Tech

Zambian nuns create social enterprise startups to help local communities

Published

2 months ago

March 27, 2023

A group of Zambian nuns under the auspices of Religious Sisters of the Holy Spirit, have set up a social enterprise accelerator known as the “Start Your Social Enterprise” aimed at empowering women in local communities.

Led by Rev. Sister Juunza Christabel Mwangani of Emerging Farmers Initiative, a 2022 awardee of the Builders of Africa’s Future (BAF) by the African Diaspora Network (ADN), the group is bent on improving the lives of rural dwellers in the eastern African country.

With a $25,000 grant from the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF), the nuns, according to Mwangani, decided to launching the Start Your Social Enterprise training.

While speaking at the launching in Lusaka on Monday, Mwangani said the initiative came after she participated in a Silicon Valley social enterprise accelerator which in 2019, linked with a network of African nuns to help low-income families help themselves.

Armed with previous experience in business as well as a business degree, Mwangani said she is blending her charity work with business.

Based in the southern province of Zambia, Mwangani has been a sister for the past 20 years, working as a hospital administrator and on the social enterprise sector in the country.

At the just concluded African Diaspora Investment Symposium (ADIS23), in the Silicon Valley, California, United States of America, Mwangani set the ball rolling on the opening day of ADIS23 with a fireside chat on Changemakers: Catholic Sisters on the continent.

Speaking on the significance of ADIS23, Mwangani said:

“It is an essential follow-up to the selected entrepreneurs on the Builders of Africa’s Future project, an elite list of entrepreneurs within Africa that have shown concepts and solutions that can build the future of Africa in the sense that they have come up with innovations that are likely to change the narrative and bring out what Africa needs to grow to its potential.”

“We are into education for eco-friendly agriculture and entrepreneurship skills. What we are really doing is to combine agriculture skills and entrepreneurship into education because we know that when education is solely on academics only, we are likely to have more people who are looking for white collar jobs after finishing school.”

“We are equipping them with skills so that when they walk out of class, they are not waiting for somebody to create wealth and employment for them.”

“What I took away from the conference is that the future of Africa is in the hands of Africans. It is for us to devise our own future and I am going back home as an African to chart African solutions for Africa,” she added.

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Tech

Flutterwave partners Token.io to provide seamless bank transfer to users in UK, EU

Published

16 hours ago

June 7, 2023

Akanimoh Etim

Pan-Africa’s payments technology company, Flutterwave has entered into a partnership with Europe’s account-to-account (A2A) payment infrastructure provider, Token.io to power “Pay By Bank” transfer capabilities using its platform.

Flutterwave’s Chief Executive Officer, Olugbenga Agboola, who made the announcement at the ongoing “Money20/20 Europe fintech conference in Amsterdam” on Wednesday, said the A2A payments would be a fast and secure way to move money between bank accounts, especially for Africans.

“Our partnership with Token.io will make it even faster and easier for individuals and businesses to pay and receive money,” Agboola said.

“By partnering with Token.io to provide Account-to-Account payments to our customers, Flutterwave will advance its mission of connecting Africa to the global economy,” he added.

According to the Flutterwave CEO, open banking-powered A2A payments do not require registration or error-prone data entry, making them a seamless payment method.

“End-users would have authenticate A2A payments directly with their bank for a frictionless experience that also delivers higher success rates than market standards, thereby offer merchants cost savings compared to traditional payment methods and settle instantly to improve cash flow”, he said.

Also speaking on the partnership, Todd Clyde, the CEO of Token.io said it underscored the platform’s commitment to enabling payment providers to grow with open banking-powered A2A payments.

“We’re confident that Token.io’s infrastructure will help Flutterwave offer its customers a more comprehensive payment solution, with A2A payments being a key part of this for UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa corridors,” said Clyde.

Tech

Samsung Electronics launches e-waste program in Kenya

Published

2 days ago

June 6, 2023

Akanimoh Etim

Samsung Electronics East Africa has entered into a partnership with Kenya’s home appliances store, Housewife’s Paradise, to commence the collection of e-waste for recycling aimed at providing a joint-effort on environmental conservation.

According to Samsung East African Head of Service Division, Ronald Mitei, the collection of e-waste would begin in Nairobi before scaling to the rest of the country by the end of the year.

Under the e-waste management program, Housewife’s Paradise will collect Samsung brand-only e-waste at a customer’s preferred time and date, with the waste delivered to WEEE Centre, the official Samsung recycling partner in Kenya and then be discarded.

“We have been dedicated to responsible e-waste management for the last few years and we now want to scale it up to ensure that we minimize any negative environmental impact of our products,” Mitei said.

“This includes taking responsibility for the end-of-life phase of our products to prevent environmental harm. Our e-waste program and recycling program are an important part of this commitment,” he added while addressing a press conference on Tuesday.

“Samsung Electronics is strongly committed to proper e-waste disposal and we believe in safeguarding our environment through responsible disposal and recycling of electronic waste, transforming it from being hazardous to beneficial.

“Working together with our partners, we can ensure that waste is not just discarded, but transformed into reusable materials.

“This collaboration embodies our shared dedication to sustainable practices, conservation, and the health of our planet,” Mitei added.

Also speaking during the press conference, Managing Director of Housewife’s Paradise, Zul Jamal, said:

“As a responsible home appliance retailer, we understand the importance of proper e-waste disposal.

“It’s not just about selling new appliances; it is also about ensuring that the old ones are retired in a way that is safe for our environment.

“That is why we are devoted to providing our customers with easy access to responsible recycling options, and encouraging the sustainable disposal of electronic products.”