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South African Youth to be Connected to Jobs Via Vodacom’s “Get-a-Gig”

June 25, 2022

One of South Africa’s biggest telecoms companies, Vodacom has launched the Get-a-Gig initiative through its NXT LVL platform with a three-year vision of connecting 1 Million Youth to jobs or gigs by 2024.

South Africa has one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the world. In a bid to give youth a fighting chance in this tough economy. Youth unemployment rate remains at a staggering 65.5%, says Vodacom.

Jorge Mendes, Chief Officer of Consumer Business at Vodacom

The latest employment data, released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), highlights the dire state of the country’s economy.

The data shows that unemployment rose to 35.3% from 34.9% in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the last quarter of 2021. This is by far the highest level since the beginning of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) in 2008.

With these staggering figures and as part of Vodacom’s sustained commitment to empowering the South African youth, Vodacom’s Get A Gig matches a job seeker (youth) with job opportunities or gig opportunities within Vodacom and its partners, while allowing them to Grow, Learn and Earn.

Get-A-Gig was launched as an extension of Vodacom’s recently revamped NXT LVL (pronounced next level), a platform aimed to address the challenges faced by young people, offering them opportunities to connect, learn and earn as well as giving them access to the right tools to help them reach their potential.

According to Vodacom, NXT LVL also empowers young people to manoeuvre through their lives into adulthood, particularly at a time when they are seeking jobs, and unemployment is at a record high. “Our vision is to make sure that we leave no one behind, especially young people who form a critical part of the country’s future.

The launch of Get-A-Gig is yet another way that we at Vodacom strive to fight the rising youth unemployment rate,” says Jorge Mendes, Chief Officer of Consumer Business at Vodacom.

“As we innovate, and bring new propositions to the market, we are mindful of the challenges that are faced by consumers at large. The revamp of the NXT LVL platform and the launch of Get-A-Gig are some of the initiatives we introduced, aiming to make a meaningful difference in the lives of young South Africans” added Mendes.

Get-A-Gig is available free of charge to all NXT LVL customers via the My Vodacom App and VodaPay.

New NXT LVL customers need to download the My Vodacom or VodaPay App, register for NXT LVL, click on the Get A Gig tile to register & create a profile, search and apply for available Gigs in their area.

Existing NXT LVL customers can register for Get-A-Gig by simply logging onto the My Vodacom App or VodaPay super app, click on the Get-A-Gig tile to register & create a profile, and then search & apply for available Gigs in their area.

Click on VodaPay from the Apple and Android app stores, to download the VodaPay super app and check out Vodacom’s NXT LVL platform.

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

How The Fintech Arm Of South African Telco Vodacom Made $130m Revenue In Four Months

February 5, 2022

Vodacom, South Africa’s top telecommunications company, unveiled the VodaPay super app for smartphone users in October 2021, but it appears to be on a rollercoaster ride. According to the company’s key financial KPIs for the quarter ended December 31, 2021, fintech services revenue surpassed R2 billion for the first time in a quarter, marking a 12.5 percent growth rate.

“Our M-Pesa platform, including Safaricom, continues to scale at an impressive rate, with transaction values up 16.1% to exceed R430 billion per month,” says Shameel Joosub, group CEO.

“We see VodaPay as a precursor to M-Pesa’s evolution and further strengthening our fintech position across our footprint,” Joosub says.

Here Is What You Need To Know

According to Joosub, the company’s VodaPay super app, which launched in October last year, surpassed expectations by collecting 1.4 million downloads and one million registered users in its first three months in South Africa.

The expansion of Vodacom financial services comes as the telecom sets its eyes on being one of Africa’s leading fintech firms in the next three years, with a target of over 70 million clients.

Vodacom is transitioning from a telecommunications firm to a technology company, while also extending its ecosystem of products, allowing it to diversify its revenue streams.

Its revenue increased by 6.4 percent in the third quarter ended in December, owing to rising demand for connectivity and the expansion of new services such as financial and digital services, internet of things, and fixed.

“Our service revenue growth of 4.4% on a normalised basis was in line with the group’s medium-term target and supported by a resilient performance in SA on the back of sustained investment in technology and our network to further enhance customer experience,” Joosub says.

Service revenue for Vodacom’s foreign operations increased 6.7 percent to R5.9 billion, or 3.5 percent on a normalized basis, thanks to the company’s sustained focus on financial inclusion and increased capital spending, according to Joosub.

