about healthtech in the post COVID era is answering the question of how it can evolve past people needing the services because of the pandemic to being robust enough to still be a necessity after the pandemic. So how are we keeping healthtech relevant? How are we driving people to adopt online services even if they don’t actually really need to? How do we make sure that we are communicating the value proposition in a way that’s not overly reliant on the needs imposed by the pandemic? I also think that healthtech offerings in the continent are still extremely general. Zoie Health offers a differentiated and vertical solution and I think that’s what we are going to see more of in the future. In short, I reckon we will see startups building healthcare solutions for specific use cases or groups. So for example, in the US and Europe, which are a little bit further ahead of us in healthtech, they have startups fundamentally focused on diabetes care, or others focused on obesity and overweightness. Others are fundamentally focused on providing hearing solutions. And so with us, we’re fundamentally focused on women’s health care because we believe it’s such an underserved area, and we want to contribute meaningfully to it. The interview has been edited for clarity and length.
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👨🏿🚀TechCabal Daily – A super comeback
In partnership with Share this newsletter: Lire en Français اقرأ هذا باللغة العربية Good morning As Twitter continues its rate-limiting measures, thousands of users are flying their way into the blue sky. No, literally. Users have been flocking to Jack Dorsey’s new social media app, Bluesky, since Elon Musk announced Twitter’s new update. In fact, Bluesky—which you can only join by invitation from existing users—had to halt registrations for a while just to keep up with the kerfuffle. In today’s edition Union54 makes a super comeback Nigeria’s ride-hailing drivers association persists Ethiopia offers new telecoms licence TC Insights: Regulating African digital lenders The World Wide Web3 Event: The DBN Techpreneur Summit Opportunities Fintech Zambian fintech, Union54, rebounds with a superapp Image source: YungNolly Zambian startup, Union54, is making a comeback and building its payments service into a chat platform. ICYMI: In July 2022, Union54 halted its services after it experienced a $1.2 billion chargeback fraud. The move saw many African startups like Flutterwave and Eversend that previously used its card-issuing services rush to find alternatives. Now, in collaboration with global payment technology company Mastercard, Union54 is creating a super app called ChitChat. What’s a superapp? A super app is a mobile application that combines multiple services and functionalities into a single platform, providing users with a wide range of features and capabilities. ChitChat’s functions: The app will enable users across Africa to send messages over an encrypted platform due to Mastercard’s encryption technology. In addition, ChitChat serves as a social commerce platform, allowing users to transfer money to one another, use a dollar debit card, and make purchases from digital storefronts directly within the app. Furthermore, ChitChat, through its partnership with Mastercard, will introduce card and payment features. These features will initially be launched in a pre-release version starting in Angola, Tanzania, and Ghana. However, the plan is to expand to additional markets throughout the year. You’ll be in good company Moniepoint has made it simple for your business to access payments while providing access to credit and other business tools. Click here to open a business account today. Mobility Nigeria’s ride-hailing union persists in pursuit of recognition The Amalgamated Union of App-Based Transport Workers of Nigeria (AUATWON), is seeking official union registration, but ride-hailing platforms like Bolt and Uber are not having it. Image source: Hello Giggles The reason for the dispute: The ride-hailing companies are objecting to the union’s name and its classification of drivers as “workers” for the platforms. The companies assert that drivers on their platforms are independent contractors, not employees. In December 2018, some drivers filed a suit seeking clarification on their employment status as workers or independent contractors. Why the distinction is important: If the drivers are recognised as workers, ride-hailing companies may become responsible for obligations such as providing health insurance, leave allowances, stipulations for time off, and more. Registrar of trade unions, Falonipe Amos, held a closed-door meeting on June 26 with the drivers and Uber and Bolt representatives, to discuss objections raised by the drivers aiming to progress their application. During the meeting, the drivers disputed the objections from Bolt and Uber, claiming that their chosen names were strategically selected to represent their own interests. Zoom out: Ride-hailing drivers insist on having a voice in decision-making, particularly regarding issues such as company commissions and transparent guidelines for driver deactivation from the platforms. Telecoms Ethiopia offers a new telecoms licence Who wants a piece of Ethiopia? Ethiopia has kicked off the bidding process for a new telecommunications licence. This move not only brings in a breath of fresh air but also paves the way for intensified competition in Ethiopia’s telecom sector. It’s also another significant step forward as the nation continues to break free from the shackles of monopoly, in hopes of boosting its economy. What monopoly? Well, until last year, Ethiopia’s only telecom service, Ethio Telecom, was controlled by the government. The government opened it partially to private ownership last year, selling 40% of the capital of the telecom in November and 45% in February. It also sold a telecom licence to Kenyan telecom, Safaricom last year, and soon after the operator launched its mobile network in the country in October. Now Ethiopia is about to sell another licence to another private operator to spice up the competition. Image source: Zikoko Memes Who will be interested? Ethiopia’s large population of about 120 million is every telecom’s dream. Months after launching in Ethiopia, Safaricom has reportedly gained 2.1 million customers, with a goal of reaching 10 million next year. The telecom recently received a payment licence to launch its mobile money offering M-Pesa in Ethiopia, making it the only competitor against the state-owned mobile money provider, Telebirr. With such an opportunity and fierce competition brewing in this telecom wonderland, who wouldn’t want to be a part of the action? GrowthCon 1.0: Learn how to unlock 10X Growth Connect with growth leaders, operators, and enablers to explore proven tactics for driving sustained business growth in Africa at GrowthCon 1.0. Experience curated masterclasses, case studies, a growth hackathon and more. Get your tickets now! TC Insights Regulating African digital lenders With a fast-growing digital finance consumer market in Africa, digital lending offers alternative funding options to Africans with flexibility and speed. This sector has also attracted large sums of investment to become a key growth driver in revolutionising the continent’s overall consumer credit market. According to surveys by the Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce, 40% of Africans prefer online financial platforms, contextualising the 102% increase in online alternative financing from $104 million in 2017 to $563.8 million in 2022. By deploying credit-worthiness models based on borrowers’ data, digital lending startups have become attractive to small businesses and individuals looking for quick loans. These startups have grown with strong investors’ backing. Image source: TC Insights There is not enough legislation on the regulatory framework for companies offering digital lending services in most African countries. Kenya and Nigeria are two of the most prominent African markets
Read MoreMultiChoice jacks up DStv prices three times in Kenya in less than a year
Kenyans already pay a lot for DStv services, but MultiChoice has adjusted the prices upwards thanks to high inflation and operating costs. South Africa’s entertainment company MultiChoice, which operates DStv and GOtv products in the Kenyan market, has announced a price hike for the services, effective August 1, 2023. This marks the third time in under a year the company is revising the price for its packages upwards, a move that will be very unpopular among its users. DStv Premium will now cost KES 9900 ($70) per month, up from KES 9500 ($68). Subscribers on Compact Plus will pay KES 6200 ($44) per month, a jump from the usual KES 5900 ($42) fee. Those on Family and Access will pay KES 1850 ($13) and KES 1300 ($9) from KES 1750 ($12) and KES 1250 ($8.8), respectively. GOtv subscribers have not been spared. The SUPA plan will now cost KES 1900 ($13.5) from KES 1750 ($12), while the Max tier will cost KES 1450 ($10.3) from KES 1350 ($9.6). Less than one year ago, MultiChoice adjusted the pricing of its plans to the uproar of its local users. The complaints make sense because the company has few rivals in sports streaming in Kenya. Locals have no alternative to accessing live games besides what DStv offers via satellite signals. Kenyans have, for a long time, faulted the company for its exorbitant package prices, and they will not catch a break from MultiChoice’s knack for revising its costs upwards. However, MultiChoice Kenya cites high inflation and operating costs for these changes, just like any other company in Kenya. Additionally, DStv no longer allows customers to stream content on multiple devices. The move came after the company complained about illegal streams when illegal businesses selling DStv logins came up to address a market that was already feeling the pinch of DStv’s high subscription costs. MultiChoice also runs a streaming service in Kenya, Showmax, which has attempted to rival Netflix over the last few years. Showmax has the same issues as DStv, as customers cannot stream content over two screens. Showmax further limits stream quality to just 720p, which is low in modern times, and at a time when Netflix cranks up resolution to 4K with high dynamic range (HDR) support. READ MORE: No dividends for Multichoice shareholders as company channels funds into Showmax The beauty of Showmax (Pro) is that it has a sports streaming feature but at a higher price (KES 2100). Compared to the current amount of money that customers pay for DStv, Showmax is a great bargain, but remember, a customer needs an internet connection to access Showmax, whereas DStv relies on satellite signals. Furthermore, Showmax Pro does not stream Champions League matches in Kenya, although it does so for customers in its native South Africa. Will these new prices see customers cancel their DStv subscriptions? Probably not since most Kenyans cannot access internet-based streaming services and depend on DStv or GOtv packages for home entertainment. However, when the new prices go into effect in a month, some subscribers may be forced to look for other options, bearing in mind that their pockets are already strained following the signing of the Finance Bill 2023.
