Nigeria’s multi-talented musical sensation Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo popularly known as D’banj has said that he will work in partnership with African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and other institutions involved in the organizing of the second Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2020) scheduled to take place in Kigali in September 2020.
Nigeria’s multi-talented musical sensation Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo
D’banj, who made this known during a courtesy visit to Afreximbank’s headquarters in Cairo, Egypt was a key figure in the inaugural Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2018) held in Cairo in December 2018 where his panel presentation and special musical performance were among the major highlights. He commended the role of the IATF in opening up opportunities for businesses to trade across borders in Africa.
The artist announced that he had established a creative talent portal called CREAM PLATFORM, which was helping to discover young creative minds by letting them upload their ideas by simply dialing a USSD code on a mobile phone.
The CREAM PLATFORM, which currently had 4.6 million subscribers, had led to the discovery of hundreds of talents from the music category alone, with tens of music videos and millions of Naira given out to winners, he explained.
D’banj, a musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, entrepreneur and television personality, has won a host of music awards, including Best African Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2007, Artist of the Year at the MTV Africa Music Awards 2009, Best International Act: Africa at the 2011 BET Awards, and Best-selling African Artist at the 2014 World Music Awards, Evolution award at the 2015 MTV Africa Music awards.
IATF2020, which is being organised by Afreximbank, in collaboration with the African Union, and hosted by the government of Rwanda, will take place from 1 to 7 September 2020. It is expected to attract over 1,000 exhibitors and 5,000 buyers and to generate over $40 billion in business deals.
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 central bank is increasingly encouraging borrowing for Kenyan businesses. The bank’s Monetary Policy Committee has further announced a lowering of the Central Bank lending Rate (CBR) from 9.0 percent to 8.50 percent. The bank in a statement said it took the decision noting that inflation expectations remained within target range and there was room for accommodative monetary policy to support economic activity. The bank also noted that the economy was operating below its potential.
CBK governor, Patrick Njoroge
Here Is All You Need To Know
In October, inflation stood at 4.9 percent compared to 3.8 percent in September. The bank said it expected overall inflation in November to remain within range owing to lower food and electricity prices.
The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) said real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 5.6 percent in the first half of the year and the economy remained strong despite a slowdown in agricultural production due to delayed and below average rainfall.
However, the bank added that the Kenyan economy could experience stronger growth in the second half of the year based on leading indicators supported by a number of factors.
The committee also welcomed the repeal of the capping of interest rate which it said led to a notable restriction of credit especially to the financially vulnerable.
The committee said the change should reinstate transparency of monetary policy decisions and bolster transmission of monetary policy.
The committee said it was prepared to take any extra measures as it continued to monitor economic developments locally and globally.
In October inflation rose to 4.95 percent from 3.83 percent, mainly due to temporary rise in maize grain and sifted flour while non-food inflation remains below 5 percent, “indicative of muted demand pressures and limited spillover effects of the excise tax indexation in July,” CBK said.
It added another adjustment in excise taxes in November are expected to have only a marginal impact on inflation, which is expected to remain within the target range in the near term.
Kenya’s shilling, which has been more stable in recent years after plunging in 2015, fell in the first part of the year but since early October it has bounced back.
Following the rate cut, the shilling dropped 0.45 percent to trade at 102.06 to the U.S. dollar, up 1.7 percent since October 1 but marginally down since the start of this year.
“The foreign exchange market has remained stable, supported by the narrowing current account deficit and increased portfolio and other investment inflows,” CBK said, adding the current account deficit had narrowed to 4.1 percent of gross domestic product in the 12 months to September from 5.1 percent in September 2018 and is expected to narrow to 4.3 percent of GDP in 2019 from 5.0 percent in 2018.
Charles Rapulu Udoh
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based Lawyer with special focus on Business Law, Intellectual Property Rights, Entertainment and Technology Law. He is also an award-winning writer. Working for notable organizations so far has exposed him to some of industry best practices in business, finance strategies, law, dispute resolution, and data analytics both in Nigeria and across the world
Monica Musonda, CEO of Zambian food processing company Java Foods, certainly faced hurdles in her rise to the top, but she overcame them. “Although the barriers to entry for women can be frustrating, they are often basic and relatively easy to resolve,” she said, playing down her struggles. “My climb up the agribusiness ladder has been challenging but definitely worthwhile.”
Monica Musonda, CEO of Zambian food processing company Java Foods
Musonda, whose company produces affordable and nutritious food snacks made from local ingredients, is one of just a handful of female agripreneurs who have successfully broken through the proverbial glass ceiling in Africa’s agribusiness industry.
Women are the backbone of Africa’s agricultural sector. From farm to fork, African women are players along the entire agricultural value chain, be it as farmers, livestock breeders, processors, traders, workers, entrepreneurs or consumers. While their influence on the continent’s growing agribusiness industry is undeniable, more solutions are needed to address the gender-specific challenges they face to boost their participation.
The average African woman is a budding entrepreneur either by choice or by circumstance. According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Women’s Report 2016/17, the continent has the highest percentage of female entrepreneurs in the world, with one in four women starting or managing a business. The agribusiness industry is often the natural focus of this entrepreneurial drive.
Across the continent, women dominate as primary processors post-harvest, as traders with bustling market stalls, as owners of fast food restaurants and with increasingly frequency as manufacturers of packaged ready-to-eat food products. Yet despite this dynamism, female-led agribusinesses tend to remain small, fragmented and informal in nature. They struggle to sustain and scale-up their agribusinesses into well-organized profitable enterprises.
Admittedly, the challenging business environment in many African countries including poor infrastructure and unreliable legal and regulatory systems affects all business activities of both men and women. However, in addition women-led businesses must also grapple with a number of gender-specific constraints, inhibiting their expansion into more lucrative market segments.
Firstly, African women often lack the technical know-how. Despite the gains in female education on the continent, highly productive agribusinesses require specialized vocational and technical skills in fields such as food safety, food conservation, packaging and product certification which many African women do not readily possess.
Access to finance is the most frequently cited obstacle by African SMEs. Women entrepreneurs face multiple difficulties in securing funding mainly due to lack of collateral in the form of land and other tangible assets and a high-risk perception. According to the African Development Bank, an estimated $42 billion financing gap exists for African women across business value chains, including $15.6 billion in agriculture alone. Women are forced to rely on personal savings and family loans which are rarely enough to fund their businesses to scale.
Thirdly, socio-cultural barriers and stereotypes persist. African women remain the primary caregivers in families meaning that managing those responsibilities while growing a thriving business can become a difficult balancing act.
Over the last two decades, many governments and development institutions have rolled out programs to promote access to finance agricultural inputs and provide technical support and business training to female agripreneurs. The African Development Bank recently set up the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA), a bold pan-African initiative to bridge the financing gap facing women. It adopts a three-pronged approach centered on improving access to finance, providing technical assistance and strengthening the enabling environment.
It often takes very little to make a difference. The capital injection required by the majority of female led SME agribusinesses on the continent is typically less than $50,000. And women have consistently proven to be more credit-worthy than men, usually paying back loans within agreed timeframes. Successful solutions by women for women such as microfinance and saving groups, peer-to-peer training and information sharing should also be reinforced and taken to scale.
More of such initiatives are urgently needed across the continent. Solutions must be based on in-depth engagement with the women business owners themselves to properly understand their frustrations and needs. Tailored programs designed to specifically address these pain points are critical. The Global Gender Summit is a timely opportunity to drive this forward.
Women are central for Africa’s agricultural transformation to be successful, sustainable and inclusive. More African female agripreneurs must be supported to grow and progressively transition into the business segments of agricultural value chains which are most profitable. It has been proven time and time again that when African women thrive the entire society shares in those dividends.
Mariam Yinusa and Edward Mabaya are Principal Economist and Manager, respectively, in the Agribusiness Development Division of the African Development Bank.
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.