“The reported growth was underpinned by a 12.9% increase in M-Pesa revenue and a 21.2% rise in data revenue. Tanzania’s financial performance and progress in driving financial inclusion was impacted by government levies imposed on mobile money and airtime recharges. A key focus for our international portfolio is digital inclusion, which will be supported by our growing 21.5 million data customer base and driving higher smartphone adoption, with international customers on smartphones at 12 million,” Joosub says.

How VodaPay Works

Users can safely upload and save money in a digital wallet within the VodaPay SuperApp, which is accessible on the Android and Apple app stores. Users of the VodaPay app can then use it to make purchases, pay bills, and send money instantly and for free. The registration process is quick, and it eliminates the paperwork and delays that come with opening a regular bank account in Africa.

Users can also add their existing cards from any South African bank to the app and use them to make payments.

VodaPay is designed to help customers manage numerous aspects of their lives by allowing them to purchase at their favorite stores, order food, send money, and pay bills all from within the app.

“We’ve also worked with some of South Africa’s biggest and most renowned brands to guarantee that consumers using the VodaPay super-app are spoiled for choice when it comes to making purchasing selections,” Shameel Joosub said last year.

Customers on any mobile network can use VodaPay, according to Vodacom. Vodacom customers will not be charged for any data consumed when browsing or transacting with the app because it is zero-rated. In the near future, VodaPay hopes to extend this offer to consumers on additional mobile networks.

The launch of VodaPay is aimed to broaden the reach of digital financial services in Africa, building on the success of M-PESA, a mobile money platform launched by Vodafone and Safaricom in 2007 that has grown to over 50 million active users and contributed significantly to Africa’s financial inclusion.

M-PESA, which operates in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Ghana, and Egypt, saw the number of transactions on its network increase to 4.5 billion in the first quarter of 2021, totaling roughly €63 billion.

Vodacom fintech revenue Vodacom fintech revenue Vodacom fintech revenue

Oracle Launches $1 Million To Invest In Startups In Africa

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

Vodacom Seeks to Unseat Rival MTN’s Market Position With Two Major Acquisitions

November 16, 2021

One of South Africa’s leading telecoms powerhouse Vodacom has embarked on what observers describe as table topping acquisitions that may change the landscape of the industry in the country. This has to do with the two major acquisitions by the telco– the buying of a 55% controlling stake in Vodafone Egypt, the North African country’s largest telecom, and a major move in South Africa’s local fibre market through a new deal with Vumatel and Dark Fibre Africa (DFA) that will see a co-controlling interest in the hands of Vodacom.

Currently the third-largest telecom company in Africa, these two acquisitions have evidently positioned Vodacom to unseat long-time rival MTN as Africa’s top telecom.

Vodacom Group South Africa is reportedly entering the North Africa market for the first time ever after announcing that it will seek to acquire Vodafone Egypt from Vodafone Group for $2.7-billion.

Vodafone Group, a UK-based mega-corp, is the parent company of both Vodacom and Vodafone Egypt, agreed to sell a 55% stake in Vodafone Egypt to Vodacom, who is poised to acquire the controlling stake in the Egyptian telecom subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals. Vodacom will fund the transaction by issuing 242 million new ordinary shares at $9.01 per share and $544.2-million in cash, giving the acquisition its $2.7-billion valuation. The remaining 45% of Vodafone Egypt will remain in the hands of Telecom Egypt, the state-owned fixed-line operator.

With the acquisition, Vodafone Egypt will open the region to Vodacom’s business, with Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub saying in a statement that Vodafone Egypt will increase Vodacom’s population coverage to more than 500-million people, and will firmly plant Vodacom in countries that make up more than 40% of Africa’s entire GDP.

“Vodafone Egypt is ideally positioned to capture growth in a burgeoning ICT market, which means the proposed acquisition provides our shareholders with an exciting revenue and profitability diversification opportunity and the potential to accelerate the group’s medium-term operating profit growth potential into double digits. We intend to provide an update on our medium-term targets at our full-year results, which will be reported in May 2022,” says Joosub.

Vodafone Egypt enjoys a 43% revenue market share in Egypt, making it the largest single telco in the country. It offers a wide range of integrated telecommunications services including voice, data and mobile money services to 43 million consumer and enterprise customers, Vodacom says.

Apart from increasing its market size, Vodacom sees a big opportunity to sell its financial services (fintech and mobile money services) in Egypt, as 80% of its 100-million people are currently unbanked.

Joosub also adds that “In addition to financial services, Vodacom Group sees attractive synergy potential from combining Vodafone Egypt’s software factory with Vodacom Group’s existing big data capabilities, closer cooperation in scaling pan-African enterprise and IoT solutions, enabling the proliferation of digital services through a platform approach, and also talent sharing.”

The same day, Vodacom announced that it had entered a new agreement to acquire a co-controlling interest in the assets of Community Investment Ventures Holdings (CIVH), the owners of Vumatel and DFA – two ubiquitous providers of fibre to the home and fibre to the business services in South Africa.

Currently, the deal is pending certain conditions, but when completed Vodacom will own a 30% equity interest in a new entity called InfraCo, which will include Vodacom’s fibre assets, according to Media24.

“CIVH will hold a 70% co-controlling interest in InfraCo and existing CIVH investors including Remgro Limited and New GX Investments (Pty) Ltd will remain invested in CIVH,” the announcement from Vodacom read.

Vumatel’s fibre network services 1.2 million homes in SA, and it has over 31,000KM of fibre infrastructure across the country. DFA owns and operates a long-distance fibre network itself of over 13,000KM with 37,000 connected circuits.

According to the firm, “the total purchase price paid by Vodacom, including the value of the transfer assets, equates to [$876-million].” This investment will also “accelerate South Africa’s fibre reach, network quality and resilience, fostering economic development and help bridge South Africa’s digital divide in some of the most vulnerable parts of our society,” says Vodacom.

“Through Vodacom’s investment, InfraCo would accelerate and expand its lower and middle-income product offering to deliver affordable high-speed broadband access to a broader population segment, including small and medium-sized enterprises,” it said.

MTN is currently the top telecom company on the continent, having the largest user base (277.3 million) and presence. Right on MTN’s heels is Orange Africa and Middle East, with more revenues reported but less market reach than the Big Yellow Brand.

Vodacom and Orange often trade the spot behind MTN, having similar user bases and total revenues, but Vodacom’s new entry into North Africa via Egypt is definitely a major coup for the company in the continent. It is expecting a much larger user base, as well major gains in its mobile money business by bringing its fintech to a population that sorely needs it.

Within the next several years, unless it faces restrictions or obstructions to its business in Egypt, it would be a safe expectation to see Vodacom rise to the top of the telecom rankings in Africa. This isn’t even counting the boost it will receive to its local presence in South Africa after the CIVH fibre deal. Vodacom is poised to sell fibre to more South Africans for less, increasing the size of the fibre market and subscription revenues.

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

Vodacom May Sale Part of Its Stake in M-Pesa

May 21, 2021

Leading telecoms operator Vodacom Group of South Africa is considering selling part of its stake in mobile money platform M-Pesa to unlock value running into billions of shillings from the fast-growing service. Responding to a question from an analyst who asked if the company is likely to spin off M-Pesa and whether the multinational is willing to sell a stake to external parties, the Telcos chief executive Shameel Joosub said that nothing is off the table.

M-Pesa is currently offered by Vodacom majority-owned subsidiaries in Tanzania, Mozambique, Lesotho and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Vodacom also owns an indirect stake in M-Pesa’s business in Kenya through its 35 percent stake in Safaricom .

Mr Joosub said the company will consider selling part of its stake in M-Pesa if investors continue to ignore the value of the platform.

“To be honest, we would like the market to give us more credit for our financial services assets and we are not in a position yet where we think the time is optimal to sell or even monetise a portion of the assets because we believe there is still a lot of growth left in M-Pesa,” Mr Joosub said.

“But [it is] certainly something that is in consideration. We have structurally set up in the different markets M-Pesa and financial services into separate entities. So it does give us optionality going forward,” he added in reference to the sale of M-Pesa.

Vodacom Group did not give timelines on the potential sale of the mobile money service, signalling it will hold on to M-Pesa in the short term. Mr Joosub said that should a decision be made to sell part of M-Pesa, the structure of such a sale will have to be defined.

The options include selling a stake in the platform in specific countries or in M-Pesa Global Services – the new joint venture it runs with Safaricom on a 50/50 basis and which aims to take the service international.

The plans to unlock value from M-Pesa comes after rival Airtel Africa signed deals to sell minority stakes in its continental financial service for huge sums through its subsidiary Airtel Mobile Commerce BV.