Read Moree-Pharmacy startup MYDAWA closes its largest round yet at $20 million
MYDAWA has raised funds three times before, but the latest round marks its biggest fundraising event yet as it eyes to expand beyond East Africa. MYDAYA, an e-pharmacy platform based in Kenya and operates in the East African region, has raised $20 million in funding from Alta Semper Capital. This marks the company’s fourth fund driver after launching in 2016. MYDAWA, which offers health services through online and physical stores, has also purchased Guardian Health, a pharmacy chain that operates in Uganda. The firm has not revealed how much it paid for the acquisition, but a statement from the company says that it is part of MYDAWA’s plan to expand its turf into new markets. The new Ugandan arm has 19 new stores in Kampala and neighbouring regions. MYDAWA adds that it is actively looking for potential acquisitions, collaborations, and promising startups across Africa. It is also interested in engaging with more partners and value-add investors as it expands. In a statement by the MYDAWA, the company said, “MYDAWA is also partnering with other major health providers and businesses. Sales of its own brand products to wholesalers, clinics, pharmacies and supermarkets are growing rapidly. Sales of its services, from telehealth to fulfilment, are commencing with some of Kenya’s biggest clinic chains to expand their reach. It is partnering with insurers and others to develop and fulfil best practice chronic care as illnesses such as diabetes become an increasing issue in Africa. It provides rich data to partners.” Alta Semper’s CEO, Afsane Jetha, says, “This investment marks our entry into digital healthcare in Africa, which we see as a major growth area across Africa in the coming years. MYDAWA was the logical choice for us as their groundbreaking technology, underpinning a scalable business model along with regulatory know-how and market entry experience, mapped so well to our own strategy. The drive to increase access to good advice and safe and affordable medication is core to our overall mission of democratising access to health and wellbeing across the African continent.” Before today’s fund, MYDAWA had raised a little over $9 million in previous rounds. Its seed round occurred in March 2017, when it raised $1.5 million from Indigo Partners. Two years later, it staged a Series A round with $3 million raised from Africa HealthCare Master Fund and Indigo Partners. Then towards the end of 2021, MYDAWA raised $1.2 million from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. During the reveal of the fund, MYDAWA announced the appointment of Pricillah Muhiu as its business lead in Kenya. Priscillah worked at Glovo as general manager for the Kenyan market. “Under Priscilla’s leadership, there is already significant expansion of both consumer and business-to-business activities,” says MYDAWA.
Read MoreDRC-based startup Nuru has secured $40 million to build the biggest mini-grid in sub-Saharan Africa
Nuru, a solar energy startup based in the Democratic Republic of Congo, wants to provide 24-hour electricity for five million people in the country. Its Series B raise of $40 million is still a long way from the $300 million needed to achieve this goal. Nuru, an alternative energy startup in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has raised $40 million in Series B equity funding. The round was led by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), the Renewable Energy Performance Platform (REPP), Proparco, E3 Capital, Voltalia, the Schmidt Family Foundation, GAIA Impact Fund, and the Joseph Family Foundation. While the IFC’s equity investment also includes financing from the Finland-IFC Blended Finance for Climate Program, the company hopes to close off an additional $28 million in project finance by the end of July. AltRaise was the exclusive financial advisor to Nuru on both the Series B transaction and accompanying project finance. The fund will be used to build three mini-grids in parts of eastern DRC—Goma, Kindu, and the largest in Bunia. With a combination of solar power and batteries, the total generation capacity will be 13.7 megawatts. Nuru, whose name means light in Swahili, has four other cities in eastern DRC already operating with its mini-grids. DRC has a population of about 100 million people, but less than 20% of the population has access to energy. Many of those who lack access to energy are in eastern DRC. The mini-grids provide an opportunity for the use of renewable energy and bypass the use of fossil fuels for power generation in the region which has little to no electrification. Nuru’s utility-scale solar mini-grids are designed to provide 24/7 reliable and renewable energy to the communities they are installed. This will help improve climate resilience and sustainable development, which the country desperately needs. Founded as Kivu Green Energy in 2015 by Jonathan Shaw, a Kenya-born American, the company built Congo’s first mini-grid in 2017. Three years later, it opened a 1.3-megawatt facility in the city of Goma, making it the largest mini-grid in sub-Saharan Africa with no connection to a national grid. “We are thrilled to partner with such a dynamic group of investors who are keen to drive our vision of expanding energy access and transforming five million lives in the DRC. Closing the Series B is a significant milestone in Nuru’s journey, but also demonstrates the viability of the metrogrid model in the distributed energy sector in Africa,” Shaw commented after the raise. “Nuru extends its heartfelt appreciation to the consortium of investors for their visionary support and unwavering commitment to Nuru’s vision. Together, we will continue to illuminate lives, drive economic growth, and empower communities across the DRC.” Earlier in March, initial investments from REPP, Proparco, and E3 Capital bridged a financing gap at Nuru to bolster their Series B equity fundraise. The three investors each committed $500,000 in a convertible note round. In 2018, Nuru raised $3.8 million in its Series A round, which was led by E3 Capital (formerly Energy Access Ventures), with EDFI ElectriFI. The investment was catalytic in building Nuru’s current operating mini-grid portfolio in the cities of Goma, Beni, Tadu, and Faradje. Bloomberg reports that a $90-million Series C round is expected to get underway later this year. This is as the company aims to raise $300 million to hit its target to serve five million people in DRC by September 24, 2024.
Read MoreHere’s why Latin American fintechs are expanding to Africa
People who buy things or services online in Africa are growing by 8.2% every year—the highest in the world, and some of the biggest Latin American fintechs are taking notice. When dLocal, a fintech from Uruguay announced its expansion to Ghana, Kenya, Cameroun and Senegal in 2020, Adebiyi Aromolaran, Head of Expansion described Africa as “a tremendous untapped e-commerce opportunity,” with “huge potential for growth with an under 40% penetration rate.” When Brazil’s EBANX announced its African entry last September, CEO and co-founder, João Del Valle pointed out that the decision was supported by the fact that “Africa’s fast-growing digital economy is only in its early days, and it’s projected to grow up and to the right for the next few decades.” Optimism for growth prospects in digital payments is not the only thing these two Latin American fintech giants share. dLocal’s plan to empower global merchants to reach billions of customers and accept payments locally sounds awfully like EBANX’s plan to “attract global enterprise businesses to sell into Africa via EBANX payment rails & leverage its large emerging markets (Latam + Asia) footprint.” The bet is that Africa, where shopping behaviour is turning digital, is an untapped market for global merchants. But why is this compelling enough to warrant the aggressive growth plan where EBANX for example, plans to add 11 African markets to its list in just two years—it is already in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria? Opening pockets of opportunity for global merchants EBANX’s approach hinges on a promise to help the global merchants they already serve find more revenue in Africa. A Rwandan traveller in Kenya for example, cannot pay for Airbnb with MTN’s MoMo or Safaricom’s MPesa, despite these being the most popular digital payment channels. Another example. Ad revenue generated by YouTube Music’s premium offering reached $15 billion in 2019. By November last year, 80 million people subscribed to the premium YouTube service, but it is unavailable in places like Kenya, for example. It is global merchant opportunities like this that EBANX and dLocal want to conquer by offering more local payment options. If African customers have access to global products they are currently locked out of because global merchants do not accept the channels people are accustomed to paying, which translates to more revenue without the headache of setting up the infrastructure. “EBANX is unique in this way because we were able to attract merchants from a very wide range of verticals. Some of them are listed on our website and these are merchants who traditionally were not keen to explore emerging markets because of the complexity of setting up the infrastructure,” said Wiza Jalakasi, director of Africa Market Development at EBANX. According to EBANX’s global payments executive, Paula Belliza, “Africa became our new priority.” This lack of access for Africans who want to purchase services or goods from global firms is part of why the virtual or gift card business is a growing vertical. The volumes that are processed by virtual card solutions, for example, might give insight into how much demand for services or products that some global businesses are not capitalising on. But this space is already coming under pressure from economic reforms, and if dLocal and EBANX manage to take off, it may only intensify that pressure. Portable (to an extent) experience Not too long ago, the biggest digital payment markets in Africa and Latin America shared many of the same characteristics. Low digital penetration, low levels of financial services access and the undisputed leadership of cash. Latin America has had more success overall in increasing digital payments as a share of payments volume, but it is also recent enough that some of the lessons may still apply in Africa. African fintech professionals have had time to gain experience since the early 2000s when banks began to use more technology. This was further buttressed as early fintechs built out mobile wallets, supported bank ATMs and fought for mobile PoS systems to become as accepted as they are today. The attention (and funding) of the last six years supercharged the depth and the experience of fintech talent as companies grew faster and expanded across the continent. So it makes sense to exploit the combination of experience from teams that have built a global business from Latin America and the experience of local fintech talent. This potent mix is a no-brainer. Take Wiza Jalakasi for example, a Malawian software engineer-turned-business development specialist. Until recently, Wiza was Vice President of ChipperCash’s global merchant team. He has now joined EBANX and will be leading its bold 11-market growth strategy in Africa. “I felt that they had all of the different pieces of the puzzle and a very good idea of how to arrange them except for like the market-specific gaps… with my experience, I was [filling] in those markets specific caps and it was very natural,” Jalakasi explained. The other part of the portable experience driving these Africa-ward expansions is that these firms often have relationships with global merchants that they can leverage to get a foothold. Expansions in fintech are often customer-driven, Olugbenga Agoobla, CEO of Flutterwave told TechCabal recently. “If a customer is going somewhere, sometimes you have to be there,” Agboola said, explaining that his firm’s relationship with Uber was part of the decision to expand into Egypt where it now helps the San Francisco-based ride-hailing company collect digital payments. EBANX and dLocal are not the only cross-continental expansions between Latin America and Africa. Migo and Paga, both Nigerian fintechs, expanded into Brazil and Mexico respectively. “We think the lessons from Nigeria are transferable,” Tayo Oviosu, Paga CEO, said when his company announced it was going to Mexico. If Paga can go to Mexico, and Migo to Brazil why can’t EBANX or dLocal come to Nigeria? No one says it this way, but the logic—though infantile and certainly not how any reasonable business thinks—is not terribly off. Payments still has a long way to go In 2022 McKinsey predicted
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How fuel price surge and rising inflation have opened up the ride-hailing market for Rida and InDrive
Nigeria’s rising inflation and fuel price surge have made ride-hailing customers turn to Rida and InDrive which offer cheaper pricing and the ability to negotiate fares with drivers. This trend presents an opportunity for both platforms to snag greater market share. Since 2020, Raheem Balogun, a product manager, has used Bolt for his daily commute to work. But that changed in June when Bolt increased its base fare from ₦650 to ₦800 in response to the fuel subsidy removal. Its more expensive rival Uber adjusted its fare from ₦850 to ₦1200. Like many riders TechCabal spoke with, Raheem has now found an alternative in Rida and inDrive that allow riders to negotiate fares with drivers. “I prefer to use them [Rida and inDrive] because their fares are cheaper,” he told TechCabal. Beyond pricing, the real catch for many riders is that inDrive and Rida allow customers to negotiate fares. While Uber and Bolt give price estimates before the trip starts, InDrive and Ride allow customers to propose a price–drivers can accept those prices or make counterproposals. Both ride-hailing services also don’t have base fares. California-headquartered inDrive and Armenia-based Rida aren’t new to the Nigerian market having launched in 2019 and 2020 respectively. If they seem new, it’s because an increase in fuel prices and attendant cab fares are finally making customers prioritise pricing over brand names–a sector that was dominated by two giants is now opening up. A ride from the Lagos State University campus, Ojo to the National Stadium Complex in Surulere costs between N5,500 and N6,900, with Bolt compared to Uber’s price of N8,580. The recommended price for the same trip on inDrive was N5,000, while Rida’s was N5,400. A screenshot showing the difference in prices on the four ride-hailing platforms. While cheaper pricing and the ability to negotiate will help Rida and InDrive gain some market share, they still have bigger worries if they’re not to find themselves in the persistent driver troubles that Bolt and Uber are currently facing. Good for riders, but not drivers Ride-hailing drivers—at the direction of the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transport Workers of Nigeria (AUATWON)—are demanding a 200% increase in fares from Uber and Bolt. The Union doesn’t have InDrive and Rida in its crosshairs yet because both companies charge lower commissions. While Uber and Bolt collect a 20% commission on every ride, inDrive takes 10% excluding VAT and Rida charges no commission. But there are signs that these low commissions may not be sufficient incentives for drivers in the long term. Felix, a driver who asked to be identified only by his first name, told TechCabal that controlling costs remains a big issue. “When you consider the cost of fuel, the commission, and the payment we have to give to the car owners, you realize that the situation is a bit challenging for us,” the driver who uses both platforms said. One major trend is that drivers now register on all major ride-hailing platforms, hoping to find the most lucrative deals in their location. It’s common for drivers to use the estimated prices on Bolt and Uber to get similar deals on InDrive or Rida, banking on the lower commissions to improve their margins. Some peculiar cultural problems remain, like the perception of many customers that drivers treat them differently when they use these cheaper solutions. Susan, a frequent user of inDrive said drivers often act like “they are doing you a favour because you’re negotiating prices.” Another person said that the drivers sometimes ask for a different price other than what was agreed. These are early indications that InDrive and Rida need to strengthen their brand efforts and improve customer perception. Rida and inDrive customers have also complained about the user experience on the apps. In an email response to TechCabal, inDrive said it is working “to tackle any issues that arise, concentrating on enhancing the app’s performance and refining the user interface.” Rida recently upgraded its app, adding new features such as a navigation system and a safety button.
