News - Afrikan Heroes

How First Rand’s Vumela Fund Pumped $1 Million into South Africa’s Sea Monster

August 2, 2020

One of Africa’s most ambitious companies in the world of video animation, gaming, and AR/VR, the South African based Sea Monster has announced the conclusion of a $1 million investment from the Vumela Investment Fund managed by leading SME Venture Fund Manager Edge Growth, which will change the way corporates tackle training and communication globally. The Vumela Investment Fund domiciled at First Rand Bank of South Africa is aimed at helping venture capitalists and SMEs growth.

Glenn Gillis, CEO, Sea Monster Entertainment

Every day, Sea Monster Entertainment’s analysts, animators, game designers, and developers dream, draw, and strategies to create a measurable brand and business stories that connect, educate, and move people. In an ever-changing world where consumer and staff engagement and interaction via mobile- and web-based media is increasing, companies need effective and measurable digital tools that can be provided to large and remote audiences.

When Glenn Gillis and Wynand “Munki” Groenewald started the company in 2011 they needed to earn the trust of some of the biggest and most innovative companies in South Africa and around the world. Using games as a serious instrument for change was still quite a new idea, and AR and VR were very much in their infancy as technologies. They believed Sea Monster could compete with the best in the world and wanted to scale and unlock the potential of Sea Monster’s solutions globally.

“Towards the middle of 2019, we finally felt that we were ready to actively engage with investors to help us create products, and revenue share opportunities, in addition to building on our solid service relationships,” says Glenn Gillis, CEO. “We chose Edge Growth as our preferred VC partner because of their years of experience, a great reputation for fairness and strategic guidance, and because they bring impeccable empowerment credentials to the table. Despite the challenges with Covid-19, Edge never blinked, and we’re delighted that we were able to conclude the deal under the current circumstances.”

The Vumela Fund, managed by Edge Growth, offers financial investment into entrepreneurial companies as well as non-financial growth support and access to market to prospective investees who bring fresh solutions, stimulate job creation, and help create positive social impact in South Africa. Sea Monster ticks all those boxes and then a few more.

“Sea Monster has proven that they are industry leaders in creating innovative digital solutions for corporate challenges that are more impactful and scalable than traditional solutions. We are impressed by the team’s skillsets and experience and by their deep passion to drive solutions that deliver both business and social outcomes. This aligns with our business objectives at Edge Growth.” said Nivesh Pather, Edge Growth Lead Deal Maker.

“Through this investment and partnership, we fully expect Sea Monster to become a recognized global player in interactive experiences and solutions which change the way corporates engage their consumers and employees.”

Sea Monster’s creative digital products have solved communication, change management, staff engagement, and learning challenges for some of the largest corporates in South Africa and around the world. FNB, Capitec, Alexander Forbes, Old Mutual, the South African Reserve Bank, Shell, and Mediclinic International are just a few of Sea Monster’s clients.

As South Africa emerges from lockdown with even greater needs for transformation in every sphere of life, Sea Monster is positioned to play a pivotal role in revolutionizing communication and education across industries, worldwide. They have proven that animation and games are serious instruments for change.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Microsoft Appoints Tarsus as Official Distributor in South Africa

Afficionados of latest and highly innovative ICT products from the stable of Microsoft across the continent will have nothing to worry about as the global tech giant has brought its cutting edge products closer home with the appointment of an official distributor in the continent.

Gary Pickford, CCO of Tarsus Distribution

Microsoft has appointed Tarsus Distribution as an official distributor for its Surface Notebooks and Hybrid products in South Africa. With this development, Tarsus Distribution will initially supply the Surface Laptop 3 and Surface Pro 7 models, partnering with limited retailers to bring the products to market from August.This marks the first time that Microsoft Surface products are available in South Africa through official channels. Designed with a premium look-and-feel and tight integration with Microsoft 365, the Surface Windows 10 devices are aimed at discerning professional users and consumers looking for a device that balances security, aesthetics, speed and versatility.

“We’re excited to introduce the Surface Laptop and Pro products to the South African market, offering a new, Windows-powered alternative in the premium mobile segment. The first two models we are providing to our channel offer a blend of speed, style and versatility for notebook and tablet users looking for a Windows device with a high-quality finish and plenty of power under the hood,” says Gary Pickford, CCO of Tarsus Distribution.The 12.3” Surface Pro is a versatile 2:1 device – Surface Pro 7 sports a 10th Generation Intel Core processor, both USB-A and USB-C, and an all-day battery. A high-res 12.3” PixelSense Display touchscreen with ambient light sensing automatically adjusts to lighting conditions.

