₦519 billion H1 loss: MTN Nigeria’s bottom line takes an FX-induced battering
MTN Nigeria records massive loss after tax in H1 2024, driven by FX volatility. Accelerating inflation and currency volatility, which defied all the policies implemented in the first half of 2024, created a tough macroeconomic environment for some of Nigeria’s biggest businesses. MTN Nigeria, the country’s largest telecommunications firm and historically a guaranteed profit maker, reported a loss after tax of ₦519 billion for the first half of 2024. It’s a massive jump from the ₦85 billion it lost in H1 2023. Most of those losses are linked to the company’s USD obligations, such as leases priced in dollars and financing costs. The devaluation of the naira and currency volatility in H1 have significantly increased those costs. “Overall, these headwinds put pressure on consumers and the cost of doing business in the country,” wrote CEO Karl Toriola in the results shared on Wednesday. “This includes, for MTN Nigeria, additional forex losses, leading to pressure on our period-end negative capital position.” To mitigate these FX exposures, MTN has reduced its outstanding letters of credit in dollars to $100 million by June 2024. It is also renegotiating lease agreements with IHS towers. The telecom giant is seeking regulatory approval for tariff increases to offset some of those losses. Key takeaways MTN has 79.4 million mobile subscribers in H1 2024 Active mobile money (MoMo PSB) wallets increased by 73.9% to 5.5 million FinTech revenue grew by 11% While revenue grew to ₦1.53 trillion, cost of sale rose to ₦252 billion (33% increase) while operating expenses came in at ₦738 billion. Data revenue outpaces voice Data revenue grew to ₦727 billion, outpacing voice revenue of ₦632 billion. Mobile money wallets increased to 5.5 million from 3.1 million recorded in H1 2023. MTN also grew its customer base to 79.4 million despite barring 8.6 million subscribers in H1 2024. On Monday, the company closed its retail outlets nationwide after some of its offices were vandalised by angry customers whose SIM cards were blocked on Sunday.
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Next Wave: Why hasn’t Kenya produced a unicorn yet?
Cet article est aussi disponible en français <!– In partnership with –> <!–TopBanner Join us for TechCabal Battlefield, Moonshot’s startup competition where you can showcase your startup idea to a global audience and an esteemed panel of judges and stand a chance to win up to 2.5 million naira in funding for your business! Click to register for TC Battlefield First published 27 July, 2024 Why hasn’t Kenya produced a unicorn yet? If you ask any Kenyan founder, they will tell you that achieving unicorn status is equivalent to striking gold. It represents the pinnacle of success, a milestone that only seven startups in Africa have achieved. Kenya, despite being one of the four largest tech ecosystems in Africa, has no homegrown unicorns. A successful Kenyan startup could potentially expand rapidly across the East African region, significantly increasing its market size and chances of becoming a unicorn. But has this happened? What setbacks might Africa’s Silicon Savannah be facing, considering that many startups generally have unicorn ambitions? There is a general thesis that Kenyan startups are not “ambitious” enough to solve the continent’s most complex issues. The Global Startup Ecosystem Index Report declared that Kenya has not produced unicorns because its startups have yet to explore regional and international markets. StartupBlink, in a separate report, agreed: “Kenya will not be able to create a critical mass of unicorns from within its local market.” Five industry experts who spoke to me cite several reasons Kenya hasn’t had a unicorn, including the one that says the country is a small market. “A unicorn from these lands would need to be a continental or global business, solving a larger-scale problem,” one angel investor told me. The argument that Kenya’s market is too small to nurture a unicorn is debatable. For instance, in 2023, Kenya replaced Nigeria, which has produced four unicorns (Opay, Jumia, Flutterwave and Interswitch), as Africa’s top startup funding destination. In that year, Kenyan startups raised about $800 million, surpassing Nigeria, which dropped to fourth place after leading in 2021 and 2022, per The Big Deal. It is challenging to grow where M-PESA already exists A business’s profitability often depends on unit economics, not just market size. A high-margin business model can generate significant revenue even in a smaller market. A startup can become a unicorn by dominating a specific niche, regardless of overall market size. There are many examples of this globally: OpenAI popularised AI chatbots and Israel’s Wiz found a niche in cloud security. Granted, these are big companies backed by the world’s top venture capital firms, but I don’t think niche domination will happen soon in Kenya anyway. Next Wave continues after this ad. Sign up now for the Wealth Summit for free. Get inspired to reach your financial goals. Sign up here! This is because fintech startups—the only ones often projected to become unicorns—in the Kenyan market are yet to crack a new market that Safaricom’s M-PESA hasn’t already dominated. Utility payments? M-PESA has that. Global payments? M-PESA has this covered. How do you truly innovate around these products, considering M-PESA already leads the fintech space? “If you look at it, most unicorns are fintechs. But M-PESA already dominates in Kenya,” the expert told TechCabal. “So, it’s hard for a fintech