“In line with our strategy of unlocking value in our mobile money business, we will soon welcome two new minority investors (The Rise Fund and Mastercard) in agreed transactions which value this part of our business at $2.65 billion (Sh286 billion), as well as bringing $300 million (Sh32.3 billion) into the group,” the multinational said when releasing its annual results last week.

Vodafone Plc, the parent company of Vodacom, signalled that M-Pesa could fetch greater sums should a partial sale of the mobile money platform be implemented.

“We are a clear number one in the African market. We have a base of mobile money of over 60 million in active customers. So we are about three times the size of Airtel,” Vodafone’s chief executive Nick Read said on Tuesday in response to an analyst who asked if the multinational will make similar deals like Airtel.

Vodacom’s financial services, including Kenya, had 57.7 million customers and its total revenue stood at R19.3 billion (Sh148 billion) in the review period, representing a six percent increase from R18.2 billion (Sh139.4 billion) a year earlier.

This was despite the loss of R2 billion (Sh15.3 billion) from zero-rating of certain person-to-person cash transfers in most of the markets including Kenya where free transactions lasted between March and December for values of Sh1,000 and below.

Mr Joosub said the telco would prefer that the market recognise the value of the mobile money platform, adding that if not, Vodacom will consider to “at least monetise a portion of these assets going forward.”

Vodacom has a market capitalisation of about Sh1.8 trillion, slightly ahead of Safaricom’s Sh1.5 trillion despite being a much larger firm by revenues and earnings among other measures.

The entry of Mastercard and Rise Fund into Airtel Money’s business indicates investor enthusiasm for Africa’s lucrative and fast-growing financial technology platforms.

Airtel Money generated revenues of $227 million (Sh24.5 billion) from 14 markets including Kenya and Uganda in the year ended March, a 44.5 percent jump from $157 million (Sh16.9 billion) the year before.

This was despite removal of charges on certain transactions in several countries last year as governments worked with telcos and banks to offer financial relief to customers and reduce use of physical cash in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Both Airtel and Vodacom plan to invest heavily in their mobile money platforms which are set to replace the traditional voice business as the growth and profit drivers.

“These are less capital-intensive businesses compared to core mobile so that you gives you a better return on capital profile,” Mr Joosub said.

Airtel says the low uptake of traditional banking services continues to be the main driver of demand for mobile money services.

Airtel Money offers mobile wallet deposit and withdrawals, merchant and commercial payments, benefits transfers, loans and savings, virtual credit card and international money transfers.

The multinational has sought to expand the subscriber base and use of its mobile money platform through partnerships with multiple financial services firms.

It has, for instance, signed agreements with cash remittance companies MoneyGram, Mukuru and WorldRemit.

The telecoms operator also plans to introduce new banking and remittances services in partnership with London-based lender Standard Chartered Plc which has subsidiaries operating in 16 African markets.

Vodacom has similar plans to expand its financial services and has partnered with Alipay, a Chinese mobile and online payment platform that has more than one billion users, to create a new “super-app.”

“Our super-app will offer services ranging from loans and savings, seamless QR and person-to-person payments, to entertainment and personalised shopping experiences, promoting greater financial inclusion,” Mr Joosub said.

“We see this super-app as a precursor to M-Pesa’s evolution, supporting accelerated growth across our financial services’ businesses and assisting us in connecting the next 100 million African customers so that no one is left behind.”

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

Why 5G is Crucial to Closing the Digital Divide

December 14, 2020

Nicholas Naidu

It’s safe to say that high points during the COVID-19 pandemic have been few and far between. South Africans were, however, met with at least one welcome development earlier this year with the launch of the country’s first 5G which supports both commercial mobile and fixed wireless 5G services.

Although people were confined to their homes for an extended period of time during lockdown, many South Africans living in major metros were able to use 5G technology to stay in touch, work from home and keep themselves entertained.

Not surprisingly, the demand for data during this time was greater than ever before. Vodacom recorded a 40% increase in mobile data traffic in South Africa during the last week of June during the peak of the pandemic, compared with pre-COVID-19 lockdown levels.

As the citizens of the country increasingly turned to technology as a lifeline to remain connected to the outside world, the disparity of South Africa’s digital divide was brought all the more sharply into focus.

The challenge around internet access in South Africa is certainly not new. The broader sub-Saharan Africa region has long battled with widespread access to connectivity, with mobile internet user penetration across the region now sitting at 26% according to statistics from GSMA Intelligence, which is forecast to increase to 39% by 2025.

Looking specifically at South Africa, Statistics SA estimates that the country’s mobile internet access penetration is currently at 52.8% of the population.

The affordability of smartphones also continues to be a significant hurdle when it comes to closing the digital divide. In order to truly narrow the divide, there’s a great need to be able to provide both coverage and connectivity, as well as devices at a lower cost, especially for those living in rural areas.

According to the World Bank, for every approximate 10% increase in mobile broadband penetration, there is a 1% increase in GDP in a country.

Many people may not realise that newer generations of mobile technologies like 4G and 5G don’t just offer impressive, faster download speeds, they also have a key role to play in making it more cost-effective for network operators to provide internet connectivity to larger numbers of people.

This is because they can fit more data into the same amount of spectrum, which results in lower capital and operating expenditure costs versus continuing to roll out legacy mobile networking technologies to meet the exponentially growing demand for data services. The possibilities are exciting. The unfortunate reality, however, is that only 9% of the total population in Sub Saharan Africa is currently connected using 4G, according to the GSMA.

Creating the foundation for a tech-enabled future

Spectrum allocation needs to be urgently addressed if sub-Saharan Africa is to bridge its connectivity gap. This is not only important for the sake of bridging the digital divide, but also for the region’s ability to remain competitive in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

5G is quickly emerging as a key enabler of a new technologically driven world in the 4IR era. As a more efficient technology than its predecessors, 5G was designed to meet the growing data and connectivity requirements of modern society.

Not only does the latest generation of mobile technology use spectrum in a much more efficient manner than its predecessors, as mentioned above, it can also fit more data into the same amount of spectrum (known as spectral efficiency measured in terms of bits/Hz). This makes it a good option to provide fibre-like connectivity in areas which currently do not have fibre to the home or business.

5G will enable fibre-like speeds using the mobile network. The higher speeds from 5G will also enable entirely new applications in future like augmented and Virtual Reality (VR) which will be helpful to realise new applications such as e-education, remote healthcare and also entirely new forms of entertainment like watching a sports game live in VR from your home.

Another area which 5G significantly improves upon is latency. This is the time it takes for devices to send and receive signals between each other, which has become essential to applications that require near-real-time responses.

Improved latency will also support cloud gaming, smart homes, smart cities and mission-critical smart manufacturing and utilities. 5G devices are also capable of connecting many more applications and devices to the network. It is for this reason that the technology is widely viewed as the true enabler of the Internet of Things.

When it comes to people living in rural areas being able to afford 5G devices, it is worth noting that 5G devices are expected to become more quickly accessible to South Africans in future comparing the same time curve since the introduction of 4G devices.

This is already illustrated by countries such as China, where we have seen the wide proliferation of 5G devices in a fairly short space of time. The rollout of 5G in countries like China, USA, South Korea and also many European countries, will create economies of scale which in turn vastly improves the affordability of devices.

In addition to this, we are already seeing the introduction of increasingly cost-effective 5G enabled smartphones around the world, not just in the premium segment but also in the mid-tier segment.

South Africa has already seen the considerable benefits of 5G in catering for the increased demand for data during our national lockdown, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Higher generation mobile technologies have a vital part to play in driving a more equal and digitally-enabled future. It’s more important than ever to focus on making the widespread adoption of these technologies a reality.

Nicholas Naidu, Managing Executive: Group Technology Strategy, Architecture & Assurance at Vodacom

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

Vodacom and AFI to Drive Financial Inclusion in Africa

October 23, 2020

South Africa’s leading mobile telecoms firm Vodacom has joined forces with AFI to drive financial inclusion across Africa through knowledge sharing with financial policymakers and regulators. According to the companies, the partnership, which runs until October 2021, should enhance select AFI member services and platforms with private sector insights.

Nkateko Nyoka, Chief Legal and Regulatory Officer at Vodacom

“AFI members in Africa are among the world’s pioneers in mobile money services, having fostered decades of ground-breaking innovations that have shaped the financial inclusion landscape across the continent and beyond,” says Dr Alfred Hannig, AFI Executive Director. Regulators in the region have turned the current pandemic into opportunities to accelerate financial inclusion and ensure that no one is left behind.

“As the region’s economies emerge from the impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic, improving quality and usage of digital financial services, especially for women, youth, micro and small businesses and other vulnerable groups will be integral. Open dialogue among policymakers, regulators and the private sector is an important component of these efforts,” adds Hannig.

Vodacom’s engagement with AFI is expected to enrich the network through: Technical knowledge contributions to AFI’s PPD webinars, particularly where the focus is on financial inclusion policy implications in Africa. High-level discourse among leaders of AFI members and partner institutions in the Africa Regional Policy Initiative (AfPI).

“Financial and digital inclusion for all underscores Vodacom’s commitment to the communities in which we operate,” says Nkateko Nyoka, Chief Legal and Regulatory Officer at Vodacom.

“Through existing platforms like M-Pesa we connect 42 million customers across Africa to facilitate safe and secure mobile payments and our VodaLend offering as part of Vodacom Financial Services is specifically designed to assist small to medium-sized businesses with access to funding.”

“This is why partnering with AFI maps to Vodacom’s existing purpose and allows us to accelerate this work across the continent with access to their extensive African network. We also believe strongly in the power of partnerships and what the pandemic has taught us is that collaboration and partnerships are crucial to help address problems and challenges as effectively as possible. It is the only way we will truly be able to move past the challenges of today and build the future of tomorrow.”

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

Vodacom to sell South African-made Mara smartphones

December 10, 2019

Following the launch of Mara’s smartphone factory in October, Vodacom has announced that Mara smartphones will be available at participating outlets from Monday (9 December).

“Vodacom is proud to offer the ‘Made in Africa’ Mara smartphones to our customers, not only because it provides South Africans with the opportunity to connect to the things that matter most to them, but also because this supports our commitment to African innovation,” says Davide Tacchino, Terminals managing executive at Vodacom.

“Vodacom believes that the journey into the Fourth Industrial Revolution begins with investment that leads to growth.

“Our end-goal is to connect all South Africans to a better future. Being able to do so with devices made right here in our country, while simultaneously contributing to skills and job growth, is very exciting.”

Tacchino said that the two planned smartphones for consumers to purchase are the Mara Z and Mara X.

The Mara Z is a high-performance device that uses the latest AndroidOne operating system and offers 3GB and 32GB storage, a 5.7″ LCD Display, back and front 13 MP cameras, and a robust security system that keeps the phone clean and fast.

The Mara X is the “lite” version of the smartphone which specifically caters to those consumers who need to be frugal with their data spend. Operated by Android Go, the device hosts a “lighter” version of popular apps such as YouTube and Gmail combined with a 3500 mAh battery to enhance performance and user experience.

“The Mara Phones factory in South Africa employs over 200 people, 90% of which are previously skilled, unemployed youth and 60% of these employees are women,” said Ashish J. Thakkar, CEO of Mara Phones.

“Mara phones offer an opportunity to create a strong mobile device sector in the country which would lead to economic growth & job creation. We are appreciative to Vodacom for their commitment and support to Mara Phones and look forward to building on this solid partnership from strength to strength”.

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

$150k Startup Accelerator Programme Launched In Tanzania By Vodacom

September 16, 2019

Mobile operator Vodacom has partnered innovation hub Smart Lab to launch a digital accelerator programme to help early-stage and growth-stage Tanzanian tech startups become profitable.

Vodacom Tanzania managing director Hisham Hendi.

The programme, funded to the tune of US$150,000 by Vodacom Tanzania and facilitated by Smart Lab, will run annually and aims to support startups in the mobile, fintech, media, health, education, and e-commerce spaces.

During the three-month programme, participants will have access to Vodacom’s corporate resources, networks, mentors and partners. It will culminate with a demo day, with winners gaining a further six months of support.

“Vodacom always aims to create impactful sustainable change in the societies where we operate, in line with our strategic business focus, and the Vodacom Accelerator aims to do just that,” said Vodacom Tanzania managing director Hisham Hendi.

“Digital technology is not only changing the way we do business in Africa, but also revolutionising the way we perceive and solve issues of development. It is therefore with great honour that we will once again create an opportunity for such ideas to be recognised, supported and transformed to maximize social impact.”

Smart Lab chief executive officer Edwin Bruno said his company was excited to be part of the initiative.

“Together with Vodacom we hope to create a brand-building platform for the tech-savvy youth. This programme is in line with our corporate strategy to drive messaging around youth support in the digital age, and we are grateful for Vodacom Tanzania who saw the need to create the next round of success stories for African entrepreneurs building fast-growing technology companies coming from within the country,” he said.

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.