The Surface Laptop 3 is an everyday laptop that offers all-day battery life and eye-catching finishes. It offers a more comfortable typing experience, a 20% larger glass trackpad, both USB-A and USB-C, and Fast Charging, taking your Surface device to an 80% charge in about an hour. The Surface Laptop 3 15” packs a punch through the integrated graphics performance of its AMD Ryzen Surface Edition processor, while the Surface Laptop 3 13.5” has a 10th Gen Intel Core processor.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Kenya’s Ride Hailing Firm Gets $3 Million Boost

With the expectant competition in ride hailing business subsector across the continent, existing operators are working on boosting the competitive edge of their brands. This probably informs the latest investment worth $3 million (Kshs 324 million) by Craft Silicon in its ride hailing subsidiary, Little for expansion. With this boost, Little will use the additional funding to launch operations in West Africa, where they are piloting the app service in Accra, Ghana. There are also talks that Nigeria is on the radar.

Craft Silicon and Little CEO, Kamal Budhabatti

“We have already started testing the product in Accra. Since travel may be an issue, we are taking an approach of opening a new city without visiting there. We would recruit drivers online, provide training online,” Craft Silicon and Little CEO, Kamal Budhabatti said. “West Africa is a large market, and if Little have to be a key player in Africa, we need to be present there in addition to East Africa. Hence the march towards West Africa.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the current travel restrictions, the company said they will run the pilot, training and recruitment of drivers virtually. “Accra being a big city like Nairobi, having fully virtual operations is not recommended. So we would be recruiting some staff there, and interviews are underway. But we are going to try and make as much as possible to operate virtually keeping in mind the new normal,” he said.

Ghana will be the fifth country that Little will have operations in, after Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia. They had hinted that they had plans to extend their operations t Ghana early last year.Little has been eyeing to conquer the African market through expansion for some time now. Last year, they revealed that they had plans to raise about $50 million from investors for expansion. Two years ago, the company sold some stakes to an unnamed Indian investor for expansion.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Trade On Zimbabwe’s Stock Exchange To Start On Monday, But With Conditions

Trading on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange will resume on Monday, without three companies that have listings on foreign bourses.

Old Mutual, the largest company by market value and two others who are listed on foreign bourses, will not be part of the resumption

Old Mutual and Seed International said in separate e-mailed statements that they would comply with an order issued by finance minister Mthuli Ncube that they suspend trading “pending finalisation of the modalities for their resumption to trade.”

The government wants to transfer the three companies’ listings onto a foreign-currency denominated exchange in the town of Victoria Falls, planned for opening later in 2020.

The three stocks account for a combined 4.9% member weighting in Harare’s main industrial index in Harare.

Old Mutual, the 175-year-old SA insurer, is the largest company by market value.

Source: Bloomberg

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions.
He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance.
He is also an award-winning writer

AFAWA Will Unlock Entrepreneurship Potential of African Women —–Marieme Esther Dassanou

July 31, 2020

Marieme Esther Dassanou, Coordinator of Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA)

Marieme Esther Dassanou is the Coordinator of Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) the African Development Bank’s flagship pan-African initiative, which aims to bridge the $42 billion financing gap facing women entrepreneurs in Africa.

She previously led IFC’s Gender Secretariat’s work on advancing women’s inclusion in the insurance and financial sectors.

In this interview, she outlines progress made with the AFAWA initiative and its future plans.

You recently joined the African Development Bank as AFAWA coordinator. Can you tell us more about the initiative?

AFAWA is a Pan-African initiative launched by the African Development Bank in 2016 to promote gender-inclusive financing and unlock the women entrepreneurship potential in Africa. Through AFAWA, the Bank seeks to bridge the $42 billion financing gap faced by women-empowered businesses (WEBs) by deploying financing instruments better suited to addressing their finance needs for the growth of their businesses.

These financial instruments are coupled with technical assistance to financial institutions to better address the needs of WEBs as well as capacity building for women entrepreneurs to increase their profitability and bankability. AFAWA also includes a business-enabling environment component to ensure regulation is conducive to enhancing the ability of financial institutions to lend to women. Through AFAWA the Bank aims to unlock up to $ 5 billion in the next five to six years.

Read also :https://afrikanheroes.com/2020/06/22/reaffirmation-of-standard-poors-aaa-rating-of-african-development-bank-good-for-africa/

Why is it important for the Bank to have such a vehicle or mechanism in place?

The development and growth of women-owned businesses on the continent is a priority for the African Development Bank. The continent’s women entrepreneurs start businesses faster than anywhere else in the world, and in most countries represent at least 30% of formally registered businesses. Taking into account the informal economy, one could comfortably say that women represent the largest part of the SME sector. Thus, aiming to develop our continent without them would not make economic sense. They are fundamental and key drivers of sustainable economic growth and widespread and inclusive prosperity.

It is important to support these businesses to grow by ensuring they have the financial and business tools they need. AFAWA, through its Guarantee for Growth programme, supported by the G7, the Netherlands, Sweden and Rwanda, is a good starting point. Implemented together with the Africa Guarantee Fund, the programme reduces the guarantee requirements for women when they need a loan. AGF is a pan-African financial institution that provides financial institutions with guarantees and other products specifically intended to support small and medium-sized enterprises in Africa. Together, we will work with financial institutions to enhance their understanding of women entrepreneurs and their different risks, which should be considered in the development of financial services for women.

Read also :https://afrikanheroes.com/2020/06/05/nigerias-new-five-year-strategy-gets-african-development-banks-approval/

The Bank is also further leveraging its lines of credit, trade finance lines and investment in equity funds to increase access to finance for WEBs of a certain size even more. The partnership signed with the Women Entrepreneurship Finance Initiative (We-Fi) supports the Bank in increasing it financial coverage for women entrepreneurs through these traditional instruments, as well as increase trading opportunities for women entrepreneurs and grow the fashion and creative industries.

What are the commitments so far?

The program has so far received commitments from G7 members, including France, the UK, Canada, Italy and Germany, as well as the Netherlands, Sweden and Rwanda. AFAWA has also received its first tranche of funding from We-Fi , a portion of which will go towards enhancing to the capacity of women-owned businesses to respond to the COVID-19 crisis.

We invite other governments, especially our regional member countries, to partner with us in helping to bridge the finance gap for women-run businesses in Africa.

On the implementation front, what ground has been covered?

We’ve made great progress since the G7 Biarritz Summit last year. On 31 March 2020, the Board of Directors of the African Development Bank approved the two mechanisms that will enable us to de-risk women-led businesses and increase their ability to access to loans with lighter collateral requirements. We’ve been slightly delayed by COVID-19, but we expect that the Guarantee for Growth Programme will be operational before the end of 2020.

Read also :https://afrikanheroes.com/2020/03/28/african-development-bank-launches-3-billion-fight-covid-19-social-bond/

In the meantime, we are leveraging the Bank’s lines of credit, trade finance and equity funds to enable women to access funds and grow their businesses. The Bank is also ensuring that the SME component of its COVID-19 Rapid Response Facility (CRF) package, has a part specifically dedicated to women businesses. The Bank is also exploring opportunities to work with equity funds in enhancing the ability of women enterprises to further participate in the COVID-19 response to increase their operations and production.

Who is eligible to borrow?

It’s not only about borrowing. The access to finance gap is in part due to the inability of women-owned and led businesses to access funding, their lack of skills in presenting financially viable businesses, and an environment that is not always conducive to increasing women’s access to financial services. The AFAWA approach addresses all these areas. Thus, depending on their needs, women entrepreneurs will be eligible at different levels including access to finance for those with viable and bankable projects and also access to training and capacity building for those who may not yet be eligible to borrow but could improve their financial management skills, record keeping, marketing and any other area to enhance their bankability.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Ghana’s Clydestone Set to Offer Authentication as Service Platform

founder and Group Chief Executive of Clydestone, Paul Jacquaye

Clydestone Ghana, a leading payments system and fintech solutions provider is collaborating with Thales, a global leader in digital identities and security to provide TheOne authentication as a service platform. The platform, according to Clydestone, will offer a multi-tenant ready environment to host financial institutions and payment service providers to offer Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) across multiple channels.

With the rise of digital banking and mobile money services in Ghana and across the region, financial regulators have mandated banks and payment service providers to offer multifactor (MFA) authentication with a minimum of two factor(2FA) to secure customer transactions, and to combat fraud.

Clydestone Ghana has been in business for 31-years, and has been a pioneer in Information Technology in the country. indigenous to Ghana and the first in the IT industry to list on the Ghana Stock Exchange, Clydestone has over three decades moved the frontiers of technology and has deployed cutting edge solutions in the areas of financial document processing, remittance processing and transaction switching. We are a leading provider of IT solutions across Africa, such as Cheque Truncation Systems, 3D Secure Authentication, Instant Card Issuance solutions amongst other solutions to various financial institutions across Africa.

Clydestone also runs G-switch (Global Switch) a secure, real-time, regulatory compliant processing platform located in Accra, Ghana. G-switch is certified with Union Pay International (UPI) as a Third-Party services provider with Clydestone being a Principal Acquirer and a Council Member.

This partnership became imperative because the deployment of authentication solutions has been lacking across the financial services industry due to the extremely high costs of acquisition and maintenance. TheOne offers cost effective Authentication as a service with end to end authentication capabilities such as One-time Password (OTP) and transaction signing as a standard function, amongst many other strong authentication features.

TheOne service platform provides push notification to end customers to remotely sign and confirm transactions. The platform includes Thales Dynamic Code Verification (DCV) suite ‘Card Not Present’ Security Solution, which replaces the static security cryptogram (CVV) at the back of the card traditionally requested for online purchases, with a dynamic code displayed on the customer’s mobile application. The CCV is traditionally requested for online purchases but with a temporary and dynamic code it makes it impossible for hackers to reuse stolen static card CVV data for fraudulent transactions. Moreover, end customers can choose to secure the access to their stored cards using a pin code or biometric authentication on their mobile phone. Speaking on the development and the resultant partnership, the founder and Group Chief Executive of Clydestone, Paul Jacquaye said that “TheOne authentication as a service platform will ensure that institutions can offer secure authentication to their customers without incurring infrastructure and licensing costs which can be prohibitive to offering SCA.”

Reacting, the Senior Vice President, Banking and Payments services for Africa, Middle-East and Eurasia at Thales, Nassir Ghrous added that “the evolution of digital banking and the extension of banking and payment channels create new opportunities for banks in Ghana. Thales is offering a range of solutions in partnership with Clydestone to support the rise of Digital banking needs. The complete offering include Thales Authentication Mobile App, Mobile security, eCommerce transaction authentication (DCV) and Strong Customer Authentication.

Thales is a global technology leader shaping the world of tomorrow today. The Group provides solutions, services and products to customers in the aeronautics, space, transport, digital identity and security, and defence markets. With 83,000 employees in 68 countries, Thales generated sales of €19 billion in 2019 (on a pro forma basis including Gemalto over 12 months).

Thales is investing in particular in digital innovations – connectivity, Big Data, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity – technologies that support businesses, organisations and governments in their decisive moments.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

NIH Planned Acquisition of DPO for $288 Million Will Transform Africa’s e-Commerce Experience

CEO of Network International Holdings Simon Haslam

Expectations are rife that Africa’s mobile money payment industry will experience a bang with the proposed acquisition of DPO, Africa’s largest online commerce platform by Network International Holdings plc, the leading enabler of digital commerce across the Middle East and Africa. This comes as Network International Holdings announce that it has entered into an agreement to acquire DPO Group , the leading, high-growth online commerce platform in Africa, for a total consideration of approximately $288 million.

The consideration will be almost entirely funded through the proceeds from an equity placing representing 10.0% of the Company’s existing issued share capital, $50 million vendor consideration shares issued to Apis Growth Fund I, managed by Apis Partners $13 million consideration shares issued to the DPO co-founders, with any small remaining balance to be funded via existing debt facilities.

As Africa’s largest e-commerce firm by scale, DPO has experienceda rapid growth profile with revenue CAGR of c.40% from 2017-2019 and Total Processed Volume CAGR of c.30% from 2017-2019. Revenues of USD16 million in 2019. Also, it is the leading e-commerce and mobile money services for 47,000 merchants across high quality brands and had presence in 19 countries across Africa with South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania representing major markets. Multiple distribution channels with on the ground presence to recruit merchants, combined with direct connectivity to acquiring bankso. This acquisition among others things consolidates and accelerates NIH’s presence in Africa, the most underpenetrated and fast growing payments market in the world. Africa expected to represent c.40% of Network International total revenue by 2024 (27% in 2019), giving us an evenly balanced business in Africa across Merchant and Issuer Solutions.

Also, it brings direct merchant and Mobile Network Operator relationships, broadening their business in Africa across the entire payments value chain while widening their capabilities and exposure in fast growing online payments and mobile money, enabling merchants to accept a wide range of payments methods. It equally offers a combined incremental capabilities and solutions to provide significant cross-sell opportunities to both Network International and DPO customers. And the acquisition is expected to be broadly EPS neutral in 2022, including integration costs. Double digit ROCE within 3-4 years, and significantly higher thereafter.

With digital and online payments market in Africa expected to grow at 19% CAGR over the next five years and Covid-19 expected to accelerate this growth, this has been described as a very strategic acquisition by analysts. This is because e-commerce penetration in Africa is still 0.3% of private consumption, versus c.5% in the United Kingdom and c.17% in China, thus the room for growth cannot be over emphasised.

Following stringent lockdowns in DPO’s main market of South Africa during April, DPO signed c.4,400 merchants in June 2020, an all-time high. TPV growth year-on-year was 27% in May (57% in constant FX) and 27% in June (49% in constant FX).

As part of the deal, DPO Co-Founders were also incentivised and aligned through rollover of $13 million of their DPO ownership into Network International shares and a two year holding period from the point of acquisition signing. And acquisition consideration to be almost entirely financed through proceeds from a 10% equity placing, $50 million vendor consideration shares issued to Apis (subject to a three month lock-up from the point of acquisition completion), and the Co-Founders Consideration Shares, with any small remaining balance funded by existing debt facilities. Completion of the Transaction is expected in Q4 2020, subject to customary closing conditions including regulatory and anti-trust.

Commenting on the acquisition, the CEO of Network International Holdings Simon Haslam said that “we are excited by the proposed acquisition of DPO, the leading high-growth online commerce platform operating at scale across Africa. Africa is a vast and diverse continent, representing the world’s most underpenetrated, nascent and fast growing payments markets, where we have seen recent signs of an acceleration in those trends. DPO will further consolidate our presence in Africa, strengthen our position across the entire payments value chain and accelerate our growth. This acquisition will widen our capabilities across online, mobile and alternative payments; bring an extensive and diverse range of direct merchant relationships to our business; and provide a wider range of solutions for our existing customers. We look forward to bringing our two businesses together and welcoming DPO’s colleagues into our group. Together, we have a powerful combination to accelerate digital payments across our regions and deliver significant shareholder value.”

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Ghana’s Newest University Will Be Solely For Entrepreneurship

Ghana is set to set up a university made solely for entrepreneurship studies. Professor Kwesi Yankah, Minister of State in Charge of Tertiary Education, said government has completed necessary documentation for the establishment of University of Entrepreneurship. To be after the late the country’s renowned entrepreneur, Mr. Appiah Minkah, when completed, the University will offer opportunity for small, micro, medium business operators and artisans to study in-depth business managerial skills.

Professor Kwesi Yankah, Minister of State in Charge of Tertiary Education

Here Is What You Need To Know

According to Yankah, the University, which will be the first of its kind in West Africa, will be established in Greater Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.
Yankah said the university would award certificates, diplomas and degrees, masters and doctorate degrees to business operators as well as artisans to improve quality and enhance business development.

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions.
He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance.
He is also an award-winning writer

South African Companies Lose About $2.3 Million to Data Breaches Says IBM

July 30, 2020

Sheldon Hand, IBM Security Leader for South Africa

More studies are emerging to capture the depth of loss attributed to data breaches to both organisations and individuals across Africa. Last week, a global report by a British data security firm highlighted that Nigeria is second only to India in data breaches from a survey warning that many organisations in Africa are not paying detailed attention to issues regarding data breaches as they should which is a major threat to investment in the region. As if to confirm the earlier report, a new study by IBM Security shows that security breaches can cost South African companies an average of $2.3 million, about R40 million.

Based on in-depth analysis of data breaches experienced by South African organisations, the study found that malicious attacks on customer, employee and corporate data were most prevalent – accounting for 48% of incidents – and proving to be the costliest cause of breaches to businesses.