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Nurturing Africa’s AI ecosystem for global impact
Image source: Telecom Review Africa Across the globe, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative force that extends beyond the boundaries of the tech ecosystem, attracting attention and generating buzz. In Africa, entrepreneurs, researchers, and organizations are beginning to harness the power of AI to tackle unique challenges and drive impactful change. From healthcare to agriculture, education to finance, the continent is witnessing the influence of AI across diverse sectors, fostering sustainable development and empowering communities. “AI can help people flourish, and promote social cohesion and prosperity. It can also help people to suffer and stress less,” said Favour Borokokini, PhD student at Horizon CDTat the first edition of moonshot conversations by TechCabal. However, to fully unleash the potential of AI in Africa, a comprehensive strategy is required that addresses unique challenges and ensures inclusivity at every step. A coherent long-term vision and plan for the use of the technology as well as policies that balances out the risks of these technologies is important in ensuring that these machine learning models are equitable, inclusive, and valuable. What is a starting point for building AI infrastructure for Africa? An important step towards developing an effective roadmap for AI in Africa is addressing the data problem on the continent. In an era where data fuels the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), Africa faces a unique challenge: the scarcity and quality of data. The continent’s diverse and dynamic contexts, coupled with limited data availability, pose obstacles to the development and deployment of AI-driven solutions tailored to Africa’s specific needs. Investing in data collection and tailoring ML algorithms to local contexts will lead to more accurate predictions, targeted interventions, and improved decision-making across sectors. As AI continues to advance, it raises important ethical questions about the use of personal data and the potential for bias in AI systems. Although we’ve seen far-reaching legislations like the AI Act by Europe and efforts of The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) on The African Union Artificial Intelligence Continental Strategy for Africa, It is clear that there is a growing concern for regulations on the development and use of AI to bolster the responsible development and deployment of AI in Africa. There is also a place for legislation that ensures reskilling and retraining programmes to ensure social and economic equality. New technologies always cause disruption and can cause loss of livelihood. “How do we ensure that we are reskilling people who lose their jobs?” asked Favour Borokini. Lastly, building AI awareness through education initiatives about AI’s capabilities, benefits, and limitations will foster a culture of AI literacy at the business and consumer levels. AI education and training programmes must be incorporated into school curriculums and the workforce. “A normal front desk officer should be able to understand what AI is about,” as explained by Oluwabunmi Borokinni, programmes lead at Immersive Tech Africa, said. Like Tawanda Ewing said, “AI is more of an augmentation than a replacement for jobs.” With AI, we have an opportunity to leapfrog progress and harness technology for sustainable development to shape the future of the continent. By nurturing talent, fostering collaboration, and scaling impactful initiatives, Africa is poised to be at the forefront of AI innovation, shaping a brighter future for its people and leaving an indelible mark on the global AI landscape.Moonshot by TechCabal will convene the most audacious players—founders, business leaders, startups, enterprise companies—building Africa’s dynamic tech scene to network, collaborate, share ideas/insights, and celebrate innovation on the continent. To join the waitlist, click here.
