Tech

M-PESA partners IFC to increase financial inclusion for farmers in Mozambique

Published

3 months ago

February 21, 2024

Mobile money transfer and payment service provider, M-Pesa, has entered into a partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) aimed at boosting financial inclusion for small-holder farmers in Mozambique.

The agreement will see IFC cooperating with Vodafone M-PESA Mozambique to support M-PESA in several key areas, including revamping and strengthening its existing agent network and conducting comprehensive countrywide training for M-PESA’s sales team and agents.

IFC will also assist M-PESA to review and expand its merchant acquisition and management strategy in Mozambique, and support M-PESA’s activities across different regions.

Sergio Gomes, Director of Vodafone M-PESA Mozambique, who announced the partnership, said the IFC and M-PESA Mozambique will “work together to explore and pilot new ways to expand mobile money services in rural areas, with the aim of increasing financial inclusion for smallholder farmers.”

“We have seen very positive results since M-PESA was launched in Mozambique in 2013 having paid about 9 billion Meticais ($142 million) in commissions to agents just in the last 5 years,” said Gomes.

“The new phase of M-PESA will focus on expanding our value proposition and use cases to limit the use of cash in the economy. One important vertical where we want to intervene is in agriculture where payments are dominated by cash.

“We believe that through this partnership with IFC, we can have an impact on farmers by digitizing their value chains beginning with payments received for their produce and moving out to developing more sophisticated products like insurance,” he added.

Related Topics:Featured IFC.M-Pesa. Mozambique Money Transfer

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Tech

Dubai’s cybersecurity firm CyberKnight sets up business in Africa

Published

15 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Dubai-based cybersecurity company, CyberKnight, has expanded its business into Africa by opening an office in Egypt.

CyberKnight, a cybersecurity advisory and value-added-distributor (VAD), which has its international headquarters in Dubai with a strong presence across the Middle East, announced its expansion into Africa on Friday with the appointment of Naoufal Mzali as the Regional Sales Director for the continent to spearhead its business development efforts on the continent.

As the newly appointed Regional Sales Director for Levant, Egypt & Africa, Mzali will lead the charge in strengthening CyberKnight’s presence in the territory and fostering growth in the African cybersecurity market, the company said in a statement.

“With over 17 years of experience in technology and cybersecurity, his strong engineering background, coupled with a successful track record in sales, makes Naoufal an asset to the CyberKnight team.”

A statement signed by Mzali to welcome CyberKnight into Africa said:

“We are excited to enter this new chapter of growth with CyberKnight’s on-the-ground expansion into Africa.

“Since the company’s inception, we have been doing business opportunistically in multiple African countries from our HQ in Dubai.

“This underscores our commitment to delivering best-of-breed cybersecurity expertise to enterprise and government customers, as well as strategic partners across Africa.

“Moving forward, we will be building teams across the continent, starting with North Africa.”

Tech

Google relaunches Hustle Academy with AI focus to empower African SMBs

Published

2 days ago

May 16, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Google has relaunched the 2024 cohort of its Hustle Academy, a programme dedicated to accelerating the growth of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Making the announcement on Thursday, Google said it is opening of applications for the Hustle Academy with a special focus on using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to provide comprehensive business education, mentorship, and networking opportunities to SMBs.

According to Kristy Grant, Head of B2B marketing for Sub-Saharan Africa at Google, the 2024 cohort of the programme introduces a significant upgrade – business-focused AI training integrated directly into the curriculum.

“This year, the new AI modules focus on data-driven decisions, optimising operations, and building AI-powered marketing strategies,” Grant said.

“AI holds immense potential for African small and medium-sized businesses SMBs, enabling them to drive innovation, increase efficiency, and unlock new levels of economic growth.

“The Hustle Academy has supported over 10,000 businesses who have gone ahead to raise funding and create jobs since inception.

“By incorporating AI into our curriculum, we aim to further amplify this impact, equipping SMBs to harness AI technologies for improved business performance and economic progress,” Grant emphasized.

She added that applications for the 2024 Hustle Academy cohort are open to SMBs in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.