15 Startups Selected by Nailab for Make-IT Accelerator Programme

Fifteen startups have been selected by Nailab to take part this month’s Make-IT accelerator programme, designed to strengthen entrepreneurs’ skills for scaling their businesses.

The Make-IT accelerator is implemented by the German International Cooperation (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) as part of BMZ’s Digital Africa Initiative.

They include: D printing startups AB3D and Micrive Infinite, agri-tech solutions Annona, Daktaripap and Taimba, energy-efficient cooking stove manufacturer Genexe Engineering, waste management startup Gjenge, and insurtech product GrassRoots Bima.

Rural ICT training firm ICT for Development Kenya, child software development training programme Tech Kidz Africa, e-health startup RedHunt, business information tool Sauti, and software development firm ZOA. Read: 

International Tourist Arrivals in Up 8% in 2017 (UNWTO)

International tourist arrivals in Africa grew by 8% in 2017, according to preliminary data provided by the latest UNWTO’s world tourism barometer.

The continent consolidated its 2016 rebound with a record of 62 million international tourists in 2017. A performance that profited most North Africa where tourist arrivals rose by 13% compared to 2016. Meanwhile, arrivals in sub-Saharan Africa increased by 5%. Read: 

Africa Needs US$130 Billion for Infrastructure Development Annually

The African Development Bank says that the continent needs at least US$130 billion for infrastructure development each year.

It has revised previous estimates by more than 30 per cent in its African Economic Outlook report for this year.

The document was launched at the bank’s headquarters in Abidjan on Wednesday.

“We’re guided by the trajectory of a growing Africa, a more resilient Africa and an Africa that must absolutely develop with what it has.” Read:

Ecobank Group Research reveals three key emerging trends for Africa

The first indicates an economic rebound in sub-Saharan Africa driven by a recovery in the region’s economic heavyweights, Nigeria and South Africa, and ongoing growth in the top performers, Ethiopia, Côte d’Ivoire and (more recently) Ghana.

The second emerging trend points to West Africa’s gas sector becoming a hive of activity in 2018 from Senegal to Angola, with the development of gas pipelines, floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) platforms and major gas field projects.

The third trend suggests Fintech innovation in Africa picking up speed in 2018 buoyed by a new generation of Africans who are ‘digital natives’. The proliferation of tech hubs across Africa (notably in South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire) will nurture the next wave of African start-ups and help connect them with investors.

Digital innovation in SSA is being driven by the explosion in mobile phone usage, enabling African consumers to leapfrog existing business models and technologies. Read: