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Five companies that are turning the tech tide in Africa
Big developments are happening in Africa in terms of helping the population through technology and here are some of the companies behind these changes.
Blockchain helps landowners to keep track
As land disputes happen so frequently as a result of records being tampered with in Africa, Blockchain is being used to keep track. As it is distributed globally, everyone can access an up-to-date version of the ledger as and when it's needed. Rwanda is currently one of the countries in the early stages of digitisation by WISeKey.
Training and creating jobs in IT
Finding an answer to the global shortage of IT developers, a startup called Andela has come up with the solution to train up developers in Nigeria and then outsource them to Europe and the US.
Making mobile payments more accessible
Due to the rise in online mobile money accounts in Africa, there are too many different systems which are not always compatible. With people then being unable to pay for items online, Flutterwave has set up a system to allow people to pay online in their own currencies using a mobile money wallet interlinked with the US. Boss Iyinoluwa Aboyeji has said: "If we are successful, we might inspire a new generation of Africans to flip the question from - 'What more can the world do for Africa? To, what more can Africa do for the world?'"
Delivery by drone
Due to aviation rules, drones are rapidly being frowned upon in the US and Europe. Africa on the other hand with its colossal amount of land is perfect for them. Companies such as Zipline are at the forefront of using drones for the delivery of medical supplies in demand in Africa.
Creating energy in hard-to-reach areas
Taking advantage of the opportunity for renewable energy, Peg Africa sells solar panels to people in West Africa using a 'pay-as-you-go' financing scheme. This allows customers to replace their poor quality polluting fuels (i.e. kerosene) with something more sustainable.