For creating an environment that has led to implementation of “people first” human resource best practices in Cameroon, Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa, and also investing in the best team of freight forwarding experts across the continent, DHL Global Forwarding has been recognized as Africa’s top employer. The certification which was awarded by Top Employer Institute, attests to DHL’s achievement in implementing best practices, focused on fostering a positive work environment and encouraging its employees’ personal and professional development.
CEO DHL Global Forwarding Middle East and Africa, Amadou Diallo
The HR Best Practice Survey conducted by the Top Employers Institute is designed to identify companies demonstrating a continuous commitment to empowering their employees for a better world of work. Primarily, it looks into key areas within the organization including talent strategy, talent acquisition, learning and development, performance Management, leadership development and culture.
Speaking on the recognition, the CEO DHL Global Forwarding Middle East and Africa, Amadou Diallo said that people development anchors their business strategy “because we believe that when we invest in building motivated and well-engaged teams, they will deliver their best for our customers. Therefore, we have always invested in training and engagement programs to ensure that our employees possess the right skill sets, values and winning mindsets, to best achieve their career aspirations with the company”.
Eva Mattheeussen, Head of Human Resources, DHL Global Forwarding Middle East and Africa said, “We work very closely with the country teams to ensure that people development is at the heart of the organization and that leaders always keep an eye on employees’ personal and professional well-being. Over the years, we have built a robust program to keep employees engaged and are equipped to provide best-in-class logistics services to our customers. Our status as a Top Employer this year highlights our achievement and commitment to being an employer of choice in the region.”
At DHL Global Forwarding, training opportunities and talent development programs are consistently reviewed to ensure that they are the most rigorous, and benchmarked against the requirements of the industry. All employees go through a mandatory DHL Certified Forwarder program upon induction, to ensure that they adhere to the same global standards as colleagues in the global network, abiding by the strictest code of conduct and business principles. In Africa, DHL Global Forwarding has been running a successful Talent program since 2015, which identifies and provides high-performing non-executives with coaching and mentorship opportunities and project tasks, to prepare them for future leadership roles within the organization. Diversity in the workforce is also celebrated and there is a “Women in Leadership” program tailored to prepare selected individuals for country leadership positions in the near future.
In total, Top Employer Institute has certified and recognized over 1500 Top Employers in more than 118 countries and regions across five continents and impacted the lives of over 6 million employees around the world. As the global authority on excellence in people practices in the workplace, the organization certifies and recognizes companies in participating countries who demonstrate that they are an employer of choice in the regions in which they operate.
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.
South Africa’s insurance and financial services giant, Old Mutual has bought a slice of Nigeria’s gas infrastructure with its acquisition of stakes from the takeover of Seven Energy by Savannah Petroleum. The transaction which saw Seven Energy acquired by Savannah Petroleum, the British independent oil & gas company after a court ruling last week ordered transfer of Seven Energy’s assets to group of companies controlled by Savannah and African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM).
As part of the transaction, African Infrastructure Investment Managers acquired 20% interests in Seven Uquo Gas Limited and Accugas in return for cash consideration to Savannah of US$54m which has now been received. With the conclusion of the takeover of Seven Assets, Old Mutual now owns a piece of a grid length, natural gas pipeline in Nigeria because African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM) is a member of the Alternative Investments unit of the Old Mutual Group, the South African insurance company.
As part of the Transaction completion, AIIM acquired 20% interests in Seven Uquo Gas Limited (SUGL) which in turn holds a 40% participating interest in the Uquo field located in South East Nigeria and Accugas, a midstream business, comprising the 200MMscf/d Uquo gas processing facility, and a 260kilometre gas pipeline network.
Following completion of the Transaction, Savannah now owns the Seven Assets, which comprise an 80% interest in Seven Uquo Gas Limited which in turn holds a 40% participating interest in the Uquo field located in South East Nigeria with SUGL assuming responsibility for all operations of the gas project at the Uquo field following the occurrence of the Frontier Transaction. Also the transaction gives a 51% interest in the Stubb Creek field located in South East Nigeria through 100% ownership of Universal Energy Resources Limited; and 80% interest in the Accugas midstream business, comprising the 200 mmscfd Uquo gas processing facility, a c.260km pipeline network and long-term gas sales agreements with downstream customers.
The Old Mutual Alternative Investments is one of the largest private alternative investment managers in Africa, with over $4.2Billion under management in infrastructure assets, private equity and impact funding, according to its website. Its investment approach, it avers, goes “Beyond the Obvious” and “enables us to uncover opportunities others may overlook”.
AIIM says it has committed over $1.8Billion in equity investments over the last 19 years. It says its experience spans a range of infrastructure asset classes including toll roads, renewable energy, power generation, ports and communication infrastructure assets. The company has established local offices in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Cote d’Ivoire and its website says it is currently managing investments with operations spanning 17 countries across East, West and Southern Africa.
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.
Ethiopia ‘s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma, and Alibaba Group Director and Ant Financial Services Group Chairman and CEO Eric Jing witnessed the signing of three Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) between the Ethiopian Government and Alibaba establishing an eWTP Hub in Ethiopia. The eWTP (electronic world trade platform) Hub is intended to enable cross-border trade, provide smart logistics and fulfillment services, assist Ethiopian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to reach China and other markets, and provide talent training.
Ethiopia ‘s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed
“Today’s signing of the Ethiopia eWTP Hub is an important step in the development of a digital economy in Ethiopia. This engagement will greatly contribute to trade facilitation and open markets to SMEs not only in Ethiopia but in the wider region. We look forward to continue working with Alibaba Group and CCCI to realize the objectives of the platform which has the potential to transform the lives of many,” Ethiopia ’s Minister for Innovation and Technology Getahun Mekuria said.
Here Is All You Need To Know
Ethiopia aims to build a dynamic and growing digital economy that contributes significantly to overall economic growth in the country.
eWTP is an Alibaba-led multi-stakeholder global initiative promoting public-private dialogue in order to support more inclusive global trade which uses technology and policy innovation to provide greater opportunities for SMEs, women and youth.
Ethiopia is the second country in Africa to establish an eWTP hub, and this new partnership builds upon the success of other eWTP partnerships in Asia (China and Malaysia), Europe (Belgium) and Africa (Rwanda) over the past two years.
As the number of eWTP Hubs increases, it is hoped that trade will increase between the Hubs, providing new opportunities for their merchants in the global economy.
“It is an honor to partner with the government of Ethiopia to establish the eWTP Ethiopia Hub,” said Eric Jing, Alibaba Group Director and Ant Financial Services Group Chairman and CEO. “We will continue to support the creation of a more inclusive, digitally-enabled global economy, where small businesses can participate in global trade. We look forward to working together with entrepreneurs and SMEs from Ethiopia and other African nations to seize the opportunities provided by the digital era,” Mekuria said.
The first major initiative for the eWTP partnership in Ethiopia will be the development of a multifunction digital trade hub to serve as a gateway for Ethiopian products to China, a center for cross-border e-commerce and trade within Africa, and a training center. China Commodities City International (CCCI) will partner with Alibaba in the development of the eWTP Hub.
The Alibaba Business School will implement the capacity building and training portion of the partnership which consists of a number of programs, including specialized programs for Ethiopian entrepreneurs, business leaders and university lecturers.
The vision of eWTP is to develop new partnerships, technology and policies to enable more inclusive global trade. The eWTP initiative was accepted as a major policy recommendation of the Business 20 (B20) and officially included in the 2016 G20 Summit Leaders’ Communique.
Alibaba Group ’s mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere. The company aims to build the future infrastructure of commerce. It envisions that its customers will meet, work and live at Alibaba, and that it will be a company that lasts at least 102 years.
About the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, Ethiopia
The Ministry of Innovation, led by H. E. Minister Getahun Mekuria, aims to foster innovation and a technology enabled ecosystem that will lead Ethiopia to prosperity.
Charles Rapulu Udoh
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based Lawyer with special focus on Business Law, Intellectual Property Rights, Entertainment and Technology Law. He is also an award-winning writer. Working for notable organizations so far has exposed him to some of industry best practices in business, finance strategies, law, dispute resolution, and data analytics both in Nigeria and across the world
The fast paced growth of mobile money platforms in Africa is attracting global attention. While the continent lacks the broadband connectivity and internet penetration obtainable in the developed economies of the world, the rapid adoption of mobile phones has drawn the global attention, for example, Africa has 122 million active mobile money accounts which accounts for nearly half of all global mobile money subscribers. While this presents huge economic and social opportunities for growth, it however, is not without its downsides, as the continent is exposed to immense risk. Recent data found that mobile malware attacks in Africa doubled in volume in 2018, targeting the 456 million mobile subscribers across the continent.
Hisham Hendi, Managing Director, Vodacom Tanzania
To this end, key representatives from over eight countries in Africa gathered at a workshop organized by Vodacom to look into trends and developments shaping the mobile money industry in Africa. Leading telecom company Vodacom also released its Future-Proofing Mobile Financial Services report at the workshop. The report, the first of Vodacom’s Public Policy Series, demonstrates how mobile money is driving economic growth and empowering lives through financial inclusion.
Managing Executive, Legal and regulatory from Vodacom Group, Judith Obholzer, said that Sub- Saharan Africa has witnessed rapid growth in mobile money operations and innovations enabling broad based participation and access to financial services. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to the 10 economies worldwide where more adults now have mobile money accounts than at a financial institution. A game changer in this region, Mobile Money continues to drive economic growth and social benefit by providing access to financial services to the millions of people who have a mobile phone, but do not have or have only limited access to a bank account.
“Our aim is to provide a platform for leading experts to express their views on trends and developments shaping the industry. The industry continues to evolve at a rapid pace with policy makers and regulators playing a central role in facilitating and enabling environment for financial inclusion,” said Ms. Obholzer.
Representative of the Bank of Tanzania who is Assistant Manager–Oversight and Policy at the National Payment systems Department, Mr. Albert Cesari underscored the important impact Mobile Financial Services have made on the economy and the important role of the workshop in ensuring sustainability of the mobile financial service industry.
“The government is committed to ensure that mobile financial providers continue to be effective players in the future, and that they are able to provide the innovations and investments necessary in the technical and business dynamics in the financial payment market.” Cesari explained.
M-Pesa has been Africa’s most successful mobile money service. Research illustrates that mobile money has significantly contributed to social empowerment, economic growth and poverty reduction. It provides people with a safe, secure and affordable way to send and receive money, top-up airtime, make bill payments, receive salaries and get a short-term loan.
Speaking during the launch of the new research on mobile money, Hisham Hendi, Managing Director, Vodacom Tanzania said “Mobile money – supported by extensive mobile reach – has proven to be a platform for economic opportunity, transforming the financial services landscape, in particular on the African continent.” Mr. Hendi added “I am glad that this report brings together contributions by leading experts that speak to these three broader themes. They are diverse in their views and ambitions, critical and inspiring.”
The event brought together representatives from mobile network operators and a cross section of sectors including Telecommunication, financial service providers, banking, CSO and regulators who addressed various topics including: Future-proofing Mobile Financial Services, Enabling Interoperability Frameworks – Payment Systems, Regional Integration and Cross-Border Opportunities, How to solve the legal identity problem, Best Practice Sharing and The Cloud Opportunity – Getting the Conditions Right.
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.
There are reliable indications that Africa is witnessing a breakout of high numbers of startups attracting major financial commitments from across the world which sets the stage for the emergence of a home grown African venture capital industry. This was brought to the fore recently at the sixth edition of the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit (AESIS2019) held in Cape Town, South Africa. The Summit identified the growing interest from foreign investors especially Chinese investors towards Africa’s startups. This they highlighted as reason behind the high startup valuations as entrepreneurs increasingly look to international markets and the question if local entrepreneurs are really benefiting from the influx of funding.
