Tech

Vodafone Ghana partners Lynk Global to provide 100% mobile coverage

Published

2 years ago

April 11, 2023

Vodafone Ghana has announced a partnership with Lynk Global, Inc., a satellite-direct-to-standard-phone telecoms company, aimed at providing mobile coverage to 100% of Ghana’s population using the Lynk’s “cell-towers-in-space.”

According to the terms of the partnership which is the second commercial contract with Telecel Group in Africa to provide services to Vodafone subscribers, Ghana’s 31 million residents will be captured in the new deal in every region of the country.

The CEO of Lynk Global, Charles Miller, in a statement on Tuesday, said the agreement had further extended Lynk’s leadership in the satellite-direct-to-standard-phone category in Africa and was an important milestone, as interest in the category continues to heat up.

“Lynk remains the only patented, proven and commercially-licensed company for satellite-direct-to-standard-phone technology anywhere in the world,” Miller said.

“Lynk’s cell towers in space will enable Telecel Group, which recently acquired Vodafone’s majority shares, to offer ubiquitous geographic coverage to over six million Vodafone Ghana subscribers and will be utilized for extending rural coverage, including Maritime Economic Zone, as a backup to ensure service resilience, continuity of IoT devices, and as a terrestrial tower replacement for underperforming economical or technical towers.”

The CEO of Vodafone Ghana, Patricia Obo-Nai, who expressed the company’s willingness to work with Lynk Global, said the partnership would provide the West African country a unique opportunity to connect with everyone.

“We are excited at the possibilities this partnership brings to the country. It provides the unique opportunity to connect everyone everywhere and accelerates the benefits that connectivity offers in health, education, and job creation, especially for our women and youth,’’ Obo-Nai said.

She added that following the takeover of its majority shares by Telecel Group, Vodafone Ghana had leveraged the partnership between Lynk and Telecel Group to provide innovative services and widespread mobile coverage across Ghana’s rural areas.

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Tech

20 African tech-preneurs embark on Korean innovation tour

Published

8 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The African Development Bank Group’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab has selected 20 promising tech entrepreneurs from various African technology ventures and enterprise support organisations to embark on a two-week study tour of the Republic of Korea, with the aim of seeking investment and insights from the country’s innovative tech ecosystem.

The selected entrepreneurs are from 133 ventures that participated in last month’s Africa Tech Startup Forum.

The forum which will hold under the auspices of the lab’s “Leveraging the Entrepreneurial and Innovation Success of Korea to Strengthen African Enterprise Support” project, had selected entrepreneurs who pitched the best business models during the week-long virtual market access and acceleration programme preparing, training, and connecting technology ventures with opportunities.

The 20 young tech-preneurs were selected from eight African countries including Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda, with the delegates spanning various sectors in the technology space.

While in Korea, the African delegates will pay visits to prestigious institutions such as Global Startup Centre, LG Science Park, the Korea Software Technology Association, and the Global Digital Innovation Network.

Speaking on behalf of the delegates, founder of Kenya-based health technology venture Zuri Health, Uche Ezadinachi said:

“I am excited to go to Korea because the country has made serious technological developments. The country is a technology-driven society, and this tour is an opportunity for me to see how we can bring such technology to Africa.

“We will share experiences with our Korean counterparts; they will learn from us as much as we learn from them,” he added.

Tech

Kenya’s ticketing startup BuuPass partners Flexpay for flexible travel payments

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Kenyan digital ticketing startup, BuuPass, has entered into a partnership with goal-based savings platform, Flexpay, to offer customers flexible payment plans ahead of holiday travels as well as simplify travel planning and ease the financial burden of holiday travel for Kenyans.

Co-founder and CEO at Buupass, Sonia Kabra, who unveiled the package at a press conference, said the collaboration between the two platforms will allow travellers to save for their journeys in manageable, interest-free installments over four to 12 weeks.

“Travelers can select their travel dates, book tickets, and pay a small deposit upfront, with the remaining balance spread across weekly or monthly payments,” she said.

“This approach offers a stress-free way for families and large groups to secure their tickets early, helping them avoid last-minute price hikes as fares are locked in.

“By partnering with Flexpay, we’re giving travelers the flexibility to budget for their trips in advance. This initiative aligns with our mission to make travel accessible to everyone, providing a solution that meets customers where they are financially,” said Kabra.

Also speaking at the event, Richard Machomba, CEO and founder of Flexpay, said:

“Flexpay’s mission is to empower individuals by providing accessible financial solutions that make it easier for them to achieve their financial goals.

“By partnering with BuuPass, we’re making travel more accessible and stress-free for Kenyans, especially during the holiday season when expenses can be overwhelming,” Machomba added.

Founded in 2016 by Kabra and Wyclife Omondi, BuuPass is a B2B2C mobility marketplace that enables users to search, compare, and book travel tickets via web, app, or USSD, while its SaaS platform helps bus operators manage their operations, inventory, and sales.

FlexPay, on the other hand, is an online and offline payment gateway that allows merchants to offer interest-free targeted savings to their customers in Africa.