to claim that unicorn status, especially now that valuations are more conservative.” The aforementioned Startup Ecosystem Index Report once projected that startups like M-KOPA, a digital credit company; and Wasoko, a B2B e-commerce platform, stood a chance of becoming unicorns. This projection was made in 2022. Since then, Wasoko has exited Zanzibar, Uganda and Zambia to “focus on the momentum we’ve built in our more mature markets”. Its valuation has also shrunk to $260 million as of December 2023, with former employees saying that its “losses were quite high”. M-KOPA raised $250 million in 2023, but it hasn’t reached that valuation yet. Its last valuation was $330 million in May 2023. Despite their potential, Kenyan startups have yet to fully overcome the complex hurdles specific to the Kenyan market, hindering their path to unicorn status. While hoping that fintech could be the unicorn pathway for Kenya’s tech ecosystem, it’s essential to consider other sectors. Kenya might have unique problems to solve in alternative areas like agriculture and healthcare. Maybe these are where the Silicon Savannah unicorns will emerge from. Kenn Abuya Senior Reporter, TechCabal. Feel free to email kenn[at]bigcabal.com, with your thoughts about this edition of NextWave. Or just click reply to share your thoughts and feedback. We’d love to hear from you Psst! Down here! Thanks for reading today’s Next Wave. Please share. Or subscribe if someone shared it to you here for free to get fresh perspectives on the progress of digital innovation in Africa every Sunday. As always feel free to email a reply or response to this essay. I enjoy reading those emails a lot. TC Daily newsletter is out daily (Mon – Fri) brief of all the technology and business stories you need to know. Get it in your inbox each weekday at 7 AM (WAT). Follow TechCabal on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay engaged in our real-time conversations on tech and innovation in Africa. If you liked this edition of Next Wave, please share with your friends. And feel free to reply with thoughts and feedback. 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TechCabal Daily – A billion-dollar bailout
In partnership with Share this newsletter: Lire en Français اقرأ هذا باللغة العربية Good morning We are in the market for a couple of new roles. First, we’ve got openings for senior business and technology analysts who will help us demystify Africa’s tech ecosystem. We are also in the market for a new Sales Manager. If you or anyone you know can open doors and close deals faster than you can read this newsletter, then apply for the role and help us grow our revenue streams. In today’s edition Ethiopia gets $3.4 billion bailout from IMF Lagos wants to raise $121 million from taxing remote workers Nigeria wants to digitise government offices with new bill The World Wide Web3 Events Economy Ethiopia gets $3.4 Billion bailout from IMF Ethiopia finally gets some respite. The country has struggled with double-digit inflation and has struggled to pay back debts worth $28.4 billion since 2021. Recently, it defaulted on the interest payment for a $1 billion Eurobond that matures later this year. But what do you do to the old and frail? You help them. And who better to help Ethiopia than the International Monetary Fund (IMF)? Ethiopia began discussing a $10.5 billion aid package with the IMF and World Bank in early July to boost its ailing economy. To attract support from the IMF, the country also devalued its currency by allowing market forces to determine its exchange rate freely. The IMF will lend the country $3.4 billion over four years, starting with a disbursement of $1 billion. The loan will allow Ethiopia some respite as the funds will stabilise the economy and support local spending. Read Moniepoint’s 2024 Informal Economy Report Did you know that only 2.8% of informal businesses are started out of passion? Click here to find out the motivation of businesses in Nigeria’s informal economy. Regulation Lagos wants to raise $121 million from taxing remote workers Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos, will start taxing remote workers and digital influencers as part of a plan to raise ₦5 trillion ($3.04 billion) in internally generated revenue (IGR) under the current administration—668% more than it generated in 2022. Lagos wants to tap into the growing remote work and digital economy sector to raise ₦200 billion ($121.8 million) annually in taxes—contributing about ₦600 billion ($365.3 million) to this administration’s IGR target. The big question here is how the government plans to identify taxpayers in this new bracket and implement the taxes, given there’s no centralised system. South Africa has a system that works fairly well, and remote workers must declare their income at the end of every financial year. Last year, its government started trying to cast an even wider net on remote employees by requiring employers of South Africa-based remote workers to deduct pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) tax. This could be As part of its own plans to increase IGR, Lagos will also introduce new tax structures for the property sector, informal, and circular economies. If this is successful, it could serve as a model for other Nigerian states and developing economies looking to expand their tax base. Collect payments anytime anywhere with Fincra Are you dealing with the complexities of collecting payments from your customers? Fincra’s payment gateway makes it easy to accept payments via cards, bank transfers, virtual accounts and mobile money. What’s more? You get to save money on fees when you use Fincra. Get started now. Regulations Nigeria wants to digitise government offices with new bill In 2015, we reported a critical move: Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) launched an online company registration portal. A user aptly commented, “It appears the CAC has finally joined us in the 21st century,” highlighting the long-awaited digitisation of a process already standard in other regions. The same sentiment faced the lauded Nigeria Startup Act, signed into law two years ago but yet to be fully adopted by more than half of the country’s states. Since it was passed in 2022—exactly one year after it was drafted—very few provisions of the NSA have been implemented. And now, the government is introducing yet another tech bill, to digitise public institutions across the country. The proposed National Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill, which has passed a first reading, will require all public institutions to conduct activities and functions electronically, including accepting document filings, and information processing. There are also penalties of up to ₦10 million ($6,000) for corporations who fail to comply with the frameworks of the bill. While the new bill will help increase Nigeria’s digital literacy rate by equipping Nigerian civil servants, estimated at 720,000, with digital skills, it remains an uphill climb. Presently, only a few Nigerian parastatals and agencies have a substantial online presence with functional websites and advanced digital systems. Most government agencies have basic websites with limited online services or minimal or no online presence at all. The country’s judicial system, for example, just started an e-affidavit process this month. Critics argue that the new bill might meet the same standstill as it lacks a clear implementation roadmap. Aside from its implementation plan, analysts claim that some provisions of the bill may have already been addressed by existing policies like NITDA’s Government Digital (GDS) Service Framework. While the cost plan for the bill is unknown, Nigeria, in 2022, spent ₦152 billion ($92.5 million) on digitisation projects for a few agencies. With 80% of its public institutions in tow, the budget for the implementation will cost way more. Paystack Virtual Terminal is now live in more countries Paystack Virtual Terminalhelps businesses accept secure, in-person payments with real-time WhatsApp confirmations and ZERO hardware costs. Enjoy multiple in-person payment channels, easy end-of-day reconciliation, and more. Learn more on the Paystack blog → Crypto Tracker The World Wide Web3 Source: Coin Name Current Value Day Month Bitcoin $65,984 – 1.90% + 6.83% Ether $3,277 – 2.20% – 3.98% Neiro Ethereum $0.052 + 100.86% + 100.86% Solana $179.10 – 2.31% + 23.75% * Data as of 23:20 PM WAT, July 30, 2024. Events You can still
Read MoreProlific Nigerian VC firm Ventures Platform casts a wider net across Africa
Ventures Platforms is one of Africa’s most prolific startups. In eight years, it has invested in 78 startups, scoring big wins with Piggyvest, Moniepoint, and Paystack—which Stripe acquired in October 2020 for over $200 million. After these Nigerian successes, it’s turning its attention outside Nigeria and aiming to become more pan-African. Since Kola Aina founded Ventures Platform in 2016, it has only invested in 12 non-Nigerian startups. “Even though we started from Nigeria and most of our investments are based in Nigeria, we always set out to be a pan-African investor,” said Dotun Olowoporoku, the managing partner of Ventures Platform. The firm’s $46 million fund, which was launched in 2021, typically invests $250,000 to $1 million per startup. As it deepens its roots outside Nigeria, it will only invest in “key strategic markets” with a stable political environment, homegrown technology talent, and angel investors. Its most recent investments outside Nigeria have been in the Francophone West Africa region, which satisfies these benchmarks. “Startups only breed where the ecosystem has been put together,” said Olowoporoku. In 2023, the sector-agnostic fund invested in twelve startups, making it one of the most active investors on the continent in a year when funding declined 36% year-on-year. Besides its vast portfolio, Ventures Platform made its name by being a hands-on investor for its startups. In November 2022, the firm appointed Damilola Teidi to lead a team solely focused on supporting its portfolio companies. “As a founder whose aspiration is to build a business that generates a ton of free cash flow, there is no better fund. In my lowest moment as a founder, when we went down to zero revenue, Ventures Platform was there. When I needed to recruit talent, Kola Aina had time on his calendar to speak to an engineer,” Njavwa Mutambo, the CEO of Caantin, a non-Nigerian Ventures Platform portfolio startup, told TechCabal. Ventures Platform: Lake versus Ocean Strategy VC investing is like fishing; you cast your net into a vast ocean and hope for the best. While that’s a simple analogy, VCs and fishermen head to sea every time to take their chances based on robust analysis and hope for outsized returns. For Ventures Platform, fishing either happens in lakes or oceans. The Big 4 (Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and South Africa) are seen as oceans where multiple “sharks” can exist in the same market and still thrive, while smaller ecosystems are seen as lakes where there is mostly only one “shark.” Francophone West Africa ties into the firm’s lake strategy, as the firm sees the region as pockets of lakes. The firm will invest in startups in the region as long as they can “dominate the market quickly,” own up to 80% of the market share, and be able to expand into neighbouring countries. “It’s easy for companies to start in Senegal, expand to Cote d’Ivoire and Cameroon, and become huge businesses without coming to Nigeria,” Olowoporoku said. However, acquiring a significant market share can be expensive and capital-intensive. In recent months, the African tech ecosystem has adopted a more conservative approach to spending after the end of the zero-interest rate policy, which reduced startup funding. But Olowoporoku told TechCabal that his firm would still back a startup in the region that is raising money to acquire customers and can retain them. The firm recently invested in Tanel, a health insurance company, and its fourth investment in Senegal. This has not previously been reported. Ventures Platform is also looking to invest in the region, as French startups have an easier path to exit due to French companies’ interest in entering the region through acquisitions, according to Olowoporoku. “We want to go to that market and look for companies that other people might have ignored because they look at that market from a narrow point of view,” he said. Ventures Platform’s GRMTT metrics Venture capital firms often have a thesis for building their portfolios, and Ventures Platform is no different. The firm has five prerequisites for investing in a startup. The firm considers a startup’s growth rate, which must be “incredible” before it cuts a cheque. “Venture investors invest in high-growth companies,” Olowoporoku said. Ventures Platform also considers the startup’s revenue before investing, as it only invests in startups making money. The firm considers the startup’s revenue margin, which helps it determine valuation, and the diversity of the revenue source, which can help startups adapt to exchange rate volatility. “Revenue is important because it’s a reflection of whether they’re creating value and whether someone is willing to pay for that value,” Olowoporoku said. The firm also considers the current reality of the market and the potential of the market in which a startup operates before investing. “A fast-growing business in a capped market is less valuable than a slowly growing business in an uncapped market,” Olowoporoku said.
Read MoreNigeria seeks to force digital transformation with new bill
If the proposed National Digital Economy and E-Governance bill is passed into law, public institutions across Nigeria will be mandated to adopt electronic communication for official correspondence, contracts, and legal proceedings. The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) will be responsible for implementing the bill when passed. Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, released a draft of the bill two weeks after it passed a first reading at the National Assembly. If the bill is passed, public institutions will conduct activities and functions electronically, including accepting document filings, information processing, document creation and retention, permit or license issuing, and payment processing. “The bill is change-driven. The provisions are very strong, and it’s a culture-shifting bill aimed at driving us towards digitalization,” said Oswald Osaretin Guobadia, Managing partner at DigitA. The Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill mandates electronic records and contracts within government organizations. It also stipulates a fine of not less than ₦1 million per individual and not less than ₦10 million for corporations who fail to comply with the frameworks, guidelines, and regulations under the act. “The bill is a bit overloaded and should have been divided into two separate documents—one for the Digital Economy bill and the other for the E-governance bill,” said one analyst who asked not to be named. The analyst also claimed that some parts of the bill have been covered under different aspects of Nigerian law. The bill also seeks to create a new ICT division that contravenes existing laws established by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) “The entire bill should have been a directive from the President to different institutions on how they can come together and achieve e-governance,” Guobadia notes. ”Ultimately, the success of this lies in the collaborative nature of the Bill development process.” When enacted, the Digital Economy Bill will bring Nigeria one step closer to e-governance. The country lags behind other African countries—Ghana, Mauritius, South Africa, and Tunisia—that have been identified with high e-government development indexes. The move will also contribute to Nigeria’s goal of increasing digital literacy rates. “The Bill has the potential to significantly improve public administration and service delivery in Nigeria,” notes Davidson Oturu, Managing partner at Nubia Capital. The bill doesn’t state clear rules and procedures for its implementation and may be difficult to implement in areas with limited technological infrastructure. “The implementation may be difficult because the regulating agency (NITDA) already has a lot on its plate and may not be able to deliver on it,” Guobadia said. While the bill will enable e-government and boost digital literacy among government workers, section 62 of the draft seeks to override the provisions of any other law in all matters relating to digital economy and e-government. This can lead to power struggles between existing government agencies who already cater to some part of what the bill covers, the analyst said.