Eghosa Omoigui
The Summit equally offered industry leaders the opportunity to share insights and lessons learned from investing in the continent’s top businesses. Also participants dove head-first into these and many more startup ecosystem topics with African powerhouses like Pieter de Villiers, Eghosa Omoigui, Keet van Zyl, Rebecca Enonchong, Ido Sum, Lauren Cochran, Tomi Davies, Marième Diop, Johann Choux, Paul Cook, Yassine Oussaifi, Llew Claasen, Abu Bakr Cassim, Olivier Furdelle, Khaled Ismail, Ben White, David van Dijk and many others, leading the conversations.
The 2019 event comprised three days of rich content and networking activities including new components this year such as a full-day Fund Manager Training and curated speed-dating sessions between Limited Partners and General Partners. Both of which were oversubscribed. The first day of the Summit also included the first Annual General Meeting for the African Business Angels Network (ABAN) as efforts continue to spur angel investing across the continent and to unlock resources for starting companies at their earliest stages of development.
Co-organizers, ABAN and VC4A, welcomed 330 investors representing Africa’s early stage investing ecosystem. The Summit attracted the highest ever number of early stage African investors from 35 different countries representing 110+ investor organizations, funds, family foundations and business angel networks. The objective remains to bring together leading investors from Africa and beyond to network, exchange insights, create partnerships and make deals.
The Summit also noted that there has been an increase in the number of women (co-)founders in Africa which has risen to 18% in 2019. Africa’s startup ecosystem, as of 2018, is on par with Southeast Asia’s of 2014, with major increase in early-stage investing expected. Ecosystem actors were admonished on the need to stop looking to Silicon Valley, instead they should create their own ecosystem model and develop pathway for growth of African startups by creating social impact as investing for profit remains leading driver for investor participation. Equally critical is the need for fund managers and investors to play the long game to reap any returns while there is a need for more fund managers to enter the industry.
Participants were treated to the co-organizer’s VC4A Venture Showcase which featured 12 vetted Series A-ready companies from Egypt and Algeria to Nigeria and South Africa. Their solutions range from VR therapy to more efficient transport to an easy cashback app, and more. The Showcase simultaneously helps build pipeline for some investors and create exists for others, propelling the African startup ecosystem forward.
Several past Showcase ventures currently appear on the list of companies that raised more than USD 1 million in 2019, with FlexClub from the 2019 Showcase making an appearance as well. In addition, the 2018 alumni Nawah Scientific and the 2019 participant LifeBank, have just been announced the winners of the Jack Ma Netpreneur Prize. Altogether, VC4A’s Venture Showcase companies have raised more than USD 36 million to date.
Rebecca Enonchong, female founder and treasurer of the African Business Angels Network (ABAN) announced the Catalyst initiative to summit attendees. The initiative, in partnership with Afrilabs and funded by the AFD will stimulate angel investing across the continent by matching investments up to EUR 60,000. She added that this mechanism helps build layers in the ecosystem and creates more pipelines for investors since angels will be able to invest in more businesses.
Everyone at the Summit agreed that Africa’s startup ecosystem is maturing. In 2019, over USD 1 billion has been raised with 83 deals alone exceeding USD1M and with 18% of those companies co-founded by women. “More women than in Silicon Valley,” as VC4A’s Ben White pointed out in his opening keynote. However, as anyone present at the Summit could sense, the hunger and energy to do better and to do more is mighty. With the quick adoption of Netflix across the continent, as Rebecca Enonchong highlighted to the amusement of all in the audience, the potential is endless. The key conclusion at the Summit was that for Africa’s ecosystem to grow and succeed, Africans should be treated as consumers, like anyone else.
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.
This year’s Reaching the Last Mile (RLM) Forum which took place in United Arab Emirates brought the global health community to the United Arab Emirates for the event. The Forum which brought together stakeholders from government, private sector, philanthropy, and academia had attendance from participants from over 80 countries of the world. With the theme; “Accelerating the Pace” the Forum emphasized the importance of how investing in global health is an effective way of protecting communities from infectious diseases, ending emerging health threats, and achieving greater global prosperity is under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi
During The Heroes From the Field Session, which acknowledges and celebrates men and women whose efforts have helped address health challenges across the world, Nigeria’s Rita Oguntoyinbo, an innovative leader and community health champion based in Nigeria spoke on her work in providing treatment for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). NTDs are a group of parasitic and bacterial infectious diseases affecting more than 1.5 billion of the world’s population, with more than 133 million people in need of treatment in Nigeria..
Having been resilient in the face of adversity, Ms. Oguntoyinbo detailed her journey as a frontline healthcare worker who found passion in expanding health care delivery to others. Since 2015, her work at the Amen Foundation, has enabled her to collaborate with other partner organizations in providing treatment to more than twenty-two million people in Nigeria – specifically, Gombe and Osun states.
While addressing the crowd, Ms. Oguntoyinbo noted that “these treatments have had a significant impact by improving school attendance of children who had previously been prevented from going to school due to intestinal worms. People generally have become healthier and wealthier because the distribution of medicines has prevented sickness from NTDs”.
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.
As part of its efforts to recognize the amazing story of start-ups, developers and techie talents across Africa, Facebook is bringing together over 400 developers, startups and businesses from across Sub-Saharan Africa in a first of its kind conference dubbed “Facebook iD8 Nairobi”.The event which forms part of the company’s strategy to create opportunities for innovation, community building and education throughout the continent will further create a space for developers and startups to showcase and celebrate talent from across the continent, while sharing their developer journey.
Facebook’s Global Head of Developer Programmes, Emeka Afigbo
The Conference will kickstart with a keynote address from Facebook’s Global Head of Developer Programmes, Emeka Afigbo will highlight Facebook’s plan in partnership with Andela to train and equip thousands of developers from its Developer Circles across 10 countries in Africa with technical and non-technical skills in 2020. This follows Facebook’s successful three-month training programme with Andela across Nigeria and Kenya in 2019.
A career fair – aimed at connecting this year’s top developers from Facebook’s and Andela’s three-month training programme in Nigeria and Kenya with employment opportunities through meets ups with potential employers.
The 2019 Facebook SSA Developer Circle Leads Summit bought together 60 Developer Circle leaders, who represented 45 circles in 17 countries across the continent in a two-day networking event. Facebook iD8 Nairobi also highlighted the latest insights from Facebook, with new technologies and products for attendees to build and experiment with, and programmes to help them at any stage of their journey. There were hands-on demonstrations and discussions with Facebook product experts who provided guidance and help to unlock challenges developers face in their development process. The conference also provided an opportunity for developers and startups to learn how technology such as AR/VR, Messaging and Open Source can offer tangible solutions for businesses in Africa.
Emeka Afigbo further said that “we look forward to reconnecting with the ecosystem to share the latest technology, product and program updates. Facebook iD8 is a two-way dialogue where we also have a chance to hear from our developer and startup community’ about their experiences and roadblocks as well as provide an opportunity for members of our community to connect with others who share their challenges and aspirations.
Fatma Ali a Developer Lead for a Facebook Developer Circle in Eldoret stated, “This opportunity has enabled me to connect and get mentorship to build my career while equipping me with leadership skills to work with the developer community. Through my Facebook Developer Circle I have gotten exposure and recognition in the Developer ecosystem. The experience has been enlightening and I am confident that I will have a successful career in technology”.
Sewagodimo Matlapeng a Developer Lead for a Facebook Developer Circle in Cape Town concluded, “My experience leading a Developer Circle in Cape Town has enabled me to advocate for the inclusion of women in the developer community in Cape Town with my circle having the highest female members in Africa. Through Facebook iD8, I gained insights on how we as developers, male and female can seize opportunities and curb challenges in the developer community.”
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.