As companies are increasingly accessing sensitive data via new remote work and cloud-based business operations, the report sheds light on the financial losses that organisations can suffer if this data is compromised.

Examining cost factors which contribute to the cost of the data breach in South Africa, the study found that for companies studied in South Africa, the average time to identify a data breach increased to 177 days (from 175 days in 2019), and the average time to contain a data breach once identified decreased to 51 days (from 56 days in 2019). The global average to identify a data breach was higher at 207 days with an average time of 73 days to contain the breach.

It also established that in South Africa, the three root causes of data breaches identified as malicious or criminal attack (48%), human error (26%) and system glitches (26%). Adding that in average, malicious or criminal attacks took 191 days to identify and 62 days to contain. Human error breaches took 164 days to identify and 40 days to contain while system glitch breaches took 163 days to identify and 44 to contain.

Also, it notes that the amount of lost or stolen records also impacts the cost of a breach, costing R1,984 per lost or stolen record on average – a 9.35% decrease from 2019. While investments in smart tech resulted in lower breach costs as companies who had fully deployed security automation technologies (which leverage AI, analytics and automated orchestration to identify and respond to security events) experienced lower data breach costs compared to those who didn’t have these tools deployed.

“It is becoming increasingly important for IT leaders to put security measures in place which reduce the impact of a data breach,” says said Sheldon Hand, IBM Security Leader for South Africa. Adding that “with this year’s study, we’re seeing how costs were much higher for South African organisations that had not yet invested in areas such as security automation and incident response processes – and how complex security systems and cloud migration cost companies the most. With growing complexities facing companies, putting measures in place which significantly reduce the time it takes to investigate, isolate, contain and respond to the damage, will significantly reduce financial and brand impact.”

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Networks Unlimited Africa Gets New GM

Risna Steenkamp Networks Unlimted General Manager

Efforts aimed at creating a more diversified hands-on work environment has received a boost at Networks Unlimited Africa with the appointment of Risna Steenkamp as the General Manager: ESM Division of the company. This further underscores her rise through the ranks within this hard-working IT company, which also recently celebrated its 25th anniversary.

Risna Steenkamp, Networks Unlimted Africa New General Manager

Steenkamp is well-known in the industry for taking a strongly personal approach in her business dealings and always has a very focused and human-centric purpose in her engagements. She explains, “I approach partners as individual entities – their livelihood is my goal. I am firmly of the opinion that, from a distribution perspective, businesses need to have a longevity. My aim is to take the journey with my partners and my customers in order to solve business-related challenges – not simply to sell products.”

Steenkamp was promoted after just six months from her position as the company’s Western Cape Regional Channel Manager, an appointment which she took up in July last year. This career move also entailed a geographical move from the Western Cape to Gauteng, to manage a team of eight people. Her employment history includes the likes of Mustek Electronics, Tarsus, Neotel and Juniper, with experience within distribution as well as in the service provider and vendor spheres.

Steenkamp continues, “The solutions offered by Networks Unlimited are always particularly chosen to add value and/or sort out or solve a problem. Our vendor partners in my division currently include NETSCOUT (which incorporates NETSCOUT Arbor, formerly Arbor Networks), Rubrik, Altaro, Uplogix and SevOne, and they are all geared to solve specific business problems and challenges. This means that applying a ‘shotgun approach’ with our distribution is not the right fit for Networks Unlimited – rather than being happy when we ‘get a bite’, we pride ourselves on understanding the customer’s pain points and providing the right products to solve the challenge.” Steenkamp is passionate about sharing knowledge within her team, as well as providing the right solution to the customer. “My management style is direct but also democratic – it’s important to me to make sure that everyone’s voice is heard. It is also vital to me to share knowledge and experience.

“Having always had access to wonderful mentors throughout my career, it is now my responsibility in turn to be the best mentor possible to my team members,” she explains. “I love seeing them grow both in their knowledge and also as individuals – it’s a real win for me to believe that I have made a difference in someone’s life.”

The solutions offered by Networks Unlimited Africa address key areas such as cloud networking and integration, WAN optimisation, application performance management, application delivery networking, wi-fi-, mobile- and networking security, load balancing, techie-in-a-box, and storage for virtual machines. Its solutions are sold through an extensive, reputable and solution-focused partner base across the African continent.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry