Digest

TechCabal daily: Africa loves its feature phones ?

By Mobisola Atolagbe Mar 28, 2017

Hey there! Today’s TechCabal digest is brought to you by DIYlaw; get N2000 off your next company incorporation here with our coupon code – DIYLAWTC. Here’s everything interesting in African technology today.

Source: QZ Africa

What’s new this Tuesday…

1. New data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) shows that smartphone sales are slowing down in Africa – According to the report, 215.3 million mobile handsets were shipped in Africa in 2016 with smartphones accounting for 95.37 million of those units. This means that even though smartphones recorded a 3.4% increase, it’s much lower than the two digit figures we’ve been seeing for the past 2 years. Feature phones did a lot better on the other hand, with a 16.1% increase in 2016 making up 119.9 million units sold.

+ Samsung continues to lead the African smartphone market with a 27% market share even though it’s dropped about 2.5% since 2015. Tecno is second (12.5%), followed by Huawei (8%) and Itel (6%).

+ I want to go into how smartphone sales in Africa most likely dropped because people can no longer afford the “luxury” but I’m world-weary right now so I’ll spare you guys. Regular programming continues tomorrow.

2. CAMSCORP is launching a new Ventures Lab upscale programme that will connect fast-growing African companies to international investors in addition to helping them build world-class enterprises. The Ventures Lab upscale programme will be a 3-month programme open to African companies that have completed an initial funding round and want to raise over $1M or have generated $300K in revenue if self-funded. Interested companies should check out other requirements and apply here.

3. Libya now has 4G service – According to the Libya Observer, Libyana Mobile, one of the country’s two mobile operators, has launched Libya’s first 4G LTE service. The new service will be available in Tripoli, Zawiya, Sabha and Misrata, before rolling out in other regions.

4. Day 70 of the internet shutdown in Anglophone Cameroon. When will we stop this counter? #BringBackOurInternet.

The Zunde Africa Fund (ZAF), a group that invests in student-run businesses, is looking for passionate student entrepreneurs across Africa who are ready to take their businesses to the next level. Applications are open until May 1st. You can apply here.

You should check these out…

+ Tanzania is ramping up its mobile registration program to provide more newborns with birth certificates.

+ Iroko’s Multi-Platform Network, IrokoX, has just released its first in-house production. It’s a competition where two celebrities battle for the ‘Best Video Gamer’ title. Watch their pilot episode featuring two Nigerian musicians, Lynxxx vs Ikechukwu.

+ Lesson 3 in Wole Lawani’s Startup buffettology: Life is too short to lose money.

+ Visa has just concluded its first African innovation fintech bootcamp. Here are the 10 startups that participated.

This April, ChatClass NG is offering a 2-month program designed to develop and support social media managers. The program will feature a thorough masterclass, real-life assessments and internships. Apply here if you’re interested. Deadline’s April 1st.

Hot topics on Radar

+ Our AMA this week is with Jumia Food Managing Director, Olamide Bada. You can click here to save the date to your calendar. Hope you’ll join us?

+ You guys obviously cannot wait for another Radar offline. Fret not, details are coming soon.

+ People are increasingly turning to Radar for life advice and they are not getting disappointed. This is no 65783048 of why Radar is awesome.

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Upcoming events…

Cairo: VC4A Business Model Canvas workshop, March 28th to 29th. Link.

Johannesburg: 500 Startups’ Geeks on a plane South Africa tour, March 28th to 30th. Link.

Abuja: The Hustle Grind with Andy Madaki, March 29th. Link.

Midrand: IoT Forum Africa, March 29th to 30th. Link.

Abuja: Ventures Platform’s StartUp Jam, March 30th. Link.

Accra: Starta’s Silicon Drinkup, March 30th. Link.

Brussels: Paradigm Initiative at RightsCon 2017, March 30th. Link.

London: LSE Africa Summit, March 31st. Link.

Lagos: LeadSpace Happy Hour, March 31st. Link.

Kaduna: StartUp Friday, March 31st. Link.

Lagos: Introduction to Android Things, April 1st. Link.