Tech

Zambia signs agreement with Gambia to block revenue leakages using technology

Published

9 months ago

February 16, 2024

Zambia has sealed an agreement with Gambia which will enable the two countries seal revenue leakages in all tax types, including the Value Added Tax which has proved to be a challenge on the African continent.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in Lusaka on Thursday between officials of the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) and the Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA).

ZRA Commissioner-General, Dingani Banda who signed on behalf of the eastern African country, said the MoU was necessary as there was a need to leverage on technology in tax administration to mitigate revenue leakages.

“We need to believe that we can provide solutions to our problems and fortunately we are living in a time where technology is available to us, the same technology that is available in developed countries,” Banda said.

“There is now a huge opportunity for us to leverage on the knowledge in terms of skills that the market provides, the technology available to us and develop solutions that will address our problems.”

The ZRA boss further noted that the MoU was the manifestation of the South to South cooperation for enhanced domestic revenue collection as the anchor for development and poverty alleviation on the African continent.

On his part, the GRA Commissioner-General, Yankuba Darboe, said African countries were at a level where they needed to work hard in terms of mobilising the needed revenue for their governments.

Darboe said he was confident that enhanced revenue collection will assist African countries not to rely on external sources to have revenue for development for their countries.

“I believe that we can get there, if only we try to change the way of our operations in terms of using the manual systems of collecting revenue but rather we try to digitalise our systems. This is going to close up all the leakages that are within the systems, we have to level up.

“The reason why we are collecting a certain amount of revenue of our country is that we have not gone full digitalisation. The way we are going is the way forward.

“Once we are able to digitalise, most of our operation, you will realise that the leakages will be minimum and finally more collection of revenue of our countries,” he added.

Related Topics:Agreement Featured Gambia MOU Zambia

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Tech

Bolt invests $107m in Nigeria to boost safety standards

Published

4 days ago

November 14, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Ride-hailing platform, Bolt, has announced an investment of $107 million in its bid to boost safety and service quality in Nigeria’s ride-hailing sector, with a special technology enhancing safety standards for both drivers and passengers.

Lola Masha, Bolt’s Regional Manager for North and West Africa, who made the announcement in a statement, said the “investment will fund new safety technologies, accident prevention measures, customer support upgrades, and public safety awareness campaigns, underscoring Bolt’s commitment to providing a secure and reliable platform.”

She revealed that as part of its quality check, the company had removed more than 5,000 drivers from its platform in 2023 so as to cleanup its database cleanup effort and will continue to implementing a driver score system to maintain quality standards.

“The driver score evaluates performance by monitoring how frequently drivers accept ride requests, successfully complete trips, and respond to passenger feedback. Essentially, it rates drivers based on their performance over their last 100 trips,” she noted.

Masha emphasized that the move came as a result of complains by the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUTON) which raised concerns about the potential downsides experienced by users and the psychological stress on drivers, which could negatively affect their performance.

According to her, among the upcoming features are a four-digit trip pickup code and a trip counter, both aimed at making rides more secure and dependable for all users.

Tech

Egyptian VC Flat6Labs partners ITIDA to launch programme for tech startups

Published

5 days ago

November 12, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Egyptian Venture Capital firm, Flat6Labs, has partnered with Egypt’s Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) to launch an InvestIT programme which will offer tech startups in the country, particularly at the seed or pre-Series A stages, access to consultancy, tools, and investor connections to help them scale operations and enhance global competitiveness.

The programme, according to Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Dr Amr Talaat, will be run by the Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (TIEC), a subsidiary of ITIDA, and will support startups across various governorates, encouraging innovation and growth in Egypt’s digital economy.

“Through two phases, it will prepare startups for investment with tailored training sessions and workshops, followed by connecting them with local and international investors,” Talaat said in a statement.

“The Egyptian government remains steadfast in its dedication to cultivating a thriving tech startup ecosystem. We are rolling out diverse initiatives to equip entrepreneurs with essential skills, attract global incubators, and facilitate connections between startups and investors.

“By establishing Digital Egypt innovation hubs nationwide, we empower innovators to transform their ideas into successful ventures.

“Alongside this, we are streamlining processes and investing in advanced digital infrastructure, positioning Egypt among the top three countries in the Middle East and Africa for tech startup investments,” the Minister said.

Flat6Labs founder and chairman Hany El Sonbaty, who also spoke on the initiative, said the launch of the InvestIT programme has further expanded his company’s support for Egyptian entrepreneurs.

“This programme is not just about preparing startups for investment; it’s about equipping them with the tools and connections to scale their impact.

“Through our collaboration with ITIDA and TIEC, we’re committed to building a strong, vibrant ecosystem where startups can make a real impact on the tech landscape in Egypt,” he said.

The programme, he said, will support 12 startups over six-to-eight months with each startup receiving tailored consultancy services to enhance their investment readiness and assist with setting up data rooms and preparing for investor engagements.