BYD and Ampersand Sign Agreement to Electrify African Transport System

What’s happened this Week:

• Zimbabwe to build floating solar panels in 2025

• Kenya budgets $117 million for its digital cards

• and more!

In The News This Week:

Rwanda Signs Agreement With Africa50 To Develop Smart City In Kigali

Pan-African infrastructure investor and asset manager Africa50 has signed an agreement with the Rwandan government to develop a 61-hectare smart city in the country’s capital.

Kenya Budgets $117 Million For Its Digital ID and Digital Government Projects

The Kenya government has budgeted 15.13 Billion Shillings ($117 Million) to help with the rollout of the Maisha Namba Digital ID project as well as other digital government processes.

Sierra Leone Raising $150 Million To Build Tech City

According to Semafor, Sierra Leone is looking to raise $150 million to roll out a digital innovation hub strategy led by a new Tech City that covers everything from job creation and training to entrepreneurship and supporting inbound investment.

In the rest of the news:

• BYD and Ampersand Sign MOU To Collaborate on Electrifying Africa’s Transport System

• Zimbabwe To Install Floating Solar Panels In 2025 To Boost Energy Capacity

• Kenya Exempts Ghanaian Travellers From Electronic Travel Authorization Fees

• Paystack Launches Its Virtual Terminal Product In Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire, Kenya and South Africa

• Long-Range Medical Drone Network Launches in Eswatini

• South Africa Amends Law To Allow Ride-Hailing Companies To Obtain Operating Licenses

• AI Agriculture Pest Detection Tool From Kenya Wins 10th Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation in Nairobi

• Abuja, Lagos, and Blantyre Ranked As Top 3 African Cities with Lowest Cost of Living

• Education, Career, and Financial Situation Are The Top Reasons Africans Want To Relocate For Work

Africa Ecosystem Activity

• African agrifood startups invited to apply for $1m THRIVE Global Impact Challenge - Disrupt Africa

• Egyptian investtech startup Bokra plans swift Saudi, UAE expansion post-launch - Disrupt Africa

• Zambian agri-tech startup eMsika plans to expand e-poultry solution to 4 new markets - Disrupt Africa

• Moroccan startup Defendis launches AI-powered cyber threat intelligence platform - Disrupt Africa

• AfriLabs, Korea-Africa Foundation in strategic partnership to boost African innovation - Disrupt Africa

PODCAST: Sylvia Brune, CEO of pawaPass

Sylvia Brune is currently the CEO at pawaPass, an inclusive verification platform for Africans that enables access to services using biometrics that can be captured on any smartphone

She started her own company called AHOY, a concierge flight booking app that empowered frequent travelers with DIY tools and 24/7 support for flight management. She ran the business from 2015 to 2021.

She then started pawaPass after AHOY had to be shut down because of COVID. The company is working with brands and companies, helping to increase the number of people who can access opportunities such as remote jobs, online trade, and financial services.

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Stat of The Day

Multichoice saw a decline in both its subscriptions and revenue in the past year. Overall revenue across Africa dropped from 17.3 Million Rand in 2022 to 15.7 Million Rand in 2023.

View more data insights below: