Africa
Silicon Valley begins to invest in African health startups
The Ghana-based startup, mPharma had previously raised $5 million in seed funding led by Silicon Valley’s Social Capital. But on November 23, 2017, the startup announced its pharmacy retail supply venture attracted a bevy of major international investors for its recent Series A funding. They received about 6.6 million dollars from Silicon Valley startups like Social Capital and local VCs like Golden Palm Investments and 4DX Ventures.
MPharma is starting to disrupt the prescription drug business in Africa. Plus, it has started setting its sights on bigger targets beyond the continent. MPharma manages prescription drug inventory for pharmacies and their suppliers in four African countries.
Someone else is now in charge of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe just got its new president. Emmerson Mnangagwa was sworn in as the country’s new leader on Friday, following Robert Mugabe’s dramatic resignation this week after nearly four decades of rule. Mnangagwa was vice president under Mugabe and has vowed to serve as the interim president until elections are held next year. Known as “The Crocodile” for his political cunning and longevity, the 75-year-old Mnangagwa fled the country after Mugabe fired him earlier this month, a dismissal that triggered the political turmoil and apparent military involvement that led to Mugabe stepping down. Mr. Mnangagwa fled the country but returned to a hero’s welcome and on Friday, struck a conciliatory tone.
Cameroon
Digitalization of Small businesses; Theme of PmExchange 2017
Very few startups and small businesses have gone digital. The internet usage had become a necessity. Nowadays, the use of digital has become an imperative for companies that want to continue to develop and above all to be competitive. In that light, a community of small-sized businesses organized the pm exchange conference. In its fourth edition, the need for businesses to go digital in today’s global environment was brought to awareness.
Huawei technology takes Cameroon to Smart City award recognition
Proudly, at the World Smart City awards held at the Smart City Expo World Congress 2017 (SCEWC), Cameroon was recognised with a nomination for the Innovation Idea Award for its solar energy project. Such achievement will propel the business sphere to higher heights. Cameroon was not the only Huawei partnered customer in contention at the awards. The ultimate goals of a Smart City are to enable good governance, promote industry development and deliver benefits for the people.
202 Cameroonian migrants go back home from Libya
Migration for greener pastures is very common in the African continent. Due to the high rate of unemployment, and the high level of poverty, many youths flee to other countries with hopes to upgrade their lives. Unfortunately getting a good life might not be the outcome of some as they encounter harsher conditions. In that light, the migrants of Cameroonian origin (including 9 pregnant women) residing in Libya were voluntarily repatriated to Cameroon within the framework of an IMO initiative.
Each one of the repatriated migrants has received FCFA 65,000 from the government to restart their lives and avoid going back.
World
Walmart is quietly testing a fleet of self-driving vehicles that mop floors
The device looks like any other floor cleaner but with two exceptions – it scrubs at night and does not need a human to operate it. Walmart has quietly begun testing an advanced, autonomous floor scrubber during overnight shifts – a move that could free workers from hours of drudgery, but that has already raised alarm among some employees. As the largest private-sector employer in the US, Walmart is watched carefully for any shifts it makes to its workplace. The device is the creation of San Diego-based Brain Corp., a firm that raised $114 million in a Series C funding in July.
Uber bribed hackers to cover-up massive data breach
In a company blog post on Tuesday, CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi revealed yet another skeleton in Uber’s closet – a massive breach of its users’ personal data that the company intentionally hid from the public ear for over a year. This also included a $100.000 bribe to the hackers involved in exchange for keeping their mouths shut. The hack included names and license numbers of more than 600.000 drivers as well as names, emails and phone numbers of 57 million users.
According to Uber’s CEO, he only recently learned of the October 2016 attack but has made swift moves to oust 2 executives involved in the cover-up.
Trump defends Roy Moore’s sexual abuse claim
President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended Republican, Roy Moore. The Alabama-based Republican Senate candidate was accused of sexual abuse. However, he denied having anything to do with it. According to Trump’s tweet, “He denies it. Look, he denies it. He says it didn’t happen.”
Trump’s comments mark a break between him and other prominent Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has called on Moore to drop out of the race. The campaign arm for Senate Republicans and the Republican National Committee have also severed ties with Moore.
Silicon times
- T-Systems South Africa announces Microsoft Azure investment
- Vodacom Unveils R80 Million Building in Lesotho
- Google Honours Nigerian Literary Icon Chinua Achebe
- Infinix zero 5 launches in Nigeria
- Trump’s FCC moves quickly to upend internet, media rules
- Russia warns Google over comments about downranking government-linked news sites
- Facebook Messenger is stealing Snapchat’s streaks feature
- 13th annual Silicon Valley Turkey Trot drums up nostalgia and drive to stay fit
- Apple’s 2018 iPhones could have 62x faster internet speeds
- Tesla has built the world’s biggest battery in Australia
Events
- Make time out for DevFest Douala 2017 Saturday 2, December 2017 7 a.m – 5 p.m at the University of Saint Jérôme in Douala.
- Masterclass Georges Pondy will be throwing an event on Thursday 30 November 2017 from 9:30 p.m – 12:00 p.m at the French Institute (Bibliothèque).
- East Africa Big Data Analytics and Cloud Computing Summit is an event not to miss out coming up on Wednesday 2, May 2018 @ 7:00 p.m –Thursday 3, May 2018, 5:30 p.m in EA Radisson Blu, Nairobi Kenya.
- Be at the ICAS Annual Core Brief Session 2017 November 30, 2017, from 10:00 a.m – 11:00 a.m SAST ICAS in Southern Africa 6 North Road Johannesburg, GP 2196 South Africa.
- Do not miss out on the Pitches, Press & Fundraising for Blockchain Projects / ICOs on November 29, 2017, 7:00 p.m – 9:30 p.m EST WorkHouse NYC.
Jobs
- Globelaq in Douala is currently in need of a Key Account Manager. Grab the opportunity by applying now.
- CARE located in Yaounde is in need of a chief of Party.
- Work as a Youth Technical Advisor in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Application ends on the 27th of November.
- Apply now for the position of a Regional Wash Acquisition and Management Specialist in Senegal. The deadline is 5th December 2017.
- Kuala Lumpur is in need of A web developer.
- Serve as an Auditory-Verbal Therapist in Qatar.
Opportunities
- Call for proposal: U.S African Development Foundation grants 2018 for African enterprises. Application deadline is January 29, 2018.
- The 2018 Yale Young African Scholars application is now open! Click here to Apply. The deadline to submit is 06 February 2018.
- Participate in the Valeo Innovation Challenge 2018 International Student Contest (200 000 Euros prize). Latest date for application is March 30th, 2018.
- Be a part of the Japanese Association of University Women International Fellowships 2018. Application ends on the 31st of March 2018.
- Get involved in the Africa Energy Indaba African Youth Energy Innovator Program 2018. Application deadline is the 15th of January 2018.
- Take the chance and apply for the 2018 Global Scholarships to study online at UNICAF University.
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