Zimbabwea’s Saisai wins SWELL awards at 2014 DEMO Africa

DigitalSENSE Business News:

Zimbabwean startup Informstion Technology (IT) company Saisai was awarded the SWELL Innovation award at the just concluded DEMO Africa 2014 conference held in Lagos, DigitalSENSE Business News authoritatively reports.

The prize for Saisai is an all-expense paid trip to Silicon Valley, USA as part of the SWELL Innovation Tour, which includes the exclusive participation in SWELL’s intensive soft landing programme in Silicon Valley.

DigitalSENSE Business News checks indicate that at the Microsoft sponsored exhibition, Irofit and VOTO took the first and second runners up positions respectively.

SWELL’s Founder Mike Chen, expressed his excitement to be holding the inaugural SWELL Innovation awards in Africa and partnering with DEMO Africa adding that the SWELL Awards in Africa will represent an important element of the Global Startup Engagement platform to accelerate disruption and invoke corporate participation.

Executive Producer DEMO Africa, Harry Hare, commended participants for showing such great enthusiasm towards finding much needed solutions for Africa, stressing the continent has all it takes to improve its potentials in the IT industry.

“It is inspiring to see that, now, more attention is being accorded the pursuit of solutions to problems that are uniquely African. The continent has one of the most diverse and talented pool of young people and finally, we are seeing a real intent by authorities to utilize the massive power within these brains to bring positive change, especially through technology, “he said.

VC4Africa’s CEO and Founder Ben White explained that the introduction of the new exclusive investor only event as part of the DEMO Africa is the next step in making sure the leading innovators from across the continent are going to get the backing they need to achieve scale.

“We have seen angel networks emerging across the continent and now is the time to bring them together in a shared conversation about how best to move forward,” he said.

Highlights of the event include a Boom Camp and the Ampion Venture bus which graced this year’s event.

Chukwudi Obi

... Making SENSE of digital revolution!

Mobile Money transactions hit $600m says Johnson

DigitalSENSE Business  News:

Minister of Communication Technology, Dr Mrs Omobola Johnson has said that the country has witnessed an upsurge in mobile money transactions, insisting that Nigeria could actualise the National Broadband Plan to increase penetration rate from six per cent to 30 per cent by 2018, reports DigitalSENSE Business News.

The CommTech minister made this disclosure while speaking at the Pat Utomi Center for Values and Leadership celebration of the ICT sector, noted that 11 million transactions worth $600 million have been recorded under the mobile money platform.

According to her, the mobile money platform has an estimated one million subscribers under 18 mobile money operators and 67,000 registered agent.

On broadband penetration in the country, Johnson stressed that facilitating increased investments in ICT infrastructure, spectrum auctions, regional Infrastructure (fibre) companies (Infracos), Smart States initiative (to reduce cost of infrastructure deployment) were some of the priorities set by her ministry to raise 3G/LTE Wireless Broadband Coverage to 80 per cent of Nigeria’s population; and Fixed broadband to 16 per cent of population based on fibre by 2018.

“More people in Nigeria have a mobile phone than have a bank account. 75 per cent of adults living in urban areas and 39 per cent of them living in rural areas have access to a pre-paid mobile phone. 18 Mobile Money operators have been registered in Nigeria and since the commencement of operations, there are approximately 1 million subscribers, about 67,000 registered agents and Over 11 million transactions worth US$600 million have been conducted,” she said.

Chukwudi Obi

... Making SENSE of digital revolution!