Clickatell, a CPaaS innovator, and one of the Chat Commerce leaders was acknowledged by Nigeria Communications Week as their Communications Solutions Provider of the Year, as part of their 13th Beacon of ICT (BoICT) Awards, held on Saturday (28 May 2022) in Nigeria.
Nigeria Communications Week, a prominent local technology publication, held its annual awards, which recognizes top performers in Nigeria’s ICT sector, in Lagos on the weekend. Clickatell was awarded the winner in the category Communications Solutions Provider of the Year for its Chat Commerce solution following a voting process that included business leaders, readers, as well as independent quality experts.
Samson Isa, Regional Managing Director, Clickatell
“This is a testament to your talents, innovations, contributions, and commitments to the growth of the ICT industry, and we are happy that Nigerians have recognized your hard work, sincerity, and dedication towards the development of the ICT industry,” said Ken Nwogbo, Editor-In-Chief of Nigeria Communications Week, in a letter announcing the achievement.
Speaking after the awards ceremony and annual BoICT lecture delivered by Dr. Oluseyi Akindeinde, Co-Founder and Chief Technical Officer of Digital Encode Limited, Clickatell’s Samson Isa, Regional Managing Director: West Africa, gave context to the achievement and what it means for the company.
“The annual BoICT event is widely regarded as the most prestigious in the ICT industry in Nigeria, and we are honored to be here tonight. Our team is also especially proud of being recognized for this award given the caliber of entrants this year. Having our Chat Commerce solution recognized for the difference it can make to businesses in Nigeria is particularly pleasing,” said Isa.
“Clickatell has built its legacy based on its obsession with helping businesses deliver customer service that impacts their bottom line and improves the lives of their customers. We see Chat Commerce as playing a key part in driving financial inclusion for Nigerians and helping them access the services they are looking for quickly, simply and on the platforms they prefer to use,” Isa added.
Isa’s comments are supported by compelling data. In the third quarter of 2021, WhatsApp was the most popular social media platform in Nigeria with 92% of internet users making use of the chat platform. In addition, 71% of the country’s internet users make use of Meta’s chat app, Facebook Messenger. These numbers prove that chat is one of the most effective ways for businesses to reach a significant portion of the local population.
Clickatell’s Chat Commerce offering has already been deployed by many respected brands including Fidelity Bank, Union Bank, EcoBank, and Stanbic 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
Phindor, the Kenyan startup, has launched a next generation shop assistant system that employs artificial intelligence (AI) to help local businesses digitise record management, data collection and storage.
What started as a website helping users find and compare pricing for school items, Phindor has however, shifted focus in 2018 to offering data management and analysis services.
According to the co-founder Pheneas Munene, “We decided to work towards creating a simple, lightweight and affordable app to help businesses capture data, keep it and use AI to draw insights from this data, just like giant companies are doing,”
startup
That vision finally became a reality in January, when the Phindor app launched. A business assistant application, it enables businesses to seamlessly record sales data both online and offline, get customer feedback from automated surveys, generate smart supply chain networks for both retailers and suppliers, analyse and recommend markets and customer segments, and predict business performance. It also allows for market and product tracking.
“We are enabling them to apply the power of AI to make sense of this data by helping them segment customers in their markets, generate smart supply chain networks, analyse their markets and predict future performance of their businesses, as well as track sale items over time to enable them to make proper purchase decisions, just the same way we track currencies and stocks,” Munene said.
Self-funded for now, the startup has registered almost 500 users since January. Munene said Phindor’s user segment is mostly underserved when it comes to business technology.
“It is usually “wow” moments when we walk into someone’s shop and explain to them what the app can do. Surprisingly for us, we found out that most of the users had ideas of such a product but have never had a solution that fits all these needs in such a way they would adopt it. We have had challenges explaining the app to the least tech-savvy, but overall, the adoption has been smooth,” he said.
Currently operating in Kenya, the startup is seeking funding to acquire more users and expand to Nigeria, Rwanda and Ghana, and later the rest of Africa.
“We charge our users a small percentage of their monthly sales on top of a flat rate of US$5 a month that can be broken to weekly or daily payments,” said Munene.
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
It would be fair to say that when it comes to Africa’s energy industry, Africa and Europe have been at odds for the last several years.
Europe, which has valid concerns about protecting the climate and moving the world toward net-zero emissions goals, has been urging African oil- and gas-producing states not only to accelerate their transition to green energy sources, but also to send it into overdrive. The general sentiment in the European Union (EU) is that the time for new oil and gas projects in Africa has passed.
African Oil and Gas Producers and the African Energy Chamber (AEC) (www.EnergyChamber.org) have been outspoken in our objection to European environmental groups, leaders, and financial institutions interfering in our energy industry, particularly when it discourages funding for new African petroleum projects. We even called for a boycott last July of European firms that cut off African oil and gas investments.
NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber, CEO of pan-African corporate law conglomerate Centurion Law Group
As you might expect, African countries have been equally frustrated with the EU’s interference. They are less than keen about turning their backs on the benefits their fossil fuel resources have to offer, particularly natural gas. When you consider that natural gas can ease the continent’s widespread energy poverty, help provide reliable electricity for nearly 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa without reliable electricity, and be monetized to create the funds Africa will need for a successful energy transition, it’s easy to see why.
Nevertheless, the EU has been relentless in its push to halt Africa’s natural gas production. Until recently, that is.
A seismic shift began late last summer when Europe was faced with rising commodity prices and low natural gas supplies. Output from renewables wasn’t able to fill the gap, making coal use a necessary evil to meet their needs. European leaders started recognizing that the increased use of natural gas, which emits the least carbon dioxide of all fossil fuels, was their best strategy for sustainably protecting Europe’s energy security in the short term. By early 2022, the EU declared that natural gas (along with nuclear power) can be considered green energy — as long as it emits less than 270 grams of carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour.
Perspectives evolved further after Russia invaded Ukraine in February. Currently, the European Union relies on Russia for 45% of its imported gas, which totaled about 155 billion cubic meters last year, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates. But earlier this month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU would release proposals for phasing out its dependency on Russian fossil fuels by 2027.
Today, the world is starting to recognize the critical role Africa’s vast natural gas resources could play in meeting Europe’s needs. The EU is also eying Africa’s potential for the production of green hydrogen, that is, hydrogen produced with renewable energy sources. Countries like Germany have already determined that they cannot produce the large quantities of green hydrogen they’ll need to achieve their zero-emissions goals on their own. As a result, they’ve started setting the stage for successful import agreements with African producers by investing in infrastructure and African capacity-building programs. I was in Berlin Last week when Namibian Mines and Energy Minister Tom Alweendo and German Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck, signed a Joint Declaration of Intent on cooperation in the field of green hydrogen during the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue. Namibia has a Green Hydrogen project that has advanced a lot thanks to the work of James Mnyupe, Namibia’s presidential economic adviser and hydrogen commissioner and his team but more work is needed. Frankfurt based, Emerging Energy Corporation has signed an agreement with the government of Niger to work on Green Hydrogen and also reduce carbon emissions in the oil fields and at the same time seek ways to get gas and hydrogen through pipelines into Europe.
Clearly, Africa has an important role to play in meeting European energy needs today and tomorrow. The question is, can European leaders and organizations let go of the dynamics that have dictated their dealings with Africa in the past — actions that prioritized climate objectives above Africa’s most pressing needs — and begin embracing the many benefits natural gas has to offer both continents?
Can we forge an alliance of mutual respect and cooperation, a “Green Gas Deal” of cooperation so to speak? I believe we can, and we must.
If we do, if European governments and businesses start ramping up their investments in African natural gas projects, they’ll accelerate the infrastructure development necessary for African countries to start exporting more gas and hydrogen to Europe, freeing countries there from reliance on Russia.
What’s more, European investments in Africa will open the doors to more gas-to-power projects with the potential to ease African energy poverty. The investments will open the door to industrial projects that use gas as a feedstock, such as chemical and fertilizer plants, that will diversify African economies. And they’ll foster the revenue generation that African countries will need to grow their energy mix and set the stage for a successful energy transition.
Now Is the Time to Invest in Africa
Besides, investing in African gas is a sound business move. For one thing, the African Energy Chamber’s efforts to foster a positive investment environment in Africa have already been productive. African governments like Nigeria, Uganda, and Namibia have been working to create business-friendly policies, from fair local content policies to improved fiscal regimes that enhance international oil companies’ (IOCs’) ability to operate profitably within their borders.
This October, the AEC plans to highlight Africa’s downstream, midstream, and upstream oil and gas opportunities with our Africa Energy Week (https://bit.ly/3K84PlT), which will take place in Cape Town Oct. 18-21. It’s important to remember that Africa remains under-explored and still has vast stores of oil and gas. During the last year alone, there have been major discoveries in South Africa, Namibia, Gabon, and off the coast of Cote d’Ivoire, to name a few.
Not only do solid investment opportunities for Europe exist in exploration and production, but also in gas infrastructure. European governments, businesses, and organizations can facilitate African natural gas imports to their countries by investing in African gas infrastructure including pipelines, LNG export terminals, and maritime logistics operations. We hope to see businesses join forces, along with the creation of public-private partnerships, to drive these infrastructure projects forward.
When it comes to a new era of energy cooperation, Europe and Africa are already moving in the right direction.
For example, I’m extremely encouraged by the commitment of Frans Timmermans, executive vice president of the European Commission, to participate in the AEC’s 2022 African Energy Week (AEW) (https://bit.ly/37eKnAV) in Cape Town this October. Timmermans will take part in investor forums, panel discussions, and meetings with African energy ministers, Presidents, Team Energy Africa and Oil and Gas industry stakeholders.
Meanwhile, the African Energy Chamber has met with the European Commission in Brussels and spoken to German leaders in Berlin about the role African hydrogen can play in Europe’s energy transition with great thanks and credit to the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and particularly Anja Beretta, the Director of the Energy Security and Climate Change Program for convincing us to be on the table and speak up our views. She never tried to muscle us and it was respectful.
I only hope this pattern of open, respectful communication continues.
To build on this moment, we will need strong leadership. As I’ve said more than once, Africa and the EU need to think about our energy relationship not in terms of a binary choice between oil, natural gas, and coal production and climate change mitigation but rather in the context of energy security and a just energy transition. Rising energy prices and the conflicts underscore the urgency to do both.
That said, after my conversations with EU officials, I believe both Africa and Europe can rise to the challenge.
Africa can help Europe ease its dependence on Russian natural gas and produce the hydrogen it will need to meet its net-zero ambitions. And at the same time, Europe can support Africa’s goals for a just energy transition on our own timeline, one that allows us to use our oil and gas resources to build renewable energy infrastructure, skills, and technologies. One that will not negate our efforts to alleviate energy poverty.
We can, as allies, create the energy futures we both need and want. Now let’s change our mindset and get to work.
NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber (EnergyChamber.org)
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
Africa’s largest telecoms group, MTN has released its financial results for the year ended December 2021 and reported “strong financial, operational and sustainability results” through what the group is calling a “tough macro year.”
MTN boasts that these very positive results were delivered through “strong strategic execution and sustained commercial momentum across 19 markets.”
Ralph Mupita, the MTN Group President and Chief Executive
“We adapted to the extraordinary circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and started shaping the MTN of the future through the execution of Ambition 2025,” said MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita.
In constant-currency terms, service revenue grew by 18.3% to $11.4-billion, earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 23.7% to $582.6-Million and the EBITDA margin expanded by 2.2 percentage points to 44.5%. The Board declared a final dividend of 300 cents per share.
“The performance was underpinned by pleasing growth in our larger operating companies, operating leverage, and the benefits of our expense efficiency programme,” said Mupita, adding that headline earnings per share adjusted for non-operational items increased by 26.6%; return on equity expanded by 2.6 percentage points to 19.6%; and organic operating cash flow accelerated by 35.2% to $253.3-Million.
The largest telecom in Africa says that these positive results were delivered despite a slowdown in subscriber additions related to industry-wide regulations in Nigeria.
At year-end, MTN Group had a total of 272.4 million subscribers, up 2.9 million from end-2020. Greater adoption of data and fintech services resulted in the addition of 11.1 million new data users and 10.4 million new Mobile Money users to reach totals of 122.0 million and 56.8 million respectively.
To cater for the 53.3% expansion in data traffic and 41.1% increase in fintech volumes, MTN says it continued to invest in the capacity and resilience of its networks and platforms, deploying a total Capex of $2.2-billion in the year.
According to the report, MTN deleverage the balance sheet, paying $1.4-billion in dollar debt and improving the holding company leverage to 1.0x from 2.2 xs. This was boosted by cash of $1.2-million repatriated from the group’s operating companies and $271.4-million in proceeds from its asset realisation programme (ARP) during the 2021 financial year.
The company anticipates further net proceeds of $586-million from the public offer of MTN Nigeria shares and the sale of passive tower infrastructure, once completed.
Among other highlights of the ARP – which aims to reduce debt, simplify our portfolio, reduce risk and improve returns – were the New York Stock Exchange listing of IHS Towers, in which MTN has a 26% stake, the localisations of a number of its operating companies and the company’s exit from operations in Yemen and Syria.
The company also reports “strong growth in its fintech business”, which now has 57 million monthly active users and generates 10 billion transactions with a total transaction value of $23- billion within the 2021 calendar.
“We remain focused on providing leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress and creating shared value for our stakeholders. Our enhanced medium-term guidance reflects the growth we see across our markets, as we play our part in driving digital and financial inclusion across Africa,” concludes Mupita.
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
The African Energy Chamber spoke to Impact Oil & Gas CEO, Siraj Ahmed, about increasing oil production across the African continent, low carbon gas monetization and pending deals that should be concluded at the upcoming African Energy Week, taking place in Cape Town on 18-21 October.
Despite being blessed with abundant oil and gas resources, Africa’s production has been on the decline, representing a challenge for the continent as it moves to initiate a COVID-19 economic recovery and address energy poverty. With exploration restricted due to reduced capital for fossil fuel projects and the transition away from hydrocarbons, the continent needs to act now if it is to reap the benefits of its oil and gas resources.
Impact Oil & Gas CEO, Siraj Ahmed
What will this production underperformance in Nigeria, Libya, Angola, The Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and African countries mean for the continent as a whole?
These countries are heavily dependent on the export of oil and natural gas, so production underperformance will inevitably have an impact on their economies, both in terms of access to cheap energy and revenues into the treasury. This in turn could have a destabilizing effect on these countries. Temporary underperformance can, however, be managed, but persistent underperformance would be far more damaging, holding back development and the ability of these countries to invest in the energy transition.
In modern society, technology drives progress, but technology requires power – whether a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or other gadget designed to make life easier. Nations that fail to invest in energy will be left behind and will lack the economic growth to fund development. This is an issue for health and social care, progress in living standards and access to opportunities.
In the short term, reduction in supply means higher oil prices, which leads to higher inflation and higher inflation, hits the poorest the hardest. These countries have the means and ability to turn this around, so the underperformance need only be temporary.
What do you feel are the primary reasons influencing production decline in Africa? What can be done to turn this around?
Leaving aside the recent impact of COVID, global issues such as the energy transition, compounded by important country-specific issues, are driving a decline in production. At the heart of the challenge is a lack of investment in exploration and the question of what countries must do to attract this investment.
The pool of both equity and debt capital for oil and gas projects is on the decline, largely (but not exclusively) due to pressure to meet the energy transition. With an ever-decreasing supply of global capital for such projects, funders can be selective about where capital is invested and, therefore, competition is stiff and the threshold to secure it is high.
Countries in Africa must provide a stable and competitive framework for investment. This applies not only to countries with existing production, where infrastructure-led exploration (ILEX) can provide lower risk additional resources, but also to counties with frontier exploration potential. It is these higher risk, but higher resource, new frontiers with the opportunity to make large scale economic impact, that have the greatest challenges to attract capital.
A stable and competitive framework for investment requires policy certainty; transparent decision- making processes that enable projects to be progressed quickly (pace is intrinsically linked to value); competitive and stable fiscal terms; and a stable legal framework. Often Governments are too quick to tighten fiscal terms immediately after early discoveries, thereby introducing significant hurdles for subsequent exploration. Fiscal terms and the opportunity to participate in new licensing rounds must remain competitive to attract risked capital.
Norway has been producing oil since the 70s. It recently announced the award of 53 new licenses, of which Equinor picked up interests in 26 blocks, and announced that it plans to drill 25 exploration wells during 2022. By comparison, South Africa, where Impact has a large footprint, has only seen two exploration wells during the last 10 years. Norway operates a model that enables and incentivises exploration, which has put Norway in the top 15 oil producers globally and allowed it to create a sovereign wealth fund worth over a trillion dollars.
Much of Africa’s production is in shallower waters and is rapidly maturing. Declining production requires investment in exploration. It is important, therefore, to incentivise frontier exploration alongside ILEX opportunities, and maintain a suitable fiscal framework. A one size-fits-all fiscal framework will limit exploration to smaller, near field exploration opportunities.
The demand for energy is only growing, whilst there is a rapid and concurrent reduction in investment in exploration and production. This reality, and the consequences of it, is reflected in current global oil and gas prices and the apparent economic and geopolitical turmoil it is causing. It is unlikely that the demand trend will reverse soon, so Africa should invest to reverse its growing production shortfall.
What would you recommend as an industry approach to low carbon gas monetisation and financing in Africa?
Natural gas is a relatively low carbon energy source when compared to oil or coal, therefore it is an obvious transition fuel that could meet the energy needs of Africa from its own resources. However, this must be done quickly since the transition period is not indefinite.
Powering African countries through the use of domestic gas has a number of advantages: importing LNG and/or oil has a much higher carbon footprint than utilizing domestic gas; it enables a just transition away from coal in countries such as South Africa where 80% of its electricity is generated from coal; and it provides a cleaner alternative to firewood and charcoal, used by more than 60 percent of families in sub-Saharan Africa for meal preparation and to meet other energy needs, due to the absence of affordable alternatives. This is damaging to health and a significant contributor to forest degradation.
Natural gas should form part of a wider energy mix that embraces other low carbon energy sources. The role of the oil and gas industry in Africa can and should be broader than exploration and development of oil and gas resources. We are increasingly seeing agreements between Governments and IOCs to collaborate on investment in a multi-energy strategy that supports development of renewable projects alongside major oil and gas projects. For example, as part of the recent Final Investment Decision for the Uganda-Tanzania crude oil pipeline, the Kingfisher and Tilenga oil projects in the Lake Albert region of Uganda and TotalEnergies signed a deal to explore opportunities to develop renewable energy projects. Initiatives such as this bring expertise as well as finance to the continent.
What should new independents consider while entering a changing African energy sector?
Africa has historically provided great opportunities for independents. Indeed, it has benefitted from their nimble and aggressive strategies and their ability to raise capital for higher risk, early entry projects. Companies such as Kosmos, Tullow, Ophir, Cove and Far (for example) have been at the forefront of major, play-opening discoveries in Senegal, Mauritania, Ghana, Mozambique and Tanzania, leading the way for majors in frontier opportunities.
The role of independents in the sector is changing, however. The new Africa focused independents are chasing production (ILEX, mature and marginal fields), but the billion-barrel, play-opening exploration opportunities remain in frontier, high risk areas.
Although there is no longer the space for standalone explorers to build greenfield exploration portfolios – there is neither the time nor the capital to support such strategies – independents can still play an important role in accelerating growth in countries with play-opening discoveries, by pushing out the play- to the riskier limits.
What pending deals do you believe should be completed and announced at African Energy Week in Cape Town?
News around the development of the Block 11b/12b gas discoveries and how this might fit into the South African plans for its strategic energy mix.
The finalization of South Africa’s Upstream Petroleum Development Bill.
Impact is a pure exploration company with a strategic focus on large scale, mid to deep water plays of sufficient size to be of interest to major companies. Impact currently invest in African Oil and Gas blocks including Namibia, South Africa and the AGC Profond block in Guinea Bissau and Senegal.
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
Facebook parent company Meta had given its Nigerian customers to update their records containing their value-added tax (VAT) identification numbers by February 25. The company said it made recent updates to allow some Nigerian customers to provide 11 or 12 digit VAT identification (ID) to pay the 7.5 percent charge.
It also added that those who already have their VAT ID can easily use receipts for other paid taxes.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg
“It was identified that some Nigerian customers were unable to provide their 11- or 12-digit VAT ID. An update has been made so that our system will now accept both 11- and 12-digit VAT IDs. If you want your VAT ID to show up on your ads receipts, please take the following steps below to update your VAT ID,” the statement reads.
“In addition, if you have previously provided a VAT ID that is not 11 or 12 digits, please update it by 25 February 2022. All VAT IDs that do not comply with this format requirement will be removed after this day.
“If you are registered for VAT and provide your VAT ID, your VAT ID will show up on your ads receipts. In the event that you’re entitled to recover the VAT, this may help you recover any VAT you paid to the Nigerian tax authorities.”
Meta said customers should follow the following steps to add their VAT ID to their ad account.
“Go to payment settings, click “edit” business info, scroll down to the field labelled “VAT ID” and add your VAT ID,” the company said.
Last year, Facebook (now META) had announced all advertisers from Nigeria would pay an additional 7.5 percent VAT on ad placement from January 1, 2022.
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
The international football body FIFA has deployed the use of semi-automated offside being tested at FIFA Club World Cup in UAE this year. The limb-tracking technology gives accurate data to referees in seconds; 3-D animations show offside decisions on big screens in the stadium.
FIFA have held further successful tests of semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) during the FIFA Club World Cup 2021 in Abu Dhabi alongside 3D animations displayed on the stadium big screen and on television that give spectators greater insight into offside decisions.
After successfully being trialled at the FIFA Arab Cup™ last year, tests on the implementation of SAOT is being ramped up ahead of its expected use at the FIFA World Cup™ 2022 in Qatar.
Semi-Automated Offside Tech
SAOT has been used to support on-field officials with tight offside decisions on several occasions during the FIFA Club World Cup™.
The Chairman of FIFA’s Referee Committee Pierluigi Collina and FIFA’s Technology and Innovation team gave a demonstration of the technology at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium on Wednesday.
“We’re continuing a test to try to achieve the objective: to have more accurate decisions and also quicker decisions in offside incidents,” said Collina.
“I know that someone called it “robot offside”; it’s not.”
“The referees and the assistant referees are still responsible for the decision on the field of play. The technology only gives them valuable support to make more accurate and quicker decisions, particularly when the offside incident is very tight and very difficult.”
The SAOT is an extension of the VAR system already employed in 47 countries across the world and in more than 100 competitions, including all FIFA tournaments.
Ten dedicated cameras, as well as several television broadcast cameras, are set up in the stadium to track 18 data points of each individual player, giving their position on the pitch.
The number of data points is expected to increase to 29 points per player by the time of the FIFA World Cup™.
This data, gathered 50 times a second, is then relayed to an AVAR specifically dedicated to offside decisions to check and make their recommendation to the VAR and the on-field referee.
This process happens in real time and so means decisions can be made on offside calls in seconds.
“We’re also tracking the limbs – we’re tracking the arms and the legs – and we know exactly where all those players are at every moment in the game,” explained FIFA’s Head of Football Technology Sebastian Runge.
“We are tracking with 50 frames per second, so 50 times per second we know where the players are and we’re getting that information delivered to the system.”
This combination allows for an assessment of whether a player is onside or not.
FIFA are also trialling the use of 3-D animations that clearly illustrate when a player is on or offside.
“We’ve introduced an offside animation, which is not related to the decision-making process, but certainly, it offers a better understanding and a clearer view of the offside/onside decision” said Collina.
“So, once the decision is made, this kind of animation starts to be produced and, a few seconds later, can better show what happened than using the normal 2D lines.”
These animations are created after the offside decision is made to provide a clearer picture to fans watching on television and in stadiums.
“With the semi-automated offside, we get data points, and these data points can be translated into an animation,” said Runge.
“So, we know where the shoulder is, we know where the knee, for example, is. And by taking that data, we can enter the 3D world and we can create animations, that can explain perfectly whether a player was onside, how much of that player was offside or onside, and we put that in an animation that will be shared with TV and our giant screen operators and we can inform the spectators in a clearer way on offside and onside decisions.”
FIFA will continue to trial these innovations at other FIFA competitions throughout this year.
“We know that it’s not easy to be fast and accurate at the same time, if you want to be accurate you need time,” said Collina.
“That’s why we thought of a technology that can make [the most] accurate and fast decisions possible.”
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
TLcom Capital, Africa-focused venture capital firm, has announced a first close of US$70 million for its US$150 million tech fund, firmly positioning it to become the largest independent VC firm fully dedicated to the continent.
With offices in Lagos, Nairobi and London, TLcom was founded in 1999 and already has US$350 million of assets under management across Africa and Europe, and in February 2020 announced the closing of the $71mn TIDE Africa Fund, dedicated to technology and innovation for Sub-Saharan Africa at all stages of venture capital.
The VC firm’s portfolio includes Twiga Foods, Andela, uLesson and Kobo360, among others, and it has completed successful exits, with Upstream acquired by Actis and Movirtu acquired by BlackBerry. The TIDE Africa Fund delivers capital as part of a larger strategic, operational and financial support to entrepreneurs.
Maurizio Caio, founder and managing partner at TLcom
With a first close in line with the total size of its TIDE Africa Fund closed in 2020, TLcom’s second fund sees participation from Allianz, the world’s largest insurance company, through AfricaGrow, its joint venture with DEG Impact (German Investment Corporation), as well as a host of new and returning investors including Bertelsmann, King Philanthropies, the TLcom team and FBNQuest. It also includes major DFIs such as CDC Group, IFC, Proparco and Swedfund. A second close of the fund is expected later in 2022.
With its new fund, TLcom will expand its existing focus on fast-growth, tech-enabled African startups to Egypt, as well as strengthen its long-standing presence across East and West Africa. With ticket sizes ranging from US$500,000 to US$15 million, TLcom expects to add an additional 20 early-stage startups to its portfolio, with an emphasis on seed and Series A.
It will target entrepreneurs tackling some of the continent’s most complex challenges in sectors including fintech, mobility, agriculture, healthcare, education and e-commerce.
“Since the closing of our previous fund, African tech has secured more high-value financing rounds, exits and M&As than ever before and this is only just the beginning. It is becoming increasingly evident that our sector has broken into a new era of maturity driven by very strong business fundamentals that African founders are demonstrating not only in the fintech space, but across a huge number of the continent’s largely underserved markets,” said Maurizio Caio, founder and managing partner at TLcom.
“As we partner with some of the world’s leading global investors for our new fund, this is not only an endorsement of the massive value generation upside on the continent, but also of our proven track record in identifying and supporting entrepreneurs successfully winning and redefining Africa’s key verticals. In order to contribute to unlocking the next phase of Africa’s huge economic upside, we’ll be mobilizing our new fund to strengthen our partnership with African founders, with a special emphasis on female entrepreneurs, as well as our role as the leading local partner of choice for global VCs increasingly looking at 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
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group is partnering with the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) to launch a new call for applications for IFC ScaleX, a new programme aiming to help tackle the financing gap that women entrepreneurs still face, particularly in emerging markets, by backing accelerators.
IFC ScaleX, for which IFC has partnered with Village Capital for implementation, is a performance-based initiative that will award up to US$25,000 to business accelerators that have helped women-led companies in emerging markets raise equity financing.
IFC ScaleX Programme
The aim is to incentivise accelerators to actively help women unlock funding opportunities, catalysing a total of US$40 million into women-led startups over the next two years.
“After acceleration, women raise far less capital than men, other factors being equal,” said Stephanie von Friedeburg, senior vice president of operations at IFC. “We must level the playing field to ensure the best ideas are funded. IFC ScaleX is designed to do this, backing impactful accelerators that are themselves backing women entrepreneurs with great ideas.”
Wendy Teleki, head of the We-Fi Secretariat, said gender disparity in accessing funding, particularly in high-growth technology sectors, was still significant.
“It is troubling to see that women entrepreneurs receive only a small fraction of the global venture capital, despite the enormous potential of their solutions. IFC ScaleX will help promote more gender-inclusive acceleration and investment across emerging markets, which is critical for creating more high-growth and resilient women-led firms,” she said.
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
African countries are stepping up measures to detect and control the spread of the Omicron variant as weekly new COVID-19 cases in the continent rise by 54% due to an upsurge in southern Africa.
In Africa, the Omicron variant has now been detected in four countries, with Ghana and Nigeria becoming the first West African countries and the latest on the continent to report the new variant. So far, Botswana and South Africa have reported 19 and 172 Omicron variant cases, respectively. Globally, more than 20 countries have detected the variant to date. The two southern Africa countries account for 62% of cases reported globally.
Omicron
Omicron has a high number of mutations (32) in its spike protein, and preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection, when compared with other variants of concern. Researchers and scientists in South Africa and the region are intensifying their investigations to understand the transmissibility, severity and impact of the Omicron variant in relation to the available vaccines, diagnostics and treatment and whether it is driving the latest surge in COVID-19 infections.
Southern Africa has recorded a surge in cases, mostly driven by South Africa. For the seven days leading to 30 November, South Africa reported a 311% increase in new cases, compared with the previous seven days. Cases in Gauteng, the country’s most populous province, have increased by 375% week on week. Hospital admissions rose 4.2% in the past seven days from the previous seven days. And COVID-19-related deaths in the province jumped 28.6% from the previous seven days.
While new COVID-19 cases are rising in southern Africa, they dropped in all other subregions during the past week from the previous week.
Working with African governments to accelerate studies and bolster the response to the new variant, World Health Organization (WHO) is urging countries to sequence between 75 and 150 samples weekly.
“The detection and timely reporting of the new variant by Botswana and South Africa has bought the world time. We have a window of opportunity but must act quickly and ramp up detection and prevention measures. Countries must adjust their COVID-19 response and stop a surge in cases from sweeping across Africa and possibly overwhelming already-stretched health facilities,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
The emergence of Omicron is rattling countries around the globe and underlines the importance of pandemic preparedness – the focus of a special session of the World Health Assembly that wrapped up this week. Countries agreed to launch a global process to draft and negotiate a convention, agreement or other international instrument under the WHO Constitution to strengthen pandemic prevention preparedness and response.
In South Africa, WHO is deploying a surge team to Gauteng Province to support surveillance, contact tracing, infection prevention and treatment measures. Botswana is boosting oxygen production and distribution, which are essential for the treatment of critically ill patients.
Additional epidemiologists and laboratory experts are also being mobilized to boost genomic sequencing in Botswana, Mozambique and Namibia. WHO has mobilized US$ 12 million to support critical response activities in countries across the region for the next three months.
African countries are also refining operational plans for stronger disease surveillance and investigations.
In Africa, vaccination rates remain low. Only 102 million people, or 7.5% of the population, is fully vaccinated. More than 80% of the population still needs to receive a first dose.
Only five African nations have reached the WHO global target for countries to fully vaccinate 40% of their population by the end of 2021. Botswana could become the sixth if its current vaccination rates are maintained. Just three other African countries have enough vaccine supplies to meet the targets but, at the current pace of uptake, they will be unable to do so.
“The combination of low vaccination rates, the continued spread of the virus and mutations are a toxic mix. The Omicron variant is a wake-up call that the COVID-19 threat is real. With improved supplies of vaccines, African countries should widen vaccination coverage to provide greater protection to the population,” Dr Moeti said.
Operational planning and funding challenges, vaccine delivery as well as communication and community engagement bottlenecks have hindered the efforts to widen vaccinations in some African countries. WHO and its partners are supporting countries to scale up vaccine delivery and uptake, including intensified assistance to roll out more than 5 million doses at risk of expiring by the end of the year due to having been donated with a short shelf life.
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