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In the sprawling wilderness, rethink the King: The leopard’s advantage in Africa’s startup jungle
This article was contributed to TechCabal by Oswald Osaretin Guobadia. The sprawling wilderness may glorify the lion’s majestic presence, but the agile leopard truly excels when it comes to thriving in the jungle’s intricate dynamics. Leopards are built for stealth and agility, with a lean and muscular build. They are excellent climbers and can navigate dense vegetation with ease. Their spotted coat provides excellent camouflage, allowing them to stalk prey effectively. In contrast, although larger and more powerful, lions are not as agile or quick and are better suited for short bursts of speed in open areas. The jungle demands nimbleness, stealth, and adaptability — qualities that resonate deeply in the fast-paced world of startups and innovation, particularly in Africa’s dynamic business landscapes. Photo by Owain McGuire on Unsplash The startup terrain: Africa’s economic outlook With a population of over 1.4 billion, Africa presents a vast potential market, yet this opportunity comes with unique challenges. Indeed, Africa is a jungle. Agility and flexibility are not just buzzwords; they are the heartbeat of successful entrepreneurship, especially in environments marked by Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, and Incomprehensible (BANI) dynamics. Africa’s blend of opportunities and challenges exemplifies this demanding terrain. To flourish in such an ecosystem, entrepreneurs must embody the spirit of the leopard, navigating complexities with finesse and adaptability. Understanding market dynamics is paramount. Many startups aim for a total addressable market (TAM) that appears vast but often overlooks critical nuances. Factors like mobile phone affordability, data costs, network speeds, and digital literacy significantly influence market accessibility. Conducting in-depth market research would unveil the true TAM, which may be a tiny fraction of the total population. Despite the high population, digital literacy rates in Africa hover within 10–40%, generally lower compared to other regions of the world, with subtle variations across the continent varying with the extent of investments in technology infrastructure and education initiatives, highlighting the need for targeted solutions. According to the depicted data below, Africa’s GDP is expected to grow by 3.5% in 2024, a modest uptick when considered against the backdrop of global economic slowdown, heightened monetary conditions, and substantial debt burdens. This forecasted growth, while positive, must be contextualised within the broader spectrum of African economies, where countries like Nigeria have projected growth rates of 2.5%. Such figures, albeit promising, do not uniformly indicate a swift elevation from poverty; multidimensional poverty still plagues up to 80% of populations in certain areas, directly impacting market penetration and the affordability of products and services. For startups operating within this environment, this necessitates a strategic alignment of their business offerings to meet the economic realities of their consumers. They must navigate these economic waters with agility, crafting offerings that are innovative and accessible to the populace who grapple with limited disposable income amidst their competing life priorities. This juxtaposition necessitates innovative pricing strategies that resonate with the economic realities of the target market. It calls for recalibrated business models, deep consumer insights, and value propositions that address pressing needs. Investing in local innovations and engaging in community-based problem-solving can also ensure that startups are seen as businesses and integral to the societal fabric. Collaborative policy development, effective execution, flexible regulation management, and infrastructure development beyond profit centres are imperative. A pan-African approach unlocks synergies, harmonises regulations, and expands the TAM across borders, tapping into Africa’s vast potential. Innovation can be defined as executing an idea that addresses an unarticulated problem. Within the boundaries of African innovation, it’s clear that true ingenuity lies not just in the tangibility of what is being done but also in the delivery path of how it is done and why it was done. While some solutions may echo endeavours elsewhere and not only articulated but solved, the essence of innovation in Africa thrives in the unique approaches taken to tackle pressing challenges. It’s about the resourcefulness, adaptability, and resilience woven into the execution of ideas that differentiate African innovation, which is why the stealth and agility of the Leopard is king in Africa’s innovation space. Digital platforms must also become more prevalent and user-friendly, ensuring that technology becomes a bridge rather than a barrier to inclusion. Digital literacy and inclusion play pivotal roles in sustainable development. Policies promoting education access, incentivising digital upskilling, and fostering entrepreneurial environments are essential growth drivers. In a continent with a growing youth population, bridging the digital divide is crucial for unlocking Africa’s full potential. In bridging societal gaps, continuous support and training for founders are non-negotiable. Many aspiring entrepreneurs lack prior experience and need mentorship to navigate challenges effectively. Support systems like incubators and accelerators are crucial, offering practical advice on business development and scaling. Additionally, access to funding through measures such as microfinancing and venture capital tailored for African markets can catalyse the growth of startups. What follows should be a strong support network that improves startup success rates and stimulates economic growth. Through these resources, founders can learn from experienced mentors, connect with important networks, and adapt their products to meet market needs, turning potential into tangible success. The high hurdle of BANI dynamics However, Africa’s entrepreneurial journey is not without its hurdles. The continent’s business environment is often characterised by BANI dynamics — Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, and Incomprehensible. This volatility creates a complex and unpredictable landscape contributing to Africa’s high startup failure rate. A more granular look at different countries within the continent reveals a varied landscape of startup success and challenges. According to a study by Statista, the average survival rate of startups in Africa was 75% after one year, 46% after three years, and 25% after five years in 2020. These numbers are slightly lower than the global average of 78%, 50%, and 33% respectively. The study also found that the startup failure rate varied across different African countries. Ethiopia and Rwanda had the highest failure rate of 75%, followed by Ghana with 71%, and Uganda with 70%. On the other hand, Kenya had the lowest failure rate of 24%, followed by South Africa
Read MoreEthiopia secures $3.4 billion IMF loan after floating currency
Ethiopia has secured a $3.4 billion loan from the IMF after floating its currency as part of the reforms to ease the country’s foreign currency shortages and attract foreign investments. “The four-year financing package will support the authorities’ Homegrown Economic Reform (HGER) Agenda to address macroeconomic imbalances, restore external debt sustainability, and lay the foundations for higher, inclusive, and private sector-led growth,” IMF said in a statement. The National Bank of Ethiopia has maintained a managed FX rate system, causing chronic dollar shortages that have affected importers and foreign investors repatriating profits. On Monday, the birr slumped 30% to 74.73 per dollar after the central bank removed restrictions on the FX market and committed that the regulator would only make “limited interventions.” Conditions attached to the IMF financing include adopting an interest-based monetary policy to maintain low inflation and fiscal reforms in government to boost revenue collections. IMF’s approval follows months of negotiations with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration which wants to borrow more than $10 billion from the IMF and World Bank to help the country manage its growing debt. The East African nation defaulted on a $33 million international bond payment in December 2023. The Ethiopian economy has been under pressure from double-digit inflation and growing debt repayments. It had over $28 billion in external debt as of December 2023. The new lending programme, proposed in 2019, has suffered several delays due to armed conflicts in the country’s Tigray region and Ahmed’s slow pace of economic reforms. The US, IMF and the World Bank withdrew their support during the war, battering an economy that was already reeling from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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TechCabal Daily – Big Data for Africa’s digital economy
In partnership with Share this newsletter: Lire en Français اقرأ هذا باللغة العربية Good morning If TC Daily’s been missing in your mailbox lately, it’s because we’ve been landing in your Promotions folder thanks to an ESP outage. You can help us solve this by moving TC Daily to your Main/Primary folder so you don’t miss our emails. Simply drag and drop this email if you’re on desktop, or click the menu button and select “Move” if you’re on mobile. In today’s edition Amsons mega move on Kenya’s Bamburi Cement gets green light LemFi expands to Mexico and Brazil Big Data for Africa’s digital economy How much have African startups raised in 2024? The World Wide Web3 Events M&As Amsons mega move on Kenya’s Bamburi Cement gets green light After Swiss building giant Holcim Group posted a staggering $1.927 billion net loss in 2023, CEO Miljan Gutovic said the company would continue its aggressive acquisition strategy that helped it become a global cement manufacturing company. “If we can, we will do 30 deals if it makes sense,” he said in January. And he made good on that promise. In H1 2024, Holcim acquired 11 companies and divested four—already more than all the deals it did in 2023. Holcim’s acquisition strategy involves selling off lucrative assets (divesting) to finance new acquisitions. Its latest divestment is Bamburi Cement. Holcim has agreed to sell its 58.6% majority stake in Kenya’s Bamburi Cement to Tanzania’s Amsons Group for $182.8 million (KES23.8 billion), fuelling Amsons’ plan to take full control of the Kenyan cement company. While the deal still requires approval from other minority stakeholders and regulators, Amsons’ offer values Bamburi at 1.4 times its original value, promising investors a 44.4% premium as of July 10 when the deal was first announced. Since then, Bamburi’s stock has rallied by 40% for the first time since last year, potentially affecting investor interest. Amsons has also stated that if it secures 75% or more of the shares, it will consider delisting Bamburi—which recorded a KES399 million ($3.05 million) loss from its Uganda business last year—from the Nairobi Securities Exchange to restructure the business. Amsons Group, which has a presence in four African countries, sees this as a strategic move to enter the Kenyan market. On the other hand, this signals Holcim’s plan to reduce its East African holdings and focus its operations in Eastern Europe. Read Moniepoint’s 2024 Informal Economy Report Did you know that only 2.8% of informal businesses are started out of passion? Click here to find out the motivation of businesses in Nigeria’s informal economy. Startups Lemfi expands into Mexico and Brazil Four. That’s the number of countries Lemfi, a Nigerian remittance startup has expanded into this year alone. The company, which provides money transfer services, began humbly, allowing Nigerians in Canada to send money back home. Soon after, it allowed other Africans in the country send and receive money before expanding into the UK in 2021 through its acquisition of RightCard for $2.5 million. In 2023, it began offering its services in the US after its $33 million Series A. While the startup was expanding across these markets, CEO Ridwan Oyeniran picked up an important lesson. “The problems that Africans face in terms of difficulty in sending money and compliance issues are very similar to what people from different emerging markets also face,” Ridwan said in an interview. That insight led the startup to offer money transfer services to African diasporans in emerging markets like Pakistan, India, China, and its latest additions, Brazil and Mexico. Yesterday, the startup announced these new markets, allowing Africans in the Latin American markets send and receive money. Brazil and Mexico are the two largest remittance markets in Latin America. With the latest addition, LemFi now offers its services across 26 countries. The startup which has received a little below $34 million in funding since it was founded in 2019 says it will continue to expand to new markets. Collect payments anytime anywhere with Fincra Are you dealing with the complexities of collecting payments from your customers? Fincra’s payment gateway makes it easy to accept payments via cards, bank transfers, virtual accounts and mobile money. What’s more? You get to save money on fees when you use Fincra. Get started now. TC Insights Big Data for Africa’s digital economy African countries are increasingly turning to big data technology to drive economic growth as the continent pursues its digital economy ambitions. A report by the World Bank found that the digital economy in Africa could be worth $180 billion by 2025. Big data has facilitated the growth of e-commerce in countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa by enabling businesses to create novel products and services that cater to customer demands and drive profits. According to a report by the International Data Corporation (IDC), the big data market in Africa is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.7% between 2021 and 2026, from $2.92 billion in 2020 to $4.2 billion in 2026. Image source: TC Insights According to a survey by PwC, 66% of African businesses are using data and analytics to inform business decisions with only 17% considered advanced users. However, these businesses still face obstacles to effectively adopting big data due to infrastructural deficits to support data-driven innovations and growth. Moreover, a survey by Deloitte reveals that 75% of African companies face data quality issues, which can lead to erroneous results and hinder decision-making. There is conflict surrounding how Africa could harness the potential of big data to drive economic growth while also safeguarding the privacy and security of its citizens’ data. Many African countries lack strong data protection laws and regulations, which can make it easier for data to be accessed, used, or even misused. Access to reliable and accurate data is also crucial for the success of big data analytics projects in Africa. Therefore, African countries need to improve their data collection processes and invest in data quality
Read MoreThe bad economy makes a cashless Nigeria more realistic than ever
This article was contributed to TechCabal by Adedeji Olowe. Anyone who’s been watching the fall of the Naira can only be astonished by how many notes it takes to buy anything these days. Just four years ago, in January 2020, $1,000 was worth about ₦360,000, which meant you’d get 360 pieces of ₦1,000 notes or 3,600 pieces of ₦100 notes. By the way, that’s 3.6kg to log around if you went for the ₦100 notes, and a ₦1,000,000 composed of ten ₦100,000 bundles is 1kg. Fast-forward to 2024, and $1,000 is now a disastrous ₦1.6 million. To use that cash to make some payments, you need 1,600 pieces of ₦1,000 notes. So, you’d have to count out 16 bundles of ₦100,000. If you want that in ₦100 notes, that’s 16kg to carry around. The weight of this note is a testament to how bad things are for Nigerians. With so much deadweight to carry around, everyone is looking for more notes to do anything substantial, and many are realising that carrying the volume of cash required to do most things now is simply impractical. Inflation continues to destroy the value of the Naira and no new higher denominations have been introduced. Even with the smaller notes, when was the last time you saw ₦10, ₦20 or ₦50? It’s almost like they’ve become entirely useless. So, what we’ve seen in recent times is that people are increasingly turning to electronic payments for their everyday transactions, shifting us further away from a cash-driven economy. Cashless economy: The government’s push vs the economy’s hard shove I didn’t fully grasp the magnitude of this issue until someone from TechCabal reached out to me to discuss the line items of the national numbers. We saw that the number of electronic transactions had shot up significantly but there was something off with the revenue being paid to the government from what the banks were reporting; it wasn’t commensurate with the volume of transactions. Everyone expected the increase in electronic transactions to be commensurate with the increase in the government’s earnings from the electronic transfer levy. Looking at this more closely, we then figured out the reason for this. What has happened is that small ticket transactions are now being done electronically which wasn’t the case before now. Previously, most electronic transactions were for amounts over ₦10,000, which used to be a significant amount of cash to carry. And people would have to pay a N50 electronic transfer levy. Back then, we were primarily paying for small items with physical cash and electronic transactions were larger, which made it easier for the government to collect revenue. But now, with inflation and the rising costs of living, how much cash can one carry around even to fulfil the most modest transactions? Over the last four years, items that cost ₦1,000 then are now ₦5,000 and above. So, if you withdrew ₦10,000 from the ATM and you could spend ₦1,000 ten times on various items, you need to withdraw ₦50,000 to do the same thing. Beyond the fact that the average Nigerian is impoverished, they can’t even get the ₦50,000 from the ATM easily. Most ATMs now dispense a maximum of ₦5,000 per withdrawal, if you can get it to give you cash to start with. It then makes sense for everyone to switch to digital payments. Yes, many of these individual transactions often fall below the threshold for fees like the electronic fund transfer levy. Naturally, because of this, the government isn’t seeing the expected revenue (and we hope they don’t) because this government will tax a dead man just to raise funds (and possibly waste it on useless expenditures). The interesting thing is that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been pushing for a cashless economy since 2012, but they have not been successful because of half-hearted implementation and multiple policy reversals. But it’s fascinating how the bad economy has led to changes in the trend of transactions, doing what the CBN couldn’t—shoving us ruthlessly and mercilessly toward a cashless Nigeria. Electronic transactions are becoming increasingly essential, bringing the cashless economy closer than ever. If the government doesn’t introduce higher Naira denominations and keeps us locked at the ₦1,000 note, we might just see all transactions move to electronic and a fully cashless economy may soon become unavoidable. If the situation worsens—say, if a sachet of pure water becomes ₦500 or the exchange rate reaches ₦3,000 to $1 (God forbid)—cash will become practically useless. But we never know, they may decide to introduce a higher-value note. Implications and benefits of a cashless economy As electronic payments become more prevalent, physical cash will become less necessary. People won’t need ATMs anymore but unfortunately, businesses in that space will be destroyed. Also, the whole issue of the government frowning against people spraying Naira at parties will vanish because where will the cash come from? Unless they want to spray dollars. With the transition to electronic transactions, the government will have a much better view of the real economy because all financial movements will have digital footprints. Additionally, we can expect fintechs to remain very successful as this shift presents significant opportunities for them to thrive as they’ll need to meet the growing demand for digital payments. Banks will also benefit from streamlined operations since they won’t have to handle cash so much and shift their focus to digital transactions instead. However, there are challenges to consider. Fraudsters will find new ways to exploit the system, especially for those who may take a while to understand how electronic payments work; making easier targets for phishing scams and likes. What I don’t understand is how kidnappers will demand ransoms. I’m not sure the unavailability of Naira in cash might be enough to deter them. Perhaps they might shift to demanding ransoms in dollars. Whatever they decide to do, I hope they fail miserably and get caught. But beyond the unfortunate and challenging circumstances driving this, a move towards a
Read MoreRaenest, Leatherback, Vesti, and Graph pitch themselves to African founders as Mercury alternatives
African fintechs that help companies access banking services in the U.S. and Canada are wooing founders affected by Mercury’s abrupt compliance changes last Monday. Raenest, Leatherback, and Vesti are pitching to several founders seeking new banking partners to park millions of dollars in operating capital, several executives at those companies told TechCabal. Some founders have proactively contacted those fintechs. “My LinkedIn has been blowing up since the announcement, even without any moves from my marketing team,” said Ibitade Ibrahim, CEO and founder of Leatherback, who said they are already engaging 50 startups looking to create U.S banking accounts. Raenest and Graph have pushed marketing campaigns on social media and prominent tech publications. “We also offer perks like same-day onboarding with two free USD cards and no charge on international transfers within the first two months,” Victor Alade, CEO of Raenest, told TechCabal on a call. While some of these perks are compelling, some startups have switched to Brex, another US-based banking provider, over reliability concerns. These African startups must deposit funding from investors and draw on those deposits to settle operational expenses. Other startups make frequent international payments and must stay connected to platforms like Stripe and PayPal. “It is more of an access issue for us. I chose a bank that can keep the lights on,” said an e-commerce founder who switched to Brex when Mercury initially halted transactions on the company’s account ahead of the offboarding. “We cannot afford to abruptly lose access to our accounts.” Fintechs like Leatherback and Vesti tell founders that, just like Mercury, they directly partner with U.S-based banks with whom they have cultivated deep relationships that leave no room for unpredictability. Ibatide claims Leatherback is regulated in about seven countries and has 60 partnerships with local banks in America and India. “With Community Federal Savings Bank, one of our local partner banks in America, we spent two years demonstrating that we have the standard KYC and KYB processes and transaction monitoring process, giving them enough comfort.” While some startups have begun to switch from Mercury, which gave them 30 days to close their accounts, some executives in Mercury alternatives who spoke to TechCabal say it may be too early to determine whether affected founders have favoured local options.
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