Vodafone and Google have announced a significant 10-year strategic partnership expansion, aiming to bring new AI-powered services, devices, and TV experiences to millions of Vodafone customers across Europe and Africa. The deal, valued at over a billion dollars, will leverage Google Cloud and Google's Gemini models to provide enhanced storage, security, and AI assistance to Vodafone's customers in 15 countries and partners in 45 additional markets.

This collaboration represents a deepening of the existing relationship between the two companies, with Vodafone already using Google's analytics and marketing services.The partnership will focus on several key areas, including the expansion of Google's AI-powered Pixel devices on Vodafone's 5G network, the enhancement of Vodafone TV using Google Cloud's generative AI capabilities, and the development of a new cloud-native cybersecurity service for Vodafone's business customers.

By 2025, Vodafone plans to offer Google One AI Premium subscription plans, which include Gemini Advanced, in select territories. Additionally, Vodafone will utilize Google Cloud's Vertex AI platform to build and deploy machine learning models and AI applications powered by Google's Gemini models.

This strategic expansion comes at a time when Vodafone is facing challenges in its proposed merger with rival Three, which has raised concerns from the UK's competition regulator. The partnership with Google is seen as a move to strengthen Vodafone's position in the rapidly evolving telecommunications market, particularly in the areas of AI and cloud services. Both companies have expressed their commitment to promoting responsible AI use, online safety, and interoperability standards to drive innovation and improve public services at scale.

On October 1, 2024, Kenya unveiled two significant initiatives aimed at attracting more visitors and boosting its tourism sector: the Transit and Long Connection Travelers Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) and the Class N Digital Nomad Visa. These measures were announced by President William Ruto at the 2024 Magical Kenya Travel Expo, highlighting the country's commitment to enhancing its appeal as a global destination.

The Transit eTA allows passengers with long layovers at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to leave the terminal and explore Nairobi and other nearby attractions. President Ruto explained, "It will now be possible for travellers who have 12 hours, instead of spending it at the airport, they can step out, they can come and enjoy a meal in the city, they can go to the national park, they can see our wildlife, they can visit our national museum and be able to travel back"

This initiative aims to provide transit visitors with a taste of Kenya's offerings, potentially encouraging future longer stays.Simultaneously, Kenya introduced the Class N Digital Nomad Visa, allowing foreign professionals to live and work remotely in the country while maintaining employment with companies outside Kenya. To qualify, applicants must demonstrate a valid passport, proof of remote work, an annual income of at least $55,000 from non-Kenyan sources, accommodation arrangements, and a clean criminal record.

This visa not only supports long-term residency but also offers a pathway to permanent residency and citizenship, aiming to attract skilled workers, particularly in tech and innovation, to bolster Kenya's growing tech ecosystem.

Morocco has unveiled its ambitious Digital 2030 strategy, aiming to transform its economy and society by creating 240,000 jobs in the digital sector and contributing 100 billion dirhams ($10.36 billion) to the nation's GDP by 2030. The strategy focuses on launching 3,000 startups in cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, distributed ledger technology, and cloud services. The Moroccan government is investing over $1.1 billion to support the development of fabrication laboratories, prototyping centers, and attracting global tech companies to the region.

The Digital 2030 strategy aims to elevate Morocco's position in the United Nations Online Services Index from 100th to 50th place globally, expand 5G coverage to 70% of the country, and ensure more Moroccans have access to high-speed internet. The Minister of Digital Transition, Ghita Mezzour, emphasized the strategy's role in fostering economic growth, enhancing public services, and fully integrating digital technologies into everyday life. The government is collaborating with various stakeholders to create a unified digital portal that standardizes administrative procedures, with the Moroccan Agency for Digital Development (ADD) playing a pivotal role in driving the digitalization of public services.

Recent developments in Morocco's digital landscape include the introduction of a blockchain engineering course by Binance Academy and Blockchain Centre at a university in Casablanca, aiming to educate over one million students globally by 2026. Additionally, the Moroccan startup Tookeez secured $1.5 million in funding for its blockchain-based customer loyalty solution. The Hashgraph Association has also expressed its support for Morocco's digitization efforts, forming strategic partnerships to enhance citizen services and foster innovation in entrepreneurship across Morocco and Africa. Starting in October 2023, Hashgraph and Tunisia's Dar blockchain held four hackathons as part of a broader strategy to build the North African community and source talent for an upcoming incubation program.

CRDB Bank, Tanzania's leading agricultural financier, has joined the Mobilizing Access to the Digital Economy (MADE) Alliance: Africa. This partnership, announced at the 79th UN General Assembly, aims to connect millions of Tanzanian farmers to digital financial services.

The bank's FahariKilimo account offers farmers digital payments, savings, insurance, and credit access. CRDB is expanding its reach through the IMBEJU Kilimo program, providing financial literacy, digital solutions, and seed capital to small-scale farmers. As an accredited partner of the UN Green Climate Fund, CRDB also helps farmers adopt climate-resilient practices and technologies.

This initiative aligns with CRDB's mission to modernize Tanzania's agricultural sector. By combining financial services with advanced technology and community engagement, CRDB is working to empower farmers, enhance yields, and drive economic transformation in Tanzania's crucial agricultural sector.

The Global Startup Awards Africa (GSA) Africa has named 16 category winners at the GSA Africa Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The awards, launched in 2021, have nominated over 15,000 African innovators from 54 countries and hundreds of innovation hubs across the continent. The winners span diverse categories, including Startup of the Year (Hiryo, Egypt), Best Newcomer (Awabah, Nigeria), Best Mobility and Logistics (BasiGo, Kenya), Best Greentech (Coffee Resurrect, Ethiopia), and Best Edtech (Dataleum, Nigeria).

The awards aim to raise the visibility of African innovation as a unifying mechanism that transcends borders, cultures, and nationalities, fostering understanding and connection among the continent's diverse startup ecosystems. The winners have the exclusive opportunity to engage with the GIIG Africa Fund, a profit-and-purpose vehicle providing catalytic funding to enable African tech entrepreneurs to thrive in businesses that pioneer global solutions to pressing challenges.

The GSA Africa Summit serves as an enabler of collaborative transformation, leveraging and amplifying Africa's growing influence in the global community. In March 2023, two African startups, Ethiopian greentech startup Kubik and Ugandan fintech startup Emata, were named global winners at the previous season's grand finale in Copenhagen, competing against more than 120 companies from 115 countries. This demonstrates the potential for African startups to make a significant impact on the global stage.

Zambia and Burundi have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a fibre optic connection between the two countries via Lake Tanganyika. The project involves laying a fibre optic cable under the lake, connecting Mpulungu District in Zambia's Northern Province to Burundi.A private company has already laid 350 kilometers of cable in Lake Tanganyika, marking significant progress in the initiative.

Zambia's Technology and Science Minister, Felix Mutati, highlighted that this connection will make Burundi the ninth country to be linked to Zambia through fibre optic infrastructure.The project is expected to position Zambia as a regional hub for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and enable Burundi to relay information through Zambia to South and East African countries.

Burundi's Minister of Communication, Technology and Information, Léocadie Ndacayisaba, emphasized that this collaboration will improve the lives of people in both countries by providing access to faster internet for communication.

The M-PESA Foundation has joined forces with Zuri Health to launch a breast cancer awareness campaign in Kenya. This initiative, coinciding with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, aims to educate women about the importance of early detection and regular screenings.The campaign will leverage Zuri Health's digital platform to provide free breast cancer consultations and discounted mammograms to women across Kenya. By combining M-PESA Foundation's reach and resources with Zuri Health's telemedicine capabilities, the partnership seeks to improve access to breast cancer information and screening services, particularly in underserved areas. This collaboration underscores the growing role of digital health solutions in addressing critical healthcare challenges in Africa, potentially setting a model for future public-private partnerships in health awareness and prevention efforts.

Google has begun rolling out advanced theft protection features for Android devices running version 10 and later. These features, initially announced at the I/O 2024 developer conference, are designed to enhance security and safeguard personal data in the event of phone theft.

The new security measures include three key components: Theft Detection Lock, Offline Device Lock, and Remote Lock. Theft Detection Lock uses Google AI to detect potential theft motions, such as someone snatching a phone and fleeing, and quickly locks the device. Offline Device Lock activates if a thief attempts to disconnect the phone for extended periods, automatically locking the screen to protect data even when offline. Remote Lock allows users to secure their device using just their phone number and a security challenge from any other device, buying time to recover account details and access additional options in Find My Device. While the global rollout is gradual, these features represent a significant step in Google's commitment to protecting user data and preventing unauthorized access in high-risk situations.

FirstBank has announced the full restoration of its mobile banking platform, FirstMobile, following a recent upgrade that caused temporary service disruptions. The bank confirmed that the app is now fully operational, offering enhanced digital banking services to customers worldwide.

Folake Ani-Mumuney, FirstBank's Group Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications, emphasized the bank's commitment to delivering seamless and innovative financial services. She advised customers experiencing any lingering issues to contact FirstBank's dedicated customer service team through various channels, including phone and email. The bank also reminded customers of alternative banking options available during any future disruptions, such as FirstOnline, Firstmonie Wallet, ATMs, and USSD banking.

Peach Payments has teamed up with Kenyan CRM platform Shukiba to offer WhatsApp-based sales for South African businesses. This partnership lets merchants add product catalogs to WhatsApp, enabling sales, payments, and delivery scheduling through the messaging app. Customers can pay using various methods, including cards, EFT, and buy-now-pay-later options, all powered by Peach Payments' system.The collaboration aims to boost chat commerce in South Africa, giving businesses a complete platform for customer engagement, sales, and service on WhatsApp. Peach Payments CEO Rahul Jain highlighted the move's importance, noting WhatsApp's 94% penetration among South African internet users. This integration offers a solution that bridges traditional online sales with the growing trend of chat-based commerce, potentially reshaping how businesses interact with customers in the digital space.

American Express Middle East has formed a partnership with Telr, a payment service provider. This collaboration aims to expand payment options for American Express cardmembers in the Middle East and North Africa region. The partnership will allow American Express cardmembers to use their cards at more merchants across various sectors, including retail, travel, and hospitality.

Telr's payment gateway will now support American Express card payments, giving merchants the ability to accept these cards for both online and in-store transactions. This move is expected to increase the number of locations where American Express cards can be used in the region.

The partnership reflects American Express Middle East's efforts to enhance its presence in the local market and provide more convenient payment options for its customers. By working with Telr, American Express aims to meet the growing demand for diverse payment methods in the Middle East and North Africa.

Tmcel, Mozambique's state-owned telecommunications provider, has entered into a partnership with Ericsson to enhance its network infrastructure and improve service delivery. This collaboration focuses on deploying Ericsson's Business Support Systems (BSS) and Operational Support Systems (OSS) solutions, which will modernize Tmcel's billing and collection platforms while enhancing overall customer experience. Additionally, the implementation of Ericsson's Mobile Money solution aims to promote financial inclusion in the region.

This partnership comes at a crucial juncture for Tmcel, which has been grappling with financial difficulties and a declining subscriber base in recent years. The Mozambican government is keen on revitalizing Tmcel to strengthen its position in a competitive market dominated by Vodacom and Movitel. By modernizing its infrastructure, Tmcel seeks to adapt to evolving customer needs and improve its service offerings, ultimately contributing to the digital growth of Mozambique.

Sierra Leone is set to host the UN Women in Tourism Africa Regional Congress in Freetown from October 29-31, 2024, focusing on advancing women's roles in the tourism sector beyond empowerment to education, innovation, and access to finance. The event, organized in collaboration with UN Tourism and supported by UN Women and the African Union, will gather prominent leaders, policymakers, and women entrepreneurs from across Africa to discuss practical strategies and solutions. Despite making up nearly 67% of Africa's tourism workforce, women are underrepresented in leadership roles and face barriers in accessing resources crucial for their success in the industry.

The three-day congress will feature high-level panel discussions, mentorship opportunities, case studies on gender-responsive policies, and workshops on financial access, innovation, and education. Sessions will focus on integrating new technologies, digital tools, and business strategies to support women entrepreneurs in the tourism sector. The event aligns with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including gender equality, quality education, decent work and economic growth, and reducing inequalities.

Key speakers and panelists include Ms. Elicia Grandcourt (Director for Africa, UN Tourism), Ms. Natalia Bayona (Executive Director, UN Tourism), Mrs. Oulimata Sarr (former Minister of the Economy, Planning, and Cooperation of Senegal and former UN Women Regional Director for West and Central Africa), and Kojo Bentum-Williams (Senior Expert on Communications in Africa, UN Tourism). The congress will conclude with a closed session chaired by Hon. Nabeela Farida Tunis (Sierra Leone's Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs and Chair of the Women in Tourism Leadership Africa Committee) to outline the WITLAC Action Plan for 2025-2026, focusing on fundraising strategies and expanding women's participation in tourism leadership.American Express Middle East Teams Up with Telr.

Equator Africa, a venture capital firm, has secured an additional $5 million from the International Financial Corporation (IFC) to support businesses and innovation in the African climate tech sector. This funding, along with a $1.5 million guarantee from the Korea Green Resilient and Innovative Development (K-GRID) Programme, brings the total fund size to $54 million. The investment reflects IFC's commitment to supporting businesses that contribute to economic growth while reducing emissions and resource use in Africa.

The fund primarily focuses on early-stage, tech-enabled companies in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Kenya and Nigeria, but has also invested in companies operating in various other African countries. Equator Africa has previously invested in six companies, including SunCulture, Roam, Odyssey, Apollo Agriculture, Ibisa, and Downforce Technologies, which collectively span sectors such as green energy, agriculture, mobility, and climate risk insurance.

African climate tech startups have experienced significant growth in funding over the past five years, with investments rising from $340 million in 2019 to $1.1 billion in 2023. Despite this growth, reports indicate that the current funding levels are insufficient to meet Africa's climate targets by 2030, as annual climate funding must increase from $30 billion to nearly $300 billion to address mitigation and adaptation needs. Recent developments, such as Satgana's first fund for early-stage climate tech startups in Africa and the African Development Bank Group's $10 million commitment to the KawiSafi II Fund, suggest continued growth and support for the African climate tech sector.

Old Mutual, one of South Africa's largest insurance companies, has launched its own mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) called Old Mutual Connect. The MVNO, which operates in partnership with Cell C and leverages the networks of Vodacom and MTN, aims to provide affordable mobile connectivity to the lower segment of the market through competitive data plans and personalized bundles.

The launch of Old Mutual Connect is part of the company's integrated financial services strategy, as affordable data and reliable connectivity are seen as critical for customers in the mass market to fully participate in the mainstream economy. Clarence Nethengwe, MD of Old Mutual's Mass Foundation cluster and CEO designate of the company's upcoming bank, emphasized the importance of digital interaction for customers engaging with Old Mutual's propositions.

Old Mutual Connect offers consumers SIM cards for as little as R5 from any Old Mutual branch, along with a variety of customizable data bundles. Users receive 1GB of free data upon activating their SIMs and can take advantage of a two-for-one data bundle promotion. The MVNO also provides hassle-free assistance with RICA registration and number porting. With this move, Old Mutual joins a growing number of South African banks and financial services companies venturing into the mobile services market.

African startups raised $138 million in funding during September 2024, according to a report by Africa: The Big Deal. While this figure is slightly below the 12-month average of $159 million, the number of startups securing significant investments increased substantially, with 61 startups raising over $100,000 compared to the usual average of 42. The majority of funding (90%) went to startups in Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana, with Egypt-based companies securing the largest deals.

Three startups stood out with major investments exceeding $20 million: FlapKap, an Egypt-born and Abu Dhabi-based fintech, raised $34 million in a pre-Series A round; Paymob, another Egyptian fintech, secured $22 million as an extension to its Series B round; and Ghanaian fintech Fido raised $20 million in Series B equity funding. The month also saw two notable exits, including the $70 million acquisition of South African AI financial reporting platform Syft by Xero

This funding surge in September marks a significant recovery from the sharp decline observed in August 2024, when funding dropped by 87% to just $56 million. The latest figures suggest a potential stabilization in the African startup ecosystem, which had previously crossed the $1 billion investment mark for 2024 in July. Despite the overall positive trend, the funding landscape remains volatile, with fintech startups continuing to dominate the investment scene in Africa.

A new report from PR firm Wimbart reveals a significant communication gap between African startups and their investors, potentially hindering future fundraising efforts. While startups have increased the frequency of their reporting, the information provided often lacks sufficient context for investors to fully understand the businesses. This misalignment is particularly concerning as 88% of investors rely on these reports when making future investment decisions.

The report highlights that both founders and investors agree on the importance of reporting, but differ on the type of information that should be shared. Startup founders advocate for a standardized approach to reporting and argue that investors often fail to ask for critical metrics such as customer acquisition cost, lifetime value, and churn rate. Meanwhile, over two-thirds of investors have intensified their focus on portfolio startups' reporting in the last 18 months, citing concerns about financial stability and sustainability.

This communication gap is exacerbated by a lack of trust, with some founders fearing that investors might share confidential information about their startups. The report suggests that a standardized reporting approach with flexibility for market nuances could help bridge this gap. The findings are particularly relevant given the current funding drought in the African tech ecosystem, with the report noting that over 70% of surveyed startups and investors are in the pre-seed and seed stages, underscoring the youth of the African startup ecosystem.

Zepz, the parent company of global remittance solutions WorldRemit and Sendwave, has raised $267 million in a Series F funding round led by Accel, with participation from LeapFrog Investments, TCV, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. The company aims to use the investment to accelerate its growth and continue serving the financial needs of migrants worldwide.

Founded in 2010, Zepz has established itself as a leading player in the cross-border remittance market. Its WorldRemit app enables users to send money to over 130 countries, while its Sendwave app focuses on remittances to Africa and Asia. The company's mission is to provide accessible, reliable, and affordable financial services to migrants and their families.

The Series F funding comes three years after Zepz's $292 million Series E round, which propelled the company to a $5 billion valuation and prompted a rebranding from its former name, WorldRemit. Despite the resilience of the remittance industry during economic challenges, Zepz remains vigilant in enhancing its products, addressing customer churn, and staying competitive in the market. The company achieved profitability for the first time in its history, demonstrating its strong position in the global remittance landscape.

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has launched an aggressive web scraping bot called Bytespider, which is collecting data at an unprecedented rate. According to research from Kasada, Bytespider is scraping the internet 25 times faster than OpenAI's GPTbot and 3,000 times faster than Anthropic's ClaudeBot. This aggressive data collection comes despite the potential ban of TikTok in the United States, as President Biden has signed legislation requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok or shut it down due to national security concerns

The rapid data collection by Bytespider suggests that ByteDance is attempting to catch up in the generative AI race. Last year, the company was reportedly using OpenAI to help build its own large language model (LLM), which violated OpenAI's terms of service. ByteDance has since released its own chat-based LLM called Duabo, and it's clear that the company is working on a new LLM, possibly to improve TikTok's search function. This development comes as TikTok recently updated its search function to allow advertisers to search for trending keywords in real-time

The aggressive web scraping by ByteDance raises concerns about data privacy and copyright infringement. Like other major tech companies' bots, Bytespider does not respect robots.txt, a code that signals which data scraper bots are allowed to access on a website. This practice has become controversial with the rise of generative AI tools, as individuals and organizations argue that their copyrighted work is being infringed upon when scraped for AI training datasets. The situation is further complicated by ByteDance's ties to China, which has led to increased scrutiny and potential bans of TikTok in various countries, including the United States.

African markets brace for potential impacts as Kenya's Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua faces an impeachment motion in parliament, accused by President William Ruto's allies of inciting ethnic hatred and undermining the government. Meanwhile, Tanzania is set to release September consumer inflation data, and Kenya's central bank will announce its latest lending rate decision. These events unfold amidst a backdrop of rallying mainland Chinese stocks, buoyed by Beijing's aggressive stimulus measures, and falling oil prices as traders take profits following fears of a potential region-wide war in the Middle East.

The South African rand gained against the dollar on Monday, with investors focusing on upcoming U.S. inflation data and Federal Reserve comments. Uganda's central bank trimmed its key lending rate for the second consecutive time to 9.75%, citing expectations of near-term inflation remaining below target. In mining news, a U.S. congressional watchdog found no evidence that the 2012 SEC conflict minerals disclosure rule has reduced violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, while Fortuna Mining stated that the Burkina Faso government does not intend to withdraw the company's existing mining permits.

Other notable developments include the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's plans to issue its second-highest level of travel notice for Rwanda due to the Marburg disease outbreak, a tragic mine pit collapse in Zambia's Mumbwa District that killed 10 people and injured five, and above-average rainfall in Ivory Coast's main cocoa-producing regions, boosting farmers' hopes for higher output. Lastly, Ivanhoe Mines announced plans to build a copper mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo, prioritizing organic growth in a sector dominated by deal-making.

The Reserve Bank of India announced on Monday that it has signed a currency swap agreement with the Maldives Monetary Authority as part of the SAARC Currency Swap Framework for 2024-27. This agreement allows the MMA to access financing support from the RBI amounting to $400 million through the US Dollar/Euro Swap Window and approximately Rs 3,000 crore via the INR Swap Window.

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