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Next Wave: How to sell the “Invest in Africa” message
Cet article est aussi disponible en français <!– In partnership with –> <!— –> First published 7 July 2023 Like everything I write on Next Wave, this is probably not a silver bullet, but it undoubtedly an approach worth thinking about. Is it too controversial to say investors should not invest in Africa because it will have a large consumer market, will be the labour capital of the world and has a few of the fastest growing economics measured by nominal GDP? If you were an investor in the mid-eighties to late nineties, why did you put your money in communist China? Because of its large consumer market? A lot of what I hear when Africans—in government and the private sector—talk about business is how they can serve local consumption. On the other hand, when the rest of the world talks about the African business opportunity, it is often as a source of primary input that will be further processed for global consumers. Except in development circles, and even there, it slips in once in a while. Along with labour force projections, migration concerns and whatnot. The energy transition agenda has intensified this primary production focus. And the continent has mostly accepted it. Africa needs thinkers and entrepreneurs on the ground who will keep local consumption in mind, but also orient towards global markets and later continental markets. Most people who read this newsletter work in or run startups or businesses that are adjacent to Africa’s technology ecosystem. So how or why is this important for you? One answer is that better technology (especially hardware) will play a huge role in orienting African consumption towards global markets, but also that pure software layers can smoothen over the rough uncompromising edges when the right policies align. For example, hardware solutions like cold-chain storage will be an indispensable part of improving agricultural production and processing while software can help manage logistics inside the continent and create leaner businesses that are more productive and efficient. Everyone knows this, so it is not a novel idea. But applying these ideas to only meet local demand is a nearsighted and artificial limit to the entrepreneurial, investment and policy reform ambition that can lead to significant overall economic improvement. Partner Message In 5 minutes, you can get your health insurance, motor insurance, and life insurance on the P2Vest app. Available on Google Play & App Store. . Get InsuranceParasol There are positive effects of focusing on local markets, but the bitter tradeoffs include deep structural market fragmentation, a.k.a. informal markets, or debilitating and inefficient monopolies. Unfortunately, we have abundant examples of both. Markets that are structurally broken, and lumbering uncompetitive monopolies and oligopolies that are self-contained in their mediocre but profitable local dominance. Every country has at least one example. Reorienting from a local market focus to a global value chain focus will mean replacing the crude workarounds that make up the informal sector with efficient programming of software, hardware and services. Here’s why. Partner Content: Work, create, collaborate at ThinkSpace, an optimised workspace for the modern Lagos professional Africa is lagging in global production and value-addition Figure 1 is Africa’s share of global production and value-added production from the 1990s to 2020. As the chart reveals, both production and value-added production are embarrassingly low. In my opinion, it is what you get when a significant portion of your production (in agriculture, for example) is for local processing (cassava to eba, maize to unga, etc.) and consumption, but it still fails to meet local consumption needs. Figure 2 makes the disparity between value-added African produce and what is obtainable clearer. Source Kiel Institute for the World Economy. Source Kiel Institute for the World Economy. Is the problem that there is no market for more value-added African produce? The answer is somewhere between ‘How can we know?’ and a resounding no. And this is because we have not made much of an effort, especially in today’s world where you do not even need to produce finished products to increase our participation in the global value chain. Value addition has moved beyond producing finished goods to intermediate production Writing for tralac, John Stuart, an economist and policy analyst points out that, “the bulk of global trade today (about 70%) is not even in finished products, but in intermediate products: items that are used in the further manufacture of products or the repair of existing products.” In other words, most of what is traded globally is not finished products, but components that are needed to finish a product or maintain it. Per data from the World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution, sub-Saharan Africa imported more than $14 billion of these intermediate products in 2020, up from just over $11 billion in 2015. The spare part trade is a big portion of the China-Africa trade as my Nigerian Igbo brothers will, no doubt, attest. All of Africa’s competitiveness is in primary production. This leaves a lot of space which informal attempts at value-addition struggle to fill partly because of a lack in standardisation. It is the reason why small-scale manufacturers in Aba, Nigeria, will slap on a “Made in Taiwan” label on electronics or a “Made in Italy” on shoes. One way to look at it is to criticise the apparent dishonest display. The other way to look at it is to see the unspoken appeal to what is considered the standard. I remember speaking to some guys in Enugu, Nigeria, whose company (funded by All-On) built quality solar inverters but their wholesale partners chose to add “Made in Taiwan” labels to the inverter packs, because customers wouldn’t consider “Made in Nigeria” good enough, even though it was better in many cases and had better and trained local support and readily available spare. Partner Content: Join Olu Akanmu, President and co-CEO OPay Nigeria, at DBN Techpreneurs Summit 2023 Made in Taiwan, Made in Japan and recently, Made in China were all considered a sign of poor quality, but now
Read MoreIsland of challenges & opportunities: Inside Madagascar’s fledgling startup ecosystem
Despite having a few startups that have managed to raise funding and expand their operations beyond the island, Madagascar still does not have what one can describe as a vibrant startup ecosystem. TechCabal spoke to some ecosystem players to understand the country’s challenges in trying to establish an ecosystem and the efforts to address them. The island nation of Madagascar is more famous for the 2005 DreamWorks Animation movie “Magadascar” and the subsequent spinoffs than for its startup ecosystem. A quick Google search of the country yields more results about the movie than any startup activity. Despite being the fourth largest island in the world with a population of over 28 million, Madagascar has not found success in getting its tech ecosystem off the ground—not for a lack of effort. Matina Razafimahefa, co-founder and CEO of SAYNA, an edtech and freelancing platform, told TechCabal that Madagascar’s tech scene has not taken off because of several reasons including a lack of access to capital. “In Madagascar, the tech businesses you find are internet cafes and IT consultancy,” he said. In April 2022, SAYNA closed a $600,000 funding round backed by Orange Ventures, Launch Africa Ventures, and MAIC Investors Club. SAYNA’s core product is a mobile video game designed to teach digital professions. It uses algorithms to automatically connect learners to IT micro-tasks requested by international companies. The startup has already trained 3,000 students, with a goal to reach 10,000 by the end of the year. “SAYNA, with its focus on soft skills training, mentorships and a peer-to-peer learning environment, stands a good chance of becoming a direct gateway to projects, experience, and income for youth across the African continent,” said Zachariah George, managing partner of Launch Africa Ventures, after the fundraising. In Q1 of 2023, venture capital tracking platform MAGNETT reported that another Malagasy startup, WeLightAfrica, which provides solar energy solutions to rural dwellers, raised $20.6 million in equity funding in January. The startup also raised $13.6 million in debt, perhaps signalling the beginning sort of renaissance of the country’s fortunes in establishing a startup ecosystem. According to Emmanuel Cotsoyannis, director general at Miarakap, an impact investment fund dedicated to backing SMEs and startups in the country, the reason it has been difficult to ignite an ecosystem in the country is that most of the economic activity is centralised in the capital Antananarivo and focuses on providing basic needs, making it difficult to identify startups that can scale. Despite the unfavourable market conditions, Miarakap has backed some startups in the country, including Supermarche.mg, a home delivery startup founded in 2018 by Manitra Andriamitondra. According to Cotsoyannis, Madagascar’s large swathe of software engineering talent, backed by proper funding and an enabling environment in terms of policy, can change the country’s fortunes in establishing a startup ecosystem. Unfortunately, those two vital factors have not been developing fast enough, which has seen the innovation gap being filled by tech conglomerates who develop their innovations in-house. Some of these include Axian Group, one of the country’s largest companies which builds fintech, e-commerce, and energy inclusion products. “We have a long-lasting tradition of software engineering in Madagascar that began in the 1980s through the policies of the then administration and has carried on since. We produce thousands of talent annually but most of them understandably choose the employment route either in government or private sector tech companies because chances of building a successful startup are unfortunately not that very inspiring,” Cotsoyannis told TechCabal. How to accelerate the growth of the ecosystem According to Harinjaka Ratozamanana, former CEO of one of the country’s foremost innovation hubs, as well as former general director at the ministry of industry, catalysing the tech startup ecosystem in Madagascar would have to first start with the government creating an enabling environment for the success of startups through the requisite policies. “At the government level, we don’t have policies that foster and promote innovation and entrepreneurship like how some countries like Rwanda do. This dampens the motivation for young people to pursue the path of tech entrepreneurship because why gamble your livelihood by going the risky entrepreneurship when so many odds are stacked against you and you cannot rely on the government to support your path,” Ratozamanana told TechCabal. In the private sector, Ratozamanana believes that making early-stage capital available to aspiring tech entrepreneurs through venture capital funds is key to driving the country into an epoch of innovation. “There is a significant number of young people who have ideas that can address some of the country’s most pressing social-economic issues including poverty and unemployment but they do not have the capital to even start. Traditional financing mediums like banks are obviously not an option so we need more venture capitalists to make bets on these young people,” he added. Cotsoyannis, however, believes that the key to unlocking Madagascar’s tech startup ecosystem is through making dedicated efforts to address issues like a highly concentrated demographic and the lack of a formalised economy which comprises mostly of informal trading, agriculture, industry, and traditional services. Addressing these bottlenecks, according to him, with support from development finance institutions, will be key to creating an enabling environment which would allow the country’s startup ecosystem to take off. In May, the World Bank, with contribution from the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), approved a $227 million loan package to the country. However, the core focus of the funding will be to support the increase in productivity and strengthening the resilience of rural livelihoods, not fostering innovation. “Madagascar is one of the least advanced economies in the world with a GDP of less than $12 billion concentrated in a handful of industries. This situation makes it hard for VCs to identify startups that can make very significant returns on investments. Putting funds from the likes of the World Bank and the French Development Agency into addressing these will be key because, after that, the fact that we have large amounts of technical talent can help accelerate the rate
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