Tech

Telecom giant, Orange partners Digital Africa to strengthen African startups

Published

11 months ago

June 17, 2023

Gloal telecommunications operator and digital service provider, Orange has inked a partnership deal with Digital Africa “to promote and strengthen the growth of African startups by leveraging the expertise and resources of the Orange Digital Centers and Digital Africa.”

This was made known by the CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa, Jérôme Hénique, and the CEO of Isadora Bigourdan, at the signing ceremony held in Nairobi, Kenya, on Friday.

The partnership, according to Hénique, is part of a collaborative arrangement which will see Orange working with Digital Africa to identify and select promising tech startups across the African continent into the Orange Digital Center where they will be able to access a range of resources, including mentoring programs, technical support, funding, and networking opportunities.

“The Orange Digital Centers (ODC) are ecosystems in 17 countries in Africa and the Middle East as well as countries in Europe, that support, train, and guide young people and those with innovative ideas, to enhance their employability and prepare them for the jobs of the future (AI, cybersecurity, etc.) or encourage them to become digital entrepreneurs,” he said.

The Orange Digital Centers bring together a range of free programs open to everyone all in one place, from digital training for young people to startup acceleration, as well as support and investment for project leaders, he added.

“To intensify its activities to develop digital entrepreneurship in the priority areas of each country: environment, e-agri, e-health, e-commerce, the Orange Digital Centers are entering today a new phase, ODC 2.0, with a special focus on women and the digitally excluded,” Bigourdan said.

“Digital Africa’s mission is to strengthen the capacity of African entrepreneurs to design and deploy digital innovations at scale for the real economy.

“Digital Africa’s operational approach is based on a clear diagnosis of entrepreneurs’ needs, directly from the field, to develop a set of programs around three main priorities,” he added.

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Tech

RepAir, Cella partner to launch carbon capture in Kenya

Published

1 day ago

April 27, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Global Direct Air Capture (DAC) firm, RepAir, has entered into a partnership with carbon storage technology company, Cella, to launch a first-of-its-kind innovative Carbon Capture and Storage venture in Kenya.

In a statement on its website on Friday, RepAir said the venture will see a replication of its “cultivating partnerships” with storage firms in Europe, U.S. and Africa.

“This storage agreement will streamline the sale of high-quality carbon credits to off-takers, enabling corporations to meet evolving ESG standards, manage offsets and advance towards net zero goals,” the statement issued by RePAir CEO, Amir Amir Shiner, stated.

“Our solution sets a new standard, requiring only 600 kWh per ton of CO2 captured, marking the lowest energy consumption on the market.

“This agreement is perfectly aligned with the launch of our commercial demonstrator in 2025, empowering RepAir to offer high-quality carbon credits to our customers.

“It will see to the establishment of a storage partnership with Cella aimed at creating dedicated value chains for extracting CO2 from the atmosphere and permanently storing it underground through in-situ mineralization.

Corey Pattison, CEO, Cella, who also issued a statement on the partnership, said “by partnering with Cella at our first demonstration site, RepAir can capitalize on two critical resources: the potential for truly permanent, highly verifiable carbon storage via mineralization combined with Kenya’s abundant renewable energy sources.

“Together these resources provide a comprehensive solution for capturing and storing CO2 for off-takers. This collaboration represents an extraordinary opportunity to nurture mutual growth.”

Tech

Intel Liftoff Hackathon 2024 calls for applications from African AI startups

Published

2 days ago

April 26, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Applications for the 2024 cohort of Intel Liftoff Hackathon has opened for African AI startups designed to bring together aspiring tech entrepreneurs, software developers, and AI enthusiasts to collaborate, innovate, and create solutions to concrete African challenges.

In its second edition, the hackathon welcomes pioneering early-stage AI startup teams from the African continent, delving into experiments with LLM technology, a statement on the website of the organiser stated.

It added that the Intel Liftoff Hackathon for African AI Startups, which will be held online on May 27-31, is themed “Hack and Connect”, and will take place in partnership with Modus Africa, University Mohamed VI Polytechnic, Morocco

Other partners include TUT Hub of Artificial Intelligence Institute of South Africa, Prosper Africa, UM6P Ventures, FAST Accelerator, Innov8 Technology Hubs, and Open Startups International.

“The hackathon will feature hands-on workshops that will allow learning of AI essentials; three days of challenges with mentors to test skills; exhibition opportunities to showcase startups and forge partnerships with industry leaders; and networking opportunities to engage with fellow startups and gain insights from domain experts in the AI ecosystem,” the statement said.

“Winners will be invited to join the Intel Liftoff for Startups programme, and receive unique mentoring sessions with ecosystem partners and marketing opportunities with blog articles,” it